DSP - Direct Support Professional Positive Behavioral Supports Questions and Answers 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The primary goal of Positive Behavioral Supports (PBS) is to:
- React to challenging behaviors with a predetermined set of consequences.
- Improve an individual's quality of life and reduce challenging behaviors by teaching new skills and modifying environments. (Correct answer)
- Eliminate all challenging behaviors through the use of restrictive interventions.
- Focus solely on the challenging behavior without considering its underlying cause.
Correct answer: Improve an individual's quality of life and reduce challenging behaviors by teaching new skills and modifying environments.
Positive Behavioral Supports (PBS) is a proactive approach focused on enhancing a person's quality of life, which in turn reduces the likelihood of challenging behaviors. It involves understanding the reason for the behavior and teaching new, more effective skills while also making environmental changes to support positive outcomes.
Question 2: A DSP is supporting Marcus, who often yells and throws items when asked to switch from watching TV to starting his evening meal prep. In a Positive Behavioral Support framework, what is the DSP's FIRST step?
- Implementing a new, stricter consequence for throwing items.
- Telling Marcus he will lose TV privileges for the rest of the week.
- Observing and recording what happens before, during, and after the behavior to understand its purpose. (Correct answer)
- Immediately removing the television from the common area.
Correct answer: Observing and recording what happens before, during, and after the behavior to understand its purpose.
The foundational step in PBS is to conduct a functional behavior assessment (FBA) to understand why the behavior is occurring. This involves collecting data, often using an Antecedent-Behavior-Consequence (ABC) model, to identify the triggers and the function (the purpose) of the behavior before developing an intervention plan.
Question 3: Which of the following is the BEST example of an antecedent strategy a DSP could use to prevent a challenging behavior?
- Placing an individual in time-out after they become upset.
- Offering praise after an individual successfully completes a task.
- Providing a visual schedule and giving a five-minute warning before a transition. (Correct answer)
- Ignoring the behavior and hoping it will stop on its own.
Correct answer: Providing a visual schedule and giving a five-minute warning before a transition.
Antecedent strategies are proactive measures taken to prevent challenging behaviors before they start. Providing a visual schedule and giving a warning helps to increase predictability and reduce anxiety around transitions, which can be a common trigger for challenging behavior.
Question 4: An individual has a history of becoming agitated in crowded, noisy environments. A DSP teaches them to recognize their stress cues and to hand over a 'break' card when they need to leave. This new skill is an example of a:
- Punishment procedure
- Reactive strategy
- Restrictive intervention
- Replacement behavior (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Replacement behavior
A replacement behavior is a positive skill taught to an individual that serves the same function or purpose as a challenging behavior, but in a more appropriate way. In this case, using the 'break' card replaces agitation as a way to escape an overwhelming situation.
Question 5: When implementing a Behavior Support Plan (BSP), a DSP's role in data collection is critical because it:
- Fulfills a paperwork requirement without impacting the plan.
- Provides subjective opinions about how the person is feeling.
- Helps the support team objectively evaluate if the plan is working and make necessary adjustments. (Correct answer)
- Is only necessary when the challenging behavior occurs.
Correct answer: Helps the support team objectively evaluate if the plan is working and make necessary adjustments.
Systematic data collection is essential for objectively determining the effectiveness of a Behavior Support Plan. It allows the team to see patterns, track progress, and make informed, data-driven decisions about whether the interventions are successful or need to be modified.
Question 6: All of the following are key components of a comprehensive Positive Behavior Support plan EXCEPT:
- Proactive strategies to modify the environment and prevent triggers.
- Teaching replacement skills that serve the same function as the behavior.
- A primary focus on consequence-based strategies and punishment. (Correct answer)
- Strategies for how staff should respond when the behavior occurs.
Correct answer: A primary focus on consequence-based strategies and punishment.
Positive Behavior Support is a proactive approach that emphasizes prevention and teaching new skills. While a plan includes how to respond to behaviors, its primary focus is not on punishment but on creating a supportive environment and building competencies.
DSP - Direct Support Professional Positive Behavioral Supports Questions and Answers 1
The primary goal of Positive Behavioral Supports (PBS) is to: