FUNCTIONAL-ANALYSIS AND TREATMENT OF DESTRUCTIVE BEHAVIOR MAINTAINED BY TERMINATION OF DONT (AND SYMMETRICAL DO) REQUESTS

We used descriptive assessment information to generate hypotheses rega rding the function of destructive behavior for 2 individuals who displ ayed near-zero rates of problem behavior during an experimental functi onal analysis using methods similar to Iwata, Dorsey, Slifer, Bauman, and Richman (1982/1994). The descriptive data suggested that destructi ve behavior occurred primarily when caregivers issued requests to the participants that interfered with ongoing high-probability (and presum ably highly preferred) behaviors (i.e., a ''don't'' or a symmetrical ' 'do'' request). Subsequent experimental analyses showed that destructi ve behavior was maintained by contingent termination of ''don't'' and symmetrical ''do'' requests but not by termination of topographically similar ''do'' requests. These results suggested that destructive beha vior may have been maintained by positive reinforcement (i.e., termina tion of the ''don't'' request allowed the individual to return to a hi ghly preferred activity). Finally, a treatment (functional communicati on training plus extinction) developed on the basis of these analyses reduced destructive behavior to near-zero levels.