Do you have a student who refuses to clean up toys after playtime? Or do you have a student who comes to circle time slowly? These are examples of maladaptive behaviors, likely fueled by the function of escaping a non-preferred task. In these situations, I like to employ the behavior momentum strategy to increase the likelihood of my students displaying the appropriate behavior.
What is Behavior Momentum?
Behavior momentum is an antecedent strategy that increases the likelihood of appropriate behaviors. It works by asking for easy, high-success tasks or demands to build up momentum to what you really want your student to do, which is often a non-preferred, low-success task or demand.
I like this strategy because it addresses the behavior from the student’s perspective. Students are more likely to escape from a non-preferred task or demand. So, instead of approaching the student with said task or demand, we lead with tasks and demands that help them feel successful.
How to Use Behavior Momentum with Your Student
Now that you have identified a student with an escape-reinforced behavior that you would like to target, here are the steps to use behavior momentum.
- Identify a list of high-success behaviors of your student
- These should be quick and easy tasks that the student has a high probability of success when asked. Ideally, these are tasks that the student enjoys doing as well. Examples of high-success behaviors could be clapping your hands, touching your head, stomping your feet, wiggling your fingers, and giving a high 5. Make sure you have a long list of high-success behaviors so that you do not repeat the same demand over and over again.
- Ask your student to perform 3-5 high-success behaviors, reinforce every success
- Instruct your student to perform one of the identified high-success behaviors. Wait for the student to perform the behavior and reinforce if successful. Repeat 3-5 times with a different high-success behavior each time.
- Ask your student to display the target behavior
- Now that your student has built up momentum with the train of high-success behaviors and reinforcements, it is time to place a demand for the target behavior. Remember, the target behavior should be one that the student is able to do but may not want to do. It should not be a task that is outside of the student’s skill repertoire.
Tips to Make Behavioral Momentum More Effective
Use clear and direct statements
When giving your students directions and demands, make sure to be precise and clear. Additionally, your demands should be presented as statements and not questions. Too much frill in our language causes language overload. As a result, students may find it difficult to comply, even if they want to.
Give demands when you have their attention
Your student will not display even their high-success behaviors, let alone the target behavior, if they do not register your demand. For behavior momentum to be effective, gain student’s attention before placing your demands.
Give demands and reinforcement in rapid succession
In order to build momentum, demands and reinforcement should be given quickly following the completion of the previous demand. Ideally, demands and reinforcement should be given within 5 seconds of one another.
SSE Blogger, Sarah, also wrote about behavior momentum. Read her blog titled “Using Behavioral Momentum to Tackle Problem Behavior” here.
