Evaluating functional communication training without extinction in public school settings

Two public-school students with mixed diagnoses received FCT in their regular classrooms.

The team let them ask for breaks without stopping the work that usually triggered problem behavior.

They used concurrent schedules instead of extinction, so escape stayed available after the mand.

Both kids asked for breaks more often.

Only one child showed fewer problem behaviors; the other kept trying to escape.

Results were mixed, showing the plan is not a sure fix for classrooms.

Torres-Viso et al. (2018) and Zangrillo et al. (2016) got strong drops in problem behavior when they added extinction.

Their success clashes with the mixed outcome here, pointing to extinction as the missing piece.

Blair et al. (2025) meta-analysis still backs FCT in schools, so the method works—just maybe not without extinction.

Martin et al. (1997) proved FCT can last years at home; Torelli extends the no-extinction test to classrooms.

If you run FCT in a classroom and can’t use extinction, expect gains in requests but be ready for spotty behavior change.

Track each student separately and keep extinction or schedule thinning in your back pocket if progress stalls.