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Essay Overview

PPM 140: Incorporating Methods of Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) into Programs with Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Essay Overview. In May 2007, Policy and Program Memoranda 140 (PPM 140) was introduced by the Ontario Ministry of Education

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Essay Overview

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  1. PPM 140:Incorporating Methods of Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) into Programs with Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

  2. Essay Overview • In May 2007, Policy and Program Memoranda 140 (PPM 140) was introduced by the Ontario Ministry of Education • What are ASD? How do ASD impact students? • What are the requirements of PPM 140? • What is ABA? • How does PPM 140 impact educators? • How has PPM 140 been implemented?

  3. Early Beliefs • In 1943, Dr. Leo Kanner was the first to coin the term “autistic”,which he used to describe several children who displayed similar symptoms. • Early Beliefs-Autism was an “emotional disturbance”, perhaps the result of “refrigerator” parenting and a lack of warm, supportive care.” • This theory reached its pinnacle with Bruno Bettelheim’s The Empty Fortress in 1967.

  4. Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) • Autistic Disorder • (PDD-NOS) Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified • Asperger’s Syndrome • (CDD) Childhood Disintegrative Disorder • Rhett’s Disorder

  5. Facts about ASD • 1 in 166 people are estimated to have an Autism Spectrum Disorder • Occurs across all racial, ethnic and socio-economic groups • 4-5 times more boys than girls are affected

  6. Facts about ASD • Life-long developmental disorders • The range and intensity of the disability varies widely • Presentation of symptoms may change over time • People with ASD have difficulties with communication, learning and social skills

  7. Causes ofASD • Infections, problems prior to birth and chromosome abnormalities have been associated with ASD. • Patterns of ASD in several families have been documented, suggesting that ASD may be an inherited genetic trait. • Despite ongoing research, there are no conclusive answers about the cause, or perhaps causes pertaining to Autism Spectrum Disorders!

  8. Difficulty With Transitions 1)ASD students have very specific learning skills and behaviours. • Relate a particular experience as being exclusively attached to one type of situation or setting. • ASD students have problems adapting to what has previously been learned to their new learning environment.(Generalization of Learning)

  9. Difficulty With Transitions 2)ASD students have greater difficulty processing information. • Can lead to frustrations when forced to process lots of new pieces of information in a very short period of time. (names, routines, settings). • Important to expose ASD students to new environments well in advance.

  10. How PPM 140 Was Created • Equality rights set out in the Charter have been invoked by parents to demand access to special education programs • (2006) Minister of Education and the Minister of Children and Youth Services, created the Autism Spectrum Disorders Reference Group. • The direct result of their work was the development of Program and Policy Memorandum (PPM) 140.

  11. Key Requirements of PPM 140 • School boards must offer students with ASD special education programs and services, including, where appropriate, special education programs using ABA methods.  2. School board staff must plan for the transition between various activities and settings involving students with ASD.

  12. Requirement #1-Interpretation • The use of “must” and “where appropriate” • Laurie Pearce “School boards are autonomous organizations, and there are limits on what the Ministry can require them to do. Interpreting and applying PPM 140, or any PPM, is very much the responsibility of the individual board.” • Is this a loophole for school boards? • Intentions of the PPM 140 was that the ABA methods could be applied to any student if it met their needs.

  13. What is Applied Behaviour Analysis? The four principles of ABA are: a. Individualized programming b. Positive reinforcement c. Data collection and analysis d. Generalization of skills

  14. Requirement #1-Individual Program • (Old) Regulation 181/98, Ontario Education Act-Principals are responsible for developing and administering an IEP for all exceptional students. • (New) Principals must now ensure that ABA methods are considered and that the collaborative development of an IEP includes community experts that work with the students with ASD. • Time consuming, yet a valuable experience for teachers.

  15. Requirement #1-Positive Reinforcement • Positive reinforcement may encourage on-task behaviour or positive social interactions between peers. • No mention of “negative reinforcement”-(The removal of something from the environment.) • PPM 140 fails to include a concise definition of the term “behaviour”.

  16. Requirement #1-Data Collection and Analysis • Data collected on an ongoing basis, that includes language skills, social skills, motor skills and overall academic achievement. • This makes for more paper work and added responsibility for educators.

  17. Requirement #1-Generalization of Skills • This requires greater communication between schools, parents and outside agencies. • Teachers must work better together to reinforce the necessary skills.

  18. Requirement #2 • Ministry of Education expects transition planning between schools, but also throughout the school day. • Transitions will include: “entry to school; transition between activities and settings or classrooms; transitions between grades; moving from school to school or from an outside agency to a school; transition from elementary to secondary school; transition from secondary school to postsecondary destinations and/or the workplace.” (PPM 140)

  19. How has the Ministry implemented PPM 140? • The Ministry has clearly shown their commitment to ASD. • School teams were organized to participate in the Geneva Centre for Autism’s 23rd Annual Autism Summer Training Institute (Aug. 20-23, 2007) • One day regional training sessions for up to 1,400 principals across the province (Aug. 13, 2007) to discuss ABA methods and transition planning.

  20. Three Ministry Documents: • Shared Solutions-A Guide to Preventing and Resolving Conflicts Regarding Programs and Services for Students With Special Education (2007) • Effective Practices for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders, A Resource Guide (2007) (Data collection techniques) • Educational Practices for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders, A Resource Guide (2007)(Transition plans/templates)

  21. How has the NNDSB implemented PPM 140? • NNDSB has not developed a Board policy on implementing PPM 140, although some staff have been trained. Low level implementation began in the Fall of 2007. • Phase 1:Training of Resource Staff and Administrators -ABA Training Binders and video clips were distributed. • Phase 2:Training of teachers-A very simplistic overview of the requirements.

  22. What Does This Mean for Educators? • Pros: - Access to experts in the field of ASD and additional strategies in ABA. - ABA strategies can be applied to any student when appropriate. - A more collaborative approach to supporting students (transition plans, data gathering) - A consistent and clearly documented policy when working with ASD students.

  23. What Does This Mean for Educators? • Cons: • More time spent meeting with parents, other teachers and outside agencies. • More time spent developing IEP’s, transition plans and gathering data. • Parents may now insist that ABA strategies be included in their child’s IEP, despite the fact that most teachers have limited knowledge and training with ABA techniques. • Additional pressures, as PPM 140 will be monitored by the Minister’s Advisory Council on Special Education.

  24. Final Thoughts • PPM 140 requires most educators to continue supporting ASD students, in ways many were already doing-individualized programming, behaviour strategies, data collection. • PPM 140 is in its infancy of implementation. Many educators have had very little training in ABA methods, yet many are already applying some of these strategies in their classrooms. • Many teachers will be under the gun by strong parent advocates to provide supports in areas in which they have not been trained.

  25. For the ASD community, PPM 140 is a monumental victory, but for many educators it is simply another policy pushed upon them by the Ministry of Education. • Laurie Pearce-”If we make the delivery of ABA-based education sound too clinical, teachers and administrators will resist it. If we make it sound just a common sense way of teaching, teachers and administrators will dismiss it, or claim to do it already.”

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