The Use of Music, Motor Movement, and Visual Stimuli to Create Long-Term Memories in Individuals with ASD.

Abstract

This paper tests the efficacy of a new behavioral intervention termed Visual Motor Learning (VML) through a case study. Can targeted musical and auditory information that elicits an emotional response, paired with specific motor movements, aid in the acquisition of long-term memory of replacement behaviors in people with ASD — lowering incidents of aggression and tantrum behavior?

Behavior analysts spend much of their time teaching replacement behaviors to individuals with ASD and learning disabilities, yet those behaviors often fail to encode in memory for later retrieval. VML updates Video Modeling (VM) by adding content designed to foster an emotional response in combination with a motor-learning activity. The hypothesis: an emotional response combined with congruent motor movement activates the limbic system and helps stimulate the creation of spatial and autobiographical memory.

The study is a single-subject reversal ABAB design across aggression and tantrum behaviors, delivered through a parent/caregiver-centered model. Results suggest VML can support the encoding and retrieval of long-term memory in ways relevant to meaningful behavior change for individuals with ASD.

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