EFFECTS OF FREQUENCY OF PHOTIC STIMULATION UPON AUTISTIC AND RETARDED-CHILDREN

  • 1 January 1976
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 81  (1) , 32-40
Abstract
The frequency of repetitive photic stimulation as it affected the response rate of an operant upon which such stimulation was made contingent was examined. Retarded and autistic children, equated for mental age, were trained to pull a lever to obtain photic stimulation of different frequencies. Response rates of autistic children were related to the frequency of stimulation, while retarded children showed no such consistency. The 2 groups did not differ in the average duration of time they engaged in stereotypies. During a subsequent extinction session, 2 autistic children ceased responding, but 1 of 2 retarded children did not. Noncontingent photic stimulation suppressed a food-motivated operant in 1 autistic child. These results were interpreted as evidence for frequency-dependent properties of repetitive visual feedback in autistic children. The position that performance deficits in autistic children correlating with the occurrence of stereotypies result from competition of different sources of reinforcement was supported.

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