Association for Behavior Analysis International

This research focused on an investigation into the efficacy of four error-correction procedures used in the education of individuals with a diagnosis of ASD. It begins with an overview of current literature related to the use of error-correction procedures as part of discrete trial teaching. Study 1 aimed to examine the different error-correction procedures in use within schools across Ireland. The results gained supported the hypothesis that there was significant diversity in the error-correction procedures used within and across schools. In Study 2 information with regards to the participant ability was gathered. This was with a view to isolate the effective components and processes operating within different error-correction procedures and to discover the most effective application of these procedures on an individualised level in subsequent studies. In Study 3 error-correction procedures were implemented with children with ASD (n=31) across four conditions). Results demonstrated statistically significant differences in the rate of skill acquisition with particular error-correction procedures dependent on learner ability. Study 4 replicated the research carried out in Study 3 with adult learners with ASD (n=10), with similar findings Participants preference for error-correction procedures were also formally assessed in Chapter 5 using a modified concurrent-chains procedure (Hanley et al., 1997). Results showed that the majority of participants showed preference for the error-correction procedures which maximised their rate of skill acquisition. The findings of the studies are discussed in relation to the current literature and importance of matching error-correction procedures to individual learners needs and abilities. From this, an assessment procedure was designed with which professionals can determine the most effective error-correction procedure to implement prior to program design. Limitations and directions for future research are also discussed.

Early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) is one of the most widely used treatments for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The purpose of our review was to examine the research on EIBI.We found a total of five studies that compared EIBI to generic special education services for children with ASD in schools. Only one study randomly assigned children to a treatment or comparison group, which is considered the gold standard for research. The other four studies used parent preference to assign children to groups. We examined and compared the results of all five studies. A total of 203 children (all were younger than six years old when they started treatment) were included in the five studies. We found that children receiving the EIBI treatment performed better than children in the comparison groups after about two years of treatment on tests of adaptive behavior (behaviors that increase independence and the ability to adapt to one's environment), intelligence, social skills, communication and language, autism symptoms, and quality of life. The evidence supports the use of EIBI for some children with ASD. However, the quality of this evidence is low as only a small number of children were involved in the studies and only one study randomly assigned children to groups.

Technology Aided Instruction and Intervention (TAII) refers to a range of academic, social, and behavioral interventions in which technology is used as the primary method to deliver instruction. TAII has long been recognized as having an important role in the development and delivery of effective, theoretically grounded interventions for students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The purpose of the current study was to use meta-analytic methodologies to examine the methodological quality of the research, calculate effect sizes to quantify the level of evidence for TAII, and compare effect sizes across single case and group-based experimental research. We also utilized a novel statistical method for estimating effect sizes from the included single case design studies. Based on the single case research, we concluded that one type of TAIIcomputer assisted instructionwas an evidence-based practice. However, the primary outcome domains varied, which limits interpretations of the summary. The other categories of TAIIalternative and augmentative communication devices and virtual realitywere determined not to be evidence-based practices.