Effects of response interruption and redirection in naturalistic settings

Several research studies have shown response interruption and redirection (RIRD) to be an effective treatment in reducing the rate of motor stereotypy for individuals diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. Less attention, however, has been given to vocal stereotypy as it is more challenging to reduce. While motor stereotypy can be physically blocked and redirected to incompatible, appropriate responses, vocal stereotypy cannot be blocked. Studies have found that redirecting vocal stereotypy with social questions was effective in its reduction. However, 50% of children diagnosed with autism are non-verbal (i.e., they do not form words to functionally communicate with others). The current study used a reversal design to examine the effects of a response interruption and redirection (RIRD) procedure on the reduction of vocal stereotypy in two non-verbal boys diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. Results suggested that motor RIRD substantially reduced vocal stereotypy for both participants when implemented in naturalistic settings. An increase in appropriate play behaviors was also observed