A preliminary investigation on improving functional communication training by mitigating resurgence of destructive behavior

Abstract

Despite the effectiveness and widespread use of functional communication training (FCT), resurgence of destructive behavior can occur if the functional communication response (FCR) contacts a challenge, such as lapses in treatment integrity. We evaluated a method to mitigate resurgence by conducting FCT using a multiple schedule of reinforcement prior to extinction. After functional analyses of 2 boys’ destructive behavior and treatment with FCT (Study 1), we compared levels of resurgence during an extinction challenge either after a typical FCT sequence or after exposure to schedule thinning in the context of a multiple-schedule arrangement (Study 2). Results for both participants suggested that schedule thinning using discriminative stimuli in a multiple schedule mitigated the resurgence of destructive behavior.

Mitigating resurgence of destructive behavior using the discriminative stimuli of a multiple schedule

“…From a clinical standpoint, the present findings replicate and extend the results obtained by Fuhrman et al (2016) by showing robust effects of including the S Δ from mult FCT during a subsequent extinction challenge relative to an extinction challenge following FCT that did not include the S Δ . From a clinical standpoint, the present findings replicate and extend the results obtained by Fuhrman et al (2016) by showing robust effects of including the S Δ from mult FCT during a subsequent extinction challenge relative to an extinction challenge following FCT that did not include the S Δ .…”

“…The present findings extend those of Fuhrman et al (2016) by (a) equating the lengths of treatment exposure across contexts; (b) equating the rates of reinforcement across contexts; and (c) eliminating the delivery of time-based reinforcement during the extinction challenge, which may have increased the recurrence of destructive behavior through reinstatement or decreased it by providing another source of alternative reinforcement. These changes in the experimental design allowed us to better isolate the effects of the discriminative stimuli of mult FCT.…”

“…The experimenters then introduced extinction challenges in Context 1, Context 2, and a composite of Contexts 1 and 3, which they conducted in the Context 1 room with the experimenter wearing the Context 3 gown color. Fuhrman et al (2016) hypothesized that the S Δ from mult FCT exerted stimulus control over destructive behavior, which resulted in the reduced levels of resurgence during the extinction challenges that followed mult FCT. However, a limitation of the study is that the amount of exposure to extinction in Context 1 was twice as much as that in Context 2.…”

“…In the present investigation, we examined the efficacy of discriminative stimuli in mitigating resurgence of destructive behavior in a clinical setting by addressing the limitations of Fuhrman et al (2016), using a multielement design and separate stimulus contexts to control for prior exposure to experimental procedures, contextual stimuli, and reinforcement rates. We first conducted pretraining in one context (Context A), in which we trained the FCR, brought it under the control of an S D and S Δ during mult FCT, and thinned the reinforcement schedule.…”

Baseline reinforcement rate and resurgence of destructive behavior

“…In addition to the primary dependent variables, we also collected data on the number of reinforcer deliveries to monitor the rate of reinforcement across the two contexts. Doing so allowed us to compare high and low rates of baseline reinforcement in a manner consistent with previous research (e.g., Fisher et al, in press; Fuhrman, Fisher, & Greer, 2016; Podlesnik & Shahan, 2009). …”