Teaching New Skills and the Use of Reinforcement

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1 Teaching New Skills and the Use of Reinforcement Presented by: Joe Pannozzo, M.S. Director, Community Services (207)

2 Pine Tree Society Celebrating 75 years of serving Maine people with disabilities and their families. Offering a full range of programs and services designed to help children and adults with disabilities lead richer, more socially connected lives. Programs include: Day program for adults Case management Assistive Technology and Augmentative Communications services Pine Tree Camp

3 Contents Reinforcement Task Analysis Forward/Backward Chaining Prompting Activity Schedules

4 Reinforcement A positive reinforcer: A stimulus or event that follows the behavior and is administered contingently. Advantages: Positive reinforcement is used to increase the future probability of a wide range of behaviors. Used to produce new behavior, refine the topography and the frequency or duration of existing behaviors. Delivered verbally with activities, through points or tokens and even monetarily!

5 Teaching New Skills: Task Analysis A task analysis involves breaking a complex skill or series of behaviors into smaller teachable units. Allows the parent/trainer to determine the content and sequence of instruction, the starting point needed and next skill to teach in the series.

6 Teaching New Skills: Task Analysis When creating a task analysis, it will need to be individualized! Remember your child/person you work with will need different levels of intervention. Not all task analysis are going to be the same!

7 Teaching New Skills: Forward Chaining The sequence of behavior identified in the task analysis is taught in temporal order. Reinforcement is delivered after first step is mastered according to criteria established. Example: Picking up and holding the toothbrush correctly, three consecutive times.

8 Teaching New Skills: Forward Chaining Adding Steps Add a step to the sequence upon mastering. Deliver reinforcement contingent upon that step being mastered at the same standard for previous step. All steps in that sequence are eventually mastered and performed at the same standard as all previous steps.

9 Teaching New Skills: Backward Chaining All steps in the task analysis are completed by the trainer, parent or staff except for the final task in the chain. When the child/participant completes the last step at the set criteria, reinforcement is delivered. The trainer/parent will continue to start the sequence and let the child complete steps toward the end until all steps in the task analysis are complete.

10 Teaching New Skills: Prompting Verbal Prompts/Directions One word, several words even a paragraph. Functions as a stimulus to attain the correct response. Found in many different settings!

11 Teaching New Skills: Prompting Modeling Teaching the desired behavior by demonstration so that it can be imitated. More intrusive than verbal prompts because the trainer/parent must demonstrate the correct response.

12 Teaching New Skills: Prompting Physical Guidance Hands on with child/individual to attain the correct response. Most intrusive Parent/Trainer should be behind the child/individual when engage in hand over hand/physical guidance. This allows fading as the child provides the exertion over trials.

13 Teaching New Skills: Prompting Graduated Guidance Fading procedure where the parent/trainer provides a physical prompt only when needed. Parent/Trainer immediately stops using the physical prompt when the correct behavior is attained.

14 Teaching New Skills: Task Analysis A task analysis involves breaking a complex skill or series of behaviors into smaller teachable units. Its important because it allows the teacher to determine the content and sequence of instruction, the starting point for intervention and the next skill to teach in a series.

15 Teaching New Skills: The Activity Schedule An activity schedule is a set of picture or words that cues someone to engage in a sequence of activities. Takes many different forms Detailed or general remember to individualize!

16 Teaching New Skills: The Activity Schedule Goal of teaching a schedule use is to enable children with autism to perform tasks and activities without prompting and guidance by parents or teachers.

17 Teaching New Skills: The Activity Schedule Choice: Lack of control over the events of daily life often appears to be associated with tantrums and disruptive behavior. Whether its written or photographic, activity schedules provide a framework for helping children with autism to make choices.

18 Teaching New Skills: The Activity Schedule Activity schedules should not be just tasks! Include socialization in the schedule. A hello to a peer A request to a parent Make sure the child is engaging

19 Teaching New Skills: The Activity Schedule When the task is complete use a way to signal its closure A token, checkmark, etc. to show the child they are working toward their reinforcement. Remember we are all on our schedules.

20 Sources Cooper, J., Heron, T., & Heward, W. (2007). Applied behavior analysis. (2 nd Ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ., Merril Prentice Hall Publishing. McClanahan, L., & Krantz, P. (1999). Activity schedules for children with autism: Teaching independent behavior. Bethesda, MD. Woodbine House

21 Questions? Joe Pannozzo, M.S. Director, Community Services A program of Pine Tree Society (207) Thank you!