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Overview

Functional communication training (FCT) is a practice that emerged from the research on functional behavioral assessment (FBA). Once the FBA has determined the function of a single interfering behavior, or a group of behaviors that all serve the same function, FCT is used to teach a new, communicative behavior that replaces the interfering behavior (i.e., the communicative behavior serves the same purpose as the interfering/target behavior). This module will provide information on the evidence-based practice, FCT.

Estimated Time to Complete: 1 1/2 hours

  • What's Included
  • 30 pages
  • Pre/post-assessments
  • Optional $15 certficate
  1. Summarize functional communication training (FCT), including how to select a replacement behavior that aids in communication, how to implement the training, and how to monitor progress
  2. Identify resources to use when developing FCT and apply aspects of FCT to interventions for learners at the preschool, elementary, and secondary grade levels

Module Authors

Ellen Franzone, M.S.

Ellen Franzone has a Masters degree in Speech and Language Pathology. She worked as a speech-language therapist from 1998 to 2008. She began her professional career with the Portage Project's Birth-3 program, providing home-based services to infants and toddlers, along with their families. She later worked as an SLP with an early childhood program, providing support to students in special education classrooms as well as inclusive community settings. Prior to joining the National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorders, Ms. Franzone was employed in an elementary school, providing speech and language services to students with a variety of skills and needs. She is currently a principal in Wisconsin.

Module Contributors

National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorders

The National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorder (NPDC) was funded by the Office of Special Education Programs in the US Department of Education from 2007-2014. The work of the NPDC was a collaboration among three universities-the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Wisconsin at Madison, and the MIND Institute, University of California-Davis. The goal of the NPDC was to promote the use of evidence-based practices (EBPs) for children and youth with ASD, birth to 22 years of age.

Module Content Provided By

Content for this module was developed by The National Professional Development Center On Autism Spectrum Disorders

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