Functional Behavioral Assessment, Diagnosis, and Treatment

Third Edition

Ennio Cipani, PhD

pages 149-160

delay of gratification training option(omission training)

developing a mand for accessing a reinforcer is certainly more preferable than denying access to the reinforcer with concomitant side effect behaviors.

teaching the client to mand for a desired reinforcer should have the effect of removing problem behaviors whose function was to access the prohibited reinforcer.

developing the ability of the individual to wait for longer periods of time before accessing the desired event.

premack contingency option

for most of us,we have learned how to delay gratification for some period of time on many activities and events we find reinforcing.

the premack contingency requires some low probability behavior(e.g.,completion of a task or series of tasks)to occur prior to the client being allowed to request access to the desired sensory reinforcer.

before a client can request a reinforcer and receive it,certain tasks have to be completed.

the task completion criteria for accessing the positive reinforcer can be progressively altered as a function of the success of the program in producing the contingency.

contrasting replacement function options for direct access :immediated sensory simuli

requesting behavior option(client signs,says,or points to picture icon requesting access to stereotypic behavior)

delay of gratification training(client goes without engaging in stereotypic behavior for some period of time and then is allowed to make a request to engage in hand flapping in a designated area for a designated period of time(which will be honored)

premack contingency(client performs desiggnated number of tasks and then is allowed to make a request to engage in hand flapping in a designated area for a designated period of time(which will be honored)

replacement function options for socially mediated access problem behaviors

there are five replacement function options when training a problem behaviors that is maintained by socially mediated access to positive reinforcement.

direct access(to tangible reinforcer)replacement option:developing or strengthening a chain of behaviors that produce the desired tangible reinforcer directly.

teaching a client to pour his or her own drink instead of throwing a tantrum(to have someone else get it) is obviously a great solution,once the function of tantrum behavior is discoverd.

access mand(request)replacement option:identify a requesting behavior(mand) that would allow staff to mediate such a request or choice by providing the client with the desired person's attention or tangible reinforcer.

in this treatment option,the desired reinforcer,whether it be adult attention or access to a tangible reinforcer,is provided by staff upon an appropriate request

disable one function,enable another!

differential reinforcement of low rates group contingencies for peer attention:desingating a lower rate of the target behavior(differential reinforcement of low-rate behavior),which is the criterion for providing a powerful reinforcer to the group,the target rate may be for either the individual client's behavior or a group's level of behavior or performance  

delay of gratification training option:identify a length of time that you want the individual not to perform the target behavior,that is the nonoccurrence of target behavior for a set time period,contingent upon the client not engaging in the target behavior in the DRO  

interval,access to the desired adult or staff attention or tangible reinforcer is provided.

the DRO interval should be set as a function of the baseline data,the baseline data collected should allow for the user to determine the average interval of nonoccurrence of the target behavior,this can be achieved simply by dividing the length of the data collection session by the frequency of target behavior.

premack contingency replacement option:identify a regimen of tasks that,when completed, allows the client to access the reinforcer

extinction is defined as the removal of the functional reinforcer contingent upon the target behavior occurring

all the functional behavioral treatment plans would require that the maintaining reinforcer for the target problem behavior be eliminated,or at least weakened(i.e.,disabled)