1. Evidence Based Instruction for Students with ASD and Other Developmental Disabilities
Applied Behavior Analysis and Direct Instruction
Penny Williams, M.Ed., BCBA

3. Why is school so challenging for students with ASD?
Classrooms
Groups
Sometimes inconsistent
Environments
Fast moving
Always Changing
Activities
Social
Verbal

4. Classroom Challenges
Insistence on sameness/difficulty with changes in routines
Difficulty learning in large groups
Poor organization skills
Poor writing skills
Poor concentration
Vocab usually good, comprehension poor

5. Classroom Challenges Inability to make friends
Difficulty with reciprocal language
Low frustration tolerance
Poor coping strategies
Emotional vulnerability
Problem solving abilities tend to be poor

6. Adjust Environment To:
Make communication easier
Add a preference
Meet a need
Remove some distracters

7. ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis)
Systematic instruction using principles (i.e. reinforcement)
Breaks complex tasks into small discrete tasks
Gives systematic, repeated practice of skills across people/places
Uses data to make instructional decisions
Individualized

8. Reinforcement Token Systems
Teaching Tools
Instruction
Reinforcement Token Systems
Visual Supports

9. It begins and ends with motivation
What is it that motivates a student to try when something is hard?
What is the schedule of reinforcement—or how often do they need to be motivated?
How to keep it as natural as possible.
Fading and Delaying Reinforcement

10. What is Reinforcement?
Something that immediately follows a behavior and increases the likelihood that that behavior will happen again.

11. Reinforcement is not a bribe!
A reinforcer is a stimulus that increases likelihood of behavior occurring again, and is presented AFTER behavior occurs
A bribe does not guarantee the increase of behavior and is presented DURING a behavior or as a “carrot”

12. Choosing Reinforcers Reinforcers are individual
Use natural reinforcers whenever you can

14. Schedules of Reinforcement
Natural
Goal:
Less available over time
Thick to Thin

15. Schedules of Reinforcement
Variable Interval
Variable amount of time (i.e. after an average of 3 minutes)
Fixed interval
Set amount of time (i.e. after a minute)
Variable ratio
Variable amount of responses (i.e. after an average of 3 correct responses)
Fixed ratio
Set amount of responses (i.e. after each correct response)

16. Motivational Systems Give Students:
More structure during instructional time
Information about what is expected
The first step toward understanding more remote contingencies
Some control over instructional session

19. Nick earns a trip to the computer room if he earns six periods of great work.
Great work means using nice words and following his teacher’s directions.
A period of great work is for 5 minutes.
If Nick doesn’t have great work for a period, he can try again.
Time:______ Time for computer:_________

20. Period/ Class Circle all that apply Comments Science Math English
Assignment A-Okay
Behavior Concern Test
Participated in group work
Math
Attended to instruction
English
Raised voice volume during group work
Reward?
Did I earn my reward time?
I need 2+ A-Okay’s
10 min computer
Lunch PE

23. 5 5

27. Reinforcement Token Systems
Teaching Tools
Instruction
Reinforcement Token Systems
Visual Supports

28. Prompting—What is it?
Something that occurs before a response and increases the likelihood of a correct response
Prompting before a response minimizes errors

29. Types of Prompts Verbal Pictorial Physical Gestural Model
Environmental
Physical
Gestural
Model

30. Guidelines for using Prompts1
Use the least amount necessary to ensure a correct response 2
A prompt is only a “good” prompt if it results in a child’s correct response 3
Prompts must be faded systematically 4
Any prompt that is added must be faded

31. Discrete Trial Training
One form of teaching using principles of ABA
Repeated practice at discrete responses
Systematic procedures to shape correct responses
Emphasis on 1:1 teaching

32. A Discrete Trial (Teaching Loop)
Instruction or Discrimitive Stimulus (SD)
Antecedent
Prompt if necessary
Student’s
Response
Behavior
However, this literature provides the largest numbers of studies. In an attempt to synthesize this literature for you, we are choosing to present it using the teaching loop.
Consequence
Consequence
Inter-trial Interval

33. Discrete Trial: The Instruction
Keep instruction concise.
Give when student is attending.
Doesn’t have to be verbal.
Text as prompt
Be sure and give the student time to respond (at least 5 seconds)
Make sure that if you give a direction, that you are there to follow through.
Instruction
Prompt if necessary
Child’s
Response
Consequence
Inter-trial Interval

34. Discrete Trial: The Prompt
Instruction
What is it?
Something the teacher does that increases the likelihood of correct responding.
Auditory Prompt
Mixed Prompt (Model, gestural & physical)
Prompting happens BEFORE the child’s response
Allows you to get responses that you can reinforce.
Prompt if necessary
Child’s
Response
Consequence
Inter-trial Interval

35. Discrete Trial: The Child’s Response
Instruction
Four possibilities:
Independent Correct
Prompted Correct
Error
No Response
Feature, function, class DTT
Labeling Gestures DTT
Prompt if necessary
Child’s
Response
Consequence
Inter-trial Interval

36. Discrete Trial: The Consequence
What is it?
Clear feedback to the student about his response.
Correct response= reinforcement
Incorrect response=feedback
that response was incorrect.
For the teaching loop to work, the child always needs a clear consequence for his response.
Instruction
Prompt if necessary
Child’s
Response
Consequence
Inter-trial Interval

37. Reinforcement Token Systems
Teaching Tools
Instruction
Reinforcement Token Systems
Visual Supports

38. A strategy that really works….
Verbal info
Visual Supports

39. Provide the following info:
Schedules may………..
Provide the following info:
Change in activities or new activities
When events will happen
When it is time to move to next activity
Help:
Establish concept of being finished
Set expectations
Decrease “surprises”- reduce anxiety
Establish routines

40. How was my day?
Great Okay Will work on it
(2 points) (1 point) (no points)
Followed directions
Completed Work
Kept it together
Total Points:____________

41. First Then Scheduler

43. Visual Schedule Planner