Behavioral Intervention

The practitioner from the referral has identified that the behaviour of concern is that of Mary screaming intermittently throughout the day which is having a detrimental effect on her quality of life and the people who she lives with. Several assessments had already been completed that eliminated physical health problems and highlighted a need for a detailed functional behavioural assessment.

Lineham (1977) offered a succinct and accurate description of the purpose of a behavioural assessment “To figure out what the client’s problem is and how to change it for the better” (pg 31).

Lineham’s statement expresses that the person should benefit from any intervention that may be used.

The four major methods for obtaining information are interviewing, checklists, tests, and direct observations. Interviews and checklists are indirect assessment approaches because the data from these measures are derived from recollections and reconstructions or subjective ratings of events.

Tests and direct observations are considered direct assessment approaches because they provide information about a person’s behaviour as it occurs. Miltenberger (2004).

Although indirect assessments often provide useful information direct observation methods are preferred because they provide objective data on the person’s actual performance, not an interpretation ranking or qualitative index of that behaviour Hawkins, Mathew and Handen (1999).

The practitioner has decided to use direct and repeated observations of Mary’s behaviour as a method of determining which behaviours to target for change also to get a baseline assessment. A basic form of direct continuous observation first described by Bijoy, Peterson and Ault cited in Cooper, Heron Heward (2007) is called an anecdotal observation or often referred to as ABC recording. With anecdotal observation the observer records a descriptive temporally sequenced account of all behaviours of interest and the antecedent conditions and...