On the efficacy and efficiency of treating pediatric feeding disorder.

Inappropriate mealtime behavior (IMB) is a type of feeding challenge within the broader class of food refusal. The purpose of this study was to critically analyze the efficacy of interventions for the treatment of IMB through a meta-analysis of research using single-case experimental designs. We examined the extent to which different interventions resulted in decreases in IMB while also producing increases in food acceptance.

Evaluating an Excel-based tool for interpreting functional analyses: A functional analysis decision support system.

When applied to functional analysis results, structured visual inspection criteria have resulted in improvements in the levels of agreement between raters as well as earlier identification of the function of challenging behavior. However, multistep criteria can be difficult to apply in real time, which could be a barrier to widespread adoption in practice. This study evaluated a Microsoft-Excel-based functional analysis decision support system (FADSS), which could aid behavior analysts with interpreting functional analysis results.

Pay Equity in Applied Behavior Analysis.

Pay equity is the practice of minimizing employee wage inequalities based on gender, race, and other criteria. The goal of this practice is to ensure equitable compensation for comparable work and experience. Pay discrepancies have existed in a wide range of professional fields for many years; however, the degree to which equal and fair pay occurs among practicing applied behavior analysts is currently unknown, and represents an important step for ensuring parity in the field of applied behavior analysis (ABA).

PRN usage before and after discharge from a forensic inpatient unit: A series example of patients with intellectual disabilities.

Adults living with intellectual and developmental disabilities are often prescribed psychotropic medication on an "as needed" basis (PRN) in response to behavioural challenges. In the present study we conducted a retrospective analysis of medication administration records in the 6-months preceding and following discharge of 11 adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to community settings from forensic inpatient units within a mental health hospital. We found a significant reduction in the frequency of PRN usage after discharge.

On the role of operant contingencies in the maintenance of inappropriate mealtime behavior: An epidemiological analysis.

Functional analysis is the primary assessment used to determine the function of inappropriate mealtime behavior in children with feeding disorders. Based on single-case experimental design studies and recent reviews, the prevalence of negative reinforcement alone in the maintenance of inappropriate mealtime behavior appears to be much greater than positive reinforcement alone. We conducted a retrospective consecutive-controlled case series to determine the generality of previous findings.

Structured visual analysis of single-case experimental design data: Developments and technological advancements.

Visual analysis is the primary method used to interpret single-case experimental design (SCED) data in applied behavior analysis. Research shows that agreement between visual analysts can be suboptimal at times. To address the inconsistent interpretations of SCED data, recent structured visual-analysis technological advancements have been developed.

Procedures for determining and then modifying the extinction component of multiple schedules for destructive behavior.

As a component of reinforcer schedule thinning following functional communication training, multiple schedules of reinforcement produce desirable rates and patterns of communication responses as an alternative response to destructive behavior. However, reinforcement schedule thinning is a gradual process that can take many sessions to obtain therapeutic goals. The desired outcome is that manding occurs only during signaled intervals of reinforcement with a sufficiently lean terminal schedule of reinforcement availability and low rates of destructive behavior.

Evaluation and Maintenance of Behavioral Interventions for 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome.

22q11.2-deletion syndrome is a genetic disorder caused by a small deletion of chromosome 22. This deletion often results in developmental delays, learning disabilities, medical conditions, and comorbid psychiatric conditions.

Within- and across-session increases in work requirement do not produce similar response output.

Demand curve fitting is a method of data analysis for interpreting reinforcer consumption. These methods were established and validated by examining increases in unit price (UP) across sessions. An alternative experimental preparation is the progressive-ratio (PR) schedule in which schedule requirements increase within a session.

A Preliminary Evaluation of Interrater Reliability and Concurrent Validity of Open-Ended Indirect Assessment.

Indirect assessments are a commonly used component of functional behavior assessment by behavior analysts in practice who work with individuals with severe behavior disorders. Although used frequently, closed-ended indirect assessments have repeatedly been shown to have low to moderate interrater reliability and poor concurrent validity with functional analysis. Recently, the use of open-ended interviews has become more commonly adopted in applied clinical practice, despite no studies evaluating the psychometric properties of such assessments.

A review of investigations of operant renewal with human participants: Implications for theory and practice.

Operant renewal is the recurrence of a previously eliminated target behavior as a function of changing stimulus contexts. Renewal as a model of treatment relapse in humans suggests that a change in stimulus conditions or context is sufficient to produce relapse of a previously eliminated maladaptive behavior. The extent to which general findings from operant renewal studies involving nonhuman animal subjects are supported by relapse studies involving human participants is unknown.

A systematic review of functional analysis in pediatric feeding disorders.

We conducted a systematic review of the functional analysis of inappropriate mealtime behavior in peer-reviewed studies in PsycINFO, ERIC, PubMed, and the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis between 2000-2016. We identified 18 studies involving 86 functional analyses. We coded descriptive data and calculated summary statistics in addition to conducting a quality appraisal of the literature.

Measurement of nontargeted problem behavior during investigations of resurgence.

Resurgence occurs when a previously extinguished behavior reemerges once a more recently reinforced behavior is placed on extinction. Previous research has suggested that nontargeted responses within the same response class recur alongside target-response resurgence (e.g.

Efficiency in functional analysis of problem behavior: A quantitative and qualitative review.

Originating in the mid-1960s, functional analysis (FA) has become the gold standard method for understanding the environmental variables that come to shape and maintain problematic behaviors such as aggression, self-injury, and property destruction. Over the decades, a number of studies have refined FA methods, attempting to improve the overall efficiency of the analysis through experimental design and procedural modifications. In the present review, we used ongoing visual-inspection criteria and basic probability theory to compare and analyze levels of efficiency across FA types.

Baseline reinforcement rate and resurgence of destructive behavior.

Concepts from behavioral momentum theory, along with some empirical findings, suggest that the rate of baseline reinforcement may contribute to the relapse of severe destructive behavior. With seven children who engaged in destructive behavior, we tested this hypothesis in the context of functional communication training by comparing the effects of different baseline reinforcement rates on resurgence during a treatment challenge (i.e.

Minimizing resurgence of destructive behavior using behavioral momentum theory.

The resurgence of destructive behavior can occur during functional communication training (FCT) if the alternative response contacts a challenge (e.g., extinction).

A nonsequential approach to the study of operant renewal: a reverse translation.

ABA renewal is a model of treatment relapse that describes the recurrence of severe problem behavior when behavior learned in one context (e.g., home; A) and treated in a separate context (e.

Renewal during functional communication training.

Functional communication training (FCT) is one of the most commonly prescribed interventions for the treatment of severe destructive behavior exhibited by individuals with intellectual disabilities. Although highly effective, FCT has been shown to fail in some cases when treatment is introduced into the child's typical environment. Basic and translational research on renewal provides a model for studying the relapse of destructive behavior following successful response to treatment in clinic settings using FCT.

Predictive validity and efficiency of ongoing visual-inspection criteria for interpreting functional analyses.

Prior research has evaluated the reliability and validity of structured criteria for visually inspecting functional-analysis (FA) results on a post-hoc basis, after completion of the FA (i.e., post-hoc visual inspection [PHVI]; e.

On the predictive validity of behavioral momentum theory for mitigating resurgence of problem behavior.

We summarize the results of four recent translational studies from our lab that used the predictions of behavioral momentum theory to inform the development of more durable treatments for destructive behavior. Treatments informed by behavioral momentum theory generally showed better suppression of target responding during an extinction challenge than did a comparison treatment. We reanalyze data from each of the four studies to show that this general finding is apparent both at the aggregate (i.

A Survey-Based Method to Evaluate Optimal Treatment Selection for Escape-Maintained Problem Behavior.

Geiger, Carr, and LeBlanc (2010) developed a decision-making model for escape-maintained problem behavior that could be used to guide the course of treatment selection. We used a digital survey to evaluate the model's potential usefulness. We presented novice and expert practitioners' written hypothetical scenarios and asked them to determine the optimal treatment in a given situation.

Persistence during and resurgence following noncontingent reinforcement implemented with and without extinction.

Noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) is typically implemented with extinction (EXT) for destructive behavior reinforced by social consequences and without EXT for destructive behavior reinforced by sensory consequences. Behavioral momentum theory (BMT) predicts that responding will be more persistent, and treatment relapse in the form of response resurgence more likely, when NCR is implemented without EXT due to the greater overall rate of reinforcement associated with this intervention. We used an analogue arrangement to test these predictions of BMT by comparing NCR implemented with and without EXT.

Evaluating the effects of discriminability on behavioral persistence during and following time-based reinforcement.

With four children with autism we evaluated a refinement to time-based reinforcement designed to reduce response persistence when we simultaneously introduced time-based reinforcement and extinction. We further evaluated whether this refinement mitigated response recurrence when all reinforcer deliveries ceased during an extinction-only disruptor phase. The refinement involved increasing the saliency of the contingency change from contingent reinforcement (during baseline) to time-based reinforcement by delivering different colored reinforcers during time-based reinforcement.

Individual and combined effects of noncontingent reinforcement and response blocking on automatically reinforced problem behavior.

Noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) and response blocking are 2 common interventions for problem behavior maintained by automatic reinforcement. We implemented NCR and blocking with 1 boy and found this combined intervention to be effective at decreasing high rates of automatically reinforced pica. With another child, we compared the effects of blocking alone to the combined intervention.

Multiple schedules in practical application: Research trends and implications for future investigation.

Researchers began studying multiple schedules in basic laboratories, but recent advances have extended research on multiple schedules to a wide variety of socially significant applications, especially during the last decade. Applied researchers have used multiple schedules to (a) promote stimulus control over high-rate appropriate behaviors, (b) thin the schedule of reinforcement following functional communication training, and (c) obtain stimulus control over problem behaviors maintained by automatic reinforcement. In the current paper, we reviewed 31 studies with 147 applications identified through a search of the applied literature on multiple schedules.