Teaching individuals with autism: Programming for success

Nona Melvin, M.S., BCBA A. Hunter Williams, M.S., BCBA Eb Blakely, Ph.D., BCBA-D

Reinforcement, Preferences Assessments, Behavioral Contracts

What is reinforcement? • “Reinforcement” is the process by which a behavior is

strengthened by presenting or removing an item or activity following that behavior. That behavior occurs more frequently in the future.

• A “reinforcer” is that item or activity that is presented or removed following a behavior, which increases the future frequency of that behavior.

• A reinforcer can be: • something pleasant that is given

• Example: A child wants to blow bubbles and says “bubbles”. Her mom blows bubbles for her. In the future, she is more likely to say “bubbles” when she wants bubbles.

• something unpleasant that is removed • Example: A child is asked to do his homework. He doesn’t want to do

his homework and begins to cry. His mom then removes his homework. In the future, he cries more often when presented with his homework.

Preference Assessments

• What are preference assessments? • Procedures used to determine the items or activities a person prefers and the

relative value (high versus low preference) of those things

• Why do we use preference assessments? • To help us identify potential reinforcers • Examples:

• Tangibles • Toys/Games/Activities • Snacks

• Attention • Verbal (praise) • Physical (hugs, squeezes, etc.)

• Escape • From task • From aversive situations

How do we conduct preference assessments?

• Three possible ways: • Interviews

• Observation

• Formal Assessments

Behavioral Contracts

A statement of the behavioral expectations and the consequences

(It can be as simple as “First __, then __.”)

“First brush your teeth, then you can play Legos.”

“First do five math problems, then you can play on the computer.”

When to make a behavioral contract?

• Contracts should be made

when the child is behaving appropriately.

• If the child is engaging in unwanted behavior, creating a contract for reinforcers to be earned could potentially reinforce that problem behavior!

Guide Your Learner to Success: Prompts

What are prompts?

• Extra help to get a desired behavior to occur…So then you can use a reinforcer

• Physical

• Model/Imitation

• Gestural

• Verbal

• Picture

Types of prompts

Physical Prompts • What are they? Physical guidance to guide the learner’s movements to

the correct response • Example: Therapist says “Tie your shoe please” – then physically guides

the Learner to tie his/her shoe

Ties Shoe “Good!”

Model/Imitation Prompts • What are they? Give an identical example of what the desired response

should look like • Example: Therapist says “Hey lets do a puzzle – watch me!” – then

models how to do the puzzle

But…

Learner should know how to imitate!

Does puzzle

Gestural Prompts • What are they? Use a movement (e.g., pointing) to guide the desired

behavior.

• Example: During a matching task, Mom points to the correct answer on a worksheet.

Correct Matching Great!”

Verbal Prompts • What are they? Instruct the Learner on what to do.

• Example: When teaching the Learner to name something, Therapist says “Take this toy to your toy box”

But…

Learners can rely on them

Takes toy to toy box “Wow! That’s good!”

Picture Prompts • What are they? Visual representation is used to get the desired

response. • Example: Therapist says “We eat with a _____” and holds up a picture

of a spoon.

“We eat with a _______” “Spoon” “Yes!”

But… Learners must be able to identify

or react to the picture

Picture Prompts • Example: Pictures can be used to schedule a Learner’s

time and alert him/her to what the future brings…

Timing of Prompts: When are they given?

• Simultaneous Prompts: The same time as, or just after, an instruction or cue. This prevents mistakes.

“Pick up the soap” Gets Soap Praise

Gestural Prompt to soap

“Please sit down” Sits down Praise Gentle physical guidance

“Say Table” “Table” Snack Show picture of table

Timing of Prompts: When are they given?

• Delayed Prompts: After the Learner has a chance to perform the skill – but does not.

“Pick up the soap” No response Gets soap Praise

Gesture to Soap

“Sit at the table” Continues playing Sits at table Praise

Guidance to table

Fading Prompts: Let’s make them go away!

Most-to-least

&

Least-to-most

Most-to-Least

• Highest amount of help then fade to a lesser prompt

– Fade = gradually use less and less over time

• Used when teaching new skills

Most-to-Least

• Most to least = MTL

• Sample prompt fading steps in MTL for putting on socks task:

Full physical prompt

Light touch on hands

Gesture

No prompt

Puts on socks “Good!”

Most-to-Least

• Sample prompt fading steps in MTL for requesting “Cracker”: Therapist prompts with…

“Cracker”

“Cra…”

“Cr…”

“C…”

No prompt

“Cracker” Gets cracker

Most-to-Least

• Sample prompt fading steps in MTL for requesting “Doll”: Therapist prompts with a card that says…

Doll

Do__

D___

No prompt

“Doll”

Most-to-Least: Sample Hierarchy

Full physical

Partial physical

Light touch

Gestural

Independent

Least-to-Most (LTM)

• Gives opportunity to perform response with least amount of assistance on each trial

• Use more assistance until behavior is performed

Least-to-Most: After incorrect and increasing in degree of guidance

Finally…”Truck” Third…”Tru…” Second…”Tr…” First…”T…” “Say ‘Truck’” “Candy” “Truck” Praise

Finally…Full physical Second…Light touch First…Gesture “Pick up the soap” No response Gets soap Praise

Least-to-Most

Finally…Full physical Third…Light touch Second…Gesture First…Model “Take plate to the sink” Sits at table Puts plate in sink Praise

Finally…Card with “Help” Second…Card with “He_ _” First…Card with “H_ _ _ “ Difficult task Can’t get started Completes task Break

Least-to-Most

Independent

Gestural

Light touch

Partial physical

Full physical

Finally: Reinforcement and Prompts

• Fading from Physical to Light Touch:

– Physical prompt small reinforcer

– Light touch prompt big one!

Reinforcement and Prompts

• Fading from light touch to independent:

– Light touch prompt small reinforcer

– Independent big one!

Behavior Chains

A. Hunter Williams, M.S., BCBA

Overview

• What is a behavior chain

• Why teach behavior chains

• Case scenario

• How to teach a behavior chain

• Different applications

What is a behavior chain?

• A sequence of responses that are linked together, whereas, the completion

of each “step” in the chain serves as a conditioned reinforcer for the

previous step and signals to begin the subsequent step

Different components of a Behavior

Chain

1. It involves the performance of a specific set of discrete responses

2. Each response in the chain serves two functions

1. Conditioned reinforcer

2. Sd (signal) to start the subsequent response

3. Responses within the chain are performed in a specific sequence,

typically close together in time

Why teach behavior chains?

• To develop larger skills that are critical to increase an individual’s

independence, allowing him/her to live in a less restrictive environment.

Why teach behavior chains?

To build more complex and adaptive repertoires by combining chaining with

other teaching procedures

• Daily Living Skills

• Completing a morning routine

• Preparing meals

• Shopping for groceries

• Employment

• Vocational training

• Leisure activities

• Daily Living Skills

• Getting dressed

• Tying shoes

• Brushing teeth

• Bathing

• Washing hands

• Feeding

• Completing independent work

How to teach a behavior chain?

• Develop a Task Analysis

• The process of breaking a larger, complex skill into smaller, teachable units, resulting in

a series of sequentially ordered steps

• Watch an individual perform the task to establish the different steps

• Watch the individual you are teaching complete the task to establish areas for

improvement

• Perform the task yourself

Steps to create a task analysis

1. Select target behavior to be broken into smaller steps

2. Identify and define each smaller step

3. Place steps in sequential order that is necessary to facilitate acquisition of the target behavior

4. Determine learner’s criterion for success for each step

5. Using chaining methods to teach the learner each component in correct order to mastery

Scenario – Washing Hands

• Different steps to hand washing

1. Walk to the sink

2. Turn on the water

3. We hands

4. Get the soap

5. Rub hands together

6. Rinse off the soap

7. Turn the water off

8. Get paper towel

9. Dry hands

10. Throw away the paper towel

Compute a Percentage

Create a visual display to track progress

Multiple methods to teaching behavior chains

• Forward chaining

• Teaching a sequence of responses by initially training the first response of the chain, then the second, etc.

• Backward chaining

• Teaching a sequence of responses by initially training the last response of the chain.

• Total-task chaining

• When an entire task is trained at once, instead of implementing a chaining procedure. Usually includes graduated guidance.

Ways to help the child learn each task

• Graduated guidance

• Graduated Guidance- Give prompts were they are needed but fade as person performs the response

• Most-to-least

• Present the SD and prompt at the same time and then gradually use a less intense prompt. Start with most intrusive(e.g.. Full physical, partial physical, light touch, gestural)

• Least-to-most

• Give SD and then wait for response to be performed. If it is not, give the least intrusive prompt first, then more intrusive.

Linking

• Some skills might be more difficult for the learner to master. If this occurs, it

is possible to pull out certain steps; then, you can practice these steps in

isolation.

Things to think about

• What large skills can be broken down to make teaching easier

• Vary the materials in the task

• This will help skills generalize across different stimuli

• Have multiple people in the household help teach the skills

• To teach the learner to respond to more than one person