An educational diagnostician is advising a teacher how to reduce a student's escape-maintained behavior. Which approach is most appropriate?

• A. Offer the student a choice of activities after completing a nonpreferred task for a set duration.
• B. Increase the duration of the nonpreferred task before any reward.
• C. Remove all preferred activities from the classroom to force compliance.
• D. Use a consistent time-out after any refusal without a nonpreferred task.

Answer: (A)

This item focuses on reducing escape-maintained behavior by using a contingent, positive consequence that follows task engagement. Offering a choice of activities after the student completes a nonpreferred task for a set duration creates an immediate, valued outcome tied to compliance. By clearly showing that doing the task leads to access to preferred activities, the reinforcement value of task completion increases and the motivation to escape diminishes. It also respects the student’s autonomy and provides a manageable, predictable structure that can be gradually faded as task tolerance improves.

Increasing the duration of the nonpreferred task before any reward makes the task more aversive and can strengthen escape behavior instead of reducing it. Removing all preferred activities to force compliance is punitive and counterproductive, likely increasing resistance and undesired behaviors. Using a time-out after refusals without a nonpreferred task doesn’t teach the student how to comply and can miss an opportunity to reinforce the alternative, appropriate behavior.