Identifying Indices of Happiness and Unhappiness Among Adults With Autism: Potential Targets for Behavioral Assessment and Intervention

Parsons, Marsha B.; Reid, Dennis H.; Bentley, Erik; Inman, Amy L; Lattimore, L. Perry

doi:10.1007/bf03391814

Cited by 47 publications

(70 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…These were developed based on a consensus of familiar caregivers for each participant (Parsons, Reid, Bentley, Inman, & Lattimore, 2012). Briefly, three program staff who were familiar with each participant in terms of having worked at least weekly with each participant for a minimum one and a half years (average 5.1 years) completed questionnaires regarding what behaviors each participant displayed when perceived to be happy and unhappy, respectively.…”

Section: Dependent Behaviorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…First, variations in these indices across different staff working with the participants could represent differences in ongoing quality of life (Parsons et al, 2012), albeit restricted to the circumscribed situations in which the staff worked with the participants. Second, as described previously, these measures are generally considered indicators of the type of relationship between a given staff person and an individual with a severe disability.…”

Section: Dependent Behaviorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Familiarizing New Staff for Working with Adults with Severe Disabilities: a Case for Relationship Building

Parsons

Bentley

Solari

et al. 2016

Behav Analysis Practice

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In human service agencies, situations exist at various times in which consumers are not familiar with the staff who work with them. We evaluated effects of familiar versus unfamiliar staff working with two men with severe disabilities in a vocational program. Results indicated both participants displayed more compliance with familiar staff relative to unfamiliar staff and one exhibited more on-task (one was near ceiling levels with both staff). Subsequently, a familiarization process was conducted with four new staff before working with four men with severe disabilities that involved spending time with a participant in a preferred activity and phasing in to the participant's routine. Each staff worked with one participant after being familiarized and concurrently with another without being familiarized. In all but one case, participant compliance was greater with the familiarized staff. Except when on-task was near ceiling levels, it also was higher with the familiarized staff. Additionally, results offered some support for the existence of a good relationship between familiarized staff and participants in terms of more participant happiness indices than with unfamiliar staff and, to a smaller degree, less unhappiness indices and problem behavior. Implications for practitioners are discussed, including being aware of potential problems when unfamiliar staff work with adults with severe disabilities and considering familiarizing new staff prior to working with individuals. Discussion also addresses how more attention could be directed to relationship development from a practitioner and research perspective.

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Section: Dependent Behaviorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Dependent Behaviorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Familiarizing New Staff for Working with Adults with Severe Disabilities: a Case for Relationship Building

Parsons

Bentley

Solari

et al. 2016

Behav Analysis Practice

Self Cite

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“…The main point of, and difficulty with, the indices is that they should be truthful, accurate, that is, to come as close as possible to representing the happiness going on right now within this particular individual (Reid & Green, 1996, pp. 76f;Parsons et Al., 2012). Some authors sooner refer to possible gains that do not concern happiness as a goal in itself; for instance, Lancioni et Al.…”

Section: The Objectification Of Happinessmentioning

confidence: 99%

From Comparison to Indices: A disabling perspective on the history of happiness

Söderfeldt

Verstraete²

2013

hcs

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Who should be considered the most unhappy, the blind or the deaf? The intensive debate over this issue in the early 19th century is the outset of our study of how during the last two hundred years disability and happiness have become inextricably connected. On the basis of our historical analysis we have identified characteristics that also can be found in current happiness interpretations, namely the persistent role played by activation, professional intervention, and alignment with normative behaviors. In order to highlight this intimate connection between past and present we subsequently focus on the contemporary preoccupation with the happiness of people with disabilities, exemplified by research on the so-called “disability paradox” and the development of happiness indices within the behavioral sciences. Our thesis is that applying perspectives from disability studies to happiness research uncovers processes of exclusion and other modalities of power previously overlooked. In our examples, we recognize a desire to lay bare the inside of disabled people’s minds and impose on them un/happy subjectivities. We furthermore argue that the way we think of, and treat, both disability and happiness, i. e. by systematization and professionalization, belongs to a rationalization process which risks colonizing the emotional realm of disabled people. Thus we suggest a research program that ‘dis/ables’ happiness studies and, aided by historical analysis, reconsiders the emotional dimension of disability.

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“…Within this definition, QOL is described as having eight different domains -emotional wellbeing, physical wellbeing, material wellbeing, social inclusion, interpersonal relationships, self-determination, rights, and personal development (Schalock & Verdugo, 2002). Regardless of the definition used, there is a consensus among practitioners that individual happiness is one of the key components of QOL (Carr, 2007;Parsons, Reid, Bentley, Inman, & Lattimore, 2012). Simply, it would seem selfevident that if an individual is happy, their QOL would be better than if they were unhappy.…”

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confidence: 99%

Mood as a Dependent Variable in Behavioral Interventions for Individuals with ASD: a Systematic Review

Ramey

Healy

Lang

et al. 2019

Rev J Autism Dev Disord

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Improving quality of life (QOL) is often provided as a rationale for the provision of behavioral interventions designed to reduce a person with disabilities' dependence on others (e.g., teach daily-living skills) and improve their autonomy (e.g., increase communication and choicemaking). Although QOL can be conceptualized in myriad ways, a person's emotional state (e.g., happiness), can also influences their QOL. The current review provides an original examination of the literature involving mood as a dependent variable in behavioral interventions for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). specify SSRD?. Twenty-nine SSED* studies were identified through systematic searches and evaluated in relation to the following variables: (a) participant and setting characteristics; (b) experimental design; (c) approach to mood assessment; (d) intervention procedures, and; (e) intervention effects on mood. Included studies were also evaluated on the National Autism Center's Scientific Merit Rating Scale (2009), which to determined the experimental rigor of the procedures. ?????. Results suggest that behavioral interventions can be successfully used to improve the mood of individuals with ASD, and that observable indices of mood should be more often measured in behavioral intervention research, particularly when improved QOL is a stated goal of intervention. Limitations of the current research base are discussed and suggestions for future studies incorporating measures of mood in ASD populations are offered.

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Identifying Indices of Happiness and Unhappiness Among Adults With Autism: Potential Targets for Behavioral Assessment and Intervention

Cited by 47 publications

References 17 publications

Familiarizing New Staff for Working with Adults with Severe Disabilities: a Case for Relationship Building

Familiarizing New Staff for Working with Adults with Severe Disabilities: a Case for Relationship Building

From Comparison to Indices: A disabling perspective on the history of happiness

Mood as a Dependent Variable in Behavioral Interventions for Individuals with ASD: a Systematic Review

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