Preference Assessment of Teacher Behaviors for Students with Autism and resulting Behaviors

With the rising prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), studies must seek to evaluate enriched, innovative teaching experiences for this growing population. Preference assessments are widely used to evaluate favored edibles, objects and activities for children with ASD. Less research has been conducted regarding children’s preferences for staff. Since children with ASD spend a large part of their day with teachers in their schools or therapeutic environments, it seems fitting that they would develop a preference for teachers. If students develop preferences for teachers, it would also make sense that these preferences may have an effect on the student’s behavior. Two students with autism and their everyday teachers participated in this study. A multiple-stimulus without replacement preference assessment using pictorial presentation established a hierarchy for the student’s preference for particular teachers. Teachers were ranked as either high or low preference for the student. The effect of each student’s preference for a particular teacher on the student’s behavior was compared in an alternating treatment design. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate a relation between preference for particular teachers and student task performance while completing a task in which they had previously displayed problem behavior. Participants worked in a 1:1 instructional setting for 5 minute intervals. A 10-second partial- interval recording method was used to document the occurrence of problem behavior. As hypothesized, both students engaged in lower rates of problem behavior while working with their highest preferred teacher. Further research is needed to elucidate the cause of this relationship