Assessment and treatment of problem behavior maintained by escape from attention and access to tangible items

The results obtained from two consecutive functional analyses conducted wit h a 6-year-old child wit h autism are described. In the initial functional analysis, the highest rates of problem behavior occurred in the play condit ion. In that condition, the delivery of attention appeared to occasion prob lem behaviors. A second functional analysis was conducted wherein an escape from attention condition and a tangible condition were added. In the secon d functional analysis, higher rates of responding were observed in the esca pe from attention and tangible conditions. The results suggested that probl em behavior was maintained by negative reinforcement in the form of escape from attention and positive reinforcement in the form of gaining access to preferred tangible items. Problem behavior was treated using functional com munication training combined with noncontingent reinforcement.