Discrete Trial Training & Naturalistic Teaching Strategies

Teaching Students with Autism

Teaching Students With Autism

What are some things you might see in a classroom Where the principles of ABA are being used?

What is Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)?

“Applied Behavior Analysis is the process of systematically applying interventions based upon the principles of learning theory to improve socially significant behaviors to a meaningful degree, and to demonstrate that the interventions employed are responsible for the improvement in behavior.”Baer, Wolf & Risley, 1968

Reality: Applied by people who are not Master’s Level Clinicians or licensed with the skills, experience and abilities of a LPC, LCSW, or LMFT) who lack an open mind when it comes to utilizing multi-modal approaches that allow the Client to lead and use creativity within the scope of their current abilities.

Teaching Students With Autism

All of the established treatments (11) have at least some basis in the behavioral literature and/or make use of strategies described in the behavioral literature.

Teaching Students With Autism

Use of positive reinforcement (R+).

Individualized instruction

Data based decisionmaking

They all employ the following

Teaching Students WithAutism

Discrete Trial Training (DTT) is a method of teaching in simplified steps. Instead of teaching an entire skill in one go, the skill is broken down and “built-up” using discrete trials that teach each step one at a time (Smith, 2001).

Discrete Trial Training is commonly used within Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) but it is important to note that ABA is not Discrete Trial Training. ABA uses DTT as one method of teaching but there are many other methods used within ABA as well.

Reality: Simple repetition to train a child & break his spirit.

Discrete Trial TrainingPioneered by the work of Dr. Ivar Lovass at UCLA.

Still one of the most researched and relied upon methods for teaching students with autism.

Reality: More repetitive training that does not take into account that some Autistic Children become traumatized by this method of instruction. Further, this treatment is completely harmful for children already diagnosed PTSD. Another inadequacy of this one size fits all approach called ABA.

Discrete trials contain 3 distinct parts:An antecedentwhich is a clear,

simple instruction provided to the

student

A specific behavior

that we expect the student to perform in response to our

instruction

A consequence;either positive

reinforcement for correct responses or a correction for

incorrect responses.

In the last 10 years, the application of the theory of verbal behavior has significantly changed the way DTT is applied to children on the spectrum.

Discrete Trial Training

2006

2015201

52014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

20132008

2007

2005

The verbal behavior approach uses a combination of DTT and Natural Environment Teaching (NET) to address the needs of students with autism.

Reality: This sounds good.

Pairing is the process of building cooperation and rapport by providing the student with access to their preferred items and activities.

Differs from historical DTT in that the instructor becomes associated with the students preferences rather than with the termination of preferred activities and a high number of demands.

Demands are introduced slowly and are at first very simple and short.

• Reality: This is a positive change and essentially negates years of forced repetitive (and traumatizing) training done by previous ABA approaches. Essentially, this is ABA’s way of saying, “Oops our bad for forcing something upon ASD children for years that didn’t work!”

DTT: Pairing

Ideas for pairing in the classroom

Become aware of each student’s individual preferences by either asking them or performing a preference assessment

Approach students during “downtime” and provide access to favorite items and activities without placing demands

Approach during a students favorite activities and enhance the experience.

Reality: I agree with all of this slide above, in Theory. However, I do not trust ABA folks to do this correctly.

DTT: Pairing

Preference assessmentdemonstration and practice

DTT: PairingMSWO for higherfunctioning students

Forced choice for lowerfunctioning students (Reality: Now here is where ABA folks show their true intent! “Forced Choice” a creativity/motivation Killer).

Remember that motivationshifts constantly Reality: (ABA folks should remember that a true Clinician facilitates motivation & doesn't’kill it).

Task interspersal means quickly shifting from one type of trial to another rather than presenting multiple trials of the same task in a row.

DTT: Task Interspersal

Intersperse several maintenance tasks to help avoid challenging behaviors and to build behavioral momentum

Intersperse trials with different verbal operants to ensure that students are building listener discrimination skills Reality: This comes from BF Skinner’s work on Operant Conditioning, creator of the Skinner Box that was used to shock mice into compliance. Similar abrasive tactics (not the skinner box) have been implemented to “Train ASD Children to act in a Neurotypical Manner.”

Present trials quickly to increase student engagement and reduce self-stimulatory behavior Reality: (This says it all and anyone with any knowledge of ASD knows that self-stimming is a way some ASD children regulate themselves and cope with the world, their feelings and is a self-regulating process).

Be sure, however, to keep your instructions clear.

Choose a data collection system that will allow you to teach at a quick pace (Reality: how about we start with teaching the student at his pace for a while?)

DTT: Pacing

Conclusion• Application of ABA is applied by non-professional Clinicians not at the level of a true professional License equal to

experience and depth of LPC, LCSW, or LMFT.• Destroys a child’s creativity.• Breaks a child’s will.• Exacerbates an already traumatized child in cases where diagnosis is already PTSD.• Not consulted with, discussed or approved by Autistic people who overwhelmingly disapprove of ABA.• Discourages, ignores and does not allow multi-modal approaches to helping ASD.• Restraining someone who needs to concentrate by flapping harmful and traumatic. • Forcing a child sit quietly so they can “attend” and be “table ready” when flapping or twirling something around or rocking

back and forth helps them listen and concentrate is again harmful.• Stating that the the Nuerotypical way of communicating is the “ONLY” way to communicate discriminatory and again

harmful.• Viewing ASD as a list of “Deficits” that can be “Cured” through a series of discrete trials is ignorant and again, harmful. • Training ASD children how to ‘pass’ so they be more “Normal” more “social” is HARMFUL.

• ASD is a pervasive, neurological developmental condition that 1% of humans have, there have always been Autistic people and it is a naturally occurring variation of the brain. You can’t Fix or Cure it! ASD impacts how the brain works together and it impacts all areas of the ASD person, personality, experiences memory, copings, etc.