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The Therapeutic Management of an Autistic Child's Phobia Using Laughter as the Anxiety Inhibitor

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 June 2009

Henry J. Jackson  and
Neville J. King
Henry J. Jackson
Affiliation:
Melville Clinic, Victorian Health Commission, West Brunswick, Victoria, Australia
Neville J. King
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Preston Institute of Technology, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
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Extract

This paper describes the treatment of a 4½-year-old autistic boy who exhibited phobic responses to the sounds of flushing toilets. He was successfully treated using reinforcement and laughter: the latter service as an anxiety inhibitor. At 3- and 6-month follow-ups the child was symptom-free.

Type
Research Article
Information
Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy , Volume 10 , Issue 4 , October 1982 , pp. 364 - 369
Copyright
Copyright © British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies 1982

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