Facilitating tolerance of delayed reinforcement during functional communication training

Few clinical investigations have addressed the problem of delayed reinforce ment. In this investigation, three individuals whose destructive behavior w as maintained by positive reinforcement were treated using functional commu nication training (FCT) with extinction (EXT). Next, procedures used in the basic literature on delayed reinforcement and self-control (reinforcer del ay fading, punishment of impulsive responding, and provision of an alternat ive activity during reinforcer delay) were used to teach participants to to lerate delayed reinforcement. With the fist case, reinforcer delay fading a lone was effective at maintaining low rates of destructive behavior while i ntroducing delayed reinforcement. In the second case, the addition of a pun ishment component reduced destructive behavior to near-zero levels and faci litated reinforcer delay fading. With the third case, reinforcer delay fadi ng was associated with increases in masturbation and head rolling, but prom pting and praising the individual for completing work during the delay inte rval reduced all problem behaviors and facilitated reinforcer delay fading.