Teaching complex verbal operants to children with autism and establishing generalization using the peak curriculum

Building Collaborative Partnerships between Behavior Analysts and Families

Collaboration practices have been utilized within applied behavior analysis (ABA) to build relationships among relevant stakeholders. A recent focus within the field of ABA highlights collaborative practices for behavior analysts to utilize in service delivery positions. However, myriad barriers, such as sources of funding and competing stakeholder interests, inhibit behavior analysts' ability to build collaborative partnerships with families. We describe the barriers behavior analysts face at the systemic, implementation, and training levels of service delivery and their potential impact on behavior analysts and the families with whom they work. We then highlight four fundamental tenets of building a collaborative partnership between behavior analysts and families, which incorporate collaborative strategies utilized in positive behavior support (PBS), family-centered practice (FCP), and ABA. We then offer practical recommendations to be used within the context of the current barriers that behavior analysts and families experience. These recommendations are precisely indicated to establish practices providing technically sound ABA services while continuing to deepen collaborative partnerships with families.

Evaluating the Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program (VB-MAPP) Scores Using Principal Components Analysis

Introduction  The Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program (VB-MAPP) is an extensive tool used to assess children with autism and other developmental disabilities who have language delays. Applied behavior analysis (ABA) professionals frequently use the VB-MAPP to create personalized intervention programs catering to each child's needs. The lack of studies examining the VB-MAPP at the pretest, posttest, and differential scores using principal components analysis (PCA) suggests an opportunity to conduct PCAs on these different VB-MAPP scores. In doing so, researchers could better understand the VB-MAPP's dimensionality and factor structure at these levels. This, in turn, could inform the development of more effective assessment strategies and intervention plans for individuals with language and social communication challenges.  Materials and methods From January 2018 to July 2021, The Oxford Center in Brighton and Troy, Michigan, treated autistic children using ABA therapy. A convenience sample of 13 children was retrospectively analyzed using VB-MAPP, which evaluates various behavioral milestones using a pretest-posttest design. Descriptive data analysis and internal consistency reliability estimates (using Cronbach's alpha) were calculated for pretest, posttest, and difference scores. A Wilcoxen signed-rank test was conducted to determine the statistical significance between the pretest and posttest. Correlation matrices were inspected for relevant relationships between VB-MAPP scales, and a PCA with orthogonal rotation was also performed on this pretest, posttest, and difference scores. Results The mean age for the children was 4.083 years ± 1.083 years, (95%CI 3.64, 4.36). Around 66.6% of the children had an autism severity level of three, 33.3% had a severity level of two, and none were at level one. Cronbach's alpha for internal consistency reliability of the pretest, posttest, and difference scores, indicating excellent reliability with values of 0.948 for the pretest and 0.937 for the posttest, respectively. The difference scores had a lower but acceptable reliability coefficient of 0.752. PCA on the pretest scores identified three factors that explain 85.584% of the total variation, indicating that these components capture most of the data's structure. The posttest PCA also identified three factors, accounting for 84.293% of the variance, suggesting a similar complexity and good model fit as the pretest. PCA revealed four factors explaining 82.317% of the variation for the difference scores. The increase in factors suggests that changes between pretest and posttest scores are complex, likely due to the ABA treatment, and require an additional component to represent the data adequately. There is a good model fit; the underlying structure is more complex than the pretest or posttest alone. Conclusions Robust coefficient alphas combined with the shift to a more detailed factor structure post-ABA treatment highlight ABA therapy's diverse and multi-faceted impact on children. The increase from three to four principal components indicates a richer and more nuanced pattern of improvements across different domains of verbal and social behavior. This detailed factor structure is a testament to the comprehensive and individualized nature of ABA treatment, reflecting the therapy's effectiveness in addressing specific needs and fostering broad developmental gains in children.

Evidence From Children with Autism that Derived Relational Responding is a Generalized Operant

We conducted an empirical examination of derived relational responding as a generalized operant and concurrently evaluated the validity and efficacy of program items contained in the Promoting the Emergence of Advanced Knowledge - Equivalence (PEAK-E) curriculum. A first study utilized a multiple-baseline across-skills experimental arrangement to determine the efficacy of equivalence-based instruction guided by PEAK-E, replicated across 11 children with autism. A total of 33 individualized skills were taught, and the subsequent emergence of untrained relations was tested throughout the investigation. The mastery criterion was achieved for 29 of the 33 instructional targets. Additionally, for 3 participants, results were again replicated with a novel set of stimuli. A second study evaluated the degree to which multiple-exemplar equivalence-based instruction led to the emergence of derived relational responding as a generalized operant. The organized nature of the PEAK curriculum allowed the impact on derived relational responding to be compared to that produced by earlier PEAK models that are focused on the direct training of traditional verbal operants. PEAK-E instruction was introduced in a multiple-baseline design across two participants, with a third staying in a training baseline throughout. Increases in derived relational responding using novel, untrained stimuli were only observed when multiple-exemplar equivalence-based instruction was introduced. Taken together, these results provide support for derived relational responding as a generalized operant and demonstrate the utility of conducting larger scale evaluations of higher order behavioral phenomena in single-case experimental arrangements.

Curricular intervention protocol for teaching learners with Autism Spectrum Disorder: an integrative review

ABSTRACT Objective: to conduct an integrative review of scientific papers indexed in national and international databases on curricular intervention protocols, which favor the linguistic aspects, translated and cross-culturally adapted to Brazilian Portuguese for the teaching of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Methods: a survey of scientific studies indexed in Pubmed, Portal Regional da Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde, Web of Science, Scopus and ERIC databases was carried out from February to March 2018. Papers in English and Portuguese language of the last 20 years on the proposed theme were selected. The inclusion criteria used were: to be a school curricular intervention protocol that favors the linguistic aspects; to be directed to learners with Autism Spectrum Disorder; to be translated and cross-culturally adapted to Brazilian Portuguese. Results: 214 papers were analyzed revealing the lack of studies on the topic. These data indicate a gap in national basic education, which may corroborate the low qualitative aspects of inclusive education in the country. The Collaborative Model for Promoting Competence and Success for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder enables a more effective teaching of learners with autism, since this protocol empowers teachers in curricular adaptation to also develop the language skills and overcome the educational challenges of the students with this condition. Conclusion: the Brazilian scenario is that of absent instruments, which may interfere with the quality of inclusive education in Brazil.

Promoting Generalized Advanced Language Skills of Children in Intensive Behavioral Intervention with Promoting the Emergence of Advanced Knowledge Generalization Module (PEAK-G)

The Promoting the Emergence of Advanced Knowledge Relational Training System Generalization Module (PEAK-G; Dixon, 2014) was used within a community-based intensive behavioral intervention (IBI) program to enhance the generalized advanced language skills of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Four multiple-baseline, across-behaviors designs were used to assess the effectiveness of the PEAK-G "train and test" discrete trial training (DTT) method on directly trained and generalized language skills. After implementing PEAK-G, directly trained language skills increased for all participants, and generalization to test stimuli was observed for two participants, with some generalization observed for a third participant. These data suggest that PEAK-G may be a viable option for community-based practitioners to promote more advanced generalized language skills to children who have mastered early language skills.

An Internal and Critical Review of the PEAK Relational Training System for Children with Autism and Related Intellectual Disabilities: 2014-2017

The PEAK Relational Training System was designed as an assessment instrument and treatment protocol for addressing language and cognitive deficits in children with autism. PEAK contains four comprehensive training modules: Direct Training and Generalization emphasize a contingency-based framework of language development, and Equivalence and Transformation emphasize an approach to language development consistent with Relational Frame Theory. The present paper provides a comprehensive and critical review of peer-reviewed publications based on the entirety PEAK system through April, 2017. We describe both psychometric and outcome research, and indicate both positive features and limitations of this body of work. Finally, we note several research and practice questions that remain to be answered with the PEAK curriculum as well as other many other autism assessment and treatment protocols that are rooted within the framework of applied behavior analysis.