Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) may have difficulty maintaining conversation partners because of a tendency to dwell on certain topics in conversation. We evaluated the influence of, and client preference for, attention alone or combined with contingent access to preferred topics on the on-topic performance of three individuals with autism during 5-min conversations. Attention alone and combined with contingent access to preferred topics equally effective in improving participants on-topic conversation. However, participants preferred attention combined with contingent access to preferred topics. The results are discussed in the context of efficacious and socially valid interventions for improving on-topic conversation for people with autism.
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/corey-stocco/21/