Families typically seek early intervention for young children (under the age of 6) diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Early intervention can be intensive for both you and your child. The intensity (how many hours of therapy your child receives each week) depends on several considerations. First, diagnoses such as Asperger’s Syndrome, Autism, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder –Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) are made in children with vastly different abilities, strengths and needs. Some children will benefit from more structured intensive intervention while other children will benefit from less intensity. In this respect, we agree with Koegel and LaZebnik (2004) that a one-size-fits-all-program may not equally benefit all children.
Very generally, the types of treatments that are effective for autism will very likely be effective for the other conditions on the autism spectrum. There is a noticeable exception, however. According to research by Smith, Klevstrand and Lovaas, 1996 and cited again by Smith and Lovaas, 1997, "It appears that the UCLA treatment is about equally effective for children with autism and for children with most other pervasive developmental disorders… The exception is girls with Rett's disorder, who do not benefit from the treatment" (Smith & Lovaas, 1997, p. 215).
Our early intervention approach first begins with a detailed behavioural assessment using The Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills (ABLLS). This assessment will allow us to score your child on 25 adaptive subscales including:
- Cooperation and Reinforcer Effectiveness
- Visual Performance
- Receptive Language
- Imitation
- Vocal Imitation
- Requests
- Labeling
- Intraverbals
- Spontaneous Vocalizations
- Syntax and Grammar
- Play and Leisure
- Social Interaction
- Group Instruction
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- Classroom Routines
- Generalized Responding
- Reading
- Math
- Writing
- Spelling
- Dressing
- Eating
- Grooming
- Toileting
- Gross Motor
- Fine Motor
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If your child has problem behaviours that need to be reduced or eliminated and replaced with more acceptable alternative behaviours, we will likely conduct a functional assessment. Functional assessments allow us to uncover the reasons why a problem behaviour is occurring (see our link on functional assessments). We will also ask you to complete a reinforcement checklist. Based on what you identify as potential reinforcers, we will systematically test the items to determine which ones actually function as reinforcers. The early intervention that we advocate makes liberal use of positive reinforcement. For us to achieve robust success, we need to know right from the start, what parts of your child’s environment may be reinforcing.
We also offer The Scales of Independent Behavior-Revised (SIB-R). This assessment allows us to determine what age your child is functioning at on 14 different adaptive subscales including:
- Fine motor
- Gross motor
- Social interaction skills
- Language comprehension
- Language expression
- Eating and meal preparation skills
- Toileting skills
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- Dressing skills
- Personal self-care skills
- Domestic skills
- Punctuality skills
- Money and value skills
- Work skills
- Home and community orientation skills
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The SIB-R also allows us to assess the severity of problem behaviours under 3 broad headings:
- Internalized problem behaviours
- Externalized problem behaviours
- Asocial problem behaviours
Administered yearly, the SIB-R provides an excellent measure of how well your child is developing. It will help indicate the extent to which your child is developing.
Shortly after assessing your child, we will facilitate a full day training workshop with you and your team covering key topics such as:
- The Autism Spectrum
- Defining Applied Behaviour Analysis ( ABA)
- Historical Overview of ABA
- The 3-Term Contingency
- Reinforcement Assessment and Applications
- Differential Reinforcement
- Pairing and Narration
- Instructional Control
- Discrete Trial Training
- Errorless Learning
- Error Correction Consequences
- Prompting
- Prompt Fading
- Shaping
- Initial Curriculum Training
- Data Collection
As with all aspects of training at Best Behaviour Consulting, skills are taught using a 5-step teaching model:
- Teach material and invite questions from participants
- Complete simple exercise based on the material taught
- Modeling to demonstrate the skills being taught
- Role play amongst participants with immediate feedback
- In vivo (live) training with interveners and your child. 1:1 training with your child and interveners is taught after the full-day theory training and after interveners have evidenced mastery on the material covered during the workshop.
Following the workshop, we will begin in vivo (live) training with your child and the interveners. Some interveners learn the skills quite quickly while others require more practice and tutoring. While mastering the 1:1 skills needed to work with your child can be a steep learning curve, it tends to be a short learning curve with most interveners demonstrating basic competence in as little as a few months.
The ABLLS is re-administered every 6 months. This reassessment will identify which parts of the curriculum have been mastered. We present our summary in various graphs and we are able to determine which gains were the result of our intervention and which gains were the result of other factors such as maturation. The results of reassessment provide direction as to where the focus should be placed for the next 6 months.
Nicholas will work 1:1 with your child regularly. He will also facilitate team meetings with you and your team (and this may sometimes include your child). During team meetings, we review data, modify drills that may not be improving and replace mastered drills with new curriculum. Additionally, Nicholas will role-playing skills and drills and provide additional training on various topics. Team members will also have the opportunity to role-play skills and drills to ensure consistency.
If you have any questions about our early intervention service, please contact us. We will be pleased to respond quickly!
