Association for Behavior Analysis International

While in school, the goal for most students is typically focused on some type of skill acquisition, either functional life skills or academically based curricula. However, many students with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities engage in behaviors that interfere with instruction and therefore skill acquisition. While adolescents may have a longer history of engaging in such behaviors than younger students, they also have less time remaining in the classroom environment. The question becomes, what are some proven, efficient methods for decreasing these interfering behaviors in order to take advantage of the time for increasing academic and functional skills. This symposium is comprised of a review of current literature on methods to reduce interfering behaviors, as well as 2 studies examining such methods with adolescent students in a private school for children with autism spectrum disorder. Studies include data on reduction of behavior that interfere with instruction, in addition to data indicating effects on skill acquisition.

While in school, the goal for most students is typically focused on some type of skill acquisition, either functional life skills or academically based curricula. However, many students with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities engage in behaviors that interfere with instruction and therefore skill acquisition. . While adolescents may have a longer history of engaging in such behaviors than younger students, they also have less time remaining in the classroom environment. The question becomes, what are some proven, efficient methods for decreasing these interfering behaviors in order to take advantage of the time for increasing academic and functional skills. There is a thorough literature base surrounding this question. This paper is a brief, comprehensive review of the literature through 2011 and discussion of the implications for students in specialized school settings. While some studies involving young children and adults are conversed, the main emphasis will surround adolescents with special needs.

One challenge with teaching adolescents with autism spectrum disorder can be an extended history of engaging in disruptive behaviors during instructional times. Prior to this study, the participant engaged in high levels of verbal and non-verbal behaviors, which effected the accuracy of his responses, his schedule of reinforcement, the fluency of instruction, and what programs and skills could be targeted. This study investigated the effects of vocal and visual cues and Differential Reinforcements of Other Behavior (DRO) on reducing verbal and non-verbal interfering behavior during instruction. The procedure was initially implemented during individual instruction time with one staff member. Prior to an interval the student was given a verbal and visual cue. If the participant did not engage in interfering behavior during that interval, his big(a large amount of his edible of choice) was delivered. If he did engage is disruptive behaviors, a very small amount of that item was delivered. Percent of intervals without interfering behaviors increased. The same procedure was implemented across instructors and during group instruction during with similar results. Maintenance data to follow.

Many students with autism spectrum disorder engage in behaviors that can interfere with instruction in the school environment. Prior to this study, multiple interventions had been implemented to address the participants stripping, aggression, self-injury, flopping, and inappropriate verbal behavior. While some interventions initially appeared to be successful, within time a steady increase in these behavior would occur. While these behaviors occurred most often in the instruction setting, attention was also found to have some control. This study examines the effect of designated demand and reinforcement conditions, and time based intervention changes on the behaviors interfering with instruction. Initially the participants day consisted of 75-percent green time, during which he could access any available reinforce including any adults attention, interspersed with 25-percent red time, during which low level demands were given and the instructor was the only adult attending to him. Time in green and red were systematically increased. Subsequently, time based changes to types of reinforcement, format of plan materials, and other components of the independent variable occurred. Time between changes has since systematically increased. Data indicated decreased rates and durations of interfering behaviors as well as increase in all instructional programing.