Behavior Bits
July 2021
Instructional control
When building a classroom, home, or any other community there are some key aspects which - when part of that building process - impact long term cooperation, collaboration, and positive relationship outcomes. Within a behavior therapy setting or a special education classroom, instructional control is a strategy to build this community of valued members which is felt by those members to be safe and trustworthy. Ultimately, achieving an expected response (i.e. desired behavior) from a learner because the environment has been actively designed to do so is the ultimate behavioral purpose behind instructional control. The foundation of instructional control includes when care providers have set up the environment to teach and motivate the desired behaviors while building positive, mutually beneficial relationships. Instructional control isn't necessarily control in the way we usually think of it. Rather, the control that the environment has over behavior is being harnessed by the parent, educator, or other professional who is teaching a learner. This is done by creating and maintaining a space where learning can most easily occur because the learner feels comfortable and engaged.
Rapport
Build relationships with the learners you support by developing rapport and being someone they want around.
Pairing
Check this out to see how pairing fits into the instructional control package!
Extinction
The process of withholding reinforcement which has been previously reinforced is a part of the instructional control package.
Geek Speak!
Jenna Garvey summarizes in this article for the May Institute another BCBA's writings on 7 steps to earn instructional control:
1. Show your child you are in control of the items and activities he wants to access. This is essential. You hold the key to fun! This is how you set yourself up as the “boss.”
2. Establish yourself as fun! Before you try to teach anything, show the child that it’s fun to be with you, engaged and learning. Let the child come to you on his terms, because he wants to take part in a fun interaction with you. This prevents “power struggles” because the child is initiating the interaction.
3. Follow through. Show the child you can be trusted, and that you’ll do what you say. It’s important to follow through, both in terms of positive or negative consequences. Your actions should be predictable. Don’t move the goal posts. This also means if you ask a child to do something, you may have to prompt him to complete an action. Avoid repeating yourself (this just teaches a child that you’ll continue to repeat directions, so he doesn’t need to comply the first time).
4. Show your child that following your directions will benefit him. Once you’ve established that you’re in control of fun things and that following your directions will provide access to desirable things, provide opportunities for practice. Start with easy-to-follow directions.
5. In the beginning, provide reinforcement for every positive response. Eventually, though, reduce the amount of reinforcement. Use it carefully for harder tasks. When starting out, give lots of reinforcement to establish rapport. There’s no such thing as too much in this stage!
6. Demonstrate you know your child’s priorities as well as your own. Make sure you’re offering reinforcement, or rewards, that are truly interesting to him.
7. Demonstrate that engaging in undesirable behaviors will not result in reinforcement. The goal is to provide the child with access to things he cares about when he engages in appropriate behavior. For example, if a child screams at you demanding a lollipop, you may want to have him ask nicely before you give it to him. Over time, you want to teach that screaming is not the easiest way to gain access to things."
"Robert Schramm, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), is the author of The Seven Steps to Earning Instructional Control, a book that provides a useful guideline to establishing a relationship with a child based on mutual respect. Read on for a brief summary of Schramm’s Seven Steps:
1. Show your child you are in control of the items and activities he wants to access. This is essential. You hold the key to fun! This is how you set yourself up as the “boss.”
2. Establish yourself as fun! Before you try to teach anything, show the child that it’s fun to be with you, engaged and learning. Let the child come to you on his terms, because he wants to take part in a fun interaction with you. This prevents “power struggles” because the child is initiating the interaction.
3. Follow through. Show the child you can be trusted, and that you’ll do what you say. It’s important to follow through, both in terms of positive or negative consequences. Your actions should be predictable. Don’t move the goal posts. This also means if you ask a child to do something, you may have to prompt him to complete an action. Avoid repeating yourself (this just teaches a child that you’ll continue to repeat directions, so he doesn’t need to comply the first time).
4. Show your child that following your directions will benefit him. Once you’ve established that you’re in control of fun things and that following your directions will provide access to desirable things, provide opportunities for practice. Start with easy-to-follow directions.
5. In the beginning, provide reinforcement for every positive response. Eventually, though, reduce the amount of reinforcement. Use it carefully for harder tasks. When starting out, give lots of reinforcement to establish rapport. There’s no such thing as too much in this stage!
6. Demonstrate you know your child’s priorities as well as your own. Make sure you’re offering reinforcement, or rewards, that are truly interesting to him.
7. Demonstrate that engaging in undesirable behaviors will not result in reinforcement. The goal is to provide the child with access to things he cares about when he engages in appropriate behavior. For example, if a child screams at you demanding a lollipop, you may want to have him ask nicely before you give it to him. Over time, you want to teach that screaming is not the easiest way to gain access to things."
Read more examples and information about these 7 stages from Robert himself in this document.
Behavior Bits July 2021
Contact Information
Behavior Support Services Padlet:
https://padlet.com/abenton1969/abasupportservices
Email: selpasupport@bcoe.org
Website: www.buttecountyselpa.org
Location: 1870 Bird Street, Oroville, CA, USA
Phone: (530) 532-5621
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ButteCountySELPACommunityConnection/
Twitter: @BCOEStory