Noncontingent access to preferred sensory stimuli as a treatment for automatically reinforced stereotypy

Abstract

Researchers have previously suggested that interventions designed to decrease stereotypic behavior are most effective when they include access to stimuli that are matched to the specific sensory consequences hypothesized to maintain the stereotypy. In an attempt to replicate this finding, we used stimulus preference assessments and a reversal design to evaluate the effectiveness of noncontingent access to highly preferred stimuli that were matched to the specific sensory consequences hypothesized to be maintaining the stereotypic behavior of an individual with developmental disabilities. The participant was also given noncontingent access to a highly preferred edible stimulus as a control condition. Results indicated that noncontingent access to a matched sensory stimulus produced consistent decreases in aberrant behavior while access to a highly preferred edible stimulus did not.

Further Evaluation of Methods to Identify Matched Stimulation

“…On the whole, the results of the present study are consistent with prior studies that decreased automatically reinforced behavior using NCR (e.g., Higbee et al, 2005;Patel et al, 2000;Piazza et al, 2000;Rapp et al, 2004;Sidener et al, 2005). Although it is not clear why Nevin's vocal stereotypy increased when toys were combined with music, prior studies have shown that automatically reinforced behavior may be occasioned by ambient stimulation (Carter, Devlin, Doggett, Harber, & Barr, 2004;Rapp, 2005;Van Camp et al, 2000).…”

“…The effects of noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) on automatically reinforced behavior have been robustly demonstrated (e.g., Ahearn, Clark, DeBar, & Florentino, 2005;Higbee, Chang, & Endicott, 2005;Patel, Carr, Kim, Robles, & Eastridge, 2000;Piazza, Adelinis, Hanley, Goh, & Delia, 2000;Rapp, Vollmer, Dozier, St. Peter, & Cotnoir, 2004;Sidener, Carr, & Firth, 2005;Tang, Patterson, & Kennedy, 2003). For example, Piazza et al found that providing access to preferred items that seemingly matched the overt sensory product produced by engaging in the automatically reinforced behavior produced substantial decreases in that behavior.…”

Use of an Antecedent Intervention to Decrease Vocal Stereotypy of a Student With Autism in the General Education Classroom

“…Wehmeyer (1995) points out those stereotypical behaviors are complex and complete eradication is not a reasonable expectation. Strategies have been developed to reduce stereotypical behaviors, including consequence-based interventions such as response cost (Falcomata, Roane, Hovanetz & Kettering, 2004;Rapp, 2004), reinforcing an alternative behavior (Lovaas et al, 1987;Rehfeldt & Chambers, 2003), differential reinforcement of other behaviors (Rapp, 2007;Ringdahl et al, 2002;Taylor, Hoch, & Weissman, 2005), response interruption (Ahearn, Clark, MacDonald, & Chung, 2007), noncontingent access to a matched sensory stimulus (Higbee, Chang, & Endicott, 2005), and conditioning items or activities as reinforcers (Nuzzolo-Gomez, Leonard, Ortiz, Rivera, & Greer, 2002). However, to be effective, intervention procedures should be matched to the variables (social and non-social) that maintain stereotypy, as identified by a functional behavioral assessment (FBA) or functional analysis (FA; Hanley, Iwata, & McCord, 2003).…”

Effects of Noncontingent Music on Vocal Stereotypy and Toy Manipulation in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders

“…noncontingent access to stimuli that produce the same type of perceptual reinforcement as the behavior (Piazza, Adelinis, Hanley, Goh, & Delia, 2000). The treatment is generally referred to as matched stimulation and has been shown to reduce engagement in several different forms of stereotypy (e.g., Higbee, Chang, & Endicott, 2005;Rapp, 2006Rapp, , 2007Simmons, Smith, & Kliethermes, 2003).…”