Children with autism often have difficulty initiating, sustaining, and responding to peer play, which limits access to naturally occurring social reinforcers such as shared activities and attention. This study evaluated the efficacy of linked digital activity schedules (i.e., synchronized tablet-based visual prompts that guided partners through shared play sequences) on cooperative thematic play (i.e., coordinated, role-based pretend play organized around a theme). Using a multiple-baseline design across dyads, we combined the schedules with time-delay prompts to occasion independent play actions and verbal exchanges. All participants showed increased cooperative thematic play across sessions. Caregivers completed postteaching questionnaires and reported that the procedures were feasible, acceptable, and useful for supporting peer engagement. Preliminary generalization across novel peers and settings was also observed. These findings provide initial evidence that linked digital activity schedules may be a practical technology-based intervention to promote the cooperative thematic play of children with autism.
Few behavior-analytic studies have examined the effects of interviewer behavior on interviewee responding in the context of forensic interviews, and these were all conducted with child participants. Insufficient research in this area limits our understanding of underlying behavioral processes and precludes the development of effective methods for studying these processes. In the current study, we examined the effects of interviewer behavior on response accuracy for seven adult interviewees. Participants viewed brief videos depicting a crime and answered, "yes" or "no" questions presented in a neutral (i.e., unbiased and direct) or adversarial interview (i.e., the interviewer asked leading questions, provided statements of disapproval and repeated questions for accurate responses, and delivered praise for inaccurate responses). Most participants showed substantial reductions in response accuracy during the adversarial interview condition. Quantitative analysis indicated that most inaccurate responding occurred when participants changed their answers from accurate to inaccurate following interviewer feedback and requestioning.
Abstract Children with autism often face challenges with incontinence and may benefit from more structured toilet training relative to neurotypical children. In the current study, we evaluated a standardized‐to‐individualized behavior‐analytic toilet‐training package with caregivers as the interventionists. We used telehealth to train caregivers remotely to support their implementation of the procedures and obtain additional data on implementation and outcomes. Four preschool‐aged children with autism and their caregivers participated. Three of four participants met mastery criteria with a standardized toilet‐training package and one participant required a contingent progressive sit schedule. Intervention components were successfully faded, and all participants maintained performance after 4 weeks. The findings demonstrate that clinic‐based toilet‐training procedures can be implemented at home by caregivers with telehealth support. This approach to toilet training provides families with an alternative to clinic‐based treatment and could increase access to treatment among those residing in rural or underserved areas.
Abstract Operant demand within behavioral economics provides a quantitative framework for evaluating reinforcer efficacy in applied research involving individuals with autism and those with related developmental disabilities. This systematic review extended the work of Gilroy, Kaplan, and Leader (2018) by examining applied operant demand research published between March 2017 and December 2025. Following PRISMA guidelines, 30 articles (31 experiments; 307 participants) were identified and coded for procedural features and methods, including operant arrangements, demand and work output analyses, open and closed economies, and unit price applications. Results indicated increased use of demand and work output analyses and unit price applications. However, open and closed economies remained rarely evaluated and substantial variability was observed in procedural methods used to manipulate price. Findings indicate growing use of operant demand analyses for treatment durability and schedule thinning but continued underuse for generalization variables.
Abstract Outcomes of behavior‐analytic interventions implemented with children can be mediated by the behavior of their caregivers, such as when they are called upon to implement treatments in natural settings. However, those outcomes are also often delayed, and humans have shown a decreased sensitivity to delayed reinforcement. This study replicated prior research on discounting of delayed treatment outcomes by caregivers of children receiving behavior‐analytic interventions for dangerous or destructive behavior. It also compared sensitivity to delays by these caregivers with that of caregivers of children undergoing interventions focused on skill acquisition and to address food selectivity or refusal. Results demonstrated that caregivers of children receiving each type of behavior‐analytic intervention discounted the value of delayed treatment outcomes. Caregivers of children undergoing intervention for dangerous or destructive behavior discounted the value of delayed treatment outcomes significantly more than those whose children were undergoing intervention focused on skill acquisition, indicating that immediacy was particularly important for those caregivers.
