Behavioral Momentum Theory: a Tutorial on Response Persistence.

Behavioral momentum theory (BMT) provides an integrative framework for evaluating the strength of a response when it contacts a disruptor, such as the discontinuation of reinforcement (i.e., extinction).

Evaluation of multiple schedules with naturally occurring and therapist-arranged discriminative stimuli following functional communication training.

Many studies have shown that (a) functional communication training (FCT) is effective for reducing problem behavior, and (b) multiple schedules can facilitate reinforcer schedule thinning during FCT. Most studies tha have used multiple schedules with FCT have included therapist-arranged stimuli (e.g.

Treatment of Escape-Maintained Challenging Behavior Using Chained Schedules: An Evaluation of the Effects of Thinning Positive plus Negative Reinforcement During Functional Communication Training.

Objective: Previous research has supported functional communication training (FCT) as an effective intervention for reducing challenging behavior. Clinicians often program schedule-thinning procedures to increase the portability of the treatment (i.e.

Functional communication training during reinforcement schedule thinning: An analysis of 25 applications.

Two principal goals of functional communication training (FCT) are (a) to eliminate destructive behavior and (b) to establish a more acceptable, yet functionally equivalent, communication response (FCR). A related and critically important goal is to thin the schedule of reinforcement for the FCR to levels that can be reasonably managed by caregivers. Researchers have described several approaches to thinning FCT reinforcement schedules.

Using multiple schedules during functional communication training to promote rapid transfer of treatment effects.

Multiple schedules with signaled periods of reinforcement and extinction have been used to thin reinforcement schedules during functional communication training (FCT) to make the intervention more practical for parents and teachers. We evaluated whether these signals would also facilitate rapid transfer of treatment effects across settings and therapists. With 2 children, we conducted FCT in the context of mixed (baseline) and multiple (treatment) schedules introduced across settings or therapists using a multiple baseline design.

Assessment and treatment of pica and destruction of holiday decorations.

Problem behavior exhibited by individuals with autism can be disruptive to family traditions, such as decorating for the holidays. We present data for a 6-year-old girl who engaged in automatically reinforced pica and destruction of holiday decorations. Treatment was evaluated within an ABCDCD reversal design.

The effects of reinforcement magnitude on skill acquisition for children with autism.

We examined the effects of reinforcement magnitude on skill acquisition during discrete-trial training. After conducting a magnitude preference assessment, we compared acquisition during conditions with large and small magnitudes of edible reinforcement to a praise-only condition. Although all participants showed a preference for the large-magnitude reinforcer, preference did not predict the magnitude that produced the fastest skill acquisition.

Increasing self-drinking for children with feeding disorders.

Children with feeding disorders often do not self-drink without treatment. Unfortunately, the literature on self-drinking is scarce. We evaluated differential positive reinforcement to increase self-drinking for 2 children with feeding disorders.

Clarifying inconclusive functional analysis results: Assessment and treatment of automatically reinforced aggression.

We conducted a series of studies in which multiple strategies were used to clarify the inconclusive results of one boy's functional analysis of aggression. Specifically, we (a) evaluated individual response topographies to determine the composition of aggregated response rates, (b) conducted a separate functional analysis of aggression after high rates of disruption masked the consequences that maintained aggression during the initial functional analysis, (c) modified the experimental design used during the functional analysis of aggression to improve discrimination and decrease interaction effects between conditions, and (d) evaluated a treatment matched to the reinforcer hypothesized to maintain aggression. An effective yet practical intervention for aggression was developed based on the results of these analyses and from data collected during the matched-treatment evaluation.

Do mirrors facilitate acquisition of motor imitation in children diagnosed with autism?

We evaluated the efficacy of a procedure that incorporated a mirror to teach gross motor imitation with a 2-year-old boy who had been diagnosed with autistic disorder. Responses taught with a mirror were acquired more quickly than responses taught without the mirror and were maintained after the mirror was removed. These data indicate that a mirror can facilitate acquisition of motor imitation.

Utensil manipulation during initial treatment of pediatric feeding problems.

Children with feeding disorders exhibit a variety of problem behaviors during meals. One method of treating problem mealtime behavior is to implement interventions sequentially after the problem behavior emerges (e.g.

Increasing the saliency of behavior-consequence relations for children with autism who exhibit persistent errors.

Some children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) display persistent errors that are not responsive to commonly used prompting or error-correction strategies; one possible reason for this is that the behavior-consequence relations are not readily discriminable (Davison & Nevin, 1999). In this study, we increased the discriminability of the behavior-consequence relations in conditional-discrimination acquisition tasks for 3 children with ASD using schedule manipulations in concert with a unique visual display designed to increase the saliency of the differences between consequences in effect for correct responding and for errors. A multiple baseline design across participants was used to show that correct responding increased for all participants, and, after 1 or more exposures to the intervention, correct responding persisted to varying degrees across participants when the differential reinforcement baseline was reintroduced to assess maintenance.

Analysis of self-feeding in children with feeding disorders.

In the current investigation, we evaluated a method for increasing self-feeding with 3 children with a history of food refusal. The children never (2 children) or rarely (1 child) self-fed bites of food when the choice was between self-feeding and escape from eating. When the choice was between self-feeding 1 bite of food or being fed an identical bite of food, self-feeding was low (2 children) or variable (1 child).

Syringe fading as treatment for feeding refusal.

The efficacy of nonremoval of the cup or spoon as treatment for feeding refusal is dependent on prevention of escape from presentations. In the current investigation, 1 child with feeding refusal escaped presentations during nonremoval of the cup and spoon by clenching his teeth. Therefore, we used a syringe to deposit liquids and solids, increased the volume of liquids and solids in the syringe, and conducted syringe-to-cup and syringe-to-spoon fading.

Decreasing excessive functional communication responses while treating destructive behavior using response restriction.

Functional communication training (FCT) is an established treatment for destructive behavior that missucceeds in about 37% of cases when the reinforcement schedule for the functional communication response (FCR) is thinned using multiples schedules (mult FCT; Hagopian, Boelter, & Jarmolowicz, 2011). In this investigation, we evaluated the use of response restriction FCT (RR FCT) in a cohort of patients with poorly differentiated responding of the FCR during mult FCT. Results showed that (a) RR FCT maintained high rates of correct FCRs during the reinforcement component of RR FCT without increasing destructive behavior; (b) children displayed highly discriminated FCRs when an FCR card and a control card were simultaneously available during the reinforcement component of RR FCT; and (c) near-zero rates of destructive behavior were observed during the last five sessions of the terminal reinforcement schedule.

A clinical protocol to increase chewing and assess mastication in children with feeding disorders.

Children with feeding disorders often cannot or do not chew when presented with table food. Children with chewing deficits also often swallow the bite before masticating it appropriately, which we will refer to as early swallowing. In the current study, we evaluated a clinical protocol to increase chews per bite, assess mastication, and eliminate early swallowing with three children with feeding disorders.

How should periods without social interaction be scheduled? Children's preference for practical schedules of positive reinforcement.

Several studies have shown that children prefer contingent reinforcement (CR) rather than yoked noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) when continuous reinforcement is programmed in the CR schedule. Preference has not, however, been evaluated for practical schedules that involve CR. In Study 1, we assessed 5 children's preference for obtaining social interaction via a multiple schedule (periods of fixed-ratio 1 reinforcement alternating with periods of extinction), a briefly signaled delayed reinforcement schedule, and an NCR schedule.

An evaluation of the generalization and maintenance of functional communication and self-control skills with preschoolers.

The preschool life skills (PLS) program (Hanley, Heal, Tiger, & Ingvarsson, 2007; Luczynski & Hanley, 2013) involves teaching social skills as a means of decreasing and preventing problem behavior. However, achieving durable outcomes as children transition across educational settings depend on the generalization and long-term maintenance of those skills. The purpose of this study was to evaluate procedures for promoting generalization and long-term maintenance of functional communication and self-control skills for 6 preschool children.

An evaluation of texture manipulations to increase swallowing.

The purpose of the current investigation was to identify an appropriate texture for initial treatment of 1 child's feeding problem. Variability in mouth clean (a product measure of swallowing) during a texture assessment suggested that individual pureed foods differentially affected feeding behavior. A single-food assessment identified individual problematic foods.

Prevention of problem behavior by teaching functional communication and self-control skills to preschoolers.

We evaluated the effects of the preschool life skills program (PLS; Hanley, Heal, Tiger, & Ingvarsson, 2007) on the acquisition and maintenance of functional communication and self-control skills, as well as its effect on problem behavior, of small groups of preschoolers at risk for school failure. Six children were taught to request teacher attention, teacher assistance, and preferred materials, and to tolerate delays to and denial of those events during child-led, small-group activities. Teaching strategies included instruction, modeling, role play, and differential reinforcement.

Functional assessment and treatment of perseverative speech about restricted topics in an adolescent with Asperger syndrome.

A functional analysis showed that a 14-year-old boy with Asperger syndrome displayed perseverative speech (or "restricted interests") reinforced by attention. To promote appropriate speech in a turn-taking format, we implemented differential reinforcement (DR) of nonperseverative speech and DR of on-topic speech within a multiple schedule with stimuli that signaled the contingencies in effect and who was to select the topic. Both treatments reduced perseverative speech, but only DR of on-topic speech increased appropriate turn taking during conversation.

A component analysis of schedule thinning during functional communication training.

One limitation of functional communication training (FCT) is that individuals may request reinforcement via the functional communication response (FCR) at exceedingly high rates. Multiple schedules with alternating periods of reinforcement and extinction of the FCR combined with gradually lengthening the extinction-component interval can effectively address this limitation. However, the extent to which each of these components contributes to the effectiveness of the overall approach remains uncertain.

A pilot study to increase chewing in children with feeding disorders.

Children with feeding disorders often display chewing deficits. Unfortunately, there is a paucity of research examining procedures to increase or teach chewing to children with feeding disorders. The few studies on this topic have utilized multicomponent treatments typically involving a shaping procedure.

Assessment and Treatment of Self-Injurious Behavior Associated with Donnai-Barrow Syndrome.

Donnai and Barrow (, 441-444, 1993) reported multiple participants who shared a variety of specific physical and neurological anomalies. Relatively few cases have been reported since then and few of those have progressed to an age such that the developmental progression of the disorder can be ascertained. We describe one participant with Donnai-Barrow syndrome who engaged in repetitive self-injurious behavior (SIB), which heretofore has not be described in this population.