Investigation of Functional Analysis Methodology in Adult Service Programs to Develop Efficient and Effective Treatment Approaches

Objectives The best practice in treatment of severe problem behavior such as aggression or self-injury is to conduct a functional analysis to identify environmental variables evoking and maintaining problem behavior. This information is then used to develop an intervention. Functional analyses consist of at least one test condition and one control condition. In the test condition, a hypothesized reinforcer is delivered only contingent on problem behavior whereas in the control condition that contingency is absent. Typically, the test and corresponding control consist of a single antecedent variable (e.g., presentation of requests) and a single consequence (e.g., removal of requests); however, “synthesized” test conditions, in which multiple antecedent and consequent variables are presented simultaneously, may be used as well. The purpose of this study was to compare results of these two types of functional analyses. Methods We began by conducting each type of functional analysis with three adults with developmental disabilities. Next, we tested interventions based on results of the functional analyses to determine whether one method of analysis better predicted intervention. Results Although both assessments led to effective interventions, for two of three participants, the synthesized analysis resulted in a false-positive identification. In other words, for these participants, the synthesized analysis identified one or more environmental variables as linked to problem behavior, but this result was not substantiated in the treatment analysis. Conclusions Further investigation is needed to determine the cost-benefit of conducting standard versus synthesized functional analyses in adult service settings.