Effects of multiple versus chained schedules on stereotypy and item engagement

A practitioner's guide to emphasizing choice-making opportunities in behavioral services provided to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities

Promoting choice is a defining value guiding Positive Behavior Support (PBS) models for serving individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD). The ability to make independent choices is of paramount importance to self-advocacy and self-determination. Promoting choice is also an essential commitment of trauma-informed care (TIC) in the provision of services to vulnerable individuals, as trauma often involves experiences in which an individual has no control over aversive events that occur, and choice-making opportunities can empower traumatized individuals to regain control over the environments they routinely encounter. However, incorporating meaningful choice making into behavioral programming is often more difficult than it seems. We synthesize the relevant, contemporary literature to provide professionals with actionable suggestions for incorporating choice making into everyday behavioral services. After summarizing the importance of promoting choice into behavioral services based on the values that define both PBS and TIC frameworks, we (a) offer a behavior-analytic interpretation of the skill of making choices, (b) synthesize key literature on how to teach choice making skills, (c) provide recommendations for the situations within one's care in which choice-making opportunities may be most beneficial, and (d) discuss some of the barriers and potential solutions to incorporating choice-making opportunities for individuals with IDD.

A comparison of RIRD within chained and multiple schedules in the treatment of vocal stereotypy

Slaton and Hanley (2016) compared the effects of multiple and chained schedules on stereotypy and item engagement for 2 individuals who exhibited automatically maintained motor stereotypy. Contingent access to motor stereotypy (i.e., chained schedules) was more effective than time-based access (i.e., multiple schedules) at reducing motor stereotypy, increasing item engagement, and establishing stimulus control for both participants. We systematically replicated Slaton and Hanley with 2 participants by a) targeting vocal stereotypy, b) including response interruption and redirection as a treatment component across conditions, c) conducting sessions in the natural environment with teaching assistants as change agents, and d) conducting an analysis of the effective treatment component(s). Chained schedules were more effective for 1 participant, whereas both treatments were effective for the other participant. The component analysis showed that different components were necessary for effective treatment for each participant.

A retrospective analysis of stereotypy: Applicability of the behavioral subtyping model

Recent research on automatically reinforced self-injurious behavior (ASIB) has identified specific patterns of responding in functional analyses that correlate with intervention efficacy (Hagopian et al., 2015; Hagopian et al., 2017). Whereas research by Hagopian et al. (2015, 2017) points to an important development in the assessment and treatment of ASIB, it is unclear if the applicability extends to automatically reinforced noninjurious behaviors, including stereotypy. Therefore, the current study replicated the methods of Hagopian et al. (2017), extending this research to published cases of stereotypy and related behavior. The behavioral subtype for each case was identified, and where applicable, the subtype was compared to intervention outcome data. The categorization of data sets as either Subtype 1 or Subtype 2 did not correspond with specific treatment outcomes. Unlike the results of Hagopian et al. (2015, 2017), reinforcement-based interventions were not more likely to be effective for Subtype 1 stereotypy than for Subtype 2 stereotypy.

On the generality of preference for contingent reinforcement

Reinforcers can be delivered dependent on or independent of responding. Both human and nonhuman animals have shown a preference for contexts involving contingent reinforcement, but the generality of this phenomenon to humans and its implications have not yet been described. We present an integrative summary of studies evaluating preference for contingent versus noncontingent reinforcement, including (a) study participants, reinforcer types, response topographies, and contexts; (b) outcomes; (c) potential variables influencing preference outcomes; and (d) suggestions regarding research to expand behavior analysts' ability to design preferred contexts.

Toward trauma-informed applications of behavior analysis

Despite a growing acknowledgement of the importance of understanding the impacts of trauma on therapeutic approaches across human service disciplines, discussions of trauma have been relatively infrequent in the behavior analytic literature. In this paper, we delineate some of the barriers to discussing and investigating trauma in applied behavior analysis (ABA) and describe how the core commitments of trauma-informed care could be applied to behavior analysis. We then provide some examples of how trauma-informed care might be incorporated into ABA practice. We conclude by suggesting opportunities to approach trauma as a viable avenue for behavior analytic research and argue that omitting trauma-informed care from ABA could be detrimental not only to the public perception of ABA, but to the effectiveness of our assessment and treatment procedures.

Participant assent in behavior analytic research: Considerations for participants with autism and developmental disabilities

Obtaining assent from potential research participants is an important component of research for reasons related to ethics compliance, self-determination, and choice. However, unique issues arise when working with populations who cannot assent through traditional means, such as individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and related developmental disabilities (DD). The purpose of this paper is to review and discuss assent practices within behavior-analytic research to identify strategies that can be used to obtain assent from potential participants with ASD and DDs. We began with a descriptive literature review of behavior-analytic articles that included the term "assent" to identify what practices behavior analysts have used to obtain assent from participants. In short, very few articles that clearly addressed assent procedures were identified. Thus, we propose a model for gaining assent when working with individuals with ASD and DDs.

Increasing item engagement and decreasing automatically reinforced problem behavior within a modified competing stimulus assessment

A competing stimulus assessment (CSA) is commonly used to identify leisure items for use in treatments designed to decrease automatically reinforced problem behavior. However, this type of assessment may not yield useful information if participants do not readily engage with leisure items. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a modified CSA that included additional treatment components (i.e., prompting, prompting plus differential reinforcement of alternative behavior). The modified CSA identified the treatment components and leisure items that were most effective for increasing leisure-item engagement and decreasing problem behavior for each participant. Modified CSA outcomes maintained during an extended treatment analysis in a natural setting and when intervention components were faded.

A review of environmental enrichment as treatment for problem behavior maintained by automatic reinforcement

We reviewed studies that used environmental enrichment as treatment for problem behavior maintained by automatic reinforcement. A search of behavior analytic journals produced 71 publications with a total of 265 applications of environmental enrichment used alone or in conjunction with alternative behavior manipulations (e.g., prompting, reinforcement) and problem behavior manipulations (e.g., blocking, restraint). Environmental enrichment, as a sole intervention, was efficacious in 41% of the sample. Alternative behavior manipulations, problem behavior manipulations, and a combination of both improved the overall efficacy of environmental enrichment. We discuss factors that may influence the efficacy of environmental enrichment, current trends in research on this topic, and implications for both practitioners and researchers.

Increasing Functional Leisure Engagement for Children With Autism Using Backward Chaining

Research with individuals with disabilities has demonstrated the utility of intervention approaches to address toy play, also referred to as functional leisure engagement (FLE). Examples include prompting FLE, blocking stereotypy, and differentially reinforcing appropriate FLE with social or automatic (i.e., access to stereotypy) reinforcers. Backward chaining has yet to be evaluated, but may be useful for establishing more complex FLE. The current study employed a treatment package consisting of these components with three school-aged children with autism in a therapeutic classroom. Effects were evaluated during pretest and posttest sessions, which consisted of free access to toys in a novel setting. The percentage of session with FLE was evaluated using a multiple probe design across participants. Results showed all participants demonstrated an increase in FLE and two participants showed decreased stereotypy. Feasibility for classroom implementation is discussed.