Autism- Article 7

Question 1

Three goals of the study

Answer 1

a. to systematically replicate the study by Taylor and Levin by evaluating the device as a prompt for verbal initiations for 3 children with autism in play contexts with typically developing peers
b. to extend the Taylor and Levin study by evaluating the collateral effects of the tactile prompt on participants’ responses to peer initiations, and
c. to attempt to reduce the frequency of prompts while still maintaining appropriate rates of verbal initiations.

Question 2

What behaviors did they collect on

Answer 2

a. Verbal initiations

b. Verbal response to peer initiation

Question 3

What type of design did they use?

Answer 3

ABAB (reversal)

Question 4

Tactile prompt phase

Answer 4

Same as baseline except the tactile prompt was activated once during a 25-sec observation period. No edible consequences were provided for initiation or responding.

Question 5

What happened during the final phase, the prompt fading phase?

Answer 5

Once the subjects were responding at rates similar to peers the frequency of the prompts was faded.

Question 6

Did the tactile prompt alter the two DVs? How?

Answer 6

Yes. Initiations and responses increased. Through the means of the prompt.

Question 7

Implications of the study

Answer 7

a. The tactile prompt effectively increased verbal initiations.
b. Promoted social interaction in a natural setting with peers who were unaware of the prompting procedure, children with autism will be more likely to fit in and less likely to be viewed as different.