DDA Communication Strategies & Behavioral Support 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A person with an intellectual disability becomes agitated every time a specific staff member enters the room. What is the most appropriate first step?
- Reassign the staff member permanently
- Conduct a functional behavior assessment to identify antecedents (Correct answer)
- Administer a PRN medication to reduce agitation
- Ignore the behavior and allow it to extinguish naturally
Correct answer: Conduct a functional behavior assessment to identify antecedents
A functional behavior assessment (FBA) identifies antecedents, behaviors, and consequences to understand why the behavior occurs before interventions are implemented.
Question 2: Which communication strategy is most appropriate for an individual who is nonverbal and has limited motor control?
- Sign language
- Eye-gaze technology or AAC device with scanning (Correct answer)
- Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)
- Written communication boards
Correct answer: Eye-gaze technology or AAC device with scanning
Eye-gaze technology and scanning-based AAC devices allow individuals with limited motor control to communicate using minimal or no hand movement.
Question 3: During a behavioral support meeting, a staff member suggests using extinction for a client's attention-seeking behavior. What potential risk must be discussed?
- Extinction is illegal in most states
- An extinction burst may temporarily increase the behavior before it decreases (Correct answer)
- Extinction only works for self-injurious behaviors
- The behavior will immediately stop once reinforcement is withheld
Correct answer: An extinction burst may temporarily increase the behavior before it decreases
An extinction burst is a predictable temporary increase in the behavior when reinforcement is first withheld, which staff must be prepared to manage safely.
Question 4: A support plan states that a client uses a communication device. During your shift, the device battery dies. What should you do?
- Ask the client to use gestures until the next shift
- Document the issue and wait for a supervisor
- Charge the device immediately and provide alternative communication supports in the meantime (Correct answer)
- Contact the device manufacturer for a replacement
Correct answer: Charge the device immediately and provide alternative communication supports in the meantime
Access to communication is a right; staff must restore AAC access quickly and use backup strategies (visual supports, gestures) while the device is unavailable.
Question 5: What is the primary purpose of a Behavior Support Plan (BSP)?
- To document incidents for legal protection
- To outline proactive strategies and teach replacement behaviors that reduce challenging behavior (Correct answer)
- To justify the use of restrictive procedures
- To describe consequences for inappropriate behavior
Correct answer: To outline proactive strategies and teach replacement behaviors that reduce challenging behavior
A BSP focuses on preventing challenging behavior through environmental modifications and teaching functionally equivalent replacement behaviors.
Question 6: A client with autism spectrum disorder consistently engages in hand-flapping when excited. How should a DDA staff member respond?
- Redirect the client to a socially acceptable behavior immediately
- Physically restrain the hands to prevent the behavior
- Recognize it as a self-regulatory behavior and only address it if it causes harm (Correct answer)
- Document it as a challenging behavior requiring intervention
Correct answer: Recognize it as a self-regulatory behavior and only address it if it causes harm
Stimming behaviors such as hand-flapping are often self-regulatory and should only be addressed if they interfere with functioning or cause harm.
Question 7: Which principle describes adjusting the complexity of language used when communicating with individuals with developmental disabilities?
- Normalization
- Communication accommodation (Correct answer)
- Natural supports
- Person-centered planning
Correct answer: Communication accommodation
Communication accommodation involves modifying vocabulary, sentence length, and pace to match the individual's comprehension level.
DDA Communication Strategies & Behavioral Support 2
A person with an intellectual disability becomes agitated every time a specific staff member enters the room.
What is the most appropriate first step?