Research output per year
Research output per year
Jeff Sigafoos, Mark F. O’Reilly, Giulio E. Lancioni, Amarie Carnett, Alicia Bravo, Laura Rojeski, James W. Halle
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter
Autism spectrum disorder is associated with communication impairment and problem behavior such as aggression and self-injury. Researchers have found an inverse relation between problem behavior and communicative competence, suggesting that some problem behavior might have a communicative basis. Additional support for this relation emanates from studies aimed at identifying variables that control problem behavior with experimental-functional analysis methodology. In this chapter, we review the results of current research that has used experimentalfunctional analyses of problem behavior among individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Results suggest that a substantial percentage of individuals with autism spectrum disorder present with problem behavior controlled by (a) attention from another person, (b) access to preferred objects/activities, and/or (c) escape from or avoidance of non-preferred objects/activities/people. Problem behavior controlled by these variables might be conceptualized as prelingusitic forms of intentional communication related to (a) recruiting attention, (b) requesting access to preferred objects/activities, and/or (c) rejecting non-preferred objects/activities/people. In such cases, intervention aimed at replacing the problematic forms by teaching appropriate communication alternatives has proven to be effective. Challenges in conducting experimental-functional analyses and interpreting their results are discussed, as are directions for future research related to replacing problematic prelinguistic forms with more acceptable alternatives.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Title of host publication | Prelinguistic and Minimally Verbal Communicators on the Autism Spectrum |
Editors | Deb Keen, Hedda Meadan, Nancy C Brady, James W Halle |
Publisher | Springer |
Pages | 121-145 |
Number of pages | 25 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9789811007132 |
ISBN (Print) | 9789811007118 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 1 2016 |
Research output: Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Book