When some people think of the work of behavior analysts or clinical child psychologists, the tendency is to think of their role in reducing behavioral excesses, also called reductive procedures. Reductive procedures entail the use of behavioral approaches in an attempt to reduce the frequency of undesirable behaviors, which include reinforcement-based techniques as well as punishment.

In this Discussion, you will focus on techniques designed to reduce the frequency of problem behavior. You will examine punishment techniques as well as supplemental positive approaches to complement and build upon these reductive procedures. Behavior analysts understand that unless you can find a functionally equivalent positive behavior to replace the behavior you want to reduce in frequency, the less likely you are to see lasting behavior change.

To prepare:

Review the readings and weekly video introduction to gain an understanding of reducing the frequency of a behavior through both punishment and differential reinforcement.

Identify instances in your own childhood when your parents attempted to reduce the frequency of a behavior in which you were engaging and what you think was effective and not effective.

Search the available literature for research on procedures that have been used effectively to reduce self-stimulatory behavior in children with autism.

ASSIGNMENT: Explain why it is important to reinforce functionally equivalent alternatives to problem behavior when using a reductive procedure. Give an example of using both a reductive procedure combined with reinforcement of a functionally equivalent behavior in reducing self-stimulatory behavior in a child with autism.