Skill-based treatment of interfering stereotypy.

Abstract

To address the high-rate, interfering stereotypy of three autistic students, a chained schedule for treating stereotypy was combined with skill-based treatment for challenging behavior. Treatment consisted of progressively widening contingencies to differentially reinforce functional communication, toleration, and accurate task completion with escape from instruction to engage in stereotypy. Stimuli were correlated with periods during which instructions were presented and motor stereotypy was redirected (S-) and periods during which escape was provided and motor stereotypy was not redirected (S+). Skills were maintained via intermittent, unpredictable reinforcement schedules. Functional communication and tolerance responses were acquired, discriminative control over both motor stereotypy and vocal stereotypy was established, and task accuracy increased to >80% for all participants. The goals, procedures, and outcomes of the intervention were also socially validated by the participants' teachers.