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  Partner: UNT College of Public Affairs and Community Service
 Department: Behavior Analysis
 Decade: 2000-2009
 Collection: UNT Scholarly Works
Behavioral Measures of Play

Behavioral Measures of Play

Date: 2008
Creator: Guðmundsdóttir, Kristín & Ala'i-Rosales, Shahla
Description: This paper discusses measuring play. Children with autism frequently display deficits in play skills, such as pretend play and object manipulation. This is described both in the diagnostic criteria for autism (American Psychiatric Association, 1994) and in descriptive studies on children's play (Jarrold, 2003; Williams, 2003). However, the nature of these deficits and the degree to which the play of children with autism differs in complexity and variety from the play of typically developing children is unclear (Vig, 2007). The purpose of this article is to review the importance of play in a young child's life and to discuss the importance of measuring play when designing interventions for children with autism. Furthermore, this paper will present an example of a consistent and reliable observation system that assesses the complexity and variety of play on children with autism and with typically developing children.
Contributing Partner: UNT College of Public Affairs and Community Service
The Development of Interests in Children with Autism: A Method to Establish Baselines for Analyses and Evaluation

The Development of Interests in Children with Autism: A Method to Establish Baselines for Analyses and Evaluation

Date: 2008
Creator: Ala'i-Rosales, Shahla; Zeug, Nicole M. & Baynham, Tanya Y.
Description: This article discusses development of interests in children with autism. Abstract: By definition, children with autism have limited interests. While considerable efforts have been directed toward the social and communication difficulties faced by children with autism, less attention has been directed towards understanding the development and acquisition of new interests. Such understanding may help autism interventionists-establish increasingly diverse and complex interests thereby increasing reinforcing events, learning opportunities, activity participation, and social engagement. This paper describes an observational system for monitoring reinforcer diversity and event engagement during naturalistic teaching portions of an early intervention program. Data are presented for two children. It is suggested that such measures are necessary for two reasons. First, given the lack of empirical support and the importance of reinforcers, there is a need for measurement systems to monitor the development of interests in early intervention programs for children with autism. Second, there is a paucity of research addressing expansion of interests. Developing measurement systems increases the likelihood that evidence-based practices will emerge. Hopefully, these efforts will increase our knowledge, increase child preference for instruction, and open avenues for enhanced instructional and life opportunities based on expanded interests.
Contributing Partner: UNT College of Public Affairs and Community Service
Occipitoparietal contributions to recognition memory: stimulus encoding prompted by verbal instructions and operant contingencies

Occipitoparietal contributions to recognition memory: stimulus encoding prompted by verbal instructions and operant contingencies

Date: August 21, 2007
Creator: Schlund, Michael W. & Cataldo, Michael F.
Description: This article discusses occipitoparietal contributions to recognition memory and stimulus encoding prompted by verbal instructions and operant contingencies.
Contributing Partner: UNT College of Public Affairs and Community Service