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Toward A Behavior Analysis Of Discrimination And Prejudice: Racism, Sexism, And The Stigmatization Of Autism, Claire M. Zuch Jan 2023

Toward A Behavior Analysis Of Discrimination And Prejudice: Racism, Sexism, And The Stigmatization Of Autism, Claire M. Zuch

MSU Graduate Theses

Behavior analysts are becoming increasingly aware of and involved in the study of issues related to sex, gender, disability, prejudice, and discrimination. This thesis integrates and discusses two collaborative manuscripts that revolve around the shared subject matter of multi-level research on systemic issues. In the first chapter, sexism and gender bias are conceptualized and informed by the framework of the nested sociobehavioral model of racism developed by Belisle et al. (2022), including implicit bias, selective gender norms, and systemic oppression, while integrating feminist and queer theories in the analysis. A model-dependent scoping review of research in major behavior analytic journals …


Physical Activity As A Predictor Of Obesity In Autistic Children, Cody A. Mullins Jan 2022

Physical Activity As A Predictor Of Obesity In Autistic Children, Cody A. Mullins

MSU Graduate Theses

Research has found autistic children to be 40% more likely to be obese compared to their non-autistic peers. Reduced physical activity (PA) is thought to be a contributing factor to the increased prevalence of obesity in autistic children. This was one of the first studies to investigate the PA behaviors of autistic children during an adapted physical education (APE) class using accelerometry. The purpose of this study was to examine the PA of autistic children and determine the relationship between PA and obesity. Participants were recruited from a school for students with disabilities who participate in a once-weekly APE class …


Increasing On-Task Behavior Using The I-Connect Application At Home For An Individual With Autism, John Joseph Augustine May 2021

Increasing On-Task Behavior Using The I-Connect Application At Home For An Individual With Autism, John Joseph Augustine

MSU Graduate Theses

This study assessed the effects of the research-based strategy, I-Connect self-monitoring application (Wills & Mason, 2014), with an individual diagnosed with autism. I-Connect is an electronic self-monitoring application that was utilized with an electronic device (iPad) to monitor on- and off-task behavior in the home environment. Data were collected using direct observation (e.g., momentary time sampling) for on- and off-task behavior and permanent product for academic accuracy. A reinforcement inventory was also utilized to determine highly preferred reinforcers of the participant. A single-subject withdrawal design (Kazdin, 2011) was used to assess the effects of the I-Connect application on academic on- …


The Use Of Relational Training To Help Children With Autism Learn Emotions In Context: Extending Results With A Case Study, Ashlee Holderby May 2021

The Use Of Relational Training To Help Children With Autism Learn Emotions In Context: Extending Results With A Case Study, Ashlee Holderby

MSU Graduate Theses

People who have autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have difficulty with identifying and interpreting emotions and coordinating their facial expressions. This defiency extends to both their own emotions and expressions as well as those of other people. Understanding emotions is important in developing social behaviors such as sharing or empathy. However, researchers have found that emotion recognition training, video modeling, and other procedures have helped children with autism build these skills. Previous research demonstrated a method for teaching the identification of private events of others in context using stimulus equivalence and transformation of stimulus function procedures. The current case study addressed …


Evaluating Correlations Between The Peak Equivalence And Transformation Assessments With Intelligence Quotient Scores And The Relational Acquisition Of Skills In Children With Autism, Hannah L. Wallace May 2020

Evaluating Correlations Between The Peak Equivalence And Transformation Assessments With Intelligence Quotient Scores And The Relational Acquisition Of Skills In Children With Autism, Hannah L. Wallace

MSU Graduate Theses

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate correlations between PEAK Equivalence and Transformation assessment scores to Intelligence Quotient (IQ) scores in children with autism. An assessment called the Relational Acquisition of Skills in Children with autism (RASC) was created as a pilot test. This method was used to test relational responding in young children with autism. The scores of this assessment were correlated with scores obtained using PEAK Equivalence and Transformation assessments and IQ. It was found that PEAK Equivalence and Transformation assessments had a strong positive correlation with IQ. No significant relationship between the Relational Acquisition of …


A Pilot Investigation Of The Relationship Between Derived Relational Responding And Challenging Behavior Function, Kaitlin N. Beason May 2020

A Pilot Investigation Of The Relationship Between Derived Relational Responding And Challenging Behavior Function, Kaitlin N. Beason

MSU Graduate Theses

The study evaluated the relationship between participants derived relational responding across arbitrary stimuli and parent or teacher endorsed functions of challenging behavior as assessed on the Questions About Behavior Function (QABF). Supplemental analyses were conducted to directly observe the frequency and intensity of challenging behavior using the Challenging Behavior Index (CBI), as week as direct observation of presenting autism symptoms in session using the PEAK Autism Symptoms and Behavioral Observation Summary (PAS-BOS). Derived relational responding was assessed using the Promoting the Emergence of Advanced Knowledge Equivalence Pre-Assessment (PEAK-E-PA) and the Promoting the Emergence of Advanced Knowledge Transformation Pre-Assessment (PEAK-T-PA) taking …


Effects Of Peak Equivalence And Transformation Treatment On Derived Relational Responding As A Generalized Operant And Iq, Lindsey Schneider May 2020

Effects Of Peak Equivalence And Transformation Treatment On Derived Relational Responding As A Generalized Operant And Iq, Lindsey Schneider

MSU Graduate Theses

The present study examined Promoting the Emergence of Advanced Knowledge Relational Training System; Equivalence (PEAK-E) and Transformation’s (PEAK-T) effect on a participant with ASD’s derived relational responding, intelligence scores (WPPSI-IV; Weschler 2012), and the deceleration coefficient. One participant with ASD was given 10 weeks of PEAK-E and PEAK-T treatment for four hours a week, along with probes throughout the study for IQ scores and deceleration coefficient scores. The data indicated a significant relationship between PEAK-E and PEAK-T treatment and IQ scores, as well as a relationship between PEAK scores and a participant’s deceleration coefficient. This indicated that PEAK-E and …


Imaginative Empathies: Exploring The Role Of Creative Writing In Developing Social Skills Of College Students With Autism, Rebekkah N. Richner Jan 2020

Imaginative Empathies: Exploring The Role Of Creative Writing In Developing Social Skills Of College Students With Autism, Rebekkah N. Richner

MSU Graduate Theses

Only one-third of students with autism who are enrolled in American universities go on to graduate (Cox & Williams, 2018; Newman et al., 2011; Wei et al., 2014). These students may be currently underserved by the writing curriculum of postsecondary institutions when it comes to facilitating social and personal development in college and beyond. This thesis begins with the hypothesis that creative writing classes already utilize pedagogical tools that could aid students with autism in strengthening their social skills, particularly through the more structured social environment of the creative writing workshop. This study examined a 200-level short story creative writing …


The Use Of An Individualized Levels System And Extinction To Increase Task Compliance And To Decrease Aggressive Behavior With A Child With Autism, Savanna A. Chojnacki Aug 2019

The Use Of An Individualized Levels System And Extinction To Increase Task Compliance And To Decrease Aggressive Behavior With A Child With Autism, Savanna A. Chojnacki

MSU Graduate Theses

In a token economy level system, as an individual progresses from one task level to the next, there is an increase in the demand of tasks and an increase in the magnitude of reinforcers earned. The motivation for the individual in level systems stems from the increasing of value of reinforcers earned at each level. In this study a level system in concordance with an extinction procedure for aggressive behaviors was employed as a behavioral intervention. In this single-subject design study, a 5-year-old boy with autism was observed across a variety of 15 minute teaching sessions, implementing synchronously, the reinforcement …


Comparison Of Trial-Based, Synthesized Trial-Based, And Traditional Functional Analyses, Kara Leigh Forck Dec 2017

Comparison Of Trial-Based, Synthesized Trial-Based, And Traditional Functional Analyses, Kara Leigh Forck

MSU Graduate Theses

I evaluated a synthesized trial-based functional analysis with two students who engaged in problem behavior by combining the methods from the trial-based functional analysis and synthesized contingency functional analysis. Multiple test conditions were combined into one test condition and were evaluated in 2-min trials. The purpose of this study was to compare the degree of correspondence of the results between the trial-based, synthesized trial-based, and traditional function analyses. One participant showed exact correspondence between the three functional analyses, while the other participant showed partial correspondence.


A Comparison Of Traditional, Trial-Based, And Synthesized Contingency Trial-Based Functional Analyses, Kaitlin S. Curtis Dec 2017

A Comparison Of Traditional, Trial-Based, And Synthesized Contingency Trial-Based Functional Analyses, Kaitlin S. Curtis

MSU Graduate Theses

Researchers have developed functional analyses (FAs) to improve efficiency and correspondence that still use core components of the traditional format. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the correspondence between the trial-based FA and the traditional FA. I also evaluated the correspondence between the synthesized-contingency trial-based FA and the traditional FA. Within this study, I determined that by combining methods, I was able to reduce false negatives for escape found within the trial-based FAs and false-positives found within the synthesized contingency FAs.


The Effect Of Web-Based Self-Monitoring, I-Connect, To Increase On-Task Behavior Of High School Students With Autism, Sara K. Romans May 2017

The Effect Of Web-Based Self-Monitoring, I-Connect, To Increase On-Task Behavior Of High School Students With Autism, Sara K. Romans

MSU Graduate Theses

Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) often demonstrate behaviors that impair their school experiences. Therefore, the implementation of research-based strategies that will foster success for students with ASD is critical. Moreover, individuals with ASD experience greater challenges transitioning from high school to post-secondary opportunities, including higher education, employment, and independent living. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a web-based program designed to increase student engagement and academic gains through the use of the I-Connect self-monitoring application installed on a mobile device in a high school setting. An ABAB withdrawal design was employed with two high …


The Efficacy Of Digital Comic Strip Conversations To Teach Empathetic Responding To Children With Autism, Khalifah Sami Aldughaysh May 2017

The Efficacy Of Digital Comic Strip Conversations To Teach Empathetic Responding To Children With Autism, Khalifah Sami Aldughaysh

MSU Graduate Theses

Recent research supports the idea that children with ASD express less empathetic responding than typically developed children. However, limited studies have focused on the utilization of evidence-based practices to teach these skills. In this study, a multiple baseline design across three participants diagnosed with autism was implemented to assess the efficacy of digital comic strip conversations, which include answering comprehension questions and engaging in role-play, to teach verbal and non-verbal empathetic responding. Digital comic strips conversations were developed specifically for the study to depict three emotional domains: happiness or excitement, sadness or pain, and fear in a variety of social …


The Use Of Behavior Skills Training To Teach Paraprofessionals Discrete Trial Teaching, Ali Jo-Celeste Headley Dec 2016

The Use Of Behavior Skills Training To Teach Paraprofessionals Discrete Trial Teaching, Ali Jo-Celeste Headley

MSU Graduate Theses

Behavioral skills training (BST) was used to teach discrete trial teaching (DTT) to three paraprofessionals. Discrete Trial Teaching (DTT) has been used successfully with students with autism to individualize and simplify classroom instruction. DTT is an evidence-based training procedure used with elementary aged children to promote the development of communication/language, adaptive behavior, cognitive/academic skills, social and play skills, and for reducing interfering behaviors. Behavioral skills training is a training package that includes instructions, modeling, rehearsal, and feedback. A multiple baseline design across participants was used to assess the treatment effects. The paraprofessionals in this study increased their implementation of DTT …


Effect Of Empathy Intervention On Perceptions And Beliefs About Individuals Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Asia Rose Hulse May 2016

Effect Of Empathy Intervention On Perceptions And Beliefs About Individuals Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Asia Rose Hulse

MSU Graduate Theses

Children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often experience stigma through acts of discrimination, bullying, and feelings of isolation and loneliness. Additional concerns of bearing the diagnosis include being treated differently by peers and an overall sense of feeling different than others. However, inclusive behavior and positive attitudes toward individuals with ASD can be facilitated through contact and interventions. This study sought to understand the impact of an empathic training video compared to an educational training video on college students' beliefs and knowledge about peers with this disorder. Results were significant for participants receiving the empathic training for higher scores …


Increasing Rates Of Specific Praise And Otr Provided By Para-Educators In Special Education Classrooms, Jordan Christopher Politte Dec 2015

Increasing Rates Of Specific Praise And Otr Provided By Para-Educators In Special Education Classrooms, Jordan Christopher Politte

MSU Graduate Theses

Increasing behavior specific praise and the opportunities to respond (OTR) in a classroom increases the likelihood that students will engage in learning activities and socially appropriate behavior. This study was focused to investigate the effects of on increasing para-educator's use of positive praise and the opportunities to respond in small group reading lessons. This study employed four single-subject withdrawal designs were employed in this study. Two were ABAB, the third was ABABC, and the fourth was ABCAC. The interventions consisted of the para-educators receiving training in the area of behavior specific positive praise and opportunities to respond. After each lesson …


The Use Of The Social Skills Module Training To Teach Appropriate Communication Skills To A Student With Autism, Mark Emmerson Simmonds Iii Jan 2015

The Use Of The Social Skills Module Training To Teach Appropriate Communication Skills To A Student With Autism, Mark Emmerson Simmonds Iii

MSU Graduate Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of video modeling (VM) in order to improve conversational skills using on-line instructional modules, self-monitoring, modeling of socially appropriate skills, and provide coaching opportunities within a controlled setting to an adolescent with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Using an ABAB Reversal design, direct observations of the participant's identified target behaviors were collected two times per week during a controlled setting. Overall, data demonstrated that the combined treatment package was effective for improving the frequency of targeted social skills for the participant, including an additional four sessions that were needed to assess …