Reduction of multiple aberrant behaviors and concurrent development of self-care skills with differential reinforcement.
A single DRA plan rooted in functional analysis can simultaneously cut SIB, aggression, and disruption while boosting self-care compliance.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Sessions ran during normal care routines.
Data were taken on all problem behaviors and on each step of self-care.
What they found
All three problem behaviors dropped to near zero within days.
At the same time, his hand-washing and face-washing rose from a large share to a large share correct steps.
The gains held for the full six-week follow-up.
How this fits with other research
Catania et al. (1974) showed DRO could cut SIB and aggression in kids.
This study adds a functional analysis and swaps DRO for DRA, proving you can both stop harm and build skills at once.
Fritz et al. (2017) later showed you can thin the DRA schedule if you pair it with noncontingent reinforcement.
Steinhauser et al. (2021) moved the same DRA logic into classrooms, using it to curb stereotypy while kids learned academic tasks.
Together, these papers show DRA works across ages, settings, and topographies when it is tied to the behavior’s function.
Why it matters
You can run a brief FA in any setting.
Pick one self-care task that competes with the problem behavior.
Deliver praise or a bite of food each time the client completes a step.
You will likely see both safer behavior and new independence in the same week.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
A modified functional analysis was used to assess the behavioral function of a profoundly retarded man's self-injurious behavior (SIB). Results of that analysis showed that the behavior was most likely to occur in a demand context (self-care instructions) but was maintained by positive reinforcement in the form of attention and physical contact. The results of the functional analysis also prescribed a treatment involving differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA). Further investigation showed that other aberrant behaviors, such as aggression and disruption, were members of the same functional response class as SIB. The differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA) procedure effectively reduced those behaviors while compliance to a self-care acquisition task increased markedly. The results are discussed in terms of the importance of determining behavioral function prior to treatment.
Research in developmental disabilities, 1992 · doi:10.1016/0891-4222(92)90030-a