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- Recent studies indicate the most common causes of problem behavior are social in nature.
- Functional assessment research has also revealed that a significant number of students engage in problem behaviors that are not linked to social or environmental functions.
- Awareness of how physiology affects behavior can increase communication within an interdisciplinary team and assure that medical and health professionals receive the information they need to provide quality medical care for the student.
- Physiological influences are internal events within a student's biological system that can change a student's response to the environment.
- When an environmental event is paired with a physiological reflex, it is referred to as respondent learning.
- Highly anxious students may be more likely to engage in aggression or self-injury when their hearts are racing and they are breathing fast.
- Behaviors occurring due to sensory stimulation, also called stereotypy, occur repetitively and appear to result in a sensory experience for the student.
- Behaviors such as stereotypy may occur in order to compensate for under and over stimulating environments, while helping the student maintain an internal level of stimulation.
- A behavior is considered organically based when biological factors maintain problem behavior.
- Although most studies have focused on otitis media, other infections are likely to result in problem behavior as well.
- Research has revealed that in some cases problem behavior increases and decreases in a cyclical pattern.
- Sleep deprivation can be a setting event that increases the occurrence of problem behavior at school the next day.
- A variety of situations can increase the adverse effects of medication including improper dosages, interaction effects with other medications, and nutrition.
- Increases or decreases in dosage or type of medication can result in sudden and dramatic increases in problem behavior.
- Side effects or negative drug interactions from medication can increase when a student has not eaten or is malnourished.
- A student may experience unpleasant internal sensations due to the withdrawal of an addictive drug.
- Unexpected increases or the sudden appearance of problem behaviors could indicate that the student is not feeling well.
- For some students, the functional assessment process will include a review of medication and health related issues including information associated with medication schedules, meal times, and medication dosages.
- If problem behavior occurs for long periods when no one else is present, it is likely that a physiological factor may be reinforcing problem behavior.
- When multiple functions are suspected, you should conduct observations across a variety of different social situations, classrooms, and other settings to clearly identify the functions maintaining a student's problem behavior.
- Create a graph that plots the frequency of problem behavior on the vertical axis, the number of days on the horizontal axis, and place a star by every day a setting event occurs.
- There has been a growing concern that psychotropic medications have been overused as a convenience without first considering less intrusive positive behavioral support strategies.
- Additional intervention strategies may involve rescheduling meals, altering medication times or changing dosage levels to avoid serious side effects.
- The interdisciplinary team can collaborate effectively by combining data collected at home and at school into one notebook that a psychiatrist, physician, or other health professional can use to make important medical decisions.
- Providing objective data regarding signs of physiological discomfort and increases in problem behavior will assist a psychiatrist or physician in making appropriate decisions.
- Setting event interventions can be used to decrease the likelihood of problem behavior.
- Create multiple opportunities for students to interact socially within the environment.
- Students who engage in problem behavior due to sensory, homeostatic, or organic factors may learn over time that problem behavior can become a method for communicating.
- A number of studies have reported decreases in self-injury and other problem behaviors when exercise programs were introduced.
- Behavioral support strategies represent an alternative to pharmaceutical intervention and can occur both at home and at school.
- Attention to possible medical or health related problems can avoid serious problem behavior and improve a student's quality of life.
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