Functional communication training (FCT) represents perhaps the most researched behavioral intervention for reducing challenging behavior exhibited by individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities such as autism spectrum disorder. Its utility has been demonstrated across clinical populations to address a wide variety of challenging behavior topographies incorporating a number of alternative response modalities. To implement, FCT requires a two-step process including (1) identification of the function for the concerning challenging behavior, and (2) differential reinforcement of an appropriate communicative response using the reinforcer(s) identified in step 1. The current presentation will cover several of the key concepts related to this process. The first part of this presentation will focus on the functional behavior assessment of challenging behavior and how its results inform the development of communication-based intervention. The second part of this presentation will cover the basics of intervention design, including alternative response selection, teaching the alternative response (when necessary), and reinforcement schedules to consider.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Identify how the results of a functional behavior assessment informs FCT design.
  2. Be able to describe how an alternative response, not already in the individual's repertoire, can be taught and subsequently included in FCT.
  3. Identify how an individual's ability to exhibit an alternative response with no to limited prompting impacts the likely initial success of FCT as an intervention.

About the Presenter

Dr. Joel E. Ringdahl is a Professor of Special Education in the Communications Sciences and Special Education Department at the University of Georgia (USA) and Co-Director of the University of Georgia’s Center for Autism and Behavioral Education Research (CABER). He received his Ph.D. (1999) and MA (1995) in Psychology from Louisiana State University, and a BS (1992) in psychology from the University of Florida. Dr. Ringdahl is a licensed psychologist and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. He has served several editorial roles, including editor-in-chief for Behavior Analysis: Research and Practice and associate editor for the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and The Psychological Record. He currently serves on a number of editorial boards. Dr. Ringdahl’s research interests include functional analysis and treatment of severe challenging behavior exhibited by individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, stimulus preference assessments, functional communication training, and translational research in the areas of response persistence and relapse and behavioral economics. Dr. Ringdahl has published numerous peer-reviewed articles, co-edited two textbooks on behavior analysis, and has been a funded researcher through the National Institutes of Health (USA) for the past 25 years. In his clinical work, Dr. Ringdahl has worked in hospital and university-based clinics, state facilities, community facilities, schools, and in private homes. In those settings, Dr. Ringdahl has worked across the age range with individuals ranging in age from two years old to 90 years old.

No reviews yet for this product!

Course information

  • Title: Less Meltdown, More Message: A Beginner's Guide to FCT
  • Presenter: Joel E. Ringdahl BCBA, Ph.D., MA
  • Date: Tuesday, March 24th, 2026
  • CEUs: 2 Learning
  • Time: 9:00 AM Pacific
  • Duration: 1 hour and 40 minutes
FREE!