BEHAVIORAL HEALTH
Why is My Child
Engaging in Self-Injury? By Fady Beshara, MSc, BCBA MANY CHILDREN WITH AUTISM ENGAGE IN SELF-INJURIOUS BEHAVIORS (SIBS). AS A PARENT, YOU MIGHT SEE THIS AND IMMEDIATELY REACT, WHICH MAY BE THE RIGHT DECISION AT THE TIME. HOWEVER, IT IS CRUCIAL AS A PARENT TO UNDERSTAND WHY YOUR CHILD IS ENGAGING IN THIS DANGEROUS BEHAVIOR. THIS ARTICLE WILL EXPLORE THE FOUR DIFFERENT FUNCTIONS OF BEHAVIOR RELATED TO SIBS AND DISCUSS THE IMPORTANCE OF A TREATMENT PLAN DEVELOPED BY A BOARD-CERTIFIED BEHAVIOR ANALYST (BCBA).
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he first function we will explore is attention. As humans, we have an intrinsic need for attention; a child with autism is no different. An attention-maintained behavior is one that is dependent on another individual. For example, Jesse begins to bite his arm. Mom runs at him and starts to hug him while also asking if he’s okay. In this situation, Jesse learned if he bites himself, he will receive attention from his mom. Each time he wants attention, he may now begin to bite his arm. Each time Mom runs to him, it increases the likelihood he will do it again. The second function is escape. Behaviors can be maintained by escape from demands, situations, activities, environments, etc. For example, Mom asks Jesse to put his cars away, so he begins to bite his arm. Mom responds right away and says,
“It’s okay, you can play for a few more minutes.” As you can see in this example, Mom gave Jesse what he wanted: escape from the demand she placed (putting away his cars). Once again, each time Mom lets Jesse escape, he is more likely to bite his hand to do so. The third function is access. Behaviors can be maintained by wanting to access things such as items, actions, activities, etc. For example, Jesse is sitting in the kitchen, and he starts to bite his arm. Mom once again runs to him and gives him a bar of chocolate. In this situation, Jesse is learning if he bites his arm, he will get what he wants. Finally, the fourth function is automatic reinforcement. Behaviors can be maintained internally. Meaning, the behavior itself serves as its own reinforcer as it is internally rewarding.
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