By Matt Harrington, BCBA · Behaviorist Book Club · Research-backed answers for behavior analysts
Arranging and ordering behaviors are a category of restricted and repetitive behaviors characterized by the placement of objects into specific spatial configurations. Common topographies include lining up objects in rows or sequences, sorting items by color, size, shape, or other attributes, stacking objects in specific patterns, positioning items in precise locations, and insisting on particular spatial arrangements of furniture or personal belongings. These behaviors are considered part of the restricted and repetitive behavior domain of autism spectrum disorder and can vary significantly in intensity and interference across individuals, ranging from mild preferences for organization to rigid rituals that dominate daily activities and trigger severe challenging behavior when disrupted.
Standard functional analysis procedures are designed to identify behaviors maintained by social contingencies, specifically attention, escape from demands, and access to tangible items, by systematically manipulating these variables across test and control conditions. Arranging and ordering behaviors are typically maintained by automatic reinforcement, meaning the behavior produces its own reinforcing consequences through sensory or perceptual feedback rather than through social mediation. Because the standard functional analysis does not manipulate these automatic consequences, results often show elevated responding across all conditions or only in the alone condition, indicating automatic reinforcement but not specifying which aspect of the behavior is reinforcing. Modified procedures that directly manipulate the sensory consequences of arranging are needed.
Process reinforcement refers to reinforcement derived from the act of arranging itself, the motor actions of picking up, placing, and positioning objects. Product reinforcement refers to reinforcement derived from the completed arrangement, the visual or spatial configuration that results from the arranging behavior. This distinction is clinically critical because it determines treatment approach. If the process is reinforcing, treatment should provide alternative activities involving similar motor actions. If the product is reinforcing, treatment might involve providing access to completed visual arrangements without requiring the repetitive arranging process. Modified functional analysis conditions that separately test these components are necessary to determine which is maintaining the behavior for a particular individual.
Design your functional analysis to include conditions that separately test the reinforcing value of the arranging process and the completed arrangement product. Include a free access condition where the individual can both arrange and view the result, a process-only condition where arrangements are disrupted before the individual can view the completed configuration, a product-only condition where completed arrangements are presented without the individual having created them, and a control condition without arranging materials. Also include standard social function conditions to rule out attention, escape, or tangible functions. Compare responding across conditions using visual analysis to identify the maintaining variable. Ensure sessions are of appropriate length and that you have sufficient data points for reliable interpretation.
The most effective treatments are those matched to the specific function identified through functional analysis. Non-contingent reinforcement that provides the identified reinforcing stimulus on a time-based schedule can reduce the establishing operation. Differential reinforcement of alternative behavior works best when the alternative produces consequences that match the maintaining reinforcer, such as structured sorting activities or pattern completion tasks. Environmental enrichment with competing stimuli can reduce the relative value of arranging. Response interruption and redirection, when used as part of a comprehensive package including reinforcement-based components, can also be effective. Treatments should be individually tailored rather than applied as generic packages, and the least restrictive effective approach should always be prioritized.
Consider recommending against intervention when the behavior does not significantly interfere with learning, social engagement, or daily living activities, when the individual does not become distressed or engage in challenging behavior when the behavior is naturally interrupted or prevented, when the behavior serves an adaptive function such as self-regulation or organization that would be lost without an adequate replacement, when the individual expresses a preference for maintaining the behavior and this preference can be reasonably accommodated, or when the behavior occurs primarily during free time and does not prevent the individual from engaging in other valued activities. The BACB Ethics Code (2022) requires that intervention targets serve the client's best interest, and this standard applies equally to the decision not to intervene.
Challenging behavior that occurs when arranging is interrupted likely reflects an extinction or abolishing operation effect, where the expected reinforcement from arranging is suddenly unavailable. Address this by first understanding the function of the arranging behavior through proper functional analysis. Then develop a treatment plan that reduces the need to interrupt arranging by providing scheduled access to arranging activities, teaching the individual to tolerate brief interruptions through systematic desensitization, providing alternative sources of the maintaining reinforcer so that the establishing operation for arranging is reduced, and establishing clear and predictable signals that indicate when arranging is and is not available. Avoid abrupt interruption without providing alternatives, as this approach is likely to increase both the arranging behavior and the associated challenging behavior.
The methodological framework used in this research, specifically the modified functional analysis procedures that test specific automatic reinforcement hypotheses, is broadly applicable to other restricted and repetitive behaviors including motor stereotypy, vocal stereotypy, ritualistic behaviors, and restricted interests. The key principle is that automatically reinforced behaviors require assessment procedures that directly manipulate the sensory or perceptual consequences of the behavior rather than relying solely on standard social function conditions. Practitioners can adapt the logic of separating process from product reinforcement to other behaviors by identifying the specific sensory consequences the behavior produces and designing conditions that isolate those consequences.
Client assent should play a central role in treatment decisions regarding arranging and ordering behaviors. The BACB Ethics Code (2022) emphasizes respecting client dignity and involving clients in decisions about their services. For individuals who can communicate preferences, practitioners should discuss whether the arranging behavior is something the individual wants to change, explore the individual's perspective on how the behavior affects their life, and incorporate their input into goal setting and treatment design. For individuals who cannot verbally communicate, practitioners should attend to behavioral indicators of assent and withdrawal, including approach or avoidance of treatment contexts, emotional responding during intervention, and engagement patterns. Treatment should be modified when an individual consistently signals withdrawal of assent.
Generalization and maintenance planning should begin during the assessment phase and be built into the treatment design from the start. Because arranging behaviors often occur across many different materials and settings, treatment should address the general behavioral class rather than specific instances. Strategies include training across multiple exemplars of materials and settings, using naturally occurring reinforcers and intervention agents, programming common stimuli between training and generalization settings, gradually thinning reinforcement schedules for alternative behaviors, training caregivers and teachers to implement intervention consistently, and monitoring generalization probes across untrained materials and settings throughout treatment. Without explicit generalization programming, treatment gains may be limited to the specific conditions under which training occurred.
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All behavior-analytic intervention is individualized. The information on this page is for educational purposes and does not constitute clinical advice. Treatment decisions should be informed by the best available published research, individualized assessment, and obtained with the informed consent of the client or their legal guardian. Behavior analysts are responsible for practicing within the boundaries of their competence and adhering to the BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts.