ERIC Number: EJ1468747
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Mar
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0748-8491
EISSN: EISSN-1934-8924
Available Date: 2024-11-18
The Behavioral Effects of Noncontingent Breaks from Task with Access to Sensory Activities during Pediatric Occupational Therapy Sessions
Amy A. Stango1; Elbert Q. Blakely2; Rebekah Gast3; Marisely Pacheco Orta3
Education and Treatment of Children, v48 n1 p67-83 2025
Sensory-based interventions are commonly utilized by pediatric occupational therapy practitioners when working with children with disabilities. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of fixed-time breaks with access to sensory stimuli on behavior that interfered with participation in pediatric occupational therapy sessions. Two boys who were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and who were receiving applied behavior analysis services participated in this study. These children had previously been discharged from occupational therapy at another community-based clinic due to their problem behaviors that interfered with their participation in occupational therapy sessions. Three occupational therapy practitioners collaborated with a doctoral-level behavior analyst to design the conditions of the study. At first, the occupational therapy practitioners implemented breaks from task with access to sensory activities contingent upon problem behavior. Then, in a second condition, the practitioners presented breaks from task with access to sensory activities under a yoked fixed-time (FT) schedule. Each condition was repeated. Results showed that for both participants, problem behavior occurred more often when breaks were presented contingent on problem behavior than when breaks were presented under the FT schedule. The results suggest that when breaks with access to sensory activities are used therapeutically, the timing of the breaks could be an important factor. Moreover, these findings were the result of the collaborative efforts between practitioners of occupational therapy and behavior analysis. In this context, we discuss the nature of the collaboration and the respective roles. A framework for future collaborations is also presented.
Descriptors: Autism Spectrum Disorders, Children, Occupational Therapy, Sensory Experience, Child Behavior, Behavior Problems, Applied Behavior Analysis, Time, Intervals, Cooperation, Time on Task
Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1Amy McGinnis Behavioral Consulting, Inc., Philadelphia, USA; 2Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, USA; 3Adventist University of Health Sciences, Orlando, USA