Carie Shirley's Portfolio
Key Constructs
Structured Teaching
​Structured Teaching is a set of teaching techniques that use visual aids to create structured environments to support students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD).
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​Children with Autism thrive from structure and routine. Structured teaching promotes independence, reduces distractions, improves learning outcomes, helps students generalize skills, and makes learning more predictable.
TEACCH Program
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​The Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communications Handicapped Children (TEACCH) program is a service, training, and research program that helps people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) learn and develop skills.
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TEACCH has been shown to improve the quality of life for people with autism. There are many benefits that people with autism can achieve. Educational benefits such as learning, motor skills, & social skills. It gives them a sense of competence by focusing on their strengths and abilities which helps build confidence and self-esteem. It helps them achieve independence by teaching adaptive skills needed to increase participation in daily activities. It teaches skills to decrease challenging behaviors.
Schedules of Reinforcement
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Schedules of Reinforcement refer to the rules that determine how often a behavior is reinforced, specifying when and under which conditions a particular response will be rewarded.​
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The significance of Schedules of Reinforcement because they determine when and how often a behavior is reinforced, directly impacting how a behavior is learned, maintained, and modified. Schedules of Reinforcement can shape behaviors and can be used in real-world situations.
Functional Communication​
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Functional Communcation is the ability to express needs, thoughts, and feelings to others in a way that is understood.
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​Functional Communication is important for people with autism who have communication needs. FC allows these people to express their needs, improves communication, assists in building relationships, supports quality of life, supports academic success, supports people with communication and language delays, and can also assist elderly who have difficulty communicating express their needs and feelings.
Communication Skills
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​Communication Skills are ​the abilities used to exchange information, such as ideas, feelings, or updates.​
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Communication Skills are significant for relationship building, resolving conflicts, active listening skills, having transparency, having leadership qualities, being productive, and having empathy toward others.
Social Skills as Learned Behavior
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Social Skills as Learned Behavior refers to the idea that the abilities to interact effectively with others, like communication, cooperation, and empathy, are not innate but are acquired through experience and observation.
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Social skills as learned behaviors are significant because they enable individuals to interact positively with others, build relationships, navigate social situations effectively, and contribute to a sense of belonging, it helps them develop appropriate social skills through experiences, it has a significant impact on relationships, it is essential for communication, and it improves emotional intelligence.
Teaching Social Skills in ASD
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Teaching social skills to people with Autism is the process of helping them learn the rules, customs, and abilities that guide interactions with others.
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Teaching social skills to individuals with Autism is highly significant because it empowers them to navigate social situations effectively, build meaningful relationships, improve their quality of life, and foster a greater sense of belonging within their communities.
Social Skills and Academic Competence
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Social skills refer to the abilities to interact effectively with others, including communication, cooperation, empathy, and conflict resolution, while "academic competence" signifies the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills within a learning environment, demonstrating proficiency in subjects like reading, writing, math, and critical thinking.
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Social skills are significantly important for academic competence as they enable students to effectively collaborate with peers, communicate ideas clearly, manage conflicts, and build positive relationships within the classroom, ultimately leading to better engagement, learning outcomes, and overall academic achievement. Social Skills promote improved collaboration, positive classroom interactions, enhanced communication, self-regulation and self-esteem, and increased motivation to learn.​​
Social Disconnection
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Social disconnection is a lack of social, emotional, and physical engagement with others.
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Social disconnection has many significant consequences, including health risks, mental health, poor health behaviors, diminished performance, and biological affects.
Self-Determination
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Self-Determination is the process by which a person controls their own life.
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Self-Determination can help people feel more in control of their lives and more fulfilled. It promotes personal growth, quality of life, encourages more positive employment experiences and independent living outcomes, and assists with goal setting.
Stimulus Control and Instructional Support
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Stimulus control refers to the concept where a specific behavior is triggered or influenced by a particular stimulus, meaning an individual learns to respond consistently to certain cues while not responding to others, essentially allowing for control over a behavior by manipulating the environment; instructional support means providing specific guidance, prompts, or aids to help a learner acquire a new skill or complete a task, often tailored to their individual needs and learning style. ​
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Stimulus Control and Instructional Support are significant in learning and behavior modification because they provide a structured environment with clear cues, enabling individuals to readily identify and respond to relevant stimuli, ultimately leading to improved skill acquisition, better behavior management, and the ability to generalize learned skills across different situations
Shaping
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Shaping is a fundamental technique in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy that involves gradually reinforcing behaviors that are closer to a desired behavior.​
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Shaping is important because it's a structured and effective way to help people learn new skills and achieve their goals. Shaping builds confidence, reduces frustration, promotes positive change, it provides tailored instruction, and fosters engagement and motivation.
Comorbid Conditions
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Comorbid conditions is having more than one disease or condition at the same time.
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Comorbid conditions can have a significant impact on health in many ways. Treatment may be complex by making one illness worse when attempting to help another. It can increase the risk of complication and make management more difficult. It can decrease the quality of life.
Basic Instructional Support
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Basic Instructional Support is a process that helps students overcome educational or behavioral barriers in the classroom.
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Basic instructional support is significant because it provides the foundation for students to effectively learn and understand new concepts. It makes learning accessible for all students, especially those with learning differences. It provides individualized learning and programming for the students are tailored specifically to the student's needs. It encourages active participation in learning opportunities. Early intervention can prevent academic difficulties in the future.
Extinction
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Extinction is a procedure used in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) to reduce or eliminate challenging behaviors in people with autism.
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Extinction involves gradually withholding reinforcement for an undesired behavior until it decreases over time. The goal is to help the individual learn to be internally motivated to avoid the behavior. Extinction can help improve quality of life and foster better social and functional skills. It can also reduce stress that can lead to the resurfacing of challenging behaviors. Extinction can be challenging because the behavior may increase in frequency, intensity, or duration before it decreases. This is called an extinction burst. Extinction bursts can be distressing for individuals with autism and their caregivers.
Evidence-Based Practices (EBPs)
Evidence-based practice (EBP) in education is a teaching theory that uses research-based methods, strategies, and interventions to improve student outcomes.
EBPs are based on the belief that educational decisions should be based on the most reliable evidence, rather than personal beliefs, tradition, or anecdotal experiences.
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When relating to students with autism, this is the best method to ensure that students are learning skills that are taught with consistency and fidelity.
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EBPs can be distinguished from fads and pseudoscience by looking at the research that has been conducted and the long-term affects of the method.
Fads
In education, a fad is a new idea or teaching method that is enthusiastically embraced for a short time, but then quickly fades away.
​Fads are often seen as a way to improve teaching and learning without much effort. However, they can be costly in terms of time and money.
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When relating to students with autism, fads may sound like a "miracle method", but is actually something that has been produced by a person who has done little to no research of the long-term affects of the method.
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Fad can be distinguished from EBPs and pseudoscience by first, looking at the cost of the program. If it is expensive and shows little or no research or long-term results, it will probably be effective short-term, but will fade away when results aren't what they promised.
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Pseudoscience
Pseudoscience is a term used to describe a collection of ideas, assumptions, or methods that are presented as scientific but do not meet the standards of legitimate scientific study.
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​Pseudoscience can refer to the content of the ideas or the process of developing them.
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When relating to students with autism, pseudoscience are activities that can be used to teach the students, but there has been no research on the results of how effective these methods are.
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Pseudoscience can be distinguished from EBPs and fads by researching the reputability of the creators and if there has been any research conducted on the effectiveness of the program.
Evidence-Based Practices to Address Academic Skills
Visual Supports
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Using visual aids like pictures, symbols, or schedules to help students understand instructions and concepts, improving comprehension and task completion.
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Reinforcements
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Providing positive feedback or rewards for desired behaviors, encouraging active participation and skill development.
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Prompting
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Offering verbal or physical cues to guide a student towards the correct response, gradually fading out prompts as independence grows.
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Modeling
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Demonstrating target behaviors by the therapist or a peer to facilitate imitation and learning.
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Explicit Instruction
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Clearly presenting information in a structured and systematic way, breaking down complex concepts into smaller, manageable steps.​​
Evidence-Based Practices to Address Social/Behavioral Skills
Social Skills Training
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A direct instruction approach that teaches specific social skills like greeting, conversation turn-taking, and responding to nonverbal cues through role-playing and practice scenarios.
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Social Narratives
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Written stories that explain social situations and expected behaviors, helping individuals with autism understand social cues and appropriate responses.
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Peer-Mediated Intervention
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Utilizing peers to teach social skills by actively involving them in interactions with the individual with autism.
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Pivotal Response Training
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A play-based approach that focuses on teaching pivotal skills like motivation, initiation, and responsiveness to social cues, which can generalize to other social behaviors.
Augmentative and Alternative Communication Devices
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Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices are tools that help people communicate in ways other than speaking.
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AAC devices such as tablets with programs like NovaChat or LAMP can change the world for someone with a speech or language disability. This device helps individuals share their feelings and thoughts with their family, peers, and public in general. It gives them a voice that allows them to become more independent.
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This website contains all information about AAC devices, which one works for your child, and answers questions that you may have about each system.
AAC systems can help your child become more independent and find their voice.
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TEACCH offers clinical services for individuals on the autism spectrum across the lifespan. TEACCH offers a variety of training (virtual and in-person) and consultation programs to professionals who work with individuals on the autism spectrum.
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Frequently individuals with Autism have other conditions as well. This page explains some of the most common conditions that are diagnosed along with ASD. It provides articles and resources to help parents/educators better understand what to do when a comorbidity exists.
Evidence-Based Practices in Academics
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Evidence-Based Practices in Academics focus on directly teaching skills, monitoring progress, and tailoring instruction to individual student needs. ASHA provides mapping in different needs and structures for individuals with ASD.
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Social skills training (SST) is a common intervention that helps people with ASD improve their social skills. Autism Speaks explains the importance of social skills for individuals with ASD. They provide information for multiple settings to help them become more independent.
References
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TEACCH. (2010). Structured Teaching by TEACCH Staff | TEACCH® Autism Program. TEACCH® Autism Program. https://teacch.com/structured-teaching-teacch-staff/
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TEACCH Method | Definition, Training & Model | Study.com. (2023). Study.com. https://study.com/learn/lesson/teacch-method-training-model.html
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Schedules of Reinforcement... planning reinforcement to improve behavior. (n.d.). https://ceed.umn.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Schedules-of-Reinforcement.pdf
Why is Functional Communication Important? (2024). Yellowbusaba.com. https://www.yellowbusaba.com/post/why-is-functional-communication-important
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Selby. (2023, August 24). The Importance of Teaching Effective Communication Skills in Elementary Education. Everyday Speech. https://everydayspeech.com/sel-implementation/the-importance-of-teaching-effective-communication-skills-in-elementary-education/
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Vallejo, M. (2023, September 25). 10 Important Social Skills for Kids. Mental Health Center Kids. https://mentalhealthcenterkids.com/blogs/articles/social-skills-for-kids
The University of Kansas. (2023, May 23). Social difficulties in autism spectrum disorder. KU SOE. https://educationonline.ku.edu/community/social-difficulties-in-autism-spectrum-disorder
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Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). (2022). What Does the Research Say? CASEL; Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning. https://casel.org/fundamentals-of-sel/what-does-the-research-say/
Page, P. (2020, January 1). The Journey to Self-Determination. Autism Spectrum News. https://autismspectrumnews.org/the-journey-to-self-determination/
Stimulus Control Transfer In ABA: Ultimate Guide. (n.d.). Www.totalcareaba.com. https://www.totalcareaba.com/autism/stimulus-control-transfer
ABA, H. T. (2021, February 27). Shaping Behavior Using ABA. How to ABA. https://howtoaba.com/shaping-behavior/
Al-Beltagi, M. (2021). Autism medical comorbidities. World Journal of Clinical Pediatrics, 10(3), 15–28. https://doi.org/10.5409/wjcp.v10.i3.15
Autism Speaks. (2018). Autism in the classroom: Strategies for success. Autism Speaks. https://www.autismspeaks.org/tool-kit-excerpt/autism-classroom-strategies
Modifying Behaviors: Extinction in ABA Therapy. (2024, March 26). ABA Centers of America. https://www.abacenters.com/modifying-behaviors-extinction-in-aba-therapy/
Evidence Based Practice | Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. (n.d.). Dese.mo.gov. https://dese.mo.gov/special-education/evidence-based-practice
Zwaagstra, M. (2022). Useless classroom fads turn students into guinea pigs. Fraser Institute. https://www.fraserinstitute.org/commentary/useless-classroom-fads-turn-students-guinea-pigs
Petrarca, R. (2022). Pseudoscience Definition, Characteristics & Examples. Study.com. https://study.com/academy/lesson/pseudoscience-examples-definition.html