Study Objective: The present study explored variables that might diminish the persistent stimulus control established in the rock-paper-scissors game, in which responding based on a circular relation is reinforced. Design: In the experimental task, participants chose the winner or loser of 2 or 3 handsigns on a computer screen. Training provided feedback; effects of the feedback were assessed in subsequent tests without feedback. Setting: The experiment was conducted individually with a laptop computer. Participants: 8 undergraduate students. Independent variables: The following conditions: 2-choice condition (2 handsigns from among rock, paper, or scissors) and 3-choice condition (all 3 at once). Measure: The percentage of correct responses in accordance with the contingency in which responding based on the linear relation of the number of unfolded fingers was reinforced. Results: When the 2-choice condition was presented before the 3-choice condition, the percentage of correct responses did not increase or decreased after an increase. In contrast, the percentage of correct responses increased after the 3-choice condition, and it also was maintained in the test. Conclusion: Choosing only 1 among the 3 handsigns (rock, paper, and scissors) may diminish the persistent stimulus control established in the rock-paper-scissors game.

Study objective: The purpose of the present study was to examine effects of animation self-modeling (ASM) on the acquisition and generalization of skills needed to use a telephone by 2 male students with autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability. Design: Baseline followed by intervention (AB design). Settings: A training room of the X City Development Support Center, and the consultation room of Y University, where telephones could be used. Participants: 2 students with autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disabilities. At the beginning of the present study, S1 was 11 years 6 months old, and S2 was 16 years 3 months old. Intervention: An intervention package based on animation self-modeling teaching materials which incorporated corrections and changes in the presentation methods following participants’ incorrect responses and non-responses. Measure: The percentage of achievement of the target behavior. Results: The participants achieved 100% of the target behaviors in the intervention sessions; this was maintained on the generalization test. Conclusion: The use of animation self-modeling teaching materials which incorporated corrections and changes in the presentation methods following participants’ incorrect responses and non-responses resulted in the participants acquiring and generalizing telephone-answering skills, including communication.

Study Objective: The present study examined effects of an exposure and response prevention (ERP) intervention on the behavior of a man with obsessive-compulsive disorder who had had problems in his daily life due to excessive bathing and use of disinfecting wipes, which he did with the cooperation of his family, using behavioral indicators in the participant’s daily life. Design: Multiple baseline across behaviors. Setting: Outpatient setting at a psychiatric clinic and the participant’s everyday settings. Participant: A man who was attending a psychiatric clinic for help with an obsessive-compulsive disorder. Intervention: Exposure and response prevention of the target behaviors were utilized with his family with the aim of reducing his overly frequent bathing and excessive use of disinfectant wipes. Measure: The number of packs of disinfecting wipes used and the frequency of sleeping in bed after bathing. Result: After the intervention, the participant no longer used disinfecting wipes, and slept in bed after bathing every day. Conclusion: Exposure and response prevention with his family was effective in reducing the participant’s obsessive-compulsive behavior. Behavioral indicators related to the man’s compulsive behavior in his daily life were measured; the results verified the effectiveness of the intervention.

Study objective: The purposes of the present study were to create, utilize, and examine effects of a viable support plan for the parent of a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disabilities (age: 8 years 7 months at the start of the study) who was not toilet trained. Participants: A boy in the third grade of a special needs school for children with intellectual disabilities, who had autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability, and his parent. The boy had wet his pants on his way to and from school and did not defecate on the toilet. He strongly resisted sitting on the toilet and, when told to do so, at times had raised his voice and vomited. Settings: For urination, the intervention was conducted on the way to and from school. For defecation, the parent intervened at home. Intervention: After an assessment of the behavior of the child and his parent, the following support plan was created: (a) for urination, his underwear was changed from disposable diapers to cloth underpants, and (b) for defecation, 2 methods chosen by the parent were used so that the boy could experience defecation on the toilet without showing any refusal behavior. The boy was given an enema in order to shorten the time spent on the toilet and ensure defecation, and, after defecation, a reinforcer was presented. Results: After the parent support plan was put into practice, the boy urinated and defecated on the toilet. Conclusions: Because the support plan had been chosen by the parent, that may have encouraged the parent to cooperate. After the interventions were implemented, the boy became toilet trained.

Study Objective: The present study examined whether an intervention using contingent imitation and setting opportunities to elicit vocalization-speech increased vocalization-speech, vocal imitation, and meaningful words in 2 boys with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and whether the increases in behavior would be maintained. Whether the children’s vocalization-speech and vocal imitation would be maintained after parent-implemented interventions was also examined. Design: Multiple baseline design across participants. Participants: 2 children with autism spectrum disorder (Child A, Child B). Settings: Child A was observed in his home, and Child B was observed in a playroom at the university. Intervention: After getting the child’s attention, the therapist presented a speech model. If the child uttered a vocalization, the therapist imitated the child’s vocalization-speech or vocal imitation. A similar procedure was implemented in the sessions in which different toys were used and in the parent-implemented sessions. Measures: The percentage of vocalization-speech and vocal imitation, and the number of meaningful words. Results: Both children’s vocalization-speech, vocal imitation, and meaningful words increased after the intervention using contingent imitation. This behavior was also maintained in the parent-implemented sessions. Conversely, there was no change in the condition in which the therapist only imitated the child’s spontaneous vocalization-speech, barring the result of child A’s vocalization-speech. Conclusion: The results of the present study suggest that implementing opportunities to elicit vocalization and contingent imitation promote vocal imitation in minimally verbal children with autism spectrum disorder.

Study objective: The present study investigated effects of interdependent group-oriented contingencies on school lunch preparation and clean-up time. Design: A changing criterion design and a multiple baseline design across settings. Setting: School lunch preparation and cleanup by a second-grade class at a public elementary school. Participants: Children enrolled in a regular second-grade class of a public elementary school (N=25; 16 boys, 9 girls) . Independent variable: Interdependent group-oriented contingencies and backup reinforcers. Measure: School lunch preparation and clean-up time. Results: The school lunch preparation and clean-up time decreased. Conclusion: The results suggest that the intervention using interdependent group-oriented contingencies was effective for shortening the school lunch preparation and clean-up time. The social validity of the results was indicated.

The present report, which systematically reviews the literature on parent training (PT) for parents of children with developmental disabilities in Japan, aims to provide an update on recently published evidence. In total, 51 studies published between 2012 and 2018 were analyzed for sample size, child characteristics, parent training programs, and effectiveness. The average sample size was 11 parents and 10 children. School-age children were included in 69% of the studies, preschool children in 59%, and children with developmental disabilities in 80%. Of the studies included in the review, 35% examined the effectiveness of standard parent training programs used in Japanese community settings. To evaluate effectiveness for parents, 77% used psychological tests, 18% used observational data, 80% used a pretest-posttest design, and 16% used a single-case experimental design. To evaluate effectiveness for children, 55% used psychological tests, 29% used observational data, 57% used a pretest-posttest design, and 28% used a single-case experimental design. Of the studies reviewed, 6 examined effectiveness of a parent training group and a comparison group. The present review revealed evidence for the effectiveness of parent training; specifically, most of the published studies that were reviewed reported positive changes in various parent and child outcomes. Limitations in the studies include small sample size, few comparative studies, lack of detailed information on the participants and programs, and insufficient reporting regarding fidelity of implementation parent training, participation rates, and program evaluation. Future studies of the effectiveness of parent training should utilize more rigorous designs with a larger number of participants, and should report detailed information on the participants, programs, and evaluation methods and results.