1. A Project GATORSS: A comparison of perceived functions in naturalistic observations and functions identified via functional analysis Elizabeth L.W. McKenney, Jennifer A. Sellers, Jennifer M. Asmus, Maureen A. Conroy, Brian A. Boyd, Glenn M. Sloman University of Florida Project Objectives Functional Analysis Data Implications for Future Research Participants Losardo & Notari-Syverson, 2001 Alan’s Snapshot Descriptive Assessment To assess socially problematic behaviors of young children (18 months to 5 years of age) diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder using descriptive and experimental methodology To identify possible functions of young children’s problematic social behaviors To conduct assessment and provide intervention in the natural environment where social difficulties occur (e.g., classroom, home childcare center). To develop interventions to increase appropriate social behaviors and decrease inappropriate or problematic social behaviors To examine the consistency of descriptive and experimental findings Colin, Shane, Shannon, and Jenny Age at assessment: 3 – 6 years old Placement: Self-contained classroom for students with developmental disabilities, inclusive after-school program, inclusive preschool, regular education classroom Diagnoses: 3 Pervasive Developmental Disorder–NOS, 1 Asperger’s Diagnostic Tools: ADI-R, CARS, GARS, Developmental Profile - II Descriptive data was collected over approximately five hours for each participant and analyzed using the MOOSES program (Tapp, 2004) A perceived function was identified for each instance of target child social behavior Data analysis revealed the following functions of social behavior: Escape Social Interaction Obtain/ Maintain Access to Tangible Obtain Peer Attention Obtain Adult Attention Obtain Tangible/ Escape Social Interaction Escape to Stereotypy No outcome Colin5% 27% 9%16%5%0%33% Shane20% 29%31% 9%4%7%0% Shannon12% 46% 20%2%8%0%12% Jenny11% 45% 28%2%7%0%6% Comparison of Outcomes and Functions DO Perceived Outcome – All Social Behaviors FA Identified Function – Inappropriate and Withdrawn Behavior Match? Colin Obtain/maintain access to tangible EscapeNo Shane Obtain Peer Attention, Obtain/maintain access to tangible Tangible, Escape, possible automatic reinforcement Partial (one out of four functions) Shannon Obtain/maintain access to tangible Yes Jenny Obtain/maintain access to tangible Obtain/maintain access to tangible, undifferentiated Partial (one out of two functions) Inter-observer Agreement on perceived outcomes = 68%; range 0 – 100% Average IOA = 94%, range 70-100% Average 10A = 97%, range 88-100% Average IOA = 99%, range 60-100% * Concurrent operant FA of withdrawn behavior currently ongoing Average IOA = 98%, range 78-100% Further research is needed to examine the degree to which descriptive observation and functional analysis of social behavior agree Future analyses should directly compare the perceived outcomes and identified functions of both positive and negative/withdrawn social behaviors. Direct observation data partitioned into positive and negative behaviors Additional functional analyses examining the functions of positive social behaviors Future data analysis in naturalistic settings should attempt to control for the various potential contextual influences on social behavior in order to make a more direct comparison to an experimental setting (i.e., teacher attention, materials available, peer group size, play structure) An examination of contextual variables affecting functional analysis results should also be conducted (i.e. group size and play format) For more information, please visit the Project GATORSS website: http://www.coe.ufl.edu/centers/Autism/gatorss/ http://www.coe.ufl.edu/centers/Autism/gatorss/