Synthesized Contingency Analysis Research Articles

The Latency-Based Interview-Informed, Synthesized Contingency Analysis (IISCA): A Clinical Validation and Replication of 34 Applications in the USA and Brazil

The Latency-Based Interview-Informed, Synthesized Contingency Analysis (IISCA): A Clinical Validation and Replication of 34 Applications in the USA and Brazil

IISCA를 활용한 기능적 의사소통 훈련이 자폐성장애 아동의 공격행동과 의사소통 행동에 미치는 효과*

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of functional communication training (FCT) using Interview-informed Synthesized Contingency Analysis (IISCA) on the aggressive behavior and functional communication behavior of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The functions of aggressive behavior in two children with ASD were analyzed using IISCA, and functional communication training was implemented using a multiple baseline design across subjects. The study was conducted over a total of 26 sessions, divided into four phases: functional analysis, baseline measurement, intervention, and maintenance. To enhance the effectiveness of the intervention, prompting was provided using a most-to-least strategy. The results of the analysis indicated that, compared to the baseline, both children exhibited a significant reduction in aggressive behavior and a significant increase in functional communication behavior during both the intervention and maintenance phases. The findings of this study suggest that functional communication training using IISCA is effective in reducing and maintaining reductions in aggressive behavior, as well as in increasing and maintaining functional communication behavior. This study is significant in that it demonstrates the effectiveness of behavioral interventions using IISCA, thereby highlighting the potential for introducing a new method of functional analysis.

Implementing skill‐based treatment within a classroom setting for an adolescent with autism

AbstractResearch exists to support the efficacy of the Interview‐Informed Synthesized Contingency Analysis (IISCA) and skill‐based treatment (SBT) to address problem behavior within a clinical setting. However, limited research is available to support their use in a classroom setting and especially as a tool to avoid the display of problem behavior altogether. In the current study, the IISCA, informed by an open‐ended interview, was conducted with a single participant in the classroom after a prolonged absence from school due to COVID‐19. Results of the IISCA were used to determine the multiple contingencies that were likely to evoke problem behavior upon re‐introduction of academic task demands. A skill‐based treatment was then developed based on these contingencies, which involved teaching the participant functional communication, delay tolerance, and following academic instruction in relevant contexts. After 25 treatment sessions, the participant had acquired and maintained all of these skills, including the ability to functionally communicate, tolerate removal of preferred items, and follow educational instructions within the typical classroom routine. This study shows the applicability of the IISCA and SBT when implemented within the classroom setting and when used to reintroduce educational instruction to an individual with autism after a prolonged break from school.

Distance-Based Collaborations for Assessing and Treating Challenging Behavior.

An interview-informed synthesized contingency analysis (IISCA; Hanley et al. in J Appl Behav Anal 47:16-36, 2014) and related skill-based treatment process can result in socially valid outcomes for clients exhibiting severe challenging behavior when implemented by professionals and then transferred to parents (e.g., Santiago et al. in J Autism Dev Disord 46:797-811, 2016). However, many families do not have access to professionals trained to implement functional analyses or function-based treatments (Deochand & Fuqua Behav Anal Pract 9:243-252, 2016). Experimenters in the present study coached three parents of children with autism exhibiting severe challenging behavior through implementing an IISCA and resulting skill-based treatment process through distance-based collaborative consulting. All parents achieved differentiated functional analyses, taught their children to emit functional replacement skills, and reduced challenging behavior relative to baseline.

Interview-Informed Synthesized Contingency Analyses on Challenging Problem Behavior: a Single-Case Meta-analysis

Interview-Informed Synthesized Contingency Analyses on Challenging Problem Behavior: a Single-Case Meta-analysis

Predicting and Managing Risk during Functional Analysis of Problem Behavior

Maintaining participant safety during the assessment of problem behavior is of upmost importance. The performance-based, interview-informed synthesized contingency analysis (IISCA) is a functional analysis that incorporates an open-ended interview with caregivers. We introduced additional questions to the interview to identify participants who are prone to escalation. We found that the percentage of dangerous problem behavior and the probability of a burst were correlated with reports of quick escalation. The results suggest that questions regarding escalation speed may be helpful for predicting any safety concerns. Researchers should consider procedural modifications when safety concerns are anticipated to ensure individuals feel physically secure.

Prioritizing choice and assent in the assessment and treatment of food selectivity

Food selectivity affects up to 72% and 45% of individuals with and without disabilities, respectively, and there is a need for interventions that rely on positive, unrestrictive strategies. We evaluated an assessment and treatment package for food selectivity for young children with developmental disabilities that prioritized caregiver collaboration, client autonomy, and did not rely on restrictive procedures (e.g. escape extinction). The process involved: (a) collaborating with caregivers on the selection of foods and design of the children’s functional analyses; (b) indirectly and directly measuring food preferences prior to treatment; (c) evaluating the sensitivity of mealtime problem behavior to environmental variables through an interview-informed synthesized contingency analysis (IISCA); and (c) incorporating the assessment results into a progressive treatment process consisting of choice-making opportunities and differential reinforcement of successive approximations to consumption. Children also had the ability to opt in and out of treatment sessions. The treatment was effective in increasing consumption of nonpreferred foods and successfully extended to caregivers. Practical implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Functional analysis: what have we learned in 85 years?

Even though the term "functional analysis" (FA) is prevalent in the current behavioral literature, the concept and process have roots in the early days of basic research in behavior analysis. Furthermore, the methodology developed in the field of FA has been one of the most significant advances in research on challenging behaviors over the past four decades. The current article reviews the history of the term "functional analysis" and research related to experimental FA. The aim is to summarize what the field of behavior analysis has learned about this powerful methodology. FA is considered a gold standard of functional assessment. However, several arguments about limitations relating to methodological issues in FA and its ecological validity have been put forward. Some of these shortcomings include constraints on the time available for assessment, the risk posed by severe problem behavior, and the inability to exert tight control over environmental conditions. The literature on the subject clearly shows that refinements have been aimed not only at improving some of the methodological characteristics of FA but also at adapting the strategy for real-world application. Practical functional assessment (known as interview-informed synthesized contingency analysis [IISCA]) is a contemporary approach to assessing and treating problem behavior. Recent research on IISCA offers empirical support for the practical functional assessment and skill-based treatment model, confirming that it can obtain sustainable and socially meaningful reductions in problem behavior. Nevertheless, more research is needed to address procedural variations in, and the utility and social validity of, IISCA.

A new adaptation of the Interview-Informed Synthesized Contingency Analyses (IISCA): The performance-based IISCA

ABSTRACT The functional analysis of problem behavior is an important type of assessment that has been shown to increase the likelihood of arriving at an efficacious treatment. Several studies described the efficient use of the Interviewed-Informed Synthesized Contingency Analysis (IISCA) to reveal the variables that influence problem behavior across a variety of topographies, participants, and settings. In this study, we describe a new adaptation of the IISCA, the Performance-Based IISCA, used to assess the severe problem behavior of five Italian children with autism admitted to a clinic in the south of Italy. In all applications, the Performance-Based IISCA elucidated the synthesized establishing operations that evoked problem behavior and the synthesized reinforcers that influenced its maintenance. This study extends the literature on functional analysis by introducing the Performance-Based IISCA, demonstrating its viability with Italian clients and demonstrating how its procedural refinements can lead to safe analyses.

Further comparison of isolated and synthesized contingencies in functional analyses.

Recent research on functional analyses (FAs) has examined the extent to which problem behavior is maintained by single (isolated) or combined (synthesized) reinforcement contingencies. Outcomes of these analyses might differ depending on the sources of information that are used to inform contingencies included in test conditions. The purpose of the current study was to compare the outcomes of isolated FAs and synthesized contingency analyses (SCAs) with 3 participants. Conditions in both analyses were informed by interviews and both unstructured and structured observations. Problem behavior for all 3 participants was maintained by 1 or 2 isolated reinforcers. Results suggested false-positive SCA results for 2 participants. For 1 participant, a second isolated reinforcer was identified following the SCA, indicating the induction of a novel function. Implications for the use of isolated and synthesized consequences are discussed, as well as the predictive validity of the assessments that are used to inform them.

Validating a Computerized Program for Supporting Visual Analysis During Functional Analysis: The Problem Behavior Multilevel Interpreter (PB.MI).

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40617-021-00656-7.

Evaluating the utility of interview-informed synthesized contingency analyses in informing the treatment of problem behavior among children with autism spectrum disorder

ABSTRACT Although functional analysis is a widely researched tool for determining behavioral function, traditional formats are associated with limitations that often preclude their incorporation into practice. The interview-informed synthesized contingency analysis (IISCA) was developed to address such limitations. This study investigated the effectiveness and efficiency of the IISCA in determining the function of problem behavior for three non-vocal children with autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disabilities in a school setting. The effectiveness of the skill-based treatment process associated with the IISCA was also evaluated, as were the acceptability of these treatment procedures and the fidelity with which they were implemented. The IISCAs yielded differentiated outcomes immediately for two participants and following a secondary analysis for the third participant. Assessment results informed the design of treatments involving functional communication training and delay- and denial-tolerance training evaluated using a changing-criterion design. Implications and limitations are discussed and recommendations for future research are offered.

Evaluating the Potential for Correspondence Between Brief Functional Analysis and Interview-Informed Synthesized Contingency Analysis Procedures

School Psychologists regularly conduct Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA), though, most FBA are completed using indirect procedures, which are inadequate for creating function-based interventions relative to experimental measures, such as functional analysis (FA). However, traditional FA may be considered arduous in the school setting. Alternative procedures like brief functional analysis (BFA) and interview informed synthesized contingency analysis (IISCA), may be as effective and more efficient than FA. Limited research exploring the correspondence of these procedures exists. The current study used an alternating treatment design across eight school aged children to compare control and test conditions for each measure. A within subjects approach was also used to compare the results of BFA and IISCA. Correspondence across the two measures was 54.17%. With average correspondence yielding just over half, the results indicate the two FA methods did not reliably identify the same function. Implications for practice are discussed.

Adaptations of the interview-informed synthesized contingency analysis.

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A Predictive Multimodal Framework to Alert Caregivers of Problem Behaviors for Children with ASD (PreMAC).

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) impacts 1 in 54 children in the US. Two-thirds of children with ASD display problem behavior. If a caregiver can predict that a child is likely to engage in problem behavior, they may be able to take action to minimize that risk. Although experts in Applied Behavior Analysis can offer caregivers recognition and remediation strategies, there are limitations to the extent to which human prediction of problem behavior is possible without the assistance of technology. In this paper, we propose a machine learning-based predictive framework, PreMAC, that uses multimodal signals from precursors of problem behaviors to alert caregivers of impending problem behavior for children with ASD. A multimodal data capture platform, M2P3, was designed to collect multimodal training data for PreMAC. The development of PreMAC integrated a rapid functional analysis, the interview-informed synthesized contingency analysis (IISCA), for collection of training data. A feasibility study with seven 4 to 15-year-old children with ASD was conducted to investigate the tolerability and feasibility of the M2P3 platform and the accuracy of PreMAC. Results indicate that the M2P3 platform was well tolerated by the children and PreMAC could predict precursors of problem behaviors with high prediction accuracies.

Practical Functional Assessment: A Case Study Replication and Extension with a Child Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Recent literature has described the analysis and treatment of problem behavior that involves an open-ended interview to inform the conditions under which problem behavior is likely to occur, conducting a synthesized contingency analysis, and implementing treatment that includes functional communication training, delay and denial tolerance training, and increasing the amount of demands presented after a denial (e.g., Hanley et al. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 47(1), 16–36, 2014). This process has been described as an Interview-Informed Synthesized Contingency Analysis (IISCA) or practical functional assessment. Much of the literature evaluating the practical functional assessment has originated from authors within the same research group. The purpose of the present study was to replicate and extend previous research on the practical functional assessment with a different group of researchers and in a different setting (i.e., an early intensive behavioral intervention clinic). This study sought to extend previous literature by including additional measures of social validity on the open-ended interview, contingency analysis, treatment, and pre-post measures on parental stress. The results were similar to previous research with an overall reduction in problem behavior and increases in functional communicative responses and compliance with demands.

Does analysis brevity result in loss of control? A consecutive case series of 26 single‐session interview‐informed synthesized contingency analyses

A believable demonstration of control over problem behavior is a necessary component of the functional analysis process. Control during a functional analysis has traditionally been defined in a binary manner: Differentiated outcomes point to an identifiable function and undifferentiated outcomes do not. However, it might be beneficial to characterize control as strong, moderate, or weak in order to evaluate the strength of evidence for experimental control during an efficient functional analysis format that requires only a single session. We analyzed the levels of control using 26 single‐session interview‐informed synthesized contingency analyses (IISCAs). Although shorter session duration (i.e., first 3 or 5 min of each session) tended to reduce the level of control, the majority of single‐session IISCAs resulted in evidence indicating strong levels of control when data from the full 10‐min session were included in the analysis.

Functional Assessment of Challenging Behavior

The purpose of this review is to evaluate recent research on functional assessment procedures to identify recent advances and best practices. Indirect assessments are the most limited form of functional assessment, but their value increases when conducted by behavior analysts rather than caregivers. Direct assessments produce more valid outcomes than indirect assessments, but do not demonstrate a functional relationship between the environmental contingencies and the behavior. Functional analysis procedures are the most rigorous and valid approaches. Recent research has evaluated functional analysis variations, such as the interview-informed synthesized contingency analysis, that are more efficient and flexible for use in a variety of settings. The implementation of a functional assessment continues to be best practice for developing effective functional interventions for challenging behavior. Indirect assessments have value for informing direct assessments and functional analyses. Using indirect assessment findings to develop functional analysis procedures can increase their efficiency while maintaining the validity of the functional assessment process.

Evaluation of a trial‐based interview‐informed synthesized contingency analysis

We evaluated the viability of an interview-informed synthesized-contingency analysis (IISCA) conducted in a trial-based format with 3 children with autism spectrum disorders who engaged in problem behavior. We compared results to those from typical trial-based and traditional functional analyses and found high degrees of correspondence. The trial-based IISCA format took the least amount of time to conduct and was associated with the lowest frequencies of problem behavior. Results are discussed in terms of merits of each of the 3 types of functional analysis arrangements and directions for future research.

Toward accurate inferences of response class membership.

In their review of synthesis within the functional analysis (FA) literature, Slaton and Hanley (2018) reported that most synthesized contingency analyses have included multiple topographies of problem behavior in the reinforcement contingency class. This leaves the question of whether one, some, or all forms of problem behavior are sensitive to the synthesized reinforcement contingencies in published analyses. To address this ambiguity, all topographies of problem behavior that were reported by caregivers to co-occur with the most concerning problem behavior were analyzed for 10 participants. We implemented extinction across one or more forms of problem behavior to determine whether all forms reported to co-occur were sensitive to the same synthesized reinforcement contingency. For nine of 10 participants, the most concerning topographies were sensitive to the same synthesized reinforcement contingencies as the less concerning topographies (results were inconclusive for one). Implications for inferring response class membership from single analyses are discussed.