Restricted Interests and Autism: Further Assessment of Preferences for a Variety of Leisure Items.
Briefly lock the favorite toy and keep new ones coming to help teens with autism sample different leisure items.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Burrows et al. (2018) worked with four teens who had autism and very narrow interests. The team wanted to see if the kids would pick new leisure items when their favorite things were missing or when fresh toys kept appearing.
They used two tricks. First, they briefly locked away the teen’s top pick. Second, they kept adding brand-new items to the pile. Sessions ran until the teen stopped choosing.
What they found
Three of the four teens started grabbing the new items once the old favorite was gone and the pool was restocked. The fourth teen still clung to his usual item even after the swap.
The fresh-item trick worked best when the teen had not touched his favorite for a short break first.
How this fits with other research
Hanley et al. (2003) first showed that quickly blocking access to a top item helps adults with disabilities reveal their real leisure likes. Burrows et al. (2018) move that idea into teens with autism and add the toy-refresh twist.
Conine et al. (2019) and Slanzi et al. (2020) also test leisure items in autism, but they use paired-choice or MSWO formats without restocking. Their kids still pick some leisure items, proving the toys have value even without the refill trick.
Sipila‐Thomas et al. (2021) show that edibles can wipe out leisure picks in about one in six kids. Burrows et al. (2018) dodge this clash by keeping food off the table, so leisure items stay in play.
Why it matters
If you run sessions with clients who always pick the same iPad or train toy, try a quick restriction plus a fresh item rotation. You may uncover new reinforcers that make programming easier and reduce battles over one single object. One practical step: after three picks of the same item, remove it for two minutes and drop in a novel toy before the next trial.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Researchers have yet to identify the conditions under which people diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder demonstrate restricted interests; it is possible that the impression of restricted interests is strengthened when a limited variety of items are included in a client's preference assessments. This study will extend past research on preferences of children with autism by (a) examining participants' preferences for unreplenished (familiar) play or leisure items versus items that are replenished frequently, (b) assessing if participants who prefer replenished items select items with properties that are matched or unmatched to their most preferred unreplenished item, and (c) assessing if participants who show an exclusive preference for unreplenished items will select replenished items during response-restriction and enhanced-replenished pool manipulations. Participants were four adolescents with autism and a caregiver-reported history of restricted interests. One participant selected both unreplenished (familiar) items and replenished (novel) items without further manipulations. The remaining three participants only selected replenished-matched leisure items after additional manipulations. Results are discussed in terms of the ethical and practical importance of assessing a range of potential reinforcers, particularly with clients who demonstrate restricted interests.
Behavior modification, 2018 · doi:10.1177/0145445516686301