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Clinicians frequently prescribe functional communication training (FCT) as a treatment for severe destructive behavior. Recent research has shown that FCT treatments are susceptible to treatment relapse in the form of resurgence of destructive behavior when individuals contact periods in which reinforcers are unavailable. Results of preliminary studies suggest that teaching multiple response alternatives can mitigate the resurgence of target behavior. The current evaluation serves as a preliminary study in which we used a laboratory arrangement to evaluate the effects of a novel approach to training multiple alternative responses on the resurgence of target behavior. Findings showed that multiple-response training did not decrease resurgence of target responding consistently; however, it increased the total amount of target and alternative responding observed during the resurgence phase and decreased the overall probability of the target response.

Functional communication training is a commonly used and effective treatment for socially reinforced destructive behavior. However, when a functional analysis suggests that destructive behavior is multiply controlled (e.g., by attention, tangibles, and escape), teaching and evaluating separate functional communication responses (FCRs) can be time-consuming or only partially effective when failing to address multiple establishing operations that may occur simultaneously. We evaluated the use of an omnibus FCR or mand that produced access to attention, tangibles, and escape within each functional-analysis test condition for two boys with autism spectrum disorder who displayed multiply controlled destructive behavior. The omnibus-FCR treatment produced low rates of destructive behavior and high percentages of independent FCRs within each condition for both children, suggesting that such a treatment option may reduce destructive behavior and teach communication skills quickly prior to introducing other treatment components, such as teaching individual FCRs to address each unique function of destructive behavior.

Prior research has shown that bringing functional communication responses under the discriminative control of schedule-correlated stimuli facilitates rapid reinforcement schedule thinning and the transfer of functional communication training (FCT) treatment effects to other therapists and settings. In Experiment 1, we extended this body of research by rapidly transferring FCT treatment effects to a caregiver, despite the caregiver's unique and lengthy history of reinforcement of the child's destructive behavior. In Experiment 2, we evaluated the degree to which FCT treatment effects transferred to another participant's caregivers when the caregivers implemented FCT with and without schedule-correlated stimuli. Rapid transfer of FCT treatment effects occurred only when caregivers used the schedule-correlated stimuli. We discuss the use of schedule-correlated stimuli within FCT procedures as a method of programming for generalization when extending treatment to caregivers.