One learner is off-task during a particular lesson, but no stable pattern has yet been established. Before imposing a substantial consequence, the teacher should:

Correct answer: collect antecedent and consequence patterns before targeting intervention Collecting antecedent and consequence patterns (a functional approach) shows what is maintaining the behaviour before an intervention is chosen.

• assume that motivation is poor across all subjects Assuming poor motivation across all subjects is premature without evidence.
• remove preferred activities for the remainder of the week Removing preferred activities for a week is a heavy consequence without evidence of a pattern.
• raise task difficulty in every subject immediately Raising task difficulty in every subject could make matters worse.