What Is Self-Management?
Self-management refers to a set of procedures in which the individual serves as their own change agent. Rather than relying on external prompts, monitoring, and reinforcement from a therapist, teacher, or caregiver, the individual learns to perform these functions independently. Cooper, Heron, and Heward (2020) identify self-management as encompassing several component behaviors: self-monitoring, self-evaluation, self-instruction, and self-reinforcement.
The significance of self-management in ABA cannot be overstated. It directly addresses the generalization and maintenance challenges that plague externally managed interventions. When the individual manages their own behavior, the intervention travels with them across every setting and situation, eliminating the need for a trained change agent to be present at all times.
Components of Self-Management
Self-Monitoring
Self-monitoring involves the individual observing and recording their own behavior. The individual uses a checklist, tally sheet, wrist counter, timer, or digital app to track occurrences of the target behavior. Self-monitoring alone has been shown to produce reactive effects, meaning the mere act of recording behavior can change its frequency. This reactivity is typically in the desired direction: monitoring a behavior you want to increase tends to increase it, and monitoring a behavior you want to decrease tends to decrease it.
Self-Evaluation
Self-evaluation involves the individual comparing their recorded behavior to a predetermined criterion or goal. After a self-monitoring period, the individual reviews their data and determines whether they met the performance standard. For example, "did I raise my hand at least 5 times during class?" or "did I complete all 10 problems on my worksheet?"
Self-Instruction
Self-instruction involves the individual providing their own verbal prompts or rules to guide behavior. These can be overt (spoken aloud) or covert (internal self-talk). For example, a student might say to themselves, "first I read the problem, then I identify what it's asking, then I solve it." Self-instruction is particularly useful for complex multi-step tasks and for managing behavior in novel situations.
Self-Reinforcement
Self-reinforcement involves the individual delivering a reinforcer to themselves contingent on meeting the performance criterion. This can take the form of self-praise ("I did a great job"), accessing a preferred activity after meeting the goal, or awarding themselves points in a token system they manage independently.
Designing a Self-Management Intervention
Step 1: Select and Define the Target Behavior
Choose a behavior the individual is motivated to change and that can be clearly defined for self-monitoring purposes. The behavior should be observable to the individual and should have a clear criterion for evaluation.
Step 2: Select the Self-Management Components
Not every self-management intervention requires all components. A simple intervention might include only self-monitoring, while a complex intervention might combine self-monitoring, self-evaluation, self-instruction, and self-reinforcement. Select the components based on the individual's skill level and the complexity of the behavior change goal.
Step 3: Create the Self-Management Materials
Design recording forms, checklists, timers, or digital tools that the individual will use. Materials should be age-appropriate, portable, and easy to use. For young children, picture-based checklists with simple symbols work well. For adolescents and adults, smartphone apps or simple tally sheets may be preferred.
Step 4: Teach the Self-Management System
Use behavioral skills training (BST) to teach the individual how to use the system. Explain each component, model its use, have the individual practice with feedback, and reinforce accurate use. Initially, the adult and the individual may monitor the same behavior simultaneously to calibrate the individual's self-monitoring accuracy.
Step 5: Implement with External Monitoring
Begin implementation while the adult continues to monitor alongside the individual. Compare the individual's self-recorded data with the adult's independent data to assess accuracy. Reinforce accurate self-monitoring and gently correct discrepancies. This parallel monitoring phase is critical for establishing reliable self-management.
Step 6: Fade External Support
Gradually reduce the frequency of adult monitoring checks. Move from continuous parallel monitoring to periodic spot checks, then to occasional reviews. Continue to reinforce the individual's use of the self-management system. The goal is for the individual to manage their behavior completely independently.
Applications
Academic Settings
Self-management has been used to increase on-task behavior, homework completion, hand-raising, and academic productivity. Students use checklists to monitor their behavior during class, evaluate whether they met their goals at the end of the period, and access self-selected reinforcers for meeting criteria.
Social Skills
Individuals can self-manage social behaviors such as greeting others, maintaining conversation, taking turns, and managing personal space. Self-monitoring of social initiations has been shown to increase the frequency and quality of social interactions.
Vocational Settings
Self-management supports independent task completion in employment settings. Workers use checklists to track task completion, timers to manage break schedules, and self-evaluation forms to assess work quality.
Common Mistakes
- Skipping the teaching phase: Handing someone a checklist without teaching them how to use it accurately will not produce reliable self-management.
- Not calibrating accuracy: If the individual's self-monitoring is inaccurate, the entire system breaks down. Parallel monitoring is essential in the early stages.
- Setting unrealistic criteria: Goals that are too ambitious lead to consistent failure, undermining motivation. Start with achievable criteria and gradually raise the bar.
- Removing all external support too quickly: Fading must be gradual. Periodic check-ins maintain accountability even after the individual is largely independent.
BCBA Exam Relevance
Self-management is a tested topic on the BCBA exam under both applications and generalization programming. Be prepared to identify self-management components, describe how to teach self-monitoring, design a self-management intervention from a clinical vignette, explain the role of self-management in promoting generalization and maintenance, and discuss the importance of accuracy checks during implementation.