AND

This study examined the use of a progressive-delay schedule of reinforcement to increase self-control and decrease disruptive behavior in children with autism. When initially given the choice between an immediate smaller reinforcer and a larger delayed reinforcer, all participants chose the smaller reinforcer. When access to the larger reinforcer required either no activity or engaging in a concurrent task during the delay, all participants demonstrated both self-control and preference for a response requirement. Disruptive behavior decreased during delays that required a concurrent task compared to sessions without an activity requirement. DESCRIPTORS: self-control, delayed reinforcement, choice, concurrent activities, autism To promote self-control in individuals with disabilities, Dixon et al. (1998) and Dixon and Holcomb (2000) used interventions that progressively increased the delay to a larger reinforcer (Schweitzer & Sulzer-Azaroff, 1988) and required concurrent responding during the delay (Mischel, Ebbesen, & Zeiss, 1972). It is unclear, however, under what conditions participants might prefer to simply wait during the progressively longer delays or engage in a concurrent task before obtaining a larger reinforcer. The issue is important because a procedure that encourages self-control by concurrent responding may also decrease problem behaviors that can occur otherwise. We examined whether exposure to a concurrent fixed-duration/progressive-Data collection for this project occurred at Behav