ABA Practices: De-escalating behavior
The purpose of ABA is to help people live more functional lives by assisting in reducing
maladaptive behaviors and acquiring new skills. Unfortunately, in some cases this maladaptive
behavior completely impedes optimal learning. Although some kids may be intellectually at their
grade level, their problem behaviors sometimes determine if they can attend mainstream courses or not. According to Eileen Bailey, this could be detrimental because “Many proponents of inclusion also point out that for children with autism, interacting with neurotypical peers is essential to their growth. It allows for friendships with children without disabilities and provides a model for appropriate social interaction, an area where children with autism have difficulty” (Bailey, 2020).
Depriving someone of these experiences due to having to manage behavior will alter their
development in some areas. With this being said, it is very important to use evidence-based practices that have been proven to be effective with de-escalating maladaptive behaviors. One technique that can be used could be providing choices to the client. Sometimes with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) there is a deficit with communicating wants & needs. By presenting choices, this can give the individual a sense of having a say in the decision. It has also been proven to be beneficial to ask questions like “Is there anything I can do?” or “What can I do in this situation to make it better?” At the same time though, it is important to consider that ASD is a spectrum and what is effective for one person may not be the same for another. Another tip could be exposing expectations/prompting; this would be implemented to prevent maladaptive behavior by showing/prompting for a replacement behavior. Once again this could be used if some other methods are not effective, and maybe if providing the choices/questions escalates them further up the crisis cycle.
Works Cited
Bailey, E. (2014, October 9). Pros and cons of mainstream classrooms for kids with autism –
healthcentral. Pros and Cons of Mainstream Classrooms for Kids with Autism. Retrieved
April 17, 2023, from https://www.healthcentral.com/article/the-pros-and-cons-of-
mainstream-classrooms-for-children-with-autism
Harlan, B. (2022, August 9). De-escalation strategies explained: Where to start and when to
switch. QBS. Retrieved April 17, 2023, from https://qbs.com/de-escalation-strategies-
explained-where-to-start-and-when-to-switch/
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