Effects of three types of noncontingent auditory stimulation on vocal stereotypy in children with autism

We evaluated the effects of 3 types of noncontingent auditory stimulation (music, white noise, recordings of vocal stereotypy) on 2 children with autism who engaged in high rates of vocal stereotypy. For both participants, the music condition was the most effective in decreasing vocal stereotypy to near-zero levels, resulted in the highest parent social validity ratings, and was selected as most preferred in treatment preference evaluations.     

An assessment of differential reinforcement procedures for learners with autism spectrum disorder

Differential reinforcement procedures may promote unprompted correct responding, resulting in a quicker transfer of stimulus control than nondifferential reinforcement. Recent studies that have compared reinforcement arrangements have found that the most effective arrangement may differ across participants. The current study conducted an assessment of differential reinforcement arrangements (i.e., quality, schedule, and magnitude) and nondifferential reinforcement to identify the most effective arrangement for each participant. The assessment phase showed that the quality arrangement was the most efficient for all participants during auditory‐visual matching. Next, a validation phase was conducted to evaluate whether the assessment would predict the most effective arrangement across multiple skills. The results from the assessment phase were validated for all participants for the same skill. However, the results were only validated for one participant during the other skills (i.e., tact and intraverbal). The results are discussed in light of previous research and future areas of research.     

Effects of computer‐based training on procedural modifications to standard functional analyses

Few studies have evaluated methods for training decision‐making when functional analysis data are undifferentiated. The current study evaluated computer‐based training to teach 20 graduate students to arrange functional analysis conditions, analyze functional analysis data, and implement procedural modifications. Participants were exposed to training materials using interactive software during a 1‐day session. Following the training, mean scores on the posttest, novel cases probe, and maintenance probe increased for all participants. These results replicate previous findings during a 1‐day session and include a measure of participant acceptability of the training. Recommendations for future research on computer‐based training and functional analysis are discussed.     

Emergent control for play responses following instructive feedback for children with autism spectrum disorder

Play provides children learning opportunities in the natural environment to acquire communication skills. While working to establish skills that may lead to additional leisure and social opportunities of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), procedures need to be both effective and efficient. One way to increase efficiency of teaching is through the use of instructive feedback (IF). Therefore, the purpose of the current study is to systematically replicate and extend previous research by examining if play behaviors emerge when using IF to teach conceptually related primary (i.e., tacts) and secondary targets (i.e., play skills). The results of the present study extend previous research by demonstrating the effectiveness of teaching tacts to individuals with ASD, and that using IF during tact training can help promote the acquisition of play skills.     

A DISCRIMINATION TRAINING PROCEDURE TO ESTABLISH CONDITIONED REINFORCERS FOR CHILDREN WITH AUTISM

Although conditioned reinforcers are used in many behavioral intervention programs for individuals with developmental disabilities, little research has been conducted to determine optimal methods for establishing conditioned reinforcers. An early method that has received relatively little research attention is to condition a neutral stimulus as a discriminative stimulus and then use the stimulus as a programed consequence during skill acquisition. The current study evaluated the effects of a discrimination training procedure on establishing conditioned reinforcers for three children with autism. For all participants, previously neutral stimuli reinforced behaviors after acquiring discriminative properties during discrimination training. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

AN EVALUATION OF THE NUMBER OF PRESENTATIONS OF TARGET SOUNDS DURING STIMULUS—STIMULUS PAIRING TRIALS

We evaluated the differential effects of 2 variations of a stimulus–stimulus pairing procedure on the vocalizations of 2 children with autism. For both participants, presenting 1 sound per pairing trial resulted in a higher rate of vocalizations than 3 sounds per pairing trial.     

A TRANSLATIONAL EVALUATION OF THE INTERPOLATED REINFORCEMENT PROCEDURE WITH YOUNG CHILDREN

The interpolated reinforcement procedure (IRP) involves the deliberate continuous reinforcement of a previously intermittently reinforced behavior prior to implementing extinction. Basic research on the IRP has produced equivocal findings, and applied research has suffered from methodological limitations. The present study was an evaluation of the IRP with typically developing young children and a nonclinical target behavior. The IRP was demonstrated in only two of five participants. The results are discussed in the context of the IRP's clinical utility given the unreliability of the finding. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Response interruption and redirection for vocal stereotypy in children with autism: a systematic replication

This study systematically replicated and extended previous research on response interruption and redirection (RIRD) by assessing instructed responses of a different topography than the target behavior, percentage of session spent in treatment, generalization of behavior reduction, and social validity of the intervention. Results showed that RIRD produced substantial decreases in vocal stereotypy. Limitations of this study were that behavior reduction did not generalize to novel settings or with novel instructors and that appropriate vocalizations did not improve.