Dave Wacker et al – An evaluation of Behavioral persistence Following Long-Term Treatment of Destructive beahvion with FCT

•    Goal – set of studies that accomplish:

o    A methodology/package that parents could use and be cost-efficient

o    “allow teachers to do their jobs”

o    learn something about operant mechanisms

•    we know a lot about acquisition

•    we know very little about maintenance

•    our notions of maintenance are necessary but not sufficient

•    might inhibit long-term treatment gains – might not be a good thing at all

•    Some terms (Catania)

o    Maintenance – continuation of conditions that generated a performance

o    Behavior will show a steady state performance as long as those contingencies remain in effect

o    How often does that occur in the “real world”?

•    Demonstrations of maintenance – OK as a first step

o    Behavioral persistence – resistance of behavior to change/extinction (response strength)

•    Is maintenance better described at “resistant” behavior

•    Is strength more important than mainatenance

o    Increased periods of extinction/delays to Sr

o    Stimulus generalization

o    Concurrent schedules of Sr – could be a test of an FCT program

o    Changes in establishing operations

•    Deprivation/satiation

•    Effort 

•    Are be afraid to “up the ante”?

•    NIH grant objectives

o    What are the operant mechanisms that control adaptive and destructive responses

•    Does response strength change over time?

•    Basic literature – yes

•    As we challenge a treatment program, we should be look at :

•    Resurgence

•    Persistence of the adaptive responses

o    Working up to 15 minutes with no programmed consequences at all

o    Change the task in an arbitrary fashion

o    Operate on concurrent schedules

•    Numbers enrolled to date – 101

o    Average age 3y 8mos – severe agg and SIB

o    Mostly boys

o    Estimated borderline to moderate MR – doesn’t like formal dx

•    6 second partial interval

•    Baseline (Phase 1)

o    FA of destructive behavior

o    Maintained by Sr-

o    Contingency reversal with mands – part of assessment not treatment

o    Persistence of destructive behavior under 5 minute extinction sessions (steady state baseline) – what persists in the face of brief extinction?

o    Parents conduct all of the conditions

•    FCT (Phase 2)

o    2-step chain

o    first, you need to comply

o    then the DRA begins – mands plus extinction plus Sd)

•    work produces opportunity for manding, manding produces escape

o    response strength of mands and destructive behavior tested monthly

•    Post treatment (Phase 3)

o    80% reduction and independent mands

•    both show steady-state responding

o    repeat the extinction baseline – must be the same reduction of problem behavior and adaptive behavior persists at the same level

•    Maintenance (Phase 4)

o    Occurs with steady-state R

o    Three tests of  R strength

•    EO change (time in demand)

•    Change Sd

•    Competing schedule of reinforcement

•    Gives a case example

•    When we tell parents to ignore, we often shape up a more efficient and intensive responding

o    Teaching DRO is absolutely crucial

•    Using functional analysis is reinforcing! 

•    Video modeling is part of the clinical parent teaching tool – they are not helpless

o    Parent behavior reinforced with DRO

o    Reversal designs – not very good for documenting maintenance

o    Documents that we have no maintenance

o    Given three maintenance challenges – takes 3 years

•    Both on extinction

•    Novel task

•    Competing reinforcement

•    No manding switch

•    Induction seems to be observed

o    Resurgence mostly a function of prolonged extinction

o    Typically multiply controlled behavior – often escape and tangible

o    ONLY ONE KID SHOWED NO IMPROVEMENT

•    Time in treatment – 5 weeks (1 h/week)

o    TARF-R – seems to be socially valid

•    Reversal designs – persistence and resurgence

•    Trish Kurtz – most powerful outcomes studies out there (in JABA)

•    Teaches parents that they control behavior

•    Are the determinants of resurgence and persistence the same?