| How does this behavior relate to client safety? | What might be an effective approach to intervention? | What additional targets might be considered related to this general area of safety for this individual? |
|---|---|---|
It makes the client highly vulnerable and open for abuse and mistreatment. | Assessing and treating a precursor behavior. Assess for function of behavior. Assess for other areas of interest and topics of discussion to teach as a replacement. | Assess and teach the reading of verbal and nonverbal social cues, as well as setting boundaries. Assess and teach the difference between family/friend vs stranger. |
It makes her vulnerable to speak inappropriately to strangers | A replacement joke or question that can lead to conversation but is more appropriate | Discrimination of who is ok to talk about sex with |
Appropriateness with social skills | Practice scenarios with conversations with strangers | Back-and-forth conversation skills |
Melissa’s tendency to engage strangers in sexual conversations poses serious safety risks. Discussing personal sexual experiences or telling inappropriate jokes with unfamiliar people can make her vulnerable to exploitation, manipulation, or harassment. It may also lead to social rejection, limit her access to inclusive community environments, or result in legal or ethical consequences depending on the context. Learning appropriate boundaries in conversations is essential for protecting her from harm, helping her form healthy social relationships, and supporting her successful integration into her new residential and community setting. | An effective intervention could involve teaching and reinforcing appropriate conversation skills using modeling, role-play, and social scripts. The behavior analyst might create a list of acceptable conversation topics (e.g., hobbies, movies, pets) and practice these with Melissa across different settings. A replacement behavior plan can be built to redirect her away from initiating inappropriate content by reinforcing appropriate social interactions with natural consequences—like attention, praise, or access to social activities. A visual reminder system (such as a card or color-coded chart) could also be used discreetly to help her identify whether a topic is private or appropriate for public conversation. If needed, the team can introduce self-monitoring strategies where Melissa learns to check in with herself before bringing up personal or sensitive topics. It will be important to consistently reinforce appropriate interactions and provide gentle redirection when boundaries are crossed, so she continues to build healthy habits without feeling punished for wanting connection. | Other important targets could include teaching private vs. public behavior and conversation topics, recognizing and responding to inappropriate attention from others, and understanding consent and body autonomy. Melissa may also benefit from learning how to read social cues, like when someone is uncomfortable or uninterested in a conversation. Introducing safe relationship education, such as distinguishing between different types of relationships (e.g., friend, acquaintance, stranger) and what kind of communication is appropriate for each, can further enhance her understanding of boundaries. Finally, incorporating personal safety and assertiveness training—such as how to say “no,” leave uncomfortable situations, or ask for help—will help ensure that Melissa has the tools to protect herself and navigate her community safely and successfully. |
Will likely increase vulnerability to abuse. | DRO / DRA. | Identifying dangerous situations and moving herself to safety / telling a trusted adult. |
Melissa’s behavior poses significant safety and social risks, including: Vulnerability to exploitation or abuse: Sharing explicit personal information or initiating sexualized conversations can attract individuals with harmful intentions. Legal and community consequences: Engaging in inappropriate conversations in public may result in warnings, removal from settings, or even involvement with law enforcement. Social isolation: Peers or community members may avoid Melissa, limiting her chances for forming appropriate friendships or being included in community activities. Risk of misunderstanding: Others may interpret her behavior as consent or provocation, increasing the risk of dangerous situations. | Functional behavior assessment (FBA): Understand why Melissa engages in this behavior—attention, social connection, habit, or a lack of understanding of norms. Skill replacement training: Teach appropriate conversation starters and topics. Practice using "green light" vs "red light" topics—what’s okay to discuss with strangers vs close friends or professionals. Use visual cues or role-playing for context cues (who/when/where certain topics are appropriate). Social scripts and modeling: Create scripts for greetings, casual conversations, and small talk. Use video modeling or live demonstrations to practice these scripts. Self-monitoring tools: A checklist or rating scale Melissa can use after social interactions to reflect on what went well and what could be improved. Reinforcement and feedback: Praise or small rewards for appropriate social behavior. Clear, calm redirection when inappropriate topics come up. Safe space for private discussions: Teach her that it’s okay to ask questions or talk about sex with a trusted person, but that it’s not a topic for casual public conversation. | Here are several that could support both safety and social integration: Understanding public vs. private behavior and spaces. Identifying trusted adults (e.g., staff, therapist, parent) vs. strangers. Learning to say “no” and recognize red flags in others’ behavior. Healthy relationship education: What’s appropriate in friendships, dating, and romantic relationships. Internet and social media safety: Especially if Melissa uses messaging apps or social platforms. Coping strategies for rejection or boredom, which might reduce inappropriate behavior triggered by social frustration. |
The behavior makes the client vulnerable to the strangers. The strangers could hurt the client or expect sexual actions from the client. | Teach social skills as replacement behaviors for the talking about sex behavior. | Additional targets could include differentiating strangers and community helpers and teaching not to talk to strangers. Also, teaching how to make a new friend (from a friend aquaintance such as someone at school). |
sexual safety, personal safety | video modeling, multiple trials, real life practice. | sharing information, virtual safety |
Melissa could solicit a type of attention that she is uncomfortable with. | Its tricky to teach, but teach her about what kinds of things she can say based on how well she knows them. Also how to read peoples reactions. Put a rule in that for new people/strangers it is never ok to talk in this manner. | How to say no to unwanted advances. |
Sex is not a social appropriate topic. It could put her in a vulnerable position. | Social Stories/equivalent, role play scenarios | Build up a repertoire of social acceptiable topics to talk about. |
Participant can be taken advantage of by others | Teaching appropriate conversation topics that would avoid the topic. | How to identify when others may be taking advantage of the individual, appropriate conversation ending |
It makes her vulnerable to being socially outcast as well as vulnerable to unsafe individuals who may take advantage or assume her conversations are invitations | Video models to identify appropriate and inappropriate interactions | Personal safety and boundaries |
Inappropriate social conversations may lead to abuse, social isolation, and impede development of additional relationships. | Video modeling to gain skills and conversational nuances required to engage in socially appropriate conversations. | Teach privacy and autonomy for self and others as well as social norms in conversations with others. |
Melissa's behavior of discussing sex and personal experiences with strangers can present several safety concerns: Inappropriate Social Interactions: Engaging in conversations about sex with strangers, especially in unfamiliar or public settings, can lead to misunderstandings and potentially dangerous situations. Strangers may not have clear boundaries or may react negatively, which could lead to discomfort or unsafe interactions. | Teaching Social Boundaries: An effective approach would involve teaching Melissa appropriate topics for conversation in different social settings. This can include role-playing situations where she practices appropriate greetings and small talk with strangers. Reinforcing the use of topics like weather, hobbies, or general interests could help her engage with others without overstepping boundaries. | Personal Safety Education: It would be beneficial to teach Melissa basic concepts of personal safety, including the importance of keeping private information to herself and recognizing situations where certain conversations could be harmful or make others uncomfortable. |
Engaging in conversations about sex puts her in a vulnerable situation that she is unaware of | Video modeling | Teach social skills for appropriate conversation topics |
unwanted advances | modeling | social dating |
Inappropriate sexual discussions—especially with strangers or people she doesn't know well—can make Melissa more vulnerable to manipulation, exploitation, or even assault. | Determine the function of Melissa’s behavior (e.g., attention-seeking, escape, sensory/self-stimulation, or lack of awareness of norms). For Melissa, it likely serves a social or attention-maintained function—she gets a reaction from others, even if negative. | Identifying public and private places |
. | ||
There is the potential she will be putting herself at risk and in risky situations. | Create a scripted conversation initiation and conversation topics | how to initiate a conversation and engage with others, boundaries that others have, concerns with releasing personal information |
She is placing herself at risk of abuse due to her apparent lack of conversational skills. | Teaching social skills/conversational skills | Establishing and maintaining healthy friendships and relationships |
Rule based | ||
Ensuring client knows right from wrong. | Modeling, practice | |
appropriate social behavior and boundaries | video modeling, role play, discrimination training | setting boundaries, private/public information |
vulnerabilities mean she could be abused | antecedent FA | Greetings |
Talking about sex can lead her subject to abuse/manipulation | Extinction and differential reinforcement | Appropriate conversation topics, knowing when and with whom it's okay to talk about sex |
| How does this behavior relate to client safety? | What might be an effective approach to intervention? | What additional targets might be considered related to this general area of safety for this individual? |
