Reducing and eliminating persistent and severe aggression and property destruction with consistently contingent positive reinforcement for instructional compliance and academic behaviors

Abstract

It is a fundamental principle in Applied Behavioral Analysis that all people have the right to receive the most effective treatment in the least restrictive environment. Aggression and property destruction serve as barriers to further independence and social acceptability for the children in this intervention. This study examined the effectiveness of consistent and contingent positive reinforcement for academic and appropriate behavior at reducing property destruction and aggression in two participants identified with ASD. The results of this intervention will be informative to future researchers, teachers, and service providers when determining the most effective and non-aversive method of treating problem behaviors in all clients. For one child, copious amounts of positive reinforcement (in the form of teacher praise and edible reinforcers) contingent on appropriate behavior, greatly reduced aggression and property destruction during work time. Having the other child earn tokens on a fixed duration schedule and exchange his tokens for bonus time significantly reduced aggression and property destruction throughout the school day.