Severe problem behaviors related to social interaction. 1: Attention seeking and social avoidance.

Studies concerning the functional analysis of severe problem behaviors have suggested that it is important to identify the different categories of stimuli that control problem behavior because each has unique treatment implications. The present study explored the differential effects of adult attention on the severe problem behaviors of two groups of children with developmental disabilities. A third group of nonproblem children was examined for comparison purposes. Children participated in three experimental conditions in which the level of adult attention was manipulated: noncontingent high attention, noncontingent low attention, and contingent attention. Results validated the existence of two groups of children who differed as to their social orientation: (a) One group of children commonly initiated social interactions and was most likely to exhibit problem behaviors under conditions of low adult attention, and (b) the other group of children rarely initiated social interactions and exhibited frequent problem behaviors under conditions of high adult attention. Implications of these data for escape and attention theories of child problem behavior are discussed, as are the applied implications for reinforcer assessment and teaching strategies.