Disparities in the use, quality, and outcomes of treatments, and the barriers that deter Hispanics from receiving healthcare services have been widely studied. Yet, similar efforts have been slow in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). A way to decrease treatment disparities is to assess the influence of cultural variables in behavior analytic interventions, and to evaluate whether manipulations to these variables improve the overall results of the interventions among Hispanic families. During this study, we adapted functional communication training (FCT) to Hispanic parent’s cultural values, we assessed the preference for culturally adapted and non-culturally adapted functional communication responses (FCR), and we evaluated the social validity of both FCRs. We achieved this by creating the Culturally-Adapted Response Evaluation Survey (CARES) for behavior analysts to use as a guide when interviewing parents to identify an FCR that adheres to the families’ cultural values. We evaluated parents’ preference for each FCR using a multiple-baseline design in which parents were trained to implement procedures to maintain the FCR that was taught and we provided parents an opportunity to choose the FCR they wanted to reinforce. The results of the study and their implications for ABA services are discussed.

Abstract Social communication skills play a central role in the developmental outcomes for young children with autism. Due to deficits in social communication skills, many young children with autism develop problem behavior. Providing these children with the right tools to communicate properly may decrease their problem behavior. This study examines the impact of contingency mapping intervention on problem behavior and functional communication skills in three children with autism, using a multiple-baseline design. Before implementation of contingency mapping, verbal contingency was implemented in the first phase of intervention, which was associated with minimal increases in communication skills and decreases in problem behavior across children. Further increases in communication skills and decreases in problem behavior in the contingency mapping condition indicate that the use of the contingency map as a visual aid may be an effective way to augment the effects of contingency instruction.

Invariant responding among individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is problematic and can be pervasive across all areas of development. Individuals with ASD demonstrate difficulty communicating wants and needs and often engage in challenging behavior in order to get needs met. Functional communication training (FCT) is one approach for mediating challenging behavior by teaching individuals a communicative response that is functionally equivalent to the demonstrated challenging behavior. However, individuals are often taught a single communicative response (e.g., vocal approximations) that may be unintelligible to the naïve listener and challenging behavior may resurge as a result of a communication breakdown. Recently, the evaluation of lag schedules of reinforcement has shown that it is possible to reinforce operant variability during instruction. Increasing communicative variability for individuals with ASD may decrease the likelihood of resurgence of challenging behavior by providing a broader repertoire of socially appropriate communicative responses that contacted reinforcement through the use of a lag schedule of reinforcement. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effect a lag schedule of reinforcement on communicative variability in three individuals with ASD. In this study, communication was reinforced on either a Lag 0 (or FR1 concurrent) schedule of reinforcement, or a Lag 1 (e.g., responses contacted reinforcement only if the response differed from the previous communicative response). Functional analyses were conducted for each participant to determine variables maintaining challenging behavior, all participants were given a mand topography assessment to evaluate mand topography proficiency, and a lag schedule evaluation was conducted. Results showed that increasing the lag schedule of reinforcement from Lag 0 to Lag 1 increased communicative mand topographies for all participants. Results further showed a significant reduction in challenging behavior as compared to baseline conditions contingent on implementation of the FCT package. / text

There are several different methods of assessment of functional communication in individuals with aphasia. However, these are not very established in Sweden. A number of assessment methods are not translated and adapted to Swedish. The views about what functional communication means are scattered. The purpose of this study was to, with the help of a questionnaire survey, identify how Swedish speech and language therapists assess functional communication, to what extent and what they want that an assessment method should contain to be clinically useful. The study involved 54 clinically active speech and language therapists in the area of aphasia. Participants felt that it was important to assess functional communication. Assessment was commonly used but with different methods. The most common way of assessment was that the speech  and language therapists assessed the functional communication through dialogue and observation. It was less claimed to use only structured and published assessment materials. The speech and language therapists in the study considered it important that the results from an assessment method should be comparable over time to be clinically useful. An increased knowledge and dissemination of assessment materials for functional communication might increase the use. There is a need for new Swedish assessment material and/or translations of existing material regarding functionell communication. Another aspect that is important for a more thorough assessment of functional communication is the lack of time as many speech and language therapists where experiencing. / Det finns flertalet bedömningsmetoder för funktionell kommunikation hos personer med afasi. Dessa är dock inte särskilt etablerade i Sverige. Flera av bedömningsmetoderna finns inte översatta till svenska och är därmed inte anpassade till svenska förhållanden. Åsikterna kring vad funktionell kommunikation innebär är spridda. Syftet med föreliggande studie var att med hjälp av en enkätundersökning kartlägga hur och i vilken utsträckning logopeder i Sverige bedömer funktionell kommunikation vid afasi, samt vad de vill att en bedömningsmetod ska innehålla för att den ska vara kliniskt användbar.  I studien deltog 54 kliniskt aktiva logopeder inom afasiområdet. Deltagarna ansåg att det var viktigt att bedöma funktionell kommunikation. Bedömningen utfördes i hög grad men med olika metoder. Det vanligaste var att logopederna bedömde funktionell kommunikation genom samtal och observation. En mindre andel uppgav sig använda enbart strukturerade och publicerade bedömningsmaterial. Det logopederna ansåg viktigast för att en bedömningsmetod ska vara kliniskt användbar var att det gick att jämföra resultatet över tid. Det framkom av svaren att en utökad kunskap och spridning av bedömningsmaterial för funktionell kommunikation skulle få logopeder att använda dessa mer. Det behövs nya svenska material och/eller översättningar av redan befintliga material. Tidsbrist för bedömning av funktionell kommunikation är något som många deltagare angav som en anledning till att det inte genomförs i stor utsträckning.

Problem behaviours occur in approximately 10 to 15% of individuals with intellectual disabilities and these behaviours most often include aggression and self-injury. Families who support young adults with multiple disabilities and problem behaviour at home often experience costs to their psychological, physical, financial and emotional wellbeing. Respite care evolved to allow families short breaks from care giving and to support families in looking after their family members at home. Furthermore, problem behaviour severely limits opportunities for individuals with multiple disabilities to interact adaptively with their environments and develop positive behaviour skills that increase the possibility of living independently in their adult years. The present study aimed first to demonstrate the utility of functional analysis of problem behaviour in respite care, and then, to reduce food stealing and pica exhibited by a young adult with multiple disabilities attending a respite care centre. Following a functional analysis that indicated food stealing and pica had the probable function of hunger reduction, two positive behaviour support plans were developed. These interventions, conducted at the respite centre three days a week by centre staff, involved strategies to teach the participant to sign “eat” in New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) to gain access to food and increase accessibility of food in the environment to reduce pica. The results showed that introducing the NZSL sign reduced food stealing to near zero within three weeks and pica was eliminated following the combined approach of functional communication training and antecedent manipulation. Use of the communicative sign was maintained at follow-up and food stealing remained at near zero, while pica remained at zero one-month following the intervention.

abstract: The present study used a multiple baseline design across settings to examine the effects of using an iPad as an alternative reinforcer on self-injury and aggression when reinforcement for appropriate communication was denied following Functional Communication Training in an adolescent with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Intellectual Disability (ID), and severe aggression. The study also assessed collateral effects of the intervention on the use of self-management to control aggression. Data indicate the use of an iPad as an alternative reinforcer decreased the duration of self-injury and physical aggression in an adolescent in a big box store, grocery store, and classroom. Instances of self-injury and aggression remained low during maintenance sessions and a six month post-hoc analysis. Collateral gains in self-management were made during treatment and maintenance sessions. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Special Education 2014

Functional communication training (FCT) is an effective procedure to teach a functional communication response (FCR) and decrease problem behavior. However, there are limitations to FCT. These limitations include excessive manding (e.g., requesting items at a high rate) and manding at inappropriate times (e.g., requesting attention when caregiver is driving). Multiple schedules using static signals (e.g., colored cards) have been used to decrease these limitations while maintaining appropriate levels of the FCRs and low levels of problem behavior. Moreover, dynamic signals have been used to maintain low levels of problem behavior and appropriate levels of alternative responses outside of a multiple schedule format. Presently, no research has examined the comparison of static and dynamic signals to address the limitations of FCT. Therefore, the purpose of the current study is to compare the effects of static and dynamic signals (i.e., Time Timer®) during multiple schedules consisting of reinforcement and extinction components following FCT. Key words: functional communication training, multiple schedules, static signals, Time Timers®

Background: Word retrieval deficits are a common, pervasive feature of aphasia. Semantic feature analysis (SFA) is a popular treatment technique for word retrieval impairment. Preliminary evidence of its use in small aphasia-group settings suggests improved word retrieval in discourse-based tasks with improvements in communicative informativeness (Antonucci, 2009; Falconer & Antonucci, 2012). Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the training of SFA within discourse during a small (two-member) aphasia group treatment to ascertain if gains would be made in word retrieval abilities and communicative informativeness. Method: Two female participants with chronic aphasia, aged seventy seven and sixty eight, participated weekly in group treatment for five consecutive weeks where stimuli were used to elicit increasingly naturalistic discourse. A multiple-baseline design was used and a case series analysis conducted. Baseline measures, treatment data and data from the six week follow-up (SWFU) session were analysed using the protocols developed by Nicholas and Brookshire (1993) and Mayer and Murray (2003). Results: Both participants demonstrated certain modest gains in overall communicative informativeness but these were not maintained at the SWFU session. Gains in informativeness ranged from 12% to 13.4% for participants, which agree with improvements in other studies (Antonucci, 2009; Boyle & Coelho, 1995; Falconer & Antonucci, 2012). P2 (presented with anomic aphasia) performed better than P1 (presented with Broca’s aphasia and a component of apraxia of speech [AOS]) with regards to communicative informativeness (%CIUs) and had greater access to semantic knowledge (i.e. could access lexical forms at an improved rate). Conclusion: The small group setting may offer advantages to facilitate communication skills and increase participation in everyday conversation. Further research is needed to identify benefits for individuals with differing aphasia types and severity, optimal intensity and frequency of group treatment and the role of peer support during group interaction. Key Words Aphasia, stroke rehabilitation, word retrieval, semantic feature analysis, connected speech, discourse, group therapy, communicative informativeness, functional communication. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology / MA / Unrestricted

School readiness literature indicates that skills which lend themselves to readiness and success in primary school are not amongst the skills generally taught in center based care facilities. Furthermore, children enrolled in non- maternal care settings are at greater risk for developing problem behavior. To address this issue, the Preschool Life Skills (PLS) program was created as a preventative intervention to teach functional communication and social skills to typically developing children. Children diagnosed with developmental disabilities are not immune to these concerns and are also at risk for developing problem behaviors in non-maternal settings, due to insufficient instruction and contingency management. The current study aimed to evaluate and identify the dose of instruction necessary for the PLS curriculum to be a successful and efficient teaching tool for children with developmental disabilities. Twelve preschool life skills were taught to 9 participants across 4 instruction units. Instruction was provided by means of a three-tiered instructional approach, which incorporated class-wide instruction, followed by small group and individual instruction as necessary. Skills were sequentially introduced and unit probes were conducted following mastery of all 3 skills within a unit. Results indicated that the adaptations made to the original preschool life skills curriculum led to skill acquisition with all nine participants.

After a review of the literature on Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) in young children with developmental delays, less was known on its effects on challenging behavior and functional communication in preschool age children receiving services in a traditional public school. A multiple baseline design across three participants was used to evaluate the effects of PRT on the functional communication of three preschool students with developmental delays. Based on a functional analysis, we also observed the effects of PRT on challenging behavior. A visual analysis of the data revealed a functional relation between PRT and functional communication and provided promising evidence regarding the effectiveness of function aligned mands in reducing problem behavior. Brief surveys and interviews revealed that the intervention was feasible and effective based on staff and family reports. This research study adds to the evidence supporting the use of the intervention and expands on the knowledge base surrounding function aligned communication. Implications for research and practice are discussed.