An extension of commonly used toilet-training procedures to children with autism spectrum disorder

The current study evaluated a toilet-training treatment package described by Greer et al. (2016) with children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Most of the current research on toilet-training interventions for children with ASD are replications and modifications of Azrin and Foxx (1971) or (more recently) LeBlanc et al. (2005). However, these procedures are composed of components that are not included in studies with typically developing (TD) children. For example, Greer et al. evaluated the effectiveness of three typical components within a toilet-training package, mostly with TD participants: a 30-min sit schedule, placing participants in underwear, and differential reinforcement. The primary purpose of the current study was to replicate and extend the treatment package described by Greer et al. to children with ASD. A secondary purpose was to evaluate modifications necessary for individualized toilet training when the commonly used components were ineffective. The results of Greer et al. were replicated for 11 participants with ASD in the current study, suggesting that intensive toileting interventions (e.g., interventions requiring overcorrection, reprimands, and dense sit schedules) may only be necessary for a subset of individuals with ASD.     

On the definition of differential reinforcement of alternative behavior

Differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA) has a long history as a behavioral treatment. The term has usually been defined in a manner that suggests one form of behavior (usually some appropriate alternative) is reinforced, while another form of behavior (usually problem behavior) is placed on extinction. In this paper, we will suggest that DRA should not require extinction, either procedurally or by definition. Ideally, problem behavior would be placed on extinction when possible; however, when problem behavior is not or cannot be placed on extinction, the procedure used is still DRA. Thus, we propose the following definition: Providing greater reinforcement, along at least one dimension, contingent on the occurrence of one form or type of behavior, while minimizing reinforcement for another form or type of behavior.     

Interval recording for duration events: a re‐evaluation

In two experiments, events that were recorded using continuous duration recording (CDR) were rescored using 10‐s partial interval (PIR), 10‐s momentary time sampling (MTS) and 20‐s MTS. Results of Experiment 1 showed that data paths generated by each interval method produced conclusions about functional control that were similar to those based on CDR when using reversal designs; however, for multielement designs, 10‐s PIR was prone to showing differentiation between data paths that was not evident with CDR. Results of Experiment 2 showed that both 10‐s and 20‐s MTS yielded data paths on behavior–behavior relations (e.g., covarying responses) that were consistent with CDR whereas 10‐s PIR produced some behavior–behavior patterns that were not. In both experiments, 10‐s MTS generated data paths that were nearly identical to the respective CDR data paths. The implications of these findings for researchers and clinicians are briefly discussed. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Generalized instruction following with pictorial prompts

The benefits of permanent pictorial prompts in enhancing maintenance and generalization are likely dependent on their degree of stimulus control and the extent to which their use is generalized. Although several studies on the use of pictorial prompts have demonstrated their efficacy (e.g., Pierce & Schreibman, 1994; Wacker & Berg, 1983; Wacker, Berg, Berrie, & Swatta, 1985), there is still some question regarding what ultimately controlled responding. The present study allowed an explicit examination of stimulus control by pictorial prompts. Three 4-year-old children with developmental disabilities were taught to complete 4 instructional sets (5 steps each) using pictorial prompts such that the prompts would control responding. All 3 participants showed generalization to the final set after training with 3 sets. These results suggest that training a single task sequence may not be sufficient for acquisition of generalized pictorial instruction following. However, establishing stimulus control by the pictorial prompts rather than teaching behavioral chains may facilitate acquisition of a generalized repertoire.     

An evaluation of the good behavior game in kindergarten classrooms

The good behavior game (GBG) is a classwide group contingency that involves dividing the class into two teams, creating simple rules, and arranging contingencies for breaking or following those rules. Five kindergarten teachers and classrooms participated in this evaluation of the GBG. Disruptive behavior markedly decreased in all five classrooms as a result of the intervention. This study extends the GBG literature by systematically replicating the effects of the GBG with the youngest group of students to date.     

Comparison of arousal and preference assessment outcomes for sex offenders with intellectual disabilities

We compared outcomes of arousal and preference assessments for five adult male alleged sexual offenders with intellectual disabilities. Arousal assessments involved the use of the penile plethysmograph to measure changes in penile circumference to both deviant (males and females under the age of 18) and nondeviant (males and females over the age of 18) video clips. Paired‐stimulus preference assessments were arranged to present still images from the video clips used in the arousal assessments. Results showed correspondence between the assessments for four out of the five participants. Implications are discussed for the use of preference assessment methodology as a less intrusive assessment approach for sexual offender assessments.     

Developing and assessing stimulus control based on establishing operations during mand training using representative objects

The acquisition of verbal behavior can be difficult for some individuals with severe developmental disabilities. For two individuals who previously did not acquire picture exchange communication despite extensive efforts, we evaluated the effectiveness of using representative objects to teach mands for preferred items. In addition, we replicated and extended the findings of our previous research manipulating motivating operations (MO) for functional discriminated mands. Two individuals with developmental disabilities participated in a training procedure designed to teach two separate mands for two separate preferred items. Participants were taught to mand (e.g., for chips) using representative objects (e.g., empty bag of chips). Following training, the MO manipulation was used to assess for discriminated manding. This manipulation involved providing free access to one of the preferred items, such that there should be no motivation to ask for it, while motivation to ask for the other item remained in place. Results showed that both participants acquired at least a degree of discriminated manding using representative objects. At a minimum, a method was established to test complex discrimina‐ tions for preferred objects. Although we previously used this procedure in teaching picture card exchange discriminations, the current research extended previous research to individuals who were previously unresponsive to training and by using representative objects. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.