In teacher preparation, more effective pathways and practices are needed for preparing, placing, and supporting beginning teachers and principals (Darling-Hammond, 2010; U.S. Department of Education, 2009b). A common issue in the field of special education is the lack of skill transfer from one setting to another (Dieker, Hynes, Hughes, & Smith, 2008). It has been posited that “practicing up” is not ethical in that novice teachers must attempt to teach with a limited knowledge of appropriate pedagogy and skill (Dieker et al., 2008). The new challenge becomes finding an effective mechanism that provides essential learning experiences and opportunities to refine teaching techniques to the highest standards of fidelity in a safely controlled and coordinated environment (Odom, 2009). Perhaps because of the ethical concerns in honing teacher skills on actual children, and despite the strong demand for professionals who are trained in discrete trial teaching (DTT), few studies have been published on training methodologies and fidelity of implementation (Fazzio, Martin, Arnal, & Yu, 2009). The training of teachers to implement evidence-based interventions such as DTT with fidelity while they are working with students with ASD cannot be over-emphasized in a teacher preparation program (Scheuermann, Webber, Boutot, & Goodwin, 2003; Simpson, 2004; 2005). The researcher utilized the TLE TeachLivE simulation classroom laboratory at the University of Central Florida as a mechanism to infuse cutting-edge technology and learning activities within program/project coursework. The TLE TeachLivE virtual classroom serves as a venue for pre-service and practicing teachers to safely gain proficiency and iv enhance fidelity of implementation of evidence-based practices. Participants experienced an immersive, real-time environment that featured interactions with Austin, an avatar that portrayed a student with autism. A trained interactor remotely controlled the behavior and responses of the avatar with which teachers engaged for practice sessions consisting of ten discrete trials. Between sessions, participants received individualized clinical coaching (ICC) on their performance. Upon termination of the intervention, two generalization probes were conducted to measure retention of fidelity over time within actual classroom settings. Results indicated that all five participants strongly benefited from learning DTT with ICC in the TLE TeachLivE learning platform. Across participants, the overall mean gain in fidelity from baseline phase (14%) to intervention phase (80%) was 66%. The fidelity means of participants in the generalization phase held to 90%, thus supporting the use of virtual environments for teacher preparation. Mean time among participants to attain higher than mastery level performance of 90% in intervention was 1.25 hours. This resulted in shorter training times than previously researched training programs (Arnal et al., 2007; Fazzio et al., 2009; Leblanc, & Luiselli, 2005; Thiessen et al., 2009). This investigation endeavored to reduce the potential of diminished pupil learning gains as a necessary consequence when honing skills in the appropriate delivery of instruction of discrete trial teaching.

Many professionals have successfully implemented discrete trial teaching in the past. However, there have not been extensive studies examining the accuracy of discrete trial teaching implementation. This study investigated the use of Bug in Ear feedback on the accuracy of discrete trial teaching implementation among two pre-service teachers majoring in elementary education and one pre-service teacher majoring in exceptional education. An adult confederate was used to receive discrete trial teaching. Implementing a multiple baseline across participants design, this study examined whether there was a functional relationship between receiving Bug in Ear feedback and the accuracy of discrete trial teaching implementation. The discrete trial teaching evaluation form was utilized to measure the accuracy of discrete trial teaching implementation. The findings demonstrated an increase in the discrete trial teaching implementation accuracy after Bug in Ear feedback was introduced. Participants agreed that using a self-instruction manual combined with receiving Bug in Ear feedback was beneficial in learning to implement discrete trial teaching

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Behavior skills training is a didactic training format used to increase skill in an effective and efficient way. Video self-monitoring refers to the process of recording oneself for the purpose of self-review in order to observe and change one's behavior. The purpose of the following study was to determine if an intervention package that included Behavioral Skills Training (BST) and Video Self-Monitoring (VSM) would increase, generalize and, maintain high levels of treatment integrity of paraprofessional staff members while teaching a discrete trial training program to a student with autism. Additionally, student behavior was observed to determine if increased staff effectiveness would affect learner responding. The study found that the intervention package was effective in changing staff behavior by improving their treatment integrity. An observed change in student behavior emerged towards the end of the study when treatment integrity was high across staff members. Staff behavior generalized when the DTT program was implemented with a novel student. Additionally, maintenance of treatment integrity remained high after the intervention was withdrawn. Overall, these findings suggest that BST, followed by VSM, is an effective intervention for changing staff behavior. / Applied Behavioral Analysis

The present dissertation on autism spectrum disorders (ASD) addressed several questions. First, the behavioral symptoms of speaking and mute individuals with ASD were compared on the Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC), a commonly used diagnostic instrument. In addition, questions about the construction of the ABC were investigated. In Study I it was found that although the two groups did not significantly differ on the total ABC score, the mute group demonstrated significantly more pathology on 21 of 57 items and 3 of 5 subscales. The speaking group obtained significantly higher scores on only 8 items and 1 subscale (Language). The appropriateness of providing greater pathology scores to speaking, rather than mute, individuals with ASD was called into question. In addition, it was speculated that the expressive language items are weighted too heavily, on both the Language subscale and the total score. Second, because the 57 items of the ABC were categorized into 5 subscales on a subjective basis, an empirical investigation of the factor structure of the ABC was performed. In Study II, a 5-factor model that contained 39 of the items accounted for 80% of the total variance in the checklist. No support was found for classifying the 57 items into the existing 5 subscales. Finally, the two most common forms of instruction to teach children with ASD, discrete-trial teaching and incidental teaching, were assessed. In Study III it was ascertained that discrete-trial teaching was more efficient and produced faster acquisition and initially, greater generalization. However, by follow-up, the incidental teaching methods resulted in equal retention, greater generalization, and equal or greater spontaneous usage. The findings indicate that although it takes a longer time for children with autism to learn with incidental teaching procedures, once they have acquired an ability, it may be more permanent.

Discrete trial instruction (DTI) and naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions (NDBIs) are often incorporated into early intensive behavioral interventions for young children with autism. Recent advances in staff training methods have demonstrated that self-instructional manuals, video models, and computer-based training are effective and efficient ways to improve staff implementation of these teaching strategies however research in this area is limited. The current evaluation assessed the effects of a computer-based training package including self-instructional manuals with embedded video models on direct-care staff’s implementation of DTI and an NDBI. All participants’ DTI teaching fidelity increased during role-plays with an adult and with a child with autism and all participants increased teaching fidelity across untrained instructional programs. In addition, moderate improvement was demonstrated following NDBI training on the use of correct prompts, environmental arrangements, and response interaction. Together, these results indicate that therapists are able to acquire a large number of skills using two teaching techniques, DTI and NDBI, following brief computer-based training.

Feedback is discussed in many disciplines. In behavior analysis, it has been discussed in terms of its functions, many coming to different conclusions. The present study evaluated whether therapists' preferred temporal and format of feedback shifted or changed during acquisition or maintenance of skills implementing a tact program using a token economy system after a brief exposure to all possible feedback combinations. Three participants completed a questionnaire before they were exposed to a feedback sampling phase and preferred feedback phase. Preferred way of recieving feedback was asked at the beginning of each session. Two out of three participants switched preferences after achieving mastery of task. Task mastery may make feedback delivered at the end of a session more desirable while task acquisition may make feedback delivered at the end of a trial more valuable. Limitations and future research were discussed.

Diploma thesis focuses on effect of positive reinforcement and it's application in the learning process. The thesis is divided into two parts - theoretical and analytical. Theoretical part describes importance of positive reinforcement in a learning process and behavior overall. How organisms acquire new skills and how effective teaching methods look like. Analytical part provides practical use of positive reinforcement in an effective teaching method called Discrete Trial Teaching. It's application, use, and correct implementation is provided through an example of teaching a motor imitation behavior. KEYWORDS Applied Behavior Analysis; Effective teaching methods; Positive Reinforcement; Principles of learning and behavior; Discrete Trial Teaching

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-29T13:17:45Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Fernanda Rizzi Bitondi.pdf: 1390449 bytes, checksum: c3d88238b2946cc2655e04fd9337cc96 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-05-25 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of two procedures, Discrete Trial (DT) and Discrete Trial with Interresponse Interval (DT/IRI), on the production of behavioral variability in different conditions (directly reinforced and induced) and determine what condition, in each procedure, would facilitate the selection of an initial sequence of low probability. Were selected 18 college students with baseline performance measured by U-valeu, that was equal or less than 0,5. They were divided into the two procedures and subdivided into three groups with three participants (VAR, YOKE and CON). The task was to form images on the computer screen by pressing two keys (left and right) on lateral keyboards. The unit was four responses to the keys. In both procedures, a piece of the image, a tone and 0,5 seconds was used to reinforce sequences that attended the contingency s criterion, and a timeout of 1,0 second, if not. Only the DT/IRI had a 0,5 second interval after the first three responses of the sequence. The experiment had three phases. In Phase I, baseline, sequences was continuous reinforced (CRF). For two groups (DT- VAR and DT/IRI-VAR) in Phase 2, variability was direct reinforced on 15 sequences, mean that the less frequent and less recent sequence had more probability of been reinforced than the others, and a target sequence (less frequent sequence at baseline) was reinforced in CRF. In Phase 3, the distribution of reinforcement of the prior phase was yoked for the 15 sequences and another target sequence was reinforced in CRF. For the groups DT-YOKE and DT/IRI-YOKE, the phase s exposure was reversed, whereas in Phase 2 the distribution of reinforcement was yoked to the performance of the VAR groups. In groups DT-CON and DT/IRI-CON, only the target sequence was reinforced in both phases. The results showed that variability increased in the first session of Phase 2 for all participants. The DT-YOKE group showed the highest levels of variability within this procedure. In the DT/IRI procedure, this was true for the group DT/IRI-VAR. With regard to the selection of the target sequence the groups that had higher percentages of selection in all sessions were DT-CON and DT/IRI-VAR, respectively within each procedure. It was noted that both procedures produced the selection of the target sequence, but is seems that the use of IRI produced a more variable performance, when it was directly reinforced, allowing the selection of the target sequence to occur more rapidly / O objetivo do estudo foi avaliar a efetividade de dois procedimentos, Tentativa Discreta (TD) e Tentativa Discreta com Intervalo entre as Respostas (TD/IRI), na produção da variabilidade comportamental em diferentes condições (diretamente reforçada e induzida) e averiguar que condição, em cada procedimento, mais facilitaria a seleção de uma sequência de baixa probabilidade inicial. Selecionou-se 18 universitários com um desempenho na linha de base, medido pelo índice U, igual ou inferior a 0,5. Estes foram divididos nos dois procedimentos e subdivididos em três grupos com três participantes (VAR, ACO e CON). A tarefa consistia em formar figuras na tela do computador pressionando duas teclas (direita e esquerda) de teclados laterais. A unidade comportamental era quatro respostas às teclas. Nos dois procedimentos apresentava-se um pedaço da figura, um tom e 0,5 segundo, caso a sequência fosse passível de reforço, e um timeout de 1,0 segundo, caso não fosse. Somente no TD/IRI havia um IRI de 0,5 segundo após as três primeiras respostas da sequência. O experimento continha três fases. Na Fase 1, linha de base, vigorava o reforçamento contínuo (CRF) das 16 sequências. Para dois grupos (TD-VAR e TD/IRI-VAR) na Fase 2 havia o reforçamento direto da variabilidade, para 15 sequências, no qual a sequência menos frequente e menos recente teria maior probabilidade de ser reforçada, e CRF de uma sequência alvo (sequência menos frequente na linha de base). Na Fase 3, havia a distribuição acoplada dos reforços da fase anterior para as 15 sequências e CRF de outra sequência alvo. Para os grupos TD-ACO e TD/IRI-ACO a ordem de exposição às fases foi inversa, visto que na Fase 2 a distribuição de reforços foi acoplada ao desempenho dos participantes dos grupos VAR. Nos grupos TD-CON e TD/IRI-CON havia somente o CRF da sequência alvo nas duas fases. Os resultados mostraram que a variabilidade aumentou na primeira sessão da Fase 2 para todos os participantes. O grupo TD-ACO foi o que apresentou maior índices de variabilidade dentro deste procedimento. Já no TD/IRI, isto foi verdadeiro para o grupo TD/IRI-VAR. Com relação à seleção da sequência alvo, os grupos que apresentaram maiores porcentagens de seleção em todas as sessões foram TD-CON e TD/IRI-VAR, respectivamente dentro de cada procedimento. Notou-se que os dois procedimentos produziram seleção da sequência alvo, mas parece que o uso do IRI produziu um responder mais variável, quando este foi diretamente reforçado, o que possibilitou que a seleção da sequência alvo ocorresse mais rapidamente

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