Defining and Measuring Indices of Happiness and Unhappiness in Children Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

Improving quality of life (QoL) is the goal of behavior analytic services, but there can be barriers to assessing the QoL of autistic children due to characteristics inherent in the condition. Given that happiness is a fundamental element of QoL, previous research has relied on behavioral indicators of mood (e.g., smiling, crying) to evaluate the overall QoL of disabled individuals. However, the use of these traditional indices may not accurately reflect the emotional well-being of autistic individuals, who are known to engage in idiosyncratic mood indicators. The current study replicated selected procedures from Parsons et al. (2012) to identify and validate the unique mood indicators of young autistic children. The study showed that individualized indices of happiness and unhappiness could be operationally defined and reliably measured among these children. Key findings and limitations of this study are discussed, and the implications of these findings are presented.

A microswitch-aided program to enable people with extensive multiple disabilities to control environmental stimulation through different responses

“…Other participants seemed to focus more on one of the two responses, but even so, they tended to have occasionally high performance frequencies also with regard to the non-dominant (not significantly increased) response. Finally, all participants showed clear signs of satisfaction/happiness during the intervention sessions suggesting that the program may have a positive impact on mood and quality of life (24,27,28,(44)(45)(46). In light of the above, a number of considerations may be in order.…”

“…Fourth, an intervention program that allows participants to access stimulation through the two target responses or the more convenient/comfortable response at any time may be viewed as user-friendly and have a positive impact on response performance, mood and eventually quality of life (14, 23,[26][27][28]30). Moreover, a program (and the related technology system) designed to favorably match participants' skills and needs (i.e., to be user-friendly) might have a higher probability of being used over time and a lower risk of being rapidly abandoned (50, 52).…”

Toward a further understanding of assent

“…Thus, when those behaviors are observed, it can be said that assent was obtained. Behaviors like engagement, approach, and indices of happiness (Parsons et al, 2012; Ramey et al, 2022) could potentially be related to assent in some situations, but they do not directly indicate assent and, therefore, cannot provide a clear or unambiguous indication that assent was obtained.…”

Revisiting Reinforcement: A Focus on Happy, Relaxed, and Engaged Students

“…Happiness should be defined individually for each learner. Ramey et al (2022) developed a survey to identify the responses a learner engaged in when they were both happy and unhappy. The results of the questionnaire were used to create individualized, operational definitions of happy for each child, which included behaviors such as giggling, smiling, hand flapping, jumping, and running.…”