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Treatment for Higher-Order Restricted, Repetitive Behaviors

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Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders

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Synonyms

Behavioral flexibility; Flexibility

Definition

Treatments for higher-order restricted, repetitive behaviors (H-RRBs) aim to improve the skills of people with ASD to appropriately vary their behaviors and interests to situational demands. Specifically, to adaptively vary from following preferred idiosyncratic rituals or routines, shift one’s activities and topics of conversations from restricted interests, reasonably adjust to changes in routines and schedules, and vary from engaging in repetitive play actions. These treatments focus on addressing impairments in behavioral flexibility observed in many people with ASD. Interventions targeting H-RRBs are aimed to promote skills in flexibly adjusting to situational demands while teaching skills, either directly or indirectly, to appropriately regulate emotions and behaviors to improve the overall adaptability of people with ASD.

Higher-order restricted, repetitive behaviors are considered to be distinct from sensory motor...

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References and Reading

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, UC San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Christie Enjey Lin

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  1. Christie Enjey Lin
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Correspondence to Christie Enjey Lin .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Yale Child Study Center, New Haven, CT, USA

    Fred R. Volkmar

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Lin, C.E. (2020). Treatment for Higher-Order Restricted, Repetitive Behaviors. In: Volkmar, F. (eds) Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_102341-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_102341-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-6435-8

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