Functional communication training (FCT) represents one of the most researched, well-known, and effective approaches to the reduction of challenging behavior exhibited by individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The literature base for this intervention spans several decades and spans the initial demonstration of efficacy to broader questions regarding variable that impact its immediate and long-term impacts. One of the remaining challenges related to this intervention includes the successful transition of its procedures from clinic or other highly controlled contexts to home or other natural environments. A crucial step in this transition is the reduction in the density of reinforcement available during implementation. When initially conducted, implementers rely on dense (often continuous) reinforcement schedules. However, this density can be impractical for natural environments. In the current presentation, strategies for thinning the schedule of reinforcement will be described, along with their support in the published literature. The presentation will further discuss variables to consider when selecting and then implementing these schedule thinning procedures. The goal of the presentation is to help implementers arrive at the approach that best fits the clinical goals for the individual they serve, as opposed to determining which strategy represents “the best” approach.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify the components of FCT leading to its success in clinical or other highly controlled environments.
2. Learn the differences between several schedule thinning approaches, including delays to reinforcement, multiple schedule-based thinning, and probabilistic schedule thinning.
3. Identify extra-clinical variables that may need to be considered when deciding which schedule thinning approach to utilize.

About the Presenter

Joel E. Ringdahl

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.