In special education, and education in general, we are constantly told what to teach. We have state standards we must adhere to, goals outlined in various curricula, and of course the skills and milestones we must measure during our formal assessments. All of these guidelines are valuable for us as teachers. They provide us with a framework for teaching, assist us in developing goals and objectives, allow us to assess strengths and needs, and help us to measure progress. But there is so much more to teaching than that! There is an element of clinical judgment involved in education that cannot be found in any manual. We should not teach something because it is part of a curriculum or because it is measured in an assessment--we should teach something because it will improve our students' quality of life. In the field of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), we focus on modifying socially-significant behaviors. In other words, behavior that impacts an individual's daily life and functioning in the world. Put simply, we must remember to teach what actually matters.
Showing posts with label ABA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ABA. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Teach What Matters!
Posted by Ashley, Special Educator
In special education, and education in general, we are constantly told what to teach. We have state standards we must adhere to, goals outlined in various curricula, and of course the skills and milestones we must measure during our formal assessments. All of these guidelines are valuable for us as teachers. They provide us with a framework for teaching, assist us in developing goals and objectives, allow us to assess strengths and needs, and help us to measure progress. But there is so much more to teaching than that! There is an element of clinical judgment involved in education that cannot be found in any manual. We should not teach something because it is part of a curriculum or because it is measured in an assessment--we should teach something because it will improve our students' quality of life. In the field of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), we focus on modifying socially-significant behaviors. In other words, behavior that impacts an individual's daily life and functioning in the world. Put simply, we must remember to teach what actually matters.
In special education, and education in general, we are constantly told what to teach. We have state standards we must adhere to, goals outlined in various curricula, and of course the skills and milestones we must measure during our formal assessments. All of these guidelines are valuable for us as teachers. They provide us with a framework for teaching, assist us in developing goals and objectives, allow us to assess strengths and needs, and help us to measure progress. But there is so much more to teaching than that! There is an element of clinical judgment involved in education that cannot be found in any manual. We should not teach something because it is part of a curriculum or because it is measured in an assessment--we should teach something because it will improve our students' quality of life. In the field of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), we focus on modifying socially-significant behaviors. In other words, behavior that impacts an individual's daily life and functioning in the world. Put simply, we must remember to teach what actually matters.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
DTT: A Piece of the ABA Pie
Posted by Natalie, MA, Special Educator
Now that your mouth is watering with an image of pie, let me take you back to when I first heard this analogy. In graduate school, I took a course on curriculum and instruction for students with disabilities. My professor, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) was always telling us how the principles of ABA were beneficial for her students, and how important research-based interventions such as ABA are in all instruction (special education and general education alike). ABA was increasing in popularity as people learned more about the improvements students made, and with this increasing popularity came many misconceptions and misinformation. One such piece of information was that ABA is synonymous with DTT, or Discrete Trial Teaching. To this, my BCBA professor would say, "DTT is NOT ABA; it is a piece of the ABA pie!" You also may have read about this idea in my colleague Hiroe's post, "What is ABA?" She references that Discrete Trial Teaching is an effective teaching method utilized in many ABA programs, but that ABA is not wholly DTT. So what is the Discrete Trial Teaching thing all about?
Let's break it down DTT Style:
Now that your mouth is watering with an image of pie, let me take you back to when I first heard this analogy. In graduate school, I took a course on curriculum and instruction for students with disabilities. My professor, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) was always telling us how the principles of ABA were beneficial for her students, and how important research-based interventions such as ABA are in all instruction (special education and general education alike). ABA was increasing in popularity as people learned more about the improvements students made, and with this increasing popularity came many misconceptions and misinformation. One such piece of information was that ABA is synonymous with DTT, or Discrete Trial Teaching. To this, my BCBA professor would say, "DTT is NOT ABA; it is a piece of the ABA pie!" You also may have read about this idea in my colleague Hiroe's post, "What is ABA?" She references that Discrete Trial Teaching is an effective teaching method utilized in many ABA programs, but that ABA is not wholly DTT. So what is the Discrete Trial Teaching thing all about?
Let's break it down DTT Style:
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
MiliWHO??
Posted by Dani,
Speech-Language Pathologist MA CCC-SLP
OK don't worry this isn't going to be a boring journal article post but the speechie geek in me got really excited while reading this. Why? Because it literally describes EXACTLY how I do my therapy!! Specifically the article highlights the effectiveness of milieu approach to teaching prelinguistic (before speaking) communication skills. So get ready to learn a new word and feel smart: MILIEU! (To all my professors and speechies, yes this word rang a bell from the days I spent studying, just never stuck with me so meaningfully!)
Milieu! Milieu teaching
is pretty much the most accurate way I can describe the way I do therapy given
my population and their needs.
I subscribe to the Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research and I
received an article that caught my eye the other day. Long story short, it
led me to a really old article (1993, I was only in 3rd grade!) entitled
"Facilitating Prelinguistic Communication Skills in Young Children with
Developmental Delay" (Warren, Yoder, Gazdag, Kim &Jones, 1993).
OK don't worry this isn't going to be a boring journal article post but the speechie geek in me got really excited while reading this. Why? Because it literally describes EXACTLY how I do my therapy!! Specifically the article highlights the effectiveness of milieu approach to teaching prelinguistic (before speaking) communication skills. So get ready to learn a new word and feel smart: MILIEU! (To all my professors and speechies, yes this word rang a bell from the days I spent studying, just never stuck with me so meaningfully!)
Sunday, December 9, 2012
What is ABA?
Posted
by Hiroe, Special Educator
I’ve
been working at an agency that provides services through the Early Intervention
Program (EIP) as a teacher and behavior analyst for the last several
years. Before I became a teacher, I worked as a service coordinator for
the EIP. As service coordinator I met many parents who opted against
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) services for their children. In my
experience, parents often made this decision because they were misinformed by
people who did not fully understand ABA. Unfortunately this is very common
in the field! ABA is arguably the most misunderstood science. I
hope that this post, and this blog as a whole, will help to clear up some of
those misconceptions. Before discussing what ABA is, I think it
might be helpful to discuss what ABA is not.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
An open letter to the world..on behalf of "My parents"
Posted by Dani, Speech-Language Pathologist
Dear parents everywhere,
Let me first state that I am not yet a parent. More specifically, I am not a parent of child with special needs and/or interfering behaviors. That being said, I have gained significant experience in counselling, educating, and collaborating with parents who raise children with a range of diagnoses including Autism and PDD-NOS ("my parents"). I give credit to my amazing coworkers who I continue to learn from every day, the strong and loving parents who share with us their most vulnerable states and rawest emotions regarding raising a child with special needs/interfering behaviors, and most of all, I accredit the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (it's science! it works!)
I can't even begin to describe the strength and perseverance I see in so many of my parents. I assure you that my parents come from ALL walks of life. I assure you that despite socioeconomic, cultural, and religious differences-- my parents have MANY things in common. The obvious commonality is the fact that they are parents of children with special needs. More importantly, they all love their children deeply and enter into Early Intervention for that very reason-- to try and find the best and most effective way to help their children.
Dear parents everywhere,
Let me first state that I am not yet a parent. More specifically, I am not a parent of child with special needs and/or interfering behaviors. That being said, I have gained significant experience in counselling, educating, and collaborating with parents who raise children with a range of diagnoses including Autism and PDD-NOS ("my parents"). I give credit to my amazing coworkers who I continue to learn from every day, the strong and loving parents who share with us their most vulnerable states and rawest emotions regarding raising a child with special needs/interfering behaviors, and most of all, I accredit the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (it's science! it works!)
I can't even begin to describe the strength and perseverance I see in so many of my parents. I assure you that my parents come from ALL walks of life. I assure you that despite socioeconomic, cultural, and religious differences-- my parents have MANY things in common. The obvious commonality is the fact that they are parents of children with special needs. More importantly, they all love their children deeply and enter into Early Intervention for that very reason-- to try and find the best and most effective way to help their children.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Modifying Behavior: The Process
Posted by Ashley, Special Educator & Peri, Licensed Psychologist and BCBA
How many times have you wished you could change the behavior of the people around you? Whether it be your spouse, your colleagues, your friends, or your children, most of us wish we could change someone's behavior at some point during our day! Well, we are here to share a little secret with you: you can change behavior! That is what the field of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is all about! The principles of ABA are founded in the idea that all behavior is learned and that all behavior can be modified. And, fortunately, these principles are not a secret! In fact, they are a science! We are here to share them with you! While we are closet (or maybe not-so-closet) nerds who enjoy reading ABA textbooks, we realize that most people do not! Our goal here is to take that information and break it down in a way that is useful to those of you who are not ABA nerds like us! Now let's get down to business...
How many times have you wished you could change the behavior of the people around you? Whether it be your spouse, your colleagues, your friends, or your children, most of us wish we could change someone's behavior at some point during our day! Well, we are here to share a little secret with you: you can change behavior! That is what the field of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is all about! The principles of ABA are founded in the idea that all behavior is learned and that all behavior can be modified. And, fortunately, these principles are not a secret! In fact, they are a science! We are here to share them with you! While we are closet (or maybe not-so-closet) nerds who enjoy reading ABA textbooks, we realize that most people do not! Our goal here is to take that information and break it down in a way that is useful to those of you who are not ABA nerds like us! Now let's get down to business...
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
What's the Point of Center-Based Intervention?
Posted by Ashley, Special Educator
In the field of Early Intervention, the majority of services are provided within a child's home. This is a widely accepted model and there are many advantages to home-based instruction. One primary strength is that the child is being taught in his/her home environment, hopefully making the instruction age-appropriate, natural, and meaningful. This allows therapists the wonderful opportunity to integrate instruction into the child's already existing daily routines (e.g. making lunch, brushing teeth, getting the mail, etc.)! It is also beneficial because it makes parent involvement a little easier. When therapy is provided in the home, parents are more likely to be included and to be treated as collaborative partners, which is hugely important! It also allows regular opportunities for the therapists and caretakers to observe one another and offer support. So, with all of these great benefits to home-based instruction, what's the point of center-based intervention? (Hint: there are many benefits, so keep reading!)
In the field of Early Intervention, the majority of services are provided within a child's home. This is a widely accepted model and there are many advantages to home-based instruction. One primary strength is that the child is being taught in his/her home environment, hopefully making the instruction age-appropriate, natural, and meaningful. This allows therapists the wonderful opportunity to integrate instruction into the child's already existing daily routines (e.g. making lunch, brushing teeth, getting the mail, etc.)! It is also beneficial because it makes parent involvement a little easier. When therapy is provided in the home, parents are more likely to be included and to be treated as collaborative partners, which is hugely important! It also allows regular opportunities for the therapists and caretakers to observe one another and offer support. So, with all of these great benefits to home-based instruction, what's the point of center-based intervention? (Hint: there are many benefits, so keep reading!)
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Responding to Name
Posted by Ashley, Special Educator
As we know, based on diagnostic criteria, individuals with autism display marked differences in the areas of socialization and communication [more information]. Differences in these areas are required in order to receive an autism diagnosis. What this means may vary from child to child. Differences in these areas may vary drastically in both degree and form. Remember that every child is a unique individual. However, although every child is different, there are sometimes specific areas of need that are common to many (not all) of our students. One of these areas is responding to one's name (i.e. acknowledging when someone has called your name).
As we know, based on diagnostic criteria, individuals with autism display marked differences in the areas of socialization and communication [more information]. Differences in these areas are required in order to receive an autism diagnosis. What this means may vary from child to child. Differences in these areas may vary drastically in both degree and form. Remember that every child is a unique individual. However, although every child is different, there are sometimes specific areas of need that are common to many (not all) of our students. One of these areas is responding to one's name (i.e. acknowledging when someone has called your name).
Friday, October 5, 2012
"Play" Is Not A Four Letter Word
Posted by Ashley, Special Educator
...Okay, so maybe it is a four-letter word, but not the bad kind!
Very often when people think about Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), they immediately picture a miserable-looking child sitting at a desk with a therapist who is running mass trials (i.e. drilling the child). The therapist presents all instructions and praise using a monotone and robotic voice, then pats the child on the head, hands over a cookie, and records some data. Yes, I too have seen these scary YouTube videos! I'll be honest with you: these types of therapists and programs do exist. In my opinion, this type of therapy is grossly outdated. This is what you need to know: although that type of ABA may exist, it does not represent all therapists or all programs. It certainly does not represent our "Getting the Words Out" team, if we haven't already made that clear! Our core behavioral belief system is probably pretty consistent with those therapists [see posts on ABA and Behavior Modification], but our implementation and practice is quite different! It's those old-school-totally-uncool-therapists who give our beloved ABA a bad reputation!
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Teaching Is Not For Wusses
Posted by Ashley, Special Educator
I’ve recently had quite a few conversations with new
teachers about their first-year experiences in the field. The common theme of these conversations is
that most new teachers start out feeling overwhelmed, incompetent, and sleep
deprived! That’s exactly how I felt my
first year of teaching as well! This is
no reflection of how much you love your job or your students. It’s just a tough job, especially in the
beginning! I don’t think that any one,
or any educational program, can truly prepare you for your own classroom. It’s sort of like being thrown in the deep
end of a swimming pool. You feel a
little shocked, your feet don’t reach the ground, and you have to decide pretty
quickly if you’re going to sink or swim.
Not to mention that you’re not exactly sure how to swim! Sure, you’ve taken some classes, watched some
videos, but you’ve never had to do it on your own, you’ve never had to do it
without your life jacket. But, here you
are, in the deep end, with no lifeguard. It’s just you (and a bunch of children you’re
responsible for!) That can be a pretty
scary feeling, and is a feeling that I think a lot of new teachers can relate
to!
Friday, September 28, 2012
ABA Drill Sergeants: ABOUT FACE...
...and keep on marching!
Posted by: Natalie, Special Educator
Out of our wonderfully assembled team of brilliant, hardworking women dedicated to improving the lives of children with special needs and their families, I believe I am the newest one to the field. I dabbled in high school history, elementary school math, and middle school ELA. But then, I stumbled across this science called ABA in my graduate program at Teachers College, Columbia University and hit the ground running! Never having been more passionate about anything else in my entire life, I've dedicated myself to trying to be the best teacher, behavior therapist, and play buddy for all of the students I have had the honor to work with.
Posted by: Natalie, Special Educator
Out of our wonderfully assembled team of brilliant, hardworking women dedicated to improving the lives of children with special needs and their families, I believe I am the newest one to the field. I dabbled in high school history, elementary school math, and middle school ELA. But then, I stumbled across this science called ABA in my graduate program at Teachers College, Columbia University and hit the ground running! Never having been more passionate about anything else in my entire life, I've dedicated myself to trying to be the best teacher, behavior therapist, and play buddy for all of the students I have had the honor to work with.
I'm just an SLP livin in an ABA world... :)
Posted by Dani, Speech-Language Pathologist
Hello everyone! This is my first time blogging so hang in there! I am a part of a dynamic team of amazingly intelligent and passionate women who kick some major butt at their jobs (to quote Heather from Real Housewives of New York City- "HOLLAA!!") and I represent the "Speechie" of the group.
Like many speechies, I was groomed against ABA (applied behavior analysis) during my undergrad and graduate years (I more specifically remember my grad school childhood language professor emphasizing the unnaturalness of using ABA for language development). All in all- I was taught that ABA is this terrible old school way of teaching children.
Hello everyone! This is my first time blogging so hang in there! I am a part of a dynamic team of amazingly intelligent and passionate women who kick some major butt at their jobs (to quote Heather from Real Housewives of New York City- "HOLLAA!!") and I represent the "Speechie" of the group.
Like many speechies, I was groomed against ABA (applied behavior analysis) during my undergrad and graduate years (I more specifically remember my grad school childhood language professor emphasizing the unnaturalness of using ABA for language development). All in all- I was taught that ABA is this terrible old school way of teaching children.
Monday, September 24, 2012
Not All Therapists Are Created Equal
Posted by Ashley, Special Educator
This seems to be a regular topic of conversation with many
of the families we work with. I
cannot begin to count the number of parents who have expressed dissatisfaction
with one or more of their child’s home-based therapists (e.g. ABA, Special
Instruction, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Speech and Language
Therapy). In many cases, parents come to
us explaining that they feel that something is not quite right, but also doubt
their feelings and intuition. Some parents feel confident in their instincts, but feel unsure of what to do next. Especially
in the field of Early Intervention, when families are just beginning to
navigate this overwhelming world of special education, many parents do not feel
that they have the knowledge or experience necessary to evaluate a therapist’s
skills. I hope the information provided
here will offer guidance to any parents who find themselves in this situation.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Getting The Words Out
Posted by Ashley, Special Educator
Why this title for our blog?
It seems fitting to begin our posts with an explanation of our title, as it lays the groundwork for all that follows. This phrase was chosen because we feel that it encompasses who we are as professionals, the work we do, the needs of our learners, and the ultimate goal of this blog. The meaning behind this phrase is multi-faceted, so let’s start from the beginning.
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