Parent-Implemented Early Social Communication Intervention for Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Journal of Behavioral Education - Numerous developmental difficulties differentiate children with autism from typically developing children, including delays in social communication skills. In this...     

Grandfamilies and the Opioid Epidemic: A Systemic Perspective and Future Priorities

Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review - As a result of the devastating impact of the opioid epidemic, increased numbers of children are being raised by their grandparents in what are known as...     

Factor analysis of the heterosexist harassment,rejection, and discrimination scale in lesbian,gay, bisexual,transgender, and queer people of colour

The factor structure of the Heterosexist Harassment, Rejection, and Discrimination Scale (HHRDS) was examined in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people of colour. Two hundred participants completed a survey with the HHRDS and several mental health scales. A confirmatory factor analysis suggested the original HHRDS structure fit the data poorly. Exploratory factor analyses found a different 2-factor structure, consisting of harassment/rejection and family discrimination. Convergent validity analyses demonstrated that family discrimination had the largest association with depression and anxiety, indicating that family discrimination may be particularly salient among LGBTQ people of colour. This study supports the use of the HHRDS in racially/ethnically diverse samples, but with a slightly different factor structure. Examining discriminatory experiences from family members is an important direction for future research in LGBTQ people of colour.     

Evaluation of a trial-based interview-informed synthesized contingency analysis

We evaluated the viability of an interview-informed synthesized-contingency analysis (IISCA) conducted in a trial-based format with 3 children with autism spectrum disorders who engaged in problem behavior. We compared results to those from typical trial-based and traditional functional analyses and found high degrees of correspondence. The trial-based IISCA format took the least amount of time to conduct and was associated with the lowest frequencies of problem behavior. Results are discussed in terms of merits of each of the 3 types of functional analysis arrangements and directions for future research.     

A comparison of isolated and synthesized contingencies in functional analyses

Recently, researchers have compared the utility of isolated versus synthesized contingencies in functional analysis (FA) methodology (e.g., Fisher et al., 2016; Slaton et al., 2017). A limitation of these studies is that there were other differences across FA methodologies (e.g., design, contingency) that did not allow for isolation of the influence of isolated versus synthesized contingencies. Therefore, the current study compared outcomes of FAs that involved isolated versus synthesized contingencies for problem behavior of 5 children while controlling for these other differences across FAs (Experiment 1). Next, the current study compared the effects of interventions based on the functions identified in the isolated and synthesized contingencies for each participant (Experiment 2). Results indicated isolated contingency FAs produced differentiated responding for 1 or both functions for all 5 participants, and there were little to no differences between treatments informed by isolated and synthesized contingency FAs.     

Reducing risky behavior with habit reversal: A review of behavioral strategies to reduce habitual hand-to-head behavior

Habit reversal training (HRT) has been a mainstay of behavior analysts' repertoire for nearly the last 50 years. HRT has been effective in treating a host of repetitive behavior problems. In the face of the current coronavirus pandemic, HRT has practical public health importance as a possible intervention for reducing hand-to-head behaviors that increase the risk of viral infection. The current paper provides a brief review of HRT for hand-to-head habits that is designed for a broad audience and concludes with practical suggestions, based on HRT, for reducing face-touching behaviors.     

A Meta-Analysis of Program Characteristics for Youth with Disruptive Behavior Problems: The Moderating Role of Program Format and Youth Gender

There is high variability in efficacy for interventions for youth with disruptive behavior problems (DBP). Despite evidence of the unique correlates and critical consequences of girls’ DBP, there is a dearth of research examining treatment efficacy for girls. This meta-analysis of 167 unique effect sizes from 29 studies (28,483 youth, 50% female; median age: 14) suggests that existing treatments have a medium positive effect on DBP (g = .33). For both boys and girls, the most effective interventions included (a) multimodal or group format, (b) cognitive skills or family systems interventions, and (c) length-intensive programs for (d) younger children. Boys demonstrated significantly greater treatment gains from group format interventions compared to girls, which is particularly important given that the group program format was the most prevalent format for boys and girls, with 14 studies involving 10,433 youth encompassing this category. This is the first meta-analysis to examine the effect of program characteristics in a sample of programs selected to be specifically inclusive of girls. Given that girls are underrepresented in intervention research on DBP, findings are discussed in terms of gender-responsive considerations and elucidating how key aspects of program structure can support more effective intervention outcomes for youth.     

Anisotropic tracking: evidence for automatic synergy formation in a bimanual task

Investigation of interlimb synergy has become synonymous with the study of coordination dynamics and is largely confined to periodic movement. Based on a computational approach this paper demonstrates a method of investigating the formation of a novel synergy in the context of stochastic, spatially asymmetric movements. Nine right-handed participants performed a two degrees of freedom (2D) "etch-a-sketch" tracking task where the right hand controlled the horizontal position of the response cursor on the display while the left hand controlled the vertical position. In a pre-practice 2D tracking task, measures of phase lag between the irregularly moving target and the response showed that participants controlled left and right hands independently, performance of the right hand being slightly superior to the left. Participants then undertook 4 h 16 min distributed practice of a one degree of freedom etch-a-sketch task where the target was constrained to move irregularly in only the 45 degrees direction on the display. To track such a target accurately participants had to make in-phase coupled stochastic movements of the hands. In a post-practice 2D task, measures of phase lag showed anisotropic improvement in performance, the amount of improvement depending on the direction of motion on the display. Improvement was greatest in the practised 45 degrees and least in the orthogonal 135 degrees direction. Best and worst performances were no longer in the directions associated with right and left hands independently, but in directions requiring coupled movements of the two hands. These data support the proposal that the nervous system can establish a model of novel coupling between the hands and thereby form a task-dependent bimanual synergy for controlling the stochastic coupled movements as an entity.