A component analysis of "stereotypy as reinforcement" for alternative behavior.
Block stereotypy before you offer it as a prize—most kids will play more without the prize.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team asked: do we need to let kids keep their stereotypy, or is blocking enough?
Three children with developmental delay got response blocking when they did stereotypy.
For one child, the team also let him play with his stereotypy for a few seconds after he used a toy the right way.
What they found
Blocking alone made two kids use toys more. No extra stereotypy time needed.
The third child only improved when he got short bursts of stereotypy after play.
Only one child kept the new play going later without help.
How this fits with other research
Lang et al. (2009) later showed the opposite trick works too. They gave five free minutes of stereotypy right before play time. Kids then played better and stereotypy dropped.
Hagopian et al. (2005) also used blocking, but to stop a chain that ended in eye-poking. Blocking the early stereotypy cut the later self-injury.
These studies do not clash. Hagopian et al. (2000) tested blocking during play. Lang et al. (2009) tested free time before play. Both show you can use stereotypy timing to shape better behavior.
Why it matters
Try blocking first. It is simple, needs no extra gear, and may be enough. If play still fades in, add tiny, timed access to stereotypy as a reinforcer. Track each kid separately—one size does not fit all.
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Start your next play session with simple response blocking—no extra reinforcers—and count toy contacts for one week.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
Results from several studies have suggested that the opportunity to engage in stereotypic behavior may function as reinforcement for alternative, more socially desirable behaviors. However, the procedural components of this intervention include several distinct operations whose effects have not been analyzed separately. While measuring the occurrence of stereotypy and an alternative behavior (manipulation of leisure materials), we exposed 3 participants to three or four components of a "stereotypy as reinforcement" contingency: (a) continuous access to materials, (b) prompts to manipulate materials, (c) restricted access to stereotypy (i.e., response blocking), and (d) access to stereotypy contingent on manipulating the materials. Continuous access to materials and prompting (a and b) produced negligible results. Restriction of stereotypy (c) produced a large increase in the alternative behavior of 2 participants, suggesting that response restriction per se may occasion alternative behavior. However, contingent access to stereotypy (d) was necessary to increase the 3rd participant's object manipulation; this finding provided some support for the use of stereotypy as reinforcement for alternative behavior. Finally, when transfer of the effects of intervention was assessed during periods in which active intervention components were withdrawn, the alternative behavior was maintained for 1 participant.
Journal of applied behavior analysis, 2000 · doi:10.1901/jaba.2000.33-285