Behavioral Interventions最新文献

Research has shown that novel edible reinforcers can be identified based on category following a preference assessment of similar items in representative categories. The current study aimed to expand this research by determining preference based on category (e.g., squishy, fuzzy, bumpy, stringy, etc.) through the utilization of leisure items using an 8-item multiple stimulus without replacement (MSWO) preference assessment. Three adolescent males participated in the study; each was diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and was selected for the study based on classroom teacher reports that they would benefit from an expanded potential reinforcer pool and increased leisure engagement. An 8-item MSWO preference assessment including items from four categories was used to identify high preference categories for each participant. Based upon these results, the researchers determined whether novel leisure items from the high preference category would function as reinforcers using a concurrent-operants arrangement. Results showed that for all participants, both high preference tested leisure items and high preference novel leisure items functioned as reinforcers, measuring engagement with the item as the dependent variable. Results are discussed in terms of the utility of predicting novel leisure items that function as reinforcers based on sensory category.

Engaging in regular moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) can result in improvements in health in many children and adults. The United States Department of Health and Human Services (2018) recommends that adults engage in 75–150 min of MVPA and 2 days of muscle-strengthening activities every week. Yet, many adults do not meet this recommendation and even fewer adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) meet this recommendation. Several behavioral interventions are effective in increasing MVPA, but few have targeted muscle-strengthening activities. The purpose of this study was to evaluate goal setting and token reinforcement to increase the frequency of exercises in adults with ASD. Two adults diagnosed with ASD participated in this study at a local dance studio. Using a multiple baseline design across exercises with a changing criterion design, we used goal setting and token reinforcement to systematically increase the frequency of muscle-strengthening exercises (e.g., pushups, bicep curls, modified squats, etc.). Both participants increased the frequency of the exercises according to the criteria changes until they met the terminal criterion for each exercise. Future directions for research and implications for practitioners were discussed.

In this study, equivalence-based instruction (EBI) was used to teach hypothesis testing methods to graduate and undergraduate psychology students. Instruction was delivered on six-members classes representing the z-test, t-test, F-test, chi-square test and binomial test. A pretest-training-posttest-maintenance design was employed, with baseline relations taught using a computer-controlled match-to-sample task. The effects of training were assessed using both written and computerized pretests and posttests. One week after training, a follow-up written and computerized test was administered to assess maintenance. Test scores improved following training, derived relations emerged, and class-consistent responding generalized to a novel context (i.e., the written test) for all participants. These effects were maintained 1 week after training across all participants. This study systematically replicates precious findings that EBI can effectively teach advanced content to college students and is the first to apply EBI to the instruction of hypothesis testing methods.

This study was conducted to examine the effects of the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction (SDLMI) on the learning and maintenance of self-determination skills in young people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Social validity data were also collected from participants and their parents before and after the intervention. A multiple-baseline design was used as a single-subject research design. Young people with ASD not only acquired self-determination skills but also maintained these skills over time. In addition, following the intervention, they successfully performed the independent living skills they had personally selected as their own targets. Both the participants and their parents expressed high levels of satisfaction with the intervention process. Furthermore, compared to pre-intervention reports, notable positive shifts were observed in the perceptions and evaluations of both youth and parents after the study. This study demonstrated that SDLMI can be an effective model for teaching self-determination skills to young people with ASD in natural settings.

The purpose of the current study was to test the effects of two interventions, sensory integration (SI) therapy and physical exercise (PE), as treatments for automatically maintained stereotypy. The study was conducted with two sets of two preschool students with ASD using a counterbalanced, multiple treatment design to test for a functional relation between the interventions, the participants' individualized, prescribed SI diets or PE and the dependent variable, their episodes of stereotypy. The results do not support the use of SI as a treatment for stereotypy and showed positive results and the need for future research on PE and its effects on stereotypy.

Interventions based on the principles of applied behavior analysis are highly effective at treating pediatric feeding disorder by increasing appropriate mealtime behaviors and decreasing inappropriate mealtime behaviors. Treatment effectiveness is usually evaluated with data collected by trained observers. Unfortunately, trained observers may not always be available or present to monitor child behavior. To address this barrier, caregivers may be able to track their child's feeding treatment progress. A recent preliminary study suggested that some caregivers' data may correspond well with trained observers and that caregivers can detect large changes in challenging behavior. In the current investigation, we replicated and extended Becraft et al. with 8 caregivers of children receiving treatment for pediatric feeding disorder. Overall, caregiver data were significantly correlated with observer data for inappropriate and appropriate behavior for seven out of eight caregivers. We also evaluated agreement between caregiver and observer data on the presence or absence of an effect (i.e., a difference between phases). Out of 16 possible phase contrasts, caregiver data agreed with observer data on whether there was a treatment effect 14 and 16 times via visual analysis for inappropriate and appropriate behavior, respectively. These preliminary data suggest that caregiver data may be used to track feeding treatment progress to determine whether there is a treatment effect with little to no formal data collection training.

Auditory feedback has various uses across fields conducting scientific research. For the purposes of this literature review, we defined auditory feedback as a brief emission of sound (e.g., a click, a beep) to serve as a consequence for behavior. This review aimed to search across fields for the various uses of auditory feedback to effect behavior change. Through a comprehensive search, including both academic and medical journals, we identified 35 articles for inclusion, ranging from studies about decreasing extraneous body movement to improving sports behaviors to assisting patients to relearn walking skills to relationship building. Overall, the cumulative results of the studies show general effectiveness for auditory feedback procedures with 94.4% of authors reporting positive behavior outcomes. Given the overall reported effectiveness, there is a broad range of applications for auditory feedback, which should be examined through future research across fields, ranging from verbal behavior to artificial intelligence.

Competing stimulus assessments (CSAs) are used to identify high-competition stimuli that effectively reduce challenging behavior. Despite their efficacy, CSAs can be time consuming to complete. Recently, Imler and Weyman examined the efficacy of a latency-based CSA (LBCSA) to improve assessment efficiency. Although results suggested that there may be some utility to the LBCSA, it was not compared to a traditional rate-based CSA. The current study's purpose was to replicate and extend the work of Imler and Weyman by conducting an LBCSA followed by a rate-based CSA to examine the correspondence among outcomes for two individuals with automatically maintained self-injury. Results indicated that the CSA outcomes were similar. During the extended treatment evaluation, high-competition stimuli reduced self-injury. However, when stimuli were associated with mixed outcomes across CSAs, the results of the traditional CSA were more accurate. Avenues for future research on LBCSAs are discussed.

Prompts are a common instructional component in skill-acquisition programs for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Stimulus prompts are underused, likely due to limited contemporary guidance and challenges with their feasibility, making them somewhat enigmatic. Incorporating stimulus prompts into tablet-assisted instruction could improve feasibility. This applied study compared two types of digital stimulus prompts to teach conditional discriminations to three children with ASD. A survey of popular children's tablet apps and games informed prompt selection, and we conducted a tablet-based instruction readiness assessment. Using an adapted alternating treatments design with a no-treatment control, we compared motion (within stimulus) and pointing (extra stimulus) prompts across multiple stimulus sets. Both prompts were efficacious for two participants after individual modifications, and there was little difference in efficiency. Neither was efficacious for the third participant despite multiple modifications. Findings contribute to research on digital stimulus prompts and systematic evaluations of skill-acquisition procedures.

Feeding difficulties are pervasive for children with autism. The present study investigated the effects of a pairing intervention on cooperation with instructions/acceptance of new foods, inappropriate behaviors, proximity to therapist, and indices of happiness for two children with autism and avoidant restrictive food intake disorder. The researchers sought to examine the effects of an intervention package that did not require restrictive seating or nonremoval of the spoon while assessing caregiver acceptability throughout the procedures. When the pairing intervention alone was not effective to decrease inappropriate behaviors and increase acceptance of new foods, we implemented pairing with shaping procedures. Pairing with shaping was effective to increase acceptance of four new foods for one participant. For the other participant, we ultimately implemented nonremoval of the spoon procedures to increase acceptance of new foods and decrease inappropriate mealtime behaviors. Results have implications for the conditions under which interventions other than nonremoval of the spoon may increase acceptance of new foods for children with autism and feeding difficulties, and how efficacy and efficiency may impact caregiver acceptability.