Previous researchers have demonstrated that using stimuli identified via daily brief preference assessments may produce more responding under concurrent-schedule arrangements than using stimuli identified via lengthy, pre-treatment preference assessments (DeLeon et al., 2001). To date, this has not been evaluated within the context of skill…

Pediatric feeding disorders are common and are often associated with chronic medical conditions and developmental disorders. A multidisciplinary treatment approach may be offered through outpatient or intensive programs. Benefit has been demonstrated with intensive programs, but there is little data regarding outpatient approaches. We described…

Given inconsistent findings in the literature as to the effects of interventions on motor skills in individuals with Down syndrome (DS), the purpose of the current study was to examine the effects of interventions on motor skills in individuals with DS by using meta-analysis procedures. A systematic database and manual search identified 15 studies…

There are few published procedures for teaching athletic skills to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study used a multiple baseline across participants design to evaluate the effects of prompting, demand fading, and differential reinforcement, on the basketball shooting skills of four school-aged boys diagnosed with ASD. During…

Imitation is a pivotal skill for children with and without disabilities, serving both learning and social interaction functions for young children. Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) frequently experience delays in acquiring this skillset, demonstrating challenges in the ability and/or propensity to imitate the actions of others. Current…

The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which typically developing (TD) siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) could implement the model-lead-test (MLT) strategy through the self-monitoring checklist and telehealth-based coaching, as well as the impact of the sibling-mediated intervention on the acquisition of…

Handwashing is a vital skill for maintaining health and hygiene. For individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), such as autism spectrum disorder, evidence-based strategies, such as prompting and task analysis, may be effective in teaching these skills. Due to the shortage of experts who teach individuals with IDD skills…

Video activity schedules are a combination of video modeling and activity schedules that teach a singular task or a series of tasks to be completed. Instead of a sequence of pictures, videos demonstrate to the learner what is expected to be done. Research has focused heavily on using video activity schedules to teach daily living or vocational…

The theory of self-determination considers that both environmental issues (such as the opportunity of choice) and intra-individual factors are correlated or predictive of self-determination. With regard to within-individual factors, some studies have explored the links between intellectual functioning and self-determination in people with Down…

The current study examined the convergent validity between the standardized PEAK Comprehensive Assessment (PCA) and the semi-standardized PEAK Pre-assessment (PEAK-PA). Twenty-two participants were administered each tool, and an item by item analysis was conducted to evaluate correlations between tests. The results suggested a strong positive…

Three adolescents with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities who attended a clinical setting participated in this study. The effects of repeated times practice for component skills on the emission frequency of composite daily living skills such as wearing a shirt, shoes, fastening buttons, and using an iPad were investigated. We practiced…

Taking the visual perspective of another individual is an important skill in social communication, and is termed visual perspective-taking (VPT). Individuals with autism spectrum disorder who have deficits in social interaction show relatively lower performance on VPT tasks than individuals who achieve age-appropriate developmental milestones.…

While abduction remains a rare occurrence in the United States, many parents and caregivers have concerns about children's reactions to strangers and other safety-related behaviors. Abduction is a risk for all children, but may be of specific concern for people with disabilities due to social skill and communication deficits. Behavior analytic…

This study reports on two pilot studies developing a telemedicine parent-delivered social skills intervention (PDSSI) for school-aged children with ASD. Pilot study 1 involved initial development, training, and feasibility testing for six parent-child pairs using in-person training and fidelity monitoring. Findings from study 1 supported the…

In this study, we evaluated three lessons from a manualized social play skills intervention, Play20. Play20 is a focused intervention that is designed to improve early social skill development in children with autism spectrum disorder through naturalistic play. First, we evaluated the procedural fidelity of instructor implementation of Play20, and…