Using a pairing procedure to develop reinforcers for children on the autism spectrum with a restricted range of preferred items

Children with ASD often have significant educational challenges such as skill deficits and behavioral problems. Reinforcement procedures represent one of the fundamental Applied Behavior Analysis concepts for addressing these concerns, making it important that there are powerful motivators to use for reinforcement. Unfortunately, individuals with autism have restricted interests, which may limit available reinforcers and complicate the development of treatments using reinforcement based procedures. The present study tested a procedure to develop novel reinforcers for three individuals with autism. Two neutral items were paired with known reinforcers during work sessions at school. Preference increased for five of the six items and reinforcement value increased for four of the six items.Psy. D.Includes bibliographical referencesby Nathan M Lambrigh