Improving Treatment for Children With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and Problem Behavior in Schools

Western Kentucky University

Status: Terminated

Conditions: Developmental Disorder; Intellectual Disability; Problem Behavior

Treatments: Behavioral: Functional communication training

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT05445596

5P20GM103436-22 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

21-037

Details and patient eligibility

About

Children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs) often engage in problem behavior, and functional communication training (FCT) is a commonly used treatment for problem behavior in clinical settings. During FCT, children learn prosocial ways to request functional reinforcers (e.g., "their way") instead of using problem behavior. For example, a child who engages in self-injury to escape math instruction may be taught to exchange a break picture card to receive a brief break from the math task as an alternative to self-injury. While the efficacy of FCT is well established, less is known about its effects in school settings when procedures are necessarily adapted for feasibility. The purpose of this investigation is to develop and evaluate methods for implementing FCT for children with IDDs in school settings. The investigators will use single case experimental design, in which each participant will serve as their own control, to address the research questions. First, the investigators will evaluate the effects of providing higher quality, longer duration reinforcement for appropriate requests relative to problem behavior (e.g., 1-minute break with a preferred activity versus 20-s break alone) during FCT compared to providing equal reinforcement for appropriate requests and problem behavior. Next, the investigators will develop a treatment extension to teach children to complete academic work to gain access to their way. The investigators will use visual cues, such as a green and red index card to teach children when it is time to work and when they may access their way. The investigators will evaluate the effects of the treatment extension on academic work completion, appropriate requests, and problem behavior. Finally, the investigators will examine how visual cues influence children's behavior when educators implement intervention across different academic activities. The investigators will measure the extent to which educators implement programmed intervention procedures to inform treatment feasibility.

Enrollment: 1 patient

Sex: All

Ages: 3 to 11 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Child Eligibility Criteria

• Preschool or elementary school students between 3-11 years old
• Has an intellectual or developmental disability
• Has a functional behavior assessment and behavior intervention plan or has been identified as needing a functional behavior assessment
• Exhibits problem behavior that occurs at least daily

Adult Eligibility Criteria

• Educator who provides direct services to the child participant

Exclusion criteria

Child Exclusion Criteria

• Excessive absences from school
• Problem behavior occurs less frequently than daily

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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1 participants in 1 patient group

FCT Evaluation

Experimental group

Description:

This study uses single case experimental design in which participants will serve as their own control. Each participant will receive the treatment (functional communication training) and will participate in comparison conditions to evaluate the effects of the treatment. We will evaluate the effects of functional communication training during three treatment phases: initial implementation, schedule thinning, and generalization.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Functional communication training