Positive Approaches to Challenging Behavior

The child or adult and members of the team use the hypothesis statement to brainstorm ideas. Once the hypothesis is confirmed using direct observation and other FBA evidence, a brainstorming meeting is scheduled. At this meeting, the hypothesis is written on flip chart paper or may be shown using a computer and visual monitor projected at the wall. The steps involved in brainstorming include:

• Designating a facilitator for the meeting
• Making sure the team has been introduced to the brainstorming process
• Deciding together what type of communication response can replace a challenging behavior
• The new replacement skill chosen meets the cultural values and preferences of the child or adult as well as the people who are involved in the plan
• Ten minutes are set aside to brainstorm intervention ideas for each area of the hypothesis statement
• All the ideas that come up in brainstorming are listed
• Once the brainstorming is over, the team reviews the ideas and selects 1-2 interventions from each of the columns (setting event, antecedent, teaching new skills, consequence)

Part of the selection process for possible interventions involves considering what strategies are a good fit for the people who will be implementing them. The team needs to think about the following questions:

• Do the interventions fit the cultural values and preferences of the child or adult as well as those providing support?
• Are there enough resources available to implement the selected interventions?
• How much effort does it take to implement the PBS plan and do the people responsible for implementing it believe the interventions are not too difficult?

This is referred to as assessing contextual fit.