Two short (20-second and 60-second) overcorrection procedures were effective in suppressing stereotypic behaviors of a 7- and a 12-year-old autistic student. (CL)

Results indicated that parents socially validated the effects of behavior therapy in that they judged the children as significantly improved after treatment, and that the effects of treatment were also socially validated by the parents' indication that they were more willing to interact with the children after treatment than before treatment.…

Effects of sensory extinction procedures on nontargeted self-stimulatory behaviors of two autistic boys (7 and 12 years old) were assessed. In Experiment 1 application of sensory extinction for target behaviors resulted in decreased topographically similar behavior, but no change in dissimilar behavior. In Experiment 2, suppression also occurred…

When positive reinforcement was presented via teacher verbalizations in a noncontingent fixed-time schedule, two autistic children (six and nine years old) increased their percentage of correct responding on difficult and easy tasks. (Author/CL)

A study examined the effects of a self-management program used to reduce high rates of inappropriate vocalizations (e.g., humming, tongue clucking, perseveration, and echolalic words/phases) in a 12-year-old girl with autism. When self-management was applied to inappropriate vocalizations during leisure, prevocational, and reading tasks, the…

The atypical antipsychotic medication risperidone was evaluated using a double-blind, placebo-controlled design to treat destructive behavior in two males (ages 6 and 24) with autism. Destructive behavior during the demand condition was significantly reduced during the medication phases, whereas it continued to occur to obtain tangible items and…