Public health data suggest that individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at a disproportionate risk of water-related accidents, including drowning. The current study evaluated the effectiveness of a behavioral intervention package consisting of verbal instructions, modeling, physical guidance, feedback, and differential reinforcement to teach three distinct in-water safety skills to three boys with ASD. The targeted skills were (a) moving toward a fixed point of safety, (b) rolling from front to back, and (c) floating on back and yelling for help. Results showed that all three participants acquired the skills. For two participants, one or two of the skills had to be broken down into subcomponents for acquisition to occur. Two participants required additional intervention components to manage mild challenging behavior in the pool. Maintenance probes revealed that the skills maintained 1 week and 1 month after teaching. The findings are discussed in the context of a broader approach to accident prevention.

中文翻译：

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向自闭症谱系障碍儿童教授水安全技能

公共卫生数据表明，自闭症谱系障碍 (ASD) 患者发生与水有关的事故（包括溺水）的风险不成比例。目前的研究评估了行为干预包的有效性，该包包括口头指令、建模、物理指导、反馈和差异强化，以向三个 ASD 男孩教授三种不同的水中安全技能。目标技能是（a）向固定安全点移动，（b）从前到后滚动，以及（c）漂浮在背上并大喊救命。结果表明，所有三名参与者都获得了这些技能。对于两名参与者来说，必须将一两项技能分解为子组件才能获得。两名参与者需要额外的干预措施来管理游泳池中的轻度挑战性行为。维护调查显示，该技能在教学后保持 1 周和 1 个月。在更广泛的事故预防方法的背景下讨论了这些发现。