Integrated Center for Child Development
340 Turnpike St., Canton, MA 02021
Tel: 781-619-1500

     Applied Behavioral Learning Services (ABLS)

At ICCD Applied Behavioral Learning Services, we believe that in order to provide high quality services for children, it is important to attend to the specific needs of families and their particular circumstances. In keeping with this philosophy, services are provided primarily in the child’s home or community school and tailored to fit the unique profile of each child and his/her family. Parent consultation is provided weekly or bi-weekly to foster the development of cooperative relationships with families. Goals for parent consultation include helping parents understand their child’s challenges and educational needs, assisting them in the implementation of behavioral interventions to address feeding problems, sleep disturbances, and other behavioral concerns, and guiding the generalization of gains across environments.

The highest standards are set for each individual child. For some children, our goal is to reduce or even eliminate the symptomatology of autism and eventually decrease the supports required in the natural environment. For other students, the program focuses on the development of functional skills that will increase the chances of success in the least restrictive environment. Regardless of functioning level, the educational team strives to fulfill each student’s full potential.

At ICCD, assessment and educational specialists work closely to ensure that educational and clinical intervention is informed and guided by specialized assessment. This interface between different disciplines is an essential component of treatment planning at ICCD.

Curricula

According to the National Research Council guidelines on the Education of Children with Autism (Lord et al, 2001) realistic hope for a children with autism spectrum disorders can be found in early and intensive (25-30 hours a week) intervention. Furthermore, the expectation is that the child’s ability to learn (and to learn how to learn) will be stimulated by the acquisition of basic skills such as joint attention, imitation, and communication. At ICCD Applied Behavioral Learning Services, the methods guided by the core principles of Applied Behavior Analysis are used. Over thirty years of empirical evidence (e.g., Anderson, et al, 1987; Lovaas, I., 1987; Smith, T. et al 2000) support Applied Behavior Analysis as the treatment of choice for children with autism. Traditional techniques, such as discrete trials, are at the core of treatment planning because these methods involve the precise operational definition of antecedents, consequences, and responses, thus facilitating consistency between different behavioral tutors. Discrete trial methods capitalize on adherence to routine, a major characteristic of children with autism spectrum disorders. Importantly, discrete trial methods require precise data collection systems that can be utilized to track the progress of each child and the general effectiveness of the program.

ABLS emphasizes the use of positive reinforcement and ongoing assessment of each child’s unique preferences in order to maintain motivation. We believe that expectations need to increase gradually, as the relationship between the child and the tutor strengthens and the child’s attention span and motivation increases. Instructional demands are carefully titrated according to the unique characteristics and learning history of each child. This systematic and gradual introduction of structure significantly increases cooperation and motivation and fosters the development of a caring, positive relationship between the student and the instructor.

As for specific curricula that guide treatment planning, traditional discrete trial programs (e.g., Maurice, Green, and Luce, 1996; Leaf, R. & McEachin, J., 1999; Maurice, Green, and Foxx, 2001) are combined with incidental teaching (McGee, Morrier & Daly, 1999), curricula informed by research on verbal behavior (e.g., Sundberg, M. & Partington, J., 1998) and/or picture exchange communication systems (Frost & Bondy, 1994). Regardless of the specific approach used in its development, each treatment goal includes the following components:

(a) operational definitions for the target behavior,

(b) a teaching procedure, including instructions and necessary materials,

(c) precise data collection methods,

(d) response to errors,

(e) response to correct responses,

(f) stimuli to be used as reinforcers,

(g) criteria for advancement and remediation,

(h) prompt hierarchies and prompt fading methods.

Programs, data sheets, and progress notes are organized in a Program Book that is available at all times for review. Data are analyzed during weekly supervision visits in order to determine program changes according to each child’s learning style and pace. As an example, most children benefit from an approach to teaching where the most intrusive prompts (full physicals, verbal models) are introduced first and then faded into less intrusive prompts (gestures, partial verbal models). However, there are some children who go through this hierarchy faster than others and might need different criteria for advancement through prompting levels. Careful scrutiny of the data will determine how these standard procedures need to be modified to account for each child’s unique learning trajectory.

With regard to generalization of acquired skills to natural environments, a systematic, planned approach to generalization is utilized. Each child has a Generalization book with mastered programs. Data on the implementation of these programs in new settings, with new materials, and with new people is collected. This systematic approach to generalization ensures that the skills acquired in tight stimulus control conditions (i.e., discrete trials at the table) become functional skills that the child can use in his/her everyday life.

Training and Quality Control

ICCD Applied Behavioral Learning Services is committed to providing the highest quality service for children and their families. In this regard, the following levels of quality assurance are utilized.

1- All goals and objectives are operationalized and quantified, thus allowing the team to track each child’s progress.

2- Different developmental assessments are used to determine baseline and post-intervention functioning levels, thus gauging progress.

3- The family’s satisfaction with the services provided is assessed through periodic communication with ICCD administrators and a quarterly Family Feedback Survey.

Training protocols for behavioral educators have been designed through a combination of theoretical instruction, direct observation, modeling and feedback that result in competency-based individualized training of each educator.