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| Applications of Stimulus Control in the Treatment of Problem Behavior |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 4:00 PM–4:50 PM |
| 205 (CC) |
| Area: AUT |
| Chair: Kristen A. Maglieri (Trinity College Dublin) |
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| Teaching Children With Autism to Tolerate Denied Access to Reinforcers Using Parents as Therapists |
| Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| Michelle Barry (Stepping Stones ABA School for Children with Autism), KRISTEN A. MAGLIERI (Trinity College Dublin) |
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| Abstract: Functional Communication Training (FCT) is a commonly prescribed treatment within Behaviour Analysis. During FCT, an individual is taught a communicative response that produces access to the reinforcer responsible for the maintenance of inappropriate behaviour (Fisher, Kuhn and Thompson, 1998). Initally, functional communication is trained with no delay between communication and the delivery of the reinforcer. Although effective, such a dense schedule is not practial and therefore, fading procedures are required to teach individuals to tolerate delays in reinforcer delivery (Fisher et al., 2000). These procedures however, do not prepare individuals to tolerate situations in which the reinforcer is never available, for example, if a caregiver cannot purchase a requested toy or the requested item is dangerous. The purpose of the current study was to assess the effectiveness of a treatment desgined to teach three participants with autism to tolerate denied access to requested items or activities. The treatment, which was conducted at home using parents as therapists, incorporated differential reinforcement of alternative behaviour, extinction and the contingent delivery of alternative stimuli. For all three participants, the intervention was successful in reducing challenging behaviour to near zero levels and for two participants, the use of alterntive stimuli was faded out entirely. |
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| Analysis of Schedule Controlling Stimuli to Develop Stimulus Control Over Problem Behavior Maintained by Food |
| Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| ELIZABETH S. ATHENS (ABA Learning Centre), Dana M. Zavatkay (Marcus Autism Center) |
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| Abstract: Some individuals with autism display aggressive and disruptive behavior in order to access to food. Aggression and disruption are concerning to caregivers because their occurrence can adversely affect the individual engaging in the behavior, interfering with social interaction, learning, and mealtimes. The present study examines a treatment for the aggressive and disruptive behavior of an adolescent male diagnosed with autism whose problem behavior occurred at school during breakfast, snack time, lunch, and whenever food was present. A functional analysis indicated the behavior was maintained by access to food. Stimulus control over problem behavior and appropriate behavior was obtained by arranging food reinforcers for mands using first a multiple schedule and then a concurrent schedule, with schedule correlated stimuli signaling food availability. Under the multiple schedule, a red card present signaled food was unavailable; a green card present signaled food was available. Under the concurrent schedule, a red card by one plate of food signaled that food was unavailable; a green card by another plate of food signaled that food was available. Teachers were trained in the procedures and stimulus control generalized to the classroom and lunchroom and problem behavior decreased to zero. |
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