Scoring
"If one category (e.g., Escape)
has clearly received the highest score, then it is assumed that
this is the most important influence on the behavior. We are
less interested in the total score (e.g., total score = 20) or
the mean score (e.g., mean score = 5.00) than we are in the relative
rank (e.g., relative ranking = 1)..."
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Score Interpretation: Ties
"If more than two categories are given
high scores, it may be that the MAS wasn’t completed properly...take
another look at the behavior being assessed and at the setting
selected. Remember that if the behavior you selected includes
several different behaviors...or if you try to include too many
settings (e.g., looking at the whole school day versus individual
seatwork) then you may get confusing results.
"If there is a tie for the highest score
or if the means of the top two categories are within .25 to .50
points (and you have clearly specified the behavior and setting),
then both are considered as influences that may be causing the
problem behavior to continue..."
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Designing a
Treatment
"The information from the
MAS may indicate problems in the home, school, or work setting.
If someone is scoring high on the Escape category, things may
be too demanding (i.e., the work may be too difficult) or too
sterile (boring) and, therefore, uninteresting. To develop an
effective treatment for escape-motivated behavior, start by considering
what it is that the person is trying to escape from. High scores
on the Attention category may indicate that too little attention
is available. You will want to consider what can be done to make
attention more readily and appropriately available. High scores
on the Tangible category could mean that reasonable requests
(e.g., wanting snacks, or a change in activities) are being ignored.
You will find yourself asking "What can be done so that
these requests do not go unnoticed?" Since high scores on
the Sensory category could indicate that the environment itself
is not stimulating enough, you will want to determine what can
be done to enrich the environment...
"Problem behavior can be reduced
and very often eliminated by teaching alternative behaviors to
replace the problem behavior...If an individual is frequently
disruptive to get “things” (e.g., scores on the MAS
are highest for the Tangible category), then one approach to
treatment would be to teach the individual a more appropriate
way to request those things he or she seems to want. Similarly,
individuals engaging in attention-getting, escape-maintained,
or sensory-maintained behavior could be taught to request attention,
escape or assistance, or more stimulating sensory consequences,
respectively...
"The results obtained from
the MAS can also be used, indirectly, to provide information
on things that may serve as effective reinforcers...For example,
if an individual is spending a large part of the day trying to
escape from tasks, then one reinforcer that can be used with
this individual is escape from work! In other words, because
the individual is working so hard to escape (by their problem
behavior), you know that escape is something he or she really
wants. You can then use escape (e.g., in the form of a break
from work) as a reinforcer for working. Other options include
using tangibles (e.g., activities, foods) as reinforcers for
individuals who frequently engage in problem behavior for tangibles,
and sensory feedback as a reinforcer for individuals with frequent
self-stimulatory behavior...
"...individuals with escape-motivated
problem behaviors will not respond favorably to procedures such
as time-out from positive reinforcement because time-out involves
the removal of attention and the removal of unpleasant demands
that the individual is trying to escape--an individual doesn’t
have to continue to work if he or she is in the corner. As a
result, we actually see an increase in the frequency of the problem
behavior when time-out is used as a response to an escape-motivated
behavior..."
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