Using Video Modeling to Teach Neurotypical Adolescents to Interact Socially with Peers with ASD.

Research has shown video modeling to be effective for training adult service providers to administer evidence-based practices to children with autism. This study examined the effects of video modeling training (VMT) on neurotypical adolescents' performance of peer mediated social interaction (PMSI), a 10-step procedure of simplified behavioral practices, during roleplay with an adult actor. A multiple probe design across participants evaluated the effects of VMT on delivery of PMSI by five neurotypical adolescents. All participants demonstrated immediate increases and generalized delivery of PMSI to four adolescents with autism following VMT. Social interaction for two additional youths with autism also improved when evaluated within a peer mediated setting, as a measure of social validity, before and after VMT.

An evaluation of preference stability within MSWO preference assessments for children with autism.

Previous research has commonly evaluated preference stability over time and across multiple preference assessment administrations. No studies have evaluated shifts in preference across consecutive rounds of a single preference assessment, where rounds refer to each time the experimenter resets the stimulus-presentation array. The purpose of the present study was to examine the stability of stimulus selections across successive rounds of a multiple-stimulus-without-replacement (MSWO) preference assessment with different classes of stimuli for children with autism. The study involved a secondary data analysis and calculation of preference stability across consecutive rounds using Spearman rank-order correlation coefficients (Spearman's ρ ) for 17 participants across 40 MSWO preference assessments. Patterns of preference stability were observed in 24 out of the 40 assessments (60%) indicating that children's preferences in this study were slightly more likely to be classified as stable than other observed patterns of responding.

Beyond Tier Three: Individualized Levels of Support During Headsprout® Early Reading Instruction for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

We previously conducted a series of conceptual replications to parse out which-and to what degree-adaptations and individualized supports were needed for children to access and learn early reading skills using Headsprout®. Here we developed a systematic decision-making process for providing levels of support to individuals with autism who require additional instruction in order to access and/or advance through Headsprout®. Using a series of single-case AB, ABC, and multiple-baseline designs we examined strategies from our previous research and additional strategies iteratively developed during the study on six students with autism, all of whom demonstrated progression through Headsprout® and increased reading skills. We provide practical implications for teachers and suggestions to research these supports with other computer-based programs.

Assessing Video Enhanced Activity Schedules to Teach Social Skills to Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Social communication deficits are one of the two core characteristics demonstrated by individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and require explicit instruction as soon as the deficit is discovered. The present investigation examined the use of video-enhanced activity schedules using tablet technology for teaching social interaction to children with ASD. A multiple probe across participants design was used to teach four preschool aged participants with ASD to show something they had accomplished to peers, and to demonstrate specific social conventions when doing so. An adapted alternating treatment design was also used to compare the differential effects of video enhanced activity schedules to electronic schedules without video. Two participants acquired social skills faster in the video enhanced activity schedule condition, and the other two participants learned at a comparable rate across interventions.

A Proposed Process for Risk Mitigation During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Recent executive orders have led some applied behavior analysis (ABA) providers to interpret themselves as "essential personnel" during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this article, we argue against a blanket interpretation that being labeled "essential personnel" means that all in-person ABA services for all clients should continue during the COVID-19 pandemic. We believe this argument holds even if ABA providers are not in a jurisdiction currently under an active shelter-at-home or related order. First, we provide a brief description of risks associated with continued in-person ABA service delivery, as well as risks associated with the temporary suspension of services or the transition to remote ABA service delivery. For many clients, continued in-person service delivery carries a significant risk of severe harm to the client, family and caregivers, staff, and a currently overburdened health care system. In these situations, ABA providers should temporarily suspend services or transition to telehealth or other forms of remote service delivery until information from federal, state, and local health care experts deems in-person contact safe. In rare cases, temporary suspension of services or a transition to remote service delivery may place the client or others at risk of significant harm. In these situations, in-person services should likely continue, and ongoing assessment and risk mitigation are essential.

An Evaluation of Two Tact-Training Procedures on Acquired Tacts and Tacting During Play.

A common practice in tact training is to include a supplemental verbal stimulus (e.g., "What is it?") in addition to the presentation of a nonverbal discriminative stimulus. Previous literature has suggested that this supplemental verbal stimulus can impede acquisition and generalization relative to the presentation of the object alone, as it may establish faulty stimulus control or decrease spontaneous tacting. Research has yet to compare these 2 training methods on the generalization of learned tacts to more naturalistic, play-based environments. The present study evaluated the use of "What is it?" compared to the presentation of only the nonverbal discriminative stimulus on tact acquisition among 3 children with autism spectrum disorder and the extent to which these training procedures led to tacting in a play-based setting following discrete-trial training. Overall, participants learned to tact stimuli under both conditions, and all participants demonstrated generalization of tacts in a play-based setting. Recommendations for the development and evaluation of naturalistic posttraining assessment are discussed.

Implementing early intensive behavioral intervention in community settings.

LAY ABSTRACT: Although research shows early intensive behavioral intervention can be very beneficial for children with autism spectrum disorder when delivered in university or private intervention centers, little is known about the best way to provide early intensive behavioral intervention within the broader community. The Michigan State University Early Learning Institute was developed to address challenges with providing early intensive behavioral intervention in community settings, with an emphasis on serving children and families on Medicaid. This short report describes the approach taken by the Early Learning Institute and reports data regarding enrollment and utilization among Medicaid families. Results suggest the model has potential to be used within community settings and that children on Medicaid are likely to consistently attend their treatment sessions.

Vocalizations of minimally verbal children with autism spectrum disorder across the school year.

Little is known about the language trajectories of minimally verbal school-aged children with autism spectrum disorders. The present investigation conducted observations across two elementary schools over an entire school year to analyze the vocal language development of nine minimally verbal children with autism spectrum disorder between the ages of 6 and 10 years, and their educational service providers. A Language Environment Analysis™ device automatically recorded and disaggregated over 743 h of data on child vocalizations, and vocal interactions with adults. Vocalizations did not increase for eight of the nine participants, and conversational counts between participants and adults were near zero across the entire year. These results speak to the need for additional research examining language development and potential intervention strategies among minimally verbal children with autism spectrum disorder.

Effects of Joint Video Modeling on Unscripted Play Behavior of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Preschool aged children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have marked deficits in pretend play that impede interactions with typically developing peers in inclusive early childhood settings. This study aimed to teach three young children with ASD to engage in pretend play behaviors with their peers. A multiple probe across participants experimental design was used to evaluate the effects of joint video modeling on scripted and unscripted verbalizations and scripted and unscripted play actions of children with ASD. The participants showed improvement on unscripted verbalizations during pretend play with typically developing peers in an inclusive early childhood setting.

Brief Report: Effects of Video-Based Group Instruction on Spontaneous Social Interaction of Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Four adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were taught to interact with peers by asking social questions or commenting about others during game play or group activities. Participants were shown a video model and then given an opportunity to perform the social behavior depicted in the model when playing a game with one another. All participants demonstrated an increase in both social interaction skills, replicating previous research on video-based group instruction for adolescents with ASD. The results suggest the procedure may be useful for teaching social skills that occur under natural conditions.

Teaching social perception skills to adolescents with autism and intellectual disabilities using video-based group instruction.

Few interventions focus on teaching social skills to adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disabilities (ID) that are consistently used during interactions with peers ( Carter et al., 2014). The present study evaluated the effects of video-based group instruction (VGI) on the acquisition of social perception skills of five adolescents with ASD or ID in a public school setting. Social perception involves observing affective behaviors of others, discriminating relevant environmental stimuli, and differentially reinforcing the affective behavior of another person. Typically developing peers supported VGI implementation as social partners for participants. A multiple probe design across behaviors demonstrated the effectiveness of VGI for teaching social perception skills. Four of five participants acquired and maintained the targeted social perception skills, and we observed some transfer to a nontreatment setting. Results of this study suggest VGI may support the acquisition of social perception among adolescents with ASD or ID.

Intraverbal Training for Individuals with Autism: The Current Status of Multiple Control.

Teaching complex intraverbal responding to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can be challenging and often requires careful programming. Divergent and convergent multiple control are particularly important elements to incorporate into intraverbal training programs, as well as procedures to ensure responding is under control of both discriminative and conditional vocal verbal stimuli. The current study systematically reviewed research articles on intraverbal training methods for individuals with ASD published and available from 2005 to 2016. The purpose of the review was to assess the extent to which divergent and convergent control was incorporated into training and to determine whether systematic instruction ensured correct verbal conditional discriminations. Thirty-six studies met inclusion criteria and were included in this reviewed. A total of 5 studies taught intraverbal responding under divergent control and 21 taught responding under convergent control. Two studies sufficiently described procedures to ensure accurate verbal conditional discriminations across trials. The results highlight the need for additional research on systematic teaching procedures for complex intraverbal repertoires.

Sibling involvement in interventions for individuals with autism spectrum disorders: a systematic review.

Many researchers have studied various interventions for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Occasionally, siblings will be included in intervention studies, participating in programs designed to address a number of challenges faced by individuals with ASD. Although sibling involvement in such interventions is not a new phenomenon, there is no consistent method for including siblings in treatment for individuals with ASD. The purpose of this article is to review the existing literature describing sibling involvement in interventions among families of children with ASD, describing patterns of research and targeted outcomes. The authors also identify gaps and areas for future consideration from researchers, clinicians, and families.

Effects of a School-Based Social Skills Training Program for Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Intellectual Disability.

Social deficits are a core characteristic of individuals with autism spectrum disorders and co-occurring intellectual disabilities (ASD-ID). Despite persistence of these deficits into adolescence, few social skills interventions have been empirically evaluated for older individuals with ASD-ID. The present investigation adapted an efficacious protocol for adolescents with ASD, video-based group instruction (VGI), and extended the procedure to 4 adolescents in a public high school setting. A multiple probe across behaviors design demonstrated the effectiveness of VGI for teaching novel social behavior to three of the four participants, with mixed outcomes for the fourth participant. Long-term maintenance was observed for two participants, though generalization outcomes were mixed. The results support using VGI within high school curricula for some adolescents with ASD-ID.

Evidence-Based Practices for Children, Youth, and Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Comprehensive Review.

The purpose of this study was to identify evidenced-based, focused intervention practices for children and youth with autism spectrum disorder. This study was an extension and elaboration of a previous evidence-based practice review reported by Odom et al. (Prev Sch Fail 54:275-282, 2010b, doi: 10.1080/10459881003785506 ). In the current study, a computer search initially yielded 29,105 articles, and the subsequent screening and evaluation process found 456 studies to meet inclusion and methodological criteria. From this set of research studies, the authors found 27 focused intervention practices that met the criteria for evidence-based practice (EBP). Six new EBPs were identified in this review, and one EBP from the previous review was removed. The authors discuss implications for current practices and future research.

Observational learning by individuals with autism: a review of teaching strategies.

Observational learning is the process used to explain the acquisition of novel behaviors or performance of previously acquired behaviors under novel conditions after observing the behavior of another person and the consequences that follow the behavior. Many learners with autism do not attend to environmental stimuli at a level sufficient to learn a range of prosocial behaviors through observation of others. Modeling, group or dyadic instruction, and explicit observation training can improve the extent to which individuals with autism learn through observation. This article reviews previous research that involved observational learning by individuals with autism and outlines future research that could benefit instructional practices.

Functional analysis of verbal behavior: a brief review.

A variation of the preintervention functional analysis of problem behavior has recently been extended to identify the function of verbal behavior emitted by children with autism. Recent research suggests that a functional analysis of verbal behavior might be beneficial in evaluating previous instruction and guiding the selection of future educational targets and instructional procedures. The present paper reviews previous literature on the functional analysis of verbal behavior and identifies avenues for future research.

A functional analysis of gestural behaviors emitted by young children with severe developmental disabilities.

Many children with severe developmental disabilities emit idiosyncratic gestures that may function as verbal operants (Sigafoos et al., 2000). This study examined the effectiveness of a functional analysis methodology to identify the variables responsible for gestures emitted by 2 young children with severe developmental disabilities. Potential verbal operants for each participant were functionally analyzed using a multi-element design. Results indicate that gestures were maintained by access to tangible items or the delivery of information about novel stimuli. This study extends the use of functional analysis to identify conditions under which children with developmental disabilities emit gestural verbal behavior.

Establishing verbal repertoires in children with autism using function-based video modeling.

Previous research suggests that language-training procedures for children with autism might be enhanced following an assessment of conditions that evoke emerging verbal behavior. The present investigation examined a methodology to teach recognizable mands based on environmental variables known to evoke participants' idiosyncratic communicative responses in the natural environment. An alternating treatments design was used during Experiment 1 to identify the variables that were functionally related to gestures emitted by 4 children with autism. Results showed that gestures functioned as requests for attention for 1 participant and as requests for assistance to obtain a preferred item or event for 3 participants. Video modeling was used during Experiment 2 to compare mand acquisition when video sequences were either related or unrelated to the results of the functional analysis. An alternating treatments within multiple probe design showed that participants repeatedly acquired mands during the function-based condition but not during the nonfunction-based condition. In addition, generalization of the response was observed during the former but not the latter condition.

The effects of self-monitoring on the procedural integrity of a behavioral intervention for young children with developmental disabilities.

The effects of self-monitoring on the procedural integrity of token economy implementation by 3 staff in a special education classroom were evaluated. The subsequent changes in academic readiness behaviors of 2 students with low-incidence disabilities were measured. Multiple baselines across staff and students showed that procedural integrity increased when staff used monitoring checklists, and students' academic readiness behavior also increased. Results are discussed with respect to the use of self-monitoring and the importance of procedural integrity in public school settings.