Promoting Happiness Among Adults With Severe Disabilities: - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Promoting Happiness Among Adults With Severe Disabilities: Evidence-Based Strategies

Dennis H. Reid, Ph.D., BCBA

Why Focus on Happiness?

 Pursuit of happiness is a fundamental

right

 Happiness a primary concern of family

members

 Reductions in problem behavior

Early ABA Reference to Private Event of Happiness

 Wolf, M. M. (1978). Social validity. . .

Or how ABA is finding its heart. JABA, 11, 203-214.

 Hits importance of things like happiness  By the first editor of ABA’s flagship editor  But since then . . .

In Some Ways, Happiness a Risky Venture in ABA

 A private event  Usually measured by verbal report – can be

risky

 Verbal reports very difficult for people who

lack vocal communication

 Still, happiness is viewed by society as

important . . .

 For people with intellectual disabilities, it should

not be taken for granted; it should be targeted and addressed like any other desired outcome

Qualifications

 Happiness on day-to-day basis vs.

major lifestyle changes

 Focus on happiness and personal

growth

 That is, not in place of personal growth

Evidence-Based Protocol to Promote Happiness

 Identify indices of happiness and

unhappiness

 Validate identified indices  Act to increase situations accompanied

by happiness indices

 Act to decrease situations accompanied

by unhappiness indices

 Monitor and evaluate routinely

Identifying Indices of Happiness and Unhappiness

 Common indices

 Happiness: smiling, laughing, yelling while

smiling

 Unhappiness: frowning, grimacing, crying,

yelling without smiling Qualification for people with severe disabilities

Identifying Happiness Indices: Caregiver Opinion

 Common practice  Concerns with validity  To promote validity:

 Ensure familiarity of caregivers  Obtain caregiver consensus

Identifying Happiness Indices: Preference Assessments

 How preference assessments relate to

indices of happiness and unhappiness

Validating Happiness and Unhappiness Indices

 Identify situations in which a person

usually experiences happiness and unhappiness

 Observe indices in above situations  Compare occurrence of indices across

situations

 Provide repeated choices

REFERENCE Identifying and Validating Indices of Happiness and Unhappiness among Adults with Autism (and severe intellectual disabilities)

Parsons, M. B., Reid, D. H., Bentley, E., Inman, A., & Lattimore, L. P. (2012). Identifying indices of happiness and unhappiness among adults with autism: Potential targets for behavioral assessment and

• intervention. Behavior Analysis in Practice,5, 15-25

www.abainternational.org

Increasing Happiness

 The importance of personal

relationships

 Role of familiarity of staff  Preferred vs. nonpreferred status of staff

Familiarizing New Staff for Working with Adults Severe Disabilities: A Case for Relationship Building

Parsons, M.B., Bentley, E., Solari, T., & Reid, D.H. (in press). Behavior Analysis in Practice

Purpose

 Evaluate effects of familiar vs.

unfamiliar staff on behavior of adults with autism on severe end of spectrum

 Evaluate effects of a familiarization

process for new staff

General Procedures

 Setting (work focus)  Participants



4 men with features of autism on the severe end of the spectrum

 DVs: happiness and unhappiness

indices, compliance, problem behavior,

• n task

 Familiarization program: fun time and

phase-in

Developing a Relationship: Summary

 Spend time doing things that the

person likes to do

 Fun Time Program

 Establish familiarity (phase-in)  Occurrence of happiness indices during

interactions suggests a good relationship

Increasing Happiness

 The power of pleasant social attention  Impact on some problem behavior

Increasing Happiness

 Providing individual choices  Choice opportunities must be provided

based on individual skill level for responding with a meaningful choice

Increasing Happiness

 Accessing preferences  Two-step process

 1) identify individual preferences  2) embed in daily activities

 Initial procedure to reduce problem

behavior

Increasing Happiness by Reducing Unhappiness

 Rationale: continuum of happiness and

unhappiness

 Impact on some problem behavior  Process

 Identify situation with unhappiness indices  Eliminate the situation if possible  Alter the situation

Making Undesired Activities More Enjoyable: Example

 Preference-Based Teaching

 Reid & Green (2005)  www.behaviordevelopmentsolutions.com

 Rationale

 Some learners engage in challenging

behavior to escape or avoid teaching programs

 If teaching programs are fun, no need for

challenging behavior

To Effectively Promote Happiness . . .

 Happiness should be a goaled, desired

• utcome just like more traditional
• utcomes

 Must have behavioral objectives for

monitoring and increasing/maintaining happiness (indices)

Don’t Forget Support Staff

 It is unlikely staff will effectively promote

consumer happiness if staff are frequently discontented with their work environment

Reference for Increasing Happiness

 Reid, D.H. (2016). Promoting Happiness

Among Adults with Autism and Other Severe Disabilities: Evidence-Based Strategies.

 www.behaviordevelopmentsolutions.com

 Contact:  Denny Reid; drhmc@vistatech.net  FINALLY, IN YOUR SUPPORT SETTING,

HOW OFTEN DO YOU SEE INDICES OF HAPPINESS AMONG THE PEOPLE YOU SUPPORT?