I read a dissertation written by a psychology student involving headphones. There was a study performed Erin Beardsley to determine the function of ear plugging and to study the benefits of noise dampening headphones. Their test subject was a 15 year old autistic boy named Matthew. I know from having an autistic nephew that ear plugging is a very common activity he would do when it got too loud or he got overwhelmed. She suggested that plugging their ears was “maintained by automatic negative reinforcement (i.e. ear plugging served to block aversive auditory stimuli)” (Beardsley). Because this is a negative reinforcement, they suggested a treatment. “The treatment analysis included an alternating treatments design, to assess the relative effectiveness of contingent access to headphones, contingent access to an activity (i.e. video), and noncontingent access to headphones for increasing task performance and decreasing ear plugging” (Beardsley). The study was performed with different tests and constants to see the result. The conclusion was that “the treatment analysis supported the use of headphones as a reinforcer for increasing task performance and decreasing ear plugging behaviors” (Beardsley). Not only was this helpful as a positive treatment but it also had a lasting impact on the child in a learning environment. My nephew has always had trouble in school setting and often has found himself in trouble at school for having melt downs when he’s over stimulated. This study is very helpful for the possible developments of schooling for autistic children.
