An Evaluation of a Brief Video-Based Multiple-Stimulus Without Replacement Preference Assessment.

Area of Science:

• Applied Behavior Analysis
• Developmental Psychology
• Autism Spectrum Disorder Research

Background:

• Preference assessments are crucial for identifying motivating stimuli for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
• Traditional tangible multiple-stimulus without replacement (MSWO) assessments require direct interaction with items.
• Video-based preference assessments offer a potentially more accessible alternative.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of a brief video-based multiple-stimulus without replacement (MSWO) preference assessment.
• To compare the results of video-based MSWO with traditional tangible MSWO assessments.
• To determine if video-based MSWO can accurately identify highly preferred (HP) items for children with autism.

Main Methods:

• Four children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder participated in the study.
• A brief multiple-stimulus without replacement (MSWO) preference assessment was conducted using video stimuli.
• Results from the video-based MSWO were compared to those obtained from a tangible MSWO.

Main Results:

• Highly preferred (HP) items identified via video-based MSWO matched those from tangible MSWO for three out of four participants.
• A strong and statistically significant correlation was found between the results of video-based and tangible MSWO assessments across all participants.
• Video-based MSWO demonstrated high concordance with tangible MSWO in identifying preferred stimuli.

Conclusions:

• Video-based MSWO preference assessments can be an accurate and effective method for identifying highly preferred items for children with autism.
• This video format may serve as a valuable complement to traditional tangible MSWO assessments.
• The findings support the use of technology-assisted preference assessments in applied behavior analysis for individuals with autism.