Elopement is a potentially dangerous problem behavior prevalent among individuals with developmental disabilities. However, functional analysis of elopement presents unique challenges including potential confounds because of the need for participant retrieval during functional analysis sessions. In the current study, we implemented a latency functional analysis with an eight-year-old child with an intellectual disability, in which the dependent measure was latency to elopement. Following the latency functional analysis, a functional communication intervention was developed and its effectiveness in decreasing elopement was evaluated using an ABAB design. Findings suggest that a functional analysis of latency may be a suitable methodology to identify the operant function of elopement. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

We evaluated the effect of response effort on compliance with three children who exhibited noncompliance when asked to relinquish a preferred toy. Participants were given access to a preferred toy and then asked to place the toy in a toy bin, which was located either 0.3 m (low effort) or 3 m (high effort) away. We used a reversal design to evaluate the effect of the effort manipulation. Compliance by all three participants was sensitive to the effort manipulation. In addition, compliance by two participants maintained as the distance required to comply with instructions was systematically increased. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of current caregiver training practices by implementing training components sequentially, to teach parents mealtime protocols. A multiple baseline design was implemented across two caregiver dyads. Therapist-fed meals were conducted prior to training to identify an effective intervention to increase food acceptance and decrease food refusal. The package consisted of seven components: observation, written and verbal protocol review, video review, structured observation, modeling, role play, and immediate feedback. Correct implementation of mealtime protocols, by caregivers, were evaluated throughout the training process by having caregivers conduct meal sessions following each training component to determine if additional training was necessary. Results showed that the training procedures were effective in teaching caregivers to implement mealtime protocols, and systematic introduction of the training components produced systematic and incremental changes in correct caregiver implementation. In addition, all participants completed training without requiring all seven training components. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Rapid eating is a frequent problem among individuals with developmental disabilities that can pose a threat to health. This study sought to reduce the rate of eating behaviors in two adults diagnosed with moderate intellectual disability. Assessment of eating rate took place in the participants' group homes during lunch or dinner meals. Procedures included the use of vibrating pagers with and without verbal prompts to prompt eating and prevent rapid eating behaviors. Results demonstrate a clear reduction in rate of eating when using vibrating pagers and verbal prompts for both participants. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

An individualized levels system was implemented to increase independent eating in two children with food refusal. Participants earned access to different status levels associated with varying availability of preferred items/activities outside of meals according to criteria based on low levels of prompting throughout the meal. A reversal design was implemented to evaluate the effects of the intervention on independent mealtime behavior. Results demonstrated that the levels system was effective in increasing independent eating and in decreasing prompted bites for both participants. Although the effectiveness of an individualized levels system has been previously demonstrated in the treatment of severe problem behavior, it has not been empirically evaluated in the context of increasing appropriate behavior or with children with food refusal. These findings provide support for such a treatment to promote mealtime independence during an intensive feeding program and at two months follow-up. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A commonly used research design in applied behavior analysis involves comparing two or more independent variables. Typically, the relative effectiveness of two different interventions is measured on a single dependent variable. In the current review, 54 comparison studies from seven different peer-reviewed, behavior analytic journals were evaluated between the years 2002 and 2011. Each study was evaluated across seven dimensions: (1) experimental design, (2) setting, (3) participants, (4) type of comparison, (5) number of comparisons, (6) treatment integrity, and (7) outcome. There were some consistencies across studies, with half resulting in equivalent outcomes across comparisons. In addition, most studies employed the use of an alternating treatments or multi-element single-subject design and compared a teaching methodology. On the basis of these results, the value of comparison study as well as directions for future comparison research is discussed. Overall, comparison study is a worthy and important enterprise that requires a high degree of experimental control and a careful analyses of the results, regardless of whether the outcome clearly favored one independent variable or not. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.