Maintaining On-Task Behavior of Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Absence of an Instructor.

Despite the vast amount of research on increasing independence for individuals with autism spectrum disorder, there is a lack of research on techniques for fostering independent on-task behavior and accuracy in the absence of an instructor. Though increasing distance of the instructor and altering reinforcer delivery have been shown in a few studies to produce independence in the absence of an instructor, no study to date has compared the effects of systematic fading and complete removal of an instructor. In the current study, we evaluated the effects of three conditions on the on-task behavior and accuracy of adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: instructor present (instructor with participant and conditioned reinforcers delivered within session ), instructor absent (instructor not with the participant and no within-session conditioned reinforcers), and instructor fading (gradual, systematic fading of instructor and thinning of within-session conditioned reinforcers).

A Scoping Review of the Healthcare and Hygiene Literature for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

Objectives: Previous reviews highlight the similarities in teaching healthcare and hygiene routines to individuals with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities. Additionally, similar interventions are used when interfering behaviors occur. Although these routines are topographically distinct, there are enough similarities to suggest effective procedures for one routine may be used to inform another.

Diabetes and Healthy Eyes Toolkit: a community health worker program to prevent vision loss and blindness among people with diabetes.

Diabetic eye disease is a leading cause of vision loss and blindness in the United States and disproportionately affects Hispanics/Latinos. This article provides an overview of the Diabetes and Healthy Eyes Toolkit, a culturally and linguistically appropriate resource designed for community health workers to educate people with diabetes about eye health complications. The toolkit provides science-based, easy-to-understand information that can be used to conduct interactive, educational sessions about diabetes and eye health, the importance of comprehensive dilated eye examinations at least once a year for people with diabetes, and other ways to prevent vision loss and blindness.