Evidence-based behavioral interventions for repetitive behaviors in autism

BA Boyd, SG McDonough, JW Bodfish - Journal of autism and …, 2012 - Springer
BA Boyd, SG McDonough, JW Bodfish
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2012Springer
Restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRBs) are a core symptom of autism spectrum
disorders (ASD). There has been an increased research emphasis on repetitive behaviors;
however, this research primarily has focused on phenomenology and mechanisms. Thus,
the knowledge base on interventions is lagging behind other areas of research. The
literature suggests there are evidence-based practices to treat “lower order” RRBs in ASD
(eg, stereotypies); yet, there is a lack of a focused program of intervention research for …
Abstract
Restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRBs) are a core symptom of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). There has been an increased research emphasis on repetitive behaviors; however, this research primarily has focused on phenomenology and mechanisms. Thus, the knowledge base on interventions is lagging behind other areas of research. The literature suggests there are evidence-based practices to treat “lower order” RRBs in ASD (e.g., stereotypies); yet, there is a lack of a focused program of intervention research for “higher order” behaviors (e.g., insistence on sameness). This paper will (a) discuss barriers to intervention development for RRBs; (b) review evidence-based interventions to treat RRBs in ASD, with a focus on higher order behaviors; and (c) conclude with recommendations for practice and research.
Springer