Capstone Title
A Functional Analysis of Three Treatments for Pica in a Naturalistic Play Environment
Date of Award
Spring 5-13-2017
Capstone Type
Open Access
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Applied Behavior Analysis and Clinical Science
Committee Member(s)
Sarah Slocum, PhD, BCBA-D
Abstract
Pica is an eating disorder involving the ingestion of non-food items. In the current study, a functional analysis (FA) screening was conducted to confirm the pica of two subjects diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was maintained by automatic reinforcement. Subsequently, three behavior-analytic treatments (i.e., verbal reprimand, noncontingent reinforcement [NCR], and functional communication training [FCT]) were systematically evaluated in an unstructured play environment using a multi-element design. Findings showed all three treatments decreased pica compared to pre-treatment levels; however, FCT was observed to consistently reduce the rate of pica for both subjects to near-zero levels. Results of this study support the assertion that behavior-analytic treatments for pica might be effective when applied during unstructured play for some subjects.
Recommended Citation
Darrah, Jennifer, "A Functional Analysis of Three Treatments for Pica in a Naturalistic Play Environment" (2017). Capstone Projects. 1.
https://scholarship.rollins.edu/mabacs_capstone/1