A motivating operation (MO) alters both the effectiveness of a stimulus as a reinforcer and the current frequency of all behavior that has been reinforced by that particular stimulus. This article reviews studies that have manipulated a MO during interventions with school-age participants with intellectual disabilities and problem behavior. A systematic review was conducted using the following major electronic databases: PsychInfo, Education Resources Information Center, Science Direct, Blackwell, SAGE, and Medline. A total of 31 published articles representing 55 participants was examined. Findings from this study suggest that the modification of a MO usually has an effect on the problem behavior by either establishing or abolishing its motivation. Furthermore, a relationship was found between the type of MO and the behavioral function identified. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings, limitations of this study and potential issues for future research are discussed.

The assessment of challenging behavior exhibited by people with intellectual and developmental disabilities is essential for the planning of prevention and intervention programs. This review aimed to identify and analyze the standardized instruments that exclusively focus on the assessment of challenging behavior. We identified and organized 141 articles into four categories: original instrument studies, validation studies, relational studies, and intervention studies. The results identified 24 instruments that generally show high-quality psychometric properties and other utilities beyond the observation of the presence of challenging behavior and diagnostic categorization. Age, level of adaptive behavior, disability, presence of autism spectrum disorder, and medication are some of the variables that were found to be possibly related to the occurrence of challenging behavior. Additionally, the results suggest that interventions focused on supporting positive behavior or providing training on behavior to professionals and caregivers significantly reduced the occurrence of these behaviors. Instruments that help us to understand and measure the challenging behavior exhibited by people with intellectual and developmental disabilities are essential for the design of effective evaluation and intervention protocols.

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En este estudio se exploran los efectos de las operaciones motivadoras sobre la ocurrencia de la conducta autolesiva que presenta una mujer de 42 años con discapacidad intelectual. El análisis funcional muestra que la conducta se mantiene por refuerzo social positivo (atención y tangible) y por refuerzo automático. Se ha utilizado un diseño múltiple en la intervención con el fin de explorar los efectos de las presesiones (acceso y no acceso a atención) en la frecuencia con la que se manifiesta dicha conducta. Los resultados obtenidos en la intervención muestran cómo la operación motivadora actúa como operación de abolición reduciendo la frecuencia con la que sucede la conducta analizada. El estudio concluye enfatizando en el uso de estrategias preventivas para evitar las conductas problemáticas, así como en la necesidad de realizar una evaluación funcional para comprender la naturaleza de las conductas problemáticas y diseñar planes de intervención que ayuden a minimizarlas.Palabras Clave: Conductas Problemáticas; Análisis Funcional; Operaciones Motivadoras; Discapacidad Intelectual; Caso Clínico; Experimento de Caso Único.This study explored the effects of motivating operations on the self-harming behaviour of a 42-year-old woman with intellectual disabilities. Functional analysis showed that her behaviour was maintained by positive social (attention and tangible) and automatic reinforcement. A multielement design was used to explore presession effects (access to attention and attention deprivation) on the frequency of the behaviour. The results showed that when access to attention was presented to the participant, the frequency of the behaviour decreased, suggesting the action of an abolishing operation. In conclusion, the use of preventive strategies to treat problem behaviours are emphasised, as well as the need for a functional assessment to understand the nature of these behaviours and to design intervention plans aimed at minimizing such behaviour. Efectos de las operaciones motivadoras en una conducta autolesiva mediante las presesiones

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