Citation

Hines E, Simonsen B. Beyond Behav. 2008; 18(1): 9-17.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, Hammill Institute on Disabilities, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Autism is a developmental disability that manifests as impairment in three primary areas: social interaction, communication and imaginative activities, and reactions to environmental stimuli. The appearance of autism spectrum disorder ranges from children who are very low functioning, nonverbal, stimulus seeking, aggressive, antisocial, and routine oriented to those who are very high functioning, verbal, and initiate social interactions independently. Young children with autism are at a significant risk to develop problematic behaviors (e.g., self-injury, physical aggression, property destruction. Without intervention, problem behaviors are more likely to worsen than improve, and the impact of problem behaviors on educational, social, and community opportunities is dramatic and detrimental. Thus, interventions for young students diagnosed with autism should address problem behaviors. One such intervention is functional communication training (FCT). FCT involves assessing the function (or purpose) of problem behavior and then teaching the student an appropriate alternative communicative response that serves as a replacement for the disruptive behavior. This study was conducted to examine the effects of (1) providing FCT (i.e., teaching the student to request desired items using a picture icon); and (2) giving (or withholding) access to picture cards (before, during, and after FCT) with a young student with autism. In particular, the following research questions were examined: (1) Does FCT result in increased use of picture cards to request desired items for a young student with autism?; and (2) Is there a functional relationship between the presence (or absence) of picture cards and behavior before (baseline), during (teaching), and after (maintenance) FCT for a young student with autism? Data from this study indicate that FCT is an efficient and effective way to teach a student with autism to use picture cards to request desired items. (Contains 4 figures.)

Language: en