Escape-Maintained Behavior and a Zero-Tolerance Demand
Ms. Cole teaches fifth grade. Jordan, age 10, has an IEP under Other Health Impairment for ADHD and takes medication inconsistently. Since October - six weeks - he has received 12 office discipline referrals. Ten occurred during the 35-minute independent writing block that follows recess. The pattern is consistent: he sharpens pencils, asks to see the nurse, argues that the prompt is stupid, then leaves the room. When Ms. Cole offers a choice of two prompts and a graphic organizer, he completes about 60% of the work; during shared writing on the carpet he participates and volunteers answers. The nurse has found no medical cause on any of the five visits this month. Jordan's writing is at grade level when he finishes. The principal wants a zero-tolerance plan: three days of in-school suspension for the next incident, plus loss of recess for the rest of the week. The IEP team meets in ten days.
1. What is the most likely function of Jordan's behavior? Support the hypothesis with the specific pattern in the data.
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The pattern points to escape from the writing demand, with adult attention as a secondary reinforcer. Three pieces of evidence converge. First, ten of twelve referrals fall in the independent writing block - a setting-specific concentration, not a diffuse attention problem. Second, task completion rises to roughly 60% when the demand is made more acceptable (choice of two prompts plus an organizer), which is what an escape function predicts: when the task becomes less aversive, escape behavior drops. Third, he participates during shared writing on the carpet, where the demand is low, structure is high, and the activity is social.
Setting events matter too: the block follows recess, so transition, fatigue, hunger, and inconsistent medication timing may make writing more aversive on some days. The nurse visits require a health screen - five visits in a month with no medical finding suggests the nurse visit has become an efficient escape route, but it must be ruled out with the nurse and family before being treated as behavior. Writing at grade level when he finishes confirms this is not a skill deficit; it is a performance and avoidance issue.
2. Evaluate the principal's proposed consequence plan against a function-based alternative.
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For escape-maintained behavior, in-school suspension is functionally a jackpot: it removes the writing demand entirely and lets Jordan leave the room, which is precisely the outcome the behavior produces. It also costs three days of instruction, and repeated removals of this kind should prompt a review of whether the behavior is a manifestation of the disability. That does not mean no consequences; it means consequences must not reinforce the function and must be paired with teaching.
A function-based BIP would address antecedents, replacement skills, and consequences. Antecedents: continue choice of two prompts, provide the graphic organizer, chunk the block into 10-minute segments with a teacher check-in, pre-correct before the transition from recess, and set a private start signal. Replacement: teach a break card and a help card with a rehearsed script, and honor the break within the writing block so he does not need to leave. Consequences: specific praise for starting and for using the cards, a brief in-class reset rather than removal, and response cost tied to work completion. Coordinate medication timing with the nurse and family. Review in four weeks.
3. What data should the team collect, and what decision rule should govern whether the plan is working?
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Baseline the current six weeks: referrals per week (currently about 2), percent of writing completed, number of nurse requests, and minutes out of the room. During implementation, collect daily: percent of the writing block engaged, whether the break or help card was used and whether staff honored it, task completion, and any nurse or office visit with reason. A three-item direct behavior rating completed by Ms. Cole at the end of the block adds a quick daily index of engagement. Include a fidelity check - are the organizer and choice actually provided every day?
Set the goal and decision rule in advance: by four weeks, complete at least 80% of the writing block with two or fewer break requests per week and no nurse visits for escape. If the data move, fade supports gradually - organizer on request, then choice only on longer tasks - and keep the break card. If they do not move, convene the team, verify fidelity, and revise the hypothesis rather than escalating consequences; persistent non-response is a signal that the function analysis is incomplete or that an additional skill deficit is present.