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Language Assessment in Early Intervention for Children With Autism: Identifying Treatment Priorities |
Tuesday, January 31, 2017 |
9:30 AM–12:20 PM |
Miramar Ballroom |
Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Research |
CE Instructor: Mark L. Sundberg, Ph.D. |
MARK L. SUNDBERG (Sundberg and Associates) |
Mark L. Sundberg, Ph.D., BCBA-D, received his doctorate degree in Applied Behavior Analysis from Western Michigan University (1980), under the direction of Dr. Jack Michael. He is the author of the Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program (VB-MAPP), and co-author of the original ABLLS assessment program, and the book Teaching Language to Children with Autism or Other Developmental Disabilities. He has published over 50 professional papers and 5 book chapters. He is the founder and past editor of the journal The Analysis of Verbal Behavior, a twice past-president of The Northern California Association for Behavior Analysis, a past-chair of the Publication Board of ABAI, and has served on the Board of Directors of the B. F. Skinner Foundation. Dr. Sundberg has given hundreds of conference presentations and workshops nationally and internationally, and taught 80 college and university courses on behavior analysis, verbal behavior, sign language, and child development. He is a licensed psychologist with over 40 years of clinical experience who consults for public and private schools that serve children with autism. His awards include the 2001 “Distinguished Psychology Department Alumnus Award” from Western Michigan University, and the 2013 “Jack Michael Outstanding Contributions in Verbal Behavior Award” from ABAI’s Verbal Behavior Special Interest Group. |
Description: Given that deficits in social communication and social interaction constitute the primary diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorders, an effective language and social skills assessment and intervention program is an essential component of an individual treatment program. The assessment process is necessary for identifying a child's strengths and weaknesses across a wide range of skills, and for comparing his skills to those of typically developing children. The assessment results should then guide the intervention. The current presentation will focus on a behavioral approach to assessment based on Skinner's (1957) analysis of verbal behavior. Participants will learn how an assessment tool based on Skinner's work, the VB-MAPP, can be used to identify a child's language, learning, and social skills, as well as potential barriers that may be impeding skill acquisition. Participants will then learn how to use the results of the assessment to identify a child's immediate and long-term intervention priorities, as well as potential intervention strategies that might be most beneficial for the child. |
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the workshop, participants will be able to: (1) define and exemplify the basic verbal operants from Skinner's analysis of verbal behavior; (2) describe the five components of the VB-MAPP; (3) use the VB-MAPP to identify intervention priorities for children with autism. |
Activities: Core content will be taught through lecture and video demonstrations of of various strategies. Supplemental materials for identifying language and learning barriers will be provided in order to support participant learning. |
Audience: Certified behavior analysts, licensed psychologists, graduate students. |
Content Area: Practice |
Instruction Level: Basic |
Keyword(s): skill acquistition, VB-MAPP |