Table 1.

Stages of Behavior Escalation for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) and/or Developmental Disabilities (Colvin & Sheehan, 2012)

Behavior Escalation Stage	Description	Area(s) of Focus	Intervention Tips
1. Calm	An Individual is relatively calm and cooperative.	Maintaining a clear, consistent, productive environment and building rapport with individual	Establish a consistent environment Use visual supports to clarify expectations Address sensory issues Teach other ways to communicate feelings, wants, and needs Pre-correct problem situations
2. Trigger	An Individual experiences unresolved conflicts that trigger behavior to escalate.	Preventing and redirecting the individual’s behavior	Remove the trigger If not feasible to remove, weaken the trigger’s impact by adjusting it or preparing the individual for how to handle it Guide and support the children with ASD to use alternative replacement behaviors
3. Agitation	An Individual is increasingly unfocused/upset, may exhibit avoidance, or may exhibit a loss of rationality.	Reducing the individual’s anxiety and increasing predictability in the individual’s environment	Use non-confrontational non-verbal behavior Break down directions into smaller steps Give “start”, instead of “stop” directions Use short phrases and allow processing time Remind the individual to use replacement skills
4. Peak	An Individual is out of control and may have temporarily lost the ability to think rationally or may exhibit severe behavior.	Maintaining a safe environment for the individual in crisis and people around	Isolate the individual by removing the audience Call for help if needed Provide calming sensory input or allow the individual to use relaxation techniques Do not chastise/threaten consequences at this point in the escalation
5. De-Escalation	The severity of an individual’s behavior subsides, and there is a drop in the individual’s energy level after a crisis.	Helping the individual regain emotional control and demonstrate cooperation with neutral requests	Allow the individual enough time to regain calm Provide calming sensory input and allow the individual to employ relaxation techniques Ensure that the individual has regained control before proceeding; look for a less tense appearance, regular breathing, and willingness to comply with small requests
6. Recovery	Individuals may feel shame, sorrow, fear, or regret and may not verbalize feelings or reflect details of outbursts.	Debriefing or solving problem and then transitioning individual back to the task at hand	Allow the individual to return to a familiar task Try not to eliminate the original request, limit, or consequence so the outburst is not reinforced Problem solve and develop a plan for better future behavior