Targeting Excess Behavior for Change:

Abstract

At present, no clear guideline exists as to when a goal or objective included in a handicapped child's Individualized Education Program (IEP) might properly focus upon remediating excess behavior, rather than the acquisition of a new skill. This paper presents a decision model for use in identifying priority goals, objectives, and appropriate interventions on behalf of children with severe skill deficits and multiple excess behaviors. The model is organized into three levels of decision making with regard to targeting excess behavior for intervention; each level is based on the seriousness of the behavior, possible child outcomes resulting from decisions to intervene with a particular behavior, and various legal-ethical and professional criteria which may be relevant to the judgement procedure. The model is not intended as a prescriptive device to make specific decisions across children in all situations. Instead, its purposes are to clarify and systematize some of the procedures that clinicians, teachers, and other service providers currently use in an intuitive manner.