Know the three essential conditions for effective teaching? Guess the third one!

autism, TAGteach, ABA, positive reinforcement

Here’s the answer:

  • Learning organized in small steps

To review, the three essential conditions for effective learning are:

  1. Immediate Feedback
  2. Student Learns at Own Pace
  3. Learning Organized in Small Steps

We’ve discussed the first two conditions described by Dr. B.F. Skinner, Immediate Feedback and Student Learns At Own Pace. This post will address the third condition.

Learning Organized in Small Steps

The third essential condition for effective learning is a carefully constructed program where the skill is taught in many small steps. The reason for this is to ensure that the child experiences success in the learning progression. Many successful small steps result in a confident, motivated learner.

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Know the three essential conditions for effective teaching? Guess the second one!

autism, TAGteach, ABA, positive reinforcementHere’s the answer:

  • Student learns at own pace

To review, the three essential conditions are:

  1. Immediate Feedback
  2. Student Learns at Own Pace
  3. Learning Organized in Small Steps

We’ve already discussed the first condition, Immediate Feedback. This post will address the second condition: Student Learns at Own Pace.

Student Learns at Own Pace

Dr. Skinner emphasizes the need for students to learn at their own pace.  Learning at her own pace is crucial for a child with autism. Our kids have so many sensory and emotional issues that the teaching process must respect their need for time to respond to, and understand new stimuli.

Since children with autism often have problems with pre-cursor learning skills such as eye contact and imitation skills, it is important to teach these. Yet, eye contact, for example, can be a difficult task for a child with autism for a variety of reasons.

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Know the three essential conditions for effective teaching? Guess the first one!

autism, TAGteach, ABA, positive reinforcementHere’s the answer:

  • Immediate feedback

What are the other essential conditions, and who discovered them?

America’s most influential behavioral scientist and the founder of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), Dr. B.F. Skinner, described the three essential conditions of an effective teaching program. They are:

  1. Immediate feedback
  2. Moving at the child’s pace
  3. Learning in many small steps

These conditions are as important for children with autism and other disabilities as they are for typically developing children. Luckily, we now have TAGteach (Teaching with Acoustical Guidance), so let’s see how TAGteach meets these three essential criteria. First we’ll discuss how TAGteach addresses the need for immediate feedback, then we’ll talk about the other ones.

Immediate Feedback

When learning a skill, immediate feedback on whether your response is correct or incorrect is essential to effective learning. Why? Because, when you know instantly that you did something right, you feel success! You will do that good thing again, and you will be willing to try the next step because you have a history of success.

In contrast, delays in feedback lead to delays in learning. If you’re not sure, or it you feel uncertain, you won’t know which action was correct.  You won’t feel confident when another task is presented.  The delay results in confusion and dismay, which negatively affect learning.

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Dr. B.F. Skinner in 1954 Video Discussing Effective Conditions for Learning

 

Dr. Skinner describing optimum conditions for human learning

This fascinating six minute video from 1954 shows Dr. B.F. Skinner discussing the advantages of learning machines.

He describes how immediate feedback “…leads most rapidly to formation of the correct behavior,” and has a “motivating effect.”

Since the student moves through the program at his or her own pace, the student “…moves at the rate which is most effective for him.”

Finally, with a carefully constructed program, the student goes from the initial stage of being “unfamiliar” with a subject to the final stage in which he is “competent.” He achieves this through a series of very small, successful steps.

Thus the three essential conditions for effective learning are:

  1. immediate feedback
  2. moving at the child’s pace
  3. learning in many small steps

For more information about Dr. Skinner and his extensive contributions to science, please see the B.F. Skinner Foundation.

TAGteach (Teaching with Acoustical Guidance) is an application of ABA that delivers these three essential conditions for learning. See information below.

What is TAGteach?

TAGteach stands for Teaching with Acoustical Guidance. TAGteach is a teaching and communication method based on the scientific principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA).

TAGteach enables extremely precise positive reinforcement of behavior by using an acoustical signal to “mark” the behavior – at the precise moment the child performs the behavior! The acoustical signal is a short, sharp sound made by a handheld device (the “tagger”). When the child performs the correct action, the parent/instructor immediately presses the button on the tagger and hands over a treat (candy, treat, token, praise, social recognition, or money) as a reinforcer.

With TAGteach, it is easy to reinforce behaviors precisely and quickly. The immediate, accurate feedback and positive reinforcement result in the child performing the correct action more often, and for longer periods of time. With immediate feedback and learning tasks broken down into small steps, children can learn many new skills with TAGteach — at their own pace.

autism, TAGteach, ABA, positive reinforcementJoin the free TAGteach listserve.

TAGteach taggers are available here.

See Martha Gabler’s book about TAGteach for Autism or ask a question (with no obligation).

Sign up for my mailing list  to receive updates, new articles and free tips right in your inbox!

If you liked this post, please share it on social media via the vertical gray menu on the far right.

An autism mom’s mantra

 

guidelines for autism moms

TAGteach delivers the right “balance”

TAGteach has 4 protocols for giving children success (appropriate demands and high reinforcement) right away.

  1. Teaching always starts at the “point of success,” something the child can already do.
  2. Tasks are broken down into the smallest possible physical movements that the child can achieve.
  3. TAGteach delivers precise, split-second reinforcement at the moment the child performs the task
  4. Teaching stops before the child becomes fatigued.

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Motivating Students Who Have Autism Spectrum Disorders

Today’s blog post comes to us courtesy of the Indiana Resource Center for Autism. The author is Rozella Stewart, an Education Special at Indiana University, now retired. In this outstanding article, she explains how to develop motivation in students with autism by focusing on their individual interests and strengths, how to structure a supportive environment, and the importance of delivering successful experiences.

autism help, tagteach, ABA  applied behavior analysisThe Challenge

Motivating individuals who have autism spectrum disorder is an essential but often difficult challenge. It is essential because, by definition, they have restricted repertoires of interests and skills needed for community living and coping. Without planned, positive experiences, these individuals often become increasingly victimized by their autism as they age. With successful experiences, each can become a victor who lives, works, and plays in the community. It is difficult, at least in part, because people who have autism are particularly vulnerable to key factors which impact motivation.

An individual’s motivation is strongly influenced by: learning history; learning styles; internal and external incentives to engage in tasks; expectations of success or failure with a particular task; meaningfulness and purposefulness of the task from the perspective of the learner; and task-surrounding environmental variables which affect attention and achievement. In general, tasks and activities which learners associate with past success tend to stimulate interest. Success begets success! Challenges which trigger memories of past anxieties and failures tend to stimulate avoidance reactions and self-preservation responses. Although occasional failure is often seen as a challenge by learners who are highly motivated to learn through problem solving, repeated failure fosters feelings of futility and frustration in fragile learners who lack self-confidence and may lack competencies for task-related problem solving. When diligently applied, proactive strategies often prove successful in eventually eliciting positive, productive responses and pride in personal accomplishment. The following are just a few success-oriented strategies that support motivation for individuals who have autism spectrum disorder:

Know the individual

  • Maintain a current list of the individual’s strengths and interests. Include preoccupations and fascinations that may be considered “bizarre” or strange. Use these strengths and interests as the foundation for gradually expanding the individual’s repertoire of skills and interests.
  • Note tasks or activities which create frustration and heightened anxiety for the individual. Attention to these factors can result in avoiding episodes which perpetuate insecurity, erode confidence, foster distrust in the environment, and generally result in avoidance behaviors.
  • Pay attention to processing and pacing issues which may be linked to cognitive and/or motor difficulties inherent to the individual’s autism. Give the individual time to respond. Vary types of cues given when movement disturbances are suspected.

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A tag is worth a thousand words: Part 1

Part 1: It is ONE SOUND for ONE MOVEMENT

We’ve all head that a picture is worth a thousand words. The idea that a click is worth a thousand words may be new. Let’s compare a click with a thousand words and see which is better for teaching a child, particularly a child with autism.

The click I’m talking about is also known as a “tag.” It is the key feature of a method called TAGteach, Teaching with Acoustical Guidance. The chart below shows six ways that the click is different from a thousand words. This post will address the first feature: One Sound versus Babble of Sounds.

tag vs 1000 words

ONE SOUND

Let’s look at the first feature: a click (tag) is ONE SOUND.  It is easy to hear and distinguish one single sound. A thousand words (or even just ten or twenty words) can be a confusing babble to a child with autism. Even if verbal, a child with autism may have difficulty understanding or complying with our words, instructions and warnings.

The click (tag) is always the same sound and it always means the same thing: Success and Reinforcement. The child knows he has achieved something (the tag point) and that he will get a reward. This process makes it easy for him to learn: just pay attention to the click and do that action more often! One sound, one meaning, one outcome (success). This consistency really helps a child with autism. Here’s an example.

USING ONE SOUND TO TEACH SAFE WALKING

With TAGteach, I was able to teach my son a valuable skill: walking safely out-of-doors, something I was not able to do before when I was using words. When he was younger, it took two people to watch my son outside because we never knew when or where he would bolt; it was always dangerous and nerve-wracking to take him out. Using the “tag” he changed from being unsafe outside to being able to go for five mile hikes in wilderness settings,safely and happily.

autism help, tagteach, ABA, tag pointBENEFITS OF ONE SOUND FOR ONE PHYSICAL MOVEMENT

The benefit of ONE SOUND was apparent right from the beginning. I had observed my son’s bolting behavior, and noticed that he did not take more than one or two steps in the same direction. He would constantly step, spin and bolt, step, spin and bolt. The constant changes of direction made his movements unpredictable. After watching this, I set the first tag point of “Two Steps in Same Direction.” I watched my son’s feet. Whenever, by chance, he took two steps in the same direction, I tagged and handed him a treat.

The ONE SOUND of the tagger “marked” the exact physical movement of taking the second step in the same direction as the first step. I didn’t explain with words, “Look, walk straight ahead and put one foot in front of the other. Don’t turn to the right or left. Go straight ahead.” He would not have been able to understand or comply with that string of 23 words. With the click, he figured out very quickly that taking two steps in the same direction was a really great thing to do! Since he was reinforced every time he took two steps, he performed that behavior more often! The click did the job that the words had failed to do. The click was much better than even one word.

Next time:  More about Precise Timing versus Sloppy Timing.

What is TAGteach?

TAGteach stands for Teaching with Acoustical Guidance. TAGteach is a teaching and communication method based on the scientific principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA).

TAGteach enables extremely precise positive reinforcement of behavior by using an acoustical signal to “mark” the behavior – at the precise moment the child performs the behavior! The acoustical signal is a short, sharp sound made by a handheld device (the “tagger”). When the child performs the correct action, the parent/instructor immediately presses the button on the tagger and hands over a treat (candy, treat, token, praise, social recognition, or money) as a reinforcer.

With TAGteach, it is easy to reinforce behaviors precisely and quickly. The immediate, accurate feedback and positive reinforcement result in the child performing the correct action more often, and for longer periods of time. With immediate feedback and learning tasks broken down into small steps, children can learn many new skills with TAGteach — at their own pace.

autism help, tagteach, applied behavior analysis, ABACheck out the TAGteach International website 

Join the free TAGteach listserve.

TAGteach taggers are available here.

See Martha’s book about TAGteach for Autism or ask a question (with no obligation).

Sign up for my mailing list  to receive updates, new articles and free tips right in your inbox!

If you liked this post, please share it on social media via the vertical gray menu on the far right. Thank you!

 

 

How positive are you? Go for the 8 to 1 ratio!

autism, TAGteach, applied behavior analysis, ABA

 

Today we feature some wonderful, enlightening comments from Dr. Mary Lynch Barbera, nurse, autism mom, and Board Certified Behavior Analyst. She shares her thoughts on the benefits to the entire family of using positive reinforcement. The magic ratio is 8 positives to 1 negative. Thank you Mary!

 

From Mary Lynch Barbera: Lessons Learned on My Autism Journey

“I have been doing a Keynote presentation for the past several years called ‘Lessons Learned on my Autism Journey.’ One of the lessons, which I’ve discussed a few times in the past month, is perhaps the most important general lesson. The best part of this lesson is that you will most likely benefit no matter how old you are, no matter if you are male or female and no matter if you know anything about autism. This life lesson, in fact, is really not about autism at all.

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Learning “Sculpts” Brain Connection

Kids doing craftsBy Susan Orloff OTR/L/FAOTA

Spontaneous brain activity formerly thought to be “white noise” measurably changes after a person learns a new task, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of Chieti, Italy, [Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106:17558-17563].

Scientists also report that the degree of change reflects how well subjects have learned to perform the task.

“Recent studies have shown that in the absence of any overt behavior, and even during sleep or anesthesia, the brain’s spontaneous activity is not random, but organized in patterns of correlated activity that occur in anatomically and functionally connected regions,” stated senior author Maurizio Corbetta, MD, Norman J. Stupp Professor of Neurology. “The reasons behind the spontaneous activity patterns remain mysterious, but we have now shown that learning causes small changes in those patterns, and that these changes are behaviorally important.”

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