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| International Paper Session - Issues in Program Outcomes |
| Sunday, May 25, 2008 |
| 9:00 AM–10:20 AM |
| PDR 4 |
| Area: AUT |
| Chair: Emily K. Foster (Step By Step Learning Group) |
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| Increasing Appropriate Social Language in the Mainstream for a Student with Autism. |
| Domain: Applied Research |
| EMILY K. FOSTER (Step By Step Learning Group), Kevin S. Cauley (Step By Step Learning Group), Elizabeth Benedetto-Nasho (Step By Step Learning Group) |
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| Abstract: The social and communication deficits associated with autism have been the focus of much behavioral and educational research to date. Successful intervention for addressing these deficits demands that educators address a student’s ability to initiate and reciprocate a variety of social interactions with peers while restricting engagement in maladaptive behaviors such as persistent use of non-contextual language (Bodfish, 2004). Research has indicated that effective social training, paired with prompting and reinforcement procedures across multiple settings can dramatically increase the rate of appropriate social language engaged in with peers, parents and instructors (Rogers, 2000). This presentation will describe the impact of a multi-component, fluency-based system on the rate of appropriate social language engaged in by an 8-year-old student with autism. Multiple interventions including positive reinforcement for on-task behavior, cue cards to increase discrimination between language demands across environments and fluency-based programming to increase the rate of reciprocal statements made about preferred, non-preferred and neutral conversational topics were used. Data will highlight intervention effects on the frequency of appropriate social language comments compared to the rate of inappropriate language comments used in a social setting. |
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| R.E.A.C.H.: A Transdisciplinary Public School Early Intervention Program for Children with Autism. |
| Domain: Applied Research |
| MARY D. SALMON (Columbus R.E.A.C.H. Program) |
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| Abstract: This presentation describes a data driven public school program that effectively addresses the unique strengths, learning and behavior challenges of children with autism spectrum disorders, preschool through 1st grade. Services are provided through a transdisciplinary model where all intervention occurs within the natural environment. Inclusion with typically developing peer models provides increased access to the general curricula where self-management, independence and social-communicative skills are emphasized. Students in the REACH program are challenged academically and socially as they participate in Reading 1st instruction, art, music, physical education, in-school scouting, and community field trips with their peers. A strong school-to-home connection is maintained through regular home visits and daily communication between families and interventionists. Parent trainings are offered several times per year allowing families to gain important skills to facilitate their child’s growth across developmental domains while they network and socialize with other parents of young children. |
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| ABA Into the Community: Collaboration between a University and Non-Profit to Benefit Students with Autism. |
| Domain: Applied Research |
| ROBERT J. ALEXANDER (Easter Seals Metropolitan Chicago), Nathalie J. Deutsch (Easter Seals Metropolitan Chicago), Laura Grant (The Chicago School of Professional Psychology), Kristin C. Greenwood (The Chicago School of Professional Psychology), Patricia I. Wright (Easter Seals National Headquarters) |
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| Abstract: Collaboration between a behavior analytic intern program at a local university and a non-profit private therapeutic day school led to learner outcomes of student interns and behavior change for students diagnosed with autism and/or cognitive impairment. Two masters-level student interns from a behavior analytic university program and professionals from a large non-profit school for children with autism collaborated to incorporate a behavior analytic instructional program into a classroom for children with autism. Results from both pre- and post- test measures as well as ongoing observational data-collection demonstrated the behavior analytic instructional methods led to increased student learning and a reduction in aberrant behaviors for the participating students. Social validity measures from the participating interns and professionals indicate that the collaborative model of program development led to the willingness to engage in the use of the applied behavior analytic principles. In addition, the two-parties developed a behavior analytic model of instruction which will be replicated into additional classrooms within the school. |
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