So now that you know what FCT is, how can you be sure to correctly plan and implement this useful strategy? Here are a few useful tips that can help anyone conduct functional communication training:
Please note that this is a very brief overview of functional communication training and is not an exhaustive teaching resource. You should always consult with a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) prior to utilizing behavior analytic strategies to ensure ethical, effective, and humane implementation.
1. Conduct observations and an informal assessment to identify the potential function of the challenging behavior
a. In this step, you really need to determine the antecedents and consequences for the target behavior. If you need a refresher on the ABCs of data, you can take a look here.
2. Determine which form of alternative communication is most appropriate for your learner.
a. This could be signs, gestures, picture exchange, vocal words, or others. Remember, not all communication needs to be spoken words!
3. Systematically teach the learner the new communication response.
You can do this by providing an immediate prompt for the learner to emit the new response in the setting in which the challenging behavior is most likely to occur. E.g., when the learner is likely to engage in the challenging behavior, prompt them to use the replacement behavior instead.
4. Reinforce the learner’s behavior IMMEDIATELY when they use the desired communication response.
Provide prompts as needed to ensure the learner’s success and the delivery of the reinforcement.
5. The functional communication response is what should be reinforced, not the challenging behavior.
If challenging behavior is observed, prompt the replacement response and reinforce ONLY that.