Why ABA for students with autism ?

1. Why ABA for students with autism? Burlington County Special Services

2. Autism • “Because autism is a severe, chronic developmental disorder, which results in a significant lifelong disability, the goal of treatment is to promote the child’s social and language development and minimize behaviors that interfere with the child’s functioning and learning.”

3. Autism • “Intensive, sustained special education programs and behavior therapy early in life can increase the ability of the child with autism to acquire language and ability to learn. Special education programs in highly structured environments appear to help the child acquire self-care, social, and job skills.”

4. TEACCH • A program developed in North Carolina that focuses on the treatment and education of the autism community • Focuses on bringing individuals to the highest level of independence that they an achieve • A program that uses heavy environment structure and picture cues • Bonus question: write down what TEACCH stands for and hold it up

5. Surgeon General’s Recommendations • “Thirty years of research demonstrated the efficacy of applied behavioral methods in reducing inappropriate behavior and in increasing communication, learning, and appropriate social behavior.” • “An effective treatment program will build on the child's interests, offer a predictable schedule, teach tasks as a series of simple steps, actively engage the child's attention in highly structured activities, and provide regular reinforcement of behavior.”

6. New Jersey Dept of Education • Autism Program Quality Indicators • Effective programs should employ a methodology that has been empirically validated in well-controlled research studies conducted with other students with autism. • What does that mean? • Ex: You have an infection and need antibiotics-the doctor doesn’t give you Tylenol. Why not?

7. Treatment for our students • Needs to be individualized-not the same prescription for each person (nor student) • Would you want the doctor to give you treatment that hasn’t been proven to work? • No, if you have a headache-you know that this medicine will help • If you have a language delay, you teach specific skills to help remediate the language (individualized based upon the severity of the delay)

8. Why do we do ABA? • ABA what does that stand for? • Research based methodologies that are proven to work and change behavior in people with developmental disabilities • To improve behavior • To teach academics • To improve daily living skills

9. Why ABA? • DATA BASED DECISIONS-gives us the proof that what we’re doing is working • Data based decision making is part of BEST PRACTICE • Just like the doctor monitors your progress to make sure your improving (they chart your vitals every hour-blood pressure pulse, how your responding to treatment) • We monitor our student’s progress to make sure what we are doing is working

10. ABA • The study of a behavior in the environment through antecedent, behavior, and consequence data collection. • Most scientifically validated treatment for autism

11. ABA • 1. Behavioral • 2. Academic • 3. Daily Living Skills

12. Behavior Reasons • To provide a better quality of life for our students • They can go to Wawa • Go to a restaurant • Go to the beach • Go to the park • Birthday Party • Go Fishing with Parents • Any vacation • Ride on an airplane

13. Example • Matt’s behaviors before: disrobes, screams, destruction of property, swiping, eloping. After: completes a task, does not take off his clothes, half hour toilet schedule, walks appropriately in hall, starting to use sign language.

14. The proof is in the data-It’s working!

15. To Teach Academics • Discrete Trial/Individual Instruction • A discrete trial has 3 parts 1. you give a ONE direction (Sd) 2. the student listens and follows the direction (we hope or with help-that’s the prompt) 3. you praise them for doing it “That’s great!”

16. What does this look like? • Model of discrete trial session • 1. Give direction • 2. Student responds • 3. Give reinforcement

17. Things we teach • Language-Talking-Communication-Signing • Imitation (actions and words) • Matching-Sorting • Following directions • Counting-Math-Money-Measurement-Calculator • Writing • Reading

18. Example • Travis-Oral motor imitation began on 10-10-06 able to imitate 2 actions. Now able to imitate 9 actions • Non-identical Matching: able to match 11 when this program began. Now able to match 21 objects total. • Number matching: able to match 1 when the program began. Now able to match 10 numbers total.

19. Travis’ progress-the proof is in the data

20. Daily living skills • Tooth-brushing • Getting dressed • Eating breakfast • Toileting • Setting Table • Making a sandwich • Vacuuming • Wiping the table

21. Use a Task Analysis • What is a Task Analysis (TA) • A breakdown of the sequence of behaviors needed to perform a daily activity such as ordering at Dunkin Donuts • There are many steps involved when placing an order and eating at an establishment

22. Steps to Ordering at Dunkin Donuts • Go to the counter • Wait in line • Wait while the cashier asks for the order • Student orders, “Boston Cream donut please.” • Cashier says, “$.95 please.” • Student gives the money • Receives the change • Says, “Thank you.” • Cashier gives the donut • Student says, “Thank you” again. • Takes food and finds a table to sit down at • Eats the donut (this could be a whole other TA)

23. % of Independence-no help at allCompleting Dunkin Donuts TA

24. How do we get to Independent • First, what is Independent? • Independent means that the child completes the task or follows the direction (that is stated ONE time) or follows the schedule without any adult assistance required fluently (in a timely fashion). • But verbally re-stating the direction is not a prompt? Right? Or Wrong?

25. Role Play • Example: Group will role play classroom scenario of checking schedules.

26. Independent • If this example shows independence raise your hand

27. Independent • If not, why?

28. Verbal Prompts • Verbal prompts are the easiest to get dependent on, and the hardest to fade. • There are a couple of good reasons for this. • First, they are the easiest to give. For teachers, opening our mouths and spitting out verbal directions when learners are struggling is really easy to do. • Another issue for our learners, is that sometimes our teaching lulls them into being passive responders. Juliet Burk, Founder-Autism Teaching Tools

29. Examples • Toileting protocols • Morning routine-hanging up coat, etc. • Discrete trial example-touch fork (I know he knows what a fork is so, I’ll just keep repeating “touch fork” until he answers. He knows this!) Is this a strategy I should use for my learner? If yes- tell my why. If no-tell me why?

30. Independent • Adult assistance (prompting) could be verbal directions, pointing, physical prompts, blocking.

31. Where do I prompt? DirectionStudent responds Reinforcement Prompt physical Visual/Textual gestural model verbal

32. Selecting Prompts • When using prompts, carefully select the level of prompting. • Provide enough help to ensure that an incorrect or non response does not occur. • Try to ensure that the student does as much of the work as they are able to.

33. Reinforcement • Reinforcement: Any consequence of behavior which increases the frequency of that kind of behavior under similar conditions in the future. • Reinforcement delivery is necessary to establish a connection between a particular behavior and its consequences

34. Reinforcement • Example: I put money in the soda machine, I press a button, my soda comes out! Yeah! • What if my soda doesn’t come out? • What do I do?

35. Reinforcement • Effective praise: 1. should be sincere 2. be delivered after performance of the target behavior 3. Should specify the behavior being reinforced. 4. “Good Job!” is way over used in our field

36. Reinforcement • How do I know what the student likes? • He doesn’t like anything? • Identify a student’s reinforcers by • Asking the student • Caregiver interview • Direct observation of the student

37. Extinction • Extinction: when a previously reinforced behavior is no longer reinforced and its rate of occurrences decreases may result in an initial increase in behavior. • Example:

38. Review • Family Feud Game