Discovery Toys

Everyone knows Tupperware parties but now they have Toy parties. If you feel you are proficient in good toys for children with an Autism spectrum disorder, you could become a consultant for Discovery Toys.

I have not seen this before, has anyone else?

ABA Word of the Week: Extinction &Functional Communication Training

Extinction

Textbook Definition: “..Reduces the behavior by withholding or terminating the positive reinforcer that maintains an inappropriate target behavior. ”

So for extinction to work, you must tailor it to fit the function:
Attention: Extinction would involve not providing attention (not responded to) the behavior
Escape: Extinction would involve not allowing the person to be removed from the situation

Often, before the behavior decreases a extinction burst is seen. Because the behavior has a history of reinforcement, the person may engage in exaggerated problem behavior to try and gain the reinforcer. Do not be discouraged; once the extinction burst is finish the behavior typically declines quickly. Consistency is key.

Functional Communication Training

When using extinction, an acceptable alternative behavior should be taught. This allows the person to still obtain reinforcement but through socially acceptable means.

Functional Communication Training (FCT) involves teaching/prompted an alternative behavior as quickly as possible in order to obtain reinforcement. Ideally, the FCT is presented before the problem behavior occurs. FCT can teach verbal request (i.e. I need a break or I want a hug), Picture Exchange, sign, etc.

*Reference: Alberto & Troutman (2003) Applied Behavior Analysis for Teachers Sixth Edition

Special Needs Neighborhood

For those in the Austin area:

Do you need helping finding various service providers from ABA to dentists. There is a wonderful site called Special Needs Neighborhood that has listing for all different providers.

http://www.specialneedsneighborhood.com/welcome/index

ABA Word of the Week: Generalization

What is Generalization?
The ability to demonstrate a skill with a variety of people, in a variety of environments, over time.

Training for Generalization

I) Train & Hope: The skill is taught without any specific modification made for generalization. For many typically learning students, this method may be sufficient.

II) Sequentially Modify: The skill is taught in a variety of setting, with a variety of people, over time. The same teaching strategies are used in all environments the skill is required. This requires high levels of involvement and time.

III) Use Natural Occurring & Maintaining Consequences: Try to incorporate naturally occurring consequences such as praise in the reinforcement. The more similar the teaching consequence is to the consequence in other environment, the more likely generalization will occur.

IV) Train Sufficient Exemplars: This involves looking at all variations of a skill and teaching “sameness” and “difference”. For example, when teaching the Dog, it is important to do many the variations of dogs (sameness) AND show dogs contrasted with other animals (difference).

V) Train Loosely: Instead of presenting materials the same way every time, very it from the beginning. For example, with receptive language skill, you can ask a child to Touch X, Show me X, Find the X, Where’s the X, etc.

VI) Use Indiscriminable Contingencies: When teaching, it is important to have a schedule of reinforcement and then to thin the schedule. However, you cannot completely remove the reinforcement. Instead, the mere presence of the reinforcement occasionally may be enough to maintain the skill over time.

VII) Program Common Stimuli: This involves teaching in one environment, but having similarities to other environment in which you want to see the skill. For example, when teaching raising your hand in class, set up a mini classroom with other desks (perhaps put pictures of people, or stuffed animals in them) to mimic the classroom experience.

VIII) Mediate Generalization & Train to Generalize: These two involve providing reinforcement when generalization is shown during teaching. Also, teaching the students to self-monitor there own generalization can be beneficial. For example, having as student keep track of how many times they raised their hand in the general education classroom after practicing hand raising in a resource classroom.*


*Adapted from Alberto & Troutman, Applied Behavior Analysis for Teachers, 7th Edition

Everyday ABA Techniques

Here is a simple list of everyday strategies I often give to the parents I work with:

1) When your child talks, always model a longer version of what (s)he is saying. (S)he may began to try to imitate this more advanced version.

Example: Child: "Juice"
Parent: "I want juice." (and hands juice)

2) Use pronouns correctly. Many children tend to use the third person, so model correct pronoun use.

Example: Look at Sam! He is drawing a train!
There's Mom! Her dress is pretty.
Come to me.

3) Use time delay. When a child reaches or grabs for something, pause with the item. Often a pause is enough to elicit a verbal request from the child This can also be used to elicit a longer request from children who are fully verbal.

Example: Child grabs for book. Parent holds book out of reach and waits. If child does not vocalize, parent models correct phrase or sentence.

A fully verbal child points to a game and says, "Game!" Parent gets the game but holds it out o reach until the child says, "I want to play the game." or "Can we play game?"

4) For every question you ask, make at least 4 comments.

Examples: When reading a book, comment about the pictures, such as "Pooh looks happy!" "She is crying." Make more comments about the book compared to quizzing your child about what (s)he sees.

When your child is drawing a picture and you know what it is, don't still ask what it is every time. Sometimes just comment, "What a cool firetruck!"

5) Overall, just talk to your child like (s)he is any other child. The more regular language (s)he hears, the more (s)he will pick up.