This paper presents a conceptual model to improve the early intervention of repetitive behavior in infants and young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We include (a) a description of the trajectory of repetitive behavior in... more
This paper presents a conceptual model to improve the early intervention of repetitive behavior in infants and young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We include (a) a description of the trajectory of repetitive behavior in typical and atypical development and an explanation of its relation to screening and assessment and (b) a selective review of the intervention literature for rigid and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests (RRBIs) in infants and young children with ASD. These two sets of literature are used to build the rationale for a conceptual model to improve early developmentally appropriate intervention for RRBIs in ASD. The conceptual model posits that (a) increased sensitivity of measurement tools will allow for proper identification of when intervention is warranted and (b) increased research on focused interventions and dissemination of teaching protocols will improve the comprehensive-ness of developmentally appropriate intervention. Finally, other areas for future research are highlighted.
We analyzed a Zulu wedding ritual, posing two questions: (i) what makes a ritual stereotyped and rigid along with preserving certain flexibility; and (ii) does a ritual pass between generations and individuals en-bloc, or as a smaller... more
We analyzed a Zulu wedding ritual, posing two questions: (i) what makes a ritual stereotyped and rigid along with preserving certain flexibility; and (ii) does a ritual pass between generations and individuals en-bloc, or as a smaller subset of acts. We found that the ritual repertoire constituted only one act that was common to all individuals that performed the ritual. Repetitive performance of this act conveyed the impression of a stereotyped ritual. This structure eases the transmission of the ritual, since it is only necessary to learn the performance of one act that can then be embedded in a sequence of "free-style" acts. Gender difference was minimal, but young women performed more acts than adults, perhaps as a reflection of them being inexperienced actors. Altogether, the present study unveils underlying mechanisms that seem to characterize the evolution of rituals and thereby highlighting a foundation of human cultural behavior in general.
