Though many of us have probably spent much of our careers fretting over how we can help autistic children stop engaging in stereotypic or seemingly ritualistic behavior, have we spent enough time asking whether attending to these unique interests might actually be beneficial? This week we’re joined by Tameika Meadows from I Love ABA to flip the script on that old chestnut and see what research tells us about all of the benefits to appreciating a person’s preferences, no matter how different they may be.

This episode is available for 1.0 LEARNING CEU.

Articles discussed this episode:

Baker, M.J. (2000). Incorporating the thematic ritualistic behaviors of children with autism into games: Increasing social play interactions with siblings. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 2, 66-84. doi: 10.1177/109830070000200201

Vismara, L.A. & Lyons, G.L. (2007). Using perseverative interests to elicit joint attention behaviors in young children with autism: Theoretical and clinical implications for understanding motivation. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 9, 214-228. doi: 10.1177/10983007070090040401

Boyd, B.A., Conroy, M.A., Mancil, G.R., Nakao, T., & Alter, P.J. (2007). Effects of circumscribed interests on the social behaviors of children with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 37, 1550-1561. doi: 10.1007/s10803-006-0286-8

Davey, L. (2020). Using the special interests of autistic children to facilitate meaningful engagement and learning. Good Autism Practice, 21, 43-64.

Bannerman, D.J., Sheldon, J.B., Sherman, J.A., & Harchik, A.E. (1990). Balancing the right to habilitiation with the right to personal liberties: The rights of people with developmental disabilities to eat too many doughnuts and take a nap. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 23, 79-89. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1990.23-79

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