Enhancing learning for children with autism spectrum disorders in regular education by instructional modifications

Children with autism spectrum disorders sometimes are fully included in regular education classrooms with its standard curriculum and instructional methods. Under these classroom conditions, the children might perform successfully for some academic subjects but not for others. For these latter academic subjects, standard instruction could be enhanced to promote more effective stimulus control and learning. In the present study, stimulus control was enhanced by a package of response antecedent and consequence conditions. Maintenance tasks were interspersed with acquisition tasks, and the quality, quantity, immediacy, and density of reinforcement were improved compared to classroom instruction. A stimulus preference assessment was conducted, prompts and transfer of stimulus control procedures were implemented, and tangible and token reinforcers were manipulated on ratio schedules. Rapid acquisition of diverse tasks for each of the three participants was noted. Enhanced stimulus control procedures, such as those tested in the present study, can help children with autism spectrum disorders succeed in regular education classrooms.