The first question we always ask when looking at behavior is, "Why is the student doing that?"
Despite this sounding like an easy question, there are so many factors that can affect behavior. Unlike academic skills, behavior is often not black and white and the student may be having behaviors for more than one reason.
Functions of Behavior
Traditionally in behavior field we have lumped behaviors into four different functions: 1) Escape/Avoid 2) Attention Seeking 3) Tangibles/Activities 4) Sensory Seeking
Although these are the broad functions of behavior, it is often difficult to pinpoint why a student is wanting to escape/avoid a certain or activity, or why they are seeking attention at certain times. To pinpoint the exact function can be difficult and uses the scientific method that we grew up learning:
Other Possible Functions of Behavior Here are a few other functions that are connected to the broad functions
Trauma/Anxiety
A student might appear to be displaying behavior under the function of escape/avoid because they refuse to do work, when in reality they are dealing with situations at home where they witness or personally experience physical abuse, sexual abuse, parents fighting/divorce, losing their home, death of family member.
Self-Esteem/Self-Worth
Students with self-esteem/self-worth concerns often refuse to complete work out of a lack of confidence in the academic subject. The use of reinforcement for students with self-esteem often does not work because the students most often set themselves up for failure before trying because they have failed so many times before or don't feel as though they deserve to be successful.
Social Skills
A student is going up to peers are pushing them or yelling at them, yet they do not possess the social skills to know how to effectively handle the situation (performance v. acquisition deficit). A student may yell at someone because that is what has been modeled at home or by other peers.
Self-Regulation
Students that have not developed strong self-regulation skills are unable to recognize their emotional triggers in time to regulate their behaviors. It is important to teach them to start identifying their emotional triggers and their emotional states. Students with poor self-regulation skills often take an extended time to develop these skills.