Teaching Children with Autism in Small Groups with Students Who are At-Risk for Academic Problems: Effects on Academic and Social Behaviors.

Students with ASD are often taught in individual instructional arrangements, even when they receive educational services in inclusive settings. Providing intervention in small group arrangements may increase opportunities for social interactions, particularly when these opportunities are systematically planned. In this study, academic instruction was conducted in small groups consisting of one student with ASD and peers who were socially competent but at risk for academic failure. All students learned targeted academic behaviors and increased their use of targeted social behaviors during instructional sessions. Generalization of social behaviors to a less-structured context was variable. Results suggest that small group instruction may be a feasible and preferred alternative to individual instruction for students with ASD.

Increased parent reinforcement of spontaneous requests in children with autism spectrum disorder: effects on problem behavior.

Previous studies of response classes in individuals with developmental disabilities (DD) and problem behavior have shown that mild problem behavior, precursor behavior, and mands or requests can occur as functionally equivalent to severe problem behavior in some individuals. Furthermore, participants in some studies chose to use functionally equivalent alternatives over severe problem behavior to produce the maintaining reinforcer. The present study added to this literature by having parents reinforce spontaneous requests functionally equivalent to problem behavior in their children with autism at home. First, parent-implemented functional analyses identified conditions associated with increased problem behavior and requests in two children with autism. Then, parents provided the maintaining reinforcer contingent on problem behavior alone or both problem behavior and requests in a withdrawal design. The treatment analysis indicated that the same reinforcer maintained child requests and problem behavior. In addition, when parents reinforced both requests and problem behavior, child participants demonstrated a preference for requests, thereby decreasing problem behavior. Implications of this relation for function-based treatment of problem behavior in children with autism are discussed.