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| International Symposium - Research and Practice on Staff and Parent Training in Autism Early Intensive Intervention |
| Tuesday, May 27, 2008 |
| 12:00 PM–1:20 PM |
| Stevens 2 |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Research |
| Chair: Daniela Fazzio (University of Manitoba & St. Amant Research Center) |
| Discussant: Tricia Corinne Vause (Brock University) |
| CE Instructor: Daniela Fazzio, Ph.D. |
| Abstract: Staff and parent training in autism early intensive intervention is paramount to successful outcomes. Presentation 1 reports on the evaluation (multiple baseline design) of a package to rapidly train instructors to implement discrete-trials teaching with children with autism. Self-instruction (manual) and feedback plus demonstration resulted in marked performance improvement in training and generalization. Interobserver agreement, treatment integrity, and social validity were very high. Presentation 2 reports on procedures to promote one familys independence and maintenance of gains upon transition out of intensive intervention. A consumer-reference task analysis was made and staff implemented the tasks first, and subsequently transferred therapy procedures to parents. Generality of results will be reported with a larger group. Presentation 3 reports on an organizational feedback system to increase the level of clinical goals met by parents of children in intensive home-based intervention (24 families) 24-hours-a-day and 7-days-a-week. Various methods of parent training and involvement were implemented and a comparison of feedback with individual parent data and feedback with group data on parent attainment of treatment goals will be presented, as well as results on parent participation and child outcome measures, indicating feedback itself was important to the outcomes, and that children succeeded with various outcome measures. |
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| Rapid Training Package to Teach Instructors to Implement Discrete-Trials Teaching with Children with Autism. |
| DANIELA FAZZIO (University of Manitoba & St. Amant Research Center), Lindsay Maureen Arnal (University of Manitoba & St Amant Research Center), Garry L. Martin (University of Manitoba), Dickie C. T. Yu (University of Manitoba & St. Amant Research Center), Mandy Starke (University of Manitoba & St. Amant Research Center) |
| Abstract: In a multiple baseline design across participants, we evaluated a package to train instructors on a 19-component discrete-trials teaching (DTT) procedure. In addition, an AB design within participants evaluated the effects of two strategies on participants’ DTT accuracy: (a) Self-Instructional Manual and (b) Feedback plus Demonstration. During training, teaching sessions were conducted with a confederate who role-played a child with autism. Generalization was assessed in two conditions: teaching novel tasks to the confederate and teaching all tasks to a child with autism. Accuracy while teaching the confederate improved from an average of 36% in Baseline, to 66% after the Self-Instructional Manual, and to 92% after Feedback plus Demonstration. Accuracy averaged 92% during Generalization to teaching 2 novel tasks to the confederate, and 91% during Generalization to teaching 3 tasks to a child with autism. The average training time was 3 hours. Interobserver agreement, procedural integrity, and social validity measures were high. |
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| Developing Independence in Natural Environments in the Home. |
| KALA J. DABLE (LIFE Midwest), Kara L. Riedesel (Lovaas Institute Midwest), Eric V. Larsson (Lovaas Institute Midwest) |
| Abstract: In intensive early intervention, it is essential that sufficient parent training is delivered to ensure that the families can transition to independence and maintain optimum child outcomes. The subjects of this presentation were children who were receiving an average of 40 hours per week of direct treatment over three years time. In one case to be reported, parent training was individualized for a child with autism who was 3.5-years-old and had mastered age-typical language and social skill goals through early intervention. Family independence procedures involved developing appropriate normal daily family activities that the parents could implement with their children, and transferring compliance shown with therapists to the parents. A consumer-referenced task analysis was made for each activity and therapists began to implement the tasks at similar times each day, using differential reinforcement for appropriate responding. Therapy procedures were then systematically faded from therapists to parents. Simultaneously, reinforcement was faded to a natural level that the parents could maintain. The generality of these results with a larger group of parents will also be reported. Results supported the efficacy of family independence programming. |
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| Increasing the Effectiveness of Intensive Early Intervention through Parent Training. |
| MELISSA J. GARD (Lovaas Institute Midwest), Adrienne Stalder (LIFE-Midwest), Steffani N. Falardeaux (Lovaas Institute Midwest), Kristy L. Oldham (Lovaas Institute Midwest) |
| Abstract: In intensive early intervention with autism, it is essential that programming be consistent 24-hours-a-day and 7-days-a-week to result in optimum outcomes. This presentation will report on an organizational feedback system to increase the level of clinical goals met by parents whose children are receiving intensive home-based intervention. A group of 24 families were served with home-based programming which included comprehensive parent treatment goals. These goals were designed to ensure that the parents would competently follow through with all treatment procedures 24-hours-a-day and 7-days-a-week. Various methods of parent training and involvement were implemented. This presentation will report on a comparison of feedback that includes only individual parent data with feedback that includes group data on parent attainment of treatment goals. The results of the feedback procedures on parent participation measures and child outcome measures will be reported, showing that feedback itself was important to the outcomes, and that children succeeded with various outcome measures. |
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