Behavior-Analytic Approaches to Working with People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities who Develop Dementia: a Review of the Literature

Abstract

Behavior analysis has made contributions in the development of evidence-based interventions for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), and there is a growing evidence base for behavior-analytic interventions for older adults with dementia. As there is an increased number of adults with IDD living to old age, and an increased prevalence of comorbid dementia in people with IDD, a review of the behavior-analytic contributions with this population is warranted. We searched Web of Science and PsycInfo and manually reviewed the last 20 years of five behavioral journals. Six behavior-analytic studies with people with IDD and dementia were identified, and all but one were published outside of core behavior-analytic journals. These articles were analyzed in terms of Baer, Wolf, and Risley's (Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 1, 91-97, 1968) seven dimensions of applied behavior analysis (ABA). The possible explanations and implications of these findings are discussed with consideration of the unique features of a comorbid diagnosis of IDD and dementia that may make it appropriate for increased focus in behavior-analytic research and practice.

Commonalities in biomarkers and phenotypes between mild cognitive impairment and cerebral palsy: a pilot exploratory study

“…For all the regression models 3 presented in Table 2 , statistically significant p-values represent distinct whilst statistically insignificant p-values represent commonalities in measures between CP and MCI. A recent study indicated that adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities are more likely to develop early dementia [ 54 ]. Hence, the association between CP and dementia might be driven by neurologic or intellectual comorbidities, rather than as a direct effect of CP.…”

Recent Advances in the Understanding and Intervention of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: A Mini Review

“…ABA is an evidence-based therapy that utilizes techniques of behavior modification and environmental contingency management to promote the learning of social skills, language, academic skills, and independence. The use of individualized programs, functional behavior analysis, and strategies of modeling and reinforcement has been effective in developing skills in children with IDD [15,16].…”

Increasing Face Mask Wearing in Autistic Individuals Using Behavior Analytic Interventions: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

“…Each of these articles was evaluated against the inclusion criteria and the seven dimensions of ABA to confirm they were behavior-analytic (see Table 1). We adapted this process from Lucock et al (2019). Following full-text screening, one paper was excluded from the review (Aaronson et al, 2021) due to not meeting all seven dimensions of ABA.…”