Teaching children with autism appropriate play in unsupervised environments using a self-management treatment package.
The present study used a self-management treatment package to teach 3 children with autism, who exhibited inappropriate play behaviors, to play appropriately in the absence of a treatment provider. After self-management training, generalization and maintenance of the behavior change were assessed. Because of the detrimental effects of self-stimulation (arm flapping, spinning toys, twirling, etc.) on learning, the relationship between self-stimulatory behaviors and appropriate play was measured. Results indicated that the children learned to exhibit appropriate play skills in unsupervised settings, appropriate play skills generalized to new settings, and 2 of the children maintained their gains at 1-month follow-up. In addition, self-stimulatory behaviors decreased as appropriate play increased. Treatment implications of these findings are discussed.
Stahmer
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AC
University of California, San Diego 92093.
Schreibman
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L
D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D001521:Behavior Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005793:Generalization, Psychological; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D010988:Play and Playthings; D012653:Self Stimulation; D012931:Social Environment; D013239:Stereotyped Behavior