A child that would be a good candidate for FCT is one that is experiencing severe behavior problems. To be specific, it would suit a child that is non-verbal with autism spectrum disorder. A child that would benefit more from this strategy is one that has the ability to use few functional gestures while trying to meet their basic needs, for example, pointing items, taking a person to the item among others. Such a child would be a good candidate for FCT since the objective would be teaching the child an alternative response that would result in the same class of reinforcement that has been identified as maintaining problem behavior. FCT, on the other hand, is not suitable for a child that is experiencing mild behavior problems. It is also not suitable for a child without the ability to use any functional gestures since there is no way of providing an alternative response to a problem behavior that does not exist.

When in need of implementing this strategy, there are various benefits regarding the strategy that can be recommended to parents in order to build their desire for continuance. Among them is mentioning that FCT provides a good chance for generalization and maintaining of alternative communicative responses since communicative response works in recruiting reinforcement from the significant others. FCT has also been a preferred strategy for most participants when it comes to diminishing behavior compared to other procedures. This aspect is likely to make the parents view how effective FCT can be, and hence embrace it for their child. Another benefit is that it is suitable for any diagnosis and any age group, and can be easily taught by both teachers and parents. Here, parents will gain an interest in the strategy since they can bring their input, and assess the child’s progress.

Since Andrew is having verbal communication difficulties, there are other communication options that the teacher can use to help him communicate effectively. This includes sign language, picture exchange communication system and aided AAC. On frequent occasions, sign language has been used for children with ASD that do not have the ability to talk. Picture exchange communication, on the other hand, involves the concept of teaching single word requests by way of exchanging pictures for certain objects and then moves on to the development of sentence structure. Aided AAC on its part involves exposure to high-tech communication aids for the child experiencing communication difficulty.

Reference

Cascella, P.W. & McNamara, K.M. (2005). Empowering Students with Severe

Disabilities to Actualize Communication Skills. Teaching Exceptional Children, 37(3), 38-43.

 
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