Intervention Planning and Implementation
From hypothesis to plan
Intervention planning begins with the FBA hypothesis and links each component to function. Function-based interventions outperform generic packages. For attention-maintained behavior, teach an appropriate attention request and reinforce it (DRA) while minimizing attention for the target. For escape-maintained behavior, teach communication or break requests, use demand fading, and avoid escape after problem behavior. For tangible-maintained behavior, teach requesting and use delay or wait training. For automatic behavior, provide competing sensory input and enrich the environment.
Building the plan
A strong plan specifies target behaviors (operationally defined), replacement behaviors, antecedent manipulations, consequence strategies, reinforcement schedules, prompting and fading, generalization and maintenance tactics, data collection, and crisis procedures. Social validity asks whether goals, procedures, and outcomes matter to stakeholders. Treatment integrity (fidelity) must be monitored; low fidelity undermines conclusions about effectiveness.
Traps
Confusing a replacement behavior with a reduction procedure; forgetting to plan for generalization; omitting baseline data; and writing vague definitions ("aggressive") that cannot be measured. Also watch for plans that inadvertently reinforce the problem behavior through the very consequence intended to reduce it.
Worked example
Escape-maintained task refusal: teach "break please," honor it promptly, then gradually increase demands, reinforce compliance, and collect data on both refusal and requesting. Rule of thumb: every intervention should make the problem behavior irrelevant, inefficient, or ineffective while making the replacement behavior effective.