In their review of synthesis within the functional analysis (FA) literature, Slaton and Hanley (2018) reported that most synthesized contingency analyses have included multiple topographies of problem behavior in the reinforcement contingency class. This leaves the question of whether one, some, or all forms of problem behavior are sensitive to the synthesized reinforcement contingencies in published analyses. To address this ambiguity, all topographies of problem behavior that were reported by caregivers to co-occur with the most concerning problem behavior were analyzed for 10 participants. We implemented extinction across one or more forms of problem behavior to determine whether all forms reported to co-occur were sensitive to the same synthesized reinforcement contingency. For nine of 10 participants, the most concerning topographies were sensitive to the same synthesized reinforcement contingencies as the less concerning topographies (results were inconclusive for one). Implications for inferring response class membership from single analyses are discussed.

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Despite a growing acknowledgement of the importance of understanding the impacts of trauma on therapeutic approaches across human service disciplines, discussions of trauma have been relatively infrequent in the behavior analytic literature. In this paper, we delineate some of the barriers to discussing and investigating trauma in applied behavior analysis (ABA) and describe how the core commitments of trauma‐informed care could be applied to behavior analysis. We then provide some examples of how trauma‐informed care might be incorporated into ABA practice. We conclude by suggesting opportunities to approach trauma as a viable avenue for behavior analytic research and argue that omitting trauma‐informed care from ABA could be detrimental not only to the public perception of ABA, but to the effectiveness of our assessment and treatment procedures.

We reviewed studies that used environmental enrichment as treatment for problem behavior maintained by automatic reinforcement. A search of behavior analytic journals produced 71 publications with a total of 265 applications of environmental enrichment used alone or in conjunction with alternative behavior manipulations (e.g., prompting, reinforcement) and problem behavior manipulations (e.g., blocking, restraint). Environmental enrichment, as a sole intervention, was efficacious in 41% of the sample. Alternative behavior manipulations, problem behavior manipulations, and a combination of both improved the overall efficacy of environmental enrichment. We discuss factors that may influence the efficacy of environmental enrichment, current trends in research on this topic, and implications for both practitioners and researchers.

Reinforcers can be delivered dependent on or independent of responding. Both human and nonhuman animals have shown a preference for contexts involving contingent reinforcement, but the generality of this phenomenon to humans and its implications have not yet been described. We present an integrative summary of studies evaluating preference for contingent versus noncontingent reinforcement, including (a) study participants, reinforcer types, response topographies, and contexts; (b) outcomes; (c) potential variables influencing preference outcomes; and (d) suggestions regarding research to expand behavior analysts' ability to design preferred contexts.

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When reported, the methods for prompting functional communication responses (FCRs) following problem behavior during functional communication training (FCT) vary. Some researchers have prompted the FCR immediately following problem behavior but doing so may inadvertently strengthen problem behavior as the first link in an undesirable response chain. This study investigated the effects of prompting FCRs following problem behavior during FCT with 4 children who exhibited severe problem behavior. Problem behavior remained low and FCR rates were near optimal when prompts were delivered immediately following problem behavior for 2 participants. Delaying prompts following problem behavior was instrumental for FCR acquisition for 1 participant but led to escalation of problem behavior for a 2nd participant. The conditions under which immediate prompts following problem behavior may improve or worsen FCT are discussed.

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