Evaluating the use of redirection procedures in the treatment of inappropriate sexualized behavior

Document Type

Thesis

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Psychology

Degree

M.S. Applied Behavior Analysis

Date Completed

2016

First Committee Member

Ahearn, William

Second Committee Member

Karsten, Amanda

Third Committee Member

Roscoe, Eileen

Abstract

"Individuals with autism may engage in sexualized behavior that is appropriate in private but inappropriate in public situations due to a lack of social skills and/or sexual education (Tarnai, 2006). A common topography of this behavior is public masturbation, which can pose a significant threat to an individual’s safety (e.g., places them at risk of abuse) and can be socially stigmatizing. An evaluation of two redirection procedures was conducted. Overcorrection (Foxx and Azrin, 1972) has been proven to be an effective treatment in decreasing behavior maintained by automatic reinforcement. A second approach to treating automatically maintained behavior is response interruption and redirection (RIRD; Ahearn, Clark, MacDonald, & Chung, 2007). The current study compared the efficacy of overcorrection, in the form of physical redirection, and RIRD for decreasing inappropriate sexualized behavior (ISB). Students diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder participated. The results indicated that both overcorrection and RIRD were effective in decreasing ISB for the participants, though the physical redirection procedure resulted in longer treatment sessions making the RIRD procedure more efficacious."

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