gdata.io.handleScriptLoaded({"version":"1.0","encoding":"UTF-8","feed":{"xmlns":"http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom","xmlns$openSearch":"http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/","xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","xmlns$georss":"http://www.georss.org/georss","xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","xmlns$blogger":"http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008","id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-910085778879504657"},"updated":{"$t":"2023-12-19T05:27:29.957-05:00"},"category":[{"term":"Programs"},{"term":"interventions"},{"term":"Interviews"},{"term":"FAQ"},{"term":"Community/Public"},{"term":"Language/Communication"},{"term":"Telehealth"},{"term":"Autism"},{"term":"ABA Employment"},{"term":"Home Tips"},{"term":"ABA"},{"term":"Life skills"},{"term":"ABA Reform"},{"term":"I love ABA"},{"term":"Quote of The Day"},{"term":"TV/Movies"},{"term":"assessment"},{"term":"prompting"},{"term":"Guest Post"},{"term":"BCBA"},{"term":"audio/video post"},{"term":"Staff training"},{"term":"Featured"},{"term":"Feeding"},{"term":"behavior"},{"term":"Repetitive behaviors"},{"term":"Supervisor Tips"},{"term":"Therapy start up"},{"term":"Sensory Needs"},{"term":"Parent education"},{"term":"Ethics/Professionalism"},{"term":"Pairing"},{"term":"School/Educators"},{"term":"Social Skills"},{"term":"Play Skills"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"I Love ABA!"},"subtitle":{"type":"html","$t":"~Practical Tips ~Simple Strategies ~Free Resources"},"link":[{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/910085778879504657/posts/default/-/assessment?alt\u003djson-in-script"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/910085778879504657/posts/default/-/assessment?alt\u003djson-in-script"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://www.iloveaba.com/search/label/assessment"},{"rel":"hub","href":"http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Tameika Meadows, BCBA, Blog Author"},"uri":{"$t":"https://www.blogger.com/profile/17008810597417201971"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"32","src":"//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKRu-32Kiv0YjGfVQQ0isn09_Q0rxpVUSLk206uq3faX3NIRWl2Ysmtq6cdZ5IPewos6C9xm3Fn_05hk7DBTKU0BOOraF03cyPTHWfXXjm5RyHAEAXnZ3oiK8cEXrAcg/s220/20161223_173533-1.jpg"}}],"generator":{"version":"7.00","uri":"https://www.blogger.com","$t":"Blogger"},"openSearch$totalResults":{"$t":"7"},"openSearch$startIndex":{"$t":"1"},"openSearch$itemsPerPage":{"$t":"25"},"entry":[{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-910085778879504657.post-7508290702324856926"},"published":{"$t":"2021-06-02T10:30:00.001-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-09-26T18:04:56.440-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"BCBA"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Staff training"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"assessment"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"interventions"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"ABA"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Supervisor Tips"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Client Assessment: An Overview"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qDNmrZlceG8/YLeVoKnp1II/AAAAAAAAHS0/rk1R_34gg9MnDRwZourEMyDcTK6sB2cHwCNcBGAsYHQ/s344/photo-1587613754760-cd9a285831b3.jpg\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" data-original-height\u003d\"344\" data-original-width\u003d\"321\" height\u003d\"335\" src\u003d\"https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qDNmrZlceG8/YLeVoKnp1II/AAAAAAAAHS0/rk1R_34gg9MnDRwZourEMyDcTK6sB2cHwCNcBGAsYHQ/w313-h335/photo-1587613754760-cd9a285831b3.jpg\" width\u003d\"313\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRecommended Reading:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"https://marksundberg.com/vb-mapp/\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003eVB -MAPP\u003c/a\u003e assessment tool\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"https://partingtonbehavioranalysts.com/products/ablls-r-the-assessment-of-basic-language-and-learning-skills-revised\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003eABLLS-R\u003c/a\u003e assessment tool\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"https://partingtonbehavioranalysts.com/pages/afls\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003eAFLS\u003c/a\u003e assessment tool\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe \u003ca href\u003d\"https://practicalfunctionalassessment.com/\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003ePractical Functional Behavior Assessment\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThere are many commercial assessment tools out there that are purchased and utilized by ABA practitioners, typically at the BCBA level (BCBAs typically are the ones conducting \u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.iloveaba.com/2014/01/conducting-client-intakes.html\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003enew client intake\u003c/a\u003e).\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOften when I work with supervisees (meaning individuals pursuing BCBA certification) or very new practitioners, they have many questions about \u003cb\u003eAssessment\u003c/b\u003e. Such as, which tool to select for which client, pros and cons of each tool, what materials to use (particularly if the employer does not provide assessment kits), differences between assessing a younger child vs a young adult or adult, differences in assessing in the home vs community settings, etc. And of course, varying funder requirements will also influence which assessment tool is selected and even how much time is allowed to conduct an assessment.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn summary, the questions focus on \"HOW\". \u003ci\u003eHow do I pick the best assessment, for this client, in this particular setting, to gain the most helpful information?\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBecause at the end of the day, that IS the point of assessment: to gain valuable and salient information about the client that will guide programming and determine which goals to prioritize for treatment.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePutting aside the specific options for a moment, the key characteristics of a quality client assessment will include the following:\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cul style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cli\u003eA variety of methods across both direct and indirect observation, interviews, checklists, tests, and/or direct skill probing to identify and define targets for intervention\u0026nbsp;\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eThe priorities and areas of concern of the client, client caregiver/parents, or other caregivers close to the client\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eRecord review of pertinent files or reports\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eSelection \u0026amp; measurement of goals\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eProblem behavior identification, measurement, and assessment\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003eThe assessment process is an absolute necessity to beginning treatment with any client. Regardless of age, setting, areas of concern, treatment model, etc., without proper assessment the intervention isn't likely to be effective or achieve true long-lasting change.\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003eMore important than the specific tool to select, is the ability to \u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.iloveaba.com/2016/02/supervisor-tips-case-conceptualization.html\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003econceptualize treatment \u003c/a\u003eand \u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.iloveaba.com/2019/06/p-is-for-priority.html\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003eprioritize goals\u003c/a\u003e. Assessment tools do have characteristics in common, and a big one is the assessor must already have an understanding and knowledge of capturing client attention, delivering the SD, prompting and prompt fading, data measurement, and conducting a thorough interview to gather important information about client functioning. For this reason, although some organizations will assign non-BCBAs to conduct assessments it is critical that the assessor (regardless of certification level) have the appropriate skillset and training to administer an assessment.\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003eIt is also important to recognize that the client's needs should guide assessment tool selection, and not just the tools that are available, the BCBA preference of tool, or other non-critical decision factors. Many organizations may only have 1 or 2 assessment tool options, which would then mean the clients served would need to be narrowed to the ones most appropriate for the assessment tools (e.g. if an organization does not have an appropriate assessment tool for early intervention, then early intervention clients should not be admitted).\u0026nbsp;\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003eLastly, let's not forget that completing a thorough assessment is meaningless if it isn't then connected to goal setting. What was the point of identifying barriers to learning, maladaptive behaviors, and skill deficits impeding daily functioning, if these goals never show up in the treatment plan? Or are never addressed in therapy? It is possible to overfocus on the assessment tool to the point that important, necessary daily life skills get neglected. For example: assuming that because a client has \"filled\" an assessment grid, they are now done with therapy/have no further need of intervention.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003eIf the assessment (when I use the word \"assessment\", I mean a combination of record review, interview, observation, and direct skill probing) identifies Gross Motor Skills, Manding, and Vocal Imitation as areas of significant concern, then programming for those areas should be reflected in the treatment plan. The absence of this, is often seen in \"cookie-cutter interventions\". Cookie-Cutter interventions can be recognized by their disconnect from the individual priorities or high need areas, and by their generic replication across multiple clients. While it is true that many clients with no prior intervention will present similarly (may share struggles with social skills or toileting), this is not the same thing as saying \"Here are the 10 goals I select for ALL 5 -year- olds\", or \"Here is how I teach Toileting for ALL toddlers\". If ABA is not customized and individualized, \u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.iloveaba.com/2013/02/is-this-aba.html\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003eit isn't really ABA\u003c/a\u003e.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e*References -\u0026nbsp;\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003eCooper, Heron, \u0026amp; Heward (2014). \u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.pearson.com/store/p/applied-behavior-analysis/P100000864138\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003eApplied Behavior Analysis\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://elisabethcassinari.com/assisting-individualized-assessment-procedures/\"\u003ehttp://elisabethcassinari.com/assisting-individualized-assessment-procedures/\u003c/a\u003e (great resource!)\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003eThe Council of Autism Service Providers (2020)\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href\u003d\"https://casproviders.org/asd-guidelines/\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003eApplied Behavior Analysis Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder: Practice Guidelines for Healthcare Funders and Managers\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e*Awesome Resource -\u0026nbsp;\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\"\u003ca href\u003d\"https://collective.dobettermovement.us/course/ablls-r-afls-vbmapp-esdm-peak-choosing-the-right-assessment-for-your-learner-with-autism/\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003eABLLS-R, AFLS, VBMAPP, ESDM, PEAK!?!? Choosing the Right Assessment for Your Learner with Autism\u003c/a\u003e\"\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003dwww.iloveaba.com\u003eI Love ABA\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.iloveaba.com/feeds/7508290702324856926/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.iloveaba.com/2021/06/client-assessment-overview.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/910085778879504657/posts/default/7508290702324856926"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/910085778879504657/posts/default/7508290702324856926"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.iloveaba.com/2021/06/client-assessment-overview.html","title":"Client Assessment: An Overview"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Tameika Meadows, BCBA, Blog Author"},"uri":{"$t":"https://www.blogger.com/profile/17008810597417201971"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"32","src":"//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKRu-32Kiv0YjGfVQQ0isn09_Q0rxpVUSLk206uq3faX3NIRWl2Ysmtq6cdZ5IPewos6C9xm3Fn_05hk7DBTKU0BOOraF03cyPTHWfXXjm5RyHAEAXnZ3oiK8cEXrAcg/s220/20161223_173533-1.jpg"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qDNmrZlceG8/YLeVoKnp1II/AAAAAAAAHS0/rk1R_34gg9MnDRwZourEMyDcTK6sB2cHwCNcBGAsYHQ/s72-w313-c-h335/photo-1587613754760-cd9a285831b3.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-910085778879504657.post-82430635148527454"},"published":{"$t":"2020-07-10T19:45:00.006-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-08-11T15:17:25.404-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"assessment"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Parent education"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Therapy start up"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Autism"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Diagnosis Day"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OUJ_QxDQd_k/Xwind7phmSI/AAAAAAAAGR4/tv7WWw80kAkFBK8WaKfR1syBf5Z5sv59ACNcBGAsYHQ/s500/blog.jpg\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" data-original-height\u003d\"333\" data-original-width\u003d\"500\" height\u003d\"333\" src\u003d\"https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OUJ_QxDQd_k/Xwind7phmSI/AAAAAAAAGR4/tv7WWw80kAkFBK8WaKfR1syBf5Z5sv59ACNcBGAsYHQ/w500-h333/blog.jpg\" width\u003d\"500\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eFist things first: WHY is diagnosis important??\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIf you are seeing red flags or concerning behavior in your child, is it absolutely essential that you pursue a formal evaluation? \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e...Well, no.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eBut, the benefits of obtaining a diagnosis of Autism can include access to services/treatment/an IEP, access to specific funding or disability resources or support, possible reduction of parental/familial stress or anxiety about the child's behaviors or differences, and an increased understanding of your child's unique needs and motivations. Basically, the sooner you know what is causing the red flags you are observing, the sooner you can DO something about it.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eMany Autistic adults report having gone through life feeling different, odd, or struggling socially, and express wishing they had known much earlier in life that they weren't \"wrong\", while everyone else was \"right\". It can be extremely helpful for a person to know how their brain works (and why), so even if as a parent you aren't concerned if your child could be Autistic, your child may want to know one day.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cb\u003eTIPS\u003c/b\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e·         Ask questions about \u003cu\u003ealllllll \u003c/u\u003ethe things! Make a list before you even arrive, just to make sure you get all your concerns out when you are face to face with the clinician. This is the time to express your concerns and get answers\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e·         Don’t over or under report. What I mean is, describe what typically happens as truthfully as possible. It will be very clear to the clinician if you are glossing over serious concerns, or if you are minimizing strengths\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e·         Make sure your child (and you!) are in a good place for the appointment: fed, rested, calm, etc. While many parents bring along a tablet to keep their child entertained on the way to the appointment, keep in mind that tablet will have to be removed at some point. It may be a good idea to bring a less powerful reinforcer so you don’t push your child into a full tantrum right as the appointment starts\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e·         Avoid jumping in to help/guide your child, or directing your child to attend to the assessor (e.g. “C’mon Ally, push the red car!”). I know, it’s hard to just sit and watch your child perform poorly. But that is exactly what the assessor needs to see. Don’t worry, there will be parts where the assessor needs your input.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e·         Don’t expect this whole process to be wrapped up in one 2-hour appointment. Proper assessment takes time, you may encounter waiting lists, and most likely there will be more than one office visit required.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cb\u003eWHAT TO EXPECT\u003c/b\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eRegardless of the diagnostic tool used, there are certain commonalities you can expect. To name a few:\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e·         The “majority example”. If your child exhibits a certain behavior 5% of the time, and a different behavior the other 95% of the time, the assessor will focus on what they do 95% of the time.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e·         Difficulty leaving/separating from the caregiver, even if that person is in the same room. This is very common, don’t feel embarrassed if your child clings to you and refuses to interact with anyone else.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e·         “Who is this child?”. By this I mean it is very common for the child to behave differently during assessment than what the parent is used to seeing. If the child babbles at home, they may be silent during the appointment. If the child bites and pinches at home, they may be sweet as pie during the appointment. It is also important to understand that the assessor must make decisions based on what they are seeing. This is why the evaluator will likely have you complete multiple checklists or forms, so they can compare what you typically see against the snapshot of the child they are seeing.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e·         Super, super short attending to tasks (e.g. child stays seated for .5 seconds). VERY common. Don’t become fearful that the assessment will be ruined, or full of errors, because your child just flits from one task to another or will not participate in any tasks. This is actually part of what the assessor needs to see, and it provides valuable information about functioning.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e·         Don’t expect to get to the end of the appointment and hear the assessor say “Welp, he’s Autistic”. ALL of the data, scores, and observations must be compiled and analyzed, and this process takes time. While it is very okay to ask the evaluator their initial impressions, please give the evaluator time to properly review all of the data before confirming any diagnosis.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cb\u003eNEXT STEPS\u003c/b\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e·         After the diagnostic appointment, it will likely be a few weeks (or longer) until a follow-up appointment. The follow-up appointment is where the evaluator reviews the results with you and will go in depth to discuss recommendations.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e·         The formal diagnostic report will be long, detailed, and jargony. Kind of like reading a technical manual upside down. Be prepared to ask questions, and then ask more questions, until you actually understand the clinician’s report.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e·         If your child is not diagnosed, sometimes this can mean additional diagnostic tools are recommended, the child may currently be on the cusp and another evaluation is recommended for the following year, or there may be other explanations for the red flags besides Autism.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e·         If your child is diagnosed, this just means that in most cases they now become eligible for a myriad of services. It does NOT mean anyone can predict their future, tell you they will never (fill in the blank), or tell you that (fill in the blank) will always be a struggle.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e·         Please be prepared for more delays. In a perfect world, families would move seamlessly from diagnosis to treatment. Unfortunately, in our actual world, there are far more people \u003ci\u003eneeding\u003c/i\u003e services than providers \u003ci\u003eoffering\u003c/i\u003e services. There may be a wait to access various therapies, get into your school districts Autism program, apply for SSI, etc.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e*Recommended Reading:\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.iloveaba.com/p/newly-diagnosed.html\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003e After the Diagnosis\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e*Here is a\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v\u003d_R7tRFGYL0U\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003e parent perspective \u003c/a\u003eof the diagnosis appointment\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"gs\" style\u003d\"background-color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 20px; width: 1006px;\"\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"ii gt\" id\u003d\":d5\" style\u003d\"direction: ltr; margin: 8px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;\"\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"a3s aXjCH\" id\u003d\":84\" style\u003d\"font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.5; overflow: hidden;\"\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"yj6qo\" style\u003d\"color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"adL\" style\u003d\"color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"hi\" style\u003d\"background: rgb(242, 242, 242); border-bottom-left-radius: 1px; border-bottom-right-radius: 1px; color: #222222; font-family: roboto, robotodraft, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003dwww.iloveaba.com\u003eI Love ABA\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.iloveaba.com/feeds/82430635148527454/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.iloveaba.com/2020/07/diagnosis-day.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/910085778879504657/posts/default/82430635148527454"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/910085778879504657/posts/default/82430635148527454"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.iloveaba.com/2020/07/diagnosis-day.html","title":"Diagnosis Day"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Tameika Meadows, BCBA, Blog Author"},"uri":{"$t":"https://www.blogger.com/profile/17008810597417201971"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"32","src":"//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKRu-32Kiv0YjGfVQQ0isn09_Q0rxpVUSLk206uq3faX3NIRWl2Ysmtq6cdZ5IPewos6C9xm3Fn_05hk7DBTKU0BOOraF03cyPTHWfXXjm5RyHAEAXnZ3oiK8cEXrAcg/s220/20161223_173533-1.jpg"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OUJ_QxDQd_k/Xwind7phmSI/AAAAAAAAGR4/tv7WWw80kAkFBK8WaKfR1syBf5Z5sv59ACNcBGAsYHQ/s72-w500-c-h333/blog.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-910085778879504657.post-2277114688590897636"},"published":{"$t":"2019-08-31T10:17:00.001-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-09-26T18:00:28.131-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"BCBA"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Staff training"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"assessment"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"ABA"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Supervisor Tips"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Report."},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8Ecdkex9HqM/XWp8ov1TjFI/AAAAAAAAFlA/yWY70QuI-x8TSTEsg1ezLeXM5IH-27iYQCLcBGAs/s1600/photo-1502465771179-51f3535da42c.jpg\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" data-original-height\u003d\"701\" data-original-width\u003d\"1049\" height\u003d\"266\" src\u003d\"https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8Ecdkex9HqM/XWp8ov1TjFI/AAAAAAAAFlA/yWY70QuI-x8TSTEsg1ezLeXM5IH-27iYQCLcBGAs/s400/photo-1502465771179-51f3535da42c.jpg\" width\u003d\"400\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nIf just reading the words \"The Report\" gave you a migraine headache and some unpleasant stomach cramps, then sounds like you are already familiar with the report writing process ;-)\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nIf you had no reaction, then let me introduce a part of the job description for a supervisor/BCBA: \u003cb\u003eReport Writing.\u003c/b\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nIn most scenarios, when you begin working with a new client there is an assessment process that concludes with writing up a formal report. Depending on the funder, this report needs to be updated at specific intervals, such as every 6 months.\u003cbr /\u003e\nThe purpose of the report is to summarize the treatment plan, and justify the need for services (or with a progress report, to continue to justify the need for services).\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nFor newly certified clinicians the learning curve of report writing can be quite steep (I know it was for me). The report may need to include specific sections such as: Client Demographic Information, Client Diagnosis, Current Medication, Current \u0026amp; Former Therapies, School Schedule, Assessment Results (complete with grids/graphs), Functional Behavior Assessment, Coordination of Care, Transition Planning, etc.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nHaving strong written communication skills helps, as does being adept at \u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.iloveaba.com/2016/02/supervisor-tips-case-conceptualization.html\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003eCase Conceptualization\u003c/a\u003e, and compiling the report from strong assessment results. If the assessment process was rushed, skimpy, or otherwise flawed, then don't expect to write a stunning report from that data. The data collected during the assessment process are the foundation for the report to come. Don't neglect to gather important information during \u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.iloveaba.com/2014/01/conducting-client-intakes.html\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003eIntake/Assessment\u003c/a\u003e, as this will cause problems down the road.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nBut first, a quick disclaimer: \u003ci\u003eThe clinical report is not a one-size-fits-all document. Your employer and/or the funding source will have specific requirements for how reports must be written. It's also important to consider the target audience: who is going to read the report? Reports are often written in very technical language that may be difficult for laypersons to understand, which means that someone needs to interpret the report to laypersons and review each section in detail. When in doubt, follow the report guidelines communicated to you by your employer, or the funding source.\u003c/i\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\nSo let's jump in to some very generalized tips to clinical report writing:\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eI already mentioned above, but before even starting the report the assessment data are KEY. Having organized, accurate information (including any graphs or data sheets) at your fingertips will save SO much time when sitting down to write the report. Random pieces of paper scattered all over your desk? Not so much.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFollow the template provided to you. Your employer should have given you a report template to use (which can often vary from one funder to the next). Following the template saves time, and decreases the chances you will have to make tons of edits later. If your employer embedded drop down menus into their template? Gold star for them. If you work for yourself, \u003cb\u003emake a template\u003c/b\u003e. It saves time.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIf possible (because this may not be your choice), use an electronic data management system for reports. An electronic system will store collected program data, and generate its own graphs, so when it comes time to update the initial report you will save SO much time by not having to enter all this information in yourself. Oh and by the way, the amount of time you can bill for report writing will be a drop in the bucket compared to how much time it takes you to write it. So saving time in this process will be suuuuuper important.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAlways, always, always, always --\u0026gt; read your completed report multiple times before submitting. Be on the lookout for spelling errors, referring to a graph and then forgetting to include the graph, weird formatting glitches, dropped words/missed words, correct client name, etc. Trust me when I say you don't want to hand off a completed report to a family, school, or supervisor, and have them notice a really simple error that you missed. It's embarrassing.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\nA well written report presents a full snapshot of the client, and thoroughly lays out a plan of action (including the clinical reasoning for choosing the plan of action). Selected goals are developmentally appropriate for current abilities, behaviors targeted for reduction are identified and described, and any barriers to instruction/progress are clearly stated with a specific plan for how to overcome these barriers during the period of authorization for services.\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n*Resources:\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.ababilling.net/blog/best-practices-aba-client-documentation/\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003eBest Practices in Client Documentation\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.bacb.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/ABA_Guidelines_for_ASD.pdf\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003eBACB Practice Guidelines\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cspan face\u003d\"\u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;clean\u0026quot; , sans-serif\" style\u003d\"background-color: white; color: #303030; font-size: 13px;\"\u003ePapatola, K. J., \u0026amp; Lustig, S. L. (2016). \u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4893036/\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003eNavigating a Managed Care Peer Review: Guidance for Clinicians Using Applied Behavior Analysis in the Treatment of Children on the Autism Spectrum.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003dwww.iloveaba.com\u003eI Love ABA\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.iloveaba.com/feeds/2277114688590897636/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.iloveaba.com/2019/08/the-report.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/910085778879504657/posts/default/2277114688590897636"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/910085778879504657/posts/default/2277114688590897636"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.iloveaba.com/2019/08/the-report.html","title":"The Report."}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Tameika Meadows, BCBA, Blog Author"},"uri":{"$t":"https://www.blogger.com/profile/17008810597417201971"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"32","src":"//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKRu-32Kiv0YjGfVQQ0isn09_Q0rxpVUSLk206uq3faX3NIRWl2Ysmtq6cdZ5IPewos6C9xm3Fn_05hk7DBTKU0BOOraF03cyPTHWfXXjm5RyHAEAXnZ3oiK8cEXrAcg/s220/20161223_173533-1.jpg"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8Ecdkex9HqM/XWp8ov1TjFI/AAAAAAAAFlA/yWY70QuI-x8TSTEsg1ezLeXM5IH-27iYQCLcBGAs/s72-c/photo-1502465771179-51f3535da42c.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-910085778879504657.post-7356803625511322185"},"published":{"$t":"2015-11-02T12:39:00.002-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-09-26T17:31:47.074-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Staff training"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"assessment"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"ABA"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Whats your Favorite-Favorite?"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y7U9jePwWZI/VjeOTwoSBPI/AAAAAAAADpE/VyZBENLMf0Q/s1600/a-few-of-my-favorite-things.jpg\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" height\u003d\"213\" src\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y7U9jePwWZI/VjeOTwoSBPI/AAAAAAAADpE/VyZBENLMf0Q/s400/a-few-of-my-favorite-things.jpg\" width\u003d\"400\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: x-small;\"\u003e\u003ci\u003ePhoto source: www.heatherwilsoninternational.com\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003eSuggested Reading: \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.iloveaba.com/2012/02/how-to-select-reinforcers.html\"\u003eSelecting Reinforcers\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003eI once had a client who referred to things/activities/places that he really, realllllly, liked as his \"favorite-favorite\". As in, \"French fries are my favorite- favorite\". How cute is that??\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c/i\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003eWhether you are a parent or professional,\u0026nbsp; I am quite sure a question you are regularly asking yourself is how to identify and properly build upon the child's motivation in order to teach them. In other words: \u003ci\u003e1) what is it that the individual wants, 2) what is the individual willing to do, and NOT willing to do for what they want, and 3) how can I use this knowledge to teach?\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003eAnd here I am to answer those questions for you. Aren't you lucky :-)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003eSay hello to Preference Assessments.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003eWhat is a Preference Assessment? Basically, conducting a preference assessment on an individual will equip you with valuable (highly valuable) information about what they like, what they find enjoyable, and how \u003cu\u003emuch\u003c/u\u003e they like something You may already know that your son Nicholas likes trains, Barney, and toy cars. But do you know which one he likes the most? Do you know which one he satiates on the fastest? Do you know which one he likes the least? Wouldn't you like to know these things?\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003eUltimately, we are all teachers. If you're a parent, then you may be teaching your children respect, manners, or household chores. If you are a professional, you may be teaching your client to count, ride a bike, or to have a conversation. As a teacher, it is essential that you approach instruction thinking about \"what's in it for this kid?\". As the adult we can often get caught in the trap of \"do this because I say so\", or its unfortunate cousin, \"just doing this should be its own reward\". No and no.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003eWhen you approach instruction by first taking the time to determine what the learner is motivated for, and the degree of motivation (more on this in a sec), you win AND the learner wins. Obviously the learner wins because they are now highly motivated to comply with instruction in order to get what they want. You win because instead of an uphill battle with a child who just wants to get away from you, you now have an attentive and cooperative learner who is ready to be taught.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003eNow that you understand \u003ci\u003ewhy\u003c/i\u003e preference assessments are so important, you may be thinking this is some magic technique that you do once, write the information down, and then you are free to get on with your teaching for the next few years.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003eNo.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003eProper use of preference assessments means you will conduct them regularly (interests will change!), you will be on the lookout for satiation (being \"full\" on the item), you will watch out for competing stimuli or items, you will make sure the response effort does not outweigh what is being offered, and you will understand that while a strong preference is usually an indicator of a potential reinforcer, this is not always the case. I have worked with clients who may LOVE to be praised, but no way are they going to work an entire therapy session just for praise. So once you have a list of highly preferred preferences (edibles, tangibles, activities, people, etc.) just know that not everything on that list may serve as a reinforcer.\u0026nbsp; Remember that by definition, the stimuli must increase the future likelihood of a behavior to be called a reinforcer. So if you regularly give your little learner a sticker after they exhibit a specific behavior, and the behavior does not increase over time then guess what? Those stickers are not reinforcers.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003eI will often teach my staff to conduct brief preference assessments before each teaching block of\u0026nbsp; trials (not session, \u003cb\u003etrial\u003c/b\u003e). That is how much I value preference assessments, and approaching the learner with what they want. If you find yourself approaching the learner for instruction, and just reaching out and grabbing an item as their \"reinforcer\"...stop.\u0026nbsp; Don't be a lazy instructor. Yes, preference assessments take time, they take practice to learn how to do them, and there is data collection involved. However, for your diligence and effort you get a super motivated and attentive learner to teach. I say that's a pretty good deal.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003eHere are your basic preference assessment options:\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003eObserve and/or Interview - This can be done by simply observing what the learner freely does in an environment, and what they choose to engage with or do. Or, you can prime the area with items you think the learner enjoys or have previously seen them interact with. Then stand back and observe what they go to, and how long they interact with each item. You can also interview the parents, teacher, or the learner (if appropriate) to find out information about likes/dislikes and get a rating scale of preference. I usually collect the interview information via a simple form or checklist.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003eStructured presentation - Items are presented either in pairs or as a group, and the learner is told to \"pick one\". Items may or may not be replaced as the learner makes choices, depending on which type of preference assessment is being conducted: forced choice (paired method), multiple stimulus with replacement (MSW), or multiple stimulus without replacement (MSWO). Data is collected on how long the learner interacted with the item, as well as which item they selected\u0026nbsp; (they cannot select multiple items), in order to calculate a hierarchy of preference.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003e*Resources:\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.opwdd.ny.gov/opwdd_community_connections/autism_platform/parents_corner/conducting_preference_assessments_on_individuals_with_autism_and_other_developmental_disabilities\"\u003eConducting Preference Assessments on Individuals with Developmental Disabilities\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3405929/\"\u003eIncreasing Accurate Preference Assessment Implementation\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2408342/\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;Training Staff to Implement Stimulus Preference Assessments\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size: small;\"\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003dwww.iloveaba.com\u003eI Love ABA\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.iloveaba.com/feeds/7356803625511322185/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.iloveaba.com/2015/11/whats-your-favorite-favorite.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/910085778879504657/posts/default/7356803625511322185"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/910085778879504657/posts/default/7356803625511322185"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.iloveaba.com/2015/11/whats-your-favorite-favorite.html","title":"Whats your Favorite-Favorite?"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Tameika Meadows, BCBA, Blog Author"},"uri":{"$t":"https://www.blogger.com/profile/17008810597417201971"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"32","src":"//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKRu-32Kiv0YjGfVQQ0isn09_Q0rxpVUSLk206uq3faX3NIRWl2Ysmtq6cdZ5IPewos6C9xm3Fn_05hk7DBTKU0BOOraF03cyPTHWfXXjm5RyHAEAXnZ3oiK8cEXrAcg/s220/20161223_173533-1.jpg"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y7U9jePwWZI/VjeOTwoSBPI/AAAAAAAADpE/VyZBENLMf0Q/s72-c/a-few-of-my-favorite-things.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-910085778879504657.post-8369880377360583116"},"published":{"$t":"2014-01-07T20:11:00.001-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-09-26T17:12:56.189-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Staff training"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"assessment"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Therapy start up"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Conducting Client Intakes"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003c!--[if gte mso 9]\u003e\u003cxml\u003e\n \u003cw:WordDocument\u003e\n  \u003cw:View\u003eNormal\u003c/w:View\u003e\n  \u003cw:Zoom\u003e0\u003c/w:Zoom\u003e\n  \u003cw:PunctuationKerning/\u003e\n  \u003cw:ValidateAgainstSchemas/\u003e\n  \u003cw:SaveIfXMLInvalid\u003efalse\u003c/w:SaveIfXMLInvalid\u003e\n  \u003cw:IgnoreMixedContent\u003efalse\u003c/w:IgnoreMixedContent\u003e\n  \u003cw:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText\u003efalse\u003c/w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText\u003e\n  \u003cw:Compatibility\u003e\n   \u003cw:BreakWrappedTables/\u003e\n   \u003cw:SnapToGridInCell/\u003e\n   \u003cw:WrapTextWithPunct/\u003e\n   \u003cw:UseAsianBreakRules/\u003e\n   \u003cw:DontGrowAutofit/\u003e\n  \u003c/w:Compatibility\u003e\n  \u003cw:BrowserLevel\u003eMicrosoftInternetExplorer4\u003c/w:BrowserLevel\u003e\n \u003c/w:WordDocument\u003e\n\u003c/xml\u003e\u003c![endif]--\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003c!--[if gte mso 9]\u003e\u003cxml\u003e\n \u003cw:LatentStyles DefLockedState\u003d\"false\" LatentStyleCount\u003d\"156\"\u003e\n \u003c/w:LatentStyles\u003e\n\u003c/xml\u003e\u003c![endif]--\u003e\u003c!--[if gte mso 10]\u003e\n\u003cstyle\u003e\n /* Style Definitions */\n table.MsoNormalTable\n {mso-style-name:\"Table Normal\";\n mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;\n mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;\n mso-style-noshow:yes;\n mso-style-parent:\"\";\n mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;\n mso-para-margin:0in;\n mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;\n mso-pagination:widow-orphan;\n font-size:10.0pt;\n font-family:\"Times New Roman\";\n mso-ansi-language:#0400;\n mso-fareast-language:#0400;\n mso-bidi-language:#0400;}\n\u003c/style\u003e\n\u003c![endif]--\u003e\n\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kLXHJ5Ior5w/UsygnorWJuI/AAAAAAAACLU/lXac0-5i8I4/s1600/photo-marriage-family-therapy-01-300x200.jpg\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" height\u003d\"266\" src\u003d\"https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kLXHJ5Ior5w/UsygnorWJuI/AAAAAAAACLU/lXac0-5i8I4/s1600/photo-marriage-family-therapy-01-300x200.jpg\" width\u003d\"400\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ylTE1kFCqjM/Usygnt4iKZI/AAAAAAAACLM/-cFD1lWXUCQ/s1600/autism-path.jpg\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" height\u003d\"217\" src\u003d\"https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ylTE1kFCqjM/Usygnt4iKZI/AAAAAAAACLM/-cFD1lWXUCQ/s1600/autism-path.jpg\" width\u003d\"400\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;corbel\u0026quot;; font-size: 11pt;\"\u003eRelated\nposts: \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.iloveaba.com/2013/07/vb-mapp-assessment-overview.html\"\u003eVB MAPP\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.iloveaba.com/2011/11/doing-abbls-r-yourself.html\"\u003eABLLS-R\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;corbel\u0026quot;; font-size: 11pt;\"\u003e“Intake”\nis an information gathering process that ABA professionals (usually someone in\na supervisory role) use with new clients to determine a few things:\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cul style\u003d\"margin-top: 0in;\" type\u003d\"square\"\u003e\n\u003cli class\u003d\"MsoNormal\" style\u003d\"mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;corbel\u0026quot;; font-size: 11pt;\"\u003eWhat specific needs,\n     strengths, and deficits does the client present with?\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli class\u003d\"MsoNormal\" style\u003d\"mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;corbel\u0026quot;; font-size: 11pt;\"\u003eDetermine the parent training and/or education that will be needed about the purpose of ABA, and the precise implementation of treatment\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli class\u003d\"MsoNormal\" style\u003d\"mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;corbel\u0026quot;; font-size: 11pt;\"\u003eGet an idea of current\n     functioning level, as well as past levels of functioning (has the child\n     recently regressed? Are they currently experiencing a surge in language?)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli class\u003d\"MsoNormal\" style\u003d\"mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;corbel\u0026quot;; font-size: 11pt;\"\u003eDetermine the best\n     individualized treatment plan for the client\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UfsdNy6faCk/UsygnmbGHQI/AAAAAAAACLQ/fKAdpVVC0TA/s1600/familyserviceplans.jpg\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" height\u003d\"266\" src\u003d\"https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UfsdNy6faCk/UsygnmbGHQI/AAAAAAAACLQ/fKAdpVVC0TA/s1600/familyserviceplans.jpg\" width\u003d\"400\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;corbel\u0026quot;; font-size: 11pt;\"\u003eIntakes can be small, or quite large. Many\ncompanies have the supervisor who will be working with the client conduct the\nintake, or if it’s a smaller company, one person may handle all new client\nintakes (company owner). The intake process should be consistent across\nindividuals, and needs to be lengthy enough to gather important information. Some\ncompanies only allow 1-2 hours for intake, which is not enough time at all. It isn’t\nuncommon that intake may stretch over a few days, especially if other care\nproviders are interviewed or observed, such as the Speech Therapist.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;corbel\u0026quot;; font-size: 11pt;\"\u003eI don’t\nrecommend accepting a new client into your private practice or ABA program\nwithout conducting a proper intake assessment. The reason why is it will be\ndifficult to properly create the treatment plan if you only have minimal\ninformation about the client. This can lead to poor quality “cookie cutter”\nprograms where all clients who look like \"this\" get treatment 1, and all\nclients who look like \"that\" get treatment 2, etc. Even if important information\ncan be obtained through a brief phone interview, these interviews are usually conducted by office staff. Office\nstaff may have little to no knowledge of ABA treatment planning and often do not\nknow how to gather the kind of information an ABA professional would\nneed.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;corbel\u0026quot;; font-size: 11pt;\"\u003eMost of my\nintakes take anywhere from 3-4 hours to a few days, and include lots of\npaperwork. I usually send much of the paperwork to the family in advance, to\nsave time during our actual meeting. This way I can get more into interviewing\nand direct skill probing, since the background information questions have\nalready been answered via a questionnaire, or form. This is also a great way to\nbegin record review, by having the family or caregivers send you relevant\ninformation such as recent psychological reports, the initial evaluation (the\nreport done by whoever diagnosed the child), recent IEP, etc., before you actually meet the client.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;corbel\u0026quot;; font-size: 11pt;\"\u003eIt won’t\nalways be possible, but I recommend scheduling the intake visit at a time when the\nclient will be present. Observation,\ninteraction, and direct skill probing\u0026nbsp; are critical to accurate intake, and you will need the\nclient present in order to complete these steps. You also want to keep in mind\nthat parent report can sometimes over or under exaggerate. If the child is\nactually present, you can test statements the parent has made, or probe for\nyourself. For example, the parents may state that the child always has a tantrum\nif they hear the word “no”. You could then set up a scenario where you tell the\nchild “no” to something they want, and see if a tantrum occurs. If a tantrum\ndoes not occur, that would tell you there is a history of reinforcement tied to\nthe behavior that is causing the problem behavior to be exhibited in one setting\n(toward the parents) and not in another (towards you).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;corbel\u0026quot;; font-size: 11pt;\"\u003eA thorough\nintake assessment will give me much of the information I need to create a\nbehavior plan, initial acquisition programs, and parent training documents. Of\ncourse I will need to keep getting to know the child and family dynamics, but much of\nwhat I need to know is revealed during intake: Is the house chaotic and disorganized?\n\u003ci style\u003d\"mso-bidi-font-style: normal;\"\u003eA routine and visual schedule will likely\nbe necessary. \u003c/i\u003eIs the child incredibly aggressive towards their siblings, OR\nignores their siblings completely? \u003ci style\u003d\"mso-bidi-font-style: normal;\"\u003eSocial\ninteraction programs, including involving their sibling and other peers, will\nneed to be taught.. \u003c/i\u003eDo the parents reinforce problem behaviors in front of\nyou? \u003ci style\u003d\"mso-bidi-font-style: normal;\"\u003eParent training will be key.\u003c/i\u003e And\nso on……\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;corbel\u0026quot;; font-size: 11pt;\"\u003eThe\nfollowing is intended to be a guide to conducting intake assessments, and there\nis a link to a sample intake form below.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv align\u003d\"center\" class\u003d\"MsoNormal\" style\u003d\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003cb style\u003d\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;corbel\u0026quot;; font-size: 11pt;\"\u003eConducting an Intake Assessment\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"border: 1pt solid windowtext; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 1pt 4pt;\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\" style\u003d\"border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in;\"\u003e\n\u003cb style\u003d\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;corbel\u0026quot;; font-size: 11pt;\"\u003eEligibility \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;corbel\u0026quot;; font-size: 11pt;\"\u003e- This will vary greatly depending\non the funding source, if you work independently, or if you work for an agency.\nEligibility basically is determining if the client is eligible for services.\nSome funding sources require a diagnosis of Autism. Companies may require that\nfamilies complete parent training before they can begin services. If you work independently,\nyou may create your own eligibility criteria that families must meet in order\nto work with you. Things to discuss during this portion of the intake process\ninclude: How will the family pay for treatment? What is the client’s diagnosis\n(and are there secondary diagnoses)? How many hours per week of treatment is\nbeing requested? Do your experiences and expertise qualify you to work with this client (e.g., you have only worked with adult clients and this client is 3)?\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\" style\u003d\"border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in;\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\" style\u003d\"border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in;\"\u003e\n\u003cb style\u003d\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;corbel\u0026quot;; font-size: 11pt;\"\u003eObservation\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;corbel\u0026quot;; font-size: 11pt;\"\u003e – This can include observation of\nparent/child interactions, as well as just observing the child. Observation should occur across environments, to gain more information about the\nchild’s strengths and deficits. It may be necessary to explain to the family\nwhen your observation will begin, and what it will entail. I have met with\nfamilies who tried to contrive scenarios during my observation or tell their\nchild how to behave. To be most helpful, you should be a \"fly on the wall\" during\nyour observation process. Sit in an unobtrusive place and refrain from speaking\nto the child or family. Take clear and detailed observation notes that reflect\nonly what you saw (\u003cb\u003ebe objective\u003c/b\u003e). If you will be observing at the child’s\nschool, \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.iloveaba.com/2011/10/doing-in-school-observation.html\"\u003ethis post\u003c/a\u003e\u0026nbsp; may be helpful to read.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\" style\u003d\"border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in;\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\" style\u003d\"border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in;\"\u003e\n\u003cb style\u003d\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;corbel\u0026quot;; font-size: 11pt;\"\u003eInterview\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;corbel\u0026quot;; font-size: 11pt;\"\u003e – The interview portion of intake\nis where you want to find out as much relevant information as possible about the\nclients history, previous treatments, current treatments, functioning level, problem\nbehaviors, skill deficits, etc. I have found that approaching the interview as\na conversation, versus a stiff and formal Q\u0026amp;A session yields better\nresponding. I typically give the parents forms to complete the interview\nportion before we meet, and then we can discuss them in detail during our face to face meeting.\nBe sure to interview all relevant caregivers. If there is a\nregular babysitter who spends 5 hours each day with the client, that person is\na valuable source of information.\u0026nbsp; Ask about all the people who spend significant amounts of time with\nthe child, and see if you can interview these people as well. If appropriate,\nsiblings can also be interviewed.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\" style\u003d\"border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in;\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\" style\u003d\"border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in;\"\u003e\n\u003cb style\u003d\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;corbel\u0026quot;; font-size: 11pt;\"\u003eAssessment\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;corbel\u0026quot;; font-size: 11pt;\"\u003e – The assessment process typically\nincludes an assessment tool such as the Vineland, ABLLS-R, or VB-MAPP. These assessment tools will give a detailed snapshot of the clients\nskill functioning. Parents and caregivers often appreciate beginning ABA\ntherapy with a \u003cspan style\u003d\"mso-spacerun: yes;\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003edetailed summary of their\nchild’s performance across skill domains. Just like with observation, it may be\nnecessary to explain to the parents the point of assessment, and what their\nrole should be while you are assessing their child. Parents may try to prompt\nor help their child, such as telling the child “Say blue…c’mon, say blue. I\nknow you can say blue”. It is difficult for parents to watch their child miss\nassessment responses or fail to respond, so be patient and help the parents understand why they cannot\nprompt responding.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\" style\u003d\"border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in;\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\" style\u003d\"border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in;\"\u003e\n\u003cb style\u003d\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;corbel\u0026quot;; font-size: 11pt;\"\u003eGoals\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;corbel\u0026quot;; font-size: 11pt;\"\u003e – Program goals can be created\nduring the intake process. I approach goal setting with a team approach: I need\nto know from the parents what is important for them, and then I tell them what\ndeficits I see. This is also a great opportunity to help the parents create\ngoals for themselves, for example being able to implement a \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.iloveaba.com/2012/11/dra-differential-reinforcement-of.html\"\u003eDRA procedure\u003c/a\u003e independently with their child. It isn’t unusual that the family may\nhave goals in mind that are currently unrealistic. It may be necessary to help\nexplain the pre-requisite skills necessary for a specific goal, as well as the required\nconsistency across environments in order to see progress.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\" style\u003d\"border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in;\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\" style\u003d\"border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in;\"\u003e\n\u003cb style\u003d\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;corbel\u0026quot;; font-size: 11pt;\"\u003ePolicies \u0026amp;\nProcedures\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;corbel\u0026quot;; font-size: 11pt;\"\u003e – If\nyou work for a company, the intake process will often include signing important\npaperwork, completing contracts, or going through consent forms with the family.\nEven if you work independently I recommend using the intake process to go over\nyour individual policies or rules, such as: \u003ci\u003eDo you work with ill children? Do you\nwork on holidays? Do you provide therapy materials and supplies? Do you transport\nclients in your vehicle?\u003c/i\u003e I recommend having these policies in writing,\ndiscussing them with the family, and then having them sign to indicate acknowledgement\nof the policies.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\" style\u003d\"border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in;\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\" style\u003d\"border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in;\"\u003e\n\u003cb style\u003d\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;corbel\u0026quot;; font-size: 11pt;\"\u003eParent Education\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;corbel\u0026quot;; font-size: 11pt;\"\u003e – If you are conducting an intake assessment\nfor a child who has never received ABA services before, the family may be\ncompletely unaware of what exactly ABA is, how it works, what you will do with\ntheir child, how intensive treatment will be, etc. I always\ninclude in my intake assessments a portion of time for the family to ask\nquestions of me. I encourage them to ask me about my background, my training,\nmy relevant work experiences, ABA, the treatment plan, what to expect from\ntherapy, etc. Especially after a professional has interviewed them for a few\nhours, some families may be too intimidated to ask the important questions.\nGentle nudging may be necessary, such as asking the family if they understand\nthe commitment level required, or asking the family how program information\nwill be shared with the school staff. This can often get a shy or reserved\nfamily comfortable enough to start asking questions. \u003cspan style\u003d\"mso-spacerun: yes;\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003eI also use this portion of the intake\nassessment to explain my expectations for the parents, and review my\u0026nbsp; Parent Participation Policy. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003dwww.iloveaba.com\u003eI Love ABA\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.iloveaba.com/feeds/8369880377360583116/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.iloveaba.com/2014/01/conducting-client-intakes.html#comment-form","title":"6 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/910085778879504657/posts/default/8369880377360583116"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/910085778879504657/posts/default/8369880377360583116"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.iloveaba.com/2014/01/conducting-client-intakes.html","title":"Conducting Client Intakes"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Tameika Meadows, BCBA, Blog Author"},"uri":{"$t":"https://www.blogger.com/profile/17008810597417201971"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"32","src":"//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKRu-32Kiv0YjGfVQQ0isn09_Q0rxpVUSLk206uq3faX3NIRWl2Ysmtq6cdZ5IPewos6C9xm3Fn_05hk7DBTKU0BOOraF03cyPTHWfXXjm5RyHAEAXnZ3oiK8cEXrAcg/s220/20161223_173533-1.jpg"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kLXHJ5Ior5w/UsygnorWJuI/AAAAAAAACLU/lXac0-5i8I4/s72-c/photo-marriage-family-therapy-01-300x200.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"6"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-910085778879504657.post-170566861183610343"},"published":{"$t":"2012-02-17T16:00:00.002-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-12-09T20:39:28.699-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pairing"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Staff training"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"assessment"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"ABA"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"How To Identify Reinforcers"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jvG1sIkYR6U/Tz7BS04XL9I/AAAAAAAAAQ0/hOvQABMhVoc/s1600/car.jpg\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" height\u003d\"243\" src\u003d\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jvG1sIkYR6U/Tz7BS04XL9I/AAAAAAAAAQ0/hOvQABMhVoc/s400/car.jpg\" width\u003d\"400\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-grK4kEH7H9M/Tz7Bc5ZBHDI/AAAAAAAAAQ8/KqXDqLQ7Ky4/s1600/chocolate_000.jpg\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" height\u003d\"400\" src\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-grK4kEH7H9M/Tz7Bc5ZBHDI/AAAAAAAAAQ8/KqXDqLQ7Ky4/s400/chocolate_000.jpg\" width\u003d\"400\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OQWDTvLVnpQ/Tz7Bd_AKYPI/AAAAAAAAARE/XJ8yuZati-4/s1600/money-stacks.jpg\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" height\u003d\"300\" src\u003d\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OQWDTvLVnpQ/Tz7Bd_AKYPI/AAAAAAAAARE/XJ8yuZati-4/s400/money-stacks.jpg\" width\u003d\"400\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ofBdpuqaZmg/Tz7BgzOmN7I/AAAAAAAAARU/HzU08U-ZDLE/s1600/spa.jpg\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" height\u003d\"282\" src\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ofBdpuqaZmg/Tz7BgzOmN7I/AAAAAAAAARU/HzU08U-ZDLE/s400/spa.jpg\" width\u003d\"400\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\nWhich of the items pictured above would be reinforcing to you?\u003cbr /\u003e\nIt would probably depend on what I asked you to do, the time of day, if you were hungry, sleepy, tired, sad, etc. You probably wouldn’t wash my car if I offered to give you $1. But you might wash my car if I offered to give you $100 (…or maybe not, if you really hate washing cars).\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\nABA therapists use reinforcers to get the learner to comply, to sit, to attend, to transition, and many more various behaviors. It took me a while to learn that just because child A will work for something that doesn’t mean child B will. It seems like such an obvious thing to know, but as therapists we do tend to make sweeping generalizations about the kiddos we work with. Such as:\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003ci\u003e\"All kids will work for candy… All kids will work to avoid a reprimand.....All kids like attention… All kids know who Dora or Spongebob is... All kids like tickles\"\u0026nbsp;\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\nEvery one of those statements is wrong, because they assume all kids are the same. \u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\nChoosing, selecting, and testing reinforcers takes skill and patience but the payoff is huge. Instead of being in a session with a child who is bored or defiant,\u0026nbsp; you now are approaching the child with the knowledge of what they like and what they will work for…..\u003ci style\u003d\"mso-bidi-font-style: normal;\"\u003ebecause there is a difference\u003c/i\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u0026nbsp;I really like chocolate cupcakes, but I will not paint your house to get paid in chocolate cupcakes. There is a difference between your client \u003cu\u003eliking\u003c/u\u003e something, and your client \u003cu\u003eworking\u003c/u\u003e for something. If you have been working with a client on a skill or set of skills for a long time without seeing progress, try changing your reinforcement. The child may have gotten bored with the reinforcement. Or maybe they like the item but not enough to do a difficult skill for it. They could have become satiated on the reinforcement (this happens very often with edible reinforcers).\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nA big issue I see happen frequently is someone else in the child’s life is giving them a similar reinforcer and the therapist doesn’t know. For example, the teacher at school keeps a candy dish full of Skittles in the room that the children have free access to. Its highly unlikely that you will be able to get your client to do challenging tasks to earn a Skittle, if they spent all day freely munching on Skittles. In behavior analytic terms this is called \u003ci\u003eBootleg Reinforcement\u003c/i\u003e. This can happen pretty often, so its important to make sure the reinforcement you are using is unique and the child doesn't have free access to it.\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u0026nbsp;If you had just finished a big seafood platter and I offered you a hamburger, the hamburger probably wouldn’t seem too appetizing. Even if you love hamburgers I have to offer it to you at the right moment. To understand effective reinforcement, you have to understand how to manipulate M.O. (\u003ca href\u003d\"http://iloveaba.blogspot.com/2011/11/understanding-eo-establishing.html\"\u003eMotivating Operations). \u003c/a\u003eOnce you can do that you are on your way to being an awesome therapist!\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\nHere are a few procedures to select powerful, effective reinforcers:\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cul style\u003d\"margin-top: 0in;\" type\u003d\"disc\"\u003e\n\u003cli class\u003d\"MsoNormal\" style\u003d\"mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;\"\u003eStart      by observing the child in a variety of settings- When I say “observe the      child”, most therapists think I mean follow the child around the      house. Observation is much bigger than that.      Observe the child at the park, the grocery store, grandma’s house, in the      classroom, at a birthday party, etc. Notice what the child gravitates to,      what they touch, what they stare at, what they smile at, and what objects      they pick up. Over time you will likely start to see patterns emerge that      tell you what that child likes. A favorite observation tool of mine is to      take a client to a toy store like Toys R Us. I just let them wander      freely and I pay attention to what they look at, touch, or engage with.      That gives me a great source of ideas as to what kind of items/toys that      child likes.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli class\u003d\"MsoNormal\" style\u003d\"mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;\"\u003eTalk      to caregivers and others- Talk to the child’s parents, teachers, other      therapists, siblings, etc. Ask questions about what kind of toys/items your client likes.      Try to use open ended questions, such as “What kind of movies does Tanisha      like” versus a closed ended question like “Does Tanisha like movies”. Make      sure you ask sensory related questions so you can learn what the child      likes to see/hear/smell/touch. If appropriate, you can      also just interview the child. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli class\u003d\"MsoNormal\" style\u003d\"mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;\"\u003eTest      your ideas- Once you have an idea of what the child likes gather a few      reinforcers together. Present the reinforcers to the child and pay      attention to what they engage with longest. I am basically describing a Preference Assessment. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli class\u003d\"MsoNormal\" style\u003d\"mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;\"\u003eThe      only constant is change- This is probably the most important thing to      remember: Your client’s interests and likes will change over time. Don't your interests change with time?? With some      of my clients I change the toys in my goodie bag every few days because      I know those children get bored quickly. On the other hand, I have one client I have been seeing over 2 years on a consultative basis. Every time      I visit, she immediately requests that I play Hide \u0026amp; Seek with her which is a      game she finds highly reinforcing. She never gets tired of it. Let the child indicate to you when its      time to change your reinforcers. If they want to work for the      trampoline every day, that’s great. However if one day they don’t want      the trampoline you need to be ready to use another reinforcer. Keep a supply of reinforcing items with you that are interesting and vary in      size, texture, color, etc. Don’t just show up to a session and grab what      is in the home, and try and use that as a reinforcer. The items in the      home are things that child sees everyday. You may be able to get the child      to do easy tasks for the teddy bear you grab off their bed.      But once you move to more difficult tasks, or once that child has a bad      day, that teddy bear just isn’t going to cut it. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli class\u003d\"MsoNormal\" style\u003d\"mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;\"\u003eHave a      stash of \u003cspan style\u003d\"color: red;\"\u003e24 Karat Gold\u003c/span\u003e reinforcers- That is      just my own nickname for my super powerful reinforcers. I call them my “24 Karats”. As you spend time with your clients you get to know their      personalities, and what they like. You learn what items they go insane      over. Instead of mixing those items in with your other reinforcers, put      them aside. Save them for really difficult sessions, like if the child is      getting over a cold, didn’t get enough sleep, or you are teaching a very      hard skill. Bring these items out sparingly. You want to keep the interest      in these items high so when you bring them out the child is really excited. How do you know if a reinforcer is a      “24 Karat”? Here are a few signs to look for:\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003col start\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"margin-top: 0in;\" type\u003d\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cli class\u003d\"MsoNormal\" style\u003d\"mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; tab-stops: list 1.0in;\"\u003eYou       bring the item out of your goodie bag or your car, and the child       immediately makes a beeline over to you and tries to take the item.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli class\u003d\"MsoNormal\" style\u003d\"mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; tab-stops: list 1.0in;\"\u003eThe       child mands for the item when it is out of sight.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli class\u003d\"MsoNormal\" style\u003d\"mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; tab-stops: list 1.0in;\"\u003eWatch       facial expression: the child smiles, their eyes widen, or they give       intense eye contact to the item. Here is a very simple trick: Place the reinforcer/random goodie on your palm so the child can see, and then close your palm tightly. If the child comes over to you and tries prying your hand open you are holding a 24 Karat!\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli class\u003d\"MsoNormal\" style\u003d\"mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; tab-stops: list 1.0in;\"\u003eWhen       its time to put the reinforcer away the child resists giving the item       up, cries, tantrums, or may even become aggressive. Therapists, be happy       when you see this reaction because it tells you that the child \u003cb style\u003d\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;\"\u003ereally\u003c/b\u003e wants that item.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli class\u003d\"MsoNormal\" style\u003d\"mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; tab-stops: list 1.0in;\"\u003eThe       child will drop an item they really like, in order to approach you when you are holding the 24 Karat.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003dwww.iloveaba.com\u003eI Love ABA\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.iloveaba.com/feeds/170566861183610343/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.iloveaba.com/2012/02/how-to-select-reinforcers.html#comment-form","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/910085778879504657/posts/default/170566861183610343"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/910085778879504657/posts/default/170566861183610343"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.iloveaba.com/2012/02/how-to-select-reinforcers.html","title":"How To Identify Reinforcers"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Tameika Meadows, BCBA, Blog Author"},"uri":{"$t":"https://www.blogger.com/profile/17008810597417201971"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"32","src":"//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKRu-32Kiv0YjGfVQQ0isn09_Q0rxpVUSLk206uq3faX3NIRWl2Ysmtq6cdZ5IPewos6C9xm3Fn_05hk7DBTKU0BOOraF03cyPTHWfXXjm5RyHAEAXnZ3oiK8cEXrAcg/s220/20161223_173533-1.jpg"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jvG1sIkYR6U/Tz7BS04XL9I/AAAAAAAAAQ0/hOvQABMhVoc/s72-c/car.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-910085778879504657.post-8742905463540463402"},"published":{"$t":"2012-02-11T14:37:00.005-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2015-10-26T16:18:29.003-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Staff training"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"assessment"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Parent education"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"TV/Movies"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"interventions"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"ABA"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"behavior"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Everyday FBA: Functional Behavior Assessment"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rV_wntJ-taE/Tza8K7DLshI/AAAAAAAAAPs/7a0xEtm2NkY/s1600/gdhtHSZf13c213239313634393FEvfehL8_1322064536.jpg\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" height\u003d\"400\" src\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rV_wntJ-taE/Tza8K7DLshI/AAAAAAAAAPs/7a0xEtm2NkY/s400/gdhtHSZf13c213239313634393FEvfehL8_1322064536.jpg\" width\u003d\"311\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;Trebuchet MS\u0026quot;,sans-serif;\"\u003eIsn't Giada great?\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;Trebuchet MS\u0026quot;,sans-serif;\"\u003eI am a fan of her cooking shows \"Everyday Italian\" and \"Giada At Home\". She makes preparing elegant Italian dishes seem quite simple and easy to accomplish for amateur cooks like myself.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;Trebuchet MS\u0026quot;,sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;Trebuchet MS\u0026quot;,sans-serif;\"\u003eSo what in the world does Giada have to do with FBA’s \u0026amp; behavior?\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;Trebuchet MS\u0026quot;,sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;Trebuchet MS\u0026quot;,sans-serif;\"\u003eSome professionals in the field of ABA do clients a disservice when they cannot break down complicated, jargon- filled terminology to explain behavior in such a way that a busy parent with 3 kids or a stressed out 2\u003csup\u003end\u003c/sup\u003e grade teacher can apply these techniques. If you are a professional reading this blog, understand that much of what you think up/write as an ABA professional will be implemented by someone other than you. You can spend hours writing an amazing intervention, but if you can't get the family members or teachers to carry out your intervention then what's the point?\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;Trebuchet MS\u0026quot;,sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;Trebuchet MS\u0026quot;,sans-serif;\"\u003ePart of my responsibility as an ABA professional is to teach and train people at a level that makes ABA seem easy to understand and carry out. That is part of providing effective treatment to clients. A FBA, or a \u003cb style\u003d\"mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;\"\u003eFunctional Behavior Assessment\u003c/b\u003e is a behavior analytic tool that I will explain in this post (A FA, or \u003cb\u003eFunctional Analysis,\u003c/b\u003e is a more complex way to determine the function of a behavior by manipulating the environment. A full FA should always be conducted by an experienced ABA professional). Understanding an FBA is critical to any ABA program.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;Trebuchet MS\u0026quot;,sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;Trebuchet MS\u0026quot;,sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;Trebuchet MS\u0026quot;,sans-serif;\"\u003eNow for the disclaimer:\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;Trebuchet MS\u0026quot;,sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eA FBA is a tool used to determine the function of a behavior, and then design a function based intervention.\u0026nbsp; This post is intended to be a brief introduction to the FBA process. If you are having behavioral issues with your child/client, it is always\u0026nbsp; recommend you contact a Behavior Analyst to conduct a\u0026nbsp; comprehensive FBA and design a behavioral intervention, rather than try to create an intervention yourself. To put it another way, watching “Everyday Italian” does not qualify me to open an Italian restaurant. It’s a basic understanding at a limited knowledge level.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;Trebuchet MS\u0026quot;,sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;Trebuchet MS\u0026quot;,sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;Trebuchet MS\u0026quot;,sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;Trebuchet MS\u0026quot;,sans-serif;\"\u003eTo understand what an FBA is, first lets define behavior: A behavior is anything an organism does in response to a stimulus. To put it simply, behaviors are \u003cu\u003eobservable and/or measurable activities\u003c/u\u003e. By this definition, talking is a behavior and thinking is not because I can't observe someones thoughts.\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;Trebuchet MS\u0026quot;,sans-serif;\"\u003eAll behavior occurs for a reason and the goal of an FBA is to discover that reason. Once the reason is discovered then\u0026nbsp; an intervention, or plan of action, can be created. A FBA is needed anytime behavior reduction is desired.\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;Trebuchet MS\u0026quot;,sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;Trebuchet MS\u0026quot;,sans-serif;\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;A common question I get asked is “Do I have to get a FBA done in order to intervene on a behavior?\" The answer is no, you do not.\u0026nbsp; \u003ci style\u003d\"mso-bidi-font-style: normal;\"\u003eHowever,\u003c/i\u003e understand that without first doing a FBA to discover what is maintaining the behavior you are just guessing. You are then creating an intervention based on a guess.\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;Trebuchet MS\u0026quot;,sans-serif;\"\u003eIn addition, research has shown that when people intervene on a behavior without first doing a FBA the focus tends to be on punishment. In other words the parent or professional is only focusing on \u003cb\u003estopping\u003c/b\u003e the behavior, and there is no emphasis on teaching replacement behaviors. A real life example of this I see all the time would be a parent who dislikes their child's self stimulatory behavior, such as repetitively sticking fingers into the mouth. Every time the parent sees the behavior, they pull the child's fingers out of the mouth. What is missing from this strategy is teaching the child what you want them to do instead of sucking on their fingers.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;Trebuchet MS\u0026quot;,sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;Trebuchet MS\u0026quot;,sans-serif;\"\u003eA FBA is conducted in order to reduce or extinguish challenging behaviors. Challenging behaviors can include aggression, tantrumming, noncompliance, self injurious behaviors (SIB's), elopement, self harm, cursing, skipping school, etc. \u0026nbsp;In an ideal situation a qualified BCBA would be the person conducting the entire FBA process. Unfortunately that isn’t always possible. Some school districts or families cannot afford to hire a BCBA, or you might live in an area without access to BCBA's. BCBA's can be quite difficult to find depending on where you live. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;Trebuchet MS\u0026quot;,sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;Trebuchet MS\u0026quot;,sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c!--[if gte mso 9]\u003e\u003cxml\u003e\n \u003cw:WordDocument\u003e\n  \u003cw:View\u003eNormal\u003c/w:View\u003e\n  \u003cw:Zoom\u003e0\u003c/w:Zoom\u003e\n  \u003cw:PunctuationKerning/\u003e\n  \u003cw:ValidateAgainstSchemas/\u003e\n  \u003cw:SaveIfXMLInvalid\u003efalse\u003c/w:SaveIfXMLInvalid\u003e\n  \u003cw:IgnoreMixedContent\u003efalse\u003c/w:IgnoreMixedContent\u003e\n  \u003cw:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText\u003efalse\u003c/w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText\u003e\n  \u003cw:Compatibility\u003e\n   \u003cw:BreakWrappedTables/\u003e\n   \u003cw:SnapToGridInCell/\u003e\n   \u003cw:WrapTextWithPunct/\u003e\n   \u003cw:UseAsianBreakRules/\u003e\n   \u003cw:DontGrowAutofit/\u003e\n  \u003c/w:Compatibility\u003e\n  \u003cw:BrowserLevel\u003eMicrosoftInternetExplorer4\u003c/w:BrowserLevel\u003e\n \u003c/w:WordDocument\u003e\n\u003c/xml\u003e\u003c![endif]--\u003e\u003c!--[if gte mso 9]\u003e\u003cxml\u003e\n \u003cw:LatentStyles DefLockedState\u003d\"false\" LatentStyleCount\u003d\"156\"\u003e\n \u003c/w:LatentStyles\u003e\n\u003c/xml\u003e\u003c![endif]--\u003e\u003c!--[if gte mso 10]\u003e\n\u003cstyle\u003e\n /* Style Definitions */\n table.MsoNormalTable\n {mso-style-name:\"Table Normal\";\n mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;\n mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;\n mso-style-noshow:yes;\n mso-style-parent:\"\";\n mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;\n mso-para-margin:0in;\n mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;\n mso-pagination:widow-orphan;\n font-size:10.0pt;\n font-family:\"Times New Roman\";\n mso-ansi-language:#0400;\n mso-fareast-language:#0400;\n mso-bidi-language:#0400;}\n\u003c/style\u003e\n\u003c![endif]--\u003e\u003c!--[if gte mso 9]\u003e\u003cxml\u003e\n \u003co:shapedefaults v:ext\u003d\"edit\" spidmax\u003d\"1035\"/\u003e\n\u003c/xml\u003e\u003c![endif]--\u003e\u003c!--[if gte mso 9]\u003e\u003cxml\u003e\n \u003co:shapelayout v:ext\u003d\"edit\"\u003e\n  \u003co:idmap v:ext\u003d\"edit\" data\u003d\"1\"/\u003e\n  \u003co:rules v:ext\u003d\"edit\"\u003e\n   \u003co:r id\u003d\"V:Rule1\" type\u003d\"connector\" idref\u003d\"#_s1030\"\u003e\n    \u003co:proxy start\u003d\"\" idref\u003d\"#_s1032\" connectloc\u003d\"0\"/\u003e\n    \u003co:proxy end\u003d\"\" idref\u003d\"#_s1031\" connectloc\u003d\"2\"/\u003e\n   \u003c/o:r\u003e\n   \u003co:r id\u003d\"V:Rule2\" type\u003d\"connector\" idref\u003d\"#_s1029\"\u003e\n    \u003co:proxy start\u003d\"\" idref\u003d\"#_s1033\" connectloc\u003d\"0\"/\u003e\n    \u003co:proxy end\u003d\"\" idref\u003d\"#_s1031\" connectloc\u003d\"2\"/\u003e\n   \u003c/o:r\u003e\n   \u003co:r id\u003d\"V:Rule3\" type\u003d\"connector\" idref\u003d\"#_s1028\"\u003e\n    \u003co:proxy start\u003d\"\" idref\u003d\"#_s1034\" connectloc\u003d\"0\"/\u003e\n    \u003co:proxy end\u003d\"\" idref\u003d\"#_s1031\" connectloc\u003d\"2\"/\u003e\n   \u003c/o:r\u003e\n  \u003c/o:rules\u003e\n \u003c/o:shapelayout\u003e\u003c/xml\u003e\u003c![endif]--\u003e\n\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;Trebuchet MS\u0026quot;,sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X1wgbnLUHro/UMYpdwWra-I/AAAAAAAABEg/9F1cxyIPRXE/s1600/fba_06_notes.jpg\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" height\u003d\"400\" src\u003d\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X1wgbnLUHro/UMYpdwWra-I/AAAAAAAABEg/9F1cxyIPRXE/s400/fba_06_notes.jpg\" width\u003d\"342\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;Trebuchet MS\u0026quot;,sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;Trebuchet MS\u0026quot;,sans-serif;\"\u003eA FBA has 3 basic steps:\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;Trebuchet MS\u0026quot;,sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eGather information, Consultation\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;Trebuchet MS\u0026quot;,sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u0026nbsp;Direct observation, Develop a hypothesis\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;Trebuchet MS\u0026quot;,sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u0026nbsp;Create plan of action, Consultation\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;Trebuchet MS\u0026quot;,sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003col start\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"margin-top: 0in;\" type\u003d\"1\"\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;Trebuchet MS\u0026quot;,sans-serif;\"\u003eStep 1: There are many ways to gather information about the child, the problem behaviors, the environment, and the possible function(s) of the behavior. I will typically conduct 1-2 interviews with the parents (or teacher, if a school requested a FBA), review the child's records (educational records, IEP, recent reports from a psychologist, physician, SLP, etc), and collect information from the parents about possible replacement behaviors. Its important to involve the parents in every step of the FBA process, as it helps ensure that the parents are active participants in the intervention. The goal at this point is to gather information about the problem behavior, when it occurs, how long it lasts, what does it look like, has it recently gotten worse, what tends to make it occur, and how do the parents react to the problem behavior. It can also be helpful to ask what strategies the parents have already tried to eliminate the behavior. To assist with the parent interview, I recommend using the FAST form (Functional Analysis Screening Tool), or the MAS (Motivation Assessment Scale).\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;Trebuchet MS\u0026quot;,sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;Trebuchet MS\u0026quot;,sans-serif;\"\u003eStep 2: The next step is to directly observe the child engaging in the problem behavior. This can sometimes be difficult to do. Since I am a professional unknown to the child and have no history with them of reinforcing their problem behaviors, its very common that I will go out for an observation and the child will be a perfect little saint during my entire observation. This often irritates parents immensely! :-) I like to explain this phenomenon to parents by comparing it to taking your car into the shop for auto repair. The mechanic will often say \"I don't hear that noise you're talking about\", and inevitably as you drive away from the auto shop your car begins making the noise again. If you are able to actually observe the problem behavior, be sure to closely watch for the Antecedent and Consequence to the behavior. You can always try and schedule more observation visits, or you can ask the parents to videotape the behavior the next time it occurs. At this point you should have some ideas of the hypothesis of the problem behavior, based on what you have seen and the data you have collected. There are 4 main functions for any behavior: \u003cspan style\u003d\"color: red;\"\u003eGain attention or a Tangible item, Automatic reinforcement (sensory), Avoid or escape a demand or situation, and To communicate wants/needs\u003c/span\u003e. It isn't unusual for a behavior to serve multiple functions, although there is typically a main function (primary) and a lesser function (secondary).\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;Trebuchet MS\u0026quot;,sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;Trebuchet MS\u0026quot;,sans-serif;\"\u003eStep 3: After the FBA is completed your next step is creating a \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.iloveaba.com/2012/09/writing-behavior-plans.html\"\u003eBehavior Plan\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;Trebuchet MS\u0026quot;,sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;Trebuchet MS\u0026quot;,sans-serif;\"\u003eThe behavior plan is your \"plan of action\", or the intervention that will reduce or eliminate the problem behavior. The plan to reduce the problem behavior is 50% of the intervention, and the other 50% is the plan to teach replacement behaviors. In other words, when the child stops engaging in the problem behavior what do you want them to do instead? The intervention you create will be directly connected to the function of the problem behavior. If a child is engaging in screaming to gain sensory input, then ignoring the screaming is a poor choice of a replacement behavior. A better choice would be to teach the child songs to sing, to match the need for vocal sensory input. Consultation is listed again for step 3 because it is critical to involve the parents as you develop the behavior plan and replacement behaviors. It isn't uncommon to come up with great, research proven replacement behaviors that one or both parents don't like. If the parent seems unsure or hesitant about the intervention you are suggesting then you need to find out why. What is it about the intervention that one or both of the parents don't agree with? For example, I worked with a parent a few years ago who did not want to use any planned ignoring procedures where her child would cry for extended periods of time. I explained the difference between planned ignoring for problem behavior and ignoring the child, as well as cited research, but the parent still disliked the planned procedure. So I redesigned the intervention. The problem behavior did eventually improve, but it took a much longer period of time. However, as an ABA professional I don't write behavior plans for myself. I write them for the client, so its imperative that the client is on board with the treatment I am recommending.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;Trebuchet MS\u0026quot;,sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;Trebuchet MS\u0026quot;,sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;Trebuchet MS\u0026quot;,sans-serif;\"\u003e**Quick Tip: Doing an FBA and creating interventions can be a challenging process. Do not be discouraged if it takes time and repeated attempts to learn this skill. If you look online or in books you may find resources to \u003ci style\u003d\"mso-bidi-font-style: normal;\"\u003eguide \u003c/i\u003eyou in designing a FBA, but they are just examples. Tyler's FBA and behavior plan cannot be applied to Jared; these children are not identical and their behavior plans should not be identical.\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;Trebuchet MS\u0026quot;,sans-serif;\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;A FBA should be individualized to the child, as well as be viewed as acceptable by the people who must carry it out. The people closest to the child are the ones who ultimately determine the social validity and effectiveness of any behavioral intervention.\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.iloveaba.com/2012/07/fba-part-ii-function-of-attention.html\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;Trebuchet MS\u0026quot;,sans-serif;\"\u003eFBA: Function of Positive Reinforcement\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.iloveaba.com/2012/07/fba-part-ii-function-of-negative.html\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;Trebuchet MS\u0026quot;,sans-serif;\"\u003eFBA: Function of Negative Reinforcement\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;Trebuchet MS\u0026quot;,sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.iloveaba.com/2012/08/fba-part-ii-function-of-automatic.html\"\u003eFBA: Function of Automatic Reinforcement \u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: \u0026quot;Trebuchet MS\u0026quot;,sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003dwww.iloveaba.com\u003eI Love ABA\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.iloveaba.com/feeds/8742905463540463402/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.iloveaba.com/2012/02/everyday-fba.html#comment-form","title":"4 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/910085778879504657/posts/default/8742905463540463402"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/910085778879504657/posts/default/8742905463540463402"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.iloveaba.com/2012/02/everyday-fba.html","title":"Everyday FBA: Functional Behavior Assessment"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Tameika Meadows, BCBA, Blog Author"},"uri":{"$t":"https://www.blogger.com/profile/17008810597417201971"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"32","src":"//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKRu-32Kiv0YjGfVQQ0isn09_Q0rxpVUSLk206uq3faX3NIRWl2Ysmtq6cdZ5IPewos6C9xm3Fn_05hk7DBTKU0BOOraF03cyPTHWfXXjm5RyHAEAXnZ3oiK8cEXrAcg/s220/20161223_173533-1.jpg"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rV_wntJ-taE/Tza8K7DLshI/AAAAAAAAAPs/7a0xEtm2NkY/s72-c/gdhtHSZf13c213239313634393FEvfehL8_1322064536.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"4"}}]}});