Using Functional Communication Training to Reduce Screaming Behavior in a Young Girl with Autism

Volume 7, Issue 1, February 2022     |     PP. 11-32      |     PDF (491 K)    |     Pub. Date: January 10, 2022
DOI: 10.54647/education88302    104 Downloads     5573 Views  

Author(s)

Dimitra Chaldi, PhD. Student (Faculty of Medicine), M.ADS, BSc. S-LP Speech – Language Pathologist & Behavior Therapist at “Speech Rehabilitation Institute”, Patra, Greece

Abstract
Children with autism may engage in challenging behaviors due to language delays and lack of functional communicative repertoire. The present case study examines a 5-year old girl with autism who engages in screaming induced by accessibility to tangibles. The primary objective was to assess and identify the function of screaming and propose an effective intervention plan. Initially, a parametric analog assessment was conducted to identify the most effective schedule of reinforcement using the Antecedents-Behavior-Consequences and the Questions About Behavioral Function. The results showed that access to tangibles promote screaming behavior. The Functional Communication Training and daily preference assessment were used to develop her manding, while decreasing the occurrence of screaming. The intervention resulted in a significant increase in the client’s requesting for a preferred item across 10 sessions with a concomitant decrease in the occurrence of screaming.

Keywords
Autism Spectrum Disorder, Functional Communication Training, Preference Assessment, Screaming.

Cite this paper
Dimitra Chaldi, Using Functional Communication Training to Reduce Screaming Behavior in a Young Girl with Autism , SCIREA Journal of Education. Volume 7, Issue 1, February 2022 | PP. 11-32. 10.54647/education88302

References

[ 1 ] Bailey, J. S., & Burch, M. R. (2016). Assessing Behavior (Code 3.0). In Bailey, J. S., & Burch, M. R. (Eds.), Ethics for behavior analysts: 3rd Edition (pp. 109-122). New York, NY: Routelge.
[ 2 ] Bailey, J. S., & Burch, M. R. (2016). Behavior analysts and the behavior-change program (Code 4.0). In Bailey, J. S., & Burch, M. R. (Eds.), Ethics for behavior analysts: 3rd Edition (pp. 123-140). New York, NY: Routelge.
[ 3 ] Bijou, S. W., Peterson, R. F., & Ault, M. H. (1968). A method to integrate descriptive and experimental field studies at the level of data and empirical concepts. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 1, 175-191.
[ 4 ] Canella, H. I., O’Reilly, M. F., Lancioni, G. E. (2005). Choice and preference assessment research with people severe to profound developmental disabilities: a review of the literature. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 26(1), 1-15. Doi: 10.1016/j.ridd.2004.01.006
[ 5 ] Chiang, H. M. (2008). Expressive communication of children with autism: The use of challenging behaviour. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 52(11), 966-972. Doi: 10.1007/s10803-007-0423-z
[ 6 ] Cooper, J. O., Heron, T. E., & Heward, W. L. (2007). Selecting and Defining Target Behaviors. In Cooper, J. O., Heron, T. E., & Heward, W. L. (Eds.), Applied Behavior Analysis- Second Edition (pp. 48-71). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc.
[ 7 ] Cooper, J. O., Heron, T. E., & Heward, W. L. (2007). Improving and assessing the quality of behavioral measurement. In Cooper, J. O., Heron, T. E., & Heward, W. L. (Eds.), Applied Behavior Analysis – Second Edition (pp. 102-124). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc.
[ 8 ] Galiatsatos, G. T., & Graff, R. B. (2003). Combining descriptive and functional analyses to assess and treat screaming. Behavioral Interventions, 18(2), 123-138. Doi: 10.1002/bin.133
[ 9 ] Haidet, K. K., Tate, J., Divirgilio-Thomas, D., Kolanowski, A., & Happ, M. B. (2009). Methods to improve reliability of video recorded behavioral data. Research in Nursing & Health, 32(4), 465-474. Doi: 10.1002/nur.20334
[ 10 ] Johnson, C. P., & Myers, S. M. (2007). Identification and evaluation of children with autism spectrum disorders. Pediatrics, 120(5), 1183-1215. Doi: 10.1542/peds.2007-2361
[ 11 ] Kahng, S., Ingvarsson, E. T., Quigg, A. M., Seckinger, K. E., & Teichman, H. M. (2011). Defining and Measuring Behavior. In Fisher, W. W., Piazza, C. C., & Roane, H. S. (Eds.), Handbook of Applied Behavior Analysis (pp. 113- 131). New York, NY: The Guilford Press
[ 12 ] Koegel, L. K., Koegel, R. L., Boettcher, M. A., Harrower, J., & Openden, D. (2006). Combining functional assessment and self-management procedures to rapidly reduce disruptive behaviors. In Koegel, R. L., & Koegel, L. K. (Eds.), Pivotal Response Treatments for Autism (pp. 245-258). Baltimore, Maryland: Paul H. Brooks Publishing Co., Inc.
[ 13 ] Matson, J. L., Kozlowski, A. M., Worley, J. A., Shoemaker, M. E., Sipes, M., & Horovitz, M. (2011). What is the evidence for environmental causes of challenging behaviors in persons with intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorders? . Research in Developmental Disabilities, 32(2), 693-698.
[ 14 ] Matson, J. L., & Vollmer, T. (1995). Questions about behavioral function (QABF). Baton Rouge, LA: Disability Consultants, LLC.
[ 15 ] McClintock, K., Hall, S., & Oliver, C. (2003). Risk markers associated with challenging behaviors in people with intellectual disabilities: a meta-analytic study. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 47(6), 405-416.
[ 16 ] O’Neil, R. E (1990). Establishing verbal repertoire: Toward the application of general case analysis and programming. The Analysis of Verbal Behavior, 8, 113-126.
[ 17 ] Paired choice preference assessment datasheet. (n.d.). In behavioral -solutions.com. Retrieved from http://behavioral-solutions.com/Portals/0/Lethbridge%20Forms/Reinforcement-%20Preference%20Assessment-%202.pdf
[ 18 ] Piazza, C. C., Fisher, W. W., Hagopian, L. P., Bowman, L. G., & Toole, L. (1996). Using a choice assessment to predict reinforcer effectiveness. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 29, 1-9.
[ 19 ] Reed, D. D., & Azulay, R. L. (2011). A Microsoft Excel ® based tool for calculating interobserver agreement. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 4(2), 45-52.
[ 20 ] Rutherford, C. (2012). Critical Review: Effectiveness of functional communication training using augmentative and alternative communication on the challenging behaviour of children with autism. Retrieved from https://www.uwo.ca/fhs/csd/ebp/reviews/2011-12/Rutherford.pdf
[ 21 ] Sigafoos, J., & Meikle, B. (1996). Functional communication training for the treatment of multiple determined challenging behavior in two boys with autism. Behavior Modification, 20(1), 60-84. Doi: 10.1177/01454455960201003
[ 22 ] Sundberg, M. L. (2008). VB-MAPP: Verbal behavior milestones assessment and placement program. Concord: AVB Press.
[ 23 ] Tarbox, J., Wilke, A. E., Najdowski, A. C., Findel-Pyles, R. S., Balasanyan, S., Caveney, A. C., Chilingaryan, V., King, D., M., Niehoff, S. M., Slease, K., & Tia, B. (2009). Comparing Indirect, Descriptive, and Experimental Functional Assessments of Challenging Behavior in Children with Autism. Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities, 21(6), 493-514. Doi: 10.1007/s10882-009-9154-8
[ 24 ] Watkins, M. W., & Pacheco, M. (2000). Interobserver agreement in behavioral research: Importance and calculation. Journal of Behavioral Education, 10(4), 205-212. Doi: 10.1023/A:1012295615144