Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) in Behavior Analysis & Therapy and Autism Spectrum Disorders Southern Illinois University January 20 March 29, 2015

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1 1 Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) in Behavior Analysis & Therapy and Autism Spectrum Disorders Southern Illinois University January 20 March 29, 2015 Contacts and Communications Course Title: Behavior Analysis & Therapy and Autism Spectrum Disorders Instructor: Ruth Anne Rehfeldt, Ph.D., BCBA-D; Professor; Behavior Analysis & Therapy Program; Southern Illinois University. Instructor Bio: Phone: Technical Support. You will need basic computer skills in order to be successful in this course, including, but not limited to, the following: Opening a website if given its address; navigating a website; sending and receiving s; reading and posting messages on a discussion board; and playing video and audio files. Online Help If you need technical assistance, you may contact our SIUonline Helpdesk. Keep in mind that depending on your question, they may need to communicate with D2L before completely addressing a technical issue. The SIUonline Helpdesk is open Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. You can contact them via phone, or Live Chat. Phone: mycourse@siu.edu Live Chat: SIUonline Helpdesk: If you are looking for tutorials to help you get familiar with some of the tools in the course, there is a link in the course on the navigation bar called Open Courses Basics. Another place to access these and other student video tutorials is: Course Overview and Goal This 10 week course will provide participants with an overview of behavioral interventions for individuals with autism spectrum disorder. The course is an excellent choice for people who may have an interest in pursuing formal academic training in behavior analysis, including professionals and paraprofessionals currently employed in school and human service settings. Topics covered in the course will include science and anti-science in the treatment of autism, discrete trial and naturalistic teaching, interventions based on Skinner s (1957) Verbal Behavior, augmentative and alternative communication systems, assessment and treatment of challenging behavior, behavioral services for adolescents and adults, the professional discipline of behavior analysis, and more. The course is divided into seven modules, or weeks, of content. The seven

2 2 content modules will include a combination of assigned readings, videos, asynchronous class discussion, and opportunities for participants to research electronic resources and share input with the class. The modules will also include presentations, podcasts, and video interviews with world-renowned researchers in the discipline from Southern Illinois University and elsewhere. Time allocation is estimated to be 4-6 hours per week or module. All of the work within each module can be completed according to the participant s own schedule. The course will conclude with the preparation and presentation of a final report, described below. The entire course will last 10 weeks, as shown on the below calendar. Recommended Background This course is intended for students who are at an advanced undergraduate or beginning graduate level and have had limited formal academic course-work in behavior analysis. Individuals who are employed in schools or human service agencies working with individuals with autism spectrum disorder who may have an interest in pursuing formal academic training in the discipline would be perfect for the course. Experienced practitioners and others interested in research on behavioral interventions would also be appropriate participants. FAQ Will I get a Certificate of Completion after completing this class? Yes. Those who successfully complete the class with an overall grade of at least 80% (264/330 points) will receive a Certificate of Completion. What resources will I need for this class? All you need for this course is an Internet connection and an interest in learning more about the only scientifically-verified treatment for autism spectrum disorders. What is the coolest thing I'll learn if I take this class? You will learn about contemporary research underlying a variety of behavioral interventions for persons with autism spectrum disorder, as well as what the field of behavior analysis may hold for you in your future plans. Netiquette In this course you are required to treat the instructor, teaching assistants, and fellow class-mates with respect and courtesy at all times. It is easy to let it all out over or on discussion boards in a way that you might not in a face-to-face dialogue. Rude, emotional, or discourteous behavior toward the instructor, teaching assistants, or other class-mates will not be tolerated at any time. Please treat others with the same level of respect that you would in person. See for the core rules of netiquette for further information. Evaluations.

3 3 a. Quizzes (140 points). Each module will conclude with a 20-point multiple choice. You will be allowed up to three attempts to take the and obtain a score of mastery (16/20 points). Quizzes will be available to complete at any time during each module. b. Class Discussion (140 points). During this course you will be participating in regular, ongoing discussion with the instructor, teaching assistants, and your discussion group, according to the following guidelines: Discussion groups of approximately 50 participants will be formed during the first week of class. A total of 140 points will be awarded for participating regularly and meaningfully in class discussion. I will post several discussion topics or questions for your discussion group on the Saturday of each Module by 9 am Central time. You will have from Saturday to Wednesday, 11:59 pm Central time, to respond to ALL of my questions (5 points). You will then be required to respond to FIVE (15 points) of your class-mates posts within your discussion group from Wednesday through Saturday, 11: 59 pm Central time, of each module. The idea is that your discussion with your group is ongoing throughout each week. To receive full points, your comments must be at least 5 sentences in length at least, follow up on the post to which you are responding, and include specific details from the readings and videos that were assigned for the specific module. c. Final Project and Critique (50 points): For your final project for the course, you will select between the Silver and Maroon projects, for which instructions are provided below, and complete one of them. Both will require doing independent research and reporting what you learned to your discussion group, as well as critiquing two of your class-mates projects. The Silver project is appropriate for anyone who has taken university courses that required the reading of scholarly journal articles and the preparation of literature review papers which required the review of such articles. The Maroon project is appropriate for anyone who might not be as familiar with reading and interpreting scholarly journal articles and would like to use multimedia sources to research their topic. Projects are due no later than March 22 at 11:59 pm central time. (The project is worth 40 points). You will submit this assignment by pasting your project into the topic for this Discussion. You will simply click Reply to Thread and paste your project. During the final week of the course, you will have the chance to read and critique two other participants projects in your discussion group. (The online discussion and critique of projects is worth ten points, 5 points for each critique.) Points for you to follow in your critique are provided following the project description, below. You will submit your critiques in the class discussion for this topic simply by replying to the particular person s posting of their project. Your critiques will be due on Friday, March 27 by 11:59 pm. Silver Project: For this project you will be selecting a research article that you saw referenced in any of the assigned readings for this course that interested you and reporting on it to your Discussion group and the instructor. You may have difficulty locating some journal articles that are freely available online. If you have this trouble, you are welcome to select an article published in the journal Behavior Analysis in Practice from its website, at: Make sure the article is considered a research

4 4 article; that is, has a Method and Results section, and respond to the following questions included in the following report template. Please use complete sentences and run spell-check. (Provide the name, authors, and a link to the article you reviewed, if there is one, and answer the following questions about your article.) 1. What was the authors purpose in conducting the study that they conducted? Why do you think the problem or question addressed in this study is particularly important for people with autism spectrum disorder? (Introduction section) 2. Who were the participants in the study, and what does the article tell us about their characteristics? (Participant section in the Method section) 3. What behavior were the authors trying to change? (Procedure section in the method section) 4. What intervention was used? What similarities and differences exist between the intervention used in this study and interventions that you learned about during this class? (procedure section in the method section) 5. In general, what were the authors results? How effective was the intervention? (Results and Discussion sections). 6. What do you think are the most important implications that this study has for behavioral services for people with autism spectrum disorders or other disabilities? Points to consider for Silver Project Critique: 1. How well did you understand the purpose of this study and its implications for people with ASD from the report? 2. How easy was it for you to interpret the characteristics of the participants used in this study from the report? 3. How easily were you able to determine the specific behaviors the authors were trying to change from the report? 4. How clearly were you able to infer similarities and differences between the intervention used in the published study and the specific interventions you learned about in this class? 5. To what extent were you able to determine how effective the intervention in the published study was from reading the report? 6. Evaluate the extent to which the report makes solid implications for behavioral services for people with ASD. 7. Describe the three most interesting things that you learned from your peer s report. Maroon Project: For this project you will be using internet sources to research a) a fad or bogus treatment for individuals with autism spectrum disorder; and b) a type of behavioral intervention you either learned about in this course and would like to know more about, saw referenced in the material in this course, or heard about and would simply like to know more about. The assigned reading about the National Standards Project in Module 1 is a great place to come up with ideas for interventions for this project. Respond to the following questions included in the following report template. Please use complete sentences and run spell-check.

5 5 (Provide the name of the fad or bogus treatment and behavioral intervention that you researched). 1) Describe the fad or bogus treatment. 2) Why do you think parents or caregivers might choose the fad or bogus treatment? Based on what you learned in this course, why does this treatment seem to not be in the best interests of people with autism spectrum disorders and their families? 3) Describe the behavioral intervention that you researched for this project. What evidence supports its efficacy? 4) If you were a staff-person at an agency or school working with individuals with autism or a family-member, what would you like about the behavioral intervention you researched? Would you have any concerns? 5) What do you think could be done to help educate others about the efficacy of the behavioral intervention you chose, and to steer them away from choosing non-evidencebased treatments such as the one you chose? 6) Provide the URL s that you used for your work (at least six total). Points to Consider for Maroon Project Critique: 1. How clearly was the bogus or fad treatment explained from the report, as well as unsubstantiated claims about its efficacy? 2. Evaluate the explanation provided for why a parent or caregiver might choose the treatment, and how the treatment seems to not be in families best interests. 3. Evaluate the clarity of the description of the behavioral intervention and the research efficacy in support of it included in this project 4. How clearly were you able to infer what others might like about the behavioral intervention researched for this project, as well as concerns that others might have over its use? 5. To what extent were you able to determine strategies for educating others about the efficacy of the behavioral intervention chosen for the article? 6. Ensure that there are six URL s provided for internet resources used for the project. 7. Describe the three most interesting things that you learned from your peer s report. An overall grade of 80% (264/330 points) is required to receive a Certificate of Completion. Calendar Week: Topic Learning Activities Jan. 20*-Jan. 25 *Monday, Jan. 19 is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a national holiday, in the U.S., so the course will officially begin on Tuesday, Jan. 20 of Course Orientation and Introduction View welcome and orientation videos; class introductions and discussion.

6 6 this week. Jan. -26 Feb. 1 Module 1: Autism Spectrum Disorders and Evidencebased Treatment Feb. 2- Feb. 8 Module 2: Introduction to Applied Behavior Analysis Feb. 9-Feb. 15 Module 3: Naturalistic Approaches to Teaching Feb. 16-Feb. 22 Module 4: The Verbal Behavior Approach; Alternative & Augmentative Communication Feb. 23-March 1 Module 5: Behavioral Assessment & Treatment of Challenging Behavior March 2-March 8 Module 6: Interventions for Adolescents & Adults March 9-March 15 Southern Illinois University Spring Break. No class material. March 16-March 22 Week 7: The Professional Discipline

7 March 23-March 29 Projects due March 22; 11:59 pm central time; Project critiques due March 27 at 11:59 pm central time; Course closes on Sunday, March 29, at 11:59 pm central time 7