Judith M. LeBlanc

The simplest treatment alternative: The law of parsimony applied to choosing appropriate instructional control and errorless-learning procedures for the difficult-to-teach child

A method for choosing effective teaching procedures for difficult-to-teach children is proposed. Assessment of child responses duringteaching that involves gradually increasing environmental support in the learning setting is the basis for choice. The levels of environmental support in which child responses are assessed are (1) trial-and-error procedures; (2) increased environmental support involving analyses of reinforcement systems, incompatible responses, and prerequisite skills, as well as the most effective use of instructional control; and (3) errorless-learning procedures. Effects of instructions upon learning are discussed in terms of instructional detail and pacing, as well as with respect to the role of instructions in feedback and progressively delayed cue procedures. Stimulus shaping and stimulus fading are discussed in terms of the effectiveness of each for teaching children who have difficulty learning with more traditional procedures. The importance of the incorporation of criterion-related cues when utilizing stimulus shaping or fading is emphasized. It is proposed that an assessment of child responses should be made with respect to the three general levels of environmental support, as well as from sublevels within these, in order to choose the simplest but still effective alternative procedure for teaching difficult-to-teach children.

Risk Factors for Self-Injury, Aggression, and Stereotyped Behavior Among Young Children At Risk for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Before the 1990s, research on the early identification and prevention of severe behavior disorders (SBDs), such as aggression, self-injury, and stereotyped behavior, among young children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), was mostly done with children 3 years or older. More recent work suggests that signs of SBDs may occur as early as 6 months in some infants. The present study combined a cross-sectional and longitudinal approach to examine SBDs in 180 young children aged 4-48 months recruited through mass screening, then receiving an interdisciplinary evaluation and six-month follow-ups for one year. Twelve potential risk factors related to SBDs were examined. Eight of these risk factors, including age, gender, diagnosis, intellectual and communication levels, visual impairment, parent education, family income, were differentially related to scores for Aggression, SIB, and Stereotyped Behavior subscales on the Behavior Problems Inventory (BPI-01) at initial interdisciplinary evaluation. BPI-01 scores decreased over the year for 57% of the children and increased for 43%. The amount of decrease on each BPI-01 subscale varied with age, gender, and diagnosis.

Stimulus class formation following observational learning

Abstract A stimulus-equivalence paradigm was used to establish match-to-sample relations between members of two separate stimulus classes through a procedure involving direct training and observational learning. Four retarded adult males were taught to conditionally match arbitrary visual stimuli. Each subject was taught one sample- comparison relation within each class (e.g., B1A1, B2A2) and given an opportunity to observe another subject perform a second sample-comparison relation within each class (e.g., C1A1, C2A2); each observed relation had one stimulus in common with a sample-comparison relation acquired through direct training (A1, A2). When subjects acquired the trained and observed relations, they were tested on the sample-comparison relations that were never taught directly (AB, AC, CB, BC). Initial testing on the BC and CB relations revealed chance performance for two subjects. Subsequent testing on the AB and AC relations, however, resulted in immediate acquisition of the CB and BC derived relations. Results indicated that stimulus-equivalence teaching procedures used in academic group settings have promising educational implications for producing learning through observation of others.

Mass Screening for Severe Problem Behavior among Infants and Toddlers In Peru.

Severe behavior problems among people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are a major barrier to integration in the community. Recent research suggests that these behaviors often begin very early in life and might be prevented by early identification and intervention (Rojahn, Schroeder, & Hoch, 2008). The current article presents a method of mass screening for early signs of severe behavior problems among infants and toddlers in Peru. A Parental Concerns Questionnaire (PCQ), which asks 15 questions, each related to a risk factor for severe behavior problems, based on past research on IDD, was used by veteran parents to interview 341 new parents who had been solicited by TV, radio, and public service announcements across the country. Of these, 262 were recruited and enrolled in a longitudinal study in which they will be followed for 12 months to see if at-risk children actually will develop severe behavior problems. An extensive initial interdisciplinary evaluation was given to each child. Consumer satisfaction questionnaires were given to the parents as to their attitude toward the screening method. Data from the Interdisciplinary Evaluations of the sample suggest a very high hit rate (96%) by the screening instrument (PCQ). Consumer satisfaction was 98%, suggesting that the method was tolerated well by parents. The PCQ is a brief and efficient method to screen infants and toddlers at risk for severe behavior problems. The data also suggest that parents suspect these problems at a very early age. Early intervention thus seems a feasible strategy to intervene before these problems become deeply ingrained as children develop.

Validity and reliability of the Behavior Problems Inventory, the Aberrant Behavior Checklist, and the Repetitive Behavior Scale-Revised among infants and toddlers at risk for intellectual or developmental disabilities: a multi-method assessment approach.

Reliable and valid assessment of aberrant behaviors is essential in empirically verifying prevention and intervention for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD). Few instruments exist which assess behavior problems in infants. The current longitudinal study examined the performance of three behavior-rating scales for individuals with IDD that have been proven psychometrically sound in older populations: the Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC), the Behavior Problems Inventory (BPI-01), and the Repetitive Behavior Scale - Revised (RBS-R). Data were analyzed for 180 between six and 36 months old children at risk for IDD. Internal consistency (Cronbachs α) across the subscales of the three instruments was variable. Test-retest reliability of the three BPI-01 subscales ranged from .68 to .77 for frequency ratings and from .65 to .80 for severity ratings (intraclass correlation coefficients). Using a multitrait-multimethod matrix approach high levels of convergent and discriminant validity across the three instruments was found. As anticipated, there was considerable overlap in the information produced by the three instruments; however, each behavior-rating instrument also contributed unique information. Our findings support using all three scales in conjunction if possible.

Brief report: A life-span perspective on the development of individuals with autism

When a person with autism in the United States needs help or support, one of the first questions that comes to mind is, What is available? The answer from our service systems is often far from clear. What ensues is the development of a cognitive map through options and obstacles to match the organization and delivery of services to meet the needs of the individual. Too often the guiding principles are agency-based rather than client-based (C. S. Schroeder & Schroeder, 1990). It is important to ask who our client is. Usually it is not just the individual with autism but also his family and his local supporting ecosystem.

Instructional strategies for individual and group teaching

Abstract Procedures are delineated for enhancing the educational environment of children with learning problems so that errors in learning are reduced. Assuming that differential reinforcement is necessary in the learning process, emphasis is placed upon analyses of teacher instructions, stimulus materials and methods for presenting stimuli for purposes of contributing to a technology of teaching that enhances the effectiveness of teachers working with children experiencing difficulties in learning. Recognizing from past research the importance of what children learn from each other, the importance of the development of such a technology for groups of children as well as individuals is stressed. Finally, emphasis is placed upon brief, simple, and objective teaching procedures that teachers can easily implement.

Effects of Task Size on Work-Related and Aberrant Behaviors of Youths with Autism and Mental Retardation.

The effects of task size on rate of responding and on-task behavior as well as on nontask-related behaviors of students with autism and mental retardation on a repetitive task under conditions of no reinforcement for responding was analyzed. Task size, defined as the presence of either 36 or 250 beads in a container at the onset of the session, was compared in an alternating treatment design. The small-task condition resulted in higher on-task behavior for all participants and in higher work rate for four of the five participants. For the four participants who engaged in inappropriate use of task materials, higher levels of this behavior occurred in the large-task conditions. Other nontask-related behaviors were higher in the large-task condition for all participants with the exception of stereotypy, which was higher in the small-task condition for one participant. Better work-related behavior occurred for these participants in small- than in large-task conditions even though no tangible reinforcement was provided for task responding. Implications of these results are discussed in the context of arranging workplace environments to maximize productivity of persons with developmental disabilities.

The hyperactive child: characteristics, treatment, and evaluation of research design.

Publisher Summary This chapter attempts to describe a hyperactive child on the basis of information gathered from a variety of sources. It mainly focuses on the analysis of experimental literature related to hyperactivity. More specifically, the chapter discusses (1) the behaviors that characterize hyperactivity; (2) the methods by which the disorder is diagnosed; (3) the theories of the etiology of the disorder; and (4) the methods used to assess pharmacological treatment. Finally, An argument for the marriage of an individual-analysis approach with that of the traditional group design as a means of interpreting drug effect data for individual hyperactive children who may be categorized into a specific subgroup is presented. Because children are labeled hyperactive for a variety of very complex reasons, attempts to delineate and understand those reasons have generated much research activity. However, out of that activity has come much confusion about the treatment of hyperactivity through pharmacological means, especially the research base that underlies that treatment.

The assessment of problem-solving skills of atypical children

Abstract Procedures are delineated for assessing childrens problem solving-skills to determine the stimuli that control responding during discrimination acquisition. Emphasis is placed upon: (a) requiring children to respond overtly rather than covertly during problem-solving; and (b) analyzing incorrect as well as correct responses in terms of their relationship with the various dimensions of the complex stimuli involved in the learning task. Examples of error analyses and complex stimulus analyses are presented. It is indicated that problem solving skills of children are now more frequently recorded as a result of a developing measurement technology that provides methods for determining if children are responding to the stimuli designated by the environment as corrent and, if not, to what other stimuli they respond. Information provided by such a learning-based assessment directly leads to the development of intervention techniques.