Tonya N. Davis

Using iPods(®) and iPads(®) in teaching programs for individuals with developmental disabilities: a systematic review.

We conducted a systematic review of studies that involved iPods(®), iPads(®), and related devices (e.g., iPhones(®)) in teaching programs for individuals with developmental disabilities. The search yielded 15 studies covering five domains: (a) academic, (b) communication, (c) employment, (d) leisure, and (e) transitioning across school settings. The 15 studies reported outcomes for 47 participants, who ranged from 4 to 27 years of age and had a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and/or intellectual disability. Most studies involved the use of iPods(®) or iPads(®) and aimed to either (a) deliver instructional prompts via the iPod Touch(®) or iPad(®), or (b) teach the person to operate an iPod Touch(®) or iPad(®) to access preferred stimuli. The latter also included operating an iPod Touch(®) or an iPad(®) as a speech-generating device (SGD) to request preferred stimuli. The results of these 15 studies were largely positive, suggesting that iPods(®), iPod Touch(®), iPads(®), and related devices are viable technological aids for individuals with developmental disabilities.

A SYSTEMATIC EXAMINATION OF DIFFERENT PARAMETERS OF PRESESSION EXPOSURE TO TANGIBLE STIMULI THAT MAINTAIN PROBLEM BEHAVIOR

We examined the effects of three different presession conditions on tangibly maintained problem behavior for 2 students with autism, using individual-participant multielement designs. First, an analogue functional analysis demonstrated that problem behavior was maintained by access to tangible items. Next, topographies of item rejection were identified. Finally, students were exposed to (a) brief access, (b) no access, and (c) satiation to the tangible items prior to tangible sessions. The results demonstrated high levels of problem behavior following the brief-access and no-access presession conditions and low levels of problem behavior following the satiation condition. The findings are discussed in the context of how satiation might best be defined for these sorts of evaluations.

Functional Analysis and Treatment of Elopement across Two School Settings.

The elopement of a child with Asperger syndrome was assessed using functional analyses and was treated in two school settings (classroom and resource room). Functional analyses indicated that elopement was maintained by access to attention in the resource room and obtaining a preferred activity in the classroom. Attention- and tangible-based interventions were compared in an alternating treatments design in both settings. Results validated the findings of the functional analyses. Implications for the assessment and treatment of elopement are discussed.

EFFECTS OF MOTIVATING OPERATIONS ON PROBLEM AND ACADEMIC BEHAVIOR IN CLASSROOMS

The current study examined the effects of motivating operations on problem behavior and academic engagement for 2 students with autism. Classroom sessions were preceded by periods in which the participants had access or no access to the items functionally related to their problem behavior. Results suggested that presession access may result in lower levels of problem behavior and higher levels of academic engagement during classroom instruction.

Attitudes as a predictor of college students requesting accommodations

The purpose of the current study was to examine those variables that we postulated as predicting whether a registered college student with a disability would request accommodations in higher education. To achieve this purpose, a variety of predictor variables were considered as predicting whether a student with a disability would decide to request accommodations and analyzed using logistic regression analyses. Results indicate two significant predictors of a college student with a disability requesting accommodations, which were a students university characteristics (e.g. being large public versus small private) and student attitudes toward requesting accommodations. Results indicate the importance of both personal and environmental factors as influencing a students behavior of requesting accommodations.

Voices from the past: Comparing the rapid prompting method and facilitated communication

Objective: This article briefly reviews the history and damage caused by facilitated communication (FC) and highlights the parallels between FC and the Rapid Prompting Method (RPM). Background: FC involves a therapist (or facilitator) supporting the hand of a person with autism while a message is typed on a letter board. FC is widely acknowledged to be a pseudoscientific, unsafe, and unethical treatment for people with autism. RPM is a more recent intervention for people with autism that involves the facilitator holding and moving the letter board while the individual with autism moves their own hand. Those who espouse the perceived benefits of FC and RPM make strikingly similar claims of hidden intelligence and extraordinary communication abilities in people with autism following treatment. Conclusion: Clients, proponents, and practitioners of RPM should demand scientific validation of RPM in order to ensure the safety of people with disabilities that are involved with RPM.

PROBLEM BEHAVIOR DURING PREFERENCE ASSESSMENTS: AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS AND PRACTICAL RECOMMENDATIONS

Preferences of 2 children with developmental disabilities, whose functional analyses indicated that their problem behavior was maintained by access to tangible items, were assessed using three formats (i.e., paired stimulus [PS], multiple-stimulus without replacement [MSWO], and free operant [FO]). The experimenter administered each format five times and compared levels of problem behavior across formats in a multielement design. Both participants exhibited problem behavior in PS and MSWO formats but not in the FO format. Results are discussed in terms of recommendations for practitioners.

Examination of an antecedent communication intervention to reduce tangibly maintained challenging behavior: A controlled analog analysis

We examined the influence of an antecedent communication intervention on challenging behavior for three students with developmental disorders. Students were taught to request tangible items that were identified as reinforcers for challenging behavior in a prior functional analysis. Individual participant multielement and reversal designs were used to compare the effects of the antecedent communication intervention versus a no antecedent communication intervention condition. Immediately following the antecedent manipulations students were exposed to the tangible condition of the functional analysis. Results indicate that the antecedent communication intervention reduced challenging behavior in the subsequent tangible test condition for all three students. The importance of examining antecedent interventions to treat challenging behavior from a function analytic perspective is discussed.

The effects of a weighted vest on aggressive and self-injurious behavior in a child with autism

Objective: Analyse the effects of a weighted vest on the aggressive and self-injurious behavior of a young boy with autism. Methods: The effects of the weighted vest were examined during a functional analysis utilizing an ABAB design with an embedded multielement design, in which the participant wore a five pound weighted vest or no vest. Results: The results do not suggest the existence of a functional relationship between the use of a weighted vest and challenging behavior, as the weighted vest had no marked effect on levels of aggression and self-injurious behavior. Conclusions: Weighted vests are a commonly implemented form of sensory integration therapy, frequently used as a treatment for disruptive behaviors associated with autism spectrum disorder [Stephenson J, Carter M. The use of weighted vests with children with autism spectrum disorders and other disabilities. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disabilities 2009;39:105–114]. However, the current findings support previous literature which states that the use of weighted vests does not appear to decrease challenging behavior.

Effects of tangible and social reinforcers on skill acquisition, stereotyped behavior, and task engagement in three children with autism spectrum disorders

Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are more likely to engage in inappropriate play (e.g., stereotypy, repetitive behavior) with their preferred items given as reinforcers. Considering the stereotyped behavior is a core characteristic of ASD aimed to reduce, it is necessary to identify alternative reinforcers that does not encourage problematic behavior as well as is still effective. In this respect, the present study evaluates a possible alternative reinforcer: social interaction. The study compared the effects of preferred tangible and social reinforcers on skill acquisition, stereotyped behavior, and task engagement during the instruction period in three children, 3-8 years of age, with ASDs. This study had two phases: in the first phase, preference assessments and reinforcer assessments were conducted to identify the most highly preferred items and relative preferred type of reinforcers. In the second phase, teachers taught the target skills using two different reinforcers and the three dependent variables were compared between two reinforcer conditions. The results suggest that the reinforcers were equally effective; however tangible reinforcers resulted in high levels of stereotyped behavior. The results indicate that social reinforcers can be efficient reinforcers for the population. The study discussed making an efficient reinforcement decision for individuals with ASD.