Unit D: Behavior Reduction is a critical component of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy, focusing on strategies to decrease unwanted or challenging behaviors that may harm an individual or others, or interfere with their learning and daily functioning. While ABA is often mistakenly thought to be solely about behavior reduction, it is an integral part of a broader approach that also prioritizes skill acquisition.
Significance and Purpose of Behavior Reduction
The primary aim of behavior reduction in ABA is to decrease unwanted behaviors. These behaviors, often referred to as “target behaviors,” “maladaptive,” or “inappropriate,” can include aggression, self-injurious behaviors (SIB), property damage, spitting, or screaming. By systematically modifying these challenging behaviors through scientifically validated techniques, ABA practitioners support learning and overall growth. RBTs are on the front lines, implementing these behavior-change programs and contributing to positive behavior change and improved quality of life for clients, especially those with autism.
Essential Components of a Written Behavior Reduction Plan
For clients with behavior reduction goals, a written behavior reduction plan, also known as a Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP), is required. This plan is typically created by a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and then implemented by RBTs and other team members [349, 387e].
A comprehensive behavior reduction plan must include the following:
- Definition of the Interfering Behavior(s) and ABC Analysis: The plan should clearly define the interfering behaviors using observable language. It also summarizes the findings of a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA), which identifies what commonly occurred before (antecedent) and after (consequence) the interfering behavior. This descriptive account is known as ABC data.
- Measurable Behavior Goals: Goals for behavior change should be specific and quantifiable.
- The Behavior’s Function: Understanding why a behavior occurs (its function) is crucial for designing effective interventions.
- Preventative Strategies (Antecedent Strategies): These strategies aim to reduce the chances of the target behavior from occurring by modifying the environment or conditions before the behavior happens.
- Consequent Strategies: These outline the actions to be taken after the target behavior occurs. This includes how to respond to the interfering behavior and how to reinforce replacement behaviors.
- Crisis Interventions: If a target behavior could cause harm to the client or others, a crisis plan detailing emergency procedures must be outlined.
Common Functions of Behavior
In ABA, there are four main categories of behavior function that explain why individuals behave in a certain way:
- Social Attention: The individual engages in behavior to receive attention from others in the environment (e.g., parents, teachers, peers). If screaming leads to a mother’s attention, the screaming is attention-maintained.
- Escape/Avoidance: The individual behaves to get out of or avoid an undesirable task, activity, or social stimulation (e.g., escaping a difficult task or an unpleasant situation). For example, ripping up a math worksheet to avoid doing homework is escape-maintained.
- Access to Tangible: The individual engages in the behavior to obtain a preferred item or activity. Crying to get a pacifier is an example of behavior maintained by access to a tangible.
- Automatic Reinforcement: This occurs when a behavior produces its own reinforcing consequence without the involvement of others. Examples include hand-flapping for sensory stimulation or tapping a pen for its sound.
Understanding these functions is fundamental because interventions are designed to address the underlying reason for the behavior, rather than just the behavior itself.
Key Intervention Strategies
RBTs implement various procedures to address challenging behaviors as part of a behavior reduction plan.
1. Antecedent Interventions
Antecedent interventions (also known as antecedent strategies or manipulation strategies) involve changing what happens before a behavior to make it less likely to occur. These strategies aim to structure the environment to favor better choices for the individual. Common antecedent modification strategies include:
- Visual Supports/Schedules: Providing visual aids to help structure the environment and routine.
- Behavioral Momentum: Preceding a difficult task (low-probability behavior) with several easy tasks (high-probability behaviors) to build momentum and increase compliance with the difficult task.
- Priming: Discussing upcoming events, setting expectations, and sharing relevant information in advance.
- Offering Choices (Shared Control): Allowing clients to make decisions within structured options to increase engagement and cooperation. The choices offered must be equally acceptable to the intervener.
- Noncontingent Reinforcement (NCR): Delivering a specified reinforcer after a set amount of time has passed, regardless of the behavior, to decrease motivation for challenging behavior. It’s crucial to examine the risks and benefits of NCR, including the risk of inadvertently reinforcing undesirable behavior.
- Environmental Modifications: Altering elements in the environment that evoke or support challenging behavior (e.g., rearranging furniture, removing throwable objects, dimming lights).
- Task Interspersal: Mixing easy and hard tasks to reduce challenging behavior triggered by demands, improving compliance and on-task behavior.
- Timers: Using timers to indicate activity durations, promoting time management and transitions.
2. Differential Reinforcement Procedures
Differential reinforcement (DR) is an application of reinforcement designed to reduce or eliminate interfering behaviors by reinforcing the non-occurrence or decreased occurrence of these behaviors, or by reinforcing behaviors that are more functional or incompatible with them. It is an evidence-based practice effective across various age groups (0-22 years) and outcomes (academic, adaptive, behavior, communication, social, etc.) for individuals with autism.
There are several types of differential reinforcement:
- Differential Reinforcement of Alternative Behavior (DRA): Reinforcement is provided when the learner engages in a specific desired behavior that is an alternative to the interfering behavior. The main goal is to replace the interfering behavior with an appropriate alternative. (Example: Reinforcing raising a hand instead of screaming for attention).
- Differential Reinforcement of Incompatible Behavior (DRI): Reinforcement is provided when the learner engages in a behavior that is physically impossible to do at the same time as the interfering behavior. The main goal is to replace the interfering behavior with an incompatible one. (Example: Reinforcing walking in the hallway instead of running).
- Differential Reinforcement of Low Rates of Behavior (DRL): Reinforcement is provided if the learner’s engagement in the interfering behavior is at or below a predetermined criterion. This is used when the behavior is not harmful but is problematic due to its high frequency, aiming to reduce its occurrence to acceptable levels. (Example: Reinforcing a student for using the water fountain 5 or fewer times during the school day).
- Differential Reinforcement of Other Behavior (DRO): Reinforcement is provided when the learner is not engaging in the interfering behavior for a specific period of time. The main goal is to eliminate the interfering behavior entirely. (Example: Reinforcing a student for not hitting himself for five minutes).
For DRA and DRI, continuous reinforcement is used initially, then faded to an intermittent schedule. For DRO, the interval for reinforcement is gradually increased as the learner makes progress. For DRL, the number of allowed responses per interval is gradually reduced.
3. Extinction Procedures
Extinction involves discontinuing reinforcement for a previously reinforced behavior, which leads to a decrease in the future frequency of that behavior until it reaches pre-reinforcement levels or ceases to occur. It is an evidence-based practice in ABA.
- Purpose: Extinction reduces unwanted behaviors by removing the reinforcement that maintains them. It is not punishment, nor does it mean ignoring the child entirely; it means withholding the specific reinforcement that was maintaining the target behavior.
- Extinction Burst: A temporary increase in the frequency or intensity of the unwanted behavior can occur immediately after reinforcement is withheld. This is a common and expected side effect of extinction.
4. Punishment Procedures
Punishment is a strategy where a stimulus change immediately following a behavior decreases the future frequency of that behavior.
- Positive Punishment: Something is added immediately after a behavior, resulting in the behavior occurring less often in the future (e.g., a speeding ticket decreases future speeding).
- Negative Punishment: Something is removed immediately after a behavior, resulting in the behavior occurring less often in the future (e.g., removal of work hours for being tardy decreases future tardiness).
- Ethical Considerations: BCBAs always recommend the least restrictive procedures and prioritize reinforcement over punishment whenever possible. Punishment procedures are typically reserved for extremely severe behaviors that cause harm to the individual or others, especially when other interventions have been ineffective. When punishment is necessary, reinforcement procedures are always implemented for alternative behaviors.
5. Crisis/Emergency Procedures
For learners whose target behaviors pose a risk of harm to themselves or others (e.g., self-injurious behavior, aggression, elopement), a crisis plan is essential. This plan outlines specific steps and actions to ensure safety during emergencies, including contacting authorities or alerting caregivers, and also addresses medical emergencies.
RBT’s Role in Behavior Reduction
RBTs are directly responsible for implementing behavior reduction plans designed by their supervisors [84, 349, 387e]. This involves:
- Accurately implementing procedures: Following the plan as written.
- Collecting and recording data: RBTs prepare for data collection, implement continuous and discontinuous measurement procedures, and enter data to track the client’s progress. Accurate, consistent, and objective data is crucial for BCBAs to make informed treatment decisions.
- Responding to Feedback: RBTs must respond appropriately to feedback from supervisors and strive to improve their performance.
- Communicating with Supervisors: RBTs should actively seek clinical direction in a timely manner and communicate any concerns or observations about client progress or variables that might affect it (e.g., illness, medication, schedule changes). Questions outside the RBT’s scope, such as those concerning diet or medical procedures, must be referred to the BCBA.
- Maintaining Client Dignity and Professional Boundaries: RBTs must always treat clients with dignity and respect, ensuring their rights and autonomy are upheld. This includes respecting choices, protecting privacy, providing personalized and culturally sensitive care, and avoiding dual relationships.
RBT Exam Relevance
Behavior Reduction is a significant content area on the RBT examination. Under the 2nd edition RBT Task List, this section comprises 12 scored questions. For the 3rd edition RBT Test Content Outline (effective January 1, 2026), “Behavior Reduction” will account for 14 questions, representing 19% of the total exam content. The RBT Initial Competency Assessment also requires demonstration of at least three tasks from the “Skill Acquisition and Behavior Reduction” section (tasks 6-15), which can include differential reinforcement and extinction.