edex 715-instructional program
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Prompting and different reinforcement effects on teaching structured play
EDEX 715 Project
Tracy Young
Prompting and differential reinforcement effects on teaching structured play
The University of South Carolina
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Prompting and different reinforcement effects on teaching structured play
INTRODUCTION
The student, Howard, that I created and implemented an instructional program for
has a diagnosis of autism. I currently work with him in a preschool setting with typically
developing, same-age peers. I spent time observing Howard and found that a problem he
had within the classroom was he was his lack of social interactions. He tended to sit
alone in centers and interact with the toys. When he was near a peer, there was no social
interaction between Howard and the peer. Howard also did not respond to his peers when
they would speak to him. I decided to create a task analysis of a structured play skill in
order to increase social interactions between Howard and his peers. I chose the game
Memory because Howard is able to identify matching images and non-matching images
and it is a game that most of his peers know how to play. The game is already in the
manipulatives center at his preschool. This skill has social validity in that it fosters
meaningful inclusion of Howard with his non-disabled peers.
I used a task analysis to teach the skill using a constant time delay procedure and
differential reinforcement. Doyle, Wolery, Gast, & Ault (1990) found that using a
constant time delay procedure was effective and efficient in teaching preschoolers
chained behaviors. More specifically, Ault, Wolery, Fast, Doyle, and Eizenstat (1988)
found that individuals with autism can be taught using a constant time delay prompting
procedure. This research demonstrates that my instructional program has previously
shown to be effective and has lead to rapid acquisition of a chained behavior; the chained
behavior in my situation is playing Memory with a peer. Wall & Gast (1997) found that
using a constant time delay procedure is effective in teaching leisure skills, such as Jenga
and UNO, to individuals with intellectual disabilities. Playing a game of Memory is a
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leisure skill as well as a social skill for Howard. These studies used differential
reinforcement to teach desired skills. Positive reinforcement was provided when desired
a step or response occurred and not provided if the response did not occur.
The purpose of my project was to examine the effects of constant time delay
prompting procedures and differential reinforcement on increasing the social interaction
of a child with autism during structured play with peers.
METHODS
1. Participant Description:
Howard is a 3 year old boy that has been diagnosed with autism. He attends a full day
preschool with typically developing same age peers. Howard has limited functional
speech but can imitate words and phrases. He follows routines in the classroom and does
not usually display problem behaviors. The few problems behaviors that I have observed
are due to sudden changes in routine. Howard prefers playing with animals during center
time. He plays alone or near peers but never interactively with peers. He does not speak
or respond to his peers unless prompted to do so by his teacher or myself. Howard does
speak to adults some; he will greet them and communicate wants and needs to his
teachers, parents, and myself. Howards biggest challenge is his lack of social interaction
and social skills with peers. In past experiences Howard was able to learn routines and
new skills in a relatively fast time span; he has a short acquisition period and he has been
able to maintain and generalize previously learned skills.
Howard already is able to identify matching and non matching items and pictures. I feel
that teaching Howard how to initiate and play the game Memory with a peer is a great
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Prompting and different reinforcement effects on teaching structured play
way to work off of one of Howards strengths and improve his social skills at the same
time.
2. Setting Description:
The intervention takes place in Howards preschool classroom during center time.
Whenever Howard enters the manipulatives center the intervention will take place. The
manipulatives center has a variety of games, puzzles, and small manipulatives. Memory
is already a game option in the center. The game will be played at the table that is
located within the center; there are chairs for Howard and a peer to sit at and play the
game.
The intervention and assessment will both occur in the natural environment during the
natural time in which Memory would be played as a way to promote generalization. The
peer that Howard interacts with will also vary depending on what other children are
present in the center at the same time as him. This will also promote generalization of the
skills across people.
I will assess the skill at the first chance for game play on Mondays and Tuesdays; these
are the first two days of the week that I work with Howard and will be able to see how
well the skill is being maintained over the weekend. The other days and other
opportunities to play Memory will be instructional trials.
3. Target Behavior Definitions:
1. Play Memory: see task analysis for what this behavior looks like.
4. Behavioral Objective:
Howard will independently play Memory with a peer by completing 80% of the steps in
the task analysis for 5 consecutive assessments.
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5. Recording System:
I used a task analysis of the skill, playing Memory, as my recording system. It was used
for baseline, intervention, and assessment. I chose a task analysis as my recording
system because it works well to break down the skill of playing Memory into steps and
this way I can assess Howard and see what steps he may or may not be struggling with
and I can adjust my intervention or the steps if needed based the data. Howard could
either complete the step independently or not. If he completed the step independently
then I circled 0 on the task analysis and if he did not complete the step independently
within 3 seconds then I circled CP on the task analysis and used a controlling prompt to
ensure desired response.
I collected baseline and I assessed. I collected baseline for 3 trials at the first opportunity
of playing Memory, then I began the intervention and ran instructional trials. I assessed
two times a week, Mondays and Tuesdays, using a 3 second time delay procedure. (See
attached task analysis).
6. Design:
AB
7. Baseline:
I conducted baseline in the natural environment and in the same setting that teaching
occurred and under the same conditions as teaching; during center time and in the
manipulatives center. I waited 3 seconds to see if Howard could do the step of the task
analysis and if he did not complete the step then I used a controlling prompt to complete
the step. The controlling prompt used was a full physical prompt, with the exception of
steps 1, 7, 9, 13, and 15 in which the controlling prompt was a verbal prompt in order to
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ensure desired verbal response. I did this with each step to see Howards current level of
performance prior to the intervention.
8. Intervention:
My intervention consisted of the following procedures:
a. Preference Assessment: Prior to beginning intervention, I conducted a
preference assessment. I used information on his preferences from teacher and parent
interviews and from my knowledge and experience with Howard. I also did a free access
preference assessment in the classroom. I found that Howards preferences include, toy
animals, verbal praise, attention from me or teacher, and physical attention such as a pat
on the back or a high-five.
b. Antecedent Procedures:
1. Prompting: I used response prompts that consisted of the use of a
constant time delay and controlling prompts for each step during instruction and
controlling prompts during assessment if the step was not completed independently
within the 3 second time delay. The controlling prompt used was a full physical prompt;
hand over hand completion of the step. The controlling prompt was different for steps 1,
7, 9, 13, and 15; a verbal prompt was used as the controlling prompt for these steps.
2. Task Analysis: The skill was broken down teachable steps. I
conducted instruction and assessment of the skill. For instruction, a controlling prompt
was used with a 0 second time delay for each step. For assessment, Howard was given 3
seconds to complete the step independently and if he did then I circled 0 for independent
on the data sheet and if he did not complete the step within the 3 seconds, I used a
controlling prompt to guarantee the desired response and I circled CP for controlling
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prompt on the data sheet. At the end of assessment, I added up the number of steps
completed independently and divided it by the total number of steps in the task analysis
in order to get a percent of steps completed independently.
Errorless learning procedures were used during instruction and
assessment. The procedure for this was implemented as follows: 1. Stop the
performance immediately following an error in behavior, 2. Provide direct and simple
feedback to the Howard about the desired response, 3. Re-present the task at the point
prior to the error and provide a controlling prompt to ensure correct response, 4. Provide
heavy positive reinforcement of desired behavior.
3. Consequence Procedures: Differential reinforcement was used to
promote acquisition of the desired behavior. Howard was provided with verbal praise or
physical praise from me after a desired behavior occurred and no reinforcement was
provided when an undesired behavior occurred. The reinforcement schedule is shown on
the task analysis.
9. Maintenance and Generalization:
A maintenance check of the skill was conducted almost 2 weeks after Howard met his
behavioral objective. Howard was still able to complete 100% of the steps independently
according to the maintenance check. This skill is durable because he has the opportunity
to play Memory several times a day and it has a natural consequence; when he completes
the game, he can play with the toy animals that are located in the same center that
Memory is played in. Generalization of the skill was promoted through the use of two
different memory games; 2 different sets of pictures were used and mixed throughout
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instruction. Memory is also a game that Howard now plays at home with his parents and
peers in the neighborhood so it is used across settings and with different peers.
RESULTS
Graph
Memory
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
28/2011
/7/2011
14/2011
21/2011
28/2011
/4/2011
11/2011
18/2011
25/2011
Date
Percentofstepscompleted
indepen
dently
According to the graph, Howard did 0-6% of the steps of the task analysis independently.
Once intervention began he acquired more of the steps. The graph shows an upward
trend of acquisition of the skill. Overtime, Howard did more and more steps
independently and this is displayed on the graph, the percent of steps completed
independently goes up. Howard met his behavioral objective on 4/12/11. The
intervention stopped, but access to playing memory was still available and Howard
continued to play the game with his peers. On 4/25/11, about two weeks after the
intervention ended a maintenance check was done. This point shows that Howard
independently completed 100% of the steps of the task analysis independently overtime.
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DISCUSSION
The results of the instructional program show that using a constant time delay
prompting system and differential reinforcement to promote structured peer interactions
is effective. Howard was able to acquire the skill of playing Memory with a peer by
completing 100% of the steps independently. In baseline, Howard could perform only 0-
6% of the steps of the task analysis but after the intervention he now can complete 100%
of the steps of the task analysis independently. Having social interactions through
playing Memory is a skill that is available daily during centers at school providing
Howard with opportunities to perform the skill. During intervention multiple stimuli
were used and a variety of peers played the game which increased his generalization of
the skill. His parents also play the game with him at home and encourage him to play the
game with peers in the neighborhood.
Howard now is able to have social interactions with a variety of peers in a variety
of settings. Meaningful inclusion in the classroom is now accomplished. His peers view
him as a valued member of the classroom because he interacts with them and plays a
game with them. He is more socially included within the class, which is the ultimate goal
of inclusion.
The limitations and unusual events of my project were that I could not control
what some of the other peers did during the game. There were a few instances in which
the peer would cheat or not know how to play Memory. This made it difficult to instruct
both the peer and Howard. This did not happen too often, but when it did, I simply ran an
instructional trial for Howard and for the peer in order to complete the game. Another
limitation of my project is that I was the only person assessing and instructing. It would
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have been better if I had other teachers in the classroom run the same intervention in
order to increase generalization of the skill.
Factors that may inhibit generalization of the instructional program to other
learners are that Howard already knew how to identify matches and non matches before
learning how to play Memory. A student with a similar behavioral objective of
promoting social interaction through structured play may not be able to identify matches
and non matches, so a different structured activity could be used. Also, all task analysis
are individualized and this one was made for Howard and the steps were broken down
into chunks that Howard could handle; the steps may need to be broken down more or
less depending on the individual.
The behavior was maintained and this was shown by the maintenance check that
was conducted 2 weeks after instruction ended. I thought about maintenance and
generalization of the skill while I was creating the program. I wanted to make sure that
Howard would have the opportunity to perform the behavior overtime and that the
behavior would have a natural consequence. I also used different stimuli and peers in
order to promote generalization of the skill and did this from the beginning of the
intervention.
Based on my results of the study, I would encourage teachers to teach structured
play to increase social interactions among preschoolers with autism. Teachers should use
a task analysis with constant time delay procedures and differential reinforcement to
teach the skill. This project not only increased Howards social interactions, but it also
taught him a leisure skill. Other leisure skills and structured play can be taught using the
same methods in order to promote more social interactions and more leisure skills.
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Task Analysis for Memory (game with peer)
Observer________________________________________ Date____________Objective: Howard will independently initiate and play Memory with a peer by completing 80% ofthe steps of the task analysis for 5 consecutive assessments.Directions:
Teaching:-For each step hand over hand complete the step with Howard-For steps 1,7, 9, 13, 15 tell Howard what he needs to say.
-Follow reinforcement schedule on the task analysis belowAssessment:
-For each step, wait 3 seconds-If Howard completes the step independently within 3 seconds circle 0-If Howard does not complete the step within 3 seconds, hand over hand complete the
step with Howard. Circle CP*For steps 1, 7, 9, 13, 15 tell Howard, say (blank).
-Follow reinforcement schedule on the task analysis below-Write total number of steps completed independently at the bottom.
Reinforcement: Follow reinforcements on Task Analysis
Step Prompting Reinforcement
1. After entering manipulatives center,Howard says (in peers direction)play game
O CP NA
2. Howard waits for response O CP NA
3. gets Memory off the shelf O CP Great Job getting the game! Paton the back
4. brings to the table with peer O CP NA
5. takes lid off box O CP NA
6. sets out cards; face down O CP Nice job setting up! High-five
7. says go first to peer O CP NA
8. waits while peers turns over 2 cards O CP NA
9. says my turn O CP I like how youre taking turns!Pat on the back
10. turns over 2 cards O CP NA
11. if matched puts together and setsaside
O CP Way to go! You got a match!High-five
12. if not a match, turns cards back over O CP Great try!
13. says your turn O CP NA
14. repeats steps 8-13 until game isfinished (all matches matched)
O CP NA
15. says good game, clean up O CP Super game! Pat on the back
16. puts cards back in box O CP NA
17. puts lid on box O CP NA
18. puts game on shelf O CP Awesome job cleaning up!Howard can now play withanimals for 3-5 minutes.
Number of steps completed independently: ______/18
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References
Ault, M. J., Wolery, M., Gast, D. L., Doyle, P. M., & Eizenstat, V. (1988). Comparisonof response prompting procedures in teaching numerical identification to autistic
subjects. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 18, 627-636.
Doyle, P. M., Wolery, M., Gast, D., & Ault, M. (1990). Comparison of constant time
delay and the system of least prompts in teaching preschoolers with
developmental delays. Research in Development Disabilities, 11, 1-22.
Wall, M. E., & Gast, D. L. (1997). Caregivers use of constant time delay to teach leisure
skills to adolescents or young adults with moderate or severe intellectual
disabilities. Education and Training in Mental Retardation and Developmental
Disabilities, 32, 340-356.
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