BAS Crisis Intervention Techniques 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under BACB guidelines, which condition must be met before mechanical restraint can be included in a behavior support plan?
- The restraint must be used at least once per week to maintain staff proficiency
- Less restrictive procedures must have been tried and found ineffective, with proper oversight and consent (Correct answer)
- A physician's order is the only requirement
- Restraint may be used proactively whenever crisis is anticipated
Correct answer: Less restrictive procedures must have been tried and found ineffective, with proper oversight and consent
BACB ethics require demonstrating that less restrictive alternatives were attempted and that appropriate consent and oversight are in place before using mechanical restraint.
Question 2: Which of the following is the primary purpose of conducting a functional behavior assessment (FBA) in the context of crisis intervention?
- To assign a psychiatric diagnosis to the client
- To identify the maintaining variables of crisis behavior to inform function-based interventions (Correct answer)
- To determine the appropriate level of physical restraint
- To document the frequency of past crisis incidents for insurance purposes
Correct answer: To identify the maintaining variables of crisis behavior to inform function-based interventions
FBA identifies antecedents, behaviors, and consequences to reveal the function, enabling proactive, function-matched crisis prevention.
Question 3: A client's aggression during transitions is hypothesized to be escape-maintained. Which crisis prevention strategy best matches this function?
- Withhold all reinforcement during transitions
- Embed preferred activities into transition routines to reduce escape motivation (Correct answer)
- Increase the number of transitions to promote habituation
- Apply a brief time-out contingent on transition refusal
Correct answer: Embed preferred activities into transition routines to reduce escape motivation
Embedding preferred activities addresses the escape function by making transitions less aversive, reducing the motivation for aggression.
Question 4: When a staff member is injured during a crisis, which action should the supervising BCBA take first?
- Complete the incident report and file it by end of week
- Ensure immediate medical attention for the injured staff member (Correct answer)
- Terminate the client's services to prevent future incidents
- Increase the restrictiveness of the client's crisis plan immediately
Correct answer: Ensure immediate medical attention for the injured staff member
Staff safety requires immediate medical attention as the first priority before administrative or programmatic actions.
Question 5: Which data collection method is most useful for identifying patterns that predict a client's crisis episodes?
- Duration recording of the crisis itself only
- ABC (antecedent-behavior-consequence) narrative data collected across multiple episodes (Correct answer)
- Interval recording of off-task behavior during instruction
- Permanent product recording of completed assignments
Correct answer: ABC (antecedent-behavior-consequence) narrative data collected across multiple episodes
ABC data across multiple episodes reveals recurring antecedents and consequences that predict and maintain crisis behavior.
Question 6: A BCBA is training staff on crisis de-escalation. Which training component provides the most direct evidence that staff can perform the skill correctly?
- A written multiple-choice test on crisis theory
- Staff verbally describing the steps of de-escalation
- Direct observation of staff performance during role-play with corrective feedback (Correct answer)
- Staff watching a video of a crisis intervention
Correct answer: Direct observation of staff performance during role-play with corrective feedback
Direct observation with feedback (as part of BST) confirms behavioral competency, whereas written or verbal assessments only measure knowledge.
Question 7: Which of the following represents an ethical violation in crisis plan development for a BAS-supervised program?
- Including caregiver-preferred de-escalation language in the plan
- Implementing restraint procedures without obtaining informed consent from the client's guardian (Correct answer)
- Specifying observable crisis behavior definitions using operational terms
- Requiring crisis plan review after each episode
Correct answer: Implementing restraint procedures without obtaining informed consent from the client's guardian
Using restrictive procedures without informed consent violates client rights and BACB ethical standards.
BAS Crisis Intervention Techniques 3
Under BACB guidelines, which condition must be met before mechanical restraint can be included in a behavior support plan?