Health, Sports, and Fitness in ABA and Sexuality Education for Individuals with ASD

Comprehensive practice flashcards covering health, sports, fitness, and sexuality education within the context of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Sports & Fitness Certification Data

According to the BACB (2024), only $0.13\%$ of RBT certificants identify this as a primary area of professional emphasis.

The Beauty of ABA

A science that produces tools and technologies that can change the world by serving others and helping ourselves.

Shaping

The use of differential reinforcement to produce a series of gradually changing response classes where each response is a successive response toward a terminal behavior.

Three Characteristics of Feedback

According to Antonio M. Harrison, feedback must be specific, succinct, and immediate.

Permanent Product

A change in the environment produced by a behavior that measures the effect the behavior produces on the environment (e.g., homework assignments turned in).

Self-Management

The personal application of tactics that produce a desired change in behavior, such as public posting or third-party accountability.

Operational Definitions

Descriptions of behavior as observable and measurable such that anyone can perform the behavior based solely on the wording.

Reinforcer

A stimulus change that increases the future frequency of the behavior that immediately precedes it; determined after the fact through assessments.

McKenzie & Rushall (1974) Experiment 1

A study using public posting and reinforcement (coach/peer approval) that reduced swimming absentees by $63\%$, late arrivals by $45\%$, and eliminated early departures ($100\%$).

McKenzie & Rushall (1974) Experiment 2

An intervention focusing on work output that used public posting on program boards and increased work rates in eight swimmers by an average of $27\%$.

Komaki & Barnett (1977)

Used checklists and reinforcement for youth football players, resulting in performance gains averaging $20\%$ for three specific plays.

Allison & Ayllon (1980)

Demonstrated that behavioral coaching (verbal instructions, feedback, positive practice) resulted in gains up to 10 times baseline performance in football, gymnastics, and tennis.

Ward & Carnes (2002)

Evaluated the effects of self-set goals and public posting on collegiate football linebackers, finding immediate increases in practice performance with generalization to games.

Video Modeling (Boyer et al., 2009)

A process where gymnasts viewed expert videos and replay of their own performances, which improved skill performance faster than regular coaching alone.

Behavioral Contracting (Wysocki et al., 1979)

An intervention where participants earned back deposited items of personal value based on meeting aerobic point contingencies; produced increases in seven out of eight subjects.

Variable Ratio (VR) Schedule

Used by De Luca & Holborn (1992) to increase the rate of stationary bike exercise in obese and nonobese boys by offering preferred items for specified point values.

Drug Abstinence Schedules (Roll et al., 1996)

A comparison of progressive vs. fixed reinforcement for cigarette abstinence; the progressive group was less likely to resume smoking once abstinent.

Self-Monitoring and Physical Activity (VanWormer, 2004)

Used pedometer-aided self-monitoring and brief e-counseling to increase daily step totals in overweight adults, with two participants doubling their steps.

TAGteach

Acronym for Teaching with Acoustical Guidance; used by Harrison & Pyles (2013) to improve football tackling by reducing a 10-step task analysis to a four-step analysis.

Stimulus Control

A situation where an antecedent stimulus (presence or absence) alters behavior (e.g., green/red cards in class or a teacher walking in).

Conditioned Reinforcer

A stimulus change that functions as a reinforcer due to prior pairing with one or more other reinforcers (e.g., money or built rapport).

Social Significance

The practical importance or relevance of an intervention to the person's life; if people don't want to use an intervention, it lacks this quality.

Supernatural (VR Fitness)

A virtual reality app featuring Flow and Boxing modes that provide energy expenditure comparable to vigorous biking or cross-country skiing according to the VR Institute of Health and Exercise.

Sexuality (WHO Definition)

A basic human need and integral part of personality that influences thoughts, feelings, actions, and interactions, and affects mental and physical health.

SIECUS

Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States.

SIECCAN

Sexuality Information and Education Council of Canada.

Sexuality Education

A lifelong process encompassing the biological, socio-cultural, psychological, and spiritual dimensions of sexuality.

Sexual Health

A state of physical, emotional, mental, and social well-being in relation to sexuality; it is not merely the absence of disease, dysfunction, or infirmity.

The Language of Sexuality (Categories)

The four types of language used around sexuality include Formal/Polite, Technical (e.g., cervix), "Cute" (e.g., va-jay-jay), and Slang.

Puberty

A series of hormonally-triggered physical changes resulting in a child’s body becoming an adult body capable of reproduction.

Gender Diversity

The extent to which a person’s gender identity, role, or expression differs from the cultural norms prescribed for people of a particular sex.

Gender variance in Autism

Warrier et al. (2020) suggests $4-5\%$ of individuals with autism may be transgender or gender diverse, significantly higher than the general population ($1\%$).

Social-Emotional Reciprocity Deficits

A DSM-5 diagnostic criterion for ASD characterized by abnormal social approach, failure to initiate interactions, or reduced sharing of emotions.

Child Sexual Abuse

Involvement of a minor (under 18) in sexual activity that they do not fully comprehend, cannot give informed consent to, or are not developmentally prepared for.

Abuse Vulnerability in DD

Individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities are seven times more likely to experience sexual assault than those without disabilities.

Sexual Misconduct

A broad term for unwelcome sexual or discriminatory behaviors including harassment, nonconsensual contact, exploitation, and stalking.

Say-Do Correlation Problem

A challenge in sexuality research where having the knowledge (saying) does not always lead to performing the behavior (doing) due to competing contingencies or hormones.

Risk

The probability that an outcome will negatively impact people, systems, or assets.

Functional "No"

A safety skill involving the use of the word "No" for functional noncompliance to prevent unwanted sexual contact.

Discrimination Skills in Sex Ed

The ability to distinguish who/where it is appropriate to be naked, touch certain body parts, or help with toileting/menstrual care.