Date of Award:

12-2023

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

Psychology

Committee Chair(s)

Katherine Brown

Committee

Katherine Brown

Committee

Timothy Shahan

Committee

Timothy Slocum

Abstract

Lack of following instructions is a common caregiver concern that can have adverse effects on the learner. Although certain behavioral assessments (i.e., functional analysis) are often employed for other forms of challenging behavior (e.g., aggression, property destruction) to determine why these behaviors are occurring (e.g., to gain attention, toys, or escape from instructions), these assessments are infrequently conducted to determine why a learner is not following instructions. Lack of following instructions is often hypothesized to be motivated by desire to escape from instructions. However, to date, no study has examined the prevalence of variables that motivate lack of following instructions or intervention outcomes despite their importance in informing intervention. Thus, the purpose of this review was to examine the published literature that assessed lack of following instructions to determine the prevalence of environmental variables that motivate lack of following instructions. Subsequently, we also aimed to examine the efficacy of interventions for increasing following instructions that were developed based on assessment results. Results indicate lack of following instructions was motivated by a desire to escape from instructions in half of the studies identified, and consequence-based interventions were more efficacious than antecedent-based interventions.

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