EFFECTS OF RESPONSE INTERRUPTION AND REDIRECTION ON MOTOR STEREOTYPIES IN AUTISM

Abstract

The article aims to evaluate the effects of the Response Interruption and Redirection procedure on motor stereotypies in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The method was applied to two children submitted to behavioral assessments and functional analysis. An alternating treatments design was used to compare the procedure with and without social attention for twenty minutes. The result demonstrated that the functional analysis confirmed that stereotypies were maintained by automatic reinforcement. The intervention promoted a sharp reduction in engagement in motor stereotypies in both conditions, maintaining a downward trend over time. The conclusion demonstrated that the procedure is effective in the management and reduction of interfering motor stereotypies, regardless of the provision of additional social attention, reinforcing its clinical behavior-analytic applicability.