Evaluation of functional communication training as a satiation procedure to reduce challenging behavior in instructional environments for children with autism

Objectives: For individuals with challenging behavior, antecedent interventions such as modifying the motivation for the behavior have shown to be effective. In this study, we examined the effects of giving the participants the opportunity to continuously request tangible items (e.g. toys and activities) prior to instruction to determine if allowing them to satiate on the item would serve as an effective intervention to reduce challenging behavior maintained by access to the items. Method: Functional analyses identified that access to tangible items maintained the challenging behavior of four children with autism spectrum disorder. The children were then trained using Functional Communication Training (FCT) to request the items. Prior to 15 mins academic and/or functional skill instructional sessions, participants were exposed to either an FCT session and allowed to request the tangible items or did not receive an FCT session. The no FCT condition consisted of the child's typically scheduled activities, without access to the preferred items maintaining challenging behavior for at least one hour prior to instruction. Following the FCT or no FCT conditions, we measured challenging behavior and academic engagement during 15-mins sessions of one-on-one instruction. Results: When instruction was preceded with FCT as a satiation intervention, we observed lower levels of challenging behavior and higher levels of academic engagement compared to no FCT conditions for two of four participants. Conclusion: Overall, the results of this study appear to support the use of FCT as a viable satiation procedure to reduce challenging behavior in instructional settings.