Did You Check For Negative Branches?

In most cases, when BCBA’s make a behavior change, they will have one graph corresponding with each behavior change made to evaluate the effectiveness. Usually, that is completely appropriate. However, problems can arise because just about any behavior change you make may have multiple, unplanned effects on other behaviors. If you don’t look for these potential negative effects, your data may be seriously misleading.

Goldratt, who wrote a book on thinking skills, uses a tree metaphor for many of his thinking processes. If you add a positive branch (e.g., effectively help a child with autism), but your procedure has unintended negative consequences, Goldratt refers to that as a negative branch–extending the tree metaphor.

Some simple and common examples:

You taught the child to request (mand), and now there are tantrums when the parent says “no.”
You successfully potty trained a child, but now they are pulling down their pants before they get into the bathroom and close the door.
You taught the child to label (tact) cows, but now previously mastered animals are also being called cows.
You taught the child to have a conversation with peers at lunch, but now he is annoying the peers by talking about the same things too much.
You taught the child to follow a rule like “raise your hand in class,” and now the child acts as the class policeman, yelling at children who aren’t following the rules.

In my experience, this happens very frequently in everyday practice. There are two simple and practical things you can do to prevent this from causing problems. First, anytime you implement any new program, try to predict negative branches the program could cause. Then, plan for them:

What should the parent do when they can’t say yes to requests?
If we teach this new language skill, is it likely to be confused with anything that we have already taught? How can we prevent that?

Second, when reviewing data, don’t rely solely on the graphs. Ask the team if any new problems are occurring. Often, at least some of those new problems are related to some part of our programming.

Behavior analytic services should only be delivered in the context of a professional relationship. Nothing written in this blog should be considered advice for any specific individual. The purpose of the blog is to share my experience, not to provide treatment. Please get advice from a professional before making changes to behavior analytic services being delivered. Nothing in this blog including comments or correspondence should be considered an agreement for Dr. Barry D. Morgenstern to provide services or establish a professional relationship outside of a formal agreement to do so. I attempt to write this blog in “plain English” and avoid technical jargon whenever possible. But all statements are meant to be consistent with behavior analytic literature, practice, and the professional code of ethics. If, for whatever reason, you think I’ve failed in the endeavor, let me know and I’ll consider your comments and make revisions, if appropriate. Feedback is always appreciated as I’m always trying to Poogi.