‘Different Colours’

3. ‘Different Colours’

4. Effective Teaching in Autism; Applied Behaviour Analysis & Discrete Trial Teaching Tim Powell 2006

5. “… a spectrum is different colours really…” Norton, (Student, Aged 21 with Autism)

6. Educational experiences that make a positive difference Combining Discrete Trial Teaching and Visual Support Strategies to enhance learning

7. where do we start? • Passionate debates • Demystifying Applied Behaviour Analysis • Knowledge of what are the most valid/effective tools available? • Knowing what programmes to choose • Families/professionals knowing where to access/what to access

8. the beginners guide to… • Applied Behaviour Analysis • What is it? • Why is it so effective for people with Autism? • Discrete Trial Teaching • The basis for teaching new skills • Applications across programmes and packages • Positive Affective Priming • Getting others to understand the autism • Having empathy can make a difference to success • Increasing motivation • Visual Support Strategies • Supplementing teaching • Enhancing learning

9. applied behaviour analysis “To observe, understand, develop and implement ways to change behaviour…” “a framework, a set of principles and guidelines…” Prizant and Wetherby, 1998

10. applied behaviour analysis • Analysing and understanding behaviour change • Objective and analytical • Determines if intervention responsible for change • Must be able to be duplicated/replicated • Relevant and functional • Generalisation as a goal • Positive and non-aversive approaches used

11. Options PECS TEACCH Lovaas Higashi SPELL ABA Earlybird Precision teaching

12. Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) Other intensive programmes Precision Teaching Higashi Early Bird TEACCH PECS Other holistic programmes Lovaas SPELL Options

13. discrete trial teaching “…a strategy to teach new skills to children and adults with ASD…” “…increases the likelihood that a person will give a desired response so that it can be reinforced…” Anderson et al, 1996, p.187

14. discrete trial teaching • Overall predominant strategy for teaching • Used in (for example) • ‘Lovaas’ programmes • Precision Teaching • Picture Exchange Communication (PECS) • General Teaching practice • Other ABA based ‘packages’

15. how does it work? D • Discriminative stimulus (S ) • Instruction or • environmental cue • (what the teacher wants the person to respond to) • Prompting stimulus (S ) • Teaching prompt if required • Response (R) • Skill or behaviour that is the target of the instruction • Reinforcing stimulus (S ) • Reward designed to motivate the person to respond correctly P R

16. what are the key elements? • Highly structured • Task steps achievable (broken down well) • Reinforcement (motivators) potent • Timing critical for reinforcement • Reinforcers positive (verbal or tangible) • Prompting clear and descriptive (verbal and physical) • Guidance offers shaping and redirection • Punishment/aversive consequences not used • No fail Meyer & Evans (1993), LaVigna & Willis (1997)

17. be careful! • Don’t become rigid…lead onto other naturalistic and activity based experiences and interventions • Have a logical sequence that relates to the persons everyday experiences and interactions (functionality) • Person in teaching role has primary control, this may lead to passivity from learner • Learners can become prompt dependent • Must be a positive experience for the learner

18. positive (assertive) guidance • Providing directional prompts (verbal & physical) to obtain a response to teaching instruction, cue or prompt • Clear and concise prompts used • Helps to guide learner at times when unsure, insecure or anxious • Successful for people with ASD who need help to make initial steps in learning and changing behaviour (Attwood, 1997) • Positive feedback throughout process

19. increasing motivation and success • Positive Affective Priming(Powell & Evans, 2001) • Study to find ways to increase success in teaching • Intervention targeted at people in a teaching role (teachers/parents etc, also managers/principals) • Designed to improve understanding of the autism and how that affects learning • Primers (positive and honest images) are offered that gives this information prior and during any intervention (eg.discrete trial teaching)

20. examples of primers • Focus on strengths, talents and abilities • Positive future and contributions • Understanding the Triad of Impairments • Taking into account proven theories and how these can affect learning • Theory of mind • Executive Function • Central Coherence etc • Understanding the importance of • Structure • Arousal

21. triad of impairments (Lorna Wing) Social Communication Sensitivities Sensitivities Sensitivities Social Interaction Social Cognition Together with rituals, obsessions, compulsions, dread of change, stress and anxiety – can lead to increased challenging behaviour

22. important…(A G.L.I.M.M.M.P.S.E) • Attention to detail • Generalisation • Literalness • Inference • Motor • Metaphors • Motivation • Problem Solving • Sensitivities • Empathy (Theory of Mind)

23. stress and anxiety Ritual Related Stressors Social/environment Interactions Unpleasant Events Daily Stressors Change and Social threats Pleasant Events Anticipation Groden et al, 2001

24. does positive affective priming work? Positive Pre-test Intervention Post-test Training intervention Rating scores Negative Average number of behaviours described as challenging Rating scores of Attitudes Powell 2000

25. results • Study significant • Ratings increased • More motivation from teachers/parents • Increase in skills taught • Decrease in challenging behaviour

26. visual support strategies • Supplement learning experiences positively • Aides in helping to learn, communicate and develop self control • Increases likelihood of success dramatically • Acknowledges that many people with ASD are visual learners (not all) • More concrete and not so transient (like oral/auditory can be) • Can be structured and unstructured • Value in teaching communication and social skills

27. interesting evidence Increases in success rate of new skills learned using various methods of teaching and instruction # & % Unstructured: Verbal Prompting Unstructured:Physical prompting Structured: Discrete trial teaching using verbal & physical prompting only Structured: Discrete trial teaching & Visual Support Strategies combined with all type of prompts Powell, 2001, Postgraduate research, University of Waikato(Unpublished)

28. James…(Annette’s story) • Challenging behaviour intruded on his life • Need to reduce anxiety and stress • Improve communication • Teach self care and social skills

29. What happened • Positive Primers used • Discrete Trial Teaching • Visual strategies • Photos used • Sensitivities better understood • Book used daily • Photos of people involved • Interaction with the setting • Effective Crisis Plan

30. did these strategies work? BEFORE Discrete Trial Teaching used for teaching new skills Visual Strategies introduced # Difficult times and anxiety levels Teaching new skills in self care/social (for example for toilet time) Social scripts (“Going to Kindy”) Visual Strategies Introduced Time (months)

32. ‘Different Colours’ Tim Powell P.O Box 635 Nelson ahorangi@ihug.co.nz