Blending functional communication training and choice making to improve task engagement and decrease problem behaviour

Abstract

This study evaluated the effects of choice making within functional communication training (FCT) to increase the task engagement of two participants with inappropriate behaviour. Pretreatment functional analyses indicated that both participants’ inappropriate behaviour was maintained by escape. For one of the participants, inappropriate behaviour was also maintained by access to tangible items. Next, FCT was implemented to teach the participants to mand for breaks as a replacement for problem behaviour. Both participants quickly learned to mand for breaks and inappropriate behaviour decreased to low levels. However, the participants continuously manded for breaks, and task engagement was very low when FCT was in place. Thus, a choice‐making component was added to the FCT intervention. When choice making was in place, participants could choose between completing work and taking a break. The dimensions of reinforcement associated with each choice were manipulated within a reversal design to demonstrate that the length and quality of breaks provided for each choice affected each participant’s choices. Results indicated that when longer and higher quality breaks were provided contingent upon choosing and completing work, the individuals manded for work more often than they manded for a break. In addition, when greater reinforcement for choosing work was in place, task engagement increased without a concurrent increase in problem behaviour. The results of these studies suggest that choice making may ameliorate some of the disadvantages of FCT (for example, continuous requests for reinforcement).