Advisor(s)

Gary Pace

Contributor(s)

Katherine Gilligan, Hanna C. (Hanna Christian) Rue

Date of Award

2010

Date Accepted

4-2010

Degree Grantor

Northeastern University

Degree Level

M.S.

Degree Name

Master of Applied Behavior Analysis

Department or Academic Unit

Bouvé College of Health Sciences. Department of Counseling and Applied Educational Psychology.

Keywords

psychology, behavioral, antecedent, autism, function-based, out-of -seat, sensory-based, therapy ball

Subject Categories

Autistic children - Behavior modification

Disciplines

Child Psychology

Abstract

This study was designed to empirically assess a sensory-based treatment for out-of-seat behavior and to compare the practical effects of sensory and function-based treatments in an applied setting. Initially, individualized function-based treatments were designed for each of three participants based on the results of structured assessments. These antecedent treatments included functional communication, non-contingent attention and non-contingent reinforcement. The effects of these treatments on out-of-seat behavior were compared to the use of a therapy ball as a chair in an alternating treatments design. The results indicate that while function-based treatments did not further reduce rates of out-of-seat behavior, the use of therapy balls as chairs increased rates of this maladaptive behavior. This study highlights the risks of implementing treatments without prior assessment and supports the need for empirical evaluations of sensory-based treatments in applied settings.

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Rights Holder

Kate L. Desmond


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