Relational frame theory (RFT) is a contemporary account dealing with language and cognitition from a behavior analytic perspective. RFT has been debated and has created some controversy, especially concurring the empirical evidence for the theory.
The empirical base has been and still is expanding and Simon Dymond, Richard J. May, Anita Munnelly and Alice E. Hoon has taken on the task of examining the evidence base. They have summarized their findings in an article published in The Behavior Analyst (2010). They found that between 1991 and 2008 there was published 62 empirical articles on RFT, mostly with adults and the relational frame of sameness.
For those interested in RFT, this article gives å nice summary of the evidence base, and should be examined for further information.
A lot of studies and reviews has established the effectiveness of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) for children with autism, but it is not available free to all children with autism, especially across Europe. This has lead to among other issues a commercialization of the ABA or EIBI services for children with autism. Creating a service for the wealthy, and created other issues that are problematic. Keenan, Dillenburger, Moderato and Röttgers has elaborated on these issues from examining the current state of ABA for autism in three European countries. The article point out real and important issues for service providers, families and governments and these issues need to be addressed.
Link to the article.
Based on Hayward, Gale and Eikeseht´s (2009) identification of four key variables that are common in those studies showing best effect of EIBI, there is a definitive need for effective assessment tool in developing an prod a unique, comprehensive curriculum that is tailored to the individual child’s needs across all areas of functioning. Gould, Dixon, Najdowski, Smith and Tarbox has an article in press for Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders available online addressing this issue. Their review is labeled “A review of assessments for determining the content of early intensive behavioral intervention programs for autism spectrum disorders.”
First the authors states the critical components for an assessment that may be used in determining curricula in EIBI, these are (1) the assessment should be comprehensive, (2) it should target early childhood development, (3) the assessment should consider behavior function, not just topography, and (4) it should be a direct link from assessment items to specific curricula targets. Based on these criteria hay identified the following four assessment instruments; Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program (VB-MAPP), Brigance Diagnostic Inventory of Early Development-II, Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales-II, and the Brigance diagnostic Comprehensive Inventory of Basic Skills-Revised.
Even if the authors identify these assessment tools they also That no single assessment tool is comprehensive enough to develop a fully comprehensive EIBI curriculum, and they give descriptions of the strengths and challenges by using the fours identified assessment tools.
This article highlights a central issue for providers of EIBI, and hopefully there will be conducted much more research on assessment tools and curricula design within EIBI. This article is a must read for all providing EIBI.
Teaching language to children with autism and children with other language delays may be concentrated on establishing the basic verbal operants as mand, tact and intraverbals. And studies has showed that these verbal operants are independent. Especially useful in clinical practice is procedures that produce emergent verbal behavior – new verbal operants that are not directly trained.
Grow and Kodak has published an article describing some of the research done in this area, and pointing out future challenges for research and clinical practice in Journal of applied behavior analysis. According to the research done up to now it is possible to design interventions that produce emergent verbal operants – one topography can be used over operants without specific training. And that children are more likely to emit tacts after manned training, but less likely to engage in mands after training tacts.
Grow and Kodak especially points to Multiple-exemplar instruction (MEI) as one promising procedure that has been shown effective in producing emergent verbal operants. But they also encourage to explore the possibilities of stimulus control.
A inspirational article important for all dealing with language teaching and applied behavior analysis.
Twitter may be a great place to get professional advice, inspiration and information on new developments. I regularly use twitter to share my thoughts and experience on behavior analysis on twitter. In order to use twitter for professional purposes you should consider to follow the following people that regularly tweet on topics in behavior analysis:
@_MissBehavior_
@Foxylearning
@ericjfox
@behaviourgeek
@louisemchugh
@n_of_one
@navigateaba
@behaviorbabe
@behaviortank
@zorroesque
@stimfunction
@WellspringABA
@Dianne_
@ABA_behaviour
@abaexpert
@appliedbehavior
@posBehsolutions
These are the behavior analysts I follow on Twitter, but there may be several more excellent behavior analysts on twitter. If you know any please comment below.
Mary Jane Weiss, Nicole Pearson, Kristin Foley, and Sara Pahl has published an article describing the importance of fluency outcomes for children with autism in this issue of The Behavior Analyst Today.
As the authors points out several children with autism display fluency deficits, that may affect learning and social outcomes. The level of evidence of providing fluency intervention is not established, and more research on fluency interventions for children autism is needed.
The article discusses to issues that may be especially relevant for children with autism: teaching of motor component skills and the evaluation of the outcomes of fluency building.
As this paper points out fluent performance in motor component skills may be potentially important for children with autism in a wide area of skills and possibilities and enhance further learning.
The outcome of fluency building is described in the acronym RESA – retention, endurance, stability and application. This outcomes is of course relevant for all children and learner, but may be especially relevant for children with autism and the common challenges in generalization and maintenance.
There exists a wide range of treatment options for autism, with varying degree of evidence. One of the treatment optioins that regularly are promoted in Europe and Norway is elect Eclecticism. And professionals and governments founding treatments argue that by combining the best from different treatments, one can create a more individualized and potentially more effective treatment.
As a response to this challenge Karola Dillenburger from the Queen´s University Belfast has an article in press in the journal Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders. The paper addresses the issues of eclecticism and applied behavior analysis (ABA), and how misinformation may stand in the way of evidence-based procedures such as ABA.
Read more…
Recently I reread the article “Using pivotal response training to facilitate appropriate play in children with autism spectrum disorders” published by Aubyn C. Stahmer in Child Language Teaching and Therapy in 1999. As shown this article is now some years old, but in may clinical practice working with preschool children with autism it is still relevant and useful.
The article gives a detailed description and suggestions for using the pivotal response training (PRT) procedure described by Koegel & Koege
l (1993). Where the central elements of PRT are exemplified according to teaching play; (1) clear instructions and questions, (2) interspersal of maintenance tasks, (3) child choice, (4) direct reinforcement, (5) reinforcement of goal-directed attempts, and (6) turn taking.
This article also describes different stages in play development, and how to utilize his information in setting appropriate targets for teaching play skills to children with autism. In this description the necessary prerequisites has been emphasized to assist in choking target responses.
Through this great and practical descriptions this article is valuable in clinical practice and may assist in both developing and implement effective teaching of play skills in an Early Intensive Behavior Intervention (EIBI) program for children with autism
