Antecedent Strategies

Antecedent Strategies are interventions staff will do prior to behavior. These strategies are a redesign of the environment and serve the purpose of decreasing motivation to demonstrate problem behavior in order to avoid sensory stimulation (automatic punishment).

• Start by considering what is aversive about the sensory stimulation and adjust the quality or remove altogether

  • Example: Is the environment too loud, too bright, too much movement/transition?

• Offer choice of seating, headphones, privacy wall/divider, allow student to sit at desk vs on the rug

• Provide non-contingent escape

• Remind the student to engage in the replacement behavior to request removal or avoidance of the sensory stimulation/environment