Response latency as a measure of behavior in the assessment of elopement

Although functional analysis (FA) methodology has been used to identify treatments for elopement, the results of some of these analyses have been confounded by the retrieval of participants. Recently, researchers have used latency-based FAs, which eliminate the retrieval component during a session, to assess elopement. In the current study, we replicated previous research using latency-based FAs to assess elopement exhibited by three children with autism. In addition, we evaluated function-based treatments for each participant. The treatments effectively decreased elopement for all participants, partially validating the latency-based FAs. K E Y W O R D Selopement, functional analysis, latency-based measure | INTRODUCTIONElopement is defined as leaving a designated area without caregiver permission (Lehardy et al., 2013). Research suggests that approximately 25%-50% of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) elope. In community contexts, elopement poses a risk of bodily harm (e.g., when eloping into traffic or to a body of water) and individuals who elope are often required to remain in restricted environments to reduce their risk of injury (Anderson et al., 2012). This risk also places a significant burden on the caregiver. Due to the potentially lifethreatening nature of elopement, the development of accurate and efficient assessment and treatment methods is needed.Functional analysis (FA) has been used to address elopement (Boyle & Adamson, 2017); however, the results of many of these analyses have been difficult to interpret. Elopement often produces sudden reactions from caregivers to intervene. The response required from caregivers to maintain safety may inadvertently strengthen

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Latency‐based functional analysis and treatment of elopement

Kamlowsky

Wilder

Ertel

et al. 2021

Latency measurement in functional analysis and treatment of behaviors targeted for reduction

Mattson,

Spinks,

Joslyn

et al. 2023

Research has demonstrated that latency is a reasonable index of response strength in the functional analysis and treatment of behaviors targeted for reduction. The literature contains numerous examples of functional analyses emphasizing latency informing effective treatment for problem behavior in various scenarios. Latency measurement can improve the versatility of functional analyses by allowing researchers and practitioners to examine behaviors that are not amenable to a traditional functional analysis arrangement and conduct assessments in challenging environments. Although there have been several reviews of the functional analysis literature, to date none have specifically addressed functional analyses emphasizing latency measurement. Given the unique advantages of latency‐based functional analyses, a systematic review could be beneficial to researchers and practitioners in behavior analysis. Therefore, we conducted a systematic literature review of research on functional analyses using latency to measure target behaviors. Our review included 79 cases across 27 empirical research articles. We present a summary of the extant literature, highlight strengths and limitations of the empirical foundations, provide clinical implications, and discuss future directions for research.

A descriptive assessment of trial‐based functional analysis research

Amador,

DeBar,

Deshais

et al. 2024

Since its inception, modifications to experimental functional analyses have been conducted to improve contextual fit. One variation, a trial‐based functional analysis (TBFA), naturally embeds conditions within the environment, has been used across diverse participants (e.g., neurotypical development, autism spectrum disorder [ASD], etc.) and settings. Although interest in TBFA has grown, few TBFA literature reviews have been conducted. Detailed participant characteristics, reliability measures across dependent and independent variables, social validity, and details of function‐based interventions have yet to be reported. Therefore, the purpose of the literature review was to replicate and extend past TBFA reviews by assessing publication characteristics (e.g., authors, year), participant characteristics, procedures (e.g., number of trials), validation across comparison FAs, function‐based interventions, reliability (interobserver agreement [IOA] and procedural integrity) measures, social validity, and intervention details (type. Implementer, setting, and outcomes. We identified 32 articles across 88 participants. Strengths of TBFA research include usability across a range of problem behaviors in natural settings (i.e., in classrooms or in homes) by teachers and direct service providers, IOA, and the inclusion of effective function‐based interventions. Most research included preschoolers with ASD and other disabilities. Limitations and areas for future research are discussed.