Advisor(s)

Jason C. Bourret

Contributor(s)

William H. Ahearn, Eileen M. Roscoe

Date of Award

8-2010

Date Accepted

8-2010

Degree Grantor

Northeastern University

Degree Level

M.S.

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department or Academic Unit

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

Keywords

autism, caregiver behavior, child effects, preference assessment, restricted interests, teacher behavior

Subject Categories

Autistic people, Behavior modification

Disciplines

Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms

Abstract

Restricted and repetitive behavior (RRB) is more pervasive, prevalent, frequent, and severe in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), relative to their typical peers. One subtype of RRB is restricted interests in items or activities, which is evident in the manner in which individuals engage with items (e.g., repetitious wheel spinning), the types of items or activities they select (e.g., preoccupation with a phone book), or the range of items or activities they select (i.e., narrow range of items). Restricted interests may limit sources of stimulation, and interruption of engagement with restricted interests may evoke problem behavior (Charlop-Christy & Haymes, 1996; Hanley et al., 2003). Additionally, individuals with restricted interests may respond differentially to an array of items--positively toward preferred items and negatively toward nonpreferred items--potentially affecting the array of items presented to these individuals. The purpose of the present study was to use procedures similar to Carr and colleagues (1991) to evaluate the effects of the behavior of those with ASDs on caregiver presentation of items. Caregiver presentation of items corresponded with differential responses provided by individuals with ASD, and those with restricted preferences experienced a narrower array of items.

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Rights Holder

Corey Scot Stocco


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