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USE OF DESCRIPTIVE AND EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSES TO IDENTIFY THE FUNCTIONAL PROPERTIES OF ABERRANT BEHAVIOR IN SCHOOL SETTINGS
Author(s) -
Sasso Gary M.,
Reimers Thomas M.,
Cooper Linda J.,
Wacker David,
Berg Wendy,
Steege Mark,
Kelly Laura,
Allaire Ann
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
journal of applied behavior analysis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.1
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1938-3703
pISSN - 0021-8855
DOI - 10.1901/jaba.1992.25-809
Subject(s) - reinforcement , psychology , functional analysis , descriptive statistics , autism , applied behavior analysis , intervention (counseling) , developmental psychology , behavioral analysis , clinical psychology , applied psychology , mathematics education , social psychology , statistics , psychiatry , biochemistry , chemistry , mathematics , gene
We conducted descriptive and experimental analyses of aberrant behavior in school settings with 2 children with autism, using teachers as assessors. Experimental functional analyses carried out by the investigators were followed by training teachers to conduct a descriptive analysis and a classroom experimental analysis. A comparison of the assessment procedures showed that each procedure identified negative reinforcement as a maintaining variable for aberrant behavior. The teacher implemented an intervention based on the assessment with mixed results. We then replicated the initial results by having the first teacher train a second teacher to carry out the two assessment procedures. The results of these analyses were also in agreement, again identifying negative reinforcement as a variable maintaining aberrant behavior. An intervention based on negative reinforcement was then successfully implemented. These results suggest the applicability and utility of functional analyses carried out in school settings.