We conducted a functional analysis of challenging behavior for two students with autism using widely available videoconferencing equipment (laptop computers equipped with web cameras). Observers used the videoconferencing facilities to collect data on challenging behavior and to instruct the therapist conducting the assessment. Results of the…

Play is widely acknowledged to be an integral part of human development and children with autism often experience substantial delays in the development of play behaviors. This review updates older reviews by covering the last 10 years of research targeting functional and symbolic play in children with autism. The review differs from other reviews…

We evaluated a video prompting and a constant time delay procedure for teaching three primary school students with moderate intellectual disabilities to access the Internet and download pictures related to participation in a classroom History project. Video clips were used as an antecedent prompt and as an error correction technique within a…

We evaluated the effects of presession satiation on challenging behavior and academic engagement during subsequent classroom activities for three 5-6 year-old children with autism. The percentage of 10-s intervals with challenging behavior and academic engagement during 20-min classroom activity sessions was observed under two conditions. One…

Hand mouthing is highly prevalent in individuals with severe to profound developmental disabilities. Frequent hand mouthing may interfere with appropriate responding, have negative health impacts, and result in restrictive interventions, such as the application of arm splints, to prevent this challenging behavior. The continuous application of arm…

This review examined the involvement of teachers in the intervention research for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) from 1996 through February 2008. Forty-nine studies involving teachers of children with ASD were coded for different types of involvement. Findings are discussed in regards to three issues: (a) the manner in which…

This study evaluated the effectiveness of pyramidal training with direct care staff in group homes. Training focused on teaching staff how to provide opportunities for communication to non-speaking children with developmental disabilities to communicate. Staff were taught through a combination of a workshop, and nondirective consultation following…

We compared two procedures (video prompting versus video modeling) for teaching six adults with developmental disabilities to set a table and put away groceries. Video prompting involved 10 separate video clips, each showing one step of the task analysis. Video modeling involved a single video showing all 10 steps from beginning to end. After…

Effectiveness of a self-monitoring procedure was evaluated for increasing work task completion and verbal requesting in two young adult men with autism and severe mental retardation. The study was conducted in a vocational training program at times when the men were expected to complete vocational tasks independently. A changing criterion design…

A study examined the relation between communication development and aberrant behavior in 13 preschool children with developmental disabilities. There was a strong inverse relation between communication ability and severity of aberrant behavior. Deficits in receptive language were more strongly associated with severe aberrant behavior, particularly…

Comparison using paired t-tests of parent and teacher ratings for 16 preschool children on the Receptive-Expressive Emergent Language Scale found no significant differences between parent and teacher ratings of expressive language, but a significant difference on the receptive language subscale. However, interrater reliability was relatively low…