EXTENDED REDUCTIONS IN STEREOTYPIC BEHAVIOR OF STUDENTS WITH AUTISM THROUGH A SELF-MANAGEMENT TREATMENT PACKAGE

The literature suggests that self‐management treatment packages have two potential strengths for the reduction or elimination of stereotypic behavior: (a) Self‐management may be used for extended periods of time in the absence of a treatment provider, and (b) self‐management techniques are easily adapated and used in a wide variety of natural settings. We assessed whether students with severe autistic disabilities could learn to use a self‐management treatment package to reduce their stereotypic behavior within a multiple baseline across subjects design with withdrawals. The results showed that all of the students learned to use self‐management procedures to reduce greatly levels of stereotypic behavior (typically to zero), and improvement occurred for extended periods of time in new settings without the presence of a treatment provider. The results are discussed in terms of the practical value of the treatment package and in terms of the implications for understanding autism. 1990 Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior