Assessment and treatment of problem behavior maintained by escape from attention and access to tangible items.
Split the play condition when the first FA is unclear—dual functions often hide inside.
01Research in Context
What this study did
A child with autism showed problem behavior in the play condition of a first functional analysis. The team ran a second FA that split the play condition into two parts: escape from attention and access to tangible items.
They then treated the dual function with functional communication training plus noncontingent reinforcement.
What they found
The second FA showed the behavior was driven by both escape from attention and access to toys. After FCT plus NCR, problem behavior dropped and stayed low.
How this fits with other research
Hattier et al. (2011) found that about 1 in 6 FAs show multiple control, and most used collapsed topographies. The target paper is one of those cases—splitting the conditions revealed the true dual function.
Cengher et al. (2022) later added graduated exposure to FCT for escape-from-attention behavior. They built on the same function the target clarified, showing kids can learn to tolerate longer social contact.
Fernandez et al. (2024) tracked 116 cases and saw acquisition-like patterns most often in tangible and attention conditions. This supports the target’s move to probe those conditions separately when the first FA is muddy.
Why it matters
If your first FA points to “play” but the data feel murky, rerun it with separate escape-from-attention and tangible conditions. You may uncover dual functions that one collapsed condition hides. Once the functions are clear, pair FCT with NCR to give the child an easy way to ask and receive both a break and the item. This one extra FA step can save weeks of trial-and-error treatment.
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Add a second FA with separate escape-from-attention and tangible conditions if the play condition tops your first graph.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
The results obtained from two consecutive functional analyses conducted with a 6-year-old child with autism are described. In the initial functional analysis, the highest rates of problem behavior occurred in the play condition. In that condition, the delivery of attention appeared to occasion problem behaviors. A second functional analysis was conducted wherein an escape from attention condition and a tangible condition were added. In the second functional analysis, higher rates of responding were observed in the escape from attention and tangible conditions. The results suggested that problem behavior was maintained by negative reinforcement in the form of escape from attention and positive reinforcement in the form of gaining access to preferred tangible items. Problem behavior was treated using functional communication training combined with noncontingent reinforcement.
Journal of applied behavior analysis, 2001 · doi:10.1901/jaba.2001.34-229