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There are no lousy students

Fri, 05 Jan 2024 17:30:39 GMT

Behavior Analyst offers insights to improving average test scores.

There resides a prevalent American cultural belief that when an individual considers something good or it conforms to their understanding of societal norms, everyone else should innately behave to that mold. It’s a phenomenon I like to refer to as the “Oughta Wanna” Effect.

School exemplifies one frequently cited institution in which many feel children should naturally want to excel, yet average student test scores are dropping across the country. Reinforcement, a principle in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) helps illuminate how these average scores can rise. In ABA, a reinforcer is anything — from praise to a reward — that when provided following a behavior increases the probability of that behavior recurring.

Reinforcement proves an integral element in ABA Therapy in improving social and learning skills. And it’s a technique Dr. Sparks said is useful across numerous behavioral issues, despite occasional hesitancy.

“At times, caregivers and guardians do not want us to use added reinforcers because they feel the client should want to already behave in the way society says is appropriate,” said Dr. Sparks. “They view it as giving them things when they should just want to do it themselves.”

Proficient students typically experience some kind of reinforcement at home, then receive ample individual attention at school. Struggling students also tend to receive increased attention in attempt to get them back on track. Meanwhile, average students garner little focus despite requiring it possibly the most.

“They need more attention than high achievers because the natural outcome isn’t strong enough to affect their behavior,” Dr. Sparks. “People are often frustrated when students are seemingly just getting by. It’s not these students don’t care. A little, strategically planned added reinforcement could improve their performance immensely.”

What is regularly known as the “Good Behavior Game” in elementary school provides a useful example of what strategically planned reinforcement can accomplish. The “game” is a classroom-based behavior management strategy that promotes prosocial behavior and reduces challenging behavior. It includes several variations so while commonly used, experiences and results may differ.

Many scenarios feature a classroom split into groups in direct competition to accrue points toward a reward based on established rules. This iteration potentially deters middle-to-low performing students to fully committing, where they instead relinquish effort when a winning outcome appears unlikely.

Instead, teachers can use the “Good Behavior Game” as a combined team effort and maintain focus on prosocial, positive behaviors: where all students work in tandem to achieve a range of different goals. If the class falters in one area, then attention and reward can be associated in one of the other areas experiencing success. It’s all about maintaining motivation so students sustain effort even when underperforming in one specific area. And teachers implementing these kinds of behavioral strategies can instill evidence-based tactics from behavioral analysts.

“With right planning and right coaching, we can really make it a lot more effective,” said Dr. Sparks. “It’s not that these are lousy students — it’s they don’t have the motivation to do better because it won’t affect outcomes for them.”

Turning the “oughta” into a “wanna” requires analyzing current reinforcers in a situation then comparing the probability, size, delay and effort to render the behavior with alternative reinforcement sources. Identifying that source increases the likelihood of attaining the desired behavior. Dr. Sparks offers an example of a child who finds talking with friends more reinforcing than listening to a lecture. Adding reinforcement to increase motivation to learn, while allocating time for socialization to decrease motivation for interaction, helps educational performance.

“When we are designing our plans after conducting assessments, we first have to determine if the outcome that controls the behavior in question is appropriate,” he said. “If it is, then we help the client learn an appropriate way to get that outcome and make those appropriate behaviors more effective.”

Motivation arrives differently student to student. In the current climate with declining American student test scores — the nation’s average math score for fourth graders has dropped five points since 2019 per the National Assessment of Educational Progress — Applied Behavior Analysis can offer insight to producing sustainable, positive change.

“In all levels of society, things average out,” said Dr. Sparks. “That’s why there are average students. What we’re trying to do is increase that average.”

Using Applied Behavior Analysis in everyday life

Fri, 05 Jan 2024 17:19:09 GMT

Addressing Behavior based on antecedents opposed to consequences.

Punishments are rampantly implemented throughout the country in addressing behaviors society deems inappropriate. Society may desire for consequences to modify behavior, but that effect doesn’t always materialize.

For instance, the United States possesses an incarceration rate among the highest in the world, along with one of the highest recidivism rates. While a complex example, it highlights punishment’s inability to be a blanket solution toward preventing future inappropriate behavior. Addressing behaviors on antecedents rather than consequences provides an alternative and often more effective approach toward modifying actions.

“Society as a whole often sees a problem and tries to create a solution without analyzing down to a behavioral level,” said Dr. Steven Sparks of Sparks Behavioral Services .

In creating solutions to problem behaviors, society can utilize methodologies from Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) rather than solely reacting to them through consequence. In his line of work, Dr. Sparks examines conditions before an inappropriate behavior occurs. This includes determining if a motivation issue persists, a skill deficiency interferes or if environmental factors influence outcomes.

“It’s the level of understanding human behavior and what gets people to do what they are doing,” Dr. Sparks said.

To focus on antecedents is to unearth how circumstances can be appropriately altered to achieve desired behaviors and outcomes that society deems reasonable.

Dr. Sparks references the everyday example of drivers speeding through pedestrian crossings (thus putting people at increased risk of danger). Traffic tickets are a long-established consequence of speeding and yet plentiful drivers maintain the hazardous habit.

Pedestrian safety research conducted by Western Michigan professor and behavior analysis expert Dr. Ron Van Houten helped develop pedestrian crossing gateway treatments for this problem. This solution installs signs on the edge of the road near crosswalks that drivers must travel between.

These signs influence drivers to naturally slow down, and when implemented has seen the baseline increase from 3 to 80 percent of drivers yielding to pedestrians. Through an antecedent approach, the inappropriate behavior of speeding is altered toward a better outcome of improving pedestrian safety.

Of course, these macro examples of addressing problem behaviors before they occur requires substantial time and effort. But these Applied Behavior Analysis tactics are also relevant on a micro level, such as a family household.

Punishment, which takes on a different meaning in ABA, is a frequently used parenting tool. In ABA, punishment refers to the addition or subtraction of something within an environment to decrease a behavior. While it can be effective, it potentially inspires unintended consequences — notably when the punisher is not actually aversive to the child.

“Things can get worse before they get better if you take this approach,” Dr. Sparks said.

An antecedent strategy can make things easier for parents by establishing proactive solutions to a child’s problem behavior. And it can even be done without eliminating what causes the inappropriate outcome.

Consider a child with a history of raiding the kitchen pantry and overindulging in unhealthy junk food. If they’re disallowed something like cookies, they aggressively and physically lash out. It’s a scenario in some households that results in punishment: the behavior receives consequences, such as cookies no longer being a pantry item, or the child goes in timeout.

Instead, if the focus remains on antecedents, perhaps it’s a scenario that becomes avoidable. In this case, the pantry’s organization can play a role in preventing the inappropriate outcome. A solution can be as simple as placing the cookies on the shelves out of reach and putting healthier alternative snacks for the child to grab during their pantry raid among the lower shelves. Perhaps the child simply opts for the more readily available snacks in lieu of the cookies.

Shifting focus to antecedents opposed to consequences in addressing behavior ultimately seeks to steer someone’s behavior into appropriate societal norms. On the micro level of a family household, it’s easier to experiment and implement. Upon the grander scale of enacting societal changes, it of course requires more effort and time but remains worthwhile — such as the work and research of Dr. Van Houten.

“It’s about addressing issues before they become issues,” Dr. Sparks said.

Our Approach to Applied Behavior Analysis

Wed, 04 Oct 2023 20:55:22 GMT

Sparks Behavioral Services Approach to Applied Behavior Analysis

The Sparks Behavioral Services Approach to Applied Behavior Analysis

The Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) methodology seeks an explanation for all psychological phenomenon or phenomenon that may occur. While there are several different styles and treatment types in addressing inappropriate behaviors, options outside of ABA often prescribe one-size-fits-all solutions. ABA scientifically examines situational behavior to delineate why a method may or may not render effective solutions. ABA recognizes all variables in an environment that may affect someone’s problematic behavior.

For example, if someone frequently masturbates in a common area of a home or out in public, an outside perspective may immediately assume the arising stimuli from the act automatically reinforces it and maintains the inappropriate behavior. An Applied Behavior Analyst instead comprehensively assesses both the person’s environment and conduct to consider all possible reinforcers influencing the inappropriate behavior. This extensive process perhaps reveals crowds overwhelm the subject, who understands touching themselves forces removal from the aversive environment. Or maybe they resort to the inappropriate behavior when they are not receiving adequate attention. They may even use masturbation as means to receive a toy or treat, as its provision keeps their hands busy. An Applied Behavior Analyst studies every component in a situation to determine how the problematic behavior manifests, how to prevent its reinforcer, and how to teach an appropriate way to reach the subject’s desired outcome (depart large crowds, receive a toy, etc.). This is when the work shifts into determining — through a Can’t Do/Won’t Do assessment — if the subject possesses the necessary skills for an appropriate response or uses the inappropriate behavior because it’s the most effective.

Comparably, other treatment methods may deliver formulaic practices that overly focus on what one can do to prevent reinforcers spurring negative behavior in a general moment. ABA strives to produce differential reinforcement and teaches replacement skills that achieve the same reinforcing outcome. Other methods may deduce X occurs, therefore the solution is Y, and the medication is Z without any individualized or environmental consideration. Applied Behavior Analysis arrives at course of actions and solutions differently in every single situation. While all these methods can feature overlap, Applied Behavior Analysis implements effective fine-tuning in achieving appropriate outcomes. Sparks Behavioral Services specializes in the most difficult behavioral cases, so people often arrive to our assistance because other treatments lacked complete resolution.

Our approach begins with interviews upon admitting a new client. An array of people who may offer insight into the situation are consulted. We also replicate the environment where the precursor behavior or the behavior itself occurs. Think of it like an allergy test: you get poked with allergens to see what the body reacts to. We simulate environments that may recreate the reported issues to attain a better understanding of the case. When that’s not possible, during an interview with the client, we’ll ask them to picture the last time the inappropriate behavior ensued and to describe the scene: who was sitting where, what was playing on the television, if there were any smells in the air — anything that may have been included in the environment at the time. Then we have them walk through who did what, how long it took for the problem behavior to occur, and how people responded. No stone is left unturned to gain the complete picture as if we were an observer when it originally transpired. The process ascertains what instigated the continued problem behavior: escape or avoidance, attention seeking, access to tangibles or reinforcement, or instant gratification. After gathering the required information that illuminates the behavioral pattern, we devise a plan to modify or improve and then intensive work instills it.

Numerous variables within an environment prompt behavior. Applied Behavior Analysis uncovers not only the motivation behind a behavior but also its modifying path forward. Sparks Behavioral Services delivers behavioral consulting services to children and adults no matter the diagnosis throughout Michigan. Our efforts help societal problems and assist individuals in changing their behaviors so they can thrive. Interested in more information? Contact us today.

Can’t Do or Won’t Do? Examining The Hurdles That Deter Targeted Behaviors

Wed, 28 Jun 2023 14:51:33 GMT

It’s a common scene in family households across the country: a parent implores their child to do their homework. Despite the instruction, the targeted behavior of completing the school assignment goes unfulfilled. Maybe their child even starts the work but hastily abandons the responsibility amid fury. The parent may perceive their child holds a performance deficit and won’t do their homework. But perhaps this scene reveals the child instead has a skill deficit and can’t do it, causing them to act out with inappropriate behavior.

A Can’t Do/Won’t Do Assessment examines whether unachieved targeted behaviors derive from motivational issues or lack of capabilities. Does the inappropriate response occur because they don’t have the repertoire of skills, or they won’t accomplish the targeted behavior because they receive more reinforcement for the negative behavior? The assessment identifies a reinforcing outcome for the target behavior in any given setting.

At Sparks Behavioral Services, we are determining in assessment plans if the client previously exhibited the skill required to complete the targeted behavior. Consider a client who becomes aggressively unbridled when told to do household chores. A Can’t Do/Won’t Do Assessment unearths if they are able to appropriately advocate for themselves (by saying no or requesting a break) or can complete the chore without issue. When instead of those responses, they counter the instruction with a temper tantrum, the assessment gets to the crux of the matter.

With this scenario, our assessment ascertains if the client lacks the language needed for a proper response or if misconduct is more reinforcing. The behavioral approach here may require first instructing the client how to communicate for a break. When they can accurately request one, the next step is introducing the verbiage (or a picture card) that relays they wish to cease the chore. Once the client accomplishes that behavior in the right setting, the availability of such a request slowly decreases incrementally (after 30 seconds they can ask for a break, then one minute, two minutes, etc.). The step-by-step process permits an opportunity for the client to break with appropriate behavior rather than inappropriate. In any given situation, no matter how intense an inappropriate behavior, the process starts with identifying if said behavior arrives easier for the client or if skill deficiencies are the root of the issue. Implementing these plans in our field are custom to the individual. From applying Differential Reinforcement to altering environments to decreasing reinforcers, there are numerous paths to reaching appropriate behaviors — but it all starts with the assessment.

For parents at home with children who struggle completing their homework, alleviating the situation can be difficult. Rather than perpetually saying “try harder,” approaching it like a Behavioral Analyst determines if the work is too difficult and effort remains a hurdle or if other aggravating factors are present. If the work’s hard, then break it up in segments. Or decipher what perquisite skills may be absent and develop those before returning to the assignment. Does the child have a friend they’d rather play with than finish assignments? Then establish an amount of the work that must be complete before play. These situations necessitate pinpointing the method that spur appropriate behavior within reason. It’s about discovering what works on both sides — not just instilling compliance in the child. Success hinges on establishing an environment that benefits the child toward the targeted behavior.

If an impasse occurs in these situations, what we refer to in our field as Learned Helplessness — the act of shutting down because it feels like there’s nothing you can do — can emerge. If a child cannot reach the targeted behavior, while the parent or caregiver remains unable to identify course correction, they start feeling immense anxiety that causes further aversion to the task at hand. This is the point where professional assistance can fulfill a Can’t Do/Won’t Do Assessment, develop a behavior plan, and cultivate an environment that produces appropriate and targeted behaviors.

Learn more about our behavior analytic consulting services.

The “Oughta Wanna” Effect

Fri, 12 May 2023 18:00:10 GMT

Many individuals perceive an ideal societal structure where certain functions are what you should naturally want to do. Unfortunately, many tend to believe everyone else inherently conforms to that model as well. It’s a cultural belief at Sparks Behavioral Services we refer to as the “Oughta Wanna” Effect.

School is an environment frequently cited as a place where children have the inclination to excel. Despite that belief, average student test scores have nationally dropped. The scores aren’t dipping because students don’t care; rather they require some time and attention to transform what they “ought to do” into a “want to do.” Teachers, parents, and caregivers can become flustered when students are seemingly just getting by. But a principle of Applied Behavior Analysis, reinforcement, can provide that transformative push.

In ABA Therapy, reinforcement (which can be a stimulus ranging from praise to reward) proves an integral element in improving social and learning skills. And it can achieve the same inside a classroom. Met with occasional hesitancy, some individuals feel it’s giving people things when they should just want to already do it themselves. But inaction only exacerbates falling test scores. Reaching sustainable change in the education system requires renewed focused on the “average” student.

For skilled students, doing well in school is typically already reinforcing to them. For the rest of the classroom, a little strategic planning with added reinforcement can bolster performance. The “Good Behavior Game” is popular behavior management strategy game enacted in elementary classrooms that promotes prosocial behavior and reduces challenging behavior. While there are many versions, its most effective form turns the classroom into a team that works in tandem to achieve a range of goals. If they succumb in one area, attention and reward is then diverted toward another. The game sustains motivation for every student, even when underperforming in a specific area.

Many people identify the workplace as another arena where everyone should be industrious. In today’s culture, working hard often doesn’t translate into getting ahead or higher pay. In places with minimal opportunity to move upward and where raises are minimal to nil, there’s no incentive to work beyond the scope. Pay not keeping up with cost-of-living compounds this issue further. Where trajectory appears limited, workers are easily bereft of motivation.

Ultimately, turning “oughta” into “wanna” requires examining current reinforcers in any given situation and comparing the probability, size, delay, and effort that encourage the behavior to alternative sources of reinforcement. The transformation occurs by making the desired behavior less effortful than alternatives or the reinforcer becomes more sizable, probable or less delayed than alternatives.

In all levels of society, things average out. And the science of Applied Behavior Analysis can increase the average by revealing what turns “oughta” into “wanna.”

Punishment in Applied Behavior Analysis & Parenting

Tue, 21 Mar 2023 19:27:50 GMT

Dr. Sparks sought a solution for when his adopted dog acted aggressively while leashed during walks. He attempted to reinforce good behavior with praise, but it wasn’t working. He noticed the noise of a crinkling plastic bag significantly curtailed the dog’s aggressive behavior. On walks, he began to crinkle it as a deterrent whenever the dog lunged on the leash. The aggressive pulling soon stopped. This technique highlights the implementation of a punishment in Applied Behavior Analytics — but it also reveals its potential for rippling effects.

The dog’s aversion to the crinkling bag possessed an expansive effect beyond ceasing leash-pulling: she no longer wanted to go on walks in Dr. Sparks’ own neighborhood. She’d walk elsewhere, however being outside in her own area was accidentally punished through the crinkling bag as well. The fact that a punishment potentially decreases all behaviors occurring at the time it’s introduced is just one precursory element people understand before implementation.

Punishment, a key principle in Applied Behavior Analytics, adds or takes away something to an environment to decrease a behavior’s regularity. A child’s removal from an activity and receiving a “timeout” to dissuade a continued behavior is an example. Its application in managing behavior can work fast as the child easily understands what occurred: they were doing something, their parents scolded them, and the realization that they shouldn’t do whatever they were doing surfaces. Punishment as a parenting tool frequently emerges as a contested social media debate. The back-and-forth amid these parenting groups typically features two sides: those who insist you never use punishment to influence behavior and another with a more “old school” hardline approach. As Applied Behavior Analysts, it’s not our job to label what’s appropriate — that’s up to society. Rather, we can dissect and outline the methodologies of managing behavior.

There are some potential issues that accompany enforcing punishments of which parents should be mindful. A punishment is not a blanket solution. Parents and caregivers should be careful and aware they use a punisher that’s actually aversive to the child. People commonly assume actions that are aversive to one child will garner the same result with another — but that is not always the case. For example, during a school consultation, we put two different colored pieces of paper in front of an aggressive child. We instructed if they touched one color, it resulted in praise; if they touched the other, they would be scolded. The child repeatedly touched the scolding color. For this child, negative attention wasn’t a punisher but instead a reinforcer. This situation can transpire when a child only receives positive attention a small percentage of time for doing something right, while they receive negative attention almost every time their actions are deemed inappropriate or wrong.

Parents and caregivers should also use caution that they aren’t providing punishment to the child only because it’s reinforcing to themselves. Occasionally a phenomenon known as aggression reinforcement in Applied Behavior Analysis develops where presentation of punishment automatically creates motivation to exhibit aggression among the parents and caregivers. A child’s inappropriate behavior can become so aversive to adults that it elicits yelling or spanking for relatively minor offenses. These situations can create confusion for children, causing them to internally scroll through other behaviors to achieve a preferred outcome for the parent. When the desired behavior remains unlearned, a parent can mistakenly convey it for purposeful disobedience and inflict additional punishment because it’s a reinforcing outcome for themselves.

Numerous challenges arise in parenthood. Caring for a child requires navigating situations with seemingly endless processes and solutions. The answer to use punishment or not isn’t so much a defined yes or no but rather lies somewhere across a spectrum of possibilities. The good news is children typically grow into functioning adults no matter the parenting style. But if trial after trial doesn’t induce desired behavioral changes, that’s when Sparks Behavioral Services can assist. There’s nothing wrong with asking for help in overwhelming situations. Receiving Applied Behavior Analysis assistance never indicates poor parenting.

Learn more about our behavior analytic consulting services .

Beyond Autism: Applications for Applied Behavioral Analysis Are More Extensive Than You May Think

Tue, 14 Feb 2023 16:34:33 GMT

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) uses a scientific approach to understand and modify behavior. It employs principles of behavioral science to reach meaningful outcomes for consumers of their services. Through ABA practice, behavior analysts reinforce helpful, desired behaviors and discourage unwanted actions detrimental to learning. It can be used to increase language skills, improve attention, decrease problematic behaviors, and much more. The individualized therapy is adaptable, teaches everyday competencies, and deployed within numerous environments both private and public — such as home, school and community.

Though its methodology is frequently associated with treatment of autism, its scope is far more expansive: it’s for any organism with behavior. The lawful nature of behavior shows that behavior follows patterns. There’s a precursor to a behavior, the behavior itself, and the result of the behavior occurring. Our very own Dr. Steve Sparks is even at work on a descriptive equation that outlines how varying components work together to determine a single behavior at any moment in time. ABA therapy assesses the pattern behind a specific behavior a patient displays, devises a plan to modify or improve it, and then intensively works to instill it.

ABA’s origins trace back to the 1930s when B.F. Skinner recognized incongruent behaviors while studying Pavlovian conditioning. While his laboratory work laid the foundation for the core of ABA, it wasn’t until the 1960s and into the 1970s where it became more widely used and implemented in real-world scenarios. It was during this period where ABA became heavily connected with the treatment of autism. Therapists successfully applied ABA principles to people with an autism spectrum diagnosis to assist in improving social interactions, learning new skills, and maintaining positive behaviors. Though one doesn’t require an autism diagnosis to experience the benefits of ABA therapy.

One of the most extensive educational studies ever conducted, Project Follow Through, used ABA techniques. The study, which began in 1968 under the sponsorship of the federal government, sought to determine the most optimized method of teaching elementary school-aged children from disadvantaged backgrounds. More than 200,000 children throughout 178 communities were included in the study with 22 different models of instruction applied. The study’s evaluation in 1977 revealed the Direct Instruction model as the most successful learning method, helping to raise participating children’s scores to near the national average. In ABA therapy, Direct Instruction features small group, face-to-face lessons with immediate error correction. The lessons are highly structured and scripted to clearly define teaching tasks at a faster rate than they typically occur. A core principle of this model is all children can be taught. Project Follow Through continued into the 1990s — helping thousands upon thousands of disadvantaged children. The study remains a prime example of ABA’s execution and benefits across numerous demographics.

Sparks Behavioral Services delivers behavioral consulting services to children and adults no matter the diagnosis throughout all of Michigan. We specialize in the cases that nobody else can handle or haven’t been successful in managing. Our goal is help societal problems and assist individuals in changing their behaviors so they can thrive.