Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder that causes notable challenges with social skills, speech and communication, and engagement in repetitive behaviors. Some of the behaviors that are commonly present in individuals with ASD include: difficulty in making eye contact, delayed language, challenges with executive functioning, poor motor skills, sensory difficulties, and engagement in problematic behaviors like aggression, self-injury, tantrums, and elopement. It is important to manage these behaviors at an early stage before it
becomes a habit.
Applied behavior analysis or ABA is a treatment approach that helps in reducing challenging behaviors and learning appropriate behaviors and new skills. A variety of skills can be taught using strategies based on the principles of ABA including social skills, communication skills, ability to follow directions, engage in self-care, etc.
In order to manage behavior, it is essential to understand the events occurring before and after the behavior to understand ‘why’ it is occurring. The ABCs of behavior is a way to decide why a behavior is happening. To do this, we need to attend to what is happening before (antecedent) and after (consequence) a behavior. For example:
ABC at home:
Antecedent: The mother tells the child to clean up
Behavior: child screams
Consequence: Mother starts cleaning up herself
In the following example, the child has learned to scream every time a demand is given, so that s/he can escape from it.
To understand the why of behavior, it is important to know the ‘function of behavior’. This refers to the reason someone is engaging in a behavior. The initial understanding of the reason will lead to more success in managing the behavior. There are four functions of behavior:
Attention (from others)
Access (to an item or activity)
Escape (from a demand)
Sensory (a feel-good sensation)
In the previous example, the child was engaging in screaming behavior due to escape from demand (clean up).
Reinforcement and Punishment
In behavior management, reinforcement and punishment are the underlying factors that influence all behaviors. Reinforcement is something that increases the future frequency of a behavior and punishment reduces the future frequency of the behavior. There are 2 types of reinforcement:
Positive reinforcement: simply means something is given, which makes the behavior more likely to occur in the future. Common types of positive reinforcements are:
Providing praise
Giving Hi5, tickles
Giving preferred objects like toys, edibles, activity
Negative reinforcement: means something is taken away, which makes the behavior more likely to occur in the future. Common types of negative reinforcements are:
Removing aversive noises, tasks
Removing pain and annoying situations
For example, a child engages in tantrums whenever s/he is offered vegetables during meal time. When the child tantrums, parents immediately take the food away. In this example, the child’s tantrums are negatively reinforced.
Antecedent (before the behavior): vegetables on child’s plate
Behavior: tantrums
Consequence: Parents take food away
Future behavior: The child will tantrum whenever offered vegetables
Strategies to help children with autism are organized by the following category:
Proactive Strategies: strategies that can be used to reduce and prevent problem behaviors from occurring and increase compliance
Reactive strategies: strategies that can be used to manage problem behaviors and strengthen appropriate behaviors
Proactive strategies are used before any challenging behaviors to reduce the chances of them occurring. Such as:
Strategies for attention seeking behaviors
In classroom set up, move the student’s seat closer to the teachers or facing away from other students/other distractors. This is also known as ‘Altering the Environment’
Teach the child appropriate ways to ask for attention rather than engaging in challenging behaviors.
Give attention more frequently when the child is not engaging in challenging behaviors
Strategies for escape-maintained behaviors
Use Visual supports to show what is the child expected to do. e.g. (First and then chart, ‘Visual schedule in the classroom or at home’.
Start with an easier task and slowly build up to more challenging tasks
Priming: inform the child regarding what is going to happen or what is expected from them. e.g., Showing pictures of hospitals, doctors before taking the child for a health checkup.
Teach appropriate ways to ask for a break during a difficult task
Strategies for access to tangibles
Priming: Inform the child regarding upcoming transition away from preferred items/activities
Teach appropriate ways to ask for preferred objects.
Use visual supports to communicate when the child can get access to preferred things
Strategies for sensory
Teach an alternative behavior to the child that will meet the same sensory input. e.g., place the child on a bouncing ball as an alternative to jumping/bouncing on a classroom chair.
Reactive strategies are used once the behavior has already occurred. These are consequences/ reactions to the behavior. Goals of reactive strategies are:
Increase positive behaviors
Reduce problematic behaviors
Tell, Show, do (three step strategy to increase compliance)
Tell: Give the verbal instruction for the task, and wait for 5-7 seconds for the child to begin.
Show: Give instruction and show how to do the task, wait for 5-7 seconds for the child to respond
Reinforce: as soon as the child even attempts the task, give praise (Good trying!)
Do: Physically guide the child to complete the task
Reinforce: When the child has completed the task, provide a bigger reward (preferred toy, activity, edibles, etc.)
Token economy: The child has to earn a set number of tokens in order to have access to a preferred object/activity. This helps in communicating what is expected from the child.
Teaching Replacement behaviors: Teach the child appropriate replacement behavior. for e.g., if the function of a child’s shouting behavior in the classroom is attention, teach him/her to raise his hands to get attention. Provide reinforcement once the child engages in replacement behavior.
Blocking problematic behaviors and redirecting towards better behaviors
Managing repetitive behaviors: Interrupt /block the repetitive movements initiating a different movement, redirect the child to engage in a behavior that cannot be done at the same time along with repetitive behavior.
It is important to follow these strategies in combination with each other and consistently. Various special education schools in Mumbai apply these strategies to manage challenging behaviors in kids with autism, ADHD, and other developmental issues.
TABIS is a special school for children with learning disabilities in Mumbai.
Author: Ridhima Sharma
Behavior Therapist, The Aditya Birla Integrated School
For more details, contact us at,
The Aditya Birla Integrated School,
162-164, D.N. Road, Opposite CST Station.
Fort. Mumbai – 400 001.
School Co-ordinator:
Contact No.: 022 22061451
Office Timing: 9:30am – 12:30pm
E-mail: tabis.info@abet.co.in
Also read,
How can we support students with Autism in the classroom?
How can you help and motivate a child with learning disabilities to deal with exam pressure?
