Visual Schedules Essay

The Ontario government is focused on providing effective early interventions for young children with autism (Perry, n.d.). Throughout the years, a substantial amount of research has been done regarding the neuroplasticity and the effectiveness of early intervention in young children (Perry, n.d.). The results of this research have given professionals a greater understanding for a new program directed to young children- which is designed and implemented for children with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder and some diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder- Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) are also eligible (Perry, n.d.). In 1999, $19 million was funded by the Ontario government to be invested in the services of Intensive Behaviour Intervention (IBI). This specific program is developed for children up to and including the age of 5 years old (Perry, n.d.).

Positive reinforcement occurs after a behavior is exhibited in order to insure the behavior will continue. The following research studies used positive reinforcement treatment plans to increased compliance behavior for children with Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder that exhibit stereotypical behavior. The results showed that by using positive reinforcement techniques, children’s disruptive behavior was reduced. Results showed that the positive reinforcement procedures were very effective in various settings such as a school, in home and clinical settings. This paper will discuss the positive reinforcement techniques used to reduce disruptive behavior in children with ODD and ADHD. The purpose of the treatment intervention is to encourage participants to be responsible by putting their toys away when told, by using positive reinforcement. The goal is for participants to learn, how to exhibit good behavior.

The behaviors that are followed by my positive reinforcement are likely to be strengthened and repeated. When a child is expressing unfitting behaviors I use the redirection method. Once an issue arises, it is sometimes beneficial to avoid a struggle with the child by directing their attention elsewhere. I listen to the child to hear his or her point of view. Then I give children acceptable alternatives rather than telling them what they cannot choose. I also use reminders to guide the toddlers. They include walking feet when in the hallways and the classroom, inside voices, nice touches, and listening

This encourages the child to continue the positive behaviour and they will be rewarded with positive attention and something for example as a toy or treat.

There are several interventions that are available for those with autism. The interventions are separated into the

Multiple treatments have been established to treat escape maintained behavior. Escape extinction is often utilized in the treatment of behaviors that are maintained through the removal of demands. Escape extinction involves no longer allowing the delay, removal, or avoidance of demands contingent on the occurrence of the problem behavior (Iwata, Pace, Kalsher, Cowdery, & Cataldo, 1990). Escape extinction provides some advantages as it is easily compatible with other treatments, increasing the effectiveness of those treatments. However, escape extinction may have some disadvantages including that it may be difficult for those providing treatment to do so with high levels of integrity due to the effort involved in doing so. If treatment is not implemented consistently it may make it more difficult to implement extinction in the future (McConnachi & Carr, 1997). There may also be an increase in the targeted response and aggression following extinction (Lerman, Iwata, & Wallace, 1999). While extinction is effective there are associated side effects that are incompatible with wide spread use in many public settings such as classrooms. There is a need for

The term autism currently holds a meaning that is significantly different than when it was first adopted into our vocabulary in the 1960’s. The evolution of scientific discoveries within the field of autism research is remarkable and consistently improving. With the prevalence of autism continuing to reach sky rocketing numbers, the inclusion of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in the school system is extremely important. Every child has the right to obtain an education and finding new methods that provide this for children with ASD is vital. Creating programs and techniques that can be personalized to a child is the key to them receiving the most out of their education. Discrete trial teaching, pivotal response treatment and picture

The article entitled “Smooth Transitions: Helping Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder Navigate the School Day” written by Kara Hume, Melissa Sreckovic, Kate Snyder, and Christina R. Carnahan discusses an intervention plan for a fifth grader named Sara, who has autism spectrum disorder, in a general education classroom. In this classroom, there are two teachers that use the co-teaching model in order to reach the needs of the students with and without disabilities. Sara, who is on grade level academically, was showing several behavioral issues. She was not actively involving herself in the lessons, or talking to other students in the classroom. It was also noted that she would end up crying very frequently at different times throughout the day. Other behaviors included putting her head down on her desk and not responding what being asked a question or addressed in general. They observed the times of day that she displayed these behaviors and noticed that it was during the times of the day when transitions occurred. Her behaviors began to disrupt her learning due to time that it took to redirect her and get her back on task.

The Applied Behavioral Analysis model, or (ABA) as it is commonly referred to, has been in practice for many years, touching the lives of many people of all ages, backgrounds, and degrees of the Autism spectrum. As with anything, there is a considerable amount of misinformation projecting a negative view of ABA. These views have questioned the protocol, application, and necessity of the ABA. The following is some information and facts to hopefully make clear what ABA not only does, but what it stands for as a therapy that will continue to help those in need.

Pivotal response treatment (PRT) is a form of naturalistic behavioral intervention based on the principles of applied behavior analysis, which assumes that children’s impairments can be improved with environmental manipulations such as reinforcement, consequences, and extinction (Koegel, Koegel, & Carter, 1999; Stahmer, Suhrheinrich, Reed, Bolduc, & Schreibman, 2010). Pivotal response treatment (PRT) is one of the few interventions used in the treatment of children with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) that is both comprehensive, as listed by the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences, and empirically supported. It is also recognized by the National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorders

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.

Stock, Mirenda, and Smith (2013) compared the effectiveness of private group applied behavior analysis (GABA) and pivotal response treatment (PRT) on several domains of development in children with autism spectrum disorder. Progress and effectiveness of treatment was assessed through several measures, such as the Preschool Language Scale, the Merill-Palmer-Revised Scales, the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, the Child Behavior Checklist, and the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form. In the GABA group, intervention was individualized based on strengths and weaknesses of each child, and structured 1:1 discrete trial training as well as generalized 1:2 teaching was implemented. Target programs included imitation, manding, receptive language, object matching, adaptive skills, and social skills training. Intervention took place both in intensive teaching and natural teaching environments in a preschool-like setting. Generalized ABA teaching included two children to one therapist, and the children worked on social skills. In the PRT group, individualized intervention goals focused on functional communication skills, developmentally appropriate social and play skills, as well as adaptive skills. A major difference between the two groups was that parents were included in an active therapist role throughout intervention, and therapeutic sessions were conducted in the home and community.

Autism Spectrum Disorder is not curable but it can be controlled using a certain type of treatments. There are various types of treatments used by parental, caregiver and clinical. The treatments can be separated into behavior and communication approaches, medication and complementary and alternative medicine. Applied behavioral analysis is a treatment approach that is used in many schools and treatment clinics (Foxx, 2008). There are different types of ABA and one of it is early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI). EIBI is the most effective treatment used for young children from birth to 3 years old as the services consist of treatments to assist the child to talk, walk and interact with others (Matson & Goldin, 2014). Discrete trials teaching (DTT) is one of the key teaching methods in EIBI. An efficient approach for teaching children with ASD has been shown by DTT and it plays an important role in language, social and academic skills. DTT has a sequence of discrete learning units that allows the skills to broken down into smaller units when teaching a new skill. DTT consist of three-term possibilities,

For young children who have difficulty communicating, visual schedule can be extremely helpful in allowing them to understand and see what is coming up next in their day. This can assist students who struggle to transition from one activity to another (Meadan, Ostrosky, Triplett, Michna, & Fettig, 2011). They can also be used to help children increase attention on the task and decrease dangerous and disruptive behaviors (Massey & Wheeler, 2000). A visual schedule allows a child to anticipate what is forthcoming in the day and when the child learns how to follow a schedule, it can be used as a way to more easily help explain changes in a routine (Quill, 1995).

From a very early age, children begin to learn about the association between behaviors and consequences. They realize that there is always going to be a consequence whether it’d be positive or negative, that would follow the behavior. Sometimes children behave very well and most of the time, children tend to give parents and others around them a hard time. When it comes to behavior modification, some basic steps include identifying the behavior, setting expectations, monitoring progress, and reinforcing correct behaviors. Positive reinforcement has a lot of effect on children when it comes to modifying a targeted behavior. A reinforcer,