Refinements of Functional Communication Training

Description

Although treatments for problem behavior, like functional communication training (FCT), can be highly effective in the clinic, changes in the way the FCT is implemented (e.g., when transferring treatment to the home, when teachers implement treatment with poor fidelity) can result in treatment relapse. The goal of this study is to evaluate whether using treatment signals and gradually introducing materials from natural contexts can help mitigate treatment relapse during context changes and poor treatment-integrity scenarios.

Conditions

Aggression, Self-injurious Behavior

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Study Overview

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Study Details

Study overview

Although treatments for problem behavior, like functional communication training (FCT), can be highly effective in the clinic, changes in the way the FCT is implemented (e.g., when transferring treatment to the home, when teachers implement treatment with poor fidelity) can result in treatment relapse. The goal of this study is to evaluate whether using treatment signals and gradually introducing materials from natural contexts can help mitigate treatment relapse during context changes and poor treatment-integrity scenarios.

Stimulus Control Refinements of Functional Communication Training

Refinements of Functional Communication Training

Condition
Aggression
Intervention / Treatment

-

Contacts and Locations

Somerset

Children's Specialized Hospital - Rutgers University Center for Autism Research, Education, and Services, Somerset, New Jersey, United States, 00873

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

For general information about clinical research, read Learn About Studies.

Eligibility Criteria

  • * Boys and girls from ages 3 to 17
  • * Destructive behavior that occurs at least 10 times a day despite previous treatment
  • * Destructive behavior reinforced by social consequences like attention (FCT is not appropriate for automatically reinforced destructive behavior)
  • * On a stable psychoactive drug regimen for at least 10 half-lives per drug or drug free
  • * Stable educational plan and placement with no anticipated changes during the child's treatment
  • * Patients who do not meet the inclusion criteria
  • * Patients currently receiving 15 or more hours per week of treatment for their destructive behavior
  • * DSM-5 diagnosis of Rett syndrome or other degenerative conditions (e.g., inborn error of metabolism)
  • * A comorbid health condition or major mental disorder that would interfere with study participation
  • * Occurrence of SIB during study assessments that presents a risk of serious or permanent harm (e.g., detached retinas) based on our routine clinical-risk assessment
  • * Patients requiring drug-treatment changes, but the experimenters will invite these patients to participate if they meet inclusion criteria after drug regimen is stable.

Ages Eligible for Study

3 Years to 17 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Collaborators and Investigators

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey,

Wayne W Fisher, PhD, PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Study Record Dates

2025-12-31