Behaviour Strategies For Autism
Behaviour strategies for autism involve using evidence-based interventions to address challenging behaviours and promote positive social interactions and communication skills in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). These strategies may include applied behaviour analysis (ABA), positive behaviour support (PBS), social skills training, and sensory integration therapy, tailored to the unique needs of each individual with ASD.
7 Key excerpts on "Behaviour Strategies For Autism"
- Amy E. Wenzel(Author)
- 2017(Publication Date)
- SAGE Publications, Inc(Publisher)
...V. Mark Durand V. Mark Durand Durand, V. Mark Autism Spectrum Disorder: Treatment Autism spectrum disorder: Treatment 398 402 Autism Spectrum Disorder: Treatment Approaches to treating persons with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) range from symptomatic treatments aimed at specific behaviors (e.g., teaching the basic social skills needed to initiate a conversation with another person) to comprehensive programs that are designed to address the broader social communication deficits as well as behavioral problems. In addition, a major push has been to identify children at risk for ASD at a very young age and to deliver early intensive behavioral intervention. This discussion of treatment begins with an overview of evidence-based behavioral treatment techniques. This is followed by a description of early intervention efforts because some of the best results are achieved with early identification of ASD and intensive intervention before the age of 3 years. Overview of Evidence-Based Treatments At the heart of most treatments used with persons having ASD is the education-based approach. Behavioral strategies are used to teach skills that are deficient and to help reduce the frequency and intensity of problem behaviors. Most current medical interventions are palliative—meant to reduce symptoms such as anxiety or irritability—or are designed to manage associated problems such as sleep disorders or seizures. To date, there are no medical interventions that have been demonstrated to correct the central problems of social communication deficits and restricted and repetitive behaviors. There are a number of evidence-based techniques that were developed from work carried out in the field of applied behavior analysis (ABA). In fact, much of the early work in this field focused on teaching children with ASD fundamental skills such as making eye contact with others and saying words...
- Henry S. Roane, Joel E. Ringdahl, Terry S. Falcomata(Authors)
- 2015(Publication Date)
- Academic Press(Publisher)
...An exhaustive list of treatments is available to the general consumer; however, many treatments lack empirical support (e.g., steroid treatments, auditory integration training, immunotherapy, gluten avoidance; Green, 1996). By contrast, a substantial body of research has recognized behavioral approaches, specifically applied behavior analysis (ABA), as effective treatments for mitigating or ameliorating symptoms in children with ASD (Carr & Firth, 2005 ; Howard, Sparkman, Cohen, Green, & Stanislaw, 2005 ; Lovaas et al., 1981 ; Smith, 2001). Approaches based on the principles and procedures of ABA have been prevalent in the literature since the early 1960s (Carr & Firth, 2005) and have driven the development of comprehensive treatment programs aimed at early and intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI). Lovaas (1987) reported the first group-design study on the effectiveness of an intensive form of ABA treatment for young children with autism called EIBI. Subjects were assigned to one of three groups: an intensive-treatment experimental group (n = 19) that received more than 40 h of one-to-one ABA treatment per week; a minimal-treatment control group (n = 19) that received 10 h or less of one-to-one ABA treatment per week; or a second control group (n = 21) that received treatment as usual in the community. Assignment to groups was not done at random, but the groups did not differ on key variables before treatment commenced. Mental age, summed pathology scores, abnormal speech, self-stimulatory behavior, appropriate toy play, and recognizable words were subjected to a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). After completing 4 years of treatment, nine of the experimental-group children (47%) passed first grade in regular classrooms with no special services and obtained average or above average scores on IQ tests (M = 107, range = 94-120)...
- Peter Westwood(Author)
- 2020(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...It is unclear whether genetic susceptibility is interacting with environmental influences; and if so, what those environmental factors may be (National Autistic Society, 2018). Several theories have been put forward—such as the possible negative effects of vaccinations in childhood—but these theories have all been refuted. The National Health Service in the UK has declared that autism is not caused by bad parenting, vaccines, diet, or infection. Intervention for autism Many approaches have been used to help children with autism become more responsive to teaching and management by increasing their communication skills and reducing negative behaviours (McCollow & Hoffman, 2019). Definite gains are reported from intervention programmes, but there is considerable variability in response among individuals, with some children (usually those with milder autism) making much more progress than others. A few children with the most severe forms of autism and with accompanying emotional disturbance often appear to make minimal gains despite many hours of careful stimulation and teaching. Interventions have included pharmacological (drug) treatments, diet control, psychotherapy, music therapy, play therapy, preference-based play activities, facilitated communication, behaviour modification, and cognitive self-management training. It is generally considered that behaviour modification (applied behaviour analysis) has produced the best results to date and tends to be the most widely used approach (Leaf et al., 2018). In some studies, after one year of consistent implementation of ABA strategies (setting of clear behaviour goals and consistent reinforcement of required responses), many children with autism spectrum disorder demonstrate gains in communication skills, social interaction, and self-control (Pitts, Gent, & Hoerger, 2019). Some approaches and ‘treatments’ advertised online are regarded as highly controversial and of doubtful value (Worley et al., 2014)...
eBook - ePubSupporting Change in Autism Services
Bridging the gap between theory and practice
- Jackie Ravet(Author)
- 2015(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...Incidents of serious challenging behaviour are, without doubt, discomfiting and upsetting for all involved, and can put considerable strain on service provision. Implications for individuals with autism include: Physical injury, infection, physical malformation, loss of sight/hearing, neurological damage Social and academic exclusion, social isolation, rejection by peers and family, delayed adaptive, social and intellectual development, home/school/care-service/employment breakdown Increased use of physical restraint, psychotropic drugs, intrusive treatments, police involvement, institutionalisation, hospitalisation Implications for caregivers, families, professionals and service providers include: Physical injury, physical and mental stress and exhaustion, loss of coping, isolation, damage to property, family breakdown, staff burnout, staff losses, increased costs (McDonnell et al. 4, McTiernan et al. 4, Chung et al. 4, Weiss et al. 4) The impact of challenging behaviour should not, therefore, be underestimated. This highlights the importance of positive behaviour support across care contexts and wider service provision, to which we now turn. Addressing challenging behaviour The way that families and professionals approach challenging behaviour depends very much on their theoretical perspective and also on underlying values and beliefs. For example, if the behaviour is viewed as an attitude problem, then a punishment may be sought; if it is perceived as a medical problem, then drug treatment may be sought; if it is considered a psychological problem, then therapy may be sought; if it is judged to be a learning issue, then an educational programme may be sought (Whitaker 4). All of these approaches have value and validity in specific circumstances. However, some may provide only short-term solutions as they do not yield insights into the underlying meaning of the behaviour...
eBook - ePubTeaching Adolescents and Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Curriculum Planning and Strategies
- Dianne Zager, Michael Wehmeyer(Authors)
- 2019(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...Higher teacher-to-student ratios for students with autism may be required to safely and effectively manage classrooms. Highly qualified teachers who are certified in special education at the age level at which they are teaching and hold certification or specialized training in their specific area of instruction are critical to successful school programs. As students struggle to grow socially and emotionally, skilled teachers can guide them to develop self-awareness and achieve satisfying social interactions. Adolescents who are achieving appropriate goals and gaining independence are less likely to exhibit difficult behaviors than students who feel unsupported and frustrated. In short, behavioral intervention is less likely to be necessary in adequately staffed classrooms with competent teachers. Students with ASD may require clinical services from therapists, such as speech/language therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, psychologists, and social workers. School-based therapeutic services can be provided in the classroom setting or outside of class in designated therapeutic spaces. A combination of integrated therapies, which are delivered in the milieu in which they will be needed, along with individual meetings for more intensive treatment is advisable. Services that are received in the classroom can enable students to successfully participate in lessons, in essence lubricating the educational program, therein preventing behavioral outbursts due to frustration from lack of support. Transdisciplinary Programming Time is a limited commodity in schools, with faculty schedules usually being tightly controlled. In many schools, teachers and clinicians find themselves with insufficient time to share important student information. Faculty who work with students with ASD need to gather and review information about each individual student with whom they work...
- Erin E. Barton, Beth Harn(Authors)
- 2012(Publication Date)
- Corwin(Publisher)
...7 Evidence-Based Strategies for Teaching Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders Skill Acquisition and Fluency Brian Reichow Yale University Terrell Reichow Area Cooperative Educational Services Chapter Objectives: Distinguish between a prompt and a cue, and be able to differentiate the intrusiveness of two different prompt types. Plan (and execute) appropriate intervention using response prompting strategies to teach new behaviors. Identify ways to increase the efficiency of learning. A lthough there are many treatment options for young children with autism, no single option has been shown to be superior to others and for all children (National Research Council, 2001; Warren, McPheeters, Sathe, Foss-Feig, Glasser, & Veenstra-VanderWeele, 2011). Recently, an increasing number of children with autism are being educated in school settings (Palmer, Blanchard, Jean, & Mandell, 2005; Shattuck, 2006), which means that education professionals will need to become increasingly competent in instructing these students. Unfortunately, many of the ways in which autism manifests (e.g., limited communication skills, impaired social reciprocity, insistence on sameness, restricted and repetitive behaviors) create barriers to teaching and learning, creating a situation in which students with autism can be some of the most challenging students to educate. Fortunately, there are many evidence-based methods for helping students with autism learn. Chapter 6 provided practices for using different types of assessment for program planning and suggestions for modifying instruction...
- Mojdeh Bayat(Author)
- 2019(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...Both positive and negative reinforcements can be used for children with and without neurodevelopmental disorder to learn adaptive, cognitive, and social skills and behaviors. An appropriate positive behavioral approach should include at least four possible aspects. Altering the antecedents that contribute to challenging behaviors. Strategies may include: change of classroom schedule, structure and routines, reducing environmental sensory stimuli, changing instructional techniques, altering teachers’ responses, expanding choices, planning for transitions, and providing at least two to three short body–mind activities throughout the day for reduction of stress, and promoting self-regulatory and executive functioning capabilities. Teaching replacement and appropriate behaviors. Appropriate behaviors, that serve the same function as challenging behaviors, might include teaching functional communication, appropriate expression of feelings, appropriate social skills, breathing exercises, self-regulation exercises, anger management, and modified language. Reinforcing appropriate behaviors regularly and consistently. These include use of positive cognitive, emotional, sensory, social, or learned reinforcers for appropriate behaviors, and using negative reinforcements to remove sensory, cognitive, and emotional stressors from the environment. Preventing challenging behaviors from occurring by articulating safety rules and clear guidelines with consistent reinforcers: creating social lessons for individual groups; exercising body–mind techniques, like breathing, movement, yoga and meditation; role playing, and use of breathing and calming techniques; embedding messages in social stories, and social-emotional activities. Closing Remarks Despite the promise of positive behavior support (PBS) and research supporting its efficacy, implementing PBS at any of its three levels faces several challenges...
