Environmental restoration as a reinforcer in ritualistic contexts

Abstract

We conducted a functional analysis of severe problem behavior (aggression, disruption, and self-injury). The analysis examined four potential socially mediated functions: attention, escape, receipt of tangible items, and restoration of environmental items. Restoration involved the experimenter replacing missing puzzle pieces, ring stacker rings, and shape sorter blocks without giving the items to the participant. An initial multielement functional analysis, followed by a brief pairwise comparison identified restoration of environmental items as the variable maintaining the participant's problem behavior. Subsequently, we conducted brief functional communication training to teach the participant to mand for restoration of disturbed items in the absence of problem behavior.