TEACHING A CHILD WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS TO TOLERATE DELAYED REINFORCEMENT

It is necessary to teach children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) delayed reinforcement skills. The aim of the present case study was to examine the effectiveness of shaping procedure application in order to increase appropriate wait time with a six year old boy diagnosed with ASD. In this study we applied delayed reinforcement protocol, which is based on the shaping procedure. The procedure was applied during discrete trial training, natural environment teaching and in home environment by parents. Baseline data was collected regarding adequate wait time exhibited by a participant in three different sessions, where it was established that average wait time duration was four seconds. In eleven sessions, the child mastered the desired skill. A significant progress was related to the application of the protocol in home environment by the parents and the autonomous use of behavior self-regulation strategies. It is relevant to mention that the alternative activities delivered during the time delay were considered as neutral stimuli and after the application of this protocol, they have become preferred items. We believe that this case studies’ biggest limitation is the need for applying this procedure at all in the context of preparing the child for taking on the desired passive role at school. Article visualizations:<img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0792/a.php" alt="Hit counter" />

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INCREASING HAIRDRESSING COMPLIANCE WITH A CHILD WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS

European Journal of Special Education Research ◽

10.46827/ejse.v7i2.3758 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Anja Gajić ◽

Bojana Arsić ◽

Aleksandra Bašić ◽

Dragana Maćešić-Petrović ◽

Ružica Zdravković Parezanović

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Future Research ◽

Training Procedure ◽

Everyday Functioning ◽

Sensory Stimuli ◽

Shaping Procedure ◽

Spectrum Disorders ◽

Two Phases ◽

Present Case Study

The diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) itself can include problems with hyper responsiveness to different sensory stimuli. These difficulties can lead to different maladaptive behavioral manifestations and prevent children diagnosed with ASD from participating in certain activities. The aim of the present case study was to examine the effectiveness of shaping procedure application in order to increase compliance with haircutting with a six year old boy diagnosed with ASD. The procedure used for increasing compliance while getting a haircut was shaping and we divided the intervention into two phases. Phase one involved teaching the participant to tolerate the presence of the hair clipper on his head, while phase two consisted of increasing participant’s toleration of the sound emitted by the hair clipper. Generalization probe involved taking the participant into a hair salon, where he would receive hair grooming performed by a professional hair stylist. The child mastered phase one in 54 trials that were conducted during five sessions and mastered the goal time in phase two in 89 trials that were conducted during four sessions. In conclusion, shaping procedure appears to be an effective and efficient training procedure for teaching skills that are important for future everyday functioning in society of children with ASD, as well as basic hygiene skills, such as hair cutting. Study limitations and future research implications are discussed. Article visualizations:<img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0758/a.php" alt="Hit counter" />

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