Differentiated Effects of Sensory Activities as Abolishing Operations via Non-contingent Reinforcement on Academic and Aberrant Behavior
G. Richmond Mancil, Todd Haydon, and Marty Boman
Abstract: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of sensory activities used as antecedent interventions on the percentage correct on academic tasks and rate of aberrant behavior in three elementary aged children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Study activities were conducted in an after school program for children with ASD where program personnel acted as change agents regarding strategy implementation. An alternating treatment design was used with each participant to evaluate the differentiated effects of three activities. Results varied across participants regarding the sensory related activity that had the greatest effects on producing correct academic responses and reduction in aberrant behavior. In addition, sensory activities had greater effects than control sessions across all participants. A discussion of limitations and future research directions is included.