Increasing the number of social initiations during cooperative play in children with autism through the use of a multiple-script-set procedure.
Item
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Title
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Increasing the number of social initiations during cooperative play in children with autism through the use of a multiple-script-set procedure.
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Identifier
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AAI3103112
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identifier
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3103112
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Creator
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Gold, Andrea J.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Claire L. Poulson
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Date
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2003
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Psychology, Behavioral | Psychology, Social
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Abstract
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The present study evaluated the effect of a multiple-script-set procedure on the number of social initiations emitted by children with autism during three daily 10-minute sessions of cooperative play. Four children with autism participated in this study. The experiment was conducted in two phases. In Phase 1, a multiple-baseline-across-subjects experimental design was used to determine the extent to which a multiple-script-set procedure increased social initiations emitted by the three participants. In Phase 2, a single-subject-multiple-baseline experimental design across activities was used to determine the extent to which a multiple-script-set procedure increased the number of social initiations emitted by each participant. Two types of activity schedules were used throughout the study. They were a primary activity schedule that contained a written text depicting the activity to be completed, and a secondary activity schedule that contained a written text depicting the component of the activity to be completed and the word "Talk." Reinforcement was contingent upon cooperative-play skills and social initiations. Auditory scripts were not presented during baseline. During the treatment condition, a set of five auditory scripts was presented and systematically faded out from end to beginning by deleting words. As auditory scripts were faded out, new sets of scripts were presented. The introduction and fading of the scripts were associated with a systematic increase in the number of social initiations emitted by the three participants. Therefore, it can be concluded for this group of children that the multiple-script-set procedure caused the increase in social initiations. In addition, in Phase 2, there was a systematic increase in the number of social initiations emitted by each child across activities for two of the four children. This study demonstrated that a multiple-script-set procedure could be used effectively to increase the number of social initiations emitted by two of the children with autism to a peer during cooperative activities. The other two children, who acquired the social initiations during cooperative play, may have learned simply through reinforcement operations.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
