Stimulus Fading and Response Elaboration in Differential Reinforcement for Alternative Behavior

Abstract

A hallmark of applied behavior analysis is the development of function-based interventions for problem behavior. A widely recommended function-based intervention is differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA), in which reinforcement is contingent upon socially acceptable alternatives to problem behavior (e.g., teaching communication skills). Typically, DRA is introduced under rich schedules of reinforcement. Although effective for initiating behavior change, rich schedules are often impractical in the natural setting. In this study, we evaluated the extent to which a stimulus fading program could be employed to elaborate alternative behavior (mands) in two individuals diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. For both participants, problem behavior was reduced substantially upon implementation of the DRA procedure. Further, problem behavior rates remained low and mand rates decreased to more practical levels as the DRA behavioral requirements increased during the fading program. The fading approach demonstrated in this paper may be a useful component of intervention packages for clinicians.

Relative preferences for edible and leisure stimuli in children with autism

“…Moreover, observational studies and surveys have suggested, based on levels of engagement in school and home settings, that these items appear to be highly preferred for both children with ASD (King, Thomeczek, Voreis, & Scott, ; Shane & Albert, ) and children of typical development (Marshall, Gorely, & Biddle, ). Many empirical studies have also obtained reinforcement effects when using such devices with individuals with ASD (e.g., Kennedy & Souza, ; Schlichenmeyer, Dube, & Vargas‐Irwin, ; Shamlian et al, ), lending further support for the inclusion of these items in preference assessments. Furthermore, Fahmie et al noted that the stimuli included in their assessments were not selected based on caregiver report; therefore, it is possible that highly preferred leisure items (e.g., a favorite toy from home) may have been left out of stimulus arrays.…”

Approaches and Strategies in Applied Behavior Analysis for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

“…It is also used for some types of ASD. The therapist probes the person with ASD to unlearn an adverse behaviour and replace it with the positive one (Schlichenmeyer et al 2015).…”

Empirical Application of Skinner’s Verbal Behavior to Interventions for Children with Autism: A Review

“…Other topics in this section of the literature included generalization of FCRs across functional contexts (Falcomata, White, Muething, & Fragale, 2012), negatively reinforced FCRs (Yi et al, 2006), effects of response effort on response rates for mands and destructive behavior (Buckley & Newchok, 2005), and differences in obtained reinforcement and programmed reinforcement during FCT (Johnson, McComas, Thompson, & Symons, 2004). Three of these studies looked at fading the schedule of reinforcement for the FCR to be more practical (Falcomata, Muething, Gainey, Hoffman, & Fragale, 2013a;Falcomata, Wacker, Ringdahl, Vinquist, & Dutt, 2013b;Schlichenmeyer, Dube, & Vargas-Irwin, 2015). Although these studies represent a special case of mand training for which the ultimate goal was the reduction of destructive behavior, they still met the inclusion criteria for this review.…”