The Importance of Detailed Assessment in Tube Weaning

Abstract

The current article considers an intervention for an 8-year-old individual with an autistic spectrum disorder who had lost the ability to eat and drink following a stroke. The event led to a period of tube dependency. The emergence of stereotypic behavior occurred immediately after the stroke following a dysfunctional swallow. The aim of the current study was to wean the child from tube dependency through eliminating the stereotypy. The intervention detailed within the current paper is a simple A-B differential reinforcement changing criterion design with 2 phases. The first phase was the behavioral intervention in isolation and the second phase was the addition of a thickening agent to the fluid. Both were removed on a thinned schedule. The results indicated that an additional stimulus fading in combination with differential reinforcement was necessary to alter the individual’s behavior. The intervention employed existing behavioral analytic technologies and concurred with many of the conclusions of previous findings. The findings provide insight into the emergence of stereotypy, its impact, and how it can be successfully eliminated.