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| Teaching Outside "The Box": Challenges in Implementing Emperically-Based Strategies in the Classroom. |
| Friday, May 23, 2008 |
| 10:00 AM–5:00 PM |
| Marquette |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Research |
| CE Instructor: Cara M. Cappalli, M.S. |
| JAMES A. HOKO (ACES, Inc. - EIBI), CARA M. CAPPALLI (ACES, Inc. - EIBI), JILL G. EMMERICH (ACES, Inc. - EIBI), KRYSTL GIORDANO-PADILLA (ACES, Inc. - EIBI), CORAL E. LEE (ACES, Inc. - EIBI), CARYN MELLO-KENNEDY (ACES, Inc. - EIBI), LISA TERESHKO (ACES, Inc. - EIBI), MENIKA S. SCHULTE (Eastern Connecticut State University) |
| Description: The use of Applied Behavior Analysis to educate children diagnosed with autism has gained wide acceptance due to the large body of research documenting its effectiveness. However, there continues to be a variety of viewpoints regarding the structure of an ABA classroom. Many ABA programs have relied on Discrete Trial Instruction as the primary means to educate children. This has led some to the mistaken assumption that ABA and DTI are synonymous. Now, it is well established in the field that there exist numerous instructional methods which are useful and recommended for teaching skills to children with Autism. What exactly are these techniques? Which of these methods should be selected and implemented in a ABA classroom? How does a program incorporate this variety of methods, which are each empirically sound yet greatly different from each other, into a single cohesive classroom model? With a population of 43 students with autism and related disabilities and a staff of 53 individuals working in a public school setting, the complexity of this challenge is apparent to our ACES - EIBI program. In this workshop we will share our own program's experience getting out of the box", going beyond discrete trial instruction to implement the fields most current research into our classrooms. |
| Learning Objectives: �Demonstrate familiarity with a range of empirically-validated methods other than DTI for teaching children on the autism spectrum �Analyze video demonstrations of these techniques within our program �Describe models of classroom improvement via program improvement initiatives �Discuss staff training and supervision needs to ensure procedural fidelity �Develop data collection systems which are instructionally valuable yet feasible for busy classrooms �List strategies for working in transdisciplinary teams in public school settings �Characterize general challenges faced in the implementation of empirically-based instructional strategies in the classroom |
| Activities: Attendees will participate in didactic lecture, discussion, and question and answer session. Video and graphic illustration will be utilized throughout. Accompanying CD and handouts will be provided. |
| Audience: Behavior analysts, administrators, special education teachers, and other professionals (from a variety of disciplines) working in public or private educational settings with students diagnosed on the autism spectrum or other developmental disabilities. This workshop is primarily geared to those working to establish or improve programming in environments with similar concerns to those described. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |