This 5-year follow-up study examined the stability of adaptive functioning in two cognitive ability groups of children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Nonverbal intelligence (NVIQ) was assessed at the time of this study and no participant changed cognitive group membership from the previous study (High NVIQ greater than or equal to 97; Low…

Skinner's conceptual analysis of language has influenced one model of early and intensive behavioral intervention with children, which incorporates verbal operants including mands, tacts, intraverbals, etc. Many studies have examined the mand and tact relations, with little focus on teaching intraverbal behavior. In the present experiment,…

This study examined the use of teaching three students with autism how to comprehend pictures. Students were elementary-aged, did not speak, and needed communication training. Students were provided systematic visual literacy instruction. Visual literacy instruction consisted of comprehending familiar people, objects, actions, and sequences…

This study investigated perceptual causality in launch and reaction events in children with ASD (CA = 8.4, VMA = 5.1) and mental age matched controls with typical development and learning difficulties. This is of interest because difficulties with global processing in autism suggest that individuals with ASD may not "see" causal Gestalts in…

Intellectual Disability (ID) shows a high comorbidity with psychiatric disorders with a great variability in the prevalence rates. An important subgroup is represented by subjects with ID and autism or other autistic spectrum disorders (PDD). The purpose of the present study was to assess PDD with specific screening tools in a population of people…

Asperger Syndrome (AS), a condition on the autistic spectrum, is characterized by deficits in the ability to use social cues to infer mental state information. Few studies have examined whether these deficits might be understood in terms of differences in visual information processing. The present study employed functional magnetic resonance…

Pica is a potentially life-threatening behavior displayed by many individuals with developmental disabilities. In the present study, stimulus control procedures were examined during the treatment of pica exhibited by a 12-year-old boy with autism. First, the inhibitory effect of a treatment package was tested. Next, neutral stimuli (i.e.,…

A multiple-probe design across participants assessed the efficacy of using audiotaped scripts to promote the joint attention responses of young children with autism. A one-word script ("See") was presented on button-activated voice recorders; recorders were attached to toys and photographs that were placed in areas of the school not typically used…

This review evaluates research on the treatment of challenging behavior in school settings for students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Electronic database searches were carried out to identify studies published between 1995 and 2005. Twenty-six studies were identified. A variety of procedures were implemented in these studies to decrease…