Parent-conducted rapid assessment of attention types for the treatment of attention-maintained problem behavior

When praise is not a reinforcer for alternative behavior in the treatment of attention-maintained problem behavior, further pretreatment assessments are warranted to develop an effective treatment. The current study reports a replication of the pretreatment rapid assessment of attention types (RAAT) procedures, implemented by the parents of a 19-year-old female with attention-maintained problem behavior. After administering staff and parent-conducted RAATs, a parent-implemented treatment, (a) produced clinically significant decreases in problem behavior, and (b) confirmed that the RAAT identified an attention-type that served as a reinforcer for appropriate alternative behavior. This study extends the findings of Strohmeier et al. by reporting results of a parent-conducted RAAT and treatment evaluation. The findings highlight the practical importance of pretreatment assessment of attention-types, with emphasis on caregiver involvement, to develop effective treatments for attention-maintained problem behavior.