ABSTRACT
Lynn Koegel, a behavioral psychologist quickly found that Tristin enjoyed being tickled, eating snacks, and playing a game. Lynn Koegel noted the few words Tristin used and set up her interactions in such a way that Tristin earned his favorite activities as rewards whenever he used those words in his repertoire. Robert Koegel continued to research effective interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), particularly in terms of finding more naturalistic strategies for very young children. Problem Behaviors Typical of Autism Spectrum Disorder Early on, Robert Koegel paid particular attention to several pervasive problems for children with ASD that he and other researchers observed and that later had great impact on his treatment approach. The Koegels noted the importance of developing social communication skills in children with ASD who often lack even basic eye contact, smiles, gestures, and utterances very young children typically make, which encourage social interaction from their parents and others.
