A replication of the RIRD strategy to decrease vocal stereotypy in a student with autism

Abstract

This study was conducted to decrease vocal stereotypy in a student with autism. Results of functional analysis indicated that vocal stereotypy was maintained by automatic reinforcement. We used the Response Interruption and Redirection (RIRD; Ahearn, Clark, & McDonald, 2007) strategy to decrease the vocal behavior. An ABAB design was used. Results indicated that the RIRD intervention successfully reduced the target behavior. Results are discussed and implications for practice are provided. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Effects of Motor and Vocal Response Interruption and Redirection on Vocal Stereotypy and Appropriate Vocalizations

“…However, it is noted that there were no data on long term follow-up reported in the Schumacher and Rapp study. Future research could look at implementing RIRD in more naturalistic settings (see Liu-Gitz & Banda, 2010) to increase generality of the results.…”

Decreasing Vocal Stereotypy of a Youth With Autism in a Classroom Setting

“…Of the 15 studies identified in Lydon et al (2013) and Wong et al (2014) that demonstrated a reduction in vocal stereotypy, 5 of those studies were included in both reviews (Ahearn et al, 2007;Ahrens et al, 2011;Cassella, Sidener, Sidener, & Progar, 2011;Liu-Gitz & Banda, 2010;Miguel, Clark, Tereshko, & Ahearn, 2009). Participants ranged in age from 3 years to 11 years old.…”

“…Vocal stereotypy, in particular, may significantly interfere with social inclusion (Lanovaz & Sladeczek, 2012). These repetitive behaviors, a prominent characteristic of ASD, also interfere with and reduce a student's time spent on learning and social interactions (Liu-Gitz & Banda, 2010). In addition, children with ASD tend to display these repetitive behaviors throughout adolescence and adulthood and they can greatly impact their post-high school opportunities (Schall & McDonough, 2010).…”

“…Because of their repetitive behaviors, youth with ASD can become distracting to others and distract themselves from paying attention to what is going on in a given activity. Vocal stereotypy makes these children standout from their peers and increases the probability that they will be identified as difficult to manage in the general education setting (Liu-Gitz & Banda, 2010). Reducing vocal stereotypy provides the opportunity to develop their social and communicative skills which is vital to their inclusion in general education classrooms (Hume, Plavnick, & Odom, 2012).…”

Evidence-Based Behavioral Interventions for Repetitive Behaviors in Autism

“…Again, behavioral intervention research can be subdivided into two overarching categories—consequence-based and antecedent-based interventions. Some of the consequence-based intervention strategies that have been used to treat stereotypies (e.g., repetitive vocalizations) and/or SIB in ASD and other developmental disabilities, include physically or verbally (e.g., saying, “no”) blocking the individual from engaging in the behavior (i.e., response interruption and redirection/response blocking) (Ahearn et al 2007; Koegel et al 1974; Liu-Gitz and Banda 2010), removal of a positive consequence when the stereotypic behavior occurs (i.e., response cost procedures) (Athens et al 2008; Sidener et al 2005), reinforcing other behaviors the individual displays instead of the problematic behavior (i.e., differential reinforcement) (Azrin et al 1988) and functional communication training (FCT; Kennedy et al 2000). FCT is a multi-component intervention that involves teaching the individual an appropriate communication response that can be used to obtain the same reinforcer as the inappropriate behavior, while simultaneously withdrawing reinforcement of the inappropriate behavior (i.e., extinction) (Carr and Durand 1985).…”