ABA glossary
Functional communication training
Also called FCT
Definition
A form of DRA that teaches a communication response, such as a word, sign, picture card, or device button, that produces the same reinforcer the problem behavior did, while the problem behavior no longer produces it.
In plain words
Much problem behavior is a way of communicating: hitting can mean "I need a break," and screaming can mean "Look at me." FCT gives the person an easier, acceptable way to say the same thing and get the same result. It starts with an FBA to identify the function, then teaches a communication response that is quick and easy to use, reinforces it every time at first, and stops reinforcing the problem behavior. When the new response works better than the old behavior, the old behavior tends to decrease.
Example from a session
Omar's FBA showed that he hits to get out of tasks. His plan teaches him to tap "break" on his speech-generating device. At first the RBT prompts the tap as soon as a task is presented and gives a 1-minute break immediately each time; hitting no longer ends the task. Within a few weeks Omar taps "break" on his own, hitting drops, and the BCBA begins to thin breaks as the plan describes.
For BCBA candidates and supervisors
Analysts select a communication response that is functionally equivalent, low effort, recognizable to people in the person's life, and acceptable to the family and culture. FCT works best with extinction for the problem behavior. Because constant reinforcement of the new mand is not sustainable in daily life, analysts thin reinforcement over time with delays, demand fading, chained schedules, or multiple schedules that signal when requests will be honored. During thinning, resurgence of the old behavior is a known risk, so steps are small and data are watched closely.
Often confused with differential reinforcement of alternative behavior, mand
FCT is a specific kind of DRA in which the alternative behavior is a communication response tied to the problem behavior's function. The response FCT teaches is usually a mand, because it asks for the reinforcer the problem behavior used to get. Not every DRA is FCT: reinforcing sitting nicely is DRA but not FCT.
Exam tip
For FCT questions, check function first: the right communication response asks for the same reinforcer the problem behavior produced. A "break" card fits escape; "play with me" fits attention. A response that asks for something else is not FCT.
Can you spot functional communication training in a scenario?
Practice RBT D.3 with exam-style questions and instant feedback.