Establishing motion control in children with autism and intellectual disability: Applications for anatomical and functional MRI.

Excessive motion makes magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) extremely challenging among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The medical risks of sedation establish the need for behavioral interventions to promote motion control among children with ASD undergoing MRI scans. We present a series of experiments aimed at establishing both tolerance of the MRI environment and a level of motion control that would be compatible with a successful MRI.

Effects of alternative responses on behavior exposed to noncontingent reinforcement.

Noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) may decrease the frequency of behavior by either inducing satiation or terminating the response-reinforcer contingency (extinction). Another possibility is that the target behavior is replaced by other behaviors maintained by preexisting contingencies. We conducted 2 experiments in which we allowed access to a target response and several alternatives.

Teaching children with autism spectrum disorder to mand for information using "which?".

We examined a procedure consisting of a preference assessment, prompting, contrived conditioned establishing operations, and consequences for correct and incorrect responses for teaching children with autism to mand "which?" We used a modified multiple baseline design across 3 participants. All the children learned to mand "which?" Generalization occurred to the natural environment, to a novel activity, and to a novel container; the results were maintained over time.

Assessment of preference for edible and leisure items in individuals with dementia.

We conducted 2 studies on reinforcer preference in patients with dementia. Results of preference assessments yielded differential selections by 14 participants. Unlike prior studies with individuals with intellectual disabilities, all participants showed a noticeable preference for leisure items over edible items.

Prevalence of Depression and Dementia among Adults with Developmental Disabilities in Manitoba, Canada.

Study Objective. To estimate and compare the prevalence of dementia and depression among adults with and without developmental disabilities (DDs). Methods.

A systematic archival inquiry on Juan Huarte de San Juan (1529–88).

[[Examen de Ingenios historyJuan HuarteTrial of Men’s Wits psychiatrypsychology ]] Juan Huarte de San Juan (1529–88) was a physician of the Spanish Renaissance. He wrote the Examen de Ingenios para las Ciencias, translated as The Trial of Men’s Wits (1989[1575–94]), a book that has been acknowledged as a precursor of educational psychology, organizational psychology, behaviorism, neuropsychology and psychiatry. Huarte suggested that before beginning a course of study, students’ intellectual capabilities (i.

On the relation between reinforcer efficacy and preference.

Most research on stimulus preference and reinforcer assessment involves a preference assessment that is followed by a reinforcer assessment. Typically, the most and least preferred stimuli are tested as reinforcers. In the current study, we first quantified the reinforcing efficacies of six food items and then assessed relative preference for each item.

Evaluation of a self-instructional manual for conducting discrete-trials teaching with children with autism.

Discrete-trials teaching (DTT) is commonly used to implement applied behavior analysis treatment for children with autism. The authors investigated a revised self-instructional manual for teaching university students to implement a 21-component DTT procedure to teach three tasks to confederates role-playing children with autism. Also, as a motivational contingency, for each DTT session in which a student scored at or above 90% accuracy, they received US$10.

Discrimination Skills Predict Effective Preference Assessment Methods for Adults with Developmental Disabilities.

We examined the relationship between three discrimination skills (visual, visual matching-to-sample, and auditory-visual) and four stimulus modalities (object, picture, spoken, and video) in assessing preferences of leisure activities for 7 adults with developmental disabilities. Three discrimination skills were measured using the Assessment of Basic Learning Abilities Test. Three participants mastered a visual discrimination task, but not visual matching-to-sample and auditory-visual discriminations; two participants mastered visual and visual matching-to-sample discriminations, but not auditory-visual discrimination, and two participants showed all three discriminations.

Passive and Active Approach Responses in Preference Assessment for Children With Profound Multiple Disabilities and Minimal Movement.

We assessed the activity preferences of three children with profound multiple disabilities and minimal movement using a single stimulus presentation procedure. We recorded active approach, passive approach, and rejection responses on each trial during the assessments. Active approach included reaching for, touching, or manipulating the stimulus.

On Choice, Preference, and Preference for Choice.

In this paper, we examine several common everyday meanings of choice, propose behavioral definitions of choice, choosing, and preference, and recommend ways for behavioral researchers to talk consistently about these concepts. We also examine the kinds of performance in the contexts of various procedures that might be appropriately described as a preference for choice. In our view, the most appropriate procedure for demonstrating preference for choice as a consequence is a concurrent chains method, in which choice is a reinforcer for an approach response.