Elopement is a dangerous behavior common in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Relative to other forms of problematic behavior, elopement has received little attention in both assessment and treatment. The current study entailed a functional analysis of elopement of one child with ASD, results of which suggested a partially automatic function. We then evaluated a differential reinforcement procedure, along with a rule, which successfully decreased elopement without the use of blocking. A changing-criterion design embedded within a withdrawal design was used to gradually increase the criterion for maintaining a close proximity to a therapist prior to being allowed to run.

A 6-year-old boy with autism spectrum disorder engaged in automatically maintained stereotypy in the form of opening and closing doors. A functional analysis confirmed that he also emitted problem behavior that was maintained by access to stereotypy. We evaluated the separate and combined effects of functional communication training and arbitrary noncontingent reinforcement on both response classes. Results showed that the combination of functional communication training and noncontingent reinforcement was more effective at reducing stereotypy than either intervention on its own, although effects on problem behavior were unclear. These results suggest that combinations of interventions may be useful in the treatment of automatically maintained problem behavior.