Where the brain appreciates the final state of an event: The neural correlates of telicity

In this study we investigated whether the human brain distinguishes between telic events that necessarily entail a specified endpoint (e.g., reaching), and atelic events with no delimitation or final state (e.g., chasing). We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to explore the patterns of neural response associated with verbs denoting telic and atelic events, and found that the left posterior middle temporal gyrus (pMTG), an area consistently engaged by verb processing tasks, showed a significantly higher activation for telic compared with atelic verbs. These results provide the first evidence that the human brain appreciates whether events lead to an end or a change of state. Moreover, they provide an explanation for the long-debated question of which verb properties modulate neural activity in the left pMTG, as they indicate that, independently of any other semantic property, verb processing and event knowledge in this area are specifically related to the representation of telicity.     

Liquid fading to establish milk consumption by a child with autism

Liquid avoidance by children with developmental disabilities is a common problem but has not been researched extensively. In this study, a 4‐year‐old girl who had autism and food selectivity was taught to drink milk through a liquid fading procedure. The feeding protocol consisted of gradually increasing the concentration of milk in a beverage she consumed 100% of the time. Intervention was implemented by educational staff in a school setting. Milk consumption was achieved rapidly without interruption to the fading sequence. Clinical and research issues related to liquid avoidance and fading treatments are discussed. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Is Alexithymia Related to Colon Cancer? A Survey of Patients Undergoing a Screening Colonoscopy Examination

The current study examined whether alexithymia is involved in colon cancer as has been found in breast and uterine cancer research. The TAS-20 was administered before examination to patients who underwent colon cancer screening. Histological data were obtained from the biopsies. Gender, age, education, smoking and drinking habits, and personal and family histories of neoplastic colonic disease were controlled for in the analysis. Both adenoma and adenocarcinoma patients had higher TAS-20 scores than negative cases, and both high and intermediate levels of alexithymia were implicated. Difficulty identifying feelings and externally oriented thinking were the most prominent facets related to the disease process.     

Shaping approach responses as intervention for specific phobia in a child with autism

We evaluated contact desensitization (reinforcing approach responses) as intervention for specific phobia with a child diagnosed with autism. During hospital-based intervention, the boy was able to encounter previously avoided stimuli. Parental report suggested that results were maintained postdischarge.     

Social validity assessment of behavior data recording among human services care providers

Care providers within human services organizations have many job responsibilities and performance expectations. In the present study, we conducted social validity assessment with 78 care providers concerning their attitudes and opinions about behavior data recording with adults who had intellectual disability and lived in community group homes. Specifically, the care providers responded to a written questionnaire that inquired about the practicality, training/supervision, and value of behavior data recording in the context of service delivery. Results indicated generally high approval of behavior data recording practices, purposes, and approaches to training. We discuss implications of these findings for implementing data recording by care providers and the contribution of social validity assessment to training and performance management within human services organizations.     

Alternative response training with contingent practice as intervention for pica in a school setting

Pica is a serious challenging behavior displayed by some persons with developmental disabilities. We report the near‐elimination of automatically reinforced pica in a 7‐year‐old boy diagnosed with autism by having him practice an alternative response (discarding objects) contingent on attempted or actual pica. Intervention was implemented 6 hours per day, under naturalistic conditions in a school setting, with outcome maintained through a 4 month follow‐up phase of evaluation. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.