Adel C. Najdowski

Parent-Implemented Procedural Modification of Escape Extinction in the Treatment of Food Selectivity in a Young Child with Autism

Fool selectivity is characterized by the consumption of an inadequate variety of foods. The effectiveness of behavioral treatment procedures, particularly nonremoval of the spoon, is well validated by research. The role of parents in the treatment of feeding disorders and the feasibility of behavioral procedures for parent implementation in the home has not been investigated extensively. In this study, a procedural variation of escape extinction was used to treat the food selectivity of a young child with autism. Treatment occurred in the childs home and all procedures were implemented by his mother. At the conclusion of treatment, the child independently consumed all foods presented in regular family meals within an appropriate time period.

EVALUATION OF A MULTICOMPONENT INTERVENTION FOR DIURNAL BRUXISM IN A YOUNG CHILD WITH AUTISM

Bruxism, forceful grinding of ones teeth together, can produce destructive outcomes such as wear on the teeth and damaged gums and bone structures. The current study implemented a multicomponent intervention that consisted of vocal and physical cues to decrease rates of bruxism. A partial component analysis suggested that the vocal cue was only effective at decreasing levels of bruxism when paired with a simultaneous physical cue.

TEACHING CHILDREN WITH AUTISM TO SEEK HELP WHEN LOST IN PUBLIC

Children with autism may not develop safety skills (e.g., help-seeking behaviors) without explicit teaching. One potentially hazardous situation is when a child with autism becomes separated from caregivers in a retail establishment or other public setting. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a treatment package (rules, role playing, and praise) delivered in the natural environment for teaching 3 boys with autism to seek assistance from store employees when they became lost. Treatment was effective, and help-seeking behaviors generalized to untrained stores for all participants.

COMPARISON OF DATA-COLLECTION METHODS IN A BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTION PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN WITH PERVASIVE DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS: A REPLICATION

Cummings and Carr (2009) compared two methods of data collection in a behavioral intervention program for children with pervasive developmental disorders: collecting data on all trials versus only the first trial in a session. Results showed that basing a childs progress on first-trial data resulted in identifying mastery-level responding slightly sooner, whereas determining mastery based on all trials resulted in slightly better skill maintenance. In the current replication, no such differences in indication of mastery or maintenance were observed when data were collected on all trials or the first trial.

THE EFFECTS OF MULTIPLE ExEMPLAR TRAINING ON A WORkING MEMORy TASk INVOLVING SEQUENTIAL RESPONDING IN CHILDREN WITH AUTISM

This study is part of a programmatic line of research into the use of basic positive reinforcement procedures for improving working memory in children with autism spectrum disorders. The authors evaluated the effects of multiple exemplar training, utilizing positive reinforcement, on performance of a “digit span backwards” task—a test of working memory that entails sequential relational responding. All three participants showed improved performance on directly trained stimuli as well as maintenance and generalization to untrained stimuli. The results provide further support for the general hypothesis that performance on working memory tasks is amenable to improvement via behavioral intervention and has implications for treating such tasks as relational operants. Implications for future research and the development of clinical interventions are discussed.

Utilizing Antecedent Manipulations and Reinforcement in the Treatment of Food Selectivity by Texture

Food selectivity by texture is relatively common in children. Treatments for food selectivity by texture have included components such as stimulus fading, reinforcement, and escape extinction. The purpose of the current study was to attempt to treat food selectivity by texture utilizing antecedent manipulations and reinforcement in the absence of escape extinction. The current study utilized texture fading and simultaneous presentation to treat food selectivity by texture in a young boy with autism. Experimenters successfully increased the boys food consumption using this treatment package in a clinical setting. Then, the boys parents were trained to implement procedures both in the clinical and home settings.

Teaching children with autism to tell socially appropriate lies

This study used a nonconcurrent multiple baseline across participants design to evaluate the use of rules, role-play, and feedback for teaching 3 children with autism spectrum disorder to tell socially appropriate lies when (a) presented with an undesired gift and (b) someones appearance changed in an undesired way. The intervention was effective in teaching use of socially appropriate lies, and generalization to untrained people and gifts or appearances was observed.

A SYSTEMATIC REPLICATION OF TEACHING CHILDREN WITH AUTISM TO RESPOND APPROPRIATELY TO LURES FROM STRANGERS

We evaluated the effects of behavioral skills training in the home for teaching children with autism to abstain from going with strangers and immediately inform a familiar adult of the strangers attempt to lure them in the natural environment. All participants learned to respond correctly to lures in the home and demonstrated concomitant changes in untrained natural settings. In situ training and an added incentive were necessary for 1 participant.

Social Skills in Autism Spectrum Disorders

Autism was first described by Kanner in 1943 and identified as a disorder characterized by impaired development in language and socialization, as well as the presence of repetitive behaviors and restricted interests. The DSM-IV (APA, 2000) currently classifies Autistic Disorder within the Pervasive Developmental Disorders, which also include Asperger’s Disorder, Rett’s Disorder, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, and PDD-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS). In recent years, researchers have begun to refer to these disorders as autism spectrum disorders (ASD) due to the continuous nature of symptoms with few clear boundaries upon which to differentiate disorders within the spectrum (Matson & Boisjoli, 2007).

Designing Curriculum Programs for Children with Autism

This chapter provides a comprehensive description of the process of designing an individualized curriculum for learners with autism.