Functional Communication Training (FCT) in ABA Therapy
Functional communication training teaches your child a clear way to ask for what they need, so a tough behavior is no longer the only way to be heard.
At Budding Futures, our Colorado BCBAs first work out what a behavior is trying to say, then teach a replacement your child can actually use, whether that is a word, a sign, a picture, or a device.
FCT gives your child a request that works better and faster than the behavior.
What functional communication training looks like in a Budding Futures session
When FCT helps, and our standards
How functional communication training works
Every behavior is trying to tell you something. FCT starts by figuring out what.
Your BCBA runs an assessment to find the function of the behavior. Is your child trying to escape something hard, get attention, reach a toy, or meet a sensory need? Once we know the job the behavior does, we teach a request that does the same job.
Say your child screams to get out of a loud room. We teach a "break" card or a "all done" sign, and we honor it right away. When the new request works faster than the scream, the scream has no reason to stick around.
At first we accept the new request every single time, even if it is rough. That builds trust. Over time we shape it into something clearer and more independent. The behavior usually drops as the communication grows.
What the behavior says, and what we teach instead
FCT matches the new request to the job the behavior was doing. Here are common examples we see in Colorado homes.
| What the behavior may be saying | What it can look like | What we teach instead |
|---|---|---|
| "I want out of this" | Screaming or bolting from a noisy room | A "break" or "all done" request |
| "Notice me" | Hitting to get a quick reaction | Tapping a shoulder or asking "play with me" |
| "I want that" | Grabbing or melting down over a toy | Pointing, a picture card, or naming the item |
| "My body needs this" | Repeating a behavior that feels good | A safe, allowed way to get the same input |
Will the behavior just move somewhere else?
This is a fair worry, and the answer is in how FCT is run.
If a new request truly meets the same need, and we honor it consistently, the old behavior loses its purpose. The risk shows up when a replacement does not really match the function, or when adults answer the request sometimes and ignore it other times. That is why we find the function first and coach everyone at home to respond the same way.
FCT also will not stop your child from talking or communicating. It does the opposite. For children who use few or no words, the request can be a sign, a picture, or a device, the same tools we describe on our ABA for nonverbal children page.
How Budding Futures uses FCT at home in Colorado
We use FCT in your home, where most challenging moments actually happen. A Registered Behavior Technician teaches and honors the new request, and Rachel Blackburn, BCBA, our Clinical Director, finds the function and builds the plan.
Working in your living room means we see the real triggers, not a clinic version of them. We often use FCT for children who struggle with aggression or elopement, where a safer way to communicate changes the whole day. Parent coaching is built in, so the new request gets honored when we are not there. Denver families can read about ABA therapy for communication goals in Denver.
FCT is well studied. In a 2020 review, the National Clearinghouse on Autism Evidence and Practice examined decades of research and named 28 evidence-based practices for autistic children. Functional communication training is one of them, alongside discrete trial training and naturalistic intervention.
Source: National Clearinghouse on Autism Evidence and Practice (Steinbrenner et al., 2020), ncaep.fpg.unc.edu. See also our autism and ABA research hub.
Questions parents ask about FCT
What is functional communication training?
How does FCT reduce challenging behavior?
What if my child is nonverbal?
Is FCT used for aggression or elopement?
Is functional communication training evidence-based?
Does Budding Futures use FCT at home?
Related ABA teaching methods
Want to see what good ABA looks like for your child?
We can talk through your child's goals, which teaching methods fit, and what an in-home ABA week might look like in Colorado. No pressure, just a real conversation.