NCT05918393

Behavioral Economics and Communication

Completed NA Results posted Last updated 5 March 2026

What this trial tests

NA trial testing functional communication training in Problem Behavior in 9 participants. Completed in 7 December 2021.

Timeline

22 April 2019

Primary endpoint
20 August 2021

7 December 2021

Quick facts

Lead sponsor	State University of New York - Upstate Medical University
Phase	NA
Status	Completed
Study type	INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation	na
Design	single group
Masking	none
Primary purpose	treatment
Enrollment	9
Start date	22 April 2019
Primary completion	20 August 2021
Estimated completion	7 December 2021
Sites	1 location across United States

Drugs / interventions tested

• functional communication training

Conditions studied

• Problem Behavior — all drugs for Problem Behavior →

Sponsor

State University of New York - Upstate Medical University

Who can join

Adults 5 to 13, any sex, with Problem Behavior. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.

Results — posted to ClinicalTrials.gov

Per-arm endpoint measurements with 95% confidence intervals where reported. Source: trial results section.

Averge of Aappropriate Communication Responses Primary · Participants were seen 3-5 days/week for a 60-min visit. Second-by-second data were collected over a period of successive, 5-min (300 s) sessions conducted consecutively during the visit. The unit of analysis was mean responding during the 5-min session.

Appropriate communication responses for each participant will be selected based on language level as identified via the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, 4th edition (PPVT-4) and/or the Expressive Vocabulary Test-3rd edition (EVT-3)

Group	Value	95% CI
Functional Communication Training (FCT)	3.33	1.27 – 4.4

Average of Problem Behavior Responses Primary · Participants were seen 3-5 days/week for a 60-min visit. Second-by-second data were collected over a period of successive, 5-min (300 s) sessions conducted consecutively during the visit. The unit of analysis was mean responding during the 5-min session.

Individualized operational definitions of problem behavior and communication were developed for each participant. These included aggression, disruption, self-injurious behavior. Communication included card exchanges, manual signs, card touches, and augmentative device responding. These behaviors were measured via direct observation and data were analyzed by visual inspection.

Group	Value	95% CI
Functional Communication Training (FCT)	0.48	0 – 10.4

Sponsor's own description

This project examines mechanisms to address two significant challenges present in communication-based behavioral interventions for individuals with autism and comorbid severe destructive behavior (SDB): (a) inflexible communication responding and (b) reemergence of severe destructive behavior when challenges to treatment integrity occur. Achieving the proposed aims will advance clinical practice related to the treatment of SDB and generalization of treatment effects to mitigate against the resurgence of SDB

Publications & conference data

No peer-reviewed publications indexed yet for this trial. Completed trials usually publish results within 12-18 months.