There are many myths about behavior that impact the way we talk about and approach challenging behaviors. Many people look to answer whether a student’s challenging behavior is sensory seeking behavior or intentional behavior but there are several issues with focusing solely on that question when it comes to challenging behavior.

As special educators, we have to help our students learn to cope more successfully, regardless of whether the behavior is sensory or behavior-related. In this episode, I am diving into some common myths and misconceptions about the functions of challenging behavior and what we should actually be looking at when determining the function of a behavior.

02:00 - Why asking if the challenging behavior is sensory or behavior is the wrong question to explore

03:49 - How presuming that all challenging behavior that isn’t sensory seeking behavior is willful is incorrect

08:01 - What question you should be asking to determine if the function of the behavior is sensory-related

09:19 - How to assess whether something has an automatic function by looking at if it's happening when there's nothing else going on

10:34 - Ways that escaping a sensory situation may be involved in challenging behaviors and their function

Show Notes: http://autismclassroomresources.com/episode211

Resources:

• Watch the Preventing Challenging Behavior Webinar
• Join the Autism Classroom Resources' Free Resource Library
• Get more information about the Special Educator Academy
• Join the Free Facebook Group

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