Comparing a modified simple-conditional with the conditional-only methods in teaching Chinese children with autism.

Instruction in auditory-visual conditional discriminations for young children with autism spectrum disorder is typically based on either a conditional-only or a simple-conditional method. In this study, we evaluated a modified simple-conditional method in which we removed the steps for which visual comparisons were presented in isolation. We compared this modified simple-conditional method with the conditional-only method when teaching auditory-visual conditional discriminations to six young Chinese children with autism spectrum disorder. We included two efficiency measures: total sessions and time to mastery. Our results replicated the findings of previous research in that both methods were efficacious for all but one participant. Although efficacy outcomes were similar across methods, the conditional-only method was more efficient across participants according to sessions and time to mastery. Thus, the results add to support for the use of the conditional-only method to teach auditory-visual conditional discriminations.

Comparing the effects of videoconference and email feedback on treatment integrity.

Treatment integrity has a direct impact on early intensive behavioral intervention outcomes for children with autism (McDonald et al., 2017). In this study, we compared the effects of email feedback with an embedded graphic component to videoconference feedback on treatment integrity. Participants included 6 teachers who were providing services to children with autism in China. Using an adapted alternating treatment design, the experimenter associated each feedback method with a specific teaching procedure, either discrete trial training or incidental teaching. All teachers improved their integrity to criteria under the email feedback condition, but videoconference feedback produced faster mastery and better-sustained integrity after the removal of the intervention. The teachers preferred videoconference feedback over email feedback in terms of acceptance and effectiveness of the intervention, but they considered email feedback a more efficient type of feedback.

The Role of Reinforcement in Multiple Response Repetition Error Correction and Treatment Preference of Chinese Children with Autism.

Error correction is a ubiquitous instructional component for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In the context of alternating treatment with repeated acquisition design, we taught four young Chinese children with ASD three sets of a match-to-sample task using multiple response repetition error correction with and without reinforcement. We assessed the participants' preferences of the procedures. Results showed that the acquisition rates were similar under both conditions. However, participant's preferences varied, with three participants preferring error correction with reinforcement and one preferring the without-reinforcement procedure. The discussion addresses the results from our comparison in light of prior studies and learner preferences of error-correction procedures, as well as the research and practical implications of our findings.

Effects of the Reread-Adapt and Answer-Comprehend and goal setting intervention on decoding and reading comprehension skills of young adults with intellectual disabilities.

OBJECTIVE: Reread-Adapt and Answer-Comprehend (RAAC) + Goal Setting intervention is a reading intervention that addresses both oral reading fluency (ORF) and reading comprehension while supporting persistence and motivation for learners who struggle with reading. METHOD: We delivered the RAAC + Goal Setting intervention to five young adult learners with intellectual disabilities (ID) in a postsecondary education setting. In the study, we investigated the effects of the intervention on generalization of reading skills to novel passages. RESULTS: Utilizing a response-guided and randomized multiple-baseline across the participants' design, we failed to reject the null hypothesis of no treatment effects based on the computed p-value. Traditional visual analysis of the data also reached a similar conclusion, however, we found that two participants' decoding skills improved during the intervention. CONCLUSIONS: We did not find a functional relation between the intervention and student reading performance.