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Bottema-Beutel K, McKinnon R, Mohiuddin S, LaPoint SC, Kim SY. Problems with "problem behavior": A secondary systematic review of intervention research on transition-age autistic youth. AUTISM : THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND PRACTICE 2024; 28:1872-1888. [PMID: 38389134 DOI: 10.1177/13623613241229159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
LAY ABSTRACT In a previous study, we looked at research done on strategies to support autistic people who were between 14 and 22 years old. For this study, we looked at all of the studies in our previous study that tried to decrease or stop autistic people from doing certain things-many researchers call these things "problem behavior." There were 48 studies that tried to reduce problem behavior, and most of them used strategies like prompting and reinforcement to try get autistic people to change their behavior. We found many things wrong with these studies. Most of them did not define the group of behaviors they were trying to stop autistic people from doing. None of the studies looked at whether any side effects happened when they tried the strategy they were studying. Also, most of the studies tried to stop autistic people from doing behaviors that probably were not harmful, like stereotypic behavior. Most of the studies did not say how they decided that the behaviors they tried to stop were a problem for the autistic people in the study, and most studies did not try to figure out why the autistic people in the study did the behaviors the researchers were trying to stop them from doing.
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Smith SW, Arroyo Antúnez BE, DeBartelo J, Sullivan WE, Roane HS, Craig AR. Synthesized alternative reinforcement and resurgence. J Exp Anal Behav 2024. [PMID: 39086124 DOI: 10.1002/jeab.4202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2024] [Accepted: 07/17/2024] [Indexed: 08/02/2024]
Abstract
In treatments based on differential reinforcement of alternative behavior, applied researchers and clinicians often provide multiple, qualitatively different reinforcers (i.e., synthesized reinforcement) rather than a single reinforcer (i.e., isolated reinforcement) contingent on alternative behavior. Some research shows that providing synthesized reinforcement for alternative responses within such treatments produces more rapid and complete suppression of target behavior; however, there is limited research evaluating the durability of these effects during treatment disruptions. Conceptual explanations of resurgence (e.g., resurgence as choice, context theory) suggest that treatments that include synthesized alternative reinforcement may lead to more resurgence of target behavior when alternative reinforcement is disrupted relative to treatments using isolated reinforcement. We evaluated this hypothesis within a three-phase resurgence evaluation. We exposed rats to isolated or synthesized reinforcement for alternative responding in the second phase, and we exposed rats to extinction in the third phase. Synthesized alternative reinforcement produced more rapid and complete suppression of target behavior than did isolated reinforcement in the second phase; however, exposure to extinction following synthesized reinforcement produced more resurgence. We discuss these results in terms of their implications for applied research and their support for current conceptual explanations for resurgence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean W Smith
- SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, USA
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Lambert JM, Osina MA, Copeland BA. Reinforcer value moderates response magnitude and persistence during extinction: A randomized trial. J Appl Behav Anal 2024; 57:615-634. [PMID: 38825878 DOI: 10.1002/jaba.1088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 06/04/2024]
Abstract
Extinction bursts, or temporary increases in rates and intensities of behavior during extinction, can preclude the inclusion of extinction in intervention packages meant to suppress severe challenging behavior. To identify underlying behavioral mechanisms responsible for response persistence and bursting, 69 adults with developmental disabilities completed a low-stakes translational investigation employing a 2 × 2 factorial, crossed, and randomized matched blocks design, with batched randomization logic. In each of the four test groups, we made distinct antecedent manipulations with two value parameters commonly studied through behavioral economics (i.e., demand intensity, Pmax) and evaluated the extent to which each of these manipulations influenced target responding during extinction. Although we found statistically significant differences attributable to both parameters, variations in reinforcer consumption relative to demand intensity were most influential across all dependent variables. This outcome implicates consumption relative to demand intensity as both a mitigating and exacerbating preextinction factor that influences the prevalence of adverse collateral extinction effects (e.g., bursts).
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph M Lambert
- Department of Special Education, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Maria A Osina
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Bailey A Copeland
- Department of Special Education, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
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Muething C, Cariveau T, Bottini S, Slocum S, Williams C, Gillespie S, Scheithauer M. Descriptive characteristics of extinction bursts: A record review. J Appl Behav Anal 2024; 57:372-382. [PMID: 38226687 DOI: 10.1002/jaba.1054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 12/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/17/2024]
Abstract
Procedural extinction is sometimes associated with a temporary increase in responding known as an extinction burst. Extinction bursts present unique challenges in the context of treating behavior targeted for reduction. The present study updates the prevalence of extinction bursts using a clinical sample (N = 108) receiving treatment for targeted behavior. The prevalence of extinction bursts in our sample (24%) was consistent with that in prior literature. The extinction-burst magnitude decreased across sessions after extinction was contacted during treatment, but this sample did not demonstrate decreased persistence or magnitude of extinction bursts across successive transitions from baseline to treatment. We also examined the prevalence and magnitude of extinction bursts based on the function and topography of targeted behavior and treatment components and found no consistent relation among these variables. These findings should lead clinicians to prepare for transient extinction bursts when implementing extinction-based treatment for challenging behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colin Muething
- Marcus Autism Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Tom Cariveau
- Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, NC, USA
| | - Summer Bottini
- Marcus Autism Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Sarah Slocum
- Marcus Autism Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Catherine Williams
- Marcus Autism Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Scott Gillespie
- Marcus Autism Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Mindy Scheithauer
- Marcus Autism Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
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Call NA, Bernstein AM, O’Brien MJ, Schieltz KM, Tsami L, Lerman DC, Berg WK, Lindgren SD, Connelly MA, Wacker DP. A comparative effectiveness trial of functional behavioral assessment methods. J Appl Behav Anal 2024; 57:166-183. [PMID: 38049887 PMCID: PMC10843530 DOI: 10.1002/jaba.1045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023]
Abstract
Clinicians report primarily using functional behavioral assessment (FBA) methods that do not include functional analyses. However, studies examining the correspondence between functional analyses and other types of FBAs have produced inconsistent results. In addition, although functional analyses are considered the gold standard, their contribution toward successful treatment compared with other FBA methods remains unclear. This comparative effectiveness study, conducted with 57 young children with autism spectrum disorder, evaluated the results of FBAs that did (n = 26) and did not (n = 31) include a functional analysis. Results of FBAs with and without functional analyses showed modest correspondence. All participants who completed functional communication training achieved successful outcomes regardless of the type of FBA conducted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan A. Call
- Marcus Autism Center, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Alec M. Bernstein
- Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, Missouri, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, Kansas City, Missouri, USA
| | - Matthew J. O’Brien
- Stead Family Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
| | - Kelly M. Schieltz
- Stead Family Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
| | - Loukia Tsami
- Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities, University of Houston-Clear Lake, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Dorothea C. Lerman
- Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities, University of Houston-Clear Lake, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Wendy K. Berg
- Stead Family Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
| | - Scott D. Lindgren
- Stead Family Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
| | - Mark A. Connelly
- Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, Missouri, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, Kansas City, Missouri, USA
| | - David P. Wacker
- Stead Family Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
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Smith SW, Greer BD. Translational evaluation of on/off alternative reinforcement cycling. J Exp Anal Behav 2023; 120:429-439. [PMID: 37680018 PMCID: PMC10840708 DOI: 10.1002/jeab.879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023]
Abstract
Cycling between the availability and unavailability of reinforcement for alternative responding has successfully reduced resurgence in basic laboratory evaluations, but this approach represents a marked departure from current standards of care when treating problem behavior, warranting careful translation before its use clinically. Therefore, with extinction arranged for target responding across groups in Phase 2, we evaluated the effects of cycling between the availability and unavailability of differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA) using a computer-based task with adult humans recruited through Amazon MTurk. Two control groups experienced constant DRA in Phase 2, with one group experiencing a dense DRA schedule and another group experiencing a lean DRA schedule. The cycling DRA group tended to show greater reductions in target responding and improved discrimination in Phase 2 and less target responding across Phases 2 and 3 than the lean DRA and dense DRA groups. These preliminary findings suggest that on/off DRA cycling procedures may produce more desirable treatment outcomes than constant DRA without producing negative side effects; however, further research is needed to confirm these possibilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean W. Smith
- Department of Pediatrics, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY
- Department of Pediatrics, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
| | - Brian D. Greer
- Department of Pediatrics, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
- Children’s Specialized Hospital–Rutgers University Center for Autism Research, Education, and Services (CSH–RUCARES)
- Rutgers Brain Health Institute
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McCabe LH, Greer BD. Evaluations of heart rate during functional analyses of destructive behavior. J Appl Behav Anal 2023; 56:777-786. [PMID: 37608399 PMCID: PMC10696488 DOI: 10.1002/jaba.1019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 08/24/2023]
Abstract
Previous research has examined the predictive validity of heart rate on destructive behavior; however, such research has yet to improve clinical practice or enhance our understanding of the relation between physiology and destructive behavior. The purpose of this study was to examine the predictive validity of heart rate on varying topographies and functions of destructive behavior while controlling antecedent and consequent events through functional analysis. We first demonstrated the reliability of the Polar H10 heart rate monitor and assessed the feasibility of its use in simulated functional analysis sessions. However, across four consecutively enrolled patients, heart rate was not found to be a reliable predictor of destructive behavior, regardless of its topography or function. Instead, functional reinforcer presence and absence was sufficient to predict socially reinforced destructive behavior. This study may provide a framework for the future assessment of other biological measures in relation to destructive behavior occurrence and nonoccurrence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liam H. McCabe
- Children’s Specialized Hospital–Rutgers University Center for Autism Research, Education, and Services (CSH–RUCARES), Somerset, NJ, USA
- Department of Applied Psychology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Brian D. Greer
- Children’s Specialized Hospital–Rutgers University Center for Autism Research, Education, and Services (CSH–RUCARES), Somerset, NJ, USA
- Rutgers Brain Health Institute, Piscataway, NJ, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
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