Contingency Mapping: Use of a Novel Visual Support Strategy as an Adjunct to Functional Equivalence Training.

CONTINGENCY (Philosophy); AUTISTIC children; AUTISM in children; TEENAGE boys; ATTACHMENT behavior; DEPENDENCY (Psychology); BEHAVIORAL assessment; INTERPERSONAL relations; HUMAN behavior

This study evaluated the effectiveness of contingency mapping, a new visual support strategy designed to enhance clients' understanding of the contingencies associated with functional equivalence training (FET). The study was conducted in a general education classroom with an adolescent boy with autism who engaged in prompt dependent behavior. A multiple baseline ABCD design across three activities was used to evaluate intervention effectiveness and to compare a verbal contingency intervention with contingency mapping. Results indicated that the verbal contingency had no effect, whereas contingency mapping was related to immediate, dramatic, and sustained reductions in problem behavior and increases in alternative behavior. Social validation and follow-up data are also included. The potential of contingency mapping as an adjunct to FET is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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