Resurgence is the recurrence of target responding when reinforcement conditions have worsened. Resurgence of clinically relevant behavior can occur during planned and unplanned changes in treatment. Although resurgence is possible across many treatment contexts and participants, it may be especially relevant to the treatment of children. The…

Packing involves not swallowing solids or liquids in the mouth. It is a significant mealtime behaviour to treat. Research has shown effectiveness of redistribution, but only two studies in highly specialised hospital settings in the United States have evaluated the use of a chaser. We extended this literature by conducting treatment in the home…

This quasi-experimental study investigated effects of Tai Chi Chuan training on stereotypic behavior of children with autism spectrum disorder. Twenty-three participants (mean age = 9.60 ± 1.40 years) were assigned to experimental (N = 12) and control (N = 11) groups. The experimental group received 12 weeks of Tai Chi training and all…

We examined the relations of restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRB; insistence on sameness, repetitive sensory-motor, self-injurious behavior) to social skills overall and aspects that comprise social skills as measured by the VABS-II (coping skills, play/leisure time, interpersonal relationships) in 24- (n = 63) and 36-month old (n = 35),…

Two original studies explored relationships between visual attention of children with ASD (candidates for receiving a service dog) and their behaviors during their first interaction with a service dog. The first study consisted in video behavioural analyses of 16 children with ASD interacting with a service dog. During the interaction with a…

Prior studies investigating restricted and repetitive behavior (RRB) subtypes within autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have found varied factor structures for symptom groupings, in part, due to variation in symptom measurement and broad sample age ranges. This study examined RRBs among 827 preschool-age children, ages 35 to 71 months, through an…

There is increasing concern regarding additional psychiatric problems that co-occur with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), as reflected in recent changes to diagnostic schemes. However, there remains little research with population-based samples across childhood. We report on additional problems, as measured by the Strengths and Difficulties…

The current study explores functioning in individuals with co-occurring Autism Spectrum Disorder and Down Syndrome (ASD+DS; n = 23), individuals with ASD and cognitive impairment (ASD+ID; n = 99) and individuals with idiopathic ID (n = 38). ANCOVA results revealed that individuals with ASD+DS showed strengths in behavioral functioning compared to…

For individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), behavioral inflexibility can affect multiple domains of functioning and family life. The objective of this study was to develop and validate a clinical interview version of the Behavioral Inflexibility Scale. Trained interviewers conducted interviews with parents of 144 children with ASD and 70…

Family accommodation refers to changes in families' behavior aimed at reducing children's psychopathology-related distress (Shimshoni et al. in Indian Journal of Psychiatry 61(Suppl 1):S93-S103, 2019). Family accommodation of RRBs occurs frequently in families of children with autism, is linked to greater symptom severity (Feldman et al. in J…

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have deficits in social and communication skills that can cause problems such as difficulty interacting with others and challenging behaviors. Research has demonstrated the effectiveness of parents as intervention implementers to improve children's communication skills. We evaluated the effects of a…

We studied the association of early-life environmental and child factors with disruptive behaviors in children with autistic traits around age 7, in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (n = 6,401). Logistic regression with the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator indicated that disruptive behaviors were associated with…

Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have a high risk of developing self-injurious behavior (SIB), which is often a result of deficits in communication skills. The use of functional communication training (FCT) to address SIB maintained by negative reinforcement among children with ASD is supported by an emerging trend of behavioral…

Exploration of potential preliminary screeners, and examination of social intervention outcomes for effects on comorbid symptoms is imperative. The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL; Achenbach & Rescorla, Achenbach and Rescorla, Manual for the ASEBA school-age forms & profiles, University of Vermont, Research Center for Children, Youth &…

We examined the effects of the least-to-most prompting (LTM) procedure with contingent imitation (CI) on increasing the frequency and diversity of pretend play in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) using a multiple probe across toy sets single-case research design. Three children with ASD ages 5 to 6 years took part in the study. LTM was…