Power and Importance of Functional Communication

Mark Elias

June 24, 2024

August 30, 2024

Importance of Functional Communication

Functional communication plays a vital role in our daily lives, allowing individuals to express their basic wants and needs effectively. It refers to the most fundamental communication skills, such as expressing desires, indicating discomfort, or requesting assistance. While typically developing children begin to communicate functionally in their first year of life, some individuals, including those with speech and language delays or autism, may develop functional communication later in life [1].

Understanding functional communication is crucial because it serves as the foundation for further language development. By mastering functional communication skills, individuals can establish successful interactions and express themselves in various contexts. Whether it's a non-speaking child, someone with a limited vocabulary, or an individual with speech production difficulties, working on functional communication can significantly improve their ability to communicate effectively.

Functional communication is especially important for children who struggle to express their basic wants and needs. It provides them with an alternative means of communication, reducing frustration and enhancing their overall quality of life. For children with speech and language delays, it is crucial to address functional communication early on to ensure they have the necessary skills to interact and participate in daily activities.

To support individuals in developing functional communication skills, it is recommended to seek assistance from certified speech-language pathologists. These professionals specialize in language development and can provide structured therapy sessions tailored to the individual's needs. Through targeted interventions and strategies, speech-language pathologists help individuals enhance their functional communication abilities, empowering them to express themselves more effectively.

By understanding the importance of functional communication and seeking appropriate support, individuals can overcome communication barriers, improve their social interactions, and enhance their overall quality of life. Functional communication is the gateway to effective communication and opens doors to meaningful connections with others.

Evidence-Based Practices for Communication

When it comes to communication, utilizing evidence-based practices (EBPs) is crucial for promoting effective and meaningful interactions. These practices have been proven to be effective through rigorous research studies and are widely recognized as reliable strategies for improving communication skills. By implementing these effective strategies, individuals can enhance their ability to express themselves and engage with others.

EBPs are supported by two federal laws, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA '04), which mandate the use of evidence-based academic and behavioral practices to the greatest extent possible in educational settings. These practices are based on research findings and have demonstrated positive outcomes for a wide range of individuals, including those with communication difficulties.

Implementing EBPs for communication involves selecting strategies that have been shown to be effective in teaching appropriate behaviors and skills while decreasing inappropriate behaviors [2]. Educators and practitioners should carefully consider the target behavior and choose the EBP that best addresses that behavior. It is essential to ensure that the selected EBP is implemented with fidelity to maximize its effectiveness.

Collecting data on the student's behavior is an important part of implementing EBPs for communication. This data allows educators to evaluate the effectiveness of the chosen EBP and determine whether it was implemented correctly. If the EBP does not yield the desired results, the data can help identify areas for improvement and guide adjustments to the intervention.

By utilizing evidence-based practices for communication, educators and practitioners can enhance the communication skills of individuals, including those with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). These practices provide a structured and systematic approach to teaching and promoting effective communication, leading to improved outcomes and increased engagement in social interactions.

It is important to note that while EBPs serve as valuable guidelines, individualized assessment and consideration of each person's unique needs are essential. By combining EBPs with personalized strategies, educators and practitioners can create a comprehensive and tailored approach to communication that supports the growth and development of individuals across various settings.

Functional Communication Training (FCT)

Functional Communication Training (FCT) is an evidence-based practice that focuses on teaching individuals alternative and appropriate ways to communicate their needs and wants. This training involves teaching an alternative response that results in the same class of reinforcement as the problem behavior. FCT was introduced as a treatment for children with developmental disabilities in 1985 and has since become widely used as a function-based treatment for problem behavior [3].

Definition and Purpose

FCT is a differential reinforcement procedure that aims to replace problem behavior with more socially acceptable forms of communication. The alternative response in FCT is typically a recognizable form of communication, such as vocalization or manual sign. The purpose of FCT is to reduce problem behavior by teaching individuals more functional ways to express their needs and wants. By providing individuals with effective communication skills, FCT can improve their overall quality of life and enhance their ability to interact with others.

Behavior Addressed with FCT

FCT interventions have been developed for individuals across various age ranges, from young children to adults, with the majority diagnosed with developmental disabilities or mental retardation. FCT can be used to address a wide range of problem behaviors, including aggression, self-injury, motor and vocal disruptions, bizarre vocalizations, stereotypy, inappropriate sexual behavior, self-restraint, and inappropriate communicative behaviors. These problem behaviors are often maintained by different sources of reinforcement, such as attention, access to preferred materials, escape from demands, and escape from aversive events.

In order to effectively implement FCT, it is crucial to conduct a functional assessment to identify the environmental events that maintain problem behavior. This assessment helps to accurately identify the reinforcers and ensure that the alternative communicative response is functionally related to the problem behavior. Conducting a functional analysis prior to implementing FCT is recommended to increase the likelihood of reducing problem behavior and strengthening socially acceptable communication.

By implementing FCT, individuals with problem behaviors can learn more appropriate ways to communicate their needs, resulting in a reduction in problem behavior and an enhancement of their functional communication skills. FCT is a valuable tool in promoting positive behavior change and empowering individuals to effectively express themselves in various settings.

Implementing Functional Communication Training

Functional Communication Training (FCT) is a highly effective approach for addressing challenging behaviors in individuals with developmental disabilities or mental retardation, such as aggression, self-injury, and inappropriate communicative behaviors. The implementation of FCT involves several important steps, including conducting a functional assessment and selecting the appropriate communicative response topography.

Conducting a Functional Assessment

The first step in implementing FCT is to conduct a functional assessment to identify the environmental events that maintain the problem behavior. This assessment helps determine the underlying function or purpose of the behavior, which is essential for developing an effective communication intervention. By accurately identifying the reinforcers associated with the problem behavior, practitioners can ensure that the communicative response is functionally related.

Conducting a functional analysis prior to implementing FCT is recommended, as it increases the likelihood of reducing problem behavior and strengthening socially acceptable alternative responses. The functional analysis involves systematically manipulating antecedent and consequent events while observing their impact on the problem behavior. This analysis provides valuable information about the maintaining variables of the behavior and guides the development of the communication intervention.

Selecting Communicative Response Topography

Once the functional assessment is complete, the next step is to select the appropriate communicative response topography. FCT interventions target various response topographies, including vocal responses, picture exchanges, sign language, gestures, and the use of voice or text output devices. The choice of response topography depends on factors such as response effort, social recognition, and the speed of response acquisition.

When selecting a communicative response, it is important to consider the recognizability of the response, its ease of acquisition, and its relative effort compared to problem behavior. Efforts should be made to choose responses that are easily recognizable, can be learned quickly, and are less effortful than the problem behavior, particularly in the initial stages of treatment.

By carefully conducting a functional assessment and selecting an appropriate communicative response topography, practitioners can effectively implement FCT interventions. These steps are crucial in determining the function of the problem behavior and teaching individuals more appropriate ways to communicate their needs and desires [4]. By replacing challenging behaviors with functional communication skills, FCT empowers individuals and enhances their overall quality of life.

Success Factors in FCT

When it comes to implementing Functional Communication Training (FCT), there are certain factors that contribute to its success. These factors include initiating FCT in the right manner and incorporating strategies for generalization.

Initiating FCT

To ensure the effectiveness of FCT, it is important that the training is initiated by a well-trained practitioner. This practitioner should create a setting that minimizes competing sources of reinforcement and maximizes safety. By doing so, they can create an environment that is conducive to learning and communication.

The practitioner should also assess the individual's communication needs and develop a plan that targets specific behaviors. This individualized approach helps to address the unique challenges and goals of the person undergoing FCT. The practitioner will then select appropriate communicative response topography, which refers to the form of communication that will be used during the training process.

Strategies for Generalization

Generalization is an important aspect of functional communication training, as it involves the transfer of communication skills from the training environment to important settings and caregivers [3]. Strategies should be incorporated into the training plan to promote generalization and ensure that the skills learned during FCT are applied in real-world situations.

One strategy for promoting generalization is to vary the training settings and contexts. This helps individuals to practice their communication skills in different environments, allowing them to adapt and apply their skills to a range of situations. Additionally, involving important caregivers in the training process and providing them with the necessary training and support can help ensure that the individual's communication skills generalize to interactions with caregivers.

Regular assessment of generalization is crucial to monitor progress and make any necessary adjustments to the training plan. By assessing generalization, practitioners can determine whether the communication skills acquired during FCT are being used effectively outside of the training environment. This assessment helps to reinforce the generalization of skills and ensures that the individual can effectively communicate in their daily life.

By initiating FCT in an appropriate manner and incorporating strategies for generalization, individuals can develop functional communication skills that extend beyond the training environment. These success factors contribute to the overall effectiveness of FCT and empower individuals to communicate effectively in various contexts.

Functional Communication in Daily Life

Empowering effective communication is at the core of functional communication. When individuals are able to express their basic wants and needs, it enhances their overall quality of life and interactions with others. Let's explore why functional communication is important and how it can make a difference in daily life.

Functional communication refers to the most basic of communication skills, such as expressing basic wants and needs like "I want that," "I am hurt," or "I need to use the bathroom". For children, this type of communication typically emerges in the first year of life with gestures and expands with words and simple sentences in the following years. However, some children, such as those with speech and language delays or autism, may develop functional communication later, even into older ages.

The ability to effectively communicate basic wants and needs is crucial for individuals who struggle with speech and language. This includes non-speaking children, those with limited vocabulary, children with autism, or suspected childhood apraxia of speech. Teaching functional communication allows these individuals to express themselves, reducing frustration and providing an alternative means of communication. It is best addressed by a certified speech-language pathologist who can provide structured therapy sessions to improve functional communication skills.

Improving functional communication often involves using alternative means of communication for children with significant speech or language delays. This can include gestures, sign language, picture exchange communication system (PECS), communication boards, voice-output devices, and eventually spoken speech. The goal is to provide individuals with a means of communication that is easy to learn and use, while being understandable to adults around them.

Teaching functional communication requires steps such as choosing new words to teach, modeling those words for the individual, providing communication temptations to encourage word usage, and being patient throughout the process. It is important to continue these steps until the individual can effectively use the chosen method of communication. If one word is not successful, trying a different word and returning to the previous one later is recommended. As the individual experiences success, the types of communication skills can be expanded to enhance communication with others.

In daily life, functional communication enables individuals to express their needs, desires, and emotions. It promotes independence, social interactions, and establishes a sense of autonomy. By empowering effective communication, individuals can actively participate in various settings, such as school, work, social gatherings, and personal relationships. Functional communication enhances overall well-being and fosters meaningful connections with others.

By prioritizing functional communication and seeking appropriate support from speech-language pathologists, individuals can develop the skills necessary to effectively communicate their basic wants and needs. This creates a foundation for further language development and opens doors for greater opportunities in all aspects of life.