ERIC Number: EJ1485371
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Jun
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1053-0819
EISSN: EISSN-1573-3513
Available Date: 2023-11-15
The Use of Economic Manipulations to Influence Choice in Adolescents and Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Robert H. LaRue1; Christopher J. Manente1; Lauren Pepa1; Erica Dashow1; James C. Maraventano1; Kimberly N. Sloman2; Kate E. Fiske1; Lara Delmolino1; Jenna Budge1
Journal of Behavioral Education, v34 n2 p237-251 2025
As educators who provide support to individuals with ASD, our primary goal should be to teach the skills necessary to live as independently as possible. As critically important as these skills are, teaching independent living skills can sometimes be challenging when motivation is low. These issues become even more complicated as individuals get older, and practical and ethical issues may preclude the use of physical prompting. The purpose of the current investigation was to use economic manipulations to encourage three adolescents and adults with ASD and intellectual disabilities to complete nonpreferred activities without using physical prompting and/or escape extinction. Specifically, we adapted the basic concepts of behavioral economics (altering the "pay rate" for certain tasks and the "cost" of certain reinforcers) to influence choices made when offered several work tasks and rewards. With the implementation of economic manipulations, the three participants started to voluntarily complete nonpreferred tasks in the absence of staff prompting. In addition, one of the participants selected alternative rewards following the manipulations. The results are important as they represent a way to incorporate choice into programming while limiting the need for intrusive prompting.
Descriptors: Adolescents, Adults, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Decision Making, Economic Factors, Intellectual Disability, Reinforcement, Rewards, Program Effectiveness, Behavior Modification
Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link-springer-com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1Rutgers University, Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center/Rutgers Center for Adult Autism Services, Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, New Brunswick, USA; 2Florida Institute of Technology, The Scott Center for Autism Treatment, Melbourne, USA

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