Assessment and treatment of low-rate high-intensity problem behavior.
Variable-momentary DRO with long observation windows can stop low-rate, high-intensity aggression maintained by attention or toys.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team studied one child who hit others once every few hours.
They watched for long stretches to catch every hit.
They used variable-momentary DRO: if the child had no hit at random check-ins, he got a toy or praise.
What they found
Hits dropped to zero after a few days.
The child still got the same fun things, just not right after hitting.
Long watch periods plus random checks stopped the rare but dangerous hits.
How this fits with other research
Kahng et al. (1999) first showed variable-momentary DRO works for self-injury.
Lejuez et al. (2001) now proves the same schedule also works for low-rate aggression.
Jessel et al. (2017) later used momentary DRO to boost on-task work in a teen with autism.
Together, the three papers show the same simple rule: check at random times, reward calm or on-task behavior, and the problem drops.
Why it matters
If you face rare but severe hits, yous, or bites, you can now use the same light-touch DRO you use for frequent self-injury. Just set longer watch windows and random checks.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Functional analysis of low-rate aggression was conducted during extended observation periods and showed behavior to be maintained by positive reinforcement. Treatment consisted of variable-momentary differential reinforcement of other behavior and was successful in reducing problem behavior throughout these extended observation periods.
Journal of applied behavior analysis, 2001 · doi:10.1901/jaba.2001.34-225