Association for Behavior Analysis International

Peel Behavioural Services and the Paediatric Outpatient Services at Trillium Health Centre have created a model where a multidisciplinary team comprised of a Psychologist, Behaviour Therapist, Occupational Therapist and Speech Language Pathologist coordinate efforts to assess/treat children with Autism Spectrum disorder. Dawson et al (2010) conducted the first randomized, controlled trial which demonstrated the efficiency of a comprehensive developmental behavioural intervention for toddlers with ASD for improving cognitive function, adaptive behaviour and severity of the ASD diagnosis. Children in the Early Start Denver Model showed significant improvement when compared to a group of children receiving only community intervention. This model elaborates on these findings. Joint assessment, comprehensive planning, parent training, behavioural intervention, speech language intervention, and occupational therapy are implemented by one team in a coordinated effort. Treatment occurs both in centre and in the home setting. This allows for multiple intervention opportunities, consistent communication with the family and a simplified treatment approach. It is cost effective in that existing resources are utilized in a more efficient coordinated manner. The poster will present both the model and an initial case study which examines implementation and effectiveness.

The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is widely used in teaching individuals with autism spectrum disorders to initiate communication with other people (Bondy and Frost, 1994). According to the PECS teaching protocol (Bondy and Frost, 1994), phase 1 requires two teachers working with the student simultaneously; the first teacher serves as the Communicative Partner, while the second teacher is the Physical Prompter. Having two trained teachers present during all PECS training sessions is not always practical. For this reason, researchers have raised the question of whether it may be possible to effectively teach phase 1 of PECS with only 1 teacher present (Ross and Lavallee, 2009). The current study compared the number o f trials to acquisition of an independent mand in the two conditions (1 trainer and two trainers). The order of treatments (1 teacher or 2 teachers) was randomly assigned, interobserver agreement data as well as procedural fidelity data were collected. Results suggest variability across students and that some students may acquire the independent mand more rapidly in the single trainer condition.

The Institute for Child Development (IWRD) in Gdansk is a non-profit organization offering a comprehensive science-based program of therapy for children with autism. The Institute for Child Development is the first replica in Europe and the only one in Poland of the Princeton Child Development Institute located in the USA. The following programs operate within IWRD: -- Special Kindergarten for Children with Autism -- Psychology and Education Clinic -- Teacher Training Center -- Single-grade Integrational Kindergarten The main method incorporates the principles of applied behavior analysis as well as basic teaching standards. The IWRD educational program is based on the Princeton Child Development Institute model. A special education kindergarten for children with autism offers a program of early development intervention consisting of therapy for children that begins with the moment of the initial diagnosis and continues until they reach school age. Children work according to individualized educational and therapeutic programs under the guidance of highly qualified therapists at the Institute. They also implement the programs at family homes under the supervision of IWRD specialists. Each task in the program is recorded once a week and the data are plotted onto a graph. All changes in behavior (i.e. students progress) are analyzed. The main objective of the therapy is gradual and systematic introduction of the child into his or her peer group at mainstream kindergartens and schools. The Institute for Child Development also conducts a research and development program designed to conduct scientific studies and publish books and articles as well as popularize knowledge about the latest methods of diagnosis and therapy of small children with autism and related disorders. We have initiated joint programs with the University of Gdansk and other scientific research centers in Poland and abroad. We share our experience and knowledge by holding training sessions and internships designed for teachers, psychologists and students.

Children with Autism display deficits in social skills in areas of communication and social interactions. This leads to difficulties in the ability to self-advocate for themselves. There are many different strategies used to teach social skills (DiGennaro, Reed, Hyman, Hirst, 2011). This poster explores whether Multiple Exemplar Instruction (MEI) can be used to effectively teach social skills. This model is traditionally used to teach language (Greer, Yaun, & Gautreaux, 2005 & 2008). MEI procedures teach using the exemplars of tact, intraverbal, and match. We created scenarios that were used to target these areas. We also added Natural Environment to record whether the skill was generalizing. This model was used with 3 students to teach the difference between being Rude, a Self Advocate, and Being Taken Advantage of. We used several types of scenerios and varied the type of exemplars in each condition. Data was recorded on each exemplar and graphed separately. The studies indicated that teaching only MEI without natural environment did not generalize the behavior. MEI including natural environment applications created a mastery of the material in the natural environment.

This multiple baseline study investigated the effectiveness of a behavioral skills training (BST) package in teaching three instructional assistants to implement mand training teaching components to a 13 year old student with autism. During baseline, the experimenter provided the assistants with a mand training checklist and instructed them to follow the steps to the best of their ability during a 5-mintes session with the student. Behavioral skills training consisted of a 5-minute session in which the experimenter provided each assistant with the training package (i.e., instructions, modeling, rehearsal, and feedback) followed by a 5-minute uninterrupted session in which performance was measured. Immediately following achievement of the mastery criteria of BST, 5-minute post-training sessions evaluated each assistants ability to independently implement the teaching components in the absence of the prior BST session. Results revealed that the percentage of correct implementation of mand training teaching components increased significantly across all three assistants during BST sessions and maintained at high levels during the post-training phase.