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Assessment and Treatment of Problem Behavior Associated with Transitions

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Autism Service Delivery

Part of the book series: Autism and Child Psychopathology Series ((ACPS))

Abstract

Individuals with autism spectrum disorders or other developmental disabilities are often reported to have difficulties with transitions. In this chapter, we review the applied literature on the assessment and treatment of problem behavior associated with transitions as well as provide suggestions for practitioners and researchers based on our critical analysis of the extant literature. The chapter is divided into two main sections. In the first section, we review the types of test and control procedures used during the assessment process, which included manipulation of environmental variables similar to a standard functional analysis as well as potentially idiosyncratic variables such as assessing the effects of physical movement, rich-to-lean transitions, and predictability. From our critical analysis, we recommend a set of questions to gather information that would help narrow the range of variables to assess and guide the functional analysis process. In the second section, we review treatments that have been, and could be, applied to address problem behavior associated with difficulties with transitions, which included a discussion of the conditions under which various treatments should be implemented. Suggestions for practice and future research are embedded throughout.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    We use the term “functional analysis” to refer to assessments in which the behavior of interest is directly observed and objectively measured across at least one test and one condition, in which an environmental event hypothesized to influence the target behavior is manipulated.

  2. 2.

    We use the term “standard” to refer to functional analyses in which the establishing operation and hypothesized reinforcer are repeatedly arranged within a session, and sources of reinforcement that have been commonly shown to maintain problem behavior are tested.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Munroe-Meyer Institute, Omaha, NE, USA

    Kevin C. Luczynski & Nicole M. Rodriguez

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  1. Kevin C. Luczynski
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  2. Nicole M. Rodriguez
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Correspondence to Kevin C. Luczynski .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. Applied Behavioral Science, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA

    Florence D. DiGennaro Reed

  2. Dept. Applied Behavioral Science, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA

    Derek D. Reed

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Luczynski, K., Rodriguez, N. (2015). Assessment and Treatment of Problem Behavior Associated with Transitions. In: DiGennaro Reed, F., Reed, D. (eds) Autism Service Delivery. Autism and Child Psychopathology Series. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-2656-5_5

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