Functional assessment of problem behavior in children with autism spectrum disorders: a summary of 32 outpatient cases.
Social reinforcement runs the show for most outpatient problem behavior in autism, so teach a replacement way to get attention or escape.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team pulled 32 outpatient charts of kids with autism. Each child had a full functional assessment for problem behavior. The authors tallied which consequences kept the behavior alive.
What they found
Most behaviors were fed by social reinforcement. Attention, escape, or access to tangibles were the big pay-offs. The pattern looked like what we see in other developmental disabilities.
How this fits with other research
McLay et al. (2021) ran the same case-series design on sleep problems and also found social functions on top. Their 41 cases echo the 2009 message: check the social payoff first.
Morris et al. (2021) extends this work. They show social interaction is NOT always a reinforcer for every autistic child. Test first, then treat.
Fahmie et al. (2013) made the same point earlier with six kids. Social attention can be neutral or even aversive. The 2009 summary is still true at the group level, but single-case checks keep you safe.
Why it matters
If social reinforcement tops the list, teach an easy, polite way to get that same attention. Start with functional communication training before you try anything fancy. One chart review says you’ll be right most of the time.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →After your next FBA, pick one social function and teach a simple mand for that same reinforcer.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine archival data from an outpatient clinic serving children with autism spectrum disorders to investigate the occurrence of problem behavior functions in this sample. Results indicated that social reinforcement (e.g., attention from others) was involved in maintaining problem behavior for the majority of cases, suggesting that these children lacked socially appropriate responses to access such reinforcement, or that their social environments contained insufficient social reinforcement. Further, the data suggest that problem behavior exhibited by children with autism spectrum disorders can be conceptualized similarly to the problem behavior of children with other developmental disabilities.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2009 · doi:10.1007/s10803-008-0633-z