JABA: New Research on the Use of Time-Out Recent Research of Interest

A recent article written by Donaldson and Vollmer (2011) in the  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis examines the use of time-out procedures with and without the incorporation of a release contingency. Release contingency as related to this study means that the time-out will only end if problem behaviors are not present. In their study Donaldson and Vollmer found that the incorporation of a release contingency did not lead to improved behaviors outside of time-out. Although based on a single-subject reversal design, this study has implications as to how we utilize time-out procedures. Hopefully more studies are conducted in this area to replicate these findings.

Book Review: “Rules”

 As providers of special services to children with autism and other related disorders, we are always trying to find new ways of supporting siblings of children with special needs. The book Rules written by Cynthia Lord is an adorable story of a twelve-year-old girl, Catherine, who has a younger brother with autism. In this fictional story Catherine describes her relationship with her brother and how she experiences different emotions related to having a brother with autism. This is a wonderful story to incorporate in parent training services to help parents understand and communicate with their typically developing children.

Intervention Suggestion: Addressing Voice Volume

Intervention Suggestion: Addressing Voice Volume

One common difficulty children with autism and related disorders present with is using appropriate volume when speaking. Service providers and parents alike often report that the child is speaking too loud or speaking at too low of a volume. Such difficulty can further exacerbate the child’s social-communication difficulties, and can hinder the social overtures of peers directed towards the child with the disability.  The problem with intervening with this common difficulty is that the child is not attending and not cognizant of the fact that he/she is speaking at an inappropriate volume. One simple way to get the child to be more aware is to utilize a computerized voice meter that will provide the child with visual feedback as to how loud they are speaking. One application called SOSH incorporates a voice meter that will change color depending on how loud the person is speaking. SOSH is a computer application that is available on most handheld tablet devices.