A systematic review of behaviour analytic processes and procedures for conditioning reinforcers among individuals with autism, developmental or intellectual disability

Abstract

Autism Spectrum Disorder is diagnosed when individuals demonstrate repetitive behaviours and restricted interests, especially in relation to social stimuli, that make it difficult for them to access socially reinforcing environments. Consequently, in most cases, behaviour analytic interventions initially have to focus on the establishment/conditioning of effective reinforcers. A systematic review was conducted of the literature on conditioned reinforcement that identified 33 relevant articles (published between 2002 and 2017). This article reports on the content analysis and quality of evidence and offers a summary of the findings reported in these papers. Four lines of research were identified: classical conditioning, operant conditioning, observational learning, and comparison studies. Differences and similarities are reported concerning procedures, type of stimuli to be conditioned, responses measured, reported effectiveness, and quality of evidence. Recommendations for future research and clinical practice are provided.

The Efficacy of Using Telehealth to Coach Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder on How to Use Naturalistic Teaching to Increase Mands, Tacts and Intraverbals

“…Had these interests not been present, as could be the case for many children with a diagnosis of ASD, then it is doubtful whether the gains observed in the tacting variable would be observed. Future researchers may wish to conduct preference assessments prior to completing training to assess the compatibility of the play materials and the strategies taught, and condition neutral stimuli as reinforcers when necessary (Cló & Dounavi, 2020).…”

Acquired reinforcement: Implications for autism.

“…Any irregularities in neural development in pathways leading to n. accumbens offer a possible interpretation of the origin of atypical acquired reinforcers. Fortunately, many studies have shown that children with autism and other disabilities, who have not acquired normative reinforcers through natural contingencies, can frequently acquire them through carefully arranged training procedures (for reviews, see Cló and Dounavi, 2020; Lepper & Petursdottir, 2017; Lepper et al, 2013; Petursdottir & Lepper, 2015; see also Greer & Ross, 2008; Greer & Singer-Dudek, 2008).…”

Evaluating functions of praise for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder

“…Praise similarly has been described as a conditioned reinforcer due to its association with primary reinforcers (Mazur & Odum, 2023). In educational settings, praise is widely used as a consequence to support the acquisition and maintenance of new skills (e.g., DiCarlo & Reid, 2004; Polick et al, 2012; see Cló & Dounavi, 2020, for a review). However, identifying strategies to establish praise as a reliable reinforcer across individuals (e.g., Dozier et al, 2012) that maintains over time (e.g., Taylor‐Santa et al, 2014) has met limited success (see da Silva & Williams, 2020, for a review).…”