Addressing Attention-Seeking Behaviors with Special Needs Students

There are behavioral strategies that provide a child with the attention that is not contingent on the behavior problem. These therapeutic modalities have been known to address, support and improve outcomes:

Differential Reinforcement of Appropriate Behavior (DRA)

The appropriate behavior is determined in advance. The child then receives attention for said behavior. In other words, the child is given a task and a certain amount of time to complete it in. If he or she does this without engaging in the problem behavior, then he or she is given positive attention.

Differential Reinforcement of Other Behavior (DRO)

This approach involves giving attention to the child for any appropriate behavior. Any time the child exhibits this behavior within a specified period, without engaging in the problem behavior, he or she is rewarded with positive attention.

Differential Reinforcement of Incompatible Behavior (DRI)

One last approach is to reward any behavior that is incompatible with the behavior problem. Sitting quietly is antithetical to throwing a tantrum. If the child is prone to outbursts, he or she receives positive attention when quiet.

As simple as these methods sound, there must be functional analysis. If you wish to determine whether the behavior problem serves to get attention or some other purpose, you must study the function of the behavior. You must consider all the factors.

Get into some of the Five W’s.

• Who was present during the behavior? 
• What happened before, during and after the behavior?
• Where and when did it happen?
• We all need attention. Some of us crave it. It is no different for people with autism and related disorders. The key is to ensure that attention is not triggered by behavior problems.