Promoting Desired Lifestyles Among Adults With Severe Autism and Intellectual Disabilities - Chapter 10: Person-centeredness, behavior analysis, and treating challenging behavior

This chapter focuses on applications of behavior analysis to treat challenging behavior specifically in a person-centered manner. Key issues addressed include how promoting daily enjoyment among adults with severe disabilities reduces the likelihood of challenging behavior, applying evidence-based treatment procedures that are most acceptable to individual adults, teaching individuals to meet their needs without challenging behavior, and when stereotypic behavior does and does not warrant attention within treatment plans. The importance of treating challenging behavior without relying on use of punishment is also emphasized, and particularly by focusing on antecedent treatment procedures, reinforcing behavior that competes with challenging behavior, and eliminating existing reinforcement of challenging behavior. Issues with staff performance associated with acceptable treatment are likewise addressed, such as supervisors actively supporting staff in treating challenging behavior in a time-focused, priority manner in accordance with the values of person-centeredness, and ensuring staff avoid unsanctioned use of informal punishment procedures.