Behavior Modification Program Assignment

Directions and Case Studies

This week’s Assignment will help you demonstrate your mastery of the material covered this term. Your Assignment will consist of an analysis of questions related to two separate case studies. Each case presents a problem that you, the future ABA professional, will need to assess. You will design an effective behavior modification program as well as a plan to evaluate this program. Each case covers the theories, concepts, and research discussed this term.

Your answers to the questions should consist of information from the text and supplemental readings. Your primary sources should be the readings assigned for the course, but you also may use sources from the Library or other credible Internet sources.

Read each Case Study and answer the questions below. You will need to write 3-4 typed pages for each case in order to address all required parts of the Assignment. Answers to the questions should be typed in an APA formatted Word document, double-spaced in 12-point font and submitted to the Dropbox.

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Your final paper must be your original work; plagiarism will not be tolerated. Be sure to review the Syllabus in terms of what constitutes plagiarism. Please make sure to provide proper credit for those sources used in your case study analysis in proper APA format. Please see the APA Quick Reference for any questions related to APA citations. You must credit authors when you:

1. Summarize a concept, theory or research
2. Use direct quotes from the text or articles

Read Case Study 1: William’s aggressive behavior

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

Write a 3-4 page paper addressing the following:

Part I

Define the target behavior in William’s case study by writing a 1–2 sentence target behavior definition using terms that can be observed and the appropriate behavior analytic language.

• Discuss one reason why the teacher’s original methods of behavior management may have failed.
• Describe how you would first assess William. Provide rationale for your choice of assessment.
• Identify a hypothetical function to William’s target behavior.

Part II

Design an effective behavior modification program.

• Use a combination approach treatment package (two or more behavior techniques from the relevant literature).
• One of your interventions should be designed to increase William’s appropriate behavior.
• One of your interventions should be designed to decrease William’s inappropriate behavior.

Provide rationale for selecting the combination approach, drawing upon behavior theory. Your rationale should include a description of the function of William’s behavior and how your intervention choices address that function.

Part III

Explain how you would evaluate the modification program.

Include the following in your explanation:

• The type of data you are collecting
• How often you are collecting data
• Who is going to collect that data
• The research design you are using
• An explanation of why that research design was the best choice

Describe how you will know if your treatment was effective. Make sure to explain each step.

Explain how to program for generalization and maintenance of William’s behavior.

Read Case Study 2: Annie’s change to Language Acquisition

Annie is a 4-year-old child diagnosed with autism. She uses very little language. She has a few words in her vocabulary and is capable of using language. She currently uses gestures and challenging behavior to get her wants and needs met. For example, if she wants a drink, she will lead her mother to the refrigerator and jump up and down and cry until her mother correctly guesses what she wants. You have been called in to use Skinner’s Verbal Behavior approach to develop a language acquisition program for Annie.

Write a 3-4 page paper addressing the following:

Design a language acquisition program for Annie. Include the following in the program you design:

• at least two types of verbal behavior
• a description of each verbal behavior and why you chose to teach that behavior
• which verbal behavior you would teach first and why

Develop a set of procedures to follow to teach each type of verbal behavior. This should include the antecedent and consequent controlling variables for each type of verbal behavior.

Describe how you will collect data on Annie’s verbal behavior.

Explain how you will evaluate your language acquisition program to know if your program is effective.

Describe how you will use Behavioral Skills Training to teach Annie’s mother how to implement your language acquisition program.

Submitting your Assignment

Put your project in a Word document. Behavior Modification Program Assignment