Avaliação do ensino de comportamento monetário para adolescentes com autismo e deficiência intelectual

Abstract

The acquisition of monetary behavior involving addition has been investigated using the constructed response matching to sample (CRMTS) procedure. In this context, the present study aimed to verify whether the insertion of this procedure into a relational network, using whole monetary values corresponding to two-, five-, ten-, and twenty-real banknotes, as well as one-real and fifty-cent coins, would allow for the emergence of the mathematical operation of addition. Five youths diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Intellectual Disability (ID) participated in the study. The experimental stimuli employed throughout all phases of the procedure were organized into four sets: orally dictated values (A), pictorial representations of banknotes and coins presented individually (B), pictorial representations of combinations of coins and banknotes composing whole values (C), and the mathematical operation of addition involving these stimuli (D). The teaching procedure was structured into six phases: multiple baseline across tasks; teaching of AB relations; teaching of AC relations; testing for transitivity of BC and CB relations; testing for the emergence of BD and CD relations for addition; and two follow-up measures conducted seven and thirty days after the teaching procedure. All tasks were presented in a computerized format. The results indicated that all participants already demonstrated AB relations in their initial repertoire, corresponding to matching dictated values with pictorial representations of banknotes and coins. The number of direct teaching trials required for the acquisition of AC relations, involving dictated values and quantities of coins and banknotes, ranged from one to five. Participants showed difficulty understanding that the requested value could result from the combination of smaller values based on the orally presented model. The participants’ initial repertoire did not appear to interfere with the emergence and maintenance of addition operations (CD relations), with consistent follow-up performances ranging from 80% to 100% accuracy. These findings support the argument that difficulties in retention often attributed to Intellectual Disability may, in fact, be related to shortcomings in instructional programming. The CRMTS procedure proved effective in promoting the emergence of addition within the context of monetary behavior, and the use of computerized tasks appeared to enhance participant engagement, indicating that evidence-based practices can provide functional and individualized pedagogical alternatives.