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Presenter's Answer Guide

Case Study Activity: Determining the Function of Problem Behavior

These charts are provided to the presenter to assist you in guiding the case study activity. They are intended to be used by the presenter only. They provide the triggers, behaviors, maintaining consequences, and setting events associated with each case study child’s problem behavior. The use of these charts will be introduced to the participants in module 3b.

Triggers

Behaviors

Maintaining Consequences
  • Children in his space (line, small group activities)
  • Children sharing toys/activities (cneters, circle, playground)
  • Setting Events:
    On asthma medication, tired
  • Hit and/or pinch

 

Function:
Obtains toy/activity
  • Children leave play area
  • Children back away
  • Children give up toy

Preventions

New Skills

Responses
 

 

 

 

 

  

Triggers

Behaviors

Maintaining Consequences
  • Adult stops playing with him and gets up to leave
  • Setting Events:
    On asthma medication, tired
  • Hits

Function:
Adult attention

  • Adult sits back down to continue playing

Preventions

New Skills

Responses
 

 

 

 

 

  

Triggers

Behaviors

Maintaining Consequences
  • Child tries to take toy or activity (centers, playground)
  • Setting Events:
    On asthma medication, tired
  • Bites child

 

Function:
Access to toy
  • Adult verbally scolds
  • Adult physically holds him until calm, then redirects
  • when released, he gets toy or activity that he wanted.

Preventions

New Skills

Responses
 

 

 

 

 

  

Triggers

Behaviors

Maintaining Consequences
  • Difficult task
  • High demands
  • Sitting in circle
  • Undesired activity or materials
  • Small group
  • Setting Events:
    Tired
  • Screams, drops to floor, and hits adult

 

Function:
Escapes demands

  • Redirection
  • Adults decrease demands
  • Left alone

Preventions

New Skills

Responses
 

 

 

 

 

  

Triggers

Behaviors

Maintaining Consequences
  • Transition from one activity to another
  • Setting Events:
    Tired
  • Drops to ground, scream, cries, hits adult

 

Function:
Escapes transitions

  • Redirection
  • Allowed more time in current activity
  • Carried

Preventions

New Skills

Responses
 

 

 

 

 

  

Triggers

Behaviors

Maintaining Consequences
  • Adult or peers join him in play
  • Adult initiates new activity
  • Turn-taking
  • Setting Events:
    Tired
  • Screams and cries

 

Function:
Escapes demands/turn-taking
  • Left alone
  • Allowed to play his own way

Preventions

New Skills

Responses
 

 

 

 

 

  

Triggers

Behaviors

Maintaining Consequences
  • Unstructured activities (center)
  • Mouth on toys/objects (sucking/chewing)

 

Function:
Adult and peer attention

  • Children yell out that it is gross and yucky
  • Children get teacher
  • Teacher assists, helps her take toy to "dirty bucket"
  • Redirection and teacher plays with her

Preventions

New Skills

Responses
 

 

 

 

 

  

Triggers

Behaviors

Maintaining Consequences
  • Children entering playground
  • Girl with bows, ribbons, or clips sits or plays nearby
  • Pulls bows, ribbons, and clips out of others' hair

 

Function:
Initiate social interaction

  • Children scream
  • Adult runs to and yells "No!"
  • Adult helps her play

Preventions

New Skills

Responses
 

 

 

 

 

  

Triggers

Behaviors

Maintaining Consequences
  • Difficult activities
  • Undesirable activities
  • Resists walking, pulls away, and/or drops to the ground

 

Function:
Escapes activities

  • Adult decrease demands
  • Left alone where she is to play

Preventions

New Skills

Responses
 

 

 

 

 

  

Triggers

Behaviors

Maintaining Consequences
  • Transition from one activity to another
  • Asked to sit for more than 1-2 minutes
  • Wanders around classroom and sometimes drops to the ground

 

Function:
Delays or escapes transition
  • Adult will eventually redirect back to acitivity
  • Left alone

Preventions

New Skills

Responses
 

 

 

 

 

  

Triggers

Behaviors

Maintaining Consequences
  • Unstructured activities (centers, play-ground)
  • Plays in isolation in the corner or under table

 

Function:
Escapes social interaction

  • Left alone to play

Preventions

New Skills

Responses
 

 

 

 

 

  

Triggers

Behaviors

Maintaining Consequences
  • Adult leaves (arrival/departure)
  • Adult is nearby (centers, table activities)
  • Whines and cries

 

Function:
Adult attention

  • Adult goes to her
  • Consoled by adult
  • Adult rubs back, rocks, or holds her

Preventions

New Skills

Responses
 

 

 

 

 

  

Triggers

Behaviors

Maintaining Consequences
  • Wakes at night
  • Cries

 

Function:
Adult attention

  • Foster mother goes to her
  • Forster mother lays with her until she falls asleep

Preventions

New Skills

Responses
 

 

 

 

 

  

Triggers

Behaviors

Maintaining Consequences
  • Group play (playground, centers)
  • Highly preferred "single item" toys
  • Verbal and physical aggression and sometimes property destruction

 

Function:
Obtain/keep desired or activity

  • Children leave area
  • Children give up toys/items

Preventions

New Skills

Responses
 

 

 

 

 

  

Triggers

Behaviors

Maintaining Consequences
  • Child or adult approaches to greet him
  • Verbal aggression ("I hate you."/ "I'm gonna kill you.")

 

Function:
Adult attention

  • Adult verbally reprimands
  • Adult helps him find an activity to play with

Preventions

New Skills

Responses
 

 

 

 

 

  

Triggers

Behaviors

Maintaining Consequences
  • Transition from preferred activity (e.g., toy play to dinner time)
  • Throws toys or rams toys into objects, furniture, or other toys

 

Function:
Delays or escapes transitions
  • Mother plays with him
  • Mother allows him to continue preferred activity a bit longer

Preventions

New Skills

Responses
 

 

 

 

 

  

 

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This material was developed by the Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning with federal funds from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (Cooperative Agreement N. PHS 90YD0119). The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, nor does mention of trade names, commercial projects, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. You may reproduce this material for training and information purposes.

We welcome your feedback on this Training Module. Please go to the CSEFEL Web site (http://csefel.uiuc.edu) or call us at (217) 333-4123 to offer suggestions.

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