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Summary
TLDRThis video script delves into teaching methods grounded in applied behavior analysis, particularly for autism spectrum disorder. It explains discrete trial training and natural environment teaching, emphasizing skill acquisition plans and the importance of generalization for functional skill use across various contexts. The script also covers incidental teaching and the significance of reinforcement and pacing in ABA programs.
Takeaways
- 📚 The video discusses specific teaching methods based on applied behavior analysis (ABA) for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
- 🎯 Two primary teaching methods are discrete trial training (DTT) and natural environment teaching (NET), both aimed at teaching specific behaviors or responses.
- 📝 Skill acquisition plans are developed by behavior specialists to provide details for specific programs, including the type of teaching method and other essential details.
- 🔍 Discrete trial training (DTT) is a highly structured form of teaching using a three-term contingency model with antecedents, behaviors, and consequences.
- 📌 DTT is conducted in a distraction-minimal environment, often at a table with one instructor and one student, to teach specific responses to defined stimuli.
- 🔑 The components of DTT include the discriminative stimulus, the response (behavior expected from the client), and the consequence (reinforcement or feedback).
- 🔄 The goal of DTT is to ensure that skills mastered in a structured setting can be functionally used during everyday activities.
- 🌿 Natural environment teaching (NET) aims to teach and increase skills in a more natural context with less structure and more natural distractors.
- 🕵️♂️ NET involves techniques like capturing and contriving learning opportunities to teach skills as they naturally occur or by setting up situations to practice them.
- 🔄 Incidental teaching, similar to NET, captures opportunities to teach new, age-appropriate skills not pre-planned in the skill acquisition plan.
- 🌐 Generalization is a key principle in ABA, focusing on the ability to perform a learned skill across various contexts and maintaining it over time without intensive intervention.
Q & A
What are the two main teaching methods discussed in the video for individuals with autism spectrum disorder?
-The two main teaching methods discussed are Discrete Trial Training (DTT) and Natural Environment Teaching (NET).
What is a skill acquisition plan and why is it important for behavior technicians?
-A skill acquisition plan is developed by behavior specialists to provide details for specific programs and how to run them. It is important for behavior technicians to refer to this plan frequently to ensure that each program is run with integrity and to be familiar with the plan, asking supervisors questions if needed.
How is Discrete Trial Training (DTT) structured and why is it effective for individuals with autism spectrum disorder?
-DTT is a highly structured form of teaching specific responses using the three-term contingency. It is typically taught at a table with one instructor and one student, minimizing distractions. It is effective for individuals with autism spectrum disorder when they have difficulty learning skills naturally from their environments.
What is the three-term contingency in the context of DTT?
-In DTT, the three-term contingency involves antecedents and consequences exerting influence or control over behavior. In a discrete trial, the antecedent is a discriminative stimulus, the behavior is a response, and the consequence is either reinforcement or informational feedback.
What is a discriminative stimulus in DTT and how does it relate to behavior?
-A discriminative stimulus in DTT is a natural stimulus or cue in the environment that typically evokes a particular response. Behaviors come under control of a stimulus when responses are reinforced in the presence of that stimulus and not in its absence.
How are responses defined in DTT and why is this important?
-Responses in DTT must be clearly and completely defined in objective and measurable terms. Clear definitions ensure that everyone on the team is expecting and teaching the same response and recording it the same way.
What is the role of consequences in DTT and how are they applied?
-Consequences in DTT involve reinforcement or informational feedback. Reinforcement involves delivering a reinforcer immediately following a correct response, while informational feedback is delivered immediately following an incorrect response, self-correct, or non-response.
What is the purpose of mass trials in DTT and how are they conducted?
-Mass trials are trials during which the same discriminative stimulus is presented repeatedly. They provide learners with many opportunities to practice the same response, which can be particularly useful when teaching new responses.
What is the goal of Natural Environment Teaching (NET) and how does it differ from DTT?
-The goal of NET is to target skills across many environments and people so that clients maintain and use them functionally without intensive intervention. Unlike DTT, NET lessons are loosely structured, natural distractors are present, and stimuli and reinforcers are naturally available in the environment.
What are the two main techniques used in Natural Environment Teaching (NET) and how do they work?
-The two main techniques used in NET are capturing and contriving learning opportunities. Capturing involves taking advantage of a situation to teach a skill as it occurs naturally during an activity. Contriving involves setting up a situation to work on a skill during a natural activity or routine.
What is incidental teaching and how does it differ from NET?
-Incidental teaching is similar to NET but with a key difference that the skills taught are not pre-planned. Technicians capture opportunities to teach new, age-appropriate skills that are not currently outlined in the skill acquisition plan.
What is the importance of generalization in behavior analytic interventions and how is it achieved?
-Generalization is the primary end goal of any behavior analytic intervention. It involves performing a skill learned in one context across many other appropriate contexts. It is achieved by ensuring that clients use skills functionally across different environments and maintain these skills over time without intensive intervention.
Outlines
📚 Introduction to ABA Teaching Methods
This paragraph introduces the topic of the video, which is Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) teaching methods. It discusses two primary teaching methods used for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): Discrete Trial Training (DTT) and Natural Environment Teaching (NET). The video aims to explain how these methods are implemented and the importance of generalization in learning. Skill acquisition plans, developed by behavior specialists, are highlighted as essential tools for behavior technicians to follow, ensuring the integrity of the teaching programs. The paragraph also introduces the concept of the three-term contingency in ABA, which includes antecedents, behaviors, and consequences.
🔍 Components of Discrete Trial Training (DTT)
This paragraph delves into the specifics of Discrete Trial Training (DTT), a structured teaching method used for individuals with ASD. It explains the components of DTT, including the discriminative stimulus, the expected response from the client, and the consequence, which can be reinforcement or informational feedback. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of clear and objective definitions of responses and the use of mass trials and errorless learning to prevent errors and reinforce correct behaviors. It also discusses the importance of pacing, motivation, and reinforcement in conducting effective DTT sessions.
🌿 Natural Environment Teaching (NET) and Incidental Teaching
The paragraph explores Natural Environment Teaching (NET) as an alternative to DTT, aiming to teach skills in a more natural and functional context. It contrasts NET with DTT, highlighting the use of natural stimuli and intrinsic reinforcers. The paragraph also introduces incidental teaching, which involves seizing opportunities to teach new, age-appropriate skills during natural activities without a pre-planned structure. Both NET and incidental teaching aim to establish stimulus control, increase practice opportunities, and foster learning to learn skills, ultimately promoting generalization of learned behaviors.
🔄 Generalization and Maintenance in ABA Teaching
This paragraph focuses on the principle of generalization in ABA teaching, which is the ability to perform a learned skill across various contexts. It distinguishes between stimulus generalization, where the same behavior is performed in response to different stimuli, and response generalization, where different behaviors are performed in response to the same stimulus. The paragraph also addresses the concept of maintenance, which is the demonstration of a skill over time without the need for continuous intervention. The importance of planning for generalization and maintenance in skill acquisition plans is emphasized, to ensure that skills learned are functional and long-lasting.
🏁 Conclusion of ABA Teaching Methods Video
The final paragraph concludes the video on ABA-based teaching methods. It summarizes the key points covered in the video, including DTT, NET, incidental teaching, and the principles of generalization and maintenance. The paragraph serves as a reminder for viewers to exit the video and return to their course to complete the subsequent assignments, reinforcing the educational purpose of the video and encouraging continued learning.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
💡Discrete Trial Training (DTT)
💡Natural Environment Teaching (NET)
💡Skill Acquisition Plan
💡Three-Term Contingency
💡Discriminative Stimulus
💡Response
💡Reinforcement
💡Generalization
💡Incidental Teaching
💡Stimulus Control
💡Errorless Learning
💡Maintenance
Highlights
The video discusses specific teaching methods based on applied behavior analysis for individuals with autism spectrum disorder.
Two common teaching methods are discrete trial training and natural environment teaching.
Skill acquisition plans are developed by behavior specialists to guide specific programs and teaching methods.
Behavior technicians must refer to skill acquisition plans to ensure program integrity and ask supervisors for clarification if needed.
Discrete trial training (DTT) is a highly structured teaching method using the three-term contingency.
DTT is effective for individuals with autism who have difficulty learning from their natural environment.
The three-term contingency in DTT includes antecedents, the behavior as a response, and consequences like reinforcement or feedback.
Discriminative stimuli in DTT are cues in the environment that evoke a particular response.
Responses in DTT must be clearly defined, measurable, and pass the 'stuffed animal test' to ensure they are behaviors.
Consequences in DTT involve reinforcement following correct responses and informational feedback after incorrect responses.
Mass trials and most-to-least prompting are techniques used in DTT to prevent errors and ensure correct responses.
Natural environment teaching (NET) aims to teach skills functionally across various environments and people.
NET uses techniques like capturing and contriving learning opportunities within natural activities and routines.
Incidental teaching is similar to NET but focuses on capturing opportunities to teach unplanned, age-appropriate skills.
Generalization is a key principle in ABA, aiming to ensure skills are used functionally across different contexts.
Stimulus generalization involves performing the same behavior in response to different stimuli.
Response generalization is performing different behaviors in response to the same stimulus.
Maintenance refers to the ability to demonstrate a skill over time without intensive intervention.
Supervisors plan for generalization and maintenance in skill acquisition plans to ensure functional skills.
Transcripts
in this next video we will discuss
specific teaching methods
based on the principles of applied
behavior analysis
we will start with two methods commonly
used in programs for individuals with
autism spectrum disorder
to teach specific behaviors or responses
these methods are discrete trial
training and natural environment
teaching
at the end of this video we will learn
about generalization
and how this important principle is
addressed during these types of learning
methods
before we dive into specific teaching
methods we will need to discuss
skill acquisition plans these plans are
developed by behavior specialists
in order to provide details for specific
programs and how to run them
skill acquisition plans include the type
of teaching method
as well as some or all details listed on
this slide
as a behavior technician you will refer
to this plan frequently to ensure that
you are running
each program with integrity it is your
responsibility to be
familiar with this plan and to ask your
supervisor questions
if needed
first we will discuss how behavior
technicians use
discrete trial training to target
specific skills or behaviors for clients
who have difficulty learning from the
natural environment
discrete trial teaching or dtt is a
highly structured form of teaching
specific responses
using the three-term contingency in dtt
skills are typically taught at a table
with one instructor and one student
distractions are minimized specific
stimuli and responses
are well defined an instruction is
directed by the
adult or behavior technician dtt can be
highly effective
for individuals with autism spectrum
disorder when they have
difficulty learning skills naturally
from their environments
teaching never stops with dtt at the
table
once skills are mastered in this setting
the team begins to ensure that the
client can use that skill
functionally during everyday activities
as i mentioned dtt is based on three
term contingency
recall this contingency involves
antecedents
and consequences exerting influence or
control over behavior
the discrete trial is just a specialized
version of this principle
in a discrete trial the antecedent is a
discriminative
stimulus the behavior is a response and
the consequence is either reinforcement
or informational feedback
in the next few slides we will look at
each component of a discrete trial
in more detail
the first component of dtt is the
discriminative stimulus
if you recall from our video on stimulus
control
behaviors typically come under control
of a stimulus when
responses are reinforced in the presence
of that stimulus and not in its absence
and this type of stimulus is known as a
discriminative
stimulus in dtt the
discriminative stimulus is the natural
stimulus or
cue in the environment that typically
evokes a particular response
we can select discriminative stimuli for
a variety of skills
if i say one plus one equals your
response is likely
two if i show you a fire truck and you
ask what color
you will likely answer red and if a
doorbell rings
you will likely answer the door or maybe
ask who's there in all of these examples
the natural cue is a discriminative
stimulus for the responses
described because in the past those
responses were reinforced
take the last example of a doorbell
ringing
the doorbell ringing typically evokes
the behavior of answering the door
because in the past that response was
reinforced
we can therefore say that a doorbell
ringing is a discriminative stimulus for
answering a door
the next component of dtt is the
response
a response is the behavior that the
client is expected to perform
when the discriminative stimulus is
presented
responses are behaviors and must
therefore pass the stuffed animal test
if you recall answering the door passes
this test
but staying at your desk does not
can anyone explain why
that's right a stuffed animal can stay
at a desk
independently but it cannot answer a
door
that means that answering a door passes
the test
and is a behavior but staying at a desk
does not responses in dtt must be
clearly
and completely defined in objective and
measurable terms
clear definitions ensure that everyone
on the team is expecting and teaching
the same response
and recording it the same way for
example
when teaching a four-year-old to label a
picture of a balloon
we might accept an approximation like
boon
or maybe we will only accept the full
label
balloon this is up to the behavior
specialist to determine and will be
provided as a part of the skill
acquisition plan for your client one
more important feature of responses and
dtt
is that they are single discrete
behaviors and are relatively
quick to perform there are a few types
of common responses in dtt
correct responses are responses that
meet the definitions specified on the
skill acquisition plan
incorrect responses are responses that
do not meet the definition specified on
the skill
acquisition plan self-corrects are
responses that involve
first engaging in an incorrect behavior
and then engaging in the correct
behavior
these are often counted as incorrect to
avoid forming patterns
where the client always does the
incorrect behavior first
non-responses occur when the client does
not provide a response within a given
time frame
the time period is typically three to
five seconds unless
otherwise specified
the last component of dtt is the
consequence
which involves reinforcement or
informational feedback
reinforcement involves delivering a
reinforcer immediately following a
correct response
the reinforcer must be contingent
consistent
appropriate and paired with praise or
another natural reinforcer
informational feedback involves
delivering neutral feedback
immediately following an incorrect
response
self-correct or non-response this can be
a simple
no try again or it may involve more
specific feedback like you need to look
or
so close
typically discrete trials are presented
in sets of 5 to 10
or more and each trial is focused on a
target response or program
one type of presentation pattern used is
known as
mast trials mass trials
are trials during which you present the
same sd
repeatedly for example asking what color
while showing a red card 5-10 times in a
row
if you instead ask what color for red
green and yellow then you are not
conducting
mass trials this format provides
learners with many opportunities to
practice the same response
which can be particularly useful when
teaching new responses
are less learning via most to least
prompting is used when teaching new
responses
in mass trials to prevent all errors
this is desirable because the more often
you practice an error
the more likely you are to repeat it by
preventing errors we can ensure that the
client
is practicing the correct response as
much as possible
when done correctly the last few trials
of errorless
learning are independent correct
responses
when errors occur in dtt the consequence
will always be
informational feedback what you do after
that feedback will depend on the
specific program for your client and the
type of response
errors for mastered skills are typically
followed by another opportunity to
respond correctly
and prompts are only provided if the
client responds incorrectly
on two consecutive trials errors for new
skills are typically followed
immediately by a prompt
trial the prompt used will depend on the
skill
and the client behavior technicians
always follow up prompted trials
after errors with an opportunity to once
again respond
independently when running lessons in
dtt
you must be mindful of pacing motivation
and reinforcement pacing refers to how
quickly you deliver
each instruction it is important to keep
the time
between each discrete trial short this
is known as the
inter trial interval the more time
between the trials the more likely the
client is to leave the area
or want to move on to something else it
is also important to use motivating
operations to your advantage
since motivation can change throughout
sessions
you will need to conduct frequent
preference assessments to keep
motivation high you will also want to
reinforce
learning readiness skills like
transitioning
and attending to the task this can help
make transitions
easier and set up motivation to work for
more of that reinforcer
last you will need to keep in mind our
principles of reinforcement
deliver the reinforcer immediately to
create a strong link
between the response and the reinforcer
the practice will also help you to avoid
inadvertently reinforcing other
behaviors
be consistent deliver praise or a
reinforcer
every time while a skill is an
acquisition
this will create a thick schedule of
reinforcement
and have the greatest effect on learning
be contingent
deliver the reinforcer if and only if
the client gives a correct response
this ensures that you can establish
stimulus control
when teaching new skills last
make sure the reinforcer is appropriate
only deliver reinforcers that match the
effort
and that do not interfere with the
lesson
for example you may provide a
five-minute break with a tablet after a
difficult program with good effort
but a one-minute break after an easier
lesson or a lesson with lower
effort while discrete trial training is
an important tool for targeting skills
for many clients with autism spectrum
disorder
it is not always necessary as we just
learned
dtt involves teaching skills in a highly
structured
distraction-free format once the skills
are mastered
in this format we must plan to help our
clients
use these skills functionally during
everyday activities
to do this we use a variety of different
naturalistic teaching methods
if our clients can learn new skills in
more natural settings without the
structured format of dtt
then we can skip dtt and begin teaching
target skills during everyday routines
from the start the main types of
naturalistic teaching methods found in
behavior
analytic programs are natural
environment teaching and incidental
teaching
first we will discuss natural
environment teaching
or net the goal of net is to target
skills across many environments and
people such that clients are maintaining
skills
and using them functionally without
intensive intervention
as mentioned before behavior analysts
and behavior
technicians use net to teach and
increase skills when possible
resorting to dtt only when necessary
in nat lessons are loosely structured
natural distractors are present stimuli
used are naturally available in the
environment
and reinforcers are intrinsic meaning
that they are related to the activity
we use two main techniques when
targeting skills in natural environment
teaching
these techniques are referred to
capturing
and contriving learning opportunities
capturing opportunities involves taking
advantage of a situation to teach a
skill as it occurs
naturally during an activity for example
if a technician is outside playing with
the client and they notice that the
client is reaching for a toy that is out
of reach
the technician can take that opportunity
to work on
asking for the toy if the technician
instead sets a favorite toy out of reach
to create motivation to work on
asking for that toy then they are
contriving an opportunity rather than
capturing one contriving opportunities
involve setting up a situation to work
on a skill during a natural activity or
routine
for example if a technician purposely
misreads a word in a book
to work on correcting others politely
they are contriving an opportunity
to work on that skill if instead a peer
accidentally
misreads a word in a book and the
technician uses the situation to work on
correcting others politely
they are capturing a learning
opportunity
the following are some of the specific
goals of natural environment teaching
first we use net to establish
appropriate stimulus control over
relevant behaviors such that they can be
used by the client
functionally in everyday life we want
this control to be specific
enough that the behavior makes sense but
not so specific that they only perform
the skill
at the table with you next we want to
increase
opportunities for the client to practice
and use new skills
throughout the day since the stimuli
used are available throughout the day
teaching in the natural
environment ensures that there will be
plenty of opportunities to practice the
skill
even in your absence additionally
we use nat to target multiple skills
from different domains
or programs all at once the more closely
matches what occurs in day-to-day life
can lead to more complex behavior
finally we target learning to learn
skills during
nat programs many individuals with asd
do not learn from their environments
like their typically developing peers
over time net can help these individuals
learn how to acquire new skills
by observing others and responding to
natural learning opportunities
throughout the day using natural
reinforcers
also helps meet this goal as the client
will more likely
to contact that reward outside of the
aba
session which will help to increase
target behavior
outside of time spent in intervention
incidental teaching looks a lot like net
with a few key differences much like in
natural environment teaching
incidental teaching trials take place
during natural activities
and routines using stimuli and
reinforcers
are readily available in the environment
unlike net skills taught during
incidental teaching are not pre-planned
technicians instead capture
opportunities to teach new skills
that are age-appropriate but not
currently outlined in the skill
acquisition plan
incidental teaching is often ran at the
same time as
other net programs during each activity
or routine
with both natural environment teaching
and incidental teaching
technicians provide informational
feedback following
incorrect responses and non-responses
much like they do in discrete trial
teaching
this feedback is typically as natural as
possible
and an attempt is made to mimic the
feedback
that client receives from parents and
teachers
after providing feedback technicians
will need to contrive an opportunity to
repeat the trial again
to check for learning if the client does
not respond correctly on the second
opportunity
technicians contrive a third opportunity
for the skill and provide a prompt
prompts and naturalistic teaching match
assistance typically given by parents
and teachers
and the technicians fade all prompts as
quickly as possible
in error correction the role of the
behavior technician
is to make sure that all three parts of
the contingency
are happening and that the behavior is
coming under control
of the relevant stimulus
now we will move on to the more
important principle of generalization
as mentioned earlier in this video one
of the main goals of naturalistic
teaching
is to ensure that our clients are using
skills functionally across many
different environments and maintaining
these skills over time without intensive
intervention
this concept is the cornerstone of
generalization
generalization involves performing a
skill learned in one context
across many other appropriate contexts
as such it is the primary end goal of
any behavior analytic intervention
if a client can respond correctly with
the behavior technician
in one room at a table but continues to
struggle with this skill in another room
with other people across time this skill
is not yet functional for this client
for example
if a technician teaches a client to
independently
greet him when he enters the room where
intervention takes
place but this client only greets other
people 20
of the time then this skill is not yet a
useful skill that will help to improve
the quality of life for this client
supervisors will plan and program for
generalization
and their skill acquisition plans by
indicating what stimuli to use and what
responses to reinforce these plans will
cover
two main types of generalization as well
as what we refer to
as maintenance
the first type of generalization that is
a part of any well-written skill
acquisition plans
is stimulus generalization this type of
generalization
involves performing the same behavior in
response to many different stimuli
remember stimuli can be spoken words
pictures smells and things you feel
things you taste
and more the first example on this slide
shows a client saying
hi to their mom and dad and teacher this
is an example of stimulus generalization
across people the second example shows a
client
saying bird to three different pictures
of birds
this is an example of stimulus
generalization
across exemplars in this case
each picture is an example or exemplar
of a bird the second type of
generalization
found in skill acquisition plans is
response
generalization this type of
generalization
involves performing many different
behaviors in response
to the same stimulus remember behaviors
are interactions
between the person and their environment
in the first example
on this slide a client greets his mom on
different occasions by saying
hi hugging her and smiling and waving
in the second example the client labels
the same picture as
mouse animal and mickey
the final part of generalization found
in the skill
acquisition plan is maintenance
maintenance refers to the ability to
demonstrate a skill over time
if a client can perform the same skill a
week
month or year from when it was last
practiced during intervention
then they are demonstrating maintenance
supervisors will provide a maintenance
schedule to gradually practice the skill
less and less during intervention such
that we can determine whether or not the
skill can be
maintained by the natural environment
concludes our first video on aba based
teaching methods
please exit this video and return to
your course to complete the next
assignments
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