Martha Gabler, Author at Autism: Chaos to Calm

Behavior Basics 23 and 24: End of Week Wrap-Up

February 14, 2014February 15, 2016 Martha Gabler

Behavior Basic #23. To build a desired behavior, reinforce it!

This is the core principle of Applied Behavior Analysis — the golden rule, the way of truth! When teaching, think of what you want the child to achieve (reading a sentence, setting the table, hanging up a coat). When the child performs that great behavior, reinforce it! Give him a treat, token, praise, appreciation, recognition, money, or anything pleasing The child will do that behavior again. When he does it again, reinforce it again! Reinforcement will result in that behavior becoming a routine activity for him. Then go on to the next step and build another great behavior.

Behavior Basid #24. To build a desired behavior, reinforce it immediately after it occurs.

We discussed how important it is to reinforce a behavior so that the child performs it again. But, there is an important detail to think about! When you reinforce the child, you have to do it right away! Reinforce as soon as she performs the behavior. When you reinforce right away, the child will know exactly what she has done that is right. Don’t dawdle or delay! Get in there right away and start handing out praise, thanks, treats, tokens, recognition, or whatever is pleasing to the learner. If you are late with the reinforcer, the child will be confused. What did she do to earn the treat? She won’t repeat the desired behavior and may repeat some other random behavior. The faster you are with immediate reinforcement, the faster the child will gain that great new skill.

REMINDER: This concludes the wrap-up of Behavior Basics for the week. Please remember the schedule: On the release date of each module, the Behavior Basics for that module will be compiled into a PDF ebook available from our blog and Facebook page. Click on this link to download the entire series of 42 Behavior Basics for free: http://statictab.com/m7bizwt.

Behavior Basics 21 and 22: End of the week wrap-up

February 7, 2014February 15, 2016 Martha Gabler

21: A reinforcer increases the likelihood that a behavior will happen again.

When a child with autism receives a reinforcer after performing a desired action, the child will be more likely to do it again. The child has experienced a pleasant consequence and, as a rational being, would like to experience another pleasant consequence. This sets in motion a positive cycle, where the child makes more efforts to earn reinforcers, and thus performs the desired behavior again.

22: A reinforcer is anything that the learner likes and will work for (candy, stickers, money, praise, etc.).

A reinforcer can be anything, provided that the learner likes it. It can be candy, treats, tokens (for earning privileges), activities, puzzles, games, money, praise, recognition or the opportunity for social interaction. The important feature of the reinforcer is that the learner (not the instructor) values it and will work for it. Monitor the reinforcements you offer a learner to make sure that the learner continues to like them. If the learner gets tired of a particular reinforcer, try something else until you have some new items that he/she enjoys. Coming up with varied, enticing reinforcers is a wonderful skill to have.

What do TAGteach and on-line shopping have in common?

February 7, 2014November 9, 2017 Martha Gabler

Did you know that not only is TAgteach (Teaching with Acoustical Guidance) a great way to work with kids with autism, but it’s also a lot like on-line shopping? This may surprise you, so let me explain.

When you use TAGteach to teach any child (autism or not), you observe the child and decide which behaviors of the child you would like to increase.

For example, you might like the child to say “thank you” more often, or to spend more time with puzzles or books. When the child performs the desired behavior, you “tag” the behavior with a tagger (“clicker”), then give the child a treat (candy, token, special privilege) as a reinforcer.

These two actions, tag and treat, will result in the child performing that specific behavior more often and eventually, for longer times.

When you do on-line shopping, the process is almost identical. Let’s say your hobby is scuba-diving, and you’re interested in getting a new diving mask. You go to your favorite scuba gear online catalog. You browse through the items to see what you like. Ah ha! You spot the nifty Ocean Quest Arctic Clear High Definition Panoramic Purge Mask priced at $59, and you decide, “That’s for me!” You click on the item, add it to your cart, then go to the online checkout to pay for it. You click, you pay, and soon this great new mask arrives on your doorstep.

More about having an autism friendly vacation in Tampa, Florida!

February 6, 2014February 15, 2016 Martha Gabler

This week I spoke with Ms. Becca Zarcone of the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Tampa. This hotel is the location of the “Autism Practice Vacation” mentioned in an earlier post. Ms. Zarcone would like to extend a personal invitation and welcome to all autism families who are interested in taking advantage of the “Practice Vacation” opportunity.

The hotel staff has received autism sensitivity training from the University of South Florida Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD). Upon arrival, a child with autism receives a child-friendly bag containing a binder, dry-erase board, markers and a coloring book. The binder contains information about autism-friendly attractions in the Tampa area. Hotel amenities include an outdoor heated pool with a secure access gate; there are cabanas where a family can take a break from the sun or to get some quiet time.

Ms. Zarcone, Group Sales Manager at the hotel, has experience with autism among family and acquaintances, and has a personal passion to expand opportunities for this community. She invites anyone interested in this opportunity to call her directly at 813-405-1185 and she will personally make arrangements for your booking. Talk about creative thinking! This program is a result of a partnership between the Tampa “Autism Fits” Business Partnership and the University of South Florida CARD to expand awareness and create opportunity for the autism community.

Behavior Basics 19 and 20: End of week wrap-up

January 31, 2014February 15, 2016 Martha Gabler

Behavior Basic 19: Positive reinforcement increases the strength of a behavior and the chance of it recurring.

When a learner experiences a pleasant consequence (i.e., the “reinforcer”) after performing a desired behavior, the learner will try that behavior again. We are all primed to understand our environments in terms of consequences. Most people won’t touch a boiling pot on the stove twice; after the first painful time we learn to be careful. When we experience pleasure, rewards, treats, attention or praise, we know we did something right, and we will do that correct thing again.

Behavior Basic 20: A positive consequence after a physical movement will cause that movement to happen again.

From behavioral science, we know that positive reinforcement increases behavior. It is important to remember that the positive reinforcement should be delivered immediately after the behavior—not before. The sequence is: learner performs a behavior, then instructor gives reinforcer. At some point in the future the learner will perform the behavior again, and the instructor will give a reinforcer again.

Behavior Basics 17 and 18: End of week wrap-up

January 24, 2014February 15, 2016 Martha Gabler

Behavior Basic 17: To increase a desired behavior, give learner a treat or other positive consequence.

This is the golden rule of Applied Behavior Analysis! To increase a desired behavior, give the learner a treat or other positive reinforcement. As soon as the learner has performed the desired action (which could be anything – eye contact, touching a puzzle piece, walking into a room), give the child a treat (which could also be anything – a piece of candy, a toy, a token, a favored activity, praise, or attention). This will cause the learner to perform the behavior again.

Behavior Basic 18: A positive consequence that strengthens behavior is a “reinforcer.”

The definition of “reinforcer” is anything following a behavior that strengthens the behavior or causes it to occur more often. Sometimes people refer to the “reinforcer” as a “reward.” While this is a commonly used word, the technically correct term, “reinforcer,” more accurately describes the result of strengthening or “reinforcing” a behavior.

Behavior Basics 15 and 16: End of week wrap up

January 17, 2014February 15, 2016 Martha Gabler

Behavior Basic #15: Do we need to ask “What caused the behavior?” No No No!

When dealing with any problem, it’s always important to ask the right question. We know from Behavior Basic #11 that the CONSEQUENCE, not the antecedent, determines the future course of a behavior. In the early years when I was struggling with my child’s difficult behaviors, I kept asking myself, “What is causing this?” It was the wrong question. By focusing on the wrong question I couldn’t come up with a solution.

It’s important to be aware of factors that trigger behaviors, such as hunger, fatigue, or stress, but we can’t control our children’s environment. We can only control how we respond to a child’s behavior. And we respond by deciding what the consequences should be. If we know that positive consequences increase behaviors, we can stop accidentally giving positive consequences (attention, treats, privileges) for undesired behaviors and train ourselves to give these only for desired behaviors.

Behavior Basic #16: Do we need to ask “What maintains the behavior?” Yes Yes Yes!

This is the right question to ask. When a child does something, think about what happened after the behavior. If the child experienced a consequence that was useful to him, the behavior will occur again. Please note, the consequence may not seem pleasant to us, but if the behavior keeps happening then the consequence was positive for the child. It is well known that children sometimes misbehave to get attention because a scolding is better than being ignored.

We know from Behavior Basic #12 that a pleasant consequence maintains a behavior–keeps it going. So, the right thing to do is to monitor the consequences we deliver to our kids after they do something. The right thing to do is to provide pleasant consequences for behaviors we like, and to ignore behaviors we don’t like. (Of course, if a behavior is dangerous or destructive, we have to step in, take charge, and re-direct the child.) This may seem awkward and unnatural at first, but after a while it becomes easier. The reward for taking charge of the consequences we deliver is an increase in desired behaviors in our children.

A great resource for parents: Effective School Practices with Direct Instruction

January 13, 2014December 5, 2018 Martha Gabler

If you are interested in making sure that all kids get a great education, you may like spending some time learning about scientifically-designed academic programs at the website of the National Institute for Direct Instruction.

Direct Instruction

Direct Instruction is not yet a household name, but it deserves to be. Direct Instruction (DI) is a body of academic programs for teaching reading, writing, spelling, mathematics, language, American history and science. DI programs have 40+ years of research validation demonstrating that they result in superior learning outcomes for all students. The commitment to teach all students, regardless of socio-economic or educational levels, is the basic assumption of Direct Instruction.

The Direct Instruction philosophy states:

All children can be taught.
All children can improve academically and in terms of self image.
All teachers can succeed if provided with adequate training and materials.
Low performers and disadvantaged learners must be taught at a faster rate than typically occurs if they are to catch up to their higher-performing peers.
All details of instruction must be controlled to minimize the chance of students’ misinterpreting the information being taught and to maximize the reinforcing effect of instruction.

Behavior Basics 13 and 14: End of week wrap up

January 10, 2014February 15, 2016 Martha Gabler

Behavior Basic #13: A pleasant consequence causes a behavior to occur more frequently.

This fact, this scientific law, underlies all behavioral interventions. This fact tells us how we can increase desired behaviors in learners. Whenever a learner performs a desired behavior, make sure he or she immediately experiences a wonderful consequence! The learner will do that behavior again.

Let’s say a child routinely comes home and tosses her jacket on the floor instead of hanging it on the coat rack. You can say to the child, “The tag point is Jacket On Hook.” As soon as the child hangs the jacket on the hook, give her a high-value treat or token. Every time the child hangs the jacket on the hook, give another treat. Soon your child will hang up her jacket as a matter of course. You have changed her behavior without scolding, nagging or threats. The pleasant consequence of a treat or token, along with praise and happy looks from mom or dad, cause the child to hang up her coat more frequently.

Behavior Basic #14: A pleasant consequence causes a behavior to become stronger.

Not only does a pleasant consequence cause a behavior to occur more frequently, it causes the behavior to become stronger.

Let’s look at the girl in the example above. She continues to hang up her jacket on the hook, and one day, she sees that somebody else’s coat has fallen off the coat rack. She picks it up and replaces it on the hook! If her observant mom or dad have the chance to see this and give her another pleasant consequence, she will continue to pick up more coats, and perhaps tackle the hats and scarves.

How I Gave My Child with Autism the Gift of Choice

January 7, 2014February 15, 2016 Martha Gabler

By Martha Gabler

Freedom. We all want it. We want to have choice in our lives; it gives us opportunities, independence and a sense of control.

Now consider a child with autism. A child with autism may have a limited range of behavioral choices: he can only do what is in his repertoire. When my son Douglas was little his repertoire consisted of just four behaviors: running around, shrieking “Deeeeee, deeeee, deeeee,” spinning, and hitting himself or others. He was a nightmarish child to care for. If we talked to him, his response was to plug his fingers in his ears and run away.

I know now that he was only doing this as a self-defensive reaction to the confusing and overwhelming stimuli that bombarded him. These behaviors must have been self-reinforcing, or they would not have continued. Creating his own noise, engaging in repetitive movements, destructive behavior and even self-injury must have been reinforcing to him, since we know from the findings of behavioral science that behavior that is repeated is behavior that has been reinforced. It is very sad to think that a child finds his environment so overwhelming that it is necessary to engage in these types of behaviors as a way to cope.

My Son Was Not Happy While Overwhelmed

I didn’t believe that my son was happy while engaging in these self-stimulatory and destructive behaviors. I believe that these behaviors stopped him from being able to learn and interfered with basic functional skills. These behaviors sucked him into a downward spiral which he was unable to control or get out of, and they caused pain, anger, frustration and despair in the rest of the family. How could that be good for him or for us?