Punishment Based Interventions By Monique R Turner

The majority of children/young people do not present challenging behavior, and they attend a range of educational settings in environments which are conducive to learning appropriate behaviors. It is essential to ensure that behavior which does not meet school/setting’s expectations, is responded to through management strategies that do not rely upon any form of physical or abusive

A Research Project Submitted to the Faculty of National University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of:

This paper will provide the behavioral definition of punishment and give examples of both positive and negative punishment in different types of settings. The guidelines for the effective use of punishment, as well as legal and ethical issues that should be considered by the Behavior Analyst while designing a behavior intervention plan are identified.

The Behavior Analyst Certification Board, Inc. (BACB) has adopted ten guidelines for professional conduct for behavior analyst. Guideline four discusses, The Behavior Analyst and the Individual Behavior Change Program. The guideline states, “The behavior analyst (a) designs programs that are based on behavior analytic principles, including assessments of effects of other intervention methods, (b) involves the client or the client-surrogate in the planning of such programs, (c) obtains the consent of the client, and (d) respects the right of the client to terminate services at any time.” Within guideline four, Least Restrictive Procedures 4.10 dictates, “The behavior analyst reviews and appraises the restrictiveness of alternative interventions and always recommends the least restrictive procedures likely to be effective in dealing with a behavior problem” (Bailey & Burch, 2011.) Based on our ethical guidelines as future behavior analyst we must guarantee our clients interventions are the least restrictive. Promoting least restrictive interventions in school settings ensures the utilization of antecedent manipulations. Utilizing antecedent manipulations may assist with deescalating or preventing further maladaptive behavior. Preventing maladaptive behavior decreases the risks of potential negative side effects such as emotional responding. Employing our ethical guidelines ensures the dignity of our students and promotes student independence.

Scientific evidence serves another purpose in behavior analysis. It guides the decision in the types of treatment procedures that are selected for implementation. According to Van Houten, et al. (1988), a behavior analyst has an obligation to only use methods that have been scientifically proven to be effective. This fact is key because one of the rights a client has is the right to the most effective treatments available. When the behavior analyst is able to combine the use of the scientific data and the use of scientifically proven effective treatments, they are able to accomplish the goal that they should start with for each client. A behavior analyst has been most effective in helping their clients when they are able to withdrawal themselves from the clients life altogether (Skinner, 1978).

13. The Ecological Perspective recognizes multiple levels of intervention including all of the following EXCEPT

Conversely, teaching parent’s behavior management aids in decreasing unhealthy disciplinary actions through proper techniques of reward and punishment behavior (Cohen et al., 2005).

What is the harm of a little physical reinforcement to ensure children know how to properly act in society? This idea of physical reinforcement is also known as corporal punishment and is still present today in southern American states including some Texas school systems. Corporal Punishment is defined as a “punishment of a physical nature, such as caning, flogging, or beating” however this fails to include the psychological implications of corporal punishment in schools (corporal punishment). The benefits of corporal punishment in the short-run are outweighed by the negative effects the punishment produces evident by the Social learning theory, anti-social behavior results, and development beyond the

In the past Applied Behavior Analysis and Positive Behavior Supports has been viewed as simultaneous terms where behaviors are a concern; these evidenced based practices are different entities when evaluating behaviors in the classroom. The commonalities among the group of literatures determined that Applied Behavior Analysis and Positive Behavior Support has been the focus in education through the No Child Left Behind Act (2004) by identifying students with at-risk behaviors. For example, both models consider the use of direct observations as the means to formulate interventions, develops the common goal of reducing behaviors through functional assessments, and evaluate behaviors under evaluation through single research designs (). Although, Positive Behavior Support and Applied Behavior Analysis has been evaluated as under the same conditions; there are differences among the literatures that suggest a controversy in the classroom setting. Applied behavior analysis is deemed as observable and measurable as to gain the reasoning behind behavior issues through clinical assess, and uses the formulation of data to determine appropriate intervention to obtain generality and in different situations. This is quite different from the views of Positive Behavior Support as literatures examines the evidence-based practice as in the natural environment, reduction of data-driven approach, and is likely used for the group approach as in a school setting.

The article I have chosen is titled, “Why Physical Punishment Does Not Work,” written by Paul C. Holinger. To summarize, it describes how physical punishment is not an ineffective method of teaching kids proper behavior and its detrimental effects on a child’s behavior later on in life. Furthermore, it lists alternative ways to correct a child's misbehavior without the use of violence. This article lightly reflects on B.F. Skinner's Theory of Operant Conditioning. The following information is how the Skinner Theory can be related to the article.

The United States has 324 million citizens, and more than 2 million of them are incarcerated (Rabuy, 2016); China has a seventh of the world’s population- and with 1.357 billion inhabitants (China population, 2017), you would think their prison system would proportionately mimic that of the United States; however, it is quite the contrary, and the United States has half a million more inmates (Prison population total, 2017)! But how does America measure up on a global scale? The United States makes up a mere 5% of the world’s population, but accounts for 25% of the world’s imprisoned (Liptak, 2008); and with one of the highest recidivism rates in the world, it is not difficult to see

Developing an alternative punishment for adolescents can be considered as a positive opportunity for the treating adolescent, society, community and the criminal justice field. Ethics helps management differentiate what is considered right or wrong within the management and the process implemented for the treating adolescents. There are many branches considered within the study of ethics. Metaethics can be considered as the language, methods, logic structure, or reasoning when interpretation ethic terms. Identifying or classifying the behavior or standards of conduct uses the knowledge and background of normative ethics. Solving practical moral based problems such as providing alternative treatment for adolescent’s with mental health then the importance of applied ethics will be intertwined and considered. Providing education and knowledge to all staff within the organization helps staff with moral decision making choices when confusion arise from staff.

In applied behavior analysis behaviorists use techniques such as functional behavior assessment (FBA), to create functionally-based interventions that target maladaptive behavior. The goal of an FBA is to identify the conditions that predict behavior and the consequences that maintain behavior (Carr et al., 2002). If the link between antecedent, behavior, and consequence can be established, it will be possible to alter a behavior by changing its predictive stimuli and maintaining consequences (Bender, 2015). After forming this link by collecting data, a behavior intervention plan (BIP) will be created to diminish problem behavior (Bender, 2015). This BIP must target the function of the behavior and

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