Ms. Tooley contacts you, an ABA analyst, to assist her with a child in her classroom named William. William is a healthy 6-year-old boy who has been terrorizing his classmates. The problem has been occurring since the beginning of the school year. William pushes, kicks, hits or bites other children in the class. This has often happened during recess time. Ms. Tooley first addressed the issue by scolding William. That did not appear to reduce the behavior, so she then required him to visit the principal's office whenever an episode of hitting/biting occurred. These visits also had little effect in reducing the negative behaviors.

1. What is the target behavior(s) that you will plan to address? Write a target behavior definition.

2. How would you first assess William? Discuss the rationale for your choice of assessment.

3. Discuss one reason why the teacher's original methods of behavioral management may have failed.

4. Design an effective behavior modification program for William using a combination approach (two or more behavioral techniques).

5. Discuss your rationale for selecting the combination approach, drawing upon behavioral theory.

6. Explain how you would evaluate the modification program.

Discuss issues related to spontaneous recovery of behavior, extinction and maintenance of desired behavior.