Researchers find that building blocks can help treat sameness behavior

By Staff Writer

Building blocks can help children who have autism spectrum disorders (ASD) cope with unfamiliar social and creative situations, according to a study published in the Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis.

Researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) brought together six autistic children between the ages of six and 10. Five of the six had moderate problems with restricted or sameness behavior, which means that they often engaged in repeated actions with little or no variety.

Each child participated in one-on-one sessions with building blocks, and each was asked to create his or her own building structure. In the first intervention phase, researchers asked the children to build something that looked different than their original creations. They were rewarded for a small prize if they organized new color arrangements or blocking schemes.

In the second phase several months later, URMC officials gave positive reinforcement to the children who created a new structure, but replaced the prize with a 'good job' to see if they would still be inclined to change their building process. Several months later, in the final phase, researchers followed up with each child and found that all six were still able to understand the concept of creating new color patterns.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that an average of one in 110 children in the U.S. have an ASD.