Healthcare professionals and government officials have advised the use of personal protective equipment, such as face masks and face shields, to assist with limiting the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19). Due to the prevalence of challenging behavior associated with other medical routines, the present study evaluated a treatment package composed of graduated exposure, prompts, reinforcement, and escape extinction on tolerance of wearing a face covering for up to 5 min for 12 children with ASD in a systematic replication of Cox et al. (2017) and Sivaraman et al. (2020). We also extended previous research by measuring generalization of face covering type (i.e., face shield) and the efficacy of a treatment extension for tolerating a face covering for up to 15 min during the participants' trial-based instruction and play periods.

Face touching is a prevalent behavior for individuals of all ages. However, frequent face touching has potential negative side effects such as the transmission of viruses, bacterial infections, and skin infections. The present investigation extended previous research by evaluating a reinforcement-based intervention package on the reduction of face touching for children with autism spectrum disorder who tolerated face coverings (i.e., masks, face shields). The treatment package included an unsignaled, momentary differential reinforcement of other behavior procedure with prompts. Results indicated that rates of face touching decreased from baseline levels for all three children during 5-min treatment sessions. Furthermore, low levels of face touching were observed during follow-up sessions that were longer in duration (i.e., 15 min) across participants. Results support the utility of behavioral interventions on the reduction of potentially unsafe behaviors related to medical routines.