Establishing stimulus control of motor stereotypy

Document Type

Thesis

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Psychology

Degree

M.S. Applied Behavior Analysis

Date Completed

2016

First Committee Member

Johnson, Cammarie

Second Committee Member

Hanley, Gregory

Third Committee Member

Dube, William

Abstract

"A multielement and embedded reversal design was used to evaluate stimulus control of automatically maintained motor stereotypy in a 12-year-old girl diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. Baseline measures of stereotypy were compared to treatment levels with multiple- and chained-schedule arrangements. Both schedules consisted of one component with contingencies to deter stereotypy (S-), and another component with different contingencies (S+). Different colored cards and different contingencies were associated with each component. A brief hands-down procedure was implemented contingent on stereotypy in the S- component. Initially a DRO was implemented during both components and later in the S- component only. Stimulus control of stereotypy was not established until the DRO was only implemented in the S- component, but then was observed with both schedules. Reallocation of stereotypical responding was also shown in generality probes with a new therapist and in a new context."

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