Behavior Chain

Clinical Use:  Behavior Chain

Behavior Chain:  Listing the behavioral antecedents (i.e., related and/or more mild behaviors that precede a target behavior) can be useful to help highlight how a student escalates toward a target behavior.  This escalation cycle can be used to more strategically identify interventions that can be used to prevent escalation in the future.

For example, if Adam escalates to property destruction and screaming to avoid work, but usually begins with ignoring staff directions and mild whining, then implementing interventions for ignoring and whining (i.e., providing choices, instructional support, etc.) promotes early intervention and minimizes more extreme behaviors.

Hint:  Behavior Chains can also highlight how related behaviors within a Response Class are exhibited in relation to each other.