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| Assessment of Treatment Efficiency in Autism |
| Tuesday, June 1, 2004 |
| 9:00 AM–10:20 AM |
| Back Bay B |
| Area: AUT |
| Chair: Christina Birkin (RCITL, University of Auckland) |
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| Using Functional Assessment to Design Interventions Aimed at Reducing Stereotypy in Children with Autism |
| Domain: Applied Research |
| CHRISTINA BIRKIN (University of Auckland), Rebecca Godfrey (University of Auckland), Dennis W. Moore (University of Auckland) |
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| Abstract: The antecedents and consequences of stereotypic behaviours of four children with severe autism were investigated using functional assessment of video recordings. Bouts of stereotypical behaviour were timed from the occurrence of repetitive behaviour two or more times within 5 s and ended when no stereotypical behaviour had occurred for 30 s or greater. The data were categorized into antecedents (demand, interruption, on-task behaviour, solitary play, unoccupied behaviour), behaviours (individual child stereotypes), and consequences (desist, distract, positive social attention, none). Minimum inter-observer reliability was 89% across all subjects. The results were used to examine the elements which might influence stereotypy in children with autism and how, given the evidence to suggest that learning and stereotypic behaviour are not compatible activities in children with severe symptoms of autism, classroom influences can be controlled to maximize the child’s opportunity to learn. The results revealed differing patterns of antecedents for stereotypic behaviour across the four subjects suggesting that the behaviour itself differs in function for each child. Recommendations are made on the management of stereotypic behaviour in educational settings with particular note to individually prescribed interventions. |
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| Evaluating A MSWO Replacement Preference Assessment in Identifying Effective Reinforcers |
| Domain: Applied Research |
| LEANNE LEMMINGS (TreeHouse School) |
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| Abstract: The ability to assess, efficiently and practicably, effective reinforcing stimuli for an individual child is a primary concern for educators and has a direct impact upon acquisition and maintenance of skills and adaptive behaviours. The dual purpose of this study was first, to discover whether top-ranked stimuli from an extended multiple-stimulus without replacement procedure (MSWO) were also identified if the number of sessions and trials were decreased thus providing educators with an efficient and practicable assessment method. Second, to conduct reinforcer assessments involving a simple free operant posting task to identify which of three conditions maximally increased rate of responding per minute on a 5-minute posting session: (i) the use of the of the top-ranked stimulus only as the consequent stimuli, (ii) the use of a selection of the top three ranked items delivered randomly, or (iii) random delivery of three novel items (not previously identified by staff when constructing the original preference lists for each child). |
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| Comparison of Different Treatments for Elopement for a Child with Autism |
| Domain: Applied Research |
| MARIA T. STEVENSON (Florida State University, Panama City), Colin Peeler (Florida State University, Panama City) |
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| Abstract: The purpose of this study was to compare the relative effectiveness of interventions for elopement with a boy diagnosed with autism. Two treatment packages were developed for the participant’s elopement behavior and were compared using an alternating treatments design. Elopement was defined as being outside of the home (front yard, backyard, or public areas) and being more than six feet away from an adult. For the participant, sessions involved taking a walk around the neighborhood or an outdoor play area. The interventions assessed were treatment package 1 (verbal reprimand + blocking + DRO – FI 30 seconds) and treatment package 2 (instruction + DRA + blocking + DRO – FI 30 seconds). Results indicated that the more positive technique (treatment package 2) was more effective than the punishment technique (treatment package 1) in decreasing elopement. After desired results were obtained, the participant’s parent was trained in the implementation of treatment package 2 until criteria was achieved. |
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