Autism Core Knowledge Flashcards

A child with ASD demonstrates consistent echolalia when presented with a novel demand. From a behavioral analytic perspective, which function is MOST likely being served if the echolalia reliably occurs only when the child has not yet acquired the mand for 'help' or 'break'?

Answer: A functionally equivalent response serving an escape or mand function

Echolalia often functions as a precursor verbal operant. When a child lacks the mand repertoire to request escape or assistance, delayed or immediate echolalia can serve as a functionally equivalent response—effectively a primitive mand. ABA practitioners must conduct a functional analysis of echolalia rather than treating it categorically, as the same topography can serve multiple functions. In this scenario, the conditional occurrence under demand conditions points to escape/mand function, not automatic reinforcement.

During a discrete trial session, a learner with ASD responds correctly on 9 of 10 trials for a skill that was mastered three months ago. The BCBA decides NOT to move this skill to a maintenance probe schedule yet. Which rationale is MOST consistent with evidence-based practice for generalization and maintenance?

Answer: The skill has not been probed across sufficient stimulus conditions and response exemplars to confirm true generalization

High accuracy in a single instructional setting does not confirm generalization. Evidence-based practice requires that mastered skills be probed across novel stimuli, settings, people, and response variations before transitioning to maintenance schedules. A skill that is accurate in one context but untested in natural environments may not be truly generalized, and premature maintenance scheduling can lead to regression. The BCBA's decision reflects sound generalization planning, not merely a higher accuracy threshold.

Which of the following BEST distinguishes Asperger's Disorder (as historically defined in DSM-IV) from High-Functioning Autism at the neuropsychological level, and why is this distinction clinically significant even under DSM-5's unified ASD diagnosis?

Answer: Asperger's involved intact early language milestones and relatively stronger verbal IQ, which can mask support needs and delay access to services under a unified diagnosis

Historically, Asperger's Disorder was differentiated by the absence of clinically significant language delay and normal cognitive development alongside autistic social features. Under DSM-5, these categories merged into Autism Spectrum Disorder with severity specifiers. The clinical significance remains: individuals previously diagnosed with Asperger's often have stronger verbal performance that masks deficits in pragmatic communication and executive function, which can cause them to be underserved when support needs are assessed primarily through spoken language ability. BCBAs must account for profile heterogeneity within ASD Level 1.

A BCBA is designing an intervention for joint attention deficits in a 3-year-old with ASD. She plans to target both responding to joint attention (RJA) and initiating joint attention (IJA). Which statement MOST accurately reflects the empirical literature on these two skills?

Answer: IJA is mediated by social motivation and is more strongly predictive of long-term social-communicative outcomes than RJA alone

Research distinguishes RJA (following another's gaze or point) from IJA (spontaneously directing another's attention for sharing). IJA is considered a more socially intrinsic act—it is performed for the purpose of sharing experience rather than obtaining objects—and is mediated by social motivation systems. Longitudinal studies (e.g., Mundy et al.) demonstrate that IJA rates at early ages are more strongly predictive of later language, social competence, and academic outcomes than RJA alone. IJA is also more difficult to train because it requires intrinsic social motivation, not just conditioned responding.

A non-speaking adolescent with ASD who uses AAC begins producing novel two-symbol combinations not explicitly trained (e.g., 'MORE OUTSIDE' after training 'MORE COOKIE' and 'GO OUTSIDE' separately). The BCBA documents this as evidence of which phenomenon, and what is its theoretical significance?

Answer: Productive language or recombinative generalization, indicating the learner has acquired a generative language repertoire

When a learner produces novel combinations of trained units without direct reinforcement of those combinations, this is termed recombinative generalization (also called productive language or generative responding). It is theoretically significant because it demonstrates that the learner has internalized a rule-governed system—not merely a fixed repertoire of trained responses. In AAC intervention, recombinative generalization is a key benchmark indicating the learner can flexibly communicate about untrained referents by combining known symbols, which is considered a hallmark of functional communication and a prerequisite for language productivity.

During a functional behavior assessment, a BCBA observes that a child's self-injurious behavior (SIB) occurs at high rates both when demands are present AND during free play with no demands. Antecedent manipulations suggest the behavior is insensitive to social consequences. Sensory extinction (blocking) reduces but does not eliminate the behavior. Which interpretation is MOST defensible?

Answer: The behavior is multiply controlled, with automatic reinforcement as the primary maintaining variable and possible conditioned reinforcement from social reactions as a secondary source

When SIB occurs across demand and no-demand conditions, appears insensitive to social contingencies, and is reduced (but not eliminated) by sensory extinction, the most defensible interpretation is multiple control with automatic reinforcement as the primary source. The partial reduction from sensory extinction is consistent with automatic reinforcement—complete elimination is not required for the function to be operative, especially if the blocking procedure cannot fully prevent all sensory consequences. The behavior may additionally be maintained by conditioned social reinforcers, but the cross-condition occurrence pattern and extinction sensitivity both point to automatic reinforcement as the primary driver. Ruling it out because extinction was incomplete is a clinical error.