1. Introduction Results Method Discussion
Functional Analysis to Determine Function of Perseverative Speech in an Adolescent Diagnosed with Autism
Delainey Barkes
Indiana University South Bend
And
Partnership for Behavior Change
Sorah Stein, MA, BCBA, CSE
Indiana University South Bend
And
Partnership for Behavior Change
Miranda DePoy
Indiana University South Bend
And
Partnership for Behavior Change
Justin McCammon, BA
Partnership for Behavior Change
Introduction
Results
Individuals with autism spectrum disorders often display vocal stereotypy with language ranging from simple utterances and sounds, to specific subjects (Rehfedlt & Chambers, 2003). Newman et al. (2003) define vocal perseveration as “repeating a word over and over.” This can be expanded to include combinations of words, phrases, and sounds. Vocal perseveration represents one of many socially difficult behaviors to manage for caregivers, service providers, family, and peers and may contribute to existing stigmas and misunderstanding regarding developmental disabilities.
Durand and Carr (1987) note that stigma resulting from socially inappropriate stereotypy in people with disabilities may stymy efforts to integrate individuals into non-segregated group settings. Thus, finding ways to reduce perseveration and replace with socially appropriate alternatives is a key pathway to maintain a meaningful position in integrated social settings.
This study examines an instance where vocal perseveration often confounded instructional opportunities and permeated the duration of daily therapy sessions, making communication and instruction especially challenging for therapists. To address this, conducted a functional analysis (Iwata et al. 1982/1994) to determine the function of the perseverative speech and reduce it.
We reported within-session data for the five-minute condition sessions, in one-minute intervals on the Timings Chart. Data indicates vocal perseveration is maintained by attention, with the highest frequencies in the attention condition, even higher when an audible clicker for tracking incidents of vocal perseveration was used in combination with attention, and lowest frequency in an ignore condition. Viewing each ignore condition reveals brief extinction bursts prior to deceleration. Behaviors decelerated during control conditions as well, presumably due to the lack of attention paid to perseverations.
Method
Discussion
This study examines high frequency vocal perseveration in a fifteen-year-old boy diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder in a clinical setting. Baseline (high session count of fifty eight) was determined by review of data (daily-per-minute, Standard Celeration Chart). Functional analysis conditions consisting of brief five-minute, conditions (attention, ignore, tangible, control) were run across three days. Sessions were videotaped and watched later by three observers. Incidents of vocal perseveration were graphed on a Timings Chart as count per minute, to observe nuances in frequencies not typically afforded by traditional aggregating and graphing of data. Daily review of the videos allowed us to detect that overall vocal perseveration was lower than typical and determine that the difference in our sessions was the absence of a golf-clicker that we typically used for data tracking; this resulted in the attention-clicker condition.
Results informed treatment, such that in addition to teaching socially appropriate conversation exchanges, an audible clicker is no longer used and a planned ignore, similar to that used in the functional analysis condition is the consequence for vocal perseveration. Using the SCC timing per minute chart, clinicians were able to discern subtle nuances between conditions not afforded by traditional notations. The perseverative speech was maintained mainly by attention, but also multiply maintained by the sound of the clicker. Due to these results, we recommend further exploration into the use of timings per minute SCC charts to glean finer data during functional analyses.
Durand, V. M., & Carr, E. G. (1987). Social influences on “self‐stimulatory” behavior: Analysis and treatment application. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 20(2),
Iwata, B. A., Dorsey, M. F., Slifer, K. J., Bauman, K. E., & Richman, G. S. (1994). Toward a functional analysis of self‐injury. Journal of applied behavior analysis, 27(2), (Reprinted from Analysis and Intervention in Developmental Disabilities, 2, 3-20, 1982)
.Newman, B., Heron, T. E., & Heward, W. L. (2003). Behaviorspeak: glossary of terms in applied behavior analysis (ABA). S.l.: Dove and Orca.
Rehfeldt, R. A., & Chambers, M. R. (2003). Functional analysis and treatment of verbal perseverations displayed by an adult with autism. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis 36, 259–261.