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Effective Behavioural Strategies for the Defining Characteristics of Autism

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 October 2014

Laura J. Hall
Laura J. Hall*
Affiliation:
Deakin University
*
School of Studies in Disability, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood VIC 3125, Australia
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Extract

The following review paper describes the outcomes of data-based behavioural intervention strategies for the defining characteristics of autistic disorder as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994). The results of relevant evaluations of behaviour analytic procedures are reviewed for each of the four potential areas of difficulty under each of the main criteria for autistic disorder, which are: (a) impairment in social interaction, (b) impairment in communication, and (c) restrictive, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behaviour, interests, and activities (DSM-IV). The current areas of research activity as well as those domains that have received comparatively little attention by behavioural researchers are identified, and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Type
Research Article
Information
Behaviour Change , Volume 14 , Issue 3 , September 1997 , pp. 139 - 154
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 1997

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