Write a target behavior definition

Write a target behavior definition

Each case presents a problem that you, the future ABA professional, will need to assess. You will design an effective behavior modification program as well as a plan to evaluate this program. Each case covers the theories, concepts, and research discussed this term. Your answers to the questions should consist of information from supplemental readings.

Your primary sources should be from credible Internet sources. These include:

Academic Search Premier

EBSCO

ERIC

Pub Med

This will help you demonstrate your mastery of the material covered this term.

After reading each case, please fully answer the questions below. Responses to the questions should be typed in a Word document, double-spaced in 12-point font and submitted to the Dropbox. Most students will need to write 3 typed pages for each case..

Your final paper must be your original work; plagiarism will not be tolerated. Be sure to review the Syllabus in terms of what constitutes plagiarism.

Please make sure to provide proper credit for those sources used in your case study analysis in proper APA format. Please see the APA Quick Reference for any questions related to APA citations. You must credit authors when you:

1.Summarize a concept, theory or research

2.Use direct quotes from the text or articles

Case Study 1: William

Ms. Tooley contacts you, an ABA analyst, to assist her with a child in her classroom named William. William is a healthy 6-year-old boy who has been terrorizing his classmates. The problem has been occurring since the beginning of the school year. William pushes, kicks, hits or bites other children in the class. This has often happened during recess time. Ms. Tooley first addressed the issue by scolding William. That did not appear to reduce the behavior, so she then required him to visit the principal’s office whenever an episode of hitting/biting occurred. These visits also had little effect in reducing the negative behaviors.

1.What is the target behavior(s) that you will plan to address? Write a target behavior definition using terms that can be observed and the appropriate behavior analytic language.

2.How would you first assess William? Discuss the rationale for your choice of assessment.

3.Discuss one reason why the teacher’s original methods of behavior management may have failed.

4.Design an effective behavior modification program for William using a combination approach treatment package(two or more behavior techniques from the relevant literature).

5.Discuss your rationale for selecting the combination approach, drawing upon behavior theory.

6.Explain how you would evaluate the modification program.

Discuss issues related to spontaneous recovery of behavior, extinction and maintenance of desired behavior.

Case Study 2: Annie

Hospital Administrator Rodriguez contacts you because she is experiencing difficulty with an ABA program that you designed for one of her psychiatric patients, Annie. The patient, a 40-year-old schizophrenic female, has been exhibiting a great deal of difficulty with a few daily care routines, including brushing her teeth and making her bed in the morning. The program that you originally designed was a token economy system in which she would earn one token for each completed activity and then collect a reward (extra time in the courtyard) once 10 tokens were obtained. Ms. Rodriguez reports that Annie is not completing the tasks and then as a result, not earning any tokens. She asks you to revisit the hospital to determine what is not working.

1.What are three possible issues that can occur with a newly implemented behavior change program? Discuss what aspects of the program you would want to check on first before making any changes.

2.Choosing one of the three potential issues, elaborate on how this may be negatively impacting the program and how you could address the problem to increase the likelihood that the program would work.

3.Provide a step by step alternative behavior modification program (instead of the one presented) for Annie. Your new plan must include the following:

a.A description of the data-based intervention that you have chosen.

b.Your rationale for using the intervention as supported by relevant literature (your text and Journal articles)

c.The overall behavior goals associated with the use of the plan

d.The step-by-step procedures that the staff will take to implement the plan

e.How data will be collected

f.How progress will be monitored