Assessing and Treating Anxiety in Individuals with Autism

2021 ◽  
pp. 014544552110516
Author(s):  
Keira Moore ◽  
Amanda Bullard ◽  
Gemma Sweetman ◽  
William H. Ahearn
Keyword(s):  
Problem Behavior ◽  
Effective Treatment ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
Differential Reinforcement ◽  
Aversive Stimulus ◽  
Aversive Event ◽  
Stimulus Fading ◽  
Alternative Responses ◽  
Anxious Behavior ◽  
High Comorbidity

Anxiety is a cluster of responses that can involve both operant and respondent behavior, which can be both public and/or private in nature, and occurs when an upcoming aversive stimulus is signaled. Despite the reported high comorbidity of autism and anxiety, there has been very limited research on how to directly assess and treat anxiety, especially with individuals who have limited communication skills. In Study 1, anxiety was assessed in five individuals with autism, ranging in age from 10 to 19 years old. Anxiety was assessed by measuring behavior during (1) a baseline (with no putative anxiety-provoking stimuli present), (2) signals for an upcoming aversive event, and (3) exposure to that aversive event. Anxiety presented in several different ways, as both conditioned activation and suppression, and both with and without problem behavior during the aversive event. In Study 2, individualized treatments involving differential reinforcement of alternative responses and stimulus fading were used to successfully reduce anxious responding in all four participants who displayed anxiety. These studies demonstrated a potentially useful means of assessing anxiety in individuals with autism which may not only help to measure anxious behavior and identify anxiety-provoking events, but may also lead to effective treatment.

Treatment of Multiply Controlled Problem Behavior With Procedural Variations of Differential Reinforcement

2005 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela L. Neidert ◽  
Brian A. Iwata ◽  
Claudia L. Dozier
Keyword(s):  
Problem Behavior ◽  
Differential Reinforcement

scholarly journals Using Owner Return as a Reinforcer to Operantly Treat Separation-Related Problem Behavior in Dogs

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erica N. Feuerbacher ◽  
Kristy L. Muir
Keyword(s):  
Problem Behavior ◽  
Related Problem ◽  
Treatment Integrity ◽  
Differential Reinforcement ◽  
Destructive Behavior ◽  
Direct Observations ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
Behavioral Issue ◽  
Mean Time ◽  
Behavioral Criteria

Separation-related problem behavior (SRPB) is a severe behavioral issue in which dogs engage in a variety of undesirable behaviors when the owner is absent, such as destructive behavior and excessive vocalization. Given the severity and high prevalence of SRPB, finding effective treatments is crucial. To date, most treatments have relied on habituation to increase tolerance to owner absence. Additionally, research has typically not utilized direct observations of the dog’s behavior and the treatment implemented with unknown treatment integrity. We evaluated an operant approach to SRPB using owner return as the reinforcer. After collecting baseline, we enrolled five dogs for treatment. Treatment involved differential reinforcement of either absence of problem behavior or occurrence of specific desirable behaviors. Behavioral criteria for delivering reinforcement changed based on the dog’s performance assessed through direct observation. We coached owners to ensure treatment integrity on each trial. From baseline, mean time to SRPB was 27.1 s. During treatment, all dogs increased their ability to stay alone without SRPB compared to baseline, indicating that contingent owner return can be a useful treatment. However, despite four training sessions, only one dog was able to stay alone for over 5 min. Our data demonstrate the slow-going progression of this SPRB treatment and the challenges of this behavioral issue.

Increasing Quiet Compliance by Detained Male Adolescents

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 788-807 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristen M. Brogan ◽  
John T. Rapp ◽  
Amanda M. Niedfeld ◽  
Jodi C. Coon ◽  
Jan L. Everhart Newman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Problem Behavior ◽  
Differential Reinforcement ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Multiple Baseline ◽  
Behavior Changes ◽  
Male Adolescents ◽  
Compliant Behavior ◽  
Rate Behavior ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Receive Treatment

Some adjudicated adolescents receive treatment for their offenses in residential facilities. Detained adolescents’ engagement in either low levels of compliant behavior or excess behavior (e.g., swearing, gestures) while following commands from residential personnel may result in decreased opportunities for those youth to access preferred activities. The current study employed nonconcurrent multiple baseline across participants designs to evaluate the effects of a procedure to increase seven detained adolescents’ quiet compliance with academic and vocational demands. Results show that problem behavior decreased to zero or near-zero levels for each participant during simulated conditions and suggest that self-control, alone or in combination with a differential reinforcement of low rate behavior for omitting problem behavior, may have been responsible for the behavior changes. We discuss some clinical implications of the findings.

Differential Reinforcement of Low Rate Schedules Reduce Severe Problem Behavior

2017 ◽  
Vol 42 (5) ◽  
pp. 747-764 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew C. Bonner ◽  
John C. Borrero
Keyword(s):  
Problem Behavior ◽  
Classroom Behavior ◽  
Differential Reinforcement ◽  
Strength Analysis ◽  
Severe Problem ◽  
Human Operant ◽  
Clinically Significant ◽  
Human Operant Research ◽  
Severe Problem Behavior ◽  
Low Rate

Differential-reinforcement-of-low-rate (DRL) schedules are reinforcement contingencies designed to reduce response rates. A common variation of the DRL arrangement is known as full-session DRL ( f-DRL), in which a reinforcer is presented at the end of an interval if the response rate during that interval is below a predetermined criterion. Prior human operant research involving arbitrary mouse clicks has shown that the f-DRL is likely to reduce target responding to near zero rates. Similarly, applied research has shown that the f-DRL is likely to reduce minimally disruptive classroom behavior. There are, however, relatively few successful applications of the f-DRL to severe forms of problem behavior (e.g., self-injurious behavior). Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the effects of f-DRL on the severe problem behavior of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. For four participants, the f-DRL reduced severe problem behavior by clinically significant levels. Furthermore, results of a contingency strength analysis showed a strong negative contingency strength between target responding and reinforcer delivery for all participants.

scholarly journals Student-Patient Communication. A View from the Practitioner

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 142-143
Author(s):  
T. M. Murasov ◽  
A. M. Murasov
Keyword(s):  
Public Opinion ◽  
Effective Treatment ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Patient Communication ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Technical Equipment ◽  
A Priority ◽  
New Item

The main goal of communication skills in medicine was considered to be the acquisition of the necessary knowledge for the diagnosis and implementation of effective treatment. This goal is still a priority. But taking into account the development of review sites, increasing the availability of awareness, a new item appeared that interested medical and educational institutions. This is the rating of the institution. The rating is built on two main points: 1) technical equipment, personnel and new technologies and 2) public opinion about the institution. Institutional opinion is based on the opinion of patients or students.

scholarly journals Improving Communication Ability of a Child with Selective Mutism Through “Kita Semua Sahabat” Training

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 129
Author(s):  
Puspita Adhi Kusuma Wijayanti ◽  
Murtini Murtini
Keyword(s):  
Communication Skills ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Contingency Management ◽  
Selective Mutism ◽  
Social Situations ◽  
Stimulus Fading ◽  
Dsm V ◽  
Communication Ability ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Stimulus Prompts

Selective Mutism (SM) is characterized by failure to speak at some period of time in specific social situations (e.g., at school), but can talk in other familiar situations (home). This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of ‘Kita Semua Sahabat’ in improving communication skills in children with SM. The subject was a 5 year-old boy who had been diagnosed based on DSM-V. The research design was a single case experimental design. Interventions were performed using the technique of stimulus fading and contingency management which were packed through the training of ‘Kita Semua Sahabat’. The result showed that there was a significant increase, and communication with stimulus (prompts) had a greater increase than communication without stimulus (child’s initiation). The research showed that Training ‘Kita Semua Sahabat’ is effective to increase communication among children with SM, and more frequent verbal communication happens if more stimuli were given to the child.

Behavioral Assessment and Treatment of Aerophagia

2021 ◽  
pp. 153465012110645
Author(s):  
Mirela Cengher ◽  
Craig W. Strohmeier
Keyword(s):  
Problem Behavior ◽  
Divided Attention ◽  
Differential Reinforcement ◽  
Behavioral Assessment ◽  
Social Consequences ◽  
Initial Assessment ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Assessment And Treatment ◽  
Clinically Significant ◽  
Graduated Exposure

Aerophagia is characterized by excessive air swallowing and can have serious negative effects on one’s health. We present the assessment and treatment of a 16-year-old girl, Khloe, with developmental disabilities and aerophagia. The initial assessment indicated that aerophagia occurred primarily to access attention in a divided attention context; however, our function-based treatment did not result in a clinically significant reduction in problem behavior. We then conducted a second assessment that indicated that Khloe’s aerophagia indeed occurred primarily in a divided attention context, but that it persisted independent of social consequences. We concluded that the divided attention context served as a motivating variable for aerophagia. Our second treatment consisted of differential reinforcement of other behavior, noncontingent access to competing stimuli, and graduated exposure to contextual variables (i.e., people and divided attention) that occasioned aerophagia. The treatment was successful in reducing rates of aerophagia. We discuss implications for assessment and treatment, as well as recommendations for clinicians and students.

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