Functional communication during signaled reinforcement and/or extinction

Schedule thinning following functional communication training (FCT) can increase treatment feasibility. Multiple-schedule arrangements are often used in this process; however, the current literature provides little information on the optimum signal arrangements. In the current study, we examined the effects of three signal arrangements (i.e., signaled FR1, signaled EXT, and signaled FR1/EXT) on rates of problem behavior at dense schedule values and during schedule thinning. At all schedule values, signaled FR1/EXT controlled collateral behavior better than did signaled FR1 or signaled EXT. Additionally, for the single signal arrangements, the signaled FR1 was more efficient than the signaled EXTat dense schedules whereas the inverse was true at leaner schedules.