Brief functional analysis and treatment of tantrums associated with transitions in preschool children.

Two preschoolers threw big fits every time teachers moved them to a new activity.

The team ran a 5-minute test for each child. They looked at whether the fits got worse when kids wanted toys or when they wanted to avoid work.

After the quick test, they used praise for calm behavior and no attention for screams during every transition.

Both kids stopped tantrums once the function was clear and the plan matched it.

Just giving a two-minute warning did not help until DRO and extinction were added.

Konstantareas et al. (1999) did the same kind of short test for escape-only fits years earlier. Eisenhower et al. (2006) widened the lens to catch both escape and access in one brief scan.

Fahmie et al. (2020) later screened whole play groups and found most neurotypical preschoolers already show mild transition fits. Their work shows you can spot risk early; Eisenhower et al. (2006) shows you can fix it once it grows.

Heath et al. (2019) reviewed many quick tests like this and say they are now best-practice for safety and speed.

You can finish the whole job in one morning: test, pick the function, start DRO plus extinction that same day. No extra staff, no long sessions. If a child melts down between centers, run the 5-minute check, then reinforce calm feet and quiet voice while you walk. Drop the extra warnings—they only help after the function plan is in place.