Using Chained or Tandem Schedules With Functional Communication Training: A Systematic Review.
Chained schedules beat tandem schedules when thinning FCT reinforcement — add extinction and delay/denial tolerance training for bigger behavior reductions.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team hunted for every study that chained or tandem schedules after FCT. They found 38 papers and compared how well each schedule cut problem behavior.
A chained schedule links two parts: first the child gets quick reinforcement, then a cue signals a wait until the next chance. A tandem schedule looks the same to the kid but has no cue between parts.
What they found
Chained schedules won. Kids showed bigger drops in problem behavior when the schedule had a clear cue inside it.
Adding brief extinction or teaching kids to accept "wait" boosted the effect even more.
How this fits with other research
Briggs et al. (2018) and Muething et al. (2021) warn that resurgence pops up in about half of thinning steps. The new review agrees and says the fix is to pair chained schedules with short extinction or tolerance training.
Davis et al. (2023) looked at all thinning types, not just chained or tandem. Both reviews land in 2023 and share many studies, but the new paper zooms in and declares chained the front-runner.
Slaton et al. (2024) tracked kids for a full year in school. Their long-term data back the review: systematic thinning keeps crisis procedures at zero.
Ferris et al. (2025) go further and chain an extra step before FCT. They show you can weave schedules both before and after the communication response and still keep gains.
Why it matters
You no longer have to guess which schedule to pick. Start thinning FCT with a chained schedule and add a brief extinction or "wait" program. Expect some resurgence, but the cues inside a chained schedule plus tolerance teaching give you the best shot at keeping problem behavior low while you stretch reinforcement thin.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Chained and tandem schedules are a common method for thinning schedules of reinforcement following functional communication training (FCT) in the treatment of problem behavior. We conducted a systematic literature review and meta-analysis of chained and tandem schedules following FCT to describe treatment characteristics and evaluate effects. We identified 38 articles and found reductions in problem behavior across four measures. Results of a random-effects multilevel meta-analysis of rigorous evaluations showed a significant effect of chained or tandem schedules + FCT on problem behavior relative to baseline. We observed resurgence in 77% of cases and 31% of schedule-thinning transitions. Results showed chained schedules resulted in greater reductions in problem behavior relative to tandem schedules. Exploratory moderator analyses suggested extinction, combined reinforcement, and delay and denial tolerance training procedures were associated with greater reductions in problem behavior relative to other treatment characteristics. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.
Behavior modification, 2023 · doi:10.1177/01454455221077420