An evaluation of choice on instructional efficacy and individual preferences among children with autism

Abstract

The current study compared the differential effects of choice and no-choice reinforcement conditions on skill acquisition. In addition, we assessed preference for choice-making opportunities with 3 children with autism, using a modified concurrent-chains procedure. We replicated the experiment with 2 participants. The results indicated that choice-making opportunities increased treatment efficacy for 2 of the 3 participants, and all 3 participants demonstrated a preference for choice-making opportunities.

Exchange schedules in token economies: A preliminary investigation of second‐order schedule effects

“…The concurrent chains procedure described by Hanley et al () has since been adopted as a method to objectively assess participant preference for behavioral intervention and has been applied to assess preference among a variety of interventions (DeLeon et al, ; Fienup, Ahlers, & Pace, ; Luczynski & Hanley, ; Toussaint, Kodak, & Vladescu, ). Additionally, several researchers have suggested that when treatment effects of two or more interventions produce similar outcomes, participant preference should be considered in ultimate treatment decisions.…”

The effects of different mastery criteria on the skill maintenance of children with developmental disabilities

“…The literature includes reports of a number of mastery criteria such as 80% correct for a single session (McCormack, Arnold‐Saritepe, & Elliffe, ), 80% correct across two or three sessions (Najdowski et al, ), 90% correct across two sessions (Toussaint, Kodak, & Vladescu, ), 90% correct across three sessions (Wunderlich & Vollmer, ), 100% for a single session (Grow, Kodak, & Clements, ), and 100% across three sessions (Belisle, Dixon, Stanley, Munoz, & Daar, ). Mastery criteria vary across multiple dimensions including percentage correct, number of sessions/trials, and additional variables such as applying those criteria across multiple therapists, to name a few.…”

A comparison of song‐lyric and prose self‐instruction procedures for increasing novel skills in children

“…Treatment preference was evaluated using a concurrent chains design by having each participant select the method used to teach the functional skill (i.e., prose self‐instruction, song lyric self‐instruction). The experimenter presented two cards with the words “say” and “sing” printed on them and asked each participant to choose their preferred teaching method, based on procedures described by Hanley () and Toussaint, Kodak, and Vladescu (). However, rather than presenting the opportunity to choose at the beginning of each session, participants were only provided one opportunity to choose the self‐instruction procedure.…”