Analyzing the Communicative Functions of Aberrant Behavior

Abstract

This paper presents some issues related to the assessment of possible communicative functions of aberrant behavior. These issues are addressed in terms of both the behavioral and the pragmatics literature, with the suggestion that the latter can be drawn upon to support and enhance the information derived from traditional functional analyses of behavior. Included are an assessment strategy and tool that can be used to formulate and test hypotheses about functions of behavior.