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WHAT IS RPM?o RPM is an abbreviation for the Rapid Prompting Method. o RPM competes with self-stimulatory behavior o Student responses evolve from picking up answers, to

pointing, to typing and writing which reveals students' comprehension, academic abilities and eventually, conversational skills.

o RPM is focused on enhancing the lives of persons with autism by providing optimal academic learning opportunities.

o RPM presumes competence to increase students' interest, confidence and self-esteem.

HISTORY OF….o Portia Iverson the founder of Cure Autism

Now, o She started the organization to “speed up

research”. o One day, she heard about a little boy in

India that was severely effected by autism and his mother Soma Mukhapody.

o Soma had taught her non-verbal son how to write, communicate and learn through an interesting method.

HISTORY OF…

o All Soma used was a piece of pencil and paper. It was easy and effective.

o Therefore, Iverson thought she would bring Tito (Soma’s son ) to the United States to lend some insight to Autism and treatment .

o She also arranged for some of the top scientist in this country to study him.

o Iverson describes her journey in the book “The Strange Son” as ‘Tito allowed scientists the startling differences in his sensory perception, giving them insights that reframed the very definition of autism.”

o Soma formed HALO

PORTIA IVERSON

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvweKOYsSAo&feature=related

FORMATION OF HALO

o HALO (Helping Autism Through Learning and Outreach) was chartered as a non-profit organization in October 2002 in Austin, Texas

o She discovered the fundamentals of RPM and Soma realized she needed an employer/organization to support her work on a national scale.

o In January 2004, Soma, Linda Lange, and a dozen RPM advocates nationwide joined to form the board and the new mission of HALO.

o Provides 1:1 instruction using RPM

GOALS :

Increase the number of professionals using RPM To expand opportunities through scholarships that would allow more

students access to attend "Camp" or Sessions with Soma at HALO that would otherwise be unable to do so.

Offer professionals the opportunity to train under Soma through donor funded Internship or Apprentice programs

Purchase a facility that would enable HALO to provide access to continued education, job coaching, recreation and living skills to individuals with autism and similar conditions

To expand opportunities to students, parents and professionals information, exposure, instruction and training in Soma's Rapid Prompting Method

HOW RPM IMPLEMENTED?o It is based on how the brain workso "Behaviors" or stims are used to help determine the

student's open learning channels.

o The teacher speaks and requests student responses based on their “stims” in order to keep the student on task and focused on the lesson at hand.

HOW IS RPM IMPLEMENTED?

o Materials that are required : a pencil and a piece of paper

o Starts with : Stating statements and asking questions about the subject

o Then she writes two answers on separate pieces of paper

o She then taps the choice and encourages the student to pick up the correct answer

AN EXAMPLE OF RPM…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wvn7kYJyOFM

http://www.halo-soma.org/learning_videos.php?sess_id=ed494954141ba7efe0ccf70067628312

SOME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION NOW THAT YOU HAVE SEEN THE VIDEO…

According to Soma, Paper tearing acts as an auditory, visual and kinesthetic prompt to initiate the student to focus on the written learning activity.

If a student engages in disruptive or aggressive behaviors, Soma may stand to work from behind the seated student, or directly in front of the student.

Soma does not require any eye contact for her students.

SOME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION NOW THAT YOU HAVE SEEN THE VIDEO…

Social skills are taught through comprehensive questions about social situations.

For example: Soma might ask her student " It's time for you to go, will you tell me 'bye', or will you tell me 'sorry'?“

Learning channels are determined through the child’s primary stims.

BENEFITS OF RPM

o Student's cognitive and motor proficiency increases, the sophistication of a student's response also improves.

o Activate the reasoning part of the braino Increases student’s self esteem and self-worth.o Promotes independence and transition into

independent living.

MORE AUDIO ON SOMA…

http://www.autismpodcast.org/podcasts/50-75/59_HALO.mp3

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS?

When does Soma fade prompts?

If and when the student no longer needs the prompt.

MORE QUESTIONS…

How about prompt dependency?

Prompt dependency is preferred to the alternative of allowing no response or no learning to occur. In most cases, once motor skills are learned, the need for and frequency of prompts decreases.

AND HERE’S ANOTHER…

How does Soma obtain data and how does she use data to support the effectiveness of RPM?

Soma uses public school standardized multiple-choice tests. The aim is to teach and test ASD students on age-level subject matter.

ONE MORE QUESTION!

Does RPM “cure” Autism?

No. Just as the name -- Helping Autism through Learning and Outreach -- implies, HALO is focused on enhancing the lives of persons with autism by providing optimal academic learning opportunities. HALO expects persons with autism to be treated with dignity and respect, in spite of their differences.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST! THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION!Is RPM derived from ABA?

NORPM is an empirical and rational teaching

method, based upon how the brain works.

Learning should occur in every RPM session, regardless of a student's behavior.

THE SEARCH FOR ANSWERS BEGIN

I “googled “RPM in images to look for some cool pictures for this presentation and I found this:

AND THIS…..

AND THIS ONE…

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST…

ONE REALLY HAS TO WONDER…

So to make this more interesting, I “googled” Applied Behavior Analysis … and here is what I found…

AND HERE IS ANOTHER….

AND…

THE STRANGEST PICTURE I FOUND FROM THE SEARCH…It took me looking through 44 pages to find this image…

IS GOOGLE TELLING US SOMETHING?

Let’s look at some research that supports RPM:

Van Acker (2006) writes this about Rapid Prompting:

“RPM is an instructional technique designed to develop academic and communication skills in individuals with severe autism (CBS Broadcasting, 2003). This intervention program was designed by Soma Mukhopadhyay, a teacher and a mother of a child with autism. RPM elicits responses from persons with autism through a combination of intensive verbal, auditory, visual, and tactile prompts. As in FC, the RPM employs the facilitation of the person's hand or arm as he or she types, points, or writes the responses. To date, RPM has yet to be empirically validated."

MORE RESEARCH…

Gernsbacher (2004) briefly mentions RPM and Soma Mukhopadhyay:

“RH’s mother then had the opportunity to visit with the mother and son in the United States (Mukhopadhyay, 2000). Although RH’s mother was unwilling to go to the extreme measures that the Indian mother had used with her son, RH’s mother was very motivated to explore the possibilities of RH using even a gross style of handwriting for augmentative communication” (88).

ANALYSIS OF ARTICLES SUGGEST…

o There is no empirical evidence based on RPM

o Further claims obtained from the website were:

“We know from what Tito (Soma's son and published author) and others with autism have communicated that it is extremely difficult to process the sensory information with which they easily become overloaded. “

ANALYSIS OF ARTICLES SUGGEST…

“Thanks to scientists and people with autism who have participated in research, we are beginning to understand the brain functions of a person with autism, how all the different areas work (or don't work) together and how other parts of the brain can be trained to provide support for the parts that are not working properly.”

There is no evidence so support the above claims. oIn addition, the resources page on the website claim to have more research articles, but the page is not accessible to the public. It’s a member only site that requires a $25 fee. oTo date, there are only two articles that mention RPM but do not suggest it as an effective treatment for autism.

WHY RPM IS NOT EFFECTIVE?

Let’s take a look at some research:

Stereotypic behavior has been the subject of intense study for a number of years.

It is behavior that occurs during typical development (Foster, 1998; Troster, 1994),

But its persistence in the repertoires of persons with developmental disabilities is thought to interfere with skill acquisition (e.g., Dunlap, Dyer, & Koegel, 1983)

Stereotypy also can have adverse social consequences (e.g., Jones, Wint, & Ellis, 1990).

According to the DSM IV, Stereotypic behavior is among the diagnostic criteria for autism.

RPM has no empirical evidence suggesting that stereotypy can enhance learning.

WHY RPM IS NOT EFFECTIVE?The 3 principles of the scientific method are:

Science is Empirical:

Answers are obtained through structured observation. Science derives it’s data by the means of direct observation or experiment, such research is used to answer a question or test a hypothesis

Science is Public:

Observations that scientists make are made available to others so that studies can be replicated in follow-up studies. Empirical research articles are published in peer-reviewed journals.

Science is Objective:

Studies are set up to minimize bias of the researcher

WHY RPM IS NOT EFFECTIVE?RPM claims it is based on :

Empirical and rational teaching method, based upon how the brain works.

There are no data to support the claim made.

Academic lessons are intended to stimulate left-brain learning, leading towards communication

There are no research or data to support left brain learning in children with autism.

"Behaviors" or “stims “are used to help determine the student's open learning channels.

There are no research or data supporting this claim either.

RPM CAN BE IMPLEMENTED BY ANYONE!

RPM can be implemented by anyone. All you have to do is take an introductory course. Based on the website:

o It is a 4 day cost

o Cost $725

o Pre-requisites are required

o 10 adults per class

Attending and passing the 4-day RPM course in Austin. Soma® RPM Introductory Course attendees are encouraged to begin practicing RPM with one or more students, under HALO's oversight. RPM Course attendees are NOT qualified to train others and/or to conduct public presentations on RPM.

FACTS ABOUT SOMA

o She is from India

o Holds a Bachelors in Chemistry and Education

o M.S in Chemistry.

o In 2007, Soma made $$156,915 in session fees

o $51,260 in training and workshop fees

o In 2008, she made $266,666 (total revenue)

o Has an IMBD website

o Has been featured in HBO’s documentary “A mother’s courage” in 2009.

WHAT SHOULD PARENTS DO IN ASSESSING AN EFFECTIVE TREATMENT FOR AUTISM?1. Look at the EVIDENCE provided. There are no scientific evidence for this

treatment method.2. Look at Soma’s credentials. Soma has a limited amount of knowledge about

autism spectrum disorders. She does not possess a degree in the field of psychology or behavioral science nor neurology.

3. Look at who implements treatment. Anyone can implement RPM as long as they pass the 4 day course.

4. Use rationalism and empiricism. 5. Consult leaders in the field that are aware of scientific research on

treatments

“Rapid Prompt Method doesn’t pass the evidence test because it has never been subjected to the rigor of a scientific study.”

AN EFFECTIVE PROGRAM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LljIfHB0eSs

THE CARLY FLEISCHMANN VIDEO…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34xoYwLNpvw

CONCLUSION

“People are always looking for the single magic bullet that will totally change everything. There is no single magic bullet”

Temple Grandin

ANY QUESTIONS?

REFERENCESAutism workshop: informative pointing. (2010). [Web]. Retrieved from

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvweKOYsSAo&feature=related

Boll, M. (2007, August 24 ). Soma Mukhopadhyay Podcast retrieved from http://www.autismpodcast.org/?p=97

Carly fleishmann 20/20. (2010). [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34xoYwLNpvw

Caldwell college autism program. (2010). [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LljIfHB0eSs

Dunlap G, Dyer K, Koegel R L.(1983). Autistic self-stimulation and intertrial interval duration. American journal of mental deficiency ,88(2), 194-202.

Foster L.G. Nervous habits and stereotyped behaviors in preschool children. Journal of the Jones, R. S. P., Wint, D., & Ellis, N. C. (1990). The social effects of stereotyped behaviour. Journal of Mental Deficiency Research, 34, 261-268.

Halo-soma. (http://www.halo soma.org/main.php?sess_id=ed494954141ba7efe0ccf700676283

REFERENCES

Letter of thanks. (2010). [Web]. Retrieved from Letter of thanks. (2010). [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wvn7kYJyOFM

Morrison K, Rosales-Ruiz J. The effect of object preferences on task performance and stereotypy in a child with autism. Research in Developmental Disabilities. 1997;18:127–137.

Troster H. Prevalence and functions of stereotyped behaviors in nonhandicapped children in residential care. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology. 1994;11:79–97.

Wombles K. (2010, May 22). Why Rapid Prompting Method still doesn’t pass the evidence based test? [Web log comment]. Retrieved from http://www.science20.com/science_autism_spectrum_disorders/blog/why_rapid_prompting_method_still_doesn%E2%80%99t_pass_evidencebased_test