Assessment and treatment of psychotic speech in an autistic child
- 1 March 1987
- journal article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
- Vol. 17 (1), 17-28
- https://doi.org/10.1007/bf01487257
Abstract
The psychotic speech of autistic and other developmentally disabled children can be defined as words or phrases that are intelligible, but appear out of context. In the present investigation we conducted an analysis of the psychotic speech of a 9-year-old autistic boy. Three experiments were constructed to determine the functional significance of this child's psychotic speech and a method of intervention. The first study involved an analysis of the role of adult attention and task demands in the maintenance of psychotic speech. When task demands were increased, the frequency of psychotic speech increased. Varying adult attention had no effect on psychotic speech. We then performed a second analysis in which the consequence for psychotic speech was a 10-second time-out. Psychotic speech increased, suggesting that it may have been maintained through escape from task demands. Finally, the third experiment involved teaching an appropriate escape response ("Help me"). Psychotic speech was greatly reduced by this intervention. Thus, teaching an appropriate equivalent phrase proved to be a viable alternative to interventions using aversive consequences. The present study represents the first observation that psychotic speech may serve to remove children from unpleasant situations and also introduces a nonaversive intervention for this behavior.Keywords
This publication has 20 references indexed in Scilit:
- Demand-Related TantrumsBehavior Modification, 1985
- Delusions and delusional thinking in psychotics: A review of the literatureClinical Psychology Review, 1983
- Assessment and modification of delusional speech in an 11-year-old child: A comparative analysis of behavior therapy and stimulant drug effectsJournal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 1978
- The use of brief isolation to suppress delusional and hallucinatory speechJournal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 1976
- The elimination of hallucinatory and delusional behavior by verbal conditioning and assertive training: A case studyJournal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 1972
- The effects of instructions and reinforcement on thinking and language behavior of schizophrenicsBehaviour Research and Therapy, 1969
- The Schizophrenic Patient in the Community and His Effect On the HouseholdInternational Journal of Social Psychiatry, 1966
- Selective reinforcement of schizophrenics' interview responsesBehaviour Research and Therapy, 1964
- Modification of symptomatic verbal behaviour of mental patientsBehaviour Research and Therapy, 1964
- Morbidity in the Community of Schizophrenic Patients Discharged from London Mental Hospitals in 1959The British Journal of Psychiatry, 1964