The Utility of Assessing Musical Preference Before Implementation of Noncontingent Music to Reduce Vocal Stereotypy

Abstract

We conducted a modified paired-choice preference assessment and used a multielement design to examine the effects of noncontingent access to high-and low-preference music on vocal stereotypy exhibited by children with autism. For 3 of the 4 participants, high-preference music (a) produced lower levels of vocal stereotypy than low-preference music and (b) reduced vocal stereotypy when compared to a no-interaction condition. Results underscore the potential importance of assessing musical preference prior to using noncontingent music to reduce vocal stereotypy.

Preliminary effects of parent-implemented behavioural interventions for stereotypy: Brief report

“…For edibles, Greg selected chips most often and Morgan chose candies and cereals most often. The detailed results of these assessments have been previously published for Greg [5] and are available from the first author for Kyle and Morgan.…”

“…Three child-parent dyads participated in the study. The children had previously participated in a large research project involving multiple studies on the assessment and PARENT-IMPLEMENTED INTERVENTIONS 4 treatment of vocal stereotypy [5,6]. Greg was a 6-year-old boy diagnosed with autism who did not have a formal means of communication and never played functionally unless prompted to do so.…”

The effects of noncontingent music and response interruption and redirection on vocal stereotypy

“…Parents completed a RAIS‐D from which hypothesized preferred musical qualities were identified (e.g., music with high beats per minute, music with higher pitches), and a preference assessment was conducted with songs that had these qualities. As preference has been determined to play a role in response competition to reduce automatically maintained behavior (Ahearn, Clark, DeBar, & Florentino, ), and highly preferred music has demonstrated a greater abative effect on vocal stereotypy than lesser preferred music (Lanovaz, Rapp, & Ferguson, ), the identification of musical selections containing the specific preferred quality may enhance the effects of the intervention. Given the wide array of musical selections that could potentially contain a specific quality (e.g., beats per minute, pitch, dynamic), the use of a preference assessment designed to identify categories of preference, as described by Ciccone, Graff, and Ahearn (), may be indicated.…”

An Analysis of Treatment Efficacy for Stereotyped and Repetitive Behaviors in Autism

“…While music and the participants voices were effective in decreasing vocal stereotypy (mean PRB=100 % (range=100-100 %) and 95.05 % (range=92.2-97.8 %), respectively), white noise increased levels of vocal stereotypy (mean PRB=8.5 %; range=−18.75 to 1.77 %). Lanovaz et al (2012) also evaluated the effect of auditory stimulation on stereotypy. Four participants aged 4-9 years (m=6.25 years) were exposed to alternating conditions of noncontingent access to high-or low-preference music to evaluate their effects on vocal stereotypy.…”