Improving Transition Behaviors in Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Abstract

Students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) often exhibit rigidity, which can lead to difficulties with transitions. Such difficulties can explain why students with ASD are placed in more restrictive educational environments. This review offers a quantitative synthesis of effects of interventions aimed to improve transitions of students with ASD and provides a descriptive overview of the quality of the included studies. Analyses focused on the main component of the intervention, topography of challenging behavior, and the type of transition expected of students with ASD. Activity schedules were most prominently used and most successful to ease transition difficulties. Strategies that align with preferences of students with ASD also successfully improved transitions. Practical implications and suggestions for future research are provided.

Re‐exposure to reinforcement in Context A during treatment in Context B reduces ABC renewal

“…Moreover, for children with developmental disabilities, such as autism spectrum disorder, unexpected changes and transitions to new contexts are challenging (American Psychiatric Association, 2013; Lequia, Wilkerson, Kim, & Lyons, 2015). To date, the effects of this nonsequential method have only been assessed in ABA renewal preparations.…”

“…The ABC renewal model, in particular, may have strong implications for clinical treatments for destructive behavior, as transitions to new contexts or novel situations (e.g., a new classroom, moving into a new neighborhood) are common events under natural conditions. Moreover, for children with developmental disabilities, such as autism spectrum disorder, unexpected changes and transitions to new contexts are challenging (American Psychiatric Association, 2013; Lequia, Wilkerson, Kim, & Lyons, 2015). Thus, comparison of the amount of ABC renewal that is produced by sequential and nonsequential renewal assessments is warranted.…”

The effects of ‘preferedness of task’ on stress, emotion, and behaviour responses to forced activity transitions in boys with ASD

“…That is, when forced by adult/carer demands to make a task transition, some children with ASD may find this stressful, and may exhibit challenging behaviour (Lequia et al, 2015;Prior and Macmillan, 1973;Sterling-Turner and Jordan, 2007). Although this resistance to task transitions can also be observed in non-ASD children as an adaptive response to uncertainty, stress and anxiety that arise during periods of transition (Evans et al, 1997;Gotham et al, 2013), it is gradually modified in the typically-developing child as more appropriate coping behaviours are learnt (Evans et al, 1999); this modification does not occur in some children with ASD (MacDonald et al, 2007).…”

School Counselors’ Roles in Creating and Implementing Social Stories to Serve Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

“…After communicating with his parents, teachers learned that Gabriel's parents were divorcing and living in separate homes. Divorce can be emotionally challenging for many children, and children with ASD may be particularly sensitive to disrupted family routines, due to the rigidity often associated with the disorder (APA, 2013) and challenges with transitions (Lequia, Wilkerson, Kim, & Lyons, 2014). Although previously living in one home together, Gabriel's parents had joint custody and he resided in both parents' residences; the parents reported that he had increasingly frequent outbursts at home.…”