Best Practices in Autism

1. Best Practices in Autism Autism Consortium Regional Training Selena M. Joy, Ph.D.; Brooke Bottari, CCC-SLP

2. Roadmap Quick Facts 6 Essential Themes Putting it Together

3. Quick Facts • According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2007, there are 1 in 150 eight year old children who have ASD • The National Autistic Society reported boys are four times more likely to develop ASD than girls

4. Quick Facts • From the 1992-1993 academic year to the 1999-2000 academic year, there was a 218% increase in the prevalence of autism in Virginia and a 435% increase in the United States according to the U.S. Department of Education • ASD is the fastest growing developmental disability in the United States according to the New England Center for Children with 10-17% annual growth

5. Essential Themes • Individualized Supports • Systematic Instruction based on the principles of ABA • Structured Environments • Comprehensive Programming • Functional Methodology to address challenging behaviors • Family Involvement

6. Individualized Supports & Services “Students with ASD are heterogeneous in their presentation of behaviors and in their unique preferences, interests, and learning styles requiring individualized instructional support needs.” Dunlap & Fox, 2002 & Dunlap & Robbins, 1991

7. Individualized Supports & Services • Activities capitalize on student strengths/interests • Materials capitalize on student strengths/interests • Reinforcers are individualized • Competence and independence is promoted • Parent preferences are taken into consideration

8. Systematic Instruction “Strategies using applied behavior analysis have been documented to be effective in systematically teaching target behaviors. It is important for educators and families to keep in mind that ‘ABA is not a specific program, procedure, or technique; it involves methods and principles’ that are applied in diverse ways.” Dunlap, 1999, p. 224

9. Systematic Instruction • Data collection • Prompting hierarchy • Discrete trials • Planning for generalization • Positive reinforcement

10. Structured Environments “Creating an environment that supports the identified learning needs of students is basic to instruction” Heflin & Alberto, 2001

11. Structured Environments • Clear physical boundaries • Designations to differentiate areas • Visual schedules • Visual supports • Individualized work stations

12. Defining “Structure” • Organize the instructional setting (Heflin & Alberto, 2001); • Provide a schedule of activities (Rogers, 1999; Simpson & Myles, 1998); • Carefully plan and provide choice making opportunities (Dalrymple, 1995) • Provide behavioral support (Earles et al., 1998); • define specific areas of the school setting (Heflin & Alberto, 2001; Volmer 1997); • Provide temporal relations (Earles at al., 1998; Heflin & Alberto, 2001); and • Facilitate transitions, flexibility, and change (Simpson & Myles, 1998)

13. ComprehensiveProgramming “A good test of the functionality of a skill is to ask whether the result of not learning a specific behavior will require another person to perform the task for the student.” Olley & Rosenthal, 1985

14. Comprehensive Programming Focus should be on those skills that • are most likely to be useful in the student’s life to control his or her environment • will increase the student’s independence and quality of life • will increase the student’s competent performance Dunlap & Robbins, 1991

15. Comprehensive Programming • Communication systems • Social skills • Thematic units • Access to the general curriculum

16. Functional Methodology “Recent research evidence has suggested that in order for educational interventions addressing problem behaviors to be successful, positive and proactive behaviors must be considered and developed.” Iovannone, Dunlap, Huber, & Kinkaid, 2003

17. Functional Methodology • FBA • BIP • Data collection on problem behaviors and interventions • Visual analysis of data

18. Family Involvement “Family members are the most stable, influential, and valuable people in the child’s environment.” Dunlap, 1999

19. Family Involvement • Communication with families • Communication systems shared with families • Behavior plans shared with families

20. Putting it Together: Data-Driven Instruction • Goals & Objectives should be broken down into measurable target behaviors • Data needs to be taken on each target behavior • Graph data for easy analysis • Data must drive instructional decisions

21. Putting it Together: Structure • Classroom space should have clear purpose • Classrooms should be free of unnecessary distractions • Individual work stations may be needed

22. Putting it Together: Structure (cont.) • EVERY student should have a personal schedule • Routines should be readily apparent

23. Putting it Together:Programming • Access to general education curriculum! • Direct teaching of social and communication skills • Use of thematic units

24. Putting it Together:Programming (cont.) • Plan explicitly for generalization! • Take data on generalization of skills • Differentiate instruction for all learners • Behavior Specific Reinforcement

25. Your Journey Begins…