A retrospective analysis of stereotypy: Applicability of the behavioral subtyping model
The SIB subtyping trick does not predict stereotypy treatment success, so treat the behavior, not the label.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Wunderlich et al. (2022) looked back at old cases of stereotypy. They wanted to know if the same subtyping model that guides SIB treatment also works for non-dangerous stereotypy.
They sorted each case into Subtype 1 or Subtype 2 using the same rules. Then they checked if reinforcement-only plans worked better for one subtype.
What they found
The labels did not matter. Subtype 1 and Subtype 2 cases both improved about the same when staff used reinforcement.
In short, the pattern that predicts SIB success failed for plain stereotypy.
How this fits with other research
Hagopian et al. (2017) found the opposite in a big review of SIB. In 49 datasets, Subtype 1 SIB usually stopped with reinforcement alone, while Subtype 2 needed stronger plans. The new paper shows the same rule does not apply to milder stereotypy.
Baranek et al. (2005) already warned that most stereotypy is automatically reinforced and brief fixes are easy. Wunderlich’s null result lines up with that view: simple enrichment helps no matter the subtype.
Staats et al. (2000) showed you must match treatment to the exact reinforcer. The subtype model tried to skip that step for stereotypy, and it did not work.
Why it matters
Stop using the SIB subtyping cheat sheet for stereotypy. Run your functional analysis, pick any solid reinforcement plan, and watch the data. You will save time and still get good outcomes.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Recent research on automatically reinforced self-injurious behavior (ASIB) has identified specific patterns of responding in functional analyses that correlate with intervention efficacy (Hagopian et al., 2015; Hagopian et al., 2017). Whereas research by Hagopian et al. (2015, 2017) points to an important development in the assessment and treatment of ASIB, it is unclear if the applicability extends to automatically reinforced noninjurious behaviors, including stereotypy. Therefore, the current study replicated the methods of Hagopian et al. (2017), extending this research to published cases of stereotypy and related behavior. The behavioral subtype for each case was identified, and where applicable, the subtype was compared to intervention outcome data. The categorization of data sets as either Subtype 1 or Subtype 2 did not correspond with specific treatment outcomes. Unlike the results of Hagopian et al. (2015, 2017), reinforcement-based interventions were not more likely to be effective for Subtype 1 stereotypy than for Subtype 2 stereotypy.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 2022 · doi:10.1002/jaba.902