News and Knowledge

Study

Increasing Functional Vocational Skills in Adolescents and Adults with Autism Using Behavioral Economics

Researchers

Principal Investigator: Robert H. LaRue, Ph.D, BCBA-D, director of behavioral and research services; Lara Delmolino, Ph.D., BCBA-D, director; Kate Fiske Massey, Ph.D., BCBA-D, associate director of behavioral and research services; Kimberly N. Sloman, Ph.D., BCBA-D, associate director of behavioral and research services at the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey

Purpose

This study will address escape-maintained behavior by altering the economic structure of the environment. By altering the “fee” for specific chores and “cost” to access preferred items, it may be possible to increase the likelihood that individuals will willingly participate in non-preferred tasks without physical prompting.

Why Is This Study Needed?

Autism is a developmental disorder characterized by difficulties in communication and social interaction, and is often accompanied by the presence of maladaptive behavior (e.g., aggression, self-injurious behavior). Increasing functional skill development is particularly important for individuals with developmental disabilities. However, prompting older individuals to engage in non-preferred activities (e.g. household chores) can be extremely difficult from a practical standpoint. Trying to physically prompt older individuals to complete such tasks may put staff, family members, and the individuals themselves at risk for injury.

One possible way to circumvent some of these issues may lie in the effective use of behavioral economics. Traditional behavioral economics combines basic behavioral concepts and the principles of economics to understand choices (i.e., engaging in certain behavior) made by “consumers” of reinforcement.

In economics, when prices for goods (e.g., widgets) are cheap, demand for these items tends to be high and consumption consistent. As the price of the item increases, there is a point at which demand decreases and the likelihood of switching to other substitutable commodities increases as well. Assume your favorite soda was Pepsi, for example. If the price of Pepsi increased from $1 for a 2-liter bottle to $3 per bottle, it may increase the likelihood that you would sample a less expensive, substitutable soda (e.g., store-brand cola).

In behavioral economics, similar relationships exist between the amount of behavior necessary to earn reinforcers and the consumption of those reinforcers. These basic principles can be applied to the choices made by individuals with autism. Specifically, by altering the economic structure of the environment (e.g., amount of work necessary to access certain activities and amount of tokens delivered for engaging in certain tasks), it may be possible to encourage individuals to complete less preferred tasks without relying on escape extinction or physical prompts.

Study Methodology In Brief

Participants will be selected from he Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center, a center-based treatment facility for children and adolescents diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorders. The current investigation will target individuals with autism between the ages of 12 and 40. Five to 10 participants will participate in the behavioral economics protocol. The participants will have been referred to the Behavioral and Research Services Department at Douglas for the assessment and treatment of maladaptive behavior.

First, the researchers will conduct preference and work assessments to identify preferred items or activities and non-preferred tasks, respectively. Next, reinforcer assessments will be conducted to determine how much work an individual will complete to access preferred items.

Then, the research team will analyze the effects of varying the payment for certain tasks (e.g., tokens delivered for sweeping) and cost of certain items/activities (e.g., tokens required to access a favorite board game) on the individual’s task and reinforcer selection.

Finally, preference, work, and reinforcer assessments will again be conducted to determine changes in responding post-intervention.

By altering the number of tokens delivered for specific chores and number of tokens exchanged to access preferred items, it may be possible to increase the likelihood that participants will willingly participate in non-preferred tasks (without physical prompting) and potentially broaden the students’ reinforcer repertoire.

Researchers

Principal Investigator: Robert H. LaRue, Ph.D, BCBA-D is the director of behavioral and research services at the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center, Rutgers University and a clinical associate professor at Rutgers. He earned a dual doctorate in biological and school psychology from Louisiana State University. He completed his predoctoral internship with the Kennedy Krieger Institute at Johns Hopkins University and a postdoctoral fellowship with the Marcus Institutes at Emory University. Dr. LaRue has more than 16 years of experience working with people on the autism spectrum. He has co-authored published articles in peer-reviewed journals and presented at national and international conferences. His interests include the assessment and treatment of maladaptive behavior, staff and teacher training, and behavioral pharmacology.

Lara Delmolino, Ph.D., BCBA-D, is the director of the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center and a clinical associate professor at the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology at Rutgers. Dr. Delmolino earned her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Rutgers. She did her internship at the TEACCH program in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. She has over 23 years of experience with people on the autism spectrum.

Kate Fiske Massey, Ph.D., BCBA-D, is an associate director of behavioral and research services at the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center and a clinical assistant professor at the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology. She has more than 12 years of experience working with people on the autism spectrum. Dr. Fiske Massey earned her doctorate in clinical psychology from Rutgers University and completed her internship at the Kennedy Krieger Institute at Johns Hopkins University.

Kimberly N. Sloman, Ph.D., BCBA-D, is an associate director of behavioral and research services at the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center and a clinical assistant professor at Rutgers. She earned a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Florida in 2008. Dr. Sloman has worked in the field of applied behavior analysis with individuals with autism and developmental disabilities for over 10 years.