The effects of the demand component of motor response interruption and redirection on vocal stereotypy in adults with autism spectrum disorder
The redirection demand is the active ingredient in RIRD for adults with autism.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Chen and team worked with three adults with autism who had loud vocal stereotypy.
They tested two versions of motor RIRD: interruption only, and interruption plus a quick demand.
The demand was a simple task like touching nose or clapping hands.
They measured vocal stereotypy during each condition to see which worked.
What they found
Interruption alone did not lower vocal stereotypy at all.
When they added the demand task, stereotypy dropped sharply for every adult.
The redirection piece made the difference, not just stopping the behavior.
How this fits with other research
Wanchisen et al. (1989) first tried interruption plus DRI with teens who self-injured.
They also saw that adding a redirection step helped some kids, setting the stage for RIRD.
Ahrens et al. (2011) watched autistic kids and found stereotypy often stops on its own.
This seems to clash with Chen's finding that you need RIRD, but the key is context.
N et al. watched kids in free play, while Chen treated adults in a clinic.
Natural stops happen, but when you need reliable reduction, the demand component is vital.
Why it matters
If you use RIRD, always include the quick demand task after you interrupt.
Skipping the redirection step wastes time and leaves stereotypy unchanged.
This is especially true for adults with autism who vocalize loudly in shared spaces.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
AbstractResponse interruption and redirection (RIRD) often results in a reduction in level of vocal stereotypy in children and adolescents diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, research is still needed on the effects of RIRD on adults and on the mechanism by which RIRD produces its effects (i.e., punishment vs. differential reinforcement). The current study used an uninterrupted data collection procedure to evaluate the effects of RIRD, and specifically the contingent demand component, in an adult participant. Results showed that motor RIRD was effective in reducing vocal stereotypy when the demand aspect (i.e., redirection) was included but was ineffective when neutral talking (i.e., interruption) was presented. The impact of RIRD on appropriate vocalizations is also discussed.
Behavioral Interventions, 2022 · doi:10.1002/bin.1896