Chaining Differential Reinforcement of Compliance and Functional Communication Training to Treat Challenging Behavior Maintained by Negative Reinforcement.

Ferris and team tested a new way to string two treatments together. First they used Differential Reinforcement of Compliance (DRC). Kids got a short break only after they followed a teacher’s request.

Next they chained in Functional Communication Training (FCT). Kids could now ask for a break with a card or sign and still get it. The goal was to keep high compliance while cutting problem behavior that had been escaping work.

FCT alone slashed problem behavior but made compliance drop. DRC alone lifted compliance yet let some problem behavior stay.

When the team ran DRC first and then moved to FCT, both compliance stayed high and problem behavior stayed low. Every child liked this chained plan best.

Torelli et al. (2023) looked at 38 studies and found that chained schedules after FCT beat simple tandem ones. Ferris flips the order: chain DRC before FCT, yet still lands inside the winning family of chained tactics.

Hastings et al. (2001) and Whiting et al. (2015) showed that clear signals during schedule thinning keep problem behavior low. Ferris borrows that idea by using the DRC phase as a built-in signal before the richer FCT phase.

Slaton et al. (2024) proved FCT with thinning can hold a year in real classrooms. Ferris did not test long-term maintenance, so their chain still needs that real-world check.

If you run FCT for escape-maintained behavior, try starting with a brief DRC phase. Reinforce compliance first, then switch to card requests. This one switch may save you from the common dip in work completion that pure FCT can bring.