Identificação de controle restrito de estímulos e autismo:avaliação em tarefas de matching to sample com estímulos visuais

Abstract

Restricted stimulus control is a phenomenon presented by several populations, among them children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders - ASD. Because these children depend on specific teaching procedures, early identification of the phenomenon can help to optimize their performance. Thus, the general objective of the present study was to evaluate the performance of children diagnosed with ASD in different Model Pairings (MTS) tasks with visual stimuli and to verify the presence of restricted stimulus control. Six children with ASD participated in Study 1. The aim was to verify if these children would present restricted stimulus control in simultaneous identity MTS (SMTS) using syllables as stimuli. The children presented the phenomenon, despite an increase in the rate of correctness with the exposures and changes in the error pattern. In order to extend the test curriculum, it was carried out Study 2 which had the objective of identifying restricted control of stimuli in the performance of children with ASD in different tasks of MTS with more complex stimuli (figures and words). Three children were evaluated previously in Study 1. The data show that there was a predominant control of the figure and the vowel. The repercussions of these findings for teaching alternative forms of communication and procedures used in inclusive education environments are discussed.