Interventions for Transition-Related Challenging Behavior in Individuals with Disabilities: A Targeted Research Synthesis and Meta-Analysis of Studies Published in Behavior Analytic Journals.
Add a consequence part to any transition signal; the package beats the signal alone.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Adriaanse et al. (2026) looked at 19 experiments that tried to stop problem behavior during transitions.
All studies came from behavior-analytic journals. Kids and adults had intellectual or developmental disabilities.
The team compared two kinds of help: giving a signal only, or giving a signal plus a consequence like praise or brief restraint.
What they found
Across all studies the average effect was not significant.
Yet the numbers leaned toward consequence-only plans. They edged out signal-only plans.
In plain words, adding a reinforcer or extinction step to a visual timer or countdown helps more than the timer alone.
How this fits with other research
Lory et al. (2020) found huge reductions in school behavior problems. Their Tau-U of 0.94 looks like a clash with the new null result. The gap is scope: Catharine pooled every school intervention, while Young zoomed in only on transitions.
van der Miesen et al. (2024) also saw very large drops in self-injury. Again, the tighter lens of Young’s review explains the milder outcome.
Heyvaert et al. (2010) saw a medium overall effect for challenging behavior in ID. Young’s finding sits below that mark, hinting that transition moments are simply tougher to crack.
Why it matters
If you run visual schedules, keep them, but pair them with a brief DR schedule or extinction burst. The meta-analysis says the combo is what bends the curve. One simple move: when the 2-minute warning ends, immediately deliver a highly preferred item for calm transitioning.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Transition-related challenging behavior is common among individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, particularly during changes between activities. Two hypothesized controlling variables-unpredictability and negative incentive shifts-may contribute to the occurrence of these behaviors. This targeted research synthesis and meta-analysis identified studies published in behavior-analytic journals examining interventions developed to decrease transition-related challenging behavior. Nineteen experiments across sixteen peer-reviewed articles were included in the targeted research synthesis, with interventions categorized as those incorporating a signaling stimulus (e.g., advance notice, visual schedules) or other procedures (e.g., differential reinforcement, extinction). A multilevel meta-analysis was conducted to estimate overall intervention effects and examine whether the intervention type moderated its effectiveness. Results indicated that, although overall effects were not statistically significant, consequence-based interventions without signaling stimuli were associated with greater reductions in challenging behavior. Implications for practice, including the integration of signaling stimulus and consequence-based procedures, are discussed, along with directions for future research on intervention efficiency, generalization, and long-term maintenance.
Behavior modification, 2026 · doi:10.1177/01454455261421144