The phrase “function of (a) behavior” is quite common in the field of applied behavior analysis. As a behavior analyst, identifying the “function” of a person’s behavior is one of the most important aspects of the job. As a parent or caretaker, determining why a behavior occurs is critical to responding appropriately and getting the desired action/response from your child. Why is my child falling to the floor and screaming when I tell him we are having hamburgers for dinner? Why is my kiddo poking his brother in the backseat of the car even though I’m telling him to “STOP NOW!”? All behavior happens for a reason and finding out why is crucial for behavior change.
There are four reasons a behavior may occur (also known as Functions of Behavior):
Attention: A child engages in a behavior because he/she wants attention from someone. This can be a parent, sibling, teacher, peer, and it can look differently each time. For example, a child may pinch his brother to get attention from his mom or yell in class to get attention from his friends.
Access: A child engages in a behavior because they want an item or activity. This can be seen in a variety of different ways, such as asking for ice cream or taking a toy away from a friend.
Escape: A child engages in a behavior to get out of an unwanted scenario. The unwanted scenario and behavior to escape can constantly change. For example, a child may cry to get out of eating broccoli or have challenges in the classroom to get out of completing schoolwork.
Automatic: A child engages in a behavior because the behavior itself feels good. This may look different for each child, but common automatic behaviors include hand flapping and rocking back and forth.
Now we know the functions of behavior, why should we care about them? We cannot create significant behavior change if we do not know why the behavior is occurring. If a child throws something across the classroom because she does not want to continue the assignment, and the teacher sends her to the office, the child has achieved what she has wanted. If a child realizes they can get their friend’s attention by being the class clown, they most likely will crack more jokes to get laughs.
The goal in the behavior change process is to give children an appropriate way to get what they want. When we begin the journey to change a child’s behavior, we must ask “why?”. Without understanding the function of a behavior, we cannot begin to teach an appropriate one.