Evaluation of inter-session duration in treating problem behavior during practice dental demands

Document Type

Thesis

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Psychology

Degree

M.S. Applied Behavior Analysis

Date Completed

2016

First Committee Member

Sassi, Jessica

Second Committee Member

Hanley, Gregory

Third Committee Member

Dickson, Chata

Abstract

"Dental professionals have reported that problem behavior in individuals with autism precludes adequate care (Kuhn et at., 1994). Prior research has illustrated effective treatments for escape-maintained behavior in this context; however, there is little information on whether the amount of time between treatment sessions (ISI) impacts treatment effectiveness. However, prior literature has shown that inter-trial interval (ITI) duration could have an effect on skill acquisition (e.g., Tincani et al., 2005). The purpose of this study was to determine whether the length of the ISI impacts the effectiveness of an intervention for escape-maintained problem behavior. The intervention consisted of demand fading and extinction for problem behavior; in one condition, treatment sessions were conducted weekly, and in the second condition treatment sessions were conducted 3-5 times per week. Participants included two students from a residential school for children with autism. A multiple baseline across subjects design was used to demonstrate experimental control. Results suggested that inter-session interval is an important variable, in that more frequent sessions produced better treatment outcomes."

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