Date of Award
5-1-2014
Degree Name
Master of Science
Department
Behavior Analysis and Therapy
First Advisor
Baker, Jonathan
Abstract
Behavior problems such as language disruptions are increasing in conjunction with the population of elderly adults with dementia in nursing homes. However, few studies have included analyses appropriate for adults with dementia. In the current study, a multi-element functional analysis will be conducted with four elderly adults who exhibit language disruptions to determine whether the inclusion of programmed discriminative stimuli increases differential responding. Once differential responding is achieved, a functionally derived intervention will be created and the impact on target behaviors will be examined. Implications for using discriminative stimuli during functional analyses will be discussed.
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