The Autism Society Event and Education Recordings Archive

Instructional approaches based in applied behavior analysis (ABA) are often recommended as the treatment of choice for children and youth with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Not exclusively a therapy for autism, ABA is a data-based science generating multiple applications across populations. This presentation will cover the most widely used educational applications of ABA for use with students with ASD to illustrate the wide variety of approaches, the purposes for using each, and the evidence to support them. Instructional approaches based in applied behavior analysis (ABA) are often recommended as the standard of care for children and youth with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) (Newman, 2007). Unfortunately, many parents and school personnel equate ABA solely with intensive trial-by-trial training. Although trial-by-trial training is based in ABA, many other evidence-based techniques and curriculum (e.g., milieu teaching, pivotal response training, verbal behavior, language training strategies, social skill training, self-management, prompting strategies, positive behavior supports, functional behavioral assessment and analysis, and various reductive strategies) also derive from ABA. These techniques have been successfully used for 40 years to build functional and essential skills for students with ASD in academics, tool subjects, language, life, vocational, and leisure curricula, and to decrease and eliminate challenging behaviors (e.g., tantrums, aggression, SIB, screaming) in order to allow individuals the independence to live and work in integrated communities (Foxx, 2000). A singular view (trial-by-trial training) of ABA by parents and school personnel promotes miscommunication, contentious interactions, and, sometimes, legal actions. Without collaboration between schools and parents, precious instructional time can be lost to the student's determent. Thus, it stands to reason that if parents and professionals were more informed about the wide variety of ABA practices and aware of the historical evidence to support related strategies, educational planning for students with ASD would be more likely to produce positive outcomes. These techniques are the most studied educational interventions for individuals with ASD (National Research Council, 2001) and should be regularly considered in their IEP development. This presentation will describe the most widely used instructional approaches based in ABA and will provide a review of the literature supporting their inclusion as recommended strategies. Participants will be taught the guiding principles of ABA, obtain a greater awareness of evidenced-based educational practices for students with ASD, and become better advocates for evidence-based instructional practices. A list of supporting references will be provided. Instructional Objectives: The participants will: 1. Define ABA and note the three main components of the science 2. List major behavioral principles and discuss typical school applications of these principles 3. Discuss the need to build, maintain, and reduce various student behaviors 4. Define trial-by-trial teaching (Sallows & Graupner, 2005), milieu teaching (Kaiser et al., 1992), and pivotal response training (Koegel et al., 1999). 5. Discuss various language and social skills training strategies and curriculum (e.g., Sautter & LeBlanc, 2006; Sigafoos et al., 2004)) 6. List various self-management strategies and discuss the benefits and uses for these strategies (Koegel & Frea, 1993). 7. Review prompting and prompt fading techniques (e.g., Cipiani & Spooner, 1994) 8. Define various reinforcement techniques and recommended purposes for using each (e.g., Moore & Edwards, 2003). 9. Discuss curriculum development including task analysis, acquisition, fluency, maintenance, and generalization objectives (Kazdin, 2001). 10. Review the need for discrimination training and stimulus control (Cuvo & Davis, 1998). 11. Define shaping and chaining and their application in school programs (Cooper et al., 2005) 12. List common behavior reductive techniques: functional Behavioral Assessment and Analysis, Functional Communication Training (FCT), antecedent manipulations, extinction, differential reinforcement, time out, response cost, and use of aversives (e.g., Alberto & Troutman, 2006). 13. Discuss ways for parents and schools to collaborate in the development of IEPs that might include these evidence-based strategies.

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