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Despite the conceptualization of phobic fear as a multi-factorial response, the measurement and treatment of phobias is often not comprehensive. The extant literature on the treatment of phobias for individuals with intellectual disabilities has exclusively focused on indices of behavioral avoidance. The present study demonstrates the treatment of behavioral avoidance and physiological reactivity in a child diagnosed with autism, intellectual disability, and a dog phobia. The results indicate that the individual often experienced physiological reactivity in the presence of the feared stimulus despite engaging in behavioral approach. Treatment of both behavioral avoidance and physiological reactivity resulted in successful generalization of treatment effects across three additional dogs and maintenance of treatment effects during a six-month follow-up assessment. Implications for examining multiple aspects of the anxious response when treating children with intellectual disabilities and severe language delays are discussed.

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The current project was an initial attempt to develop assessment procedures for distinguishing between obsessive-compulsive (OC) and stereotypic behavior and evaluate the impact of different treatments for these behaviors. Two individuals with autism, one with repetitive behavior characteristic of OC behavior and one with repetitive behavior not characteristic of OC behavior, participated in the study. In Experiment 1, given that individuals with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) report experiencing unpleasant urges that are relieved when they perform compulsive actions, an attempt was made to identify these experiences by measuring heart rate and affect when access to repetitive behavior was restricted and allowed. In Experiment 2, a multiple schedules treatment was conducted with each participant, and in Experiment 3, the participant with autism and OC behavior completed exposure and response prevention (ERP) treatment. The overall results across studies suggest that one potential way to discriminate between OC behavior and stereotypy in nonvocal children with autism is to consider the topography of repetitive behavior along with changes in physiology and affect. In addition, it may be worth considering the use of ERP, a traditional treatment for OCD, to treat repetitive behavior maintained by automatic reinforcement if treatments that provide access to repetitive behavior are not effective.

The current project examined the effectiveness of a functional analysis skills training package for practitioners with advanced degrees working within an applied setting. Skills included appropriately carrying out the functional analysis conditions as outlined by Iwata, Dorsey, Slifer, Bauman, and Richman (1982/1994), interpreting multielement functional analysis graphs using the methodology described by Hagopian et al. (1997), determining next steps when functional analysis data are undifferentiated, and selecting function-based interventions once functional analysis data are conclusive. The performance of three participants was examined within a multiple baseline design across participants. Although performance varied, baseline skill level was insufficient prior to intervention across participants and skill areas. Mastery was attained for all participants within four to eight training sessions per skill and the acquired skills were demonstrated effectively during generalization trials. Minimal retraining was required for some component skills at a 3-month follow up. Keywords: functional analysis, staff training, treatment development, visual inspection ABSTRACT T