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My child is doing well with many of his ABA programs, even the ones that focus on the development of play skills. Unfortunately, he doesn’t play with most of the toys that we give him, and he has worked for the same five things since our program began a year ago (marshmallow peeps, Thomas trains,…
Flippin, M., Reszka, S., & Watson, L. R. (2010). Effectiveness of the picture exchange communication system (PECS) on communication and speech for children with autism spectrum disorders: A meta-analysis. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 19, 178-195. Reviewed by: Kathleen Moran Caldwell College Why research this topic? The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), based on…
Maximizing motivation is an essential component of effective teaching and behavior reduction; therefore, preference assessments can help identify those items and activities that will be most motivating for individuals with autism. In this issue of Clinical Corner, Niall Toner shares why preference assessments are so important and provides an excellent overview of the various types…
Answered by Tina Sidener, PhD, BCBA-D Assistant Professor of Psychology, Caldwell College The term “verbal behavior” can be a confusing one, perhaps because it is used to mean several different things, and the field lacks consensus on some of the applications of this term. Let’s start with one use of this term…Verbal Behavior, the book.…
I am a speech language pathologist in a school-based program that relies heavily on Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). What is important to know about this approach and its implications for my role? In what ways can I support this school-based program? Answered by Barbara Esch, PhD, BCBA, CCC-SLP Esch Behavior Consultants, Inc., and Elizabeth G.…
I am a behavior analyst working with a 6-year-old child with a very limited food repertoire. Do you have any assessment and treatment recommendations that can guide my efforts to address this area? Answered by Jill K. Belchic-Schwartz, PhD Pediatric/Child Psychologist, Childhood Solutions, PC, Fort Washington, PA Food selectivity is a fairly common issue with…
Kristin S. Bowman, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCBA-D Endicott College & Grace Effect Therapy Services Examples: Sign language, pictures, speech-generating device, voice output communication aid Description According to the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA), Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) is an umbrella term that encompasses all communication modalities other than vocal-verbal communication (i.e., talking; ASHA, n.d.-a). As the…
Individuals with autism often receive services from multi-disciplinary teams. In addition to educators and early interventionists, you will find descriptions of many of these service providers below. Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) Board certified behavior analysts conduct behavioral assessments and provide interpretations of the results of such assessments. They design and supervise behavior analytic interventions…