Helping children with autism replace harmful behavior with safer communication
Motivational Refinements for Facilitating Reinforcement Schedule Thinning
This project looks at ways to help young children with autism stop self-injury and aggression by teaching them safer ways to communicate that caregivers can use at home.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Newark, UNITED STATES) |
| Project ID | NIH-11144306 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If your child has autism and shows self-injury or aggression, this work focuses on teaching them a clear communication response to get what they need instead of using harmful behavior. Clinicians will build on proven functional communication training and try motivational adjustments that make it easier to move from frequent rewards to levels caregivers can manage. The team will gradually thin how often the child gets rewards while supporting caregivers to use the new routines in home and community settings. The goal is to keep problem behavior low while making the approach practical for everyday life.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are young children (roughly preschool to elementary age) with autism spectrum disorder who show self-injury or aggression and have limited functional communication, along with caregivers willing to participate in training.
Not a fit: Children without destructive behavior, those who already have effective communication and behavior plans, or people unable to participate in clinic or home training may not benefit from this work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could reduce harmful behaviors, lower reliance on restraints or medications, and make behavior supports easier for families to use.
How similar studies have performed: Functional communication training has a strong evidence base for reducing destructive behavior, but using motivational refinements specifically to make reinforcement schedules practical for caregivers is a newer approach.
Where this research is happening
Newark, UNITED STATES
- Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences — Newark, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Greer, Brian D. — Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Greer, Brian D.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.