2023 Volume 38 Issue 1 Pages 27-36
Study objectives: To administer the multiple-stimulus without replacement preference assessment (MSWO) and the paired-stimulus preference assessment (PS) to 3 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and compare the stimulus preference and stability of these evaluations, and to test the multiple-stimulus without replacement preference assessment, the paired-stimulus preference assessment, and the parents’ rating results for consistency. Design: 2 participants completed the paired-stimulus preference assessment, the multiple-stimulus without replacement preference assessment, and the paired- stimulus preference assessment, and 1 participant completed the multiple-stimulus without replacement preference assessment and the paired-stimulus preference assessment, in all cases in that order. Setting: A university playroom. Participants: 3 children with autism spectrum disorder (2 boys and 1 girl; 4 to 8 years old). Measures: Multiple-stimulus without replacement preference assessment: choice scores; paired-stimulus preference assessment: the number of choices; questionnaire: parents’ responses. Results: The most preferred stimuli were more stable in the multiple-stimulus without replacement preference assessment than in the paired-stimulus preference assessment. Also, the multiple-stimulus without replacement preference assessment results were more consistent with the parents’ ratings than the paired-stimulus preference assessment results were. Conclusion: The preferences found with the multiple-stimulus without replacement preference assessment were more stable than those identified with the paired-stimulus preference assessment. These findings suggest the desirability of selecting preference assessments tailored to the characteristics of children with autism spectrum disorder.
