Antecedent Strategies by Function
Proactive strategies organised by the function they target. Find what works before the behaviour happens.
Attention
For behaviours that function to access social interaction, reactions, or proximity from others.
- Non-Contingent Reinforcement (NCR)
- Providing access to a reinforcer on a time-based schedule, regardless of the learner's behaviour.
- Proximity
- Positioning yourself physically close to the learner to provide subtle, continuous attention and support.
- Increased attention during transitions
- Flooding the learner with positive attention specifically during transitions between activities or spaces.
- Pre-session attention
- Providing a concentrated dose of high-quality attention immediately before a period where attention will be unavailable.
- Offering choices
- Providing the learner with control by allowing them to select between two or more acceptable options.
- Environmental Redesign
- Structuring the physical space, seating, or materials to remove triggers and facilitate independent success.
- Self-monitoring
- Teaching the learner to independently observe and record their own behaviour during a task or routine.
- Precorrection
- Prompting expected behaviour immediately before entering a context where problem behaviour is likely.
Escape
For behaviours that function to avoid or delay demands, tasks, or people.
- Demand fading
- Demand fading is an escape-based antecedent strategy that starts by removing all demands, then gradually reintroduces them as the learner builds tolerance.
- Errorless learning
- Prompting the correct response immediately to prevent the learner from making mistakes during acquisition.
- Pre-task requests (behavioural momentum)
- Presenting a series of easy, highly preferred requests immediately before presenting a difficult or non-preferred request.
- Shortened task length
- Reducing the number of items or the duration of a task to make it more manageable for the learner.
- Visual schedules
- Using pictures, icons, or written words to outline the sequence of activities for a given period.
- First-Then boards
- A simple visual support showing a non-preferred activity followed immediately by a preferred activity.
- Transition warnings
- Providing clear verbal, visual, or auditory cues that a current activity is ending and a new one is beginning.
- Offering choices
- Providing the learner with control by allowing them to select between two or more acceptable options.
- Priming (Pre-teaching)
- Previewing upcoming routines, expectations, or materials with a learner before they occur.
- Environmental Redesign
- Structuring the physical space, seating, or materials to remove triggers and facilitate independent success.
- Task Modification
- Altering the presentation mode, materials, or content of a task to align with the learner's preferences and skill level.
- Visual choice boards
- A visual display of available options that allows the learner to indicate a preference by pointing or selecting.
- High-probability request sequence
- Delivering several requests the learner reliably completes before presenting a difficult or non-preferred request.
- Interspersal
- Mixing known, easy tasks in with new or difficult ones to maintain motivation and reduce escape behaviour.
- Self-monitoring
- Teaching the learner to independently observe and record their own behaviour during a task or routine.
- Precorrection
- Prompting expected behaviour immediately before entering a context where problem behaviour is likely.
Tangible
For behaviours that function to access preferred items, activities, or physical objects.
- Non-Contingent Access
- Providing access to preferred items or activities on a time-based schedule, regardless of behaviour.
- Enriched environment
- Ensuring the physical environment contains a wide variety of freely available, highly preferred activities and items.
- Pre-session access
- Allowing the learner free access to highly preferred items immediately before a period where those items are restricted.
- Transition warnings
- Providing clear verbal, visual, or auditory cues that a current activity is ending and a new one is beginning.
- Offering choices
- Providing the learner with control by allowing them to select between two or more acceptable options.
- Priming (Pre-teaching)
- Previewing upcoming routines, expectations, or materials with a learner before they occur.
- Environmental Redesign
- Structuring the physical space, seating, or materials to remove triggers and facilitate independent success.
- Visual choice boards
- A visual display of available options that allows the learner to indicate a preference by pointing or selecting.
- Precorrection
- Prompting expected behaviour immediately before entering a context where problem behaviour is likely.
Sensory
For behaviours that function to access internal physical sensations or regulate arousal.
- Enriched sensory environment
- Providing free access to a variety of safe, appropriate sensory experiences in the learner's physical space.
- Competing stimuli
- Providing an item or activity that safely mimics the sensory input of the challenging behaviour, making it difficult to engage in both simultaneously.
- Exercise and movement breaks
- Scheduling regular periods of physical exertion to regulate arousal levels and reduce sensory-seeking behaviours.
- Scheduled sensory breaks
- Embedding dedicated time into the routine for the learner to engage in necessary sensory regulation activities.
- Environmental Redesign
- Structuring the physical space, seating, or materials to remove triggers and facilitate independent success.