Target Behaviors (definitions)

1. Physical Aggression: Any instance of any of the following behaviors directed toward others.

• Hitting: open or closed hand contacting another person’s body within 1 foot distance.
• Pushing: hand contacting another person’s body displaced from its original location.
• Kicking: foot contacting another person’s body within 1 foot distance.
• Throwing: object being displaced from it's original location contacting another person's body.
• Spitting: saliva exiting from the month and contacting another person.
• Pulling: Hand contacting another person's clothing item and displacing their body from its original location.
  • Onset: occurrence of the above-mentioned behavior for 1 second.
  • Offset: Cessation of the above-mentioned behavior for 10 seconds.​​​

2. Verbal Aggression: Any instance of inappropriate vocalizations consisting of threats or vulgar acts, making insults, or using profanity directed towards others.

• Onset: occurrence of the above-mentioned behaviors.
• Offset: cessation of the above-mentioned behavior for 10 seconds.

3. Intimidating/Threatening behavior: Any instance of getting into other people’s personal space, muttering or speaking threats, questioning other people's behaviors in a course tone (e.g. " you know I don't like that").

• Onset: occurrence of the above-mentioned behaviors.
• Offset: cessation of the above-mentioned behavior for 10 seconds.​​

4. Property Destruction: as any instance of the following behaviors

• Throwing: hand swiping an object from the surface level within a 3 feet distance.
• Punching: hand contacting an object from a distance of six inches or more.  
  • Onset: Occurrence of the above-mentioned behavior. 
    
  • Offset: Absence of the behavior for 10 seconds.

​Subjective Units of Distress Scale (SUDS)

The Subjective Units of Distress Scale (SUDS) is an assessment tool that measures how much anxiety or distress someone is experiencing at a given moment.