Like considerations described regarding differential reinforcement, caregivers /implementers with wide ranging responsibilities (e.g., teachers in classrooms with large numbers of students; caregivers with multiple children or overlapping household responsibilities) might struggle with implementation, regardless of if they are addressing mild or severe challenging behavior.

Initially, as with most reinforcement-based interventions, a dense schedule of reinforcement (i.e., reinforcers are delivered frequently and/or after each occurrence of the target response) is required. This initially dense reinforcement schedule can result in disruption to ongoing activities. However, successful strategies to thin the schedule of reinforcement delivery have been described in the literature, including delays to reinforcement, increasing the response requirement, and specifying time intervals during which reinforcement is available using schedule correlated stimuli (i.e., a multiple schedule).

Additionally, because FCT has been demonstrated to be optimally effective when an extinction component related to challenging behavior is in place, implementation can sometimes lead to extinction-related side effects which tend to be more concerning with higher intensity challenging behavior.