Functional communication training using assistive devices: recruiting natural communities of reinforcement.

Five students with intellectual disability used assistive devices to ask for things.

The team first found why each student acted out. Then they taught a simple device press that gave the same payoff.

Sessions ran in special-ed class and later in real places like the cafeteria and grocery store.

Problem behavior dropped for every student once the device worked.

The gains held when new adults ran the session in the community. No extra training was needed.

Blair et al. (2025) pooled 34 later studies and still found big cuts in problem behavior. Their meta shows the 1999 result was not a one-off.

Neely et al. (2018) scold most FCT papers for weak generalization proof. The 1999 study is one of the few they would call solid.

Torelli et al. (2024) tried FCT without extinction and saw mixed results. Their struggle highlights why the 1999 approach kept extinction in place.

Suess et al. (2020) later showed resurgence can return. The 1999 paper did not track that far, so you may still need post-checks.

You can trust high-tech FCT to travel. Pick a device the learner can hit in one motion. Teach the mand where problem behavior happens, then probe in untrained spots with new people. If gains slip, revisit extinction before blaming the tech.