Related Experiment Videos
Stimulus complexity and autistic children's responsivity: assessing and training a pivotal behavior
1Kennedy Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205.
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
|June 1, 1990
Summary
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) showed increased difficulty responding to stimuli with more components. A training program improved their responses to complex stimuli, suggesting potential for intervention.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Behavioral Science
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Background:
- Autistic children may struggle with stimuli containing multiple components.
- Increased stimulus complexity could exacerbate response difficulties in autistic children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if autistic children exhibit greater response difficulties with increased stimulus components (1-4).
- To assess the feasibility of teaching responses to complex stimuli in autistic children.
- To determine if training effects generalize to other complex structured and social stimuli.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a multiple baseline design across behaviors and children.
- Assessed children's responses to stimuli varying in component complexity (1-4 components).
- Implemented and evaluated a training program for responding to complex stimuli.
Main Results:
- All autistic children demonstrated fewer correct responses as stimulus components increased.
- The training program was effective in increasing responses to complex structured and social stimuli.
- Generalization of training effects was observed in some situations.
Conclusions:
- Stimulus complexity significantly impacts response accuracy in autistic children.
- Targeting responses to complex stimuli may be a key behavior for intervention.
- Operationalizing responses to complex stimuli offers implications for understanding and altering autistic children's development.