Exam 3 Flashcards
What methods do researchers use to compare functions of behaviors of persons with ASD to persons without ASD? Overall, what are the conclusions of these studies?
Researchers compare functions of behaviors for persons with and without ASD through the use of indirect and direct assessments of behavior function. That is, they look at the outcomes of functional assessments for both those with ASD and those without ASD and determine whether there are significant differences in functions between these groups.
Overall, these studies conclude that problem behaviors of those with ASD are somewhat more likely to be maintained by tangible reinforcement as compared to those without ASD, but this may not be the case for individuals with more severe intellectual disabilities and may be related to gaining tangibles necessary for certain stereotypic responses.
Describe the common functions of behavior and the typical experimental FA conditions.
Social-positive reinforcement, social-negative reinforcement, automatic reinforcement
Attention condition - social-positive reinforcement
Escape condition - social-negative reinforcement
Alone condition - automatic reinforcement
Control condition - play
What 3 relations have Reese and colleagues included in their functional assessment interviews that incorporate core ASD behaviors. What are their findings?
3 relations: problem behaviors maintained by gaining items that facilitated engagement in repetitive behaviors; escaping demands because demands interrupted repetitive behavior; escaping from certain forms of sensory stimulation.
Findings: All of these categories have been shown to be more likely for individuals with ASD than those without ASD.
Summarize the studies by Taylor and Carr (l992a) and Hagopian et al (2001) that assessed children with ASD who may engage in problem behavior to escape human contact. How are these findings potentially helpful?
- Taylor and Carr - teacher interviews and direct observations; 3 conditions: noncontingent high attention, noncontingent low attention, contingent attention. Kids from social-avoidance group showed highest behavior rates in NC high attention and lower rates in the other conditions. Kids in attention-seeking group had highest rates in contingent attention condition with lower rates in the others.
- Hagopian - 6-year-old boy with ASD, FA conditions: highest rates in play condition (includes NC attention); modified FA with continuous attention which ceased for 30 seconds contingent on behavior, responses about 2 rpm; later taught “play by myself” response.
- These findings are helpful as they may help us modify antecedent and consequent stimuli or teach alternate responses to decrease rates of problem behavior.
What conclusions can be made from studies on functions of communication impairments (vocal stereotypies, other speech disturbances, mands, rituals, and destructive behavior)?
Vocal stereotypies typically maintained by automatic reinforcement, possibly sensitive to attention as well. Other speech disturbances generally maintained by attention (non-ASD diagnoses); type of attention may be important. Destructive behavior may be maintained by honoring of mands for compliance with rituals.
Describe the protocol and results of Bowman et al. (1997) that used modified FA conditions to investigate functions of communication impairments.
Two conditions: therapist complied with all requests; therapist didn’t comply with requests other than for 30 s contingent on problem behavior. No problem behavior in control condition and 1.7 rpm during test condition.
What conclusions can be made from studies on functions of restricted and repetitive behaviors (motor stereotypies, stereotypy and destructive behavior, rituals and problem behavior)?
Motor stereotypies are usually maintained by automatic reinforcement but may have addition al sources of control. Interruptions of stereotypy may result in destructive behavior maintained by regaining access to stereotypy. When escape seems like the maintaining function, it may actually be maintained by regaining access to stereotypic behavior. Relatedly, destructive behavior and stereotypy may form a response chain ultimately maintained by the sensory consequences of stereotypy. Interruption of rituals may result in problem behaviors maintained by regaining access to ritualistic behaviors.
Describe the protocol of the “do/don’t request analysis” used to investigate functions of restricted and repetitive behaviors. What do various patterns of problem behavior signify?
Ongoing activities are interrupted with either “do” or “don’t” requests. Problem behavior in both conditions results in withdrawal of the request. If problem behavior is elevated in both of these over a control non-interruption condition, behaviors are maintained by regaining access interrupted activities. If problem behavior is only elevated in the “do” condition, it is maintained by demand termination.
Describe the protocol and results of one of the studies from this section that used modified FA conditions to investigate functions of restricted and repetitive behaviors.
Murphy et al. (2000) conducted an FA of aggression and struggling in a woman withe severe intellectual disabilities. In one condition, she was given flushable materials to flush down the toilet (a ritualistic behavior). In a second condition, she was again presented with flushable materials but was not allowed to flush them. Higher rates of the target behaviors occurred when she was not allowed to flush the materials.
What are some of the future directions made by the authors? Which are especially relevant to your work? Can you add more research questions?
Are problem behaviors occasioned by changes in routine more common in autism? Might functional analytics methods be useful in addressing negative signs and symptoms? If we can determine how to attenuate tendencies for individuals with ASD based on diagnostic signs, does the problem behavior dissipate? This last one is especially relevant to my work. Other research questions: Is it necessary to conduct a typical functional analysis first, or is it prudent to jump straight to a modified FA based on indirect assessments? Can individuals with ASD be taught appropriate times, places, and materials with which to engage in stereotypic or ritualistic behaviors?
Provide examples of core diagnostic behaviors that you have observed with children with ASD and their probable functions. Have you been involved in functional assessments? What type and what were the outcomes? As a result of reading this chapter, what would you incorporate in your work with individuals with autism?
A child would yell and cry when physically prompted to complete a matching task prior to completing a ritualistic script for each item to be matched. The probable function was regaining the opportunity to complete the script before matching. A child would engage in property destruction when his drawers of work tasks were adjusted so as not to be perfectly lined up. The probable function was accessing the opportunity to “fix” the drawers to his liking. I have been involved in functional assessments, such as recording ABC data. The outcome was that noncompliance was correlated with presentation of non-preferred tasks. As a result of reading this chapter, I would see about providing clients with specified bins of materials they are allowed to use for engaging in stereotypy in an attempt to decrease property destruction presumably maintained by gaining access to materials used to stereotypic responses (spinning, tapping, etc.).
Why are behavioral cusps especially important when teaching individuals with ASD?
Behavioral cusps are especially important when teaching individuals with ASD because they are more likely to develop behavioral repertoires that interfere with subsequent behavior development or to develop undesirable repertoires, and the identification of cusps is important to ensure the most important skills for subsequent learning are taught. This is especially important for early intensive behavioral intervention in which hundreds of skills are taught.
Name the 12 behavioral cusps described in the chapter.
voice sounds that function as conditioned reinforcers, compliance, auditory matching of words, naming, mutual exclusivity bias, vocal imitation, motor imitation, observational learning, transfer across verbal operants, joint attention, social initiations, behaviors that interfere with learning as negative behavioral cusps
What other behaviors may serve as behavioral cusps? In your clinical work, how much of the curriculum is teaching behavioral cusps? How do you assess deficits in this area? How do you assess progress? As a result of reading this chapter, what would you incorporate in your work with individuals with autism?
Staying seated during instruction, rule-following, and turn-takinng may serve as behavioral cusps. Teaching behavioral cusps comes up most with the youngest learners with JA and transfer across verbal operants often being targeted. I am not one of the staff who conducts assessments. Progress in any skill is determined by collecting data on some target behavior. After reading this chapter, I would like to target observational learning as many of my clients seem to lack this skill.
Describe the difference between basic, applied, and translational behavior analysis.
Experimental behavior analysis involves basic research designed to add to the body of knowledge about behavior. Applied behavior analysis is focused on applying these behavior principles to real-world situations. Translational behavior analysis connects and informs basic and applied behavior analysis. Laboratory methodologies are used, but targets are selected based on their value in ultimate application to improve the human condition. There are many obvious differences between applied and translational behavior analysis, among them (a) the nature of participants targeted, (b) primary research objectives, (c) time frame of planned and valued benefit, (d) characteristics of delivery systems for developed behavioral technology, (e) typical research environments, (f) dissemination outlets, and (g) source of resources to support the work.
