Individualized Behavioral Intervention in Preschool Settings: The Case of a Child with Physical Aggression
Keywords:
ABAB design, behavioural intervention, aggressive behaviour, school based intervention
Abstract
Children engage in a multitude of problem behaviour and managing such behaviours is an unavoidable responsibility of teachers in today’s schools. This study is conducted to assess the impact of an individually tailored behavioural intervention plan to eliminate the physical aggressive behaviour of a child. The intervention plan includes restructuring the environment, physical restraint, verbal reprimand and differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA). The subject of the study is a three year and five months old boy of a nursery program. Following an ABAB withdrawal research design, the intervention is carried out in two settings concurrently, classroom and playground, with the teachers of the child assuming as co-interventionists. The intervention result in elimination of physical aggressive behaviour and follow-up data confirm the maintenance of the intervention gains. As a by-product of the intervention, a few socially desirable behaviours could be strengthened. The implications of the findings are discussed with special emphasis to the ongoing inclusive education move in Ethiopia.
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References
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Fisher, W. W., Kuhn, D. E., & Thompson, R. H. (1998). Establishing Discriminative Control of Responding Using Functional and Alternative Reinforcers During Functional Communication Training. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 31(4), 543-560. Hanley, G. P., Iwata, B. A., & McCord, B. E. (2003). Functional Analysis of Problem Behavior: A Review. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 36(2), 147-185. Kodak, T., Miltenberger, R. G., & Romaniuk, C. (2003). A Comparison of Differential Reinforcement and Noncontingent Reinforcement for The Treatment of a Child’s Multiply Controlled Behavior. Behav. Intervent., 18, 267-278. Kauffman, J. M., & Landrum, T. J. (2009). Characteristics of Emotional and Behavioural Disorders of Children and Youth. Upper Saddle River: Merrill. Kumar, R. S. (2011). Emotional and behavioral disorders of youngsters in schools: A juxtaposition of school factors as their cause and cure. Indian Journal of Social Development, 11, 113-134. Kumar, R. S., & Seleshi, Z. (2010). Management of Problem Behaviour in Addis Ababa Primary Schools. Ministry of Education, Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. Unpublished research report.
Kumar, R. S. & Seleshi Zeleke (2013). Teachers’ Perception about, Attitude toward, and Management of Students’ Problem Behaviors in Addis Ababa Primary Schools. The Ethiopian Journal of Education, 33(1):1-24.
Lucas, R. L. (2000). The Effects of Time-out and DRA on the Aggressive Behavior of a Spirited Two-Year-Old. Child and Family Behavior Therapy, 22(2), 51-56.
Luiselli, J. K. (2008). Effects of Fixed-time Release (FTR) Fading on Implementation of Physical Restraint. Unpublished Research Report: Mental Health Aspects of Developmental Disabilities. Luiselli, J. K., Kane, A., Treml, T., & Young, N. (2000). Behavioral Intervention to Reduce Physical Restraint of Adolescents with Disabilities. Behav. Intervent, 15, 317-330. Matson, J. L., Dixon, D. R., & Matson, M. L. (2005). Assessing and Treating Aggression in Children and Adolescents with Developmental Disabilities. Educational Psychology, 25, (2-3), 151-181. Ministry of Education. (2006). Special Needs Education Programme Strategy: Emphasising Inclusive Education to Meet the UPEC and EFA Goals. Addis Ababa: Author Ministry of Education. (1994). Transitional Government of Ethiopia Education and Training Policy. Addis Ababa: EMPDA. Ringdahl, J. E., & Falcomata, T. S. (2009). Applied Behaviour Analysis and the Treatment of Childhood Psychopathology and Developmental Disabilities. In J. L. Matson et al. (Eds.), Treating Childhood Psychopathology and Developmental Disabilities (pp. 29-54). Springer. Roane, H.S., Fisher, W.W., Sgro, G.M, Falcomata, T.S., & Pabico, R.R.(2004). An Alternative Method of Thinning Reinforcer Delivery During Differential Reinforcement. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 37(2), 213-218. Sattler, J .M. (2002). Assessment of Children: Behavioral and Clinical Applications (4th ed,). California: Jerome M. Sattler, Publisher Inc.
Seleshi Zeleke. (2001). Child Rights Advocacy in Some Schools of Addis Ababa: Could it Help in Reducing the Incidence of Corporal Punishment? The Ethiopian Journal of Education, XXI, 1-24. Spiegler, M. D. & Guevremont, D. C. (2010). Contemporary behavior therapy (5thed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. Vollmer, T.R., Roane, H.S., Ringdahl, J.E., & Marcus, B.A. (1999). Evaluating Challenges with Differential Reinforcement of Alternative Behavior. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 32(1), 9-23. Webber, J. & Scheuermann, B. (1991). Accentuate the positive: Eliminate the negative! Teaching Exceptional Children, 24 (1), 13-19.
Published
2013-12-01
Section
Articles