Date of Award

Spring 2019

Thesis Type

Open Access

Degree Name

Master in Applied Behavior Analysis and Clinical Science

Department

Health Professions

Committee Member(s)

Dr. Kara Wunderlich, PhD, BCBA-D

Sarah Slocum Freeman, PhD, BCBA-D

Mary Strittman, MA, BCBA

Supervising Faculty Member

Dr. Kara Wunderlich, PhD, BCBA-D

Abstract

Previous research has demonstrated the effectiveness of treatments with and without escape extinction to treat escape-maintained behavior. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of differential positive reinforcement (DPR) without escape extinction (EE) for escape-maintained behavior in the home setting. Differential positive reinforcement is an effective function-based procedure known to produce reductions in problem behavior maintained by escape. Two subjects with autism spectrum disorder were included in this study. A functional analysis was conducted to confirm escape as the variable maintaining problem behavior for both subjects. Differential positive reinforcement without EE was evaluated using a reversal design. Results showed DPR without EE was effective in reducing problem behavior to near-zero levels for both subjects. This study demonstrated the use of an effective procedure to reduce problem behavior maintained by escape in the home setting without the use of EE.

Rights Holder

Sabrina Veilleux

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