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| Examining Variations of Discrete Trial Teaching for Children Diagnosed With an Autism Spectrum Disorder |
| Tuesday, May 29, 2012 |
| 10:30 AM–11:50 AM |
| LL02 (TCC) |
| Area: AUT/PRA; Domain: Applied Research |
| Chair: Mitchell T. Taubman (Autism Partnership) |
| Discussant: Lara M. Delmolino Gatley (Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey) |
| CE Instructor: Justin B. Leaf, Ph.D. |
| Abstract: One commonly implemented teaching procedure to children and adolescents diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder is discrete-trial teaching. Discrete-trial teaching consists of3 components: (a) an instruction, (b) a response by the learner, and (c) a consequence following the learner's response. Discrete trial teaching has been shown to be effective in teaching a variety of skills ranging from increasing expressive language to increasing social behavior. Although, discrete trial teaching is commonly implemented their remains many questions related to its effectiveness. This symposium will present3 papers examining different variations of discrete trial teaching and their relative effectiveness for teaching new skills to children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. The first paper to be presented examines the use of instructional feedback as part of discrete trial teaching implemented during dyad instruction. The second paper to be presented examines the use of discrete trial teaching in teaching complex social discriminations for children diagnosed with autism. The final paper compares the implementation of discrete trial teaching in one-to-one instructional formats to discrete trial teaching implemented in group instructional formats. Considerations of the findings for the3 papers, limitations, possible future research, and ways to translate the research to practice will be discussed. |
| Keyword(s): autism, discrete trial, discrimination teaching, group teaching |
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| Comparing Discrete Trial Teaching Implemented in a One-to-One Instructional Format to a Group Instructional Format |
| JUSTIN B. LEAF (Autism Partnership ), Kathleen H. Tsuji (Autism Partnership), Amy Lentell (Autism Partnership), Misty Oppenheim-Leaf (Great Strides Behavioral Consulting, Inc.), Mitchell T. Taubman (Autism Partnership), John James McEachin (Autism Partnership), Ronald B. Leaf (Autism Partnership) |
| Abstract: Discrete trial teaching is a systematic form of teachingthat is commonly implemented to children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. Discrete-trial teaching consists of three main components: (a) an instruction from the teacher, (b) a response by the learner, and (c) a consequence (e.g., positive reinforcement or corrective feedback) following the learner's response. Researchers and clinicians have implemented discrete trial teaching in one-to-one instructional formats and group instructional formats to teach a wide variety of skills to children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. The purpose of this study was to compare discrete trial teaching implemented in a one-to-one format to discrete trial teaching implemented in a group instructional format in terms effectiveness, efficiency, observational learning, and maintenance. Six children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder participated in the study and the researchers divided the6 participants into2 smaller groups. The researchers taught each participant6 targeted behaviors in the one-to-one teaching condition and6 targeted behaviors in the group teaching condition. Results of the study showed that both instructional formats were equally effective and that there was mixed results in terms of efficiency and maintenance. Finally group instruction resulted in better observational learning. Implications will be discussed. |
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| Effects of Instructional Feedback for Children With Autism During 1:1 and Dyad Instruction |
| AMY PAIGE HANSFORD (Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center, Rutgers University, The State University of New Jersey), Meredith Bamond (Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey), Lara M. Delmolino Gatley (Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey) |
| Abstract: In instructional feedback, extra information about a learning target or a future learning target is embedded in the consequent portion of a learning trial. Although learners are not expected to respond to these stimuli when they are presented, research has shown that learners acquire this extra information (future targets) without specific instruction or with faster acquisition rates, resulting in more efficient instruction. This study attempts to replicate and extend these findings in a group of students with autism. In the first part of this pilot study, participants were taught3 skills using most to least prompting within a multiple probe across skills design. Within the instruction for each target, a related skill (future target) was embedded in the consequent portion of each learning trial. In the first part of this study, all learners acquired target and future targets with instruction, although only1 of4 learners showed more efficient learning of future targets with the use of instructional feedback. Considerations for these findings, such as the nature of the current and future targets will be discussed. Data regarding the use of instructive feedback within dyad instruction will also be presented. |
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| Teaching Social Skills to Children With Autism Using the Cool Versus Not Cool Procedure |
| KATHLEEN H. TSUJI (Autism Partnership), Justin B. Leaf (Autism Partnership), Brandy Griggs (Autism Partnership), Mitchell T. Taubman (Autism Partnership), John James McEachin (Autism Partnership), Ronald B. Leaf (Autism Partnership), Andrew Edwards (Autism Partnership), Misty Oppenheim-Leaf (Great Strides Behavioral Consulting, Inc.) |
| Abstract: This study evaluated the effects of a variation on discrete trial teaching known as the cool versus not cool procedure for teaching 3 children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder8 social skills. The cool versus not cool procedure is a social discrimination program used to increase children's ability to display appropriate social behaviors. In this study, the cool versus not cool procedure consisted of the participants observing the researcher demonstrating a social behavior either appropriately or inappropriately, followed by the participants discriminating whether the researcher demonstration was "cool" (appropriate) or "not cool" (inappropriate). For some social skills the participants role-played the social behavior following the teacher demonstration. Results indicated that participants reached mastery criterion on 50% of targeted social skills with the teacher demonstration and on an additional 37.5% of targeted social skills with teacher demonstrations plus role-plays. Only1 participant on1 social skill (12.5%) was unable to reach mastery criterion although performance increased from baseline. Implications of the findings, limitations, and future areas of research will also be discussed. |
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