Literature Review: Pinching Problem Behavior

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Literature Review: Pinching Problem Behavior

This literature review focuses on selected problem behavior, pinching, among students in a classroom. Specifically, this section will look at the antecedent, replacement, and consequence-based strategies that can be used to modify the selected behavior problem. The peer-reviewed articles are chosen for each of the above categories with an elaboration on applied behavior analysis, application of compassionate interventions, and an assessment of the internal and external validity of the selected articles. The behavioral challenge targeted under this literature is pinching, which can be defined as any instance of an individual using a thumb and pointer finger shaped like forceps to make contact with another individual's skin. The short-term outcome criterion is that the target students should understand that when he pinches other students, he hurts them and that this behavior needs to be resolved in the next one month. In the long-term, the target student should be able to control his behavior by utilizing alternative responses when he feels a compulsion to pinch students in the next six months.

Research-Based Interventions

Antecedent-Based Strategies

One of the main antecedent-based strategies for managing problem behavior, as addressed by Hammarberg (2003), is the use of activities preferred by students to boost their level of interest. This strategy plays a critical role, mainly when problem behavior occurs due to engaging in a student's unfavorite activity during classroom sessions. The study by Hammarberg (2003) aimed to solve violent problem behaviors that cause disruption in class. The study's objective was to understand the students' behaviors given different learning environments and how teachers can use antecedent-based mechanisms to solve problem behaviors in the classroom.

Hammarberg (2003) collected primary data from 314 pre-school teachers to arrive at a conclusion. This sample size was drawn from different labor unions and questionaries sent to target respondents. Questionnaires contained statements on teachers' approaches to controlling class, types of reinforcements, and strategies teachers used to control diverse classroom behaviors. The study's outcomes revealed that antecedent-based techniques played a crucial part in class management, mainly when students' behaviors had other underlying factors, such as autism or ADHD.

The outcome of this study is critical in addressing the problem behaviors of the selected case study. The problem at hand is 'pinching' other students while in class. This is a form of aggression where a student is trying to look for an outlet for negative energy. It is also common to notice a moment of calmness after a student with ADHD has pinched peers in class due to the momentary satisfaction that comes with it. The antecedent-based intervention discussed by Hammarberg (2003) is compassionate because it entails offering activities that the student is most interested in, leading to higher classroom concentration.

The second antecedent-based approach addressed through research is changing the schedule/routine for classroom activities and practices. Students portraying violent behaviors are likely to feel bored, offended, or aggressive when there is increased monotony. A study by Schieltz, Wacker, and Romani (2017), sought to find out the effect of environmental variables on instances of problem behaviors among students. The study's authors hypothesized that antecedents to problem behaviors are the key to controlling the behavior if an intervention considers a practical change in an environment. To accomplish the study's objective, Schieltz, Wacker, and Romani (2017) commenced an experience targeting 1200 middle-school students drawn from different district schools in the United States. The study used an experimental research design to understand students' uptake of varying antecedent-based interventions towards behavior modification.

The intervention proposed by Schieltz, Wacker, and Romani (2017), 'adjusting routine for different students' activities,' is the least invasive and is compassionate for behavior modification. Adjusting activities routine does not involve addressing a specific student but is an overall target to adjust how the entire class conduct activities, hence making Schieltz, Wacker, and Romani's methods less intrusive. The researchers use evidence-based research approaches such as conducting a Functional Behavior Analysis, which assures internal and external validity. The outcomes of this study can be generalized in many behaviors management instances, including 'pinching' as a violent problem behavior among students.

The third ABA concept for antecedent-based strategy is altering how instructions are provided within the learning environment. Research by Allday, Burt, and Haggard (2021) proves that when the mode of delivering instructions changes, students feel a sense of a new learning environment which helps them to cope with many stressors that might be causing problems in behaviors. Allday, Burt, and Haggard addressed the intervention as a nonintrusive one where every student in a class is exposed to a new environment by changing the teacher-students manner of interaction. This way, there are exclusionary approaches to addressing problem behaviors. To...