Communication Analysis Paper Example

Recently, Elaine has received a promotion to be the only BCBA on a multidisciplinary therapy team at the county hospital. She is excited for the opportunity to be able to use her many years of education and experience in behavioural science to reach more people and learn about other therapies by working on a multidisciplinary team.

They then take the information gleaned from the observations and assessments and form their treatment plans. The ongoing collection of data is what drives behavior analysts’ decisions when it comes to making changes to the plan they have created. This guideline also includes the expectation that, when presenting information for publication or at a conference, behavior analysts present information with the highest degree of integrity (Bailey & Burch, 2011). This integrity is established by the use of the scientific knowledge that the behavior analyst has gained in their training.

Applied Behavior Analysis analysts are required to know the steps that are needed and necessary for behavior modification. This type of modification requires a clear definition of the behavior needing modification (target behavior), how this will benefit the individual in need of the modification, a clear plan of modification, and consistent data gathering to determine the effectiveness of the proposed behavior modification plan. In order to achieve a successful modification plan, the ABA professional first needs to gather information about the individual either by direct or indirect means. The modification must always been in the best interest of the individual, or those closest to the individual, and it must be a functional modification that can be carried out in the absence of the analyst. The ABA professional needs to understand the needs of each client. In order to do this, the professional will have to assess the behavior, gather data, identify a target behavior, propose a hypothesis about an intervention, implement the modification program, gather more data about the effectiveness of the program, and report about the outcome.

Pursuing a career in applied behavioural analysis is motivated by my focus and interest in working with people. A Board Certified Behavior Analysis (BCBA) commonly work with children to alter behaviour, which I do find an interest in due to my love for children. Initially, I do wish to use my training to help children in need of behavioural changes by working in schools for special

The hallmarks of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) involve marked deficits in social interaction as well as engagement in repetitive behaviors and language difficulties (Leblanc, Richardson, & Warnie, 2005). Although autism can have a profound impact on the capabilities and functioning of the individual, emerging research indicates that applied behavioral analysis (ABA) can be an effective tool for addressing many of the deficits that children with ASD face (Boutot & Myles, 2016). In fact, emerging research indicates that when ABA is utilized for the treatment of young children with ASD many of the challenges faced by this group can be ameliorated (Boutot & Myles, 2016). With these issues in mind the current investigation considers the seven elements of ABA identified by Baer, Wolf, and Risley (1968) in their seminal article on applied behavioral analysis and their application to individuals with ASD. Through a critical review of the seven elements of ABA in relation to ASD it will be possible to illustrate how this approach can be effective for improving outcomes for individuals diagnosed with autism.

As a Behavior Analyst accepting responsibility will promote the most effective standard of work. Behavior analyst treatment measures effects a variety of individuals involved in a treatment plan. The

The conference “Fifty Shades of Behavior Analysis” was nothing short of its name. The presenters at this conference reminded all of us in the field of Behavior Analysis that being a science of behavior allows us to apply our principles to many domains beyond working with individuals who have disabilities.

Additional Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA) will be needed during this study. Other specialists will include Board Certified assistant Behavior Analysts (BCaBA). The

The job of any science based practitioner involves some level of critical thinking and problem solving as no two clients that are served are ever the same. Practitioners are trained with a specific skill set, practice that skill set on a number of clients then are expected to be able to generalize those skills to a variety of clients once they graduate and are practicing on their own. This is especially true for practicing behavior analysts. They are taught the principles of behavior, taught how to apply them to a specific set of clients during supervision and are expected to then be able to apply those principles to a variety of clients and behaviors once they become certified. The Behavior Analyst Certification Board, Inc.® has devised a task list (Shook, Johnston, & Mellichamp, 2004) containing all of the skills that a behavior analyst should competently know and be able to apply in order

Behaviors are not defined to allow replication in this study. The behaviors targeted for decrease are named (i.e. shows aggression, repetitive use of toys, lines up objects, flaps hands, etc.) but no specific behaviors are operationally defined. A definition for undesired behavior was offered as “behaviors that interfere with task engagement and participation in daily activities” (576). Operationally defining the topography of the specifically mentioned behaviors would not only create more opportunities for replication, but it would preserve treatment integrity.

M., Shanker, S. G., & Strieben, J., 2011). Casenhiser et al. (2011) instruct that DSP should teach social communication abilities in the same order observed in typically developing children. According to researchers, markers of developmental capacity are revealed through observations. These markers differ from a child’s actual developmental capacities, which are not always observed. Researchers report that children with ASD demonstrate improved joint attention and communicative skills as a result of DSP intervention. Strategies utilized in DSP include interacting in the area of focused interest, facilitating increased initiations through the arrangement of the environment, responding to communications as purposeful, and sharing expressions of feelings and emotional affect. In CCG, the clinicians implemented these strategies by creating a variety of activities to encourage developmentally appropriate initiations and social communications. For example, sensorimotor activities and science experiments were designed to encourage initiations, joint attention, emotional expression, communication, and social interactions at appropriate levels for each

The social interaction includes sharing emotions and exchange of information (Brentani, et al., 2013). However, most children with ASD have trouble engaging in everyday social interactions and to request joint attention or respond to another’s request for joint attention (Bolick, 2008).

After eleven intervention sessions, he was interacting, verbally and non-verbally, with his companions seven percent of the time (Gena, 2006). The interventions are not just effective for young children; a physical education instructor in a high school study observed that post-interventions the target children were more likely to, "...socialize with their peers more than with the aide” (Hughes et al., 2013, p.11). Using methods such as peer-to-peer, small group or class-wide interactions enriches the ASD child’s school experience by teaching them social skills in a natural environment and allowing them to make meaningful connections with their classmates while learning which behaviors are appropriate.

When speaking about Autism, the image that usually comes to people’s minds is someone who doesn’t interact with others, doesn’t show emotions, and is a genius in some field of science or music. Though this might by the true picture of a person with autism, symptoms of people with Autism Spectrum Disorder can vary greatly. The main characteristics of ASD are: hardships in social behavior, repetitive behavior, interests in a specific subject or subject area, which cause “significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of current functioning.” ASD should be noticeable in the first couple of years of a child’s life. In the US, about 1 in every 68 children has ASD, boys being affected 4 to 5 times more than girls (nimh.nih.gov). The fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of mental Disorders,

Children diagnosed with ASD usually have some form of communication delay, some may even have an absence of any meaningful verbal behavior. “The absence of vocal verbal behavior leaves minimally vocal children without an effective form of communication” (Carbone et al., 2010, p. 705). In this absence, children without effective forms of communication are usually left feeling frustrated and will demonstrate some sort of socially inappropriate behaviors like aggression. Through interventions goals, behavior analyst strive to achieve growth in the communicative repertoire of the child.