Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have a high risk of developing self-injurious behavior (SIB), which is often a result of deficits in communication skills. The use of functional communication training (FCT) to address SIB maintained by negative reinforcement among children with ASD is supported by an emerging trend of behavioral research. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of FCT on the SIB of children with ASD and to find out if the results would be maintained during periods of nonreinforcement. The results indicated significant reduction in SIB for all three participants and maintained for over two weeks following the withdrawal of the intervention. However, resurgence of SIB occurred when extinction was implemented for all participants.

患有自闭症谱系障碍 (ASD) 的儿童发生自伤行为 (SIB) 的风险很高，这通常是由于缺乏沟通技巧造成的。行为研究的新兴趋势支持使用功能性沟通训练 (FCT) 来解决 ASD 儿童中由负强化维持的 SIB。本研究的目的是检查 FCT 对 ASD 儿童 SIB 的影响，并确定结果是否会在非强化期间保持不变。结果表明，所有三名参与者的 SIB 显着降低，并在干预退出后维持了两个多星期。然而，当对所有参与者实施灭绝时，SIB 再次出现。