Reinforcing the prospective remembering of children with autism spectrum disorder

Prospective memory is remembering to carry out a behavior on a particular occasion or at a specific time in the future. This form of remembering is critical for the daily functioning of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their functional independence from caregivers. We used a single-subject design to investigate whether reinforcement increased the accuracy of prospective remembering in the context of a computerized board game, Virtual Week, of four 6- to 7-year-old children diagnosed with ASD. Reinforcement increased accuracy for all participants compared to baseline performance and effects were maintained after reinforcement was discontinued for three of four children. This is the first study of which we are aware to use a reinforcement-based behavioral intervention to improve the prospective remembering of children with ASD. Limitations and areas for future research are discussed.