Increasing cooperation during medical examination in children with autism spectrum disorder

This study aims to examine the effects of a shaping strategy on increasing children with autism spectrum disorder's cooperation during general medical examinations and the generalizability of the acquired adaptation to natural medical environments. The study also examined the parents' opinions of the participating children about the study. The participants of this study, which was conducted with a changing criterion design, were three boys aged 3-6 years diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Research findings show that the teaching package, which included a shaping strategy, improved participants' cooperation with the general medical examination. It was observed that the participants demonstrated the cooperation they had achieved during medical examinations in natural medical environments. The study’s social validity findings also showed that the intervention provided significant improvements for participants and their parents.