|
|
Applied behavior analysis approaches
(UCLA
Young Autism Project in
California
;
May
Center
in
Maine
)
|
Structured teaching
(TEACCH
program in
North Carolina
)
|
|
Initial
assessment
|
Use
of standardized instruments
-
to determine (e.g., CARS, ADOS-G, ADI) whether children have a
diagnosis on the autism spectrum.
-
to evaluate children’s cognitive abilities (e.g., Bayley Scales: 2nd
Edition, Mullen Scales of Early Learning, Psychoeducational Profile,
Stanford-Binet: IV, Leiter-R) and adaptive functioning.
-
|
|
Age
at first intervention
|
Both
approaches are now working with children as young as two years of age.
|
|
Treatment
settings
|
Treatment
may occur at child’s home, in a center-based educational or other
intervention program, and in a vocational placement or other community
setting.
|
|
Treatment
focus
|
Interventions
are designed to enhance children’s communication, problem-solving,
pre-academic, play, socialization, and self-care skills.
|
|
Ages
of clients
|
Primarily
early intervention
|
Across
lifespan
|
|
Curriculum
objectives
|
-
based on results of assessment
-
curriculum used as basis for goals
|
-
based on results of assessment
-
curriculum used as basis for goals
-
developmentally focused
|
|
Teaching
format
|
Discrete
trials:
-
one on one teaching
-
short, simplified verbal instruction
-
prompt hierarchy, procedures for fading prompts
More
recently, increased emphasis on incidental teaching, especially for
communication and social skills
|
- In classroom setting, daily schedule includes one
on one teaching and times for independent work and play.
- Use of prompt hierarchy, with more emphasis on
visual (e.g., modeling) than verbal prompts
- Natural opportunities and incidental teaching
used for teaching language concepts and communication skills
|
|
Teaching
strategies
|
Emphasis
on verbal instructions
|
Emphasis
on visual strategies
|
|
Use
of task analysis to determine component skills of a task.
Use of shaping, backward chaining and other behavioral
interventions to teach new skills.
|
Task
materials are closed ended and visually clear.
Visual models (jigs) are used to illustrate steps of a task.
|
|
Some
approaches use visual token economies (like penny boards or sticker
charts) to help children understand when they have completed work or
earned a reward.
|
A
visual worksystem is used to help the student understand how much work
needs to be completed, the order in which the work is to be done, and when
the work will be finished.
|
|
Organization
of task materials
|
Not
an emphasis of the applied behavior analysis approach.
|
To
help students on the autism spectrum compensate for difficulties with
organization and planning, task materials are organized so that the task
proceeds from top to bottom or left to right.
All of the materials needed for the task are included in the
folder/basket/tray used for the task.
The visual arrangement of task materials allows the student
understand when he/she has completed the task.
|
|
Making
use of intrinsic motivation and rewards
|
Immediate
positive reinforcement used to help student understand that he/she has
provided correct response.
|
Motivating
materials/topics are built into the task, so that the work activity is
intrinsically rewarding.
|
|
Problem
solving
|
If
child is unsuccessful, consider
prompting the child more quickly,
changing the immediacy or frequency with which reinforcement is
delivered, or using a more motivating reinforcer.
If none of these strategies is successful, determine whether the
step that is being taught can be further simplified.
|
If
child is unsuccessful at performing a task, determine what it is about the
task that is unclear or not motivating for the student.
Change the task to make it more clear and/or more engaging for the
student.
|
|
Tracking
performance
|
The
child’s performance on each teaching task is recorded daily; the amount
of assistance that the child needs to complete the activity is monitored
over time.
|
|
Criteria
for mastery
|
Usually
80% success over a number of consecutive teaching sessions.
|
100%
success over a number of consecutive teaching sessions.
|
|
After
the student has mastered a task in a one on one teaching situation, the
student is asked to generalize learning to other settings.
Recently, applied behavior analysis programs are placing increased
emphasis on generalization of skills across settings.
|
|
Independence
|
A
lack of emphasis on encouraging independence has been one of the
weaknesses of the applied behavior analysis approach.
Such approaches are now increasing their focus on independence, by
incorporating some of the visual organizational strategies (e.g.,
schedules, independent work baskets) used in the structured teaching
approach.
|
Independence
is encouraged
through the organization of the classroom, the use of an individual
schedule for each student, the use of individualized worksystems, and the
organization of each work, play, and self-care activity.
|
|
Teaching
environment
|
When
students are easily distracted by extraneous sights or sounds, their work
spaces are arranged to minimize such distractions.
Head phones may be used to decrease auditory distractions.
|
The
physical environment of the classroom is the most basic level at which
visual structure and clarity are applied.
|
