Addressing problem behaviours

Notes from the presentation on Behaviour Analysis by Greg Allen, behaviour consultant, Kerry's Place at Family Space Quinte Autism Parent Meeting on Feb.2:
Individuals with autism exhibit challenging behaviours of physical aggression, self-injury, tantrums etc. which can be stressful for their parents. It is important to understand accurately what function the behaviour is serving the individual. A functional assessment is necessary to answer this question because the behaviour is serving a specific outcome. If the behaviour is repeating frequently, the probability, he says, is that the behaviour might unintentionally have been reinforced for the child in the past. The important thing is if you are trying to stop a problem behaviour, the child has to be effectively reinforced for attempting, even in the slightest way, the new desirable behaviour which you are seeking to replace the problem behaviour with.
A functional assessment can be carried out in the following steps:
1. Define a target in measurable terms e.g. biting a peer on the hand at recess.
2. Examine what happens immediately before the problem behaviour and what was the immediate consequence. e.g. hitting his head on the livingroom floor while watching tv, consequence: someone rushes to stop him (attention-seeking then?) Collect these data from family members, school personnel and agents working with the child.
Other scenarios might been because of need to escape/avoidance of tasks, control, lack of communication skills, stress or frustration or just stimulation. Following the assessment, modifications can be made to his/her environment, the goal being to provide a stable and predictable environment to prevent undesired behaviour.