Association for Behavior Analysis International

While there is a growing body of research examining early symptoms of ASD, the point at which this pattern of atypical social responding begins to deviate in children who are later diagnosed with autism is unclear. The first paper in this session describes data obtained using a newly developed research tool, the Early Markers of Autism, on infants under 6 months of age. Assessment data using the EMA reveal the presence of five key early markers in infant siblings and the accurate assessment of each using this tool. The second paper in this session describes the assessment and treatment of stereotypy in a 10-month-old infant who was at risk of ASD. Using a multiple baseline design, two topographies of stereotypy were measured and then treated using a toy manipulation procedure. The third paper in this session describes a case study of an infant who was identified to be at risk for autism at 8 weeks old and the treatment that was provide across 2 years, resulting in a loss of symptoms by 24 months. Findings from these studies have implications for the early identification and treatment of autism in infants, leading to long term positive outcomes for infants and families.

intermediate

Stereotypy can be one of the most persistent and difficult to treat topographies of challenging behavior exhibited by children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Although stereotypy is often not physically dangerous, decreasing stereotypy is a common target for clinicians and researchers for a variety of reasons. Stereotypy can interfere with skill acquisition and long-term treatment outcomes, decrease the likelihood of positive social interactions, and is often viewed as socially stigmatizing. The purpose of this study was to identify and treat motor stereotypy in an infant at risk of ASD. Although several studies have investigated the prevalence and topographies of stereotypy in young children, none have identified the age at which it emerges and demonstrated the efficacy of an intervention strategy with individuals under one year of age. Non-physical redirection of stereotypy to toy play and reinforcement for toy engagement was implemented in a multiple baseline design across topographies of stereotypy. Results indicate decreases in all topographies of stereotypy to near-zero levels across the course of the study. These findings are discussed as they relate to the implications of identifying stereotypy in infancy and developing the treatment strategies needed to intervene as soon as it is identified.