O BEHAVIOR SKILLS TRAINING (BST) NO TREINO DE PROFISSIONAIS PARA MANEJO DE COMPORTAMENTOS DESAFIANTES EM CRIANÇAS COM TRANSTORNO DO ESPECTRO AUTISTA (TEA)

Introdução: É visto a necessidade da universalização do Behavior Skills Training (BST) procedimento que auxilia na aquisição de repertórios, em crianças com diagnóstico do Transtorno do Espectro Autista (TEA). Este estudo se justifica pela utilidade do procedimento e sua relevância em diferentes áreas de conhecimento, entre elas a educação, saúde e áreas afins. Objetivo: Buscou-se identificar os critérios diagnósticos do TEA a ocorrência de algumas comorbidades e outros excessos de comportamentos relacionados. Além disso, propôs-se analisar a função do comportamento desafiante, a análise funcional, e descrever o BST e seus principais componentes. Material e Métodos: O presente estudo foi uma pesquisa bibliográfica exploratória, foram realizadas buscas por meio de diferentes bases de dados e portais de pesquisa como: Scielo, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Behav Analysis Practice, e Revista Brasileira de Terapia Comportamental e Cognitiva. Resultados: Observou-se diversas evidências científicas do BST no ensino de repertórios em diferentes campos, bem como, a baixa produção de conhecimento cientifico na saúde e educação, como também, um número reduzido de sessões necessárias para alcançar critérios de aprendizagem, sendo, portanto, uma intervenção viável voltada para profissionais que atendem crianças com TEA. Considerações Finais: Este estudo possibilitou ampliar o olhar e sugerir alternativas de intervenções e refletir acerca de ações voltadas ao treino de profissionais para o manejo de comportamentos desafiantes em crianças com TEA. Pesquisar sobre este tema auxilia no entendimento dos diversos aspectos envolvidos na atuação do profissional, perceber que se faz necessário ampliar os estudos e discussões sobre este tema que permeia diferentes práticas profissionais. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: “Treinamento de habilidades comportamentais”. “Behavior Skills Training”. “Autismo”. “Psicologia”.

Professional Development With Ongoing Coaching: A Model for Improving Educators’ Implementation of Evidence-Based Practices

Behavior skills training (BST) with ongoing coaching is an effective form of professional development that creates sustained educator practice change and improves student outcomes. We provide a model for how BST can be used to improve the implementation of evidence-based practices with both teachers and paraprofessionals, the latter of whom often do not receive professional development opportunities or coaching. We propose a model for BST with digital tools that can be used in face-to-face, hybrid, and virtual formats, which is timely given the pandemic. A vignette with a dyad of educators is used to illustrate the model and examples of fidelity and coaching forms are included. A figure of the BST process with visual supports provided to the educators is included.

Behavior skills training for teaching and generalizing self-instruction skills for students with intellectual disability

Research demonstrates that combining video modeling and visual activity schedules into video activity schedules has been effective in increasing independence for students with disabilities. However, the instructional procedures used to teach students to acquire the necessary skills to navigate those tools vary among existent research. In this study, a behavior skills training package was investigated within a multiple probe design across participants, to determine if four elementary aged participants with intellectual disability could acquire self-instruction skills to navigate a video activity schedule. Three participants acquired the self-instruction skills using behavior skills training. After learning how to navigate the video activity schedules, the same three participants generalized and maintained the self-instruction skills to perform additional novel behaviors. The results suggest that behavior skills training may be an effective instructional strategy for teaching self-instruction skills and a means to program for generalized behavior change for students with intellectual disability.

Using Behavior Skills Training and Other Environmental Manipulations to Teach Safety Skills to Adolescents with ASD

Choosing the correct target behavior to teach is fundamental for parents, teachers, therapists and other professionals working with people with autism and other intellectual disabilities. While early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) for young children diagnosed with autism can produce large gains in social, cognitive, and language development, choosing the appropriate curriculum for adolescents and adults warrants some further reflections. Starting from puberty and adolescence, the focus of teaching should move from what the student is missing with respect to typically development peers to what the student needs to become an effective adult, with the final outcome of “making a life”. Applied Behavior Analysis is effective in teaching functional skills, adaptive skills, daily living skills, safety skills, sexuality, physical exercise, self-advocacy and other often overlooked skills that can contribute to the improvement of the quality of life of people with or without disabilities. Research suggests that working on functional skills provided through a meaningful curriculum leads to a more independent life. During this presentation the contribution ABA can offer in developing a meaningful curriculum for adolescents will be reviewed. Particular focus will be placed on using Behavior Skills Training (BST) and other environmental manipulations to teach safety skills to adolescents and young adults with autism spectrum disorders. Examples of safety skills include abduction prevention, seeking help if lost, inappropriate physical contact and information disclosure. The use of technology in teaching safety skills to students with a poor repertoire of verbal behavior will be discussed.

Implementation and Intervention Practices to Facilitate Communication Skills for a Child With Complex Communication Needs

For children with complex communication needs (CCN), augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices offer a means to communicate and participate in daily activities. Effective implementation and intervention practices are needed for supporting teaching teams working with children with CCN to improve child use of AAC. The purpose of this article is to describe two studies examining these issues. Study 1 examined the effects of a behavior skills training (BST) approach to professional development to support a classroom teaching team in the implementation of a behavior support plan for a child with CCN; Study 2 evaluated the effects of a single behavior (adult modeling) on AAC use. Results indicated teachers increased their fidelity with training and coaching, but not with training alone. Further, unprompted use of the AAC device occurred more frequently when an adult modeled use of the device.