The Use of Noncontingent Reinforcement in the Regular Education Classroom with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Children

A problem that exists in many regular education classrooms is excessive disruptive behavior of students. This study will examine the disruptive behavior of two children, age 8, who have been diagnosed with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, in a simulated regular education classroom. Due to a renewed emphasis on linking treatment to functional analysis, noncontingent reinforcement was utilized to determine whether teacher mediated or peer mediated attention can decrease the disruptive behavior. This study used a multi-element design for the functional analysis and a reversal (ABAB) design to evaluate the effects of the noncontingent reinforcement treatment. Results indicated that peer attention was the variable that maintained the disruptive behavior of both children and suggested that noncontingent reinforcement was a partially effective treatment since levels of disruptive behavior decreased during the initial treatment phase, but could not be replicated for the final treatment phase