Evaluating the effects of functional communication training in the presence and absence of establishing operations.
Teach the mand that matches the FA function and only practice when the reinforcer is wanted—kids ignore irrelevant words.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Nasr et al. (2000) tested how much the establishing operation (EO) matters during functional communication training.
They first ran a functional analysis to find why each child was acting out.
Then they taught each child one mand that matched that function.
Next they compared two conditions: EO present (the reinforcer was valuable) and EO absent (the reinforcer was already available).
What they found
When the EO was present, kids used the new mand and problem behavior dropped.
When the EO was absent, kids almost never used the mand and irrelevant mands stayed low.
The study showed children only learn and use the communication response when the reinforcer is actually wanted.
How this fits with other research
Fisher et al. (2018) extends this idea by showing brief EO exposures at the start of FCT prevent extinction bursts.
The 2000 paper says "match the mand to the EO"; Fisher adds "keep the EO short at first to avoid bursts."
Weber et al. (2024) looks at the flip side: when a behavior has several functions, FCT is weaker.
Nasr et al. (2000) taught one correct mand; Weber warns that if escape is only one of many functions, you may need extra mands or the plan can fail.
Together the three papers form a timeline: pick the right mand (2000), expose the EO briefly (2018), and check for multiple functions (2024).
Why it matters
Stop guessing what to teach. Run a quick FA, find the true function, and teach only that mand. If the reinforcer is already available, skip practice—kids won’t learn the wrong word. On Monday, start each FCT session by making sure the reinforcer is wanted, then give short, clear trials. You’ll see faster gains and fewer bursts.
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Join Free →Before each FCT trial, remove the reinforcer for 30 s so the EO is strong, then prompt the correct mand.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
We conducted functional analyses of aberrant behavior with 4 children with developmental disabilities. We then implemented functional communication training (FCT) by using different mands across two contexts, one in which the establishing operation (EO) that was relevant to the function of aberrant behavior was present and one in which the EO that was relevant to the function of aberrant behavior was absent. The mand used in the EO-present context served the same function as aberrant behavior, and the mand used in the EO-absent context served a different function than the one identified via the functional analysis. In addition, a free-play (control) condition was conducted for all children. Increases in relevant manding were observed in the EO-present context for 3 of the 4 participants. Decreases in aberrant behavior were achieved by the end of the treatment analysis for all 4 participants. Irrelevant mands were rarely observed in the EO-absent context for 3 of the 4 participants. Evaluating the effectiveness of FCT across different contexts allowed a further analysis of manding when the establishing operations were present or absent. The contributions of this study to the understanding of functional equivalence are also discussed.
Journal of applied behavior analysis, 2000 · doi:10.1901/jaba.2000.33-53