Antecedent Behavior Consequence

As an 11-year-old, sixth grade student, Angel was diagnosed with ADHD and a Specific Learning Disability in reading. He tends to be argumentative with other peers and adults thus, it is common for him to get into trouble when lining up and during recess. He also tends to sharpen his pencil often and says inappropriate things to his peers during class lessons. In addition to making comments, he has been know to take other students belongings and rarely completes an assignment or homework.

Angels Individualized Education Program team conducted an Antecedent Behavior Consequence (ABC) analysis to determine the frequency of his behaviors, his interaction with peers, consequences and any teacher comments. In this analysis, his disruptions included being

out of his seat to sharpen a pencil, taking something from a peer, and making comments to peers or adults, disrupting the class.

With this being said and the analysis being complete, Angel had a total of nine incidents in a two day period. On the first day, Angel asked Johnny “What are you looking at? Keep your queer eyes off of me!” as he was returning to his desk from sharpening a pencil. The teacher redirected both students, giving Angel a warning while reminding him to be respectful. He also took Gina’s paper way from her after he returned to his desk from sharpening a pencil again. At this point, the teacher intervened while he was ripping the paper. On the second day, Angel took Johnny’s homework and while he was looking for it, Angel was laughing. The teacher instructed Angel to return Johnny’s homework. At another point in the day, Angel tapped Nick’s shoulder and told

him his fly was down when it was not, getting a reaction from Nick. At this point, the teacher redirects Angel. In addition to these other incidents, on the way back from sharpening his pencil, again, he takes Johnny’s homework and tosses it on the floor. As Johnny reacts to the situation, Angel laughs. When Angel leaves the classroom, he says “See you later suckers!” and does not turn in his homework like his peers. At this point, Angel was seeking attention from his peers and the teacher.
Students who have been diagnosed with ADHD, have poorer social and communication skills resulting in having more problems with their peers. They have a greater emotional expression, mostly in anger and aggression and an inability to cope with frustration. In addition, they disrupt others, have a reduced amount of empathy, and do not complete tasks (Kikas & Timoštšuk, 2016). According to the article, Anchoring ADHD Symptoms to Mental Age, refers to ADHD as a pattern of off task behavior and/or hyperactivity over a long period of time which affects the child’s functioning or development. These behaviors must be present during multiple settings, and have a negative impact on the student’s social and academic activities (Martin, Dunham, Patel, & Contreras-Bloomdahl).
As shown above, Angel is the poster child for students who have ADHD. The reasoning behind his behaviors is the fact that he is socially awkward and he does not have the communication skills of his peers. He also becomes easily frustrated and angry which results in arguments with his teachers and peers. This kind of behavior is in the definition of what ADHD is. It is important for Angel’s teacher to understand this disorder in order to be able to guide him in the right direction and for him to be able to succeed in class.