Combining Reward and Escape DRO to Reduce the Problem Behavior of Students with Severe Disabilities

During instruction, the occurrence per minute of problem behavior was studied across three students with severe disabilities. Following a functional assessment identifying problem behavior as being related to teacher demands, reinforcement schedules based upon reward DRO, escape DRO, and combined DRO were analyzed for their relative effectiveness in decreasing problem behavior across three tasks. The three DRO schedules were studied using an alternating treatments design with intervention by task Latin square counterbalancing. Reward DRO used contingent access to a preferred event following the omission of problem behavior as a positive reinforcer. Escape DRO allowed the termination of instruction contingent on the omission of problem behavior. Combined DRO employed both types of reinforcer functions used in the reward and escape DRO schedules. Reduction in the frequency of problem behavior was greatest for all three students using the combined DRO schedule.