Aggression and noncompliance

Abstract

Aggression and noncompliance are common problem behaviors displayed by some children with ASD. Aggression in the form of hitting, kicking, and biting can cause serious injury to peers and adults, creating an unsafe learning environment. Furthermore, aggressive behavior interferes with instruction and skill acquisition. The social consequences of chronic aggression also are untoward: the child is avoided, perceived unfavorably, and unlikely to establish friendships. Frequently, children who demonstrate serious aggression are enrolled in restrictive educational settings, sometimes exposed to invasive treatment procedures (e.g., punishment) or ineffective pharmacotherapy. Like aggression, noncompliance has deleterious effects on learning. A child who has ASD and noncompliant behavior receives inconsistent instruction because she/he does not respond uniformly to requests from a teacher or parent. Noncompliance means that a child will not perform many appropriate behaviors that can be shaped and strengthened through positive reinforcement. Note too that caregivers usually have a poor opinion of children who "refuse" to carry out directions. This chapter addresses assessment and intervention for aggression and noncompliance. First, I discuss the process of measuring these problem behaviors in applied settings, emphasizing the varied topographies of aggression and noncompliance and different methods for acquiring occurrence data. The next section of the chapter covers functional behavioral assessment (FBA) and functional analysis (FA) methodologies that are critical steps in designing an intervention plan. My subsequent review of intervention covers procedures that are "matched" to FBA and FA outcomes. Here, I focus on both preventive (antecedent) and behaviorcontingent (consequence) procedures that are supported empirically and have good social validity. The chapter concludes with recommendations for formulating, implementing, and evaluating successful intervention plans. © 2009 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.