Teaching a Preschooler with ASD to Cooperate in Relinquish Reinforcers and Transition to Learning Activities During Skill-Based Treatment (SBT)

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Abstract

A child, 5 years and 3 months old with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and severe problem behavior was taught to stop playing and move to the learning activities. The study demonstrates the result of 2 phases of skill-based treatment (SBT) developed by Dr. Gregory Hanley: a) relinquish reinforcement phase (CAB 1) and b) transition phase (CAB 2). This is an individual case analysis, the study was conducted in a multiple baseline design across behaviors, lasted 8 weeks, and included the measurements of problem behaviors and learned skills during each training trial. As a result of 15-hour training, the child was taught the skill of stopping the play and transition to the learning area. Learners’ responses as willingness to listen to a teacher and ready to learn have emerged. At the same time, dangerous problem behavior was reduced to zero during the transition from a preferred activity to a learning area while being instructed. Transition responses were spontaneously generalized with people who were not present in the classroom (parents, tutors) and transferred to the new conditions (home and pre-school).

General Information

Keywords: applied behavior analysis, synthesized reinforcement, autism spectrum disorder, skills-based training (SBT), aggression, problem behavior, transitions

Journal rubric: Education & Intervention Methods

Article type: scientific article

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17759/autdd.2021710203

Acknowledgements. The authors of the article are grateful to E. Bondy and L. Frost, the authors of the PECS method, for training and mentoring.

For citation: Beznosikova L.L., Ostrovskaya L.A. Teaching a Preschooler with ASD to Cooperate in Relinquish Reinforcers and Transition to Learning Activities During Skill-Based Treatment (SBT). Autizm i narusheniya razvitiya = Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2021. Vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 15–22. DOI: 10.17759/autdd.2021710203. (In Russ., аbstr. in Engl.)

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Information About the Authors

Lyubov L. Beznosikova, teacher- psychologist, behavior consultant and analyst, independent professional, Syktyvkar, Russia, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4814-871X, e-mail: beznva@rambler.ru

Lyubov A. Ostrovskaya, instructor of the approved course-sequence «Autism: special education based on ABA», «Our Sunny World», M.Ed, BCBA, speech and language pathologist, Moscow, Russia, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5310-4378, e-mail: oztrovskaya@gmail.com

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