The Effects of Deep Pressure Therapies and Antecedent Exercise on Stereotypical Behaviors of Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Abstract

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2016), one in 68 children in the United States has an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with males being 5 times more likely. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013) describes ASD as a developmental disorder marked by delays in communication and social interactions, and restricted and repetitive behavior, interests, and activities. Furthermore, children with ASD often have symptoms associated with both anxiety disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; Aman, Farmer, Hollway, & Arnold, 2008; Miodovnik, Harstad, Sideridis, & Huntington, 2015). Relatedly, Ben-Sasson and colleagues (2009) estimated that more than 80% of children with ASD exhibit sensory issues and may be hypo-responsive or hyper-responsive to sensory stimuli in their environment (APA, 2013). The heterogeneous symptoms and range of functioning of students with ASD can make providing a free appropriate public education to these students a difficult task. For example, students with ASD often have difficulty maintaining attention and engage in inappropriate behaviors that impede their learning or the learning of those around them (Gorman

Brief Report: The Effects of a Weighted Blanket on Engagement for a Student With ASD

“…Similar to previous research on weighted blankets (Losinski et al, 2017) and other SBIs (Barton et al, 2015), results show the weighted blanket did not result in therapeutic behavior change; in fact, student engagement was lower when compared with baseline. Anecdotally, Anwar was seated on the carpet more often when using the blanket than during baseline sessions, but often engaged in behaviors that were nonfunctional (touching the blanket) or incompatible with engagement in academic responding (e.g., putting blanket on his head).…”

“…They may also be utilized to improve sleep behaviors for children with ASD, although they have been shown to be ineffective for that purpose (Gringras et al, 2014). One study to date has specifically assessed the use of weighted blankets for improving engagement in school activities; student behavior did not improve and in two cases deteriorated when the weighted blanket was used during one-on-one instructional activities (Losinski, Cook, Hirsch, & Sanders, 2017). Thus, this intervention may fall under the category of “fad treatments,” described by Zane, Davis, and Rosswurm (2008) asinterventions that use scientific jargon, sound logical .…”

Replication Research, Publication Bias, and Applied Behavior Analysis

“…ABA researchers have published studies that do not report positive effects, but the investigations have usually centered on questionable practices that have little or no credible empirical evidence to begin with, such as sensory-based interventions (Barton, Reichow, Schnitz, Smith, & Sherlock, 2015;Cox, Gast, Luscre, & Ayres, 2009;Losinski, Cook, Hirsch, & Sanders, 2017). Typical contingencies of publication bias probably do not operate here because the interventions are poorly regarded by ABA researchers, and therefore negative findings are likely to be embraced by the ABA community (e.g., Foxx & Mulick, 2016).…”

“…Studies conducted by ABA researchers that did not produce a beneficial effect tend to be investigations of nonbehavioral interventions of a questionable nature (e.g., Cox et al, 2009;Davis et al, 2013;Denton & Meindl, 2016;Losinski et al, 2017;Quigley, Peterson, Frieder, & Peterson, 2011). However, publication of these studies suggests peer reviewers and editors for behavioral journals are open to publishing studies of interventions that did not produce expected effects if a high level of methodological quality is evident.…”

Null Effects and Publication Bias in Special Education Research

“…Ennis, Jolivette, and Losinski (2017) found that choice in writing prompt did not improve the inclusion of story elements in the writing of six adolescent females with EBDs in a residential setting, suggesting potential limitations to the effectiveness of providing choice for this outcome. Losinski, Cook, Hirsch, and Sanders (2017) compared the effectiveness of two forms of deep-pressure therapy (compression vests and weighted blankets) and antecedent exercise on stereotypical behaviors for three elementary-aged boys with autism spectrum disorder. Their finding that deep-pressure therapy did not meaningfully reduce stereotypical behaviors contributes to a growing research base indicating that these approaches are ineffective and should generally not be used.…”