Functional communication training for the treatment of multiply determined challenging behavior in two boys with autism.
Teach one mand for attention and a second mand for tangibles when problem behavior has two pay-offs.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Two boys with autism hit, bit, and threw things. The team asked why. Tests showed each behavior worked two ways: it got adult attention and it got toys or snacks.
They taught each boy two new words. One word meant "look at me." The other meant "give me that." They practiced in real play routines.
The study used a multiple-baseline design. Baseline first, then training, then checks at home.
What they found
Both boys used the new words instead of hitting. Aggression, self-injury, and disruption dropped fast.
The new words worked in new rooms and with new people. Parents saw the change at home too.
How this fits with other research
Sawyer et al. (2014) built on this idea. They wrapped the whole plan—test, teach, thin—into one 8-week clinic package. Their kids lost all severe problem behavior, showing the 1996 trick still works and can be faster.
Saini et al. (2018) gives a warning. They moved FCT from clinic to home and saw relapse in three of four kids. The 1996 paper did not watch for this; plan booster sessions before you send families home.
Morris et al. (2023) re-labels the same problem as "isolated functions." They run a separate baseline for each function, echoing the 1996 rule: treat each reason one at a time.
Why it matters
You will meet kids whose problem behavior gets both attention and stuff. Do not pick one function—teach two mands. Write a separate card or sign for each. Practice in the real places the behavior happens. Watch for renewal when mom tries it alone; schedule quick check-ins. This old study still gives you a clear Monday plan.
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Join Free →Pick the top two reinforcers from your FA, then create two distinct mands—one for each—and run five trials of each before lunch.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
Functional communication training was used to replace multiply determined problem behavior in two boys with autism. Experiment 1 involved a functional analysis of several topographies of problem behavior using a variation of the procedures described by Iwata, Dorsey, Slifer, Bauman, and Richman. Results suggested that aggression, self-injury, and disruption were multiply determined (i.e., maintained by both attention and access to preferred objects). Experiment 2 involved a multiple-baseline design across subjects. The focus of intervention was to replace aggression, self-injury, and disruption with functionally equivalent communicative alternatives. Both boys were taught alternative "mands" to recruit attention and request preferred objects. Acquisition of these alternative communication skills was associated with concurrent decreases in aggression, self-injury, and disruption. Results suggest that multiply determined challenging behavior can be decreased by teaching an alternative communication skill to replace each assessed function of the problem behavior.
Behavior modification, 1996 · doi:10.1177/01454455960201003