Abstract
During prebaseline observations, three students diagnosed with autism were unable to make social initiations to another individual. The ability to make initiations would be considered a “pivotal response” in that it would allow an individual to come into contact with a wide variety of social reinforcement. A multiplebaseline design was implemented to measure the effects of a using a self-management package to teach the students to make social initiations. Two interventionists worked with each student to prompt and reinforce initiations. All students acquired social initiations during externally-determined reinforcement. The initiations were maintained when reinforcement changed from externally determined to a self-management system. The prompts to initiate and self-reinforce were faded over the course of the sessions. The use of self-management by the student led to less need for staff intervention. Implications from the literature are discussed.
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We would like to acknowledge the parents of the children involved in the study for their support, as well as the students themselves. We also thank three anonymous reviewers and the journal editor for many helpful suggestions. Research was supported by the Moody’s Foundation.
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Newman, B., Eyck, P.T. Self-management of Initiations by Students Diagnosed with Autism. Analysis Verbal Behav 21, 117–122 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03393013
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03393013