EBPs for academic skills

EBPs for Academic skills

Information Source: Discrete Trial Training (Sam & AFIRM Team, 2016)

Description

The use of adult-directed, massed trial instruction combined with contingent reinforcement and repetition to teach a new skill or behavior as a set of discrete steps. Each trial consists of an antecedent or discriminative stimulus (sD), the learner's response or behavior and a consequence (positive reinforcement or corrective feedback) contingent on the response. The trials help the learner understand the relationship between their own behaviors and the environment and the reinforcement motivates them to learn new responses to particular stimuli.

Proven Outcomes

Improvement in verbal communication skills
Increase in responding to questions
Increase in academic skills
Increase in perspective taking skills
Increase in emotional regulation
Increase in adaptive behavior (e.g., safety issues)

Planning & Implementation

Refine target objective - define clear antecedent, behavior and mastery criterion

Complete a task analysis - identify teachable steps of target skill

Select reinforcers to motivate learner while avoiding satiation.

Design a data collection system to record the learner's progress toward independently responding to the discriminative stimulus with the appropriate behavior.

Select content to teach and identify sub-skills and record trial details to ensure consistent execution of trials by different instructors.

Select location to conduct teaching trials - quiet, distraction free, with enough space for breaks and access to peers for generalization.

Deliver massed trials to teach a new skill - start with a maintenance trial of a previously learned skill and once learner shows mastery of that skill, proceed to teach a new skill through many repetitions of a teaching trial.

Teaching Trial

Provide learner with discriminative stimulus/instruction (antecedent)

Wait for learner's response (behavior), prompting if necessary

correct

response

Reinforce response (with desirable consequence) and record level of prompting

incorrect response

Provide corrective feedback

Monitoring

Data should be collected while delivering teaching trials (as shown above) to record progress made by the learner or lack thereof in learning to independently complete each discrete step of a skill. If learner fails to show progress with a certain level of support, they can be taught the skill with more support (more supportive prompting). Once the learner consistently demonstrates independent performance of a step of the skill or behavior, they can then be taught the next step and so on.

Evaluating effectiveness

The collected data should be analyzed to determine if this intervention is being useful to the learner when implemented with fidelity. Mastered skills should be included in maintenance trials to ensure long term maintenance and should be generalized by practicing the trial in different settings, with different instructors and varied stimuli / instructions.

Information Source: Response interruption and redirection (Tomaszewski et al., 2017)

Description

A strategy to reduce the occurrence of interfering behaviors such as self-injury, aggression and stereotypical behaviors by introducing a prompt, comment or other distractor while the behavior is occurring. The process involves two steps:

response interruption - physically or verbally blocking the interfering behavior
redirection - prompting the learner to engage in a more appropriate behavior

Proven Outcomes

Decreased stereotypy
Decreased self-injurious behavior
Decreased challenging behavior
Increased appropriate vocalizations
Increased on-task behavior
Increased play skills

Planning & Implementation

Conduct a functional behavior assessment - record setting, time, antecedent, topography, consequence for interfering behavior and determine function, suitable times for intervention.

Select type of response interruption to use - verbal block (state learner's name or say 'stop') for vocal stereotypy, verbal block or physical block (touching body part or object involved in behavior) for motor stereotypy, self-injury or aggression.

Select multiple reinforcers to motivate learner while avoiding satiation.

Select an alternative behavior to replace interfering behavior.

Select type of redirection to use - prompt a physical response (sit, stand, clap hands) or prompt a verbal response for stereotypic or self-injurious behavior or give preferred toys/objects for self-injury or aggression.

Train team members to ensure consistent use of RIR procedure across settings where learner demonstrates selected behavior.

Use the planned RIR procedure when interfering behavior occurs.

Prompt the learner to perform the planned alternate behavior.

Reinforce performance of alternate behavior both independently by learner and when prompted as part of RIR.

Monitoring

Data should be collected to measure the frequency and duration of interfering and alternative behavior both before (baseline) and during RIR intervention (treatment condition).

Evaluating effectiveness

The recorded data should be analyzed to determine if the intervention is being useful to the learner when implemented with fidelity. The intervention can be deemed effective if the frequency and/or duration of interfering behavior decreases and the frequency and/or duration of alternative appropriate behavior increases from baseline to treatment condition.

Information Source: Self-management (Sam & AFIRM Team, 2016)

Description

An intervention to help students learn to self-regulate their behaviors by teaching them to discriminate between appropriate and inappropriate behaviors, monitor and record their own behaviors and reward themselves for appropriate use of skill.

Proven Outcomes

Improved classroom behaviors and engagement through

Completing tasks
Requesting help
Reduced stereotypical and repetitive behaviors
Identification of transitions and following schedules
Increased play skills
Increased responses to verbal initiations

Planning & Implementation

Determine if functional behavior assessment (FBA) is needed - does identified behavior need to be decreased?

Conduct an FBA to determine potential replacement behaviors, select reinforcers based on function of interfering behavior.

Design a data collection system -frequency vs. interval system based on which criterion (frequency/duration) of the behavior needs to change.

Select a self-recording device (pen & paper, app on digital device, counting systems) and cueing device (e.g., alarm clock, notification from caregiver) to signal end of interval if interval data is to be recorded.

Determine initial criterion - the goal of frequency or duration of behavior that the learner is expected to meet - that is low/high enough to ensure success.

Teach learner to perform appropriate behavior using modeling and reinforcement.

Teach learner to use self-recording system using prompting and reinforcement.

Teach learner to use self-recording system in target setting.

Prompt the learner, if needed, to gain access to reinforcement when criterion is reached.

Monitoring

While the student records their progress towards their goals by themselves, the caregiver conducting the intervention should monitor the accuracy of data recorded by the student. It is recommended that such checking be done for at least 20% of data points even once the learner has demonstrated some fluency with recording data.

Evaluating effectiveness

The collected data should be analyzed to determine if this intervention is being useful to the learner when implemented with fidelity. If the learner consistently meets the set criterion, the criterion can be gradually modified to more closely approach the ultimately desired target. Conversely, if the learner fails to meet the initially selected criterion consistently, lowering the threshold for success might be warranted to keep the student motivated in the program.

Information Source: Modeling (Sam & AFIRM Team, 2016)

Description

A strategy that uses visual demonstration to teach a skill or behavior to an autistic learner. The demonstration can be provided as a primer before an individual is asked to perform the skill or behavior. It can also be used as a prompt to support a learner after they have been asked to perform the skill or behavior.

Proven Outcomes

Modeling has been proven effecting in increasing

joint attention
social imitation
affect sharing
empathy skills
social greetings
play skills
academic skills
communication skills
job related skills

Planning & Implementation

Verify that learner has prerequisite skills - imitation, component skills of target skill, can sustain attention long enough to watch model perform target skill

Select a controlling prompt that can elicit the target behavior from the learner

Select multiple reinforcers to motivate learner while avoiding satiation.

Train model to perform target skill by providing a script and roleplaying with an adult

Identify model for learner - ideally a peer who is physically similar to and respected by learner

Identify opportunities throughout the day for learner to practice target skill.

Determine if model will be used as a prime or prompt

Use modeling as a prime

Model demonstrates behavior

Learner imitates behavior

Provide feedback to learner (reinforce skill performance and prompt if skill not demonstrated).

Use modeling as a prompt

Learner is directed to use behavior

Model demonstrates behavior

Learner does not perform behavior

Learner imitates behavior

Provide feedback to learner (reinforce skill performance and prompt if skill not demonstrated).

Monitoring

Data should be collected to measure the frequency of performance of target skill by learner using either time sampling (recording if learner performed skill within selected time interval) or event recording (recording every occurrence of behavior).

Evaluating effectiveness

Information Source: Visual supports (Sam & AFIRM Team, 2015)

Description

A strategy to reduce uncertainty and increase understanding of expectations by using visual means in place of or in addition to verbal means to convey information to autistic learners. Three types of visual supports that are commonly used are:

boundaries - arranging the environment, selectively exposing materials
schedules - events planned for the day or week to make transitions more predictable
cues - visual instructions for an activity, visual representation of choices, labels for organizing materials

Proven Outcomes

Smoother transitions - quicker, independent transitions, decrease in challenging behaviors during transitions
Increased independence - reduced need for adult support
Increased understanding of environment
Increased understanding of behavioral expectations

Planning & Implementation

Determine the type of visual support to be designed - boundary/schedule/cue based on specific skills that seem challenging to the learner - staying in place / transitioning / completing tasks

Develop the identified supports incorporating information from learner assessments into its presentation focusing on what information needs to be conveyed and the form that will be most suitable to a particular learner.

Teach learner how to use the visual support.

visual boundaries

Introduce learner to bounded area, discuss activities that will occur there, and model staying within the area.

visual cues

Introduce learner to the cue enabling them to focus on the cue, prompt learner to use the cue and reinforce its use.

visual schedules

Introduce learner to the schedule, initiate use of the schedule by prompting learner to use schedule to determine first/next step in a routine or activity. Prompt learner to transition to next activity area. Help learner identify when it is time to consult schedule for the next transition and so on.

If the support is a schedule, also design a method of initiating the schedule's use and a way to manipulate the schedule to indicate progress.

Fade prompts to encourage learner to use visual supports independently.

Use supports consistently across settings - adults should be consistent in their provision of supports, expectations, reinforcement and correction.

Monitoring

Data should be collected on the use of the visual support by the learner and the level of independence during use. The form or presentation of information in the support may also be recorded if it is desired that the form used be shaped into forms that might be easier to provide, thereby facilitating greater provision of supports. Data should also be collected on target behaviors that necessitated the use of visual supports.

Evaluating effectiveness

The recorded data regarding the behavior for which the visual support was designed (e.g. transitions, task completion, etc.) should be analyzed to determine if the support is being useful to the learner.

Rohini Knudson

SPED Professional Portfolio

Information Source: Discrete Trial Training (Sam & AFIRM Team, 2016)

Description

Proven Outcomes

Planning & Implementation

Monitoring

Evaluating effectiveness

Information Source: Response interruption and redirection (Tomaszewski et al., 2017)

Description

Proven Outcomes

Planning & Implementation

Monitoring

Evaluating effectiveness

Information Source: Self-management (Sam & AFIRM Team, 2016)

Description

Proven Outcomes

Planning & Implementation

Monitoring

Evaluating effectiveness

Information Source: Modeling (Sam & AFIRM Team, 2016)

Description

Proven Outcomes

Planning & Implementation

Monitoring

Evaluating effectiveness

Information Source: Visual supports (Sam & AFIRM Team, 2015)

Description

Proven Outcomes

Planning & Implementation

Monitoring

Evaluating effectiveness