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The Effects of Pre-session Access to Competing Stimuli on Motor Stereotypy
Robinson, Taylor P
Robinson, Taylor P
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Abstract
Stereotypy – repetitive and invariant behavior that occurs independent of social consequences – is a common behavior of individuals with autism and can be detrimental, as it may negatively impact learning opportunities and interfere with social inclusion. Stereotypy is often maintained by automatic reinforcement (occurring in the absence of social consequences) due to the ‘self-stimulatory’ or sensory consequences produced by the behavior itself. The purpose of this study was to examine the subsequent effects of pre-session access to competing stimuli on automatically maintained motor stereotypy during discrete trial training. A free-operant competing stimulus assessment identified high preference, low stereotypy items for both participants that classified as matched stimuli and unmatched stimuli (preferred items that are arbitrarily selected) within the treatment evaluation sessions. An alternating treatment design was used to compare the efficacy of 5 min pre-session access to matched and unmatched items on the subsequent level of stereotypy during a discrete-trial session. Results indicated that the pre-session access to competing stimuli had little to no effect on the subsequent level of stereotypy during discrete-trial sessions for both participants. Additionally, there was no obvious difference in the efficacy of matched and unmatched competing items on stereotypy. Several limitations and directions for future research are discussed.
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Date
2023-05-31
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University of Kansas
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Keywords
Behavioral sciences, autism, competing stimuli, competing stimulus assessment, matched stimulation, pre-session access, stereotypy