Hagopian, L. P., Fisher, W. W., Sullivan, M. T., Acquisto, J., & LeBlanc, L. A. (1998).
Effectiveness of functional communication training with and without extinction and punishment: A summary of 21 inpatient cases.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis,
31, 211-235.
Functional communication training (FCT) is a frequently used
treatment for reducing problem behavior exhibited by individuals
with developmental disabilities. Once the operant function of
problem behavior is identified by a functional analysis, the
client is taught to emit an appropriate communicative response to
obtain the reinforcer that is responsible for behavioral
maintenance. Studies on FCT have typically used small numbers of
participants, have reported primarily on clients for whom FCT was
successful, and have varied with respect to their use of other
treatment components. The main purposes of the present study were
to evaluate the efficacy of FCT for treating severe problem
behavior in a relatively large sample of individuals with mental
retardation (N = 21) and to determine the contribution of
extinction and punishment components to FCT treatment packages.
FCT with extinction was effective in reducing problem behavior
for the majority of clients and resulted in at least a 90%
reduction in problem behavior in nearly half the applications.
However, when demand or delay-to-reinforcement fading was added
to FCT with extinction, treatment efficacy was reduced in about
one half of the applications. FCT with punishment (both with and
without fading) resulted in at least a 90% reduction in problem
behavior for every case in which it was applied.
DESCRIPTORS: functional communication training, severe behavior
problems, mental retardation, punishment, extinction