Getting started with telehealth for early intervention: Learning modules

If your child engages in interfering behavior, your provider may do a couple additional assessment steps.

This will help the provider to fully understand why the interfering behavior might be occurring and things in the environment that seem related to the behavior.

Your provider will use this information to create an individualized intervention plan. Your provider wants your input and for you to be part of making and implementing the plan.

Further assessment may include additional interviews with you as caregivers and with other people who frequently interact with your child (such as a day care provider).

Here are some examples of questions that a provider might ask to learn more about the interfering behavior that is occurring. It is important to remember that there are not wrong answers to these questions; your provider simply wants to understand as many details as possible about the interfering behavior in order to make an effective intervention plan.

1. What forms of interfering behavior occur?
2. What happens or what does it “look like” when your child engages in the interfering behavior?
3. At what times of day, in what locations, during what routines, with what people, and during what activities or tasks is the interfering behavior MORE likely to happen?
4. At what times of day, in what locations, during what routines, with what people, and during what activities or tasks is the interfering behavior LESS likely to happen?
5. What tends to happen right before the interfering behavior happens?
6. What tends to happen right after the interfering behavior happens?
7. How do you as a parent or other caregivers to your child react when your child engages in interfering behavior?

References

O’Neill, R. E., Horner, R. H., Albin, R. W., Storey, K., Sprague, J. R., & Newton, J. S. (1997). Functional assessment of problem behavior: a practical assessment guide. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.