Video modeling is a research-based intervention used to teach play skills to children with autism. While children learn to imitate the play behaviors seen in the video, increases in play behaviors different from the video were not apparent. The current study examined the use of video modeling and video modeling with an added lag schedule of reinforcement, on increasing toy play of five children with autism in their homes. During video modeling, the children watched a short video portraying a person playing with toy figurines. Then, they were given the toys and instructed to play independently for 5-min. During the video model with lag schedule reinforcement, praise and preferred snacks were provided when his or her toy play was different from immediately preceding responses during the play session. A nonconcurrent multiple baseline across participants design was used to examine the effects. Overall results indicated that the children learned scripted toy play and increased in levels of varied play, but did not increase significantly nor decrease in levels of unscripted toy play from baseline. Even with the additional reinforcement, the children’s play did not increase in levels of varied play, scripted or unscripted play behaviors for four of five participants. Social validity of the child’s play outcomes and the perceived ease of use of the intervention were assessed using questionnaires filled out by parents and behavioral therapists. Discussion, limitations, and implications for future research are presented. / text

The current study explored how the variability or lack thereof in interlocking behavioral contingencies (IBC) may be brought under contextual control. Four undergraduates (two dyads) students participated in the current study. Dyads were instructed to play a game on a computer screen with the goal to earn as many "Congratulations" as possible. An ABABAB reversal design was used. A Lag 1 schedule of cultural consequence delivery for IBC topography was set in the variability (VAR) condition. During the repeated (REP) condition only one IBC topography was reinforced. For one of the two dyads, the variability of IBC topography was brought under contextual control. It is important to explore the behavioral processes at the cultural level to understand prediction and control of cultural phenomena.

Invariant responding among individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is problematic and can be pervasive across all areas of development. Individuals with ASD demonstrate difficulty communicating wants and needs and often engage in challenging behavior in order to get needs met. Functional communication training (FCT) is one approach for mediating challenging behavior by teaching individuals a communicative response that is functionally equivalent to the demonstrated challenging behavior. However, individuals are often taught a single communicative response (e.g., vocal approximations) that may be unintelligible to the naïve listener and challenging behavior may resurge as a result of a communication breakdown. Recently, the evaluation of lag schedules of reinforcement has shown that it is possible to reinforce operant variability during instruction. Increasing communicative variability for individuals with ASD may decrease the likelihood of resurgence of challenging behavior by providing a broader repertoire of socially appropriate communicative responses that contacted reinforcement through the use of a lag schedule of reinforcement. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effect a lag schedule of reinforcement on communicative variability in three individuals with ASD. In this study, communication was reinforced on either a Lag 0 (or FR1 concurrent) schedule of reinforcement, or a Lag 1 (e.g., responses contacted reinforcement only if the response differed from the previous communicative response). Functional analyses were conducted for each participant to determine variables maintaining challenging behavior, all participants were given a mand topography assessment to evaluate mand topography proficiency, and a lag schedule evaluation was conducted. Results showed that increasing the lag schedule of reinforcement from Lag 0 to Lag 1 increased communicative mand topographies for all participants. Results further showed a significant reduction in challenging behavior as compared to baseline conditions contingent on implementation of the FCT package. / text

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may mand repetitively for preferred items using the same mand topography, unless the environment is arranged to promote mand variability. For example, an individual with ASD may request access to songs played on the radio by repeating the word “dance” only. Previous research suggests that lag schedules of reinforcement can increase variability of vocal mands displayed by individuals with ASD. The current study evaluated the effects of a lag schedule of reinforcement and progressive time delay (TD) on the vocal mands by a 27-year old male, 28-year old female, and a 26-year old female. The evaluation included a multiple baseline across behaviors with embedded reversal design. A mand topography invariance assessment (MTIA) was conducted with each participant to identify new and existing vocal mand topographies. Two conditions were used to assess variable responding when variability was (Lag 1 + TD) and was not (Lag 0) required to produce reinforcement. During Lag 0, reinforcement was contingent on instances of independent manding (of any topography). During Lag 1 +TD, reinforcement was contingent on instances of independent variant and prompted variant responses (i.e., a mand topography had to be different from the mand topography that occurred independently in the preceding trial). A progressive TD was used to transfer stimulus control from an echoic prompt to naturally occurring contingencies. Results indicated that a Lag 1 schedule of reinforcement with progressive TD resulted in acquisition of novel vocal mand topographies for all participants, with varying effects on rates of independent variant mands. / Applied Behavioral Analysis