| Abstract: Due to the efficacy of behavioral treatments for persons with autism, there has been an increase in behavioral school programs providing services to autistic learners. These schools are also a training ground for interventionists at all levels (paraprofessional, aide, teacher, supervisor, administrator, parent, etc.) Yet what does it mean to be a behavioral school? What is the philosophy and how does it impact both methods for instruction and procedures for training? How is performance measured and how are outcomes assessed? What are the roles of five integral, yet distinct groups of learners: students, teachers, teaching assistants, supervisors, and parents? This presentation will ask these questions of some of the most highly held behavioral schools in the U.S. and abroad, and make comments regarding what are the shared and distinguishing hallmarks of a behavioral school, and whether it is an outcome or a process. |