Emily A. Jones

Multiple effects of joint attention intervention for children with autism.

Joint attention refers to an early developing set of behaviors that plays a critical role in both social and language development and is specifically impaired in children with autism. In a series of three studies, preschool teachers demonstrated the effectiveness of discrete trial instruction and pivotal response training strategies to teach joint attention to 5 children with autism (Study 1). Parents of 2 of the 5 children also taught joint attention at home and in the community (Study 2). Several additional dependent measures demonstrated collateral improvements in expressive language and social-communicative characteristics that were socially validated by parent raters (Study 3). Results are discussed with respect to the importance of addressing different forms of joint attention, the necessity to extend intervention to naturalistic contexts and joint attention partners, the pivotal nature of joint attention, and whether intervention adequately addresses both the form and social function of joint attention.

Joint Attention in Children with Autism: Theory and Intervention.

Joint attention is an early-developing social-communicative skill in Which tWo people (usually a young child and an adult) use gestures and gaze to share attention With respect to interesting objects or events. This skill plays a critical role in social and language development. Impaired development of joint attention is a cardinal feature of children With autism, and thus it is important to develop this skill in early intervention efforts. Several interventions are described that involve teaching joint attention to young children With autism. These interventions focus primarily on the forms of joint attention; hoWever, they only partially address the unique social function of this behavior. DraWing on the joint attention literature, as Well as extensive intervention literature from the field of applied behavior analysis, We describe a set of strategies that could be used to teach and support joint attention, function as Well as form, in young children With autism.

Strategies to address challenging behaviour in young children with Down syndrome

Children with Down syndrome are at an increased risk for engaging in challenging behaviour that may present problems within community, leisure, and educational settings, and, in many instances, precludes them from accessing these environments. Factors contributing to the occurrence of challenging behaviours include characteristics associated with the Down syndrome behavioural phenotype, increased incidence of illness and sleep disorders, and the way in which individuals in their environment respond to their behaviours. In this paper we describe the use of behaviourally based intervention strategies to address some of the specific challenges often seen in young children with Down syndrome. Through a series of case studies, the effectiveness of evidence-based interventions addressing challenging behaviour is demonstrated.

Increasing responding to others' joint attention directives using circumscribed interests.

Children with autism show significant deficits in joint attention (JA), which occurs when 2 people engage in verbalizations, gestures, or eye contact with each other and a common object. Children with autism also exhibit intense interests in specific topics (i.e., circumscribed interests; CI). This study investigated the effectiveness of teaching responding to JA directives (RJA) to 3 children with autism while engaged in CI activities. RJA increased during intervention and generalized from CI to preferred activities.

Teaching Spontaneous Responses to a Young Child with Down Syndrome.

Children with Down syndrome experience significant communication impairments, particularly in expressive language. Although receiving little attention in the literature, deficiencies in expressive language are likely to affect spontaneous communicative responses in children with Down syndrome. In this study, using a multiple baseline design across responses, we demonstrated the effectiveness of discrete trial instruction in establishing spontaneous responses in a preschooler with Down syndrome. Spontaneous responses generalised to a novel setting involving a novel person and novel materials. Implications for the use of behaviourally based interventions to address the social-communicative needs of children with Down syndrome are discussed.

A Behavior Analytic Approach to Exploratory Motor Behavior: How Can Caregivers Teach EM Behavior to Infants with Down Syndrome?.

Impairment in exploratory motor (EM) behavior is part of the Down syndrome behavioral phenotype. Exploratory motor behavior may be a pivotal skill for early intervention with infants with Down syndrome. Exploratory motor impairments are often attributed to general delays in motor development in infants with Down syndrome. A behavior analytic perspective suggests a model that integrates environmental and biological variables in explaining EM development. We propose that Down syndrome is a setting event that changes the value of consequences associated with EM behavior and the likelihood that an infant with Down syndrome will engage in EM behavior. On the basis of this approach, we then outline intervention strategies that caregivers can use to improve EM behavior in infants with Down syndrome.

Uncovering the evidence for behavioral interventions with individuals with fragile X syndrome: A systematic review

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is associated with a wide range of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral difficulties. Although there is considerable research on the behavioral phenotype of FXS, few empirical studies of behavioral interventions with this population have been identified. Through a hand search of 34 behavioral journals, we examined the evidence base for behavioral interventions with individuals with FXS and in light of the current state of knowledge regarding the FXS behavioral phenotype. Systematic review procedures were used to identify behavioral intervention studies that included at least one participant with FXS, extract and summarize the data on several relevant dimensions, and rate the methodological quality of the studies. Results revealed 31 intervention studies with a small number of participants with FXS. Overall, results suggest a behavioral approach to intervention with individuals with FXS shows promise. Future research focused on individuals with FXS will be necessary to continue to examine differences in response to intervention and interventions that specifically address phenotypic characteristics.

A community support program for children with autism and their typically developing siblings Initial investigation

Siblings are a critical part of lifelong support for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). But siblings face their own social–emotional adjustment needs. These needs may be addressed through programs that include support groups specifically for the siblings. This study examined the effects of a community program on typical siblings’ depression, anxiety, ASD knowledge, and peer network as well as reciprocal interactions between the typical sibling and sibling with ASD. The program provided a sibling support group, a skills intervention for children with ASD, and an inclusive recreation time. Siblings reported significant decreases in depression and physiological anxiety and improvements in their peer network. Autism knowledge increased but only approached significance. Direct observations revealed improvement in reciprocal interactions by most children that did not reach statistical significance. Parents, typical siblings, and interventionists indicated positive reactions to the program and its goals and outcomes. Findings are discussed in terms of the need to continue to explore interventions for siblings of children with ASD.

The effects of presession attention on tacting

This study examined the effects of presession attention on tacting. Presession intervals of deprivation and satiation of attention were followed by a progressive-ratio assessment in which the number of tacts was measured. For 2 participants, deprivation resulted in increased tacting compared to satiation. The 3rd participant showed no differential responding. These results suggest that antecedent-based interventions could increase the efficiency of tact training.

Communication intervention for individuals with Down syndrome: Systematic review and meta-analysis

ABSTRACT Objective: A systematic review was conducted to identify effective intervention strategies for communication in individuals with Down syndrome. Methods: We updated and extended previous reviews by examining: (1) participant characteristics; (2) study characteristics; (3) characteristics of effective interventions (e.g., strategies and intensity); (4) whether interventions are tailored to the Down syndrome behavior phenotype; and (5) the effectiveness (i.e., percentage nonoverlapping data and Cohen’s d) of interventions. Results: Thirty-seven studies met inclusion criteria. The majority of studies used behavior analytic strategies and produced moderate gains in communication targets. Few interventions were tailored to the needs of the Down syndrome behavior phenotype. Conclusion: The results suggest that behavior analytic strategies are a promising approach, and future research should focus on replicating the effects of these interventions with greater methodological rigor.