|
| No Need to Reinvent the Wheel: A Closer Look at Replicating Successful Autism Intervention Programs |
| Saturday, May 24, 2008 |
| 1:00 PM–2:20 PM |
| Continental C |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Research |
| Chair: Rebecca J. Morgan (DFW Center for Autism) |
| Discussant: Gail G. McGee (Emory University School of Medicine) |
| CE Instructor: Rebecca J. Morgan, M.S. |
| Abstract: With the rise in demand for autism services utilizing approaches in applied behavior analysis, traditionalABA providers have been called to become organizational administrators, designing systems and programs that can meet the needs of a broad population. Some administrators have found replicating other empirically validated intervention programs an option that brings efficiency, efficacy, and credibility to the table right from the start. Two such programs are discussed in this symposium. The first authors evaluate the process of replicating the Walden Program that was originally established by Gail G. McGee in 1985. Data both pre- and post-replication of each program component will be reviewed. The second talk introduces the Walden Programs own within-group data on the increases in language and social skills in children with autism. Between group data is also explored across replication sites. The final presentation will review successful dissemination of Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) with children with autism in Nova Scotia, Canada. Further and ongoing plans for replication of both of the programs mentioned above will be discussed. |
| |
| The Anatomy of a Replication: Implementing and Evaluating the Components. |
| CARRIE GREER (DFW Center for Autism), Rebecca Morgan (DFW Center for Autism), Rebecka Kandice Honardar (DFW Center for Autism) |
| Abstract: The DFW Center for Autism began a replication of the Walden Preschool program upon its inception in 2000. Attempts to replicate components of the Walden model such as incidental teaching, environmental arrangement and systematic training were made and results of those attempts are discussed. Formal training with the Emory Autism Center was initiated in 2003 and the official process of replication began in 2004. Analysis of the components that were implemented over the last 3 years is displayed along with effects of following an established model for Incidental Teaching in a preschool program. Additional systems for organizational behavior management, teacher training, family support, and child progress were added by the DFW Center for Autism and data from those systems support the efficacy of the replication model. |
| |
| A Between Groups Analysis of Engagement, Language, and Social Skills for Young Children with Autism. |
| MICHAEL J. MORRIER (Emory University), Sharon T. Hynes (Emory University), Carrie Greer (DFW Center for Autism), Rebecca Morgan (DFW Center for Autism), Daniel Adam Openden Ph.D., BCBA-D (Southwest Autism Research & Resouce Center) |
| Abstract: Since its inception in 1985 at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, the Walden Early Childhood Center has undergone both external and internal replications. The incidental teaching model has been extended upward to prepare pre-kindergarteners for the social demands of kindergarten, as well as downwards to include toddlers with autism. Data will be provided on the social and language gains of this model, as well as a discussion of the issues encountered with extending the model to toddlers. Similar data from the subsequent replication sites using the Walden model are evaluated and will be compared both within and between sites. |
| |
| Large Scale Dissemination and Community Implementation of Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT). |
| DANIEL ADAM OPENDEN PH.D., BCBA-D (Southwest Autism Research & Resouce Center), Susan E. Bryson (Dalhousie University), Isabel Smith (Dalhousie University), Robert L. Koegel (University of California, Santa Barbara), Lynn Kern Koegel (University of California, Santa Barbara) |
| Abstract: This paper describes a collaborative effort aimed at province-wide dissemination and implementation of Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) for young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Nova Scotia, Canada. Three critical components of the associated training model are described: (1) direct training of treatment teams, (parents, one-to-one interventionists, and clinical supervisors/leaders); (2) training of trainers; and (3) follow up and monitoring of treatment fidelity and child progress. A major goal of the Dalhousie University/IWK Health Centre-University of California, Santa Barbara partnership was to optimize effectiveness when translating PRT from the “lab” for dissemination in large geographical areas with community service providers. Preliminary six-month child and family outcome data and data on stakeholder satisfaction with the training workshops will be provided. Finally, features that may have contributed to success in dissemination will be identified. |
|
| |