Thesis (Ed.D.)--Teachers College, Columbia University, 1966. / Joint project with Hoffman, Miriam Schaad. Typescript; issued also on microfilm. Sponsor: Margaret Lindsey, . Dissertation Committee: Dorothy McGeoch, Alice Miel. Includes bibliographical references.

Having a measurable way to analyze how staff members describe teaching interactions is important for staff training and building a community of effective and caring practice. The purpose of this project, part of a larger program, is to develop a measurement system that captures descriptions of connected events (narratives) during teaching interactions. This project involved development of a reliable measurement system that discriminates between experienced and novice narratives of teaching interactions (contingency arrangements) across multiple cases of instruction. The participants were employees of a non-profit agency serving children with autism and their families. They volunteered to participate in the study. The development of the code included the systematic selection of high quality autism intervention video clips and asking participants to view the clips and describe events, and then coding responses. The participant narratives were then categorized by themes and analyzed. The results are described in the context of usefulness and limitations of the measurement systems. A mutielement design comparing responses across stimulus conditions was used to evaluate the sensitivity of the measurement system in discriminating between novice and experienced interventionists.

Research has shown that individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) lack the skills to develop meaningful friendships. One procedure that has been demonstrated to have positive effects for teaching social skills among individuals with ASD is the Teaching Interaction procedure. Yet, there is minimal research evaluating the effects of the Teaching Interaction procedure on adults diagnosed with ASD. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of the Teaching Interaction procedure on increasing targeted social skills of young adults diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder utilizing a multiple baseline design across participants and replicated across behaviors. Prior to intervention, the participants displayed low levels of the three targeted social skills. Targeted social skills were sharing, eye contact, and initiating a greeting. A multiple probe design across participants and replicated across behaviors resulted in all participants acquiring all three targeted social skills. The data indicated that each participant maintained the targeted social skills across settings over time. Social validity questionnaires completed by the participants’ teachers indicated that the Teaching Interaction procedure was age appropriate, helped the participants engage with others more independently, and that outcomes were satisfactory. Keywords: Teaching Interaction, Autism, Social Skills, Modeling, Role Play / Applied Behavioral Analysis

Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 125-130).

Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 125-130). Also available in print.

Repetitive verbal patterns of speech are a trait associated with high-functioning autism (HFA). For some, this higher-order restricted, repetitive behavior impedes learning, social opportunities, and access to work environments. Despite emerging motivation for establishing social relationships, some individuals with HFA lack the behavioral prerequisites to establish meaningful relationships. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the effectiveness of teaching interaction to decrease higher-order verbal restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRBs) for four adults with HFA. Through a multiple baseline design across participants, individuals were exposed to a function-based intervention (i.e., teaching interaction) that systematically taught and reinforced alternative communicative behaviors while interrupting repetitive speech with specific feedback. Teaching interaction effectively reduced RRBs and increased alternative conversation for all four participants. Three of the four participants elected to participate in post-intervention maintenance sessions that occurred in individualized naturalistic settings. Their conversation behaviors maintained with one participant receiving one booster session.