The Effects of Proximity on the Classroom Behaviors of Students with Autism in General Education Settings

In this study the authors examined the descriptive effects of adult proximity on the behaviors of six elementary-aged students with autism spectrum disorders served in general education settings. A descriptive analysis was conducted to determine the effects of adult proximity on the rate of challenging behaviors and academic engagement. In addition, lag sequential analyses were conducted examining the effects of adult proximity on the relationship between adult directives and subsequent target child behaviors. The results indicated that adult proximity positively increased the rates of engagement and the likelihood that engagement followed an adult directive for most of the participants. However, idiosyncratic differences between adult proximity and problem behaviors were found across the participants.