ABSTRACT
The supervision of field experiences is an indispensable component of Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA®) training. During the supervised field experience, supervisors regularly provide performance feedback to trainees for the purpose of improving fidelity of implementation of various assessments and interventions. Emerging evidence supports the efficacy of using telehealth to train teachers and parents to implement interventions, but no study has evaluated the effectiveness of the remote delayed performance feedback among individuals completing BCBA® training. We used videoconference equipment and software to deliver remote delayed performance feedback to seven participants enrolled in a graduate program and completing supervised field experience. Remote delayed performance feedback was provided regarding participants' implementation of caregiver coaching. The results indicate that delayed performance feedback provided remotely increased the correct implementation of caregiver coaching. These preliminary results indicate the efficacy of remote supervision and delayed performance feedback.
ABSTRACT
It is important for practitioners to first conduct an indirect demand assessment to identify appropriate stimuli to include during the direct demand assessment. Information obtained from an indirect demand assessment is useful not only for identifying which demands to evaluate during the direct assessment but also for selecting stimuli associated with each demand. Conducting an indirect demand assessment with caregivers provides practitioners the opportunity to identify whether specific demand stimuli are associated with more challenging behavior (e.g., writing with a pen vs. a pencil) and whether demand presentation may be an establishing operation for challenging behavior (e.g., presenting one math problem at a time vs. presenting an entire math worksheet). The purpose of this article is to review the current literature on demand assessment procedures and to provide practitioners with a practical guide for conducting demand assessments in clinical settings. We provide a summary of our findings along with a brief description of the procedures used for implementing the indirect and direct demand assessments. Further, we created a decision-making guide to help practitioners select which type of demand assessment to conduct with their clients.
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study is to provide content validity evidence for the Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program (VB-MAPP). A national panel of 13 experts provided an evaluation of the domain relevance, age appropriateness, method of measurement appropriateness, and domain representation across the three levels of the Milestones Assessment, Early Echoic Skills Assessment (EESA), and Barriers Assessment. Overall, the content validity evidence for the VB-MAPP Milestones, EESA, and Barriers Assessment was moderate to strong across the evaluated areas although there were areas with limited or conflicting support. The evidence suggests that the scores of the VB-MAPP provide information relevant to the target behaviors of interest but a few domains may not be fully represented by their specific items.
Subject(s)
Autism Spectrum Disorder , Humans , Program Evaluation , Verbal BehaviorABSTRACT
Functional analyses sometimes do not identify momentary fluctuations in the function of destructive behavior (Bowman, Fisher, Thompson, & Piazza, 1997). In such cases, individuals may mand for the reinforcer that is currently most preferred and display destructive behavior if that mand goes unreinforced. In this study, we conducted a mand analysis to test whether destructive behavior functioned as a precurrent response that increased reinforcement for the participant's mands. We then evaluated a treatment that matched this function of destructive behavior by providing differential or time-based reinforcement of participant mands in accordance with multiple or chained schedules with reinforcement-schedule thinning. Decreases in destructive behavior averaged 97.4% across cases. We discuss these results relative to the importance of matching treatments for destructive behavior to operant functions for both traditional and idiosyncratic functions of destructive behavior.
Subject(s)
Autism Spectrum Disorder/psychology , Autism Spectrum Disorder/therapy , Caregivers/psychology , Reinforcement, Psychology , Adolescent , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Male , Reinforcement ScheduleABSTRACT
Recent research suggests that combining putative reinforcers for problem behavior into a single, synthesized contingency may increase efficiency in identifying behavioral function relative to traditional functional analysis (FA). Other research suggests potential shortcomings of synthesized contingency analysis (SCA), such as the potential for false-positive outcomes. In prior comparisons of traditional FAs and SCAs, investigators could not ascertain with certainty the true function(s) of the participants' problem behavior for use as the criterion variable. We conducted a translational study to circumvent this limitation by training a specific function for a surrogate destructive behavior prior to conducting a traditional FA and SCA. The traditional FA correctly identified the previously established function of the target response in all six cases and produced no iatrogenic effects. The SCA produced differentiated results in all cases and iatrogenic effects (i.e., an additional function) in three of six cases. We discuss these findings in terms of the mechanisms that may promote iatrogenic effects.
Subject(s)
Problem Behavior/psychology , Aggression , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Iatrogenic Disease , Male , Reinforcement, Psychology , Self-Injurious BehaviorABSTRACT
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often display impaired listener skills, and few studies have evaluated procedures for establishing initial auditory-visual conditional discrimination skills. We developed and evaluated a treatment package for training initial auditory-visual conditional discriminations based on the extant research on training such discriminations in children with ASD with at least some preexisting skills in this area. The treatment package included (a) conditional-only training, (b) prompting the participant to echo the sample stimulus as a differential observing response, (c) prompting correct selection responses using an identity-match prompt, (d) using progressively delayed prompts, and (e) repeating trials until the participant emitted an independent correct response. Results indicated all participants mastered all listener targets, and the two participants for whom we tested the emergence of corresponding tacts showed mastery of most tacts without direct training. We discuss these results relative to prior research on listener skills and tacts.
Subject(s)
Auditory Perception/physiology , Autism Spectrum Disorder/psychology , Discrimination, Psychological/physiology , Visual Perception/physiology , Acoustic Stimulation , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Male , Photic Stimulation , Reinforcement, PsychologyABSTRACT
Most verbal behavior curricula for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) focus on teaching multiple mands during the early stages of training (e.g., picture exchange communication system; Bondy & Frost, 1994). However, few, if any, of those curricula train children with ASD to differentially mand only for reinforcers that are reasonable for a caregiver to deliver in a given context (e.g., mands to cuddle at bedtime) and to refrain from manding for reinforcers that would be inappropriate to deliver in that context (e.g., mands to play outside at bedtime). In this study, we first taught a boy with ASD two initial mands. Immediately thereafter we brought those mands under the conditional discriminative control of a four-component multiple schedule with (a) S1 correlated with one reinforcer available (i.e., edibles), (b) S2 correlated with both reinforcers available (i.e., edibles or drink), (c) S3 correlated with another reinforcer available (i.e., drink), and (d) SΔ correlated with no reinforcer available. Following treatment, the child displayed conditionally discriminated manding in accordance with each of the four components of the schedule. We discuss these findings relative to the potential benefits of bringing mands under both evocative and discriminative control.
ABSTRACT
We trained three typically developing children to implement a script-fading procedure with their younger siblings with autism. The number of contextually appropriate statements made by the children with autism increased once treatment was initiated. Participants continued to emit higher levels of contextually appropriate statements after the scripts were completely faded and at a 4- or 11-week follow-up. The typically developing siblings were able to implement the script-fading procedure with high levels of fidelity.
ABSTRACT
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often have deficits in social skills and may avoid engaging in play activities with typically developing peers. The purpose of this study was to identify the utility of activity schedules, with embedded scripts, to teach three children with ASD to play a complex social game. Specifically, children with ASD were taught to play hide-and-seek with typically developing peers. Once the activity schedules were introduced, participants began engaging in independent hide-and-seek behaviors. A secondary purpose of this study was to systematically fade the activity schedules to the least intrusive version. We faded all of the scripts and the majority of activity schedule components for the three participants. Participants continued to play hide-and-seek with the faded versions of the schedules in a novel environment and 2 weeks after treatment concluded.
Subject(s)
Autism Spectrum Disorder/psychology , Play and Playthings/psychology , Social Behavior , Teaching , Case-Control Studies , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , MaleABSTRACT
We treated destructive behavior maintained by both social-positive (i.e., access to tangibles) and social-negative (i.e., escape from demands) reinforcement in an individual diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder using functional communication training (FCT). We then thinned the schedule of reinforcement for the tangible function using a multiple schedule (mult FCT) and later thinned the availability of escape using a chained schedule (chain FCT). Both treatments proved effective at maintaining functional communicative responses while decreasing destructive behavior to near-zero levels. In addition, treatment effects maintained when we rapidly thinned mult FCT to the terminal schedule. Throughout chain-FCT schedule thinning, we assessed client preference for each schedule-thinning arrangement (mult FCT or chain FCT) using a concurrent-chains procedure. Client preference reliably shifted from chain FCT to mult FCT as the response requirement increased and the proportion of session spent in reinforcement began to favor mult FCT. We discuss the clinical implications of these findings.
Subject(s)
Aggression , Autism Spectrum Disorder/rehabilitation , Behavior Therapy/methods , Choice Behavior , Problem Behavior , Reinforcement, Psychology , Child , Female , Humans , Reinforcement ScheduleABSTRACT
Training parents of children with autism spectrum disorder can be a challenge due to limited resources, time, and money. Interactive computerized training (ICT)-a self-paced program that incorporates instructions, videos, and interactive questions-is one method professionals can use to disseminate trainings to broader populations. This study extends previous research on ICT by assessing the effect of ICT to teach three parents how to implement a photographic activity schedule using a systematic prompting procedure with their child. Following ICT, all parents increased their fidelity to implementation of an activity schedule during role-play sessions with an adult. Fidelity remained high during implementation with their child and maintained during a 2-week follow-up.
Subject(s)
Autism Spectrum Disorder/psychology , Computer-Assisted Instruction/methods , Parents/psychology , Teaching , Adult , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Male , PhotographyABSTRACT
Sundberg and Michael (2011) reviewed the contributions of Skinner's (1957) Verbal Behavior to the treatment of language delays in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and discussed several aspects of interventions, including mand training, intraverbal repertoire development, and the importance of using Skinner's taxonomy of verbal behavior in the clinical context. In this article, we provide an update of Sundberg and Michael's review and expand on some discussion topics. We conducted a systematic review of studies that focused on Skinner's verbal operants in interventions for children with ASD that were published from 2001 to 2017 and discussed the findings in terms of journal source, frequency, and type of verbal operant studied.
ABSTRACT
We used photographic activity schedules to increase the number of play activities completed by children with autism during unstructured time on the playground. All 3 participants engaged in more playground activities during and after training, and they continued to complete activities when novel photographs were introduced.
Subject(s)
Activities of Daily Living/psychology , Autistic Disorder/physiopathology , Autistic Disorder/rehabilitation , Behavior Therapy/methods , Photography , Play and Playthings , Child, Preschool , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , MaleABSTRACT
We investigated the effects of a script-fading and discrimination-training procedure on mand variability in preschoolers with autism. Participants were taught to vary their vocal mands in the presence of written scripts, a green placemat, and a lag schedule of reinforcement. They were also taught to engage in repetitive mands in the presence of the same written scripts and a red placemat. When the scripts were removed, all 3 participants continued to engage in varied manding in the presence of the green placemat and lag schedule, and they continued to engage in repetitive manding in the presence of the red placemat. When the lag schedule was also removed, 2 of the 3 participants continued to engage in varied responding in the presence of the green placemat and repetitive responding in the presence of the red placemat. Finally, all 3 participants demonstrated generalization and maintenance of mand variability during snack sessions with their peers.
Subject(s)
Autistic Disorder/rehabilitation , Discrimination Learning/physiology , Education of Intellectually Disabled/methods , Reinforcement, Psychology , Verbal Behavior/physiology , Child, Preschool , Extinction, Psychological , Generalization, Psychological , Humans , MaleABSTRACT
Discrete-trial instruction (DTI) is a teaching strategy that is often incorporated into early intensive behavioral interventions for children with autism. Researchers have investigated time- and cost-effective methods to train staff to implement DTI, including self-instruction manuals, video modeling, and interactive computer training (ICT). ICT combines the best components of self-instruction manuals and video models, and have the same benefits; however, there is limited research on this training method. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate ICT to teach university students to implement DTI with children with autism. All participants' teaching fidelity increased during both role-plays with an adult and instructional sessions with a child with autism. In addition, participants demonstrated an increase in teaching fidelity with untrained instructional programs. All participants were able to complete training in an average of 2 hr, and social validity ratings were high.
Subject(s)
Autistic Disorder/therapy , Behavior Therapy/education , Computer-Assisted Instruction/methods , Teaching/methods , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Young AdultABSTRACT
Linked activity schedules were used to establish appropriate game play in children with autism during a game of hide-and-seek. All 6 participants demonstrated acquisition of appropriate play skills in the presence of the activity schedules and maintained responding during subsequent phases. When the schedules were removed, responding decreased to baseline levels, demonstrating that the schedules controlled responding. Implications for future research on the use of activity schedules to teach social behavior are discussed.