Functional analysis of precursors for serious problem behavior and related intervention.
Catch the first whisper of problem behavior and teach a simple request—serious episodes vanished for three adults.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Three adults with developmental disabilities showed early warning signs like whining or pacing before hitting or self-injury. The team first ran a functional analysis to see why the warning signs happened. Then they taught each adult to ask for what they wanted right when the warning sign appeared.
What they found
After learning to ask for items or breaks, all three adults used the new words instead of the warning signs. Serious problem behavior dropped to near zero for everyone. The simple request gave them the same payoff the warning sign used to give.
How this fits with other research
Foti et al. (2015) later used the same FA-then-FCT plan with nine children who have fragile X. They saw a meaningful improvement in severe behavior across home, school, and the store. The 2008 precursor idea still worked, just with more kids and more places.
Spackman et al. (2025) and Schieltz et al. (2022) moved the same steps online. Parents ran the FA and FCT at home while a coach watched on Zoom. Seventeen kids in Emily’s study and 199 in Schieltz’s still hit the meaningful improvement mark. The early-warning method travels well through a screen.
Corrigan et al. (1998) showed that FCT works best when each request has its own signal, like a green card for break and a red card for toy. Porter et al. (2008) used that trick to make the new request beat the warning sign every time.
Why it matters
You do not have to wait for the big blow-up. Watch for the small sign—tapping, humming, rocking—then teach a quick request. One session can replace a whole behavior chain before it starts. Use the same FA rules you already know, just shift the target to the earliest move you see.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Precursor behaviors are innocuous behaviors that reliably precede the occurrence of problem behavior. Intervention efforts applied to precursors might prevent the occurrence of severe problem behavior. We examined the relationship between precursor behavior and problem behavior in three individuals with developmental disabilities. First, a descriptive (correlational) assessment focusing on transitional probabilities, which established that problem behavior typically followed precursor behavior, was conducted. Next, a functional (experimental) analysis was conducted to evaluate the relationship between precursor and problem behavior. Results suggested that these two behaviors served the same function. Finally, in the intervention phase, participants were taught a response that was functionally equivalent to the precursor behavior. Results demonstrated a decrease in the frequency of problem behavior. Collectively, these results suggest that prevention efforts might profitably be focused on precursor behavior. Further implications for the use of functional analysis and functional communication training in prevention are discussed.
Behavior modification, 2008 · doi:10.1177/0145445508317943