Inter-individual variability in the upper-lower limb breaststroke coordination

The aim of the present study was to examine inter-individual variability in upper-lower limb breaststroke coordination. First, inter-individual variability was compared between recreational and comparative swimmers. Second, as recreational swimmers revealed more variable inter-limb coordination than competitive swimmers, inter-individual variability was assessed among recreational swimmers to identify coordination profiles. The elbow-knee continuous relative phase (CRP) was used to analyze upper-lower limbs coupling during a breaststroke cycle. Twenty-four recreational and twenty-four competitive swimmers swam 25 m at 80% of their maximal speed. Underwater and aerial side views were mixed and genlocked. Angular position, velocity and CRP were calculated for the knee and elbow joints by digitizing body markers from the side view. The kinematics of three cycles were filtered, averaged and normalized in terms of percentage of total cycle duration. The topography of the mean CRP curve of the recreational swimmers resembled a ‘W-shape’, whereas an ‘inverse U-shape’ was seen in the competitive swimmers. However, higher inter-individual variability was observed among the recreational swimmers than among the competitive swimmers (38.1° vs. 19.4°; p < .05), suggesting that several profiles of inter-limb coordination may exist in recreational swimmers. Coordination profiling showed that three clusters could classify the recreational swimmers.     

Use of a token economy to eliminate excessive inappropriate social behavior in an adult with developmental disabilities

Adults with developmental disabilities frequently have both deficits in appropriate social skills and excesses in inappropriate social behavior (Matson, LeBlanc, & Weinheimer, 1999). Typically, published treatment studies have focused on social skills training procedures that teach and promote the use of new social behaviors. However, only a few studies have focused on management of existing social behaviors that are problematic because they occur excessively or in an inappropriate context (Wright, Herzog, & Seymour, 1992). The current study focuses on management of three types of inappropriate social behavior in a 26‐year‐old male with moderate mental retardation: inappropriate social interactions, inappropriate sexual behavior, and verbal aggression. A token economy with response cost procedure was implemented using a DRO interval as the basis for earning tokens. Using a multiple‐baseline design across behaviors, each of the three types of inappropriate social behavior was successfully treated. After demonstrating the success of the procedure, the DRO interval was increased while maintaining the reductions in inappropriate social behaviors. Appropriate behaviors such as initiating conversation, shaking hands, etc maintained throughout the intervention. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

TREATMENT OF PICA THROUGH MULTIPLE ANALYSES OF ITS REINFORCING FUNCTIONS

We conducted functional analyses of the pica of 3 participants. The pica of 1 participant appeared to be maintained by automatic reinforcement; that of the other 2 participants appeared to be multiply controlled by social and automatic reinforcement. Subsequent preference and treatment analyses were used to identify stimuli that would compete with the automatic function of pica for the 3 participants. These analyses also identified the specific aspect of oral stimulation that served as automatic reinforcement for 2 of the participants. In addition, functional analysis-based treatments were used to address the socially motivated components of 2 of the participants' pica. Results are discussed in terms of (a) the importance of using the results of functional analyses to develop treatments for pica and (b) the advantages of developing indirect analyses to identify specific sources of reinforcement for automatically reinforced behavior.     

TEACHING ABDUCTION‐PREVENTION SKILLS TO CHILDREN WITH AUTISM

Three children with autism were taught abduction‐prevention skills using behavioral skills training with in situ feedback. All children acquired the skills, which were maintained at a 1‐month follow‐up assessment. In addition, 1 of the children demonstrated the skills during a stimulus generalization probe in a community setting.     

On the use of fluency training in the behavioral treatment of autism: a commentary

The substantial demand for behavior-analytic treatment of early childhood autism has been associated with rapid dissemination of treatment procedures to practitioners and caregivers. This level of demand could plausibly induce premature dissemination of treatments that do not yet have sufficient empirical support. We argue that this might have happened with the use of fluency training for learners with autism and identify four areas of research that are necessary to ensure that dissemination efforts are better matched to the available empirical support for this instructional strategy.