An Investigation of Functional Communication Training and Schedule Thinning Using a Multiple Schedule on Elopement to Ac
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ORIGINAL PAPER
An Investigation of Functional Communication Training and Schedule Thinning Using a Multiple Schedule on Elopement to Access Stereotypy Jennifer Quigley1 · Art Dowdy2 · Kelly Trucksess3 · Amanda Finlay4 Accepted: 5 November 2020 © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract Individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who engage in stereotypy may also emit a prior, temporally contiguous, high-risk response to access stereotypic behaviors. For example, the participant in this study who was diagnosed with ASD engaged in a chained response that included elopement, often in unsafe locations, to access light switch flipping. Previous research indicates that functional communication training (FCT) with delay fading is a viable approach to reduce chained problem behavior. In this study, we extended previous research by (a) evaluating the generalized effect of FCT and schedule thinning using multiple schedule technology for an automatically maintained chained response, and (b) evaluating whether intervention effects maintained in the participant’s optimal context. Results for the participant suggested that FCT with schedule thinning mitigated high-risk chained responding across settings and discrimination training using a multiple schedule assessment effectively signaled available and unavailable times for the participant to emit the chained response which matched the participant’s natural schedule parameters. Keywords Chained problem behavior · Functional communication training · Elopement · Generalization · Multiple schedules of reinforcement · Signaled availability · Stereotypy Elopement, referred to as a child running away, wandering, or leaving an identified area without permission is common among individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and frequently results in dangerous outcomes (Cheung et al. 2019; Newcomb and Hagopian 2018). Anderson et al. (2012) found that of the 1218 children included in their sample, 49% of the children had been reported to elope at least once after the age of four. Furthermore, elopement
This study is preregistered at the Registry of Efficacy and Effectiveness (REES): identification 3120.1v1. This study was completed at Melmark in Berwyn, PA. * Jennifer Quigley [email protected] 1
The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Chicago, IL, USA
2
Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
3
Bancroft, Cherry Hill, NJ, USA
4
Melmark, Berwyn, PA, USA
heightens the risk of injury for individuals diagnosed with ASD. Anderson et al. (2012) found that 24% of children were in danger of drowning and 65% of children were in danger of a traffic injury when elopement occurred. Concerns of elopement behavior also impact family life and well-being. Anderson et al. reported that 62% of families decided not to attend activities outside of the home due to heightened risk of injury from elopement and 56% of caretakers reported elopement to be one of the most stressful behaviors to cope with as careg
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