Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2023 Sep 21;17(1):53-69.
doi: 10.1007/s40617-023-00858-1. eCollection 2024 Mar.

Approaches for Treating Multiply Controlled Problem Behavior

Affiliations
Review

Approaches for Treating Multiply Controlled Problem Behavior

Megan A Boyle et al. Behav Anal Pract. .

Abstract

A portion of problem behavior is maintained by multiple reinforcement contingencies. Treating multiply controlled problem behavior may be more complex than treating problem behavior maintained by a single contingency. Several approaches for addressing multiply controlled problem behavior have been described in the literature. The purpose of this review is to provide practitioners with an overview of function-based approaches for addressing multiply controlled problem behavior. In particular, we present guidelines for functional analysis and treatment. We also describe strengths and limitations of published treatment approaches and discuss strategies for mitigating these limitations. Finally, we describe areas for future research.

Keywords: Function-based intervention; Multiple control; Problem behavior; Stimulus control.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of InterestsThe authors have no relevant financial or nonfinancial interests to disclose.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Tentative Decision-Making Tool for Treating Multiply Controlled Problem Behavior Note. Superscripts indicate decision points

References

    1. Adelinis JD, Hagopian LP. The use of symmetrical “do” and “don’t” requests to interrupt ongoing activities. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. 1999;32(4):519–523. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1999.32-519. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ala’i-Rosales S, Cihon JH, Currier TDR, Ferguson JL, Leaf JB, Leaf R, McEachin J, Weinkauf SM. The big four: Functional assessment research informs preventative behavior analysis. Behavior Analysis in Practice. 2019;12(1):222–234. doi: 10.1007/s40617-018-00291-9. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Austin JL, Groves EA, Reynish LC, Francis LL. Validating trial-based functional analyses in mainstream primary school classrooms. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. 2015;48(2):274–288. doi: 10.1002/jaba.208. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Beavers GA, Iwata BA. Prevalence of multiply controlled problem behavior. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. 2011;44(3):593–597. doi: 10.1901/jaba.2011.44-593. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Beavers GA, Iwata BA, Lerman DC. Thirty years of research on the functional analysis of problem behavior. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. 2013;46(1):1–21. doi: 10.1002/jaba.30. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources