Association for Behavior Analysis International

The purpose of the study was to exam the effectiveness of an outpatient treatment for adolescents with problem behavior in the context of the Italian public healthcare system. Assessment and treatment of problem behavior is well documented in private and publicly funded settings in the United States; however, to our knowledge, there are no studies reporting effective treatments in the Italian healthcare system. Our study included three participants with autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disabilities that were referred for services for aggression and crying. Parents and caregivers reported that problem behavior interfered with skill acquisition and social interaction. A functional analysis and a corresponding behavioral treatment were carried out for all participants. Functional communication training (FCT) was implemented in one weekly for two participants and two weekly sessions for the third participant. All sessions lasted 90 minutes in duration. Significant outcomes were reported for all participants in terms of reduction of PBs and increase of alternative responses, and for two participants results were generalized to people and settings, differently from the original training conditions. Namely, an 80% or greater reduction in problem behavior was reached for all participants, as well as an increase higher than 80% the functional alternative response, with respect to the baseline level. These findings suggest that an outpatient model is feasible and effective in the Italian public healthcare system. Specific adaptations of functional assessment and treatment in public health system are discussed.

Applied behavior analysts, researchers, educators, psychologists,  other professionals in the field of ABA and neurodevelopmental disabilities