Attention Behavior
Hi there! How are you? It’s so nice to see you here!
Have you ever had an experience where you so badly had to tell someone what was on your mind?
You know, when you have the biggest story to share.
How did you let that person know you needed to talk to them?
What happened when they weren’t immediately available?
We live in a time where feedback and availability is almost immediate from information right at our fingertips to the ability to contact someone else easily. Patience can be TOUGH to muster.
When someone doesn’t call you back, do you call them again or text them?
If you have something important to say, does it feel tough to wait to share?
All of these questions are how our learners feel and when they feel their needs aren’t being met or heard,
attention behavior occurs.
If you’re wondering if you’ve seen attention behavior discussed here before, then yes, you would be correct! Our August 26th blog post gave an overview all about the behavior functions. But now - we’re really going to settle into it and break down a lot of what’s out there.
What is the reason (the function) that Attention Behavior serves for the learner?
These behaviors occur because at some point along the road, when the learner engaged in the behavior, they were reinforced, a.k.a. another individual provided the social feedback they were looking for in gaining attention. Therefore, in the future, the behavior is “maintained” by their ability to get that interaction.
Learners will use their attention behaviors to gain that specific interaction or social response they seek. There is a range within this behavior for not only what it looks like but also the intensity of the behavior. The learner, overtime, gains the understanding of what they need to do to get attention
What can Attention Behavior look like?
(Disclaimer: these are examples, they are not the only attention behaviors out there; all behaviors are unique.)
- Crying
- Calling Out, Yelling, Screaming
- Throwing Items (towards another individual or within the vicinity)
- Aggression (hitting, pinching, biting, kicking)
- Eloping (Major: leaving a setting; Minor: moving within a setting)
Attention behaviors - what to do when they get unsafe
The first area I always like to explore is why - why is our learner engaging in attention behavior.
What is happening around the learner that could support their need for using behavior to gain attention?
When a learner gets to the point that they use their body to communicate their need to get attention from those in the environment by engaging in behaviors that harness the attention of those around them, its critical to ask yourself “what is happening right before” as well as “how am I responding?” Take note of those antecedents (before activities) to see what is happening with and around the learner. The consequences (our responses) help determine if the learner is actually unable to get the social feedback they seek or not, and is the learner trying to increase the intensity or way they gaining that attention
Oftentimes if the learner does not know how to interact with others and get that attention, they will tell us with their body. This has the potential to be extremely dangerous.
The learner’s desire to gain attention to express to another person information can result in engaging in behaviors ranging from property/ environmental destruction (throwing and/or breaking items in a setting), aggression (hitting, throwing, biting, kicking), screaming (at a volume above conversation level) etc.
Is the behavior happening because of the task, the setting, or both?
Like I mentioned above, attention behaviors range in intensity. Property/environmental destruction as well as aggression both have a level of danger for the learner and those around them because items are thrown or broken and the learner uses their body, with force, to express themselves, in this case to get attention. These behaviors can often be contained within a particular setting and help those around the learner gain an idea for what is happening to cause this response.
When behaviors with an attention function become unsafe, it is critical to look well before these events occur to determine why exactly they need attention. What is the learner trying to communicate?
How can we support attention behavior in a functional, purposeful way?
One way I like to start is with a replacement behavior that the learner cannot do at the same time as gaining attention. And what is that you ask? Functional Communication
Once we’ve examined what the antecedent is that causes the attention response, providing proactive supports during these times will allow the learner to gain a sense of control in expressing their needs in an appropriate and functional way.
This sends the message to the learner that:
My needs are important.
I am a big fan of allowing our learners to express themselves in powerful, meaningful ways.
We want our learner to understand that expression of your needs is important, but words carry more weight than the use of their body in expressing their needs.
This can look like offering functional communication training with phrases such as:
- “I don’t like….”
- “I need help.”
- “Can I have a turn?”
- “No, thank you.”
- “It is too loud.”
- “I need space.”
- and more…
When the learner starts to make the connection that they can get the same attention with less effort to express their dislike or need (e.g. aggression, throwing, crying, etc.) it is an opportunity to reinforce the learner with their preferred method of reinforcement (token board, verbal praise, high-fives, hugs, etc.) and at the schedule that will support their engagement with those replacement skills (e.g. fixed ratio, intermittent, differential reinforcement, etc.)
During these experiences, use them also as times to communicate with your learner. Interact with them and inquire about what they need. Depending on their form of communication this can look like using their AAC device, modeling with language, using visuals, pointing or having a verbal discussion.
Letting your learner know that you support their needs and their needs are important to you will only further grow the connection you have together.
Attention Behavior Across Settings & Environments
Just like all other behavior, the topography (a fancy way of saying what the behavior looks like) and the function (the purpose the behavior serves) can change across environments.
Sometimes, a behavior can look the same but serve a different purpose or it can look different and serve the same purpose as a different behavior.
All this means is the learner understands ways to have a behavior meet their needs and get them their desired outcome.
Be mindful of how your learner uses their attention behavior(s) in different settings.
Be mindful of what's happening around the learner at that time, the demands placed, and who is there.
Intensity with attention behavior can increase over time so looking at the A-B-C sequence and finding what the antecedents are that elicit the behavior to proactively support the learner is critical. Additional interventions will vary from learner to learner as each learner’s behavior is different.
It is our job now to support them in a purposeful way and navigate their needs appropriately.
I would love to support you and your family in crafting collaborative, sustainable behavior and academic supports at home through a free 15-minute Coffee Break to find out just what your cup needs.
Be sure to follow us this week on Instagram @coffeemugsandclipboards as we bring this weeks information to life!
