Antecedent

Behavior analysts try to identify what triggers a behavior and what consequences keep a behavior going. An antecedent is what happens before a specific behavior. Analysts view the immediate environment as the major cause of behavior. This includes the setting, people, objects, events, and much more that is happening around us all the time. Analysts collect data – known as ABC data (also referred to as functional analysis data) – on what happens immediately before and after a behavior to determine why and when it occurs. Analysts may also conduct interviews with caregivers and teachers, known as a Functional Behavior Interview (FBI), which is a part of Functional Behavior Analysis (FBA).

Antecedent interventions alter the environment before the behavior occurs. The goal is to decrease challenging behavior and increase desired behaviors. Focusing on changing the environment before a challenging behavior occurs is considered key for preventing challenging behaviors. Some examples of this approach include setting clear teaching expectations, substituting a preferred alternative, removing temptation, increasing predictability, making work breaks available upon request, using checklists, allowing children to make choices when possible, setting goals, using positive phrasing, and choosing rewards in advance.

Another strength of using antecedent-based strategies is that it takes less effort than correcting the problem behavior. An easy-to-use antecedent strategy involves altering the child’s environment to promote better behaviors, which is achieved by systematically adjusting the immediate environment where the problem behavior is more and less likely to occur. They use this information to encourage desired behaviors and discourage inappropriate behaviors. Changing what we do before and after a behavior can often change the behavior itself. That’s why collecting ABC data is so important, so we know what changes cause what resulting behaviors. Another easy-to-use strategy is ‘pre-teaching’ or explaining and modeling exactly what you’d like the person to do. This helps the person learn behavioral expectations, which is important for many reasons.

Behavior

Analysts look for patterns in the ABC data that they collect. These patterns predict when behaviors are likely and unlikely to occur. Understanding the function of the behavior and what maintains it is crucial for changing it. Challenging behavior is often viewed as a form of communication, so behavior analysts strive to decipher what someone is conveying through their actions and then teach them more effective ways to express their needs and wants.

There are four general functions of human behavior: to escape, to end or to avoid something; to receive attention; to get access to a tangible item or activity; and to feel good or relieve something that feels bad. A behavior can have more than one function. The context of behavior, along with past consequences, accurately accounts for a behavior.

A functional behavior analysis aims to identify the purpose of the behavior by considering several different factors. It considers the behaviors of concern – frequency, duration, and intensity - the person’s strengths, what triggers the behaviors, what escalating behaviors occur before the target behavior, and acceptable replacement behaviors. Once a function has been identified, antecedent interventions can be applied to decrease the behavior’s occurrence by preventing it from happening.

It is important that behavior analysts understand what motivates a person. Once we understand what motivates a person, we can reorganize their environment to provide motivating things in the absence of challenging behaviors. The goal is to strengthen appropriate behaviors, promote the use of replacement behaviors, and decrease challenging behaviors. When children know the consequences of future events, problem behaviors decline while engagement rises.

Consequence

A consequence is an outcome that occurs after a specific behavior. Sometimes, the environment can’t be changed in a way that prevents the target behaviors, and positive and negative consequences are used to shape behavior. Reinforcements are directly related to motivation and are personalized, delivered immediately after a behavior as a consequence. Behavior changes are achieved by systematically and immediately delivering a consequence, thereby increasing the likelihood that the desired behavior will occur again. This allows the person to connect the desired behavior with the positive consequence.

The person should be observed to understand their unique interests and motivations. Doing this helps to determine what reinforcers should be used to create behavior change. If the target behavior is not increasing, then a different reinforcer may be needed. When possible, the person may be asked what they’d like as a positive consequence, or reinforcer. Positive reinforcement usually adds something desirable, such as praise, hugs or candy. Negative reinforcement removes something undesirable, such as a loud noise; it is not a form of punishment. Positive reinforcement is the most effective method for teaching a person a new behavior.

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