Nine Questions to Ask When Prioritizing Target Behaviors

Do you work with students who display many problematic behaviors when escalated?   When a student engages in multiple problematic behaviors, (e.g., non-cooperation, hitting, kicking, spitting, throwing items, crying, perseverating on topics, running away, threatening to hurt self or others, etc.), it is challenging to know which behaviors to target for reduction or replacement, first.  The more behaviors we target, the greater the likelihood for complex behavior plans and data collection procedures.  This could lead to inconsistencies with program implementation and inaccurate data collection.  Prior to developing a plan, consider these nine questions to ask when prioritizing target behaviors.