FUNCTIONAL-ANALYSIS OF SEVERE TANTRUMS DISPLAYED BY CHILDREN WITH LANGUAGE DELAYS - AN OUTCLINIC ASSESSMENT

The authors conducted brief assessments in an outclinic setting to ide ntify the functional properties of severe tantrums in three preschool- age boys with language delays. For one child, tantrums were sensitive to positive reinforcement in the form of access to preferred tangible stimuli (toys and preferred food). For a second child, tantrums also w ere sensitive to positive reinforcement but in the form of maternal at tention and access to preferred stimuli (toys). The third child's tant rums were multiply controlled. For each participant, alternative commu nicative responses were identified and reinforced as replacements for tantrums. Results showed that brief functional analyses of tantrums se rve as viable assessment options in outclinic settings. Further, ident ification of the functional properties of tantrums allowed for selecti on of replacement behaviors, which may be particularly useful for chil dren with communication delays.