Association for Behavior Analysis International

Functional analysis of problem behavior (Iwata et al., 1982/1994) sometimes yields inconclusive results. Inconclusive results may be attributed to antecedent or consequence variables that are absent from the typical test condition(s) (Schlichenmeyer et al., 2013). Identification of these variables is essential for effective treatment; therefore, additional analyses are warranted to clarify relevant variables. This symposium describes assessment and treatment of severe problem behavior related to idiosyncratic variables (i.e. antecedents and consequences that differ from those within typical attention, demand, and alone test conditions). For example, in addition to maintenance by access to attention, escape from demands, and automatic reinforcement; problem behavior may also be maintained by multiple and combined functional reinforcers, adult compliance with mands, escape from prompts, or escape from attention. The four papers describe a process that involves: a) description of inconclusive multi-element functional analyses with typical test conditions, b) subsequent analyses to determine variables that evoked problem behavior, c) function-based treatment, and d) demonstrations of parent-conducted treatment and generalization. General considerations for scientist-practitioners will also be highlighted.

Participants should have some basic knowledge or familiarity with functional analysis methodology and research. Participants should have knowledge of typical function(s) of problem behaviors. Participants should have a basic understanding of how function-based treatments are derived from functional analysis results

When the traditional functional analysis produces inconclusive findings, this may warrant the need for additional analysis. One such analysis includes a test to determine whether an individual’s problem behavior may be maintained by adult compliance with mands (Bowman et al., 1997). The current study included a mands analysis and subsequent function-based treatment to reduce problem behavior exhibited by an adolescent with Down syndrome. Uniquely, his caregiver implemented all procedures, in the family’s home, with coaching by trained therapists using a telehealth model. Telehealth allowed access to relevant stimuli and naturally occurring contingencies, in which we could systematically train his caregiver to implement the treatment package. Results demonstrated that problem behavior decreased to low rates, functional communication increased, and his caregiver implemented the treatment with high fidelity across trained contexts. We conducted systematic probes across various contexts with some limited treatment generalization by his caregiver, initially. Following additional training with his caregiver to relevant stimuli and contexts, she demonstrated generalization of the treatment package, overall, which maintained for up to 4 months post-treatment. This case study provides preliminary findings on a systematic method to use telehealth to train caregivers to generalize a function-based treatment to relevant contexts.