Effects of an Activity Schedule Intervention Package on Cooperative Vocal Exchanges During Learning Centers.

Unlabelled: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may have difficulty engaging in cooperative communication during classroom learning center activities with peers. This study examined the effects of using an activity schedule intervention package on the rate of contextually appropriate cooperative exchanges for children with ASD during classroom learning centers. In this study, children with ASD worked together in participant partnerships to complete learning center activities.

Comparing the Effectiveness of Discrete Trial Training Delivered via Telehealth and In-Person on Skill Acquisition.

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic affected the delivery of early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) services. As a result, many EIBI service providers shifted to either temporarily or permanently providing some or all of their services via telehealth. Most published research on behavior analytic approaches to telehealth has focused on training others to implement behavior analytic interventions in an in-person setting.

Using generic picture cues to promote verbal initiations during play.

Children with autism spectrum disorder often demonstrate difficulty communicating with others, and this may affect the extent to which they can engage in contextually appropriate language during play. This study examined the effects of a social script-training intervention using generic picture cues on the number of contextually appropriate play statements for children with autism spectrum disorder. We also examined the extent to which responding generalized to novel toy sets and analyzed play statement types.

A Comparison of Telehealth-Based Instruction with or without Instructive Feedback.

Language delays are commonly displayed by children on the autism spectrum. To help facilitate the development of verbal behavior, practitioners often implement intensive one-on-one, face-to-face instruction. However, the COVID-19 pandemic hindered typical face-to-face service delivery and caused practitioners to assess alternative approaches to facilitate clients' continued progress.

Caregiver-Implemented Digital Activity Schedules With Virtual Coaching.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many insurance companies approved the funding of telehealth-based behavior analytic services for both training and direct-care purposes. Activity schedules are a simple and effective intervention that can be used in the home environment to improve independence for children with ASD. Recent efforts have shifted the format of activity schedules from paper-based schedules to digital platforms that make the schedules more portable and provide easier access for both the caregiver and the Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA).

The effect of photographic activity schedules on moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in children with autism spectrum disorder.

Regular moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) has been linked to improved bone health, muscular fitness, cognitive function, sleep, and a reduced risk of depression and obesity. Many children are not engaging in the recommended amount of physical activity. Furthermore, children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were found to engage in less physical activity than their peers of typical development.

Creating and Sharing Digital ABA Instructional Activities: A Practical Tutorial.

Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) may encounter situations, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic, that preclude them from providing traditional in-person applied behavior-analytic services to clients. When conditions prevent BCBAs and behavior technicians from working directly with clients, digital instructional activities designed by BCBAs and delivered via a computer or tablet may be a viable substitute. Google applications, including Google Slides, Google Forms, and Google Classroom, can be particularly useful for creating and sharing digital instructional activities.

Creating Digital Activity Schedules to Promote Independence and Engagement.

Photographic activity schedules have been demonstrated to be effective in helping individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities learn how to complete both simple and complex sequences of activities without prompting from adults. Although the majority of research studies demonstrating the effectiveness of activity schedules have used schedule books composed of static printed pictures attached to physical pages, recently researchers have begun to demonstrate the effectiveness of technology-based activity schedules. In the current article, we provide a task analysis for creating both simple and complex digital activity schedules using Google Slides, a freely available, web-based technology that operates on a variety of digital platforms.

Choice for reinforced behavioral variability in children with autism spectrum disorder.

Although individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) tend to behave repetitively, certain reinforcement contingencies (e.g., lag schedules) can be used to increase behavioral variability.

Sibling-Implemented Script Fading to Promote Play-Based Statements of Children with Autism.

We trained three typically developing children to implement a script-fading procedure with their younger siblings with autism. The number of contextually appropriate statements made by the children with autism increased once treatment was initiated. Participants continued to emit higher levels of contextually appropriate statements after the scripts were completely faded and at a 4- or 11-week follow-up.

An evaluation of group activity schedules to promote social play in children with autism.

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often have deficits in social skills and may avoid engaging in play activities with typically developing peers. The purpose of this study was to identify the utility of activity schedules, with embedded scripts, to teach three children with ASD to play a complex social game. Specifically, children with ASD were taught to play hide-and-seek with typically developing peers.

Evaluation of interactive computerized training to teach parents to implement photographic activity schedules with children with autism spectrum disorder.

Training parents of children with autism spectrum disorder can be a challenge due to limited resources, time, and money. Interactive computerized training (ICT)-a self-paced program that incorporates instructions, videos, and interactive questions-is one method professionals can use to disseminate trainings to broader populations. This study extends previous research on ICT by assessing the effect of ICT to teach three parents how to implement a photographic activity schedule using a systematic prompting procedure with their child.

Effects of Simultaneous Script Training on Use of Varied Mand Frames by Preschoolers with Autism.

Young children with autism may fail to mand using a range of frames (e.g., "I want," "May I have," "Please give me").

Interactive computer training to teach discrete-trial instruction to undergraduates and special educators in Brazil: A replication and extension.

Discrete-trial instruction (DTI) is a behavioral method of teaching young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) that has received a significant amount of research support. Because of a lack of qualified trainers in many areas of the world, researchers have recently begun to investigate alternative methods of training professionals to implement behavioral teaching procedures. One promising training method is interactive computer training, in which slides with recorded narration, video modeling, and embedded evaluation of content knowledge are used to teach a skill.

An evaluation of photographic activity schedules to increase independent playground skills in young children with autism.

We used photographic activity schedules to increase the number of play activities completed by children with autism during unstructured time on the playground. All 3 participants engaged in more playground activities during and after training, and they continued to complete activities when novel photographs were introduced.

The use of a discrimination-training procedure to teach mand variability to children with autism.

We investigated the effects of a script-fading and discrimination-training procedure on mand variability in preschoolers with autism. Participants were taught to vary their vocal mands in the presence of written scripts, a green placemat, and a lag schedule of reinforcement. They were also taught to engage in repetitive mands in the presence of the same written scripts and a red placemat.

Increasing play-based commenting in children with autism spectrum disorder using a novel script-frame procedure.

Children with developmental disabilities may engage in less frequent and more repetitious language than peers with typical development. Scripts have been used to increase communication by teaching one or more specific statements and then fading the scripts. In the current study, preschoolers with developmental disabilities experienced a novel script-frame protocol and learned to make play-related comments about toys.

An evaluation of interactive computer training to teach instructors to implement discrete trials with children with autism.

Discrete-trial instruction (DTI) is a teaching strategy that is often incorporated into early intensive behavioral interventions for children with autism. Researchers have investigated time- and cost-effective methods to train staff to implement DTI, including self-instruction manuals, video modeling, and interactive computer training (ICT). ICT combines the best components of self-instruction manuals and video models, and have the same benefits; however, there is limited research on this training method.

The use of linked activity schedules to teach children with autism to play hide-and-seek.

Linked activity schedules were used to establish appropriate game play in children with autism during a game of hide-and-seek. All 6 participants demonstrated acquisition of appropriate play skills in the presence of the activity schedules and maintained responding during subsequent phases. When the schedules were removed, responding decreased to baseline levels, demonstrating that the schedules controlled responding.

Preliminary investigation of a video-based stimulus preference assessment.

Video clips may be an effective format for presenting complex stimuli in preference assessments. In this preliminary study, we evaluated the correspondence between preference hierarchies generated from preference assessments that included either toys or videos of the toys. The top-ranked item corresponded in both assessments for 5 of the 6 participants, and the top- and bottom-ranked items corresponded for 4 participants.

Script fading to promote unscripted bids for joint attention in children with autism.

We used a script-fading procedure to teach 3 children with autism to initiate bids for joint attention. We examined the effects of (a) scripts, (b) varied adult scripted responses, and (c) multiple-exemplar script training on promoting unscripted language during bids for joint attention. All 3 participants learned to initiate bids for joint attention, and the response generalized to untrained stimuli, conversation partners, and the classroom environment.

Teaching and maintaining ethical behavior in a professional organization.

In addition to continuing education mandates by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB), behavior-analytic professional organizations may adopt systems that teach and maintain ethical behavior in its employees. Systems of ethical supervision and management may allow for an organization to customize training that prevents ethical misconduct by employees. These systems may also allow supervisors to identify ethical problems in their infancy, allowing the organization to mitigate concerns before they further develop.

Increasing response variability of mand frames with script training and extinction.

We examined the effects of script training and extinction on response variability of mand frames used by children with autism. Results demonstrated that extinction following script training was effective for increasing variability for 2 of the 3 participants.

Response competition and stimulus preference in the treatment of automatically reinforced behavior: a comparison.

Clinicians are particularly challenged by the development of interventions for behavior maintained by automatic reinforcement because reinforcers that maintain the responses often cannot be directly observed or manipulated. Researchers have conducted either preference assessments or competing items assessments when developing effective treatments for behavior maintained by automatic reinforcement. However, interventions based on these assessments have not been directly compared.

The effects of fixed-time escape on inappropriate and appropriate classroom behavior.

Few studies have explored the effects of fixed-time (FT) reinforcement on escape-maintained behavior of students in a classroom setting. We measured the effects of an FT schedule on the disruptive and appropriate academic behaviors of 2 junior high students in a public school setting. Results demonstrated that FT escape from tasks resulted in a substantial decrease in disruptive behavior and an increase in time engaged in tasks for both participants.