The first step in making a behavior change plan is to choose a problem behavior to change.
According to the provided reference, a successful behavior change plan begins with identifying the specific behavior you want to modify. This forms the foundation upon which all subsequent steps are built. Without clearly defining the problem behavior, it's impossible to effectively measure it, understand its function, or develop appropriate interventions.
Here's a breakdown of why choosing the problem behavior is paramount:
- Provides Focus: Clearly defining the problem behavior allows you to concentrate your efforts on a specific target.
- Enables Measurement: Once you've identified the behavior, you can begin to collect data and track its occurrence, frequency, duration, or intensity (reference step 2).
- Facilitates Understanding: Identifying the behavior is essential to be able to determining the function or the purpose the problem behavior serves (reference step 3).
- Guides Intervention: Once you understand the behavior, you are able to conduct a functional behavior assessment (reference step 4) and create a behavior intervention plan (reference step 5).
Therefore, starting with the selection of the problem behavior is key to a successful behavior change journey.
