Assessing the Validity of the Automatic Reinforcement Screening Assessment

Stereotypy is commonly observed in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). (Bodfish et al., 2000; Koegel & Covert, 1972) and vocal stereotypy has been found to impede skill acquisition and be socially stigmatizing (Gibbs et al., 2018; Liu-Gitz, & Banda, 2010;). Although vocal stereotypy is often maintained by automatic reinforcement (Ahearn et al., 2007), until recent years it was common practice to conduct a functional analysis consisting of multiple test conditions and at least one control condition (e.g., Iwata et al., 1982/1994) to identify its function. However, research suggests that a screening assessment (Querim et al., 2013) may be an efficient alternative for responses hypothesized to have an automatic function such as stereotypy. The purpose of this study was to replicate Querim et al. (2013) by assessing the correspondence between results of the automatic screening assessment and a typical functional analysis while extending the previous study by solely assessing the function of vocal stereotypy in young children. Three children with ASD participated in this study. Results indicated the automatic screening can be an efficient tool for assessing the function of vocal stereotypy