Efficiency and preference for alternative activities during schedule thinning with functional communication training
Handing a child a so-so toy, snack, or quick job during FCT wait times makes thinning faster and keeps kids happy.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team ran FCT with four kids. They compared two ways to thin the schedule.
In one condition the child waited with no extras. In the other, moderately preferred toys, snacks, or easy chores were available during the delay.
An alternating-treatments design showed which path reached the final lean schedule faster.
What they found
All four kids hit the terminal thinning schedule more quickly when alternative items were present.
They also chose those sessions more often, showing a clear preference.
Problem behavior stayed low in both paths, so the extras did not weaken treatment.
How this fits with other research
Austin et al. (2015) first showed that a small toy or snack during FCT delays keeps problem behavior down. Simmons et al. now prove the same trick also speeds thinning.
Irwin Helvey et al. (2023) found kids prefer DRC that mixes non-functional stimuli with functional ones. The new data echo this: children like FCT sessions that include "just-for-fun" items.
Weber et al. (2024) warned that FCT can bog down when escape is one of several functions. Offering alternative reinforcers during thinning may be one practical way to offset that slowdown.
Why it matters
You can shave weeks off schedule thinning by giving moderately preferred activities while the client waits for the real reinforcer. The child stays busy, problem behavior stays low, and you reach leaner schedules sooner. Next time you thin, drop a puzzle, coloring sheet, or simple chore into the delay interval and watch the clock.
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Join Free →Place two or three moderately preferred items in the S-delta area before the next FCT session and let the child use them while waiting.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
Functional communication training is an effective treatment for decreasing socially reinforced destructive behavior (Carr & Durand, 1985). Clinicians frequently use multiple schedules to thin the reinforcement schedule (Hanley et al., 2001). Individuals are often taught to wait for functional reinforcers without alternative programmed stimuli. However, concurrently available items and activities are often accessible in the natural environment. In this study, we taught 4 participants a functional communication response to access functional reinforcers. We implemented a multiple schedule during schedule thinning, comparing a control condition (nothing available during SΔ intervals) to separate conditions with items/activities (moderately preferred tangible items, attention, demands) noncontingently available during SΔ intervals. After reaching the terminal schedule in one condition, therapists assessed participant preference across SΔ conditions. For all participants, the terminal schedule was reached with alternative items and activities, and participant preference corresponded with the most efficient schedule thinning condition. Therapists also indicated preference for alternative items/activities.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 2022 · doi:10.1002/jaba.886