Unit 5 Assignment Part 1

Unit 5 Assignment Part 1: Supports Areas of ABA Practice Student Names School Course Instructor Date Unit 5 Assignment Part 1: Supports Areas of ABA Practice Healthcare (Mental Health Practice) Boyle, M. A., Monaco, B. L., & Ebeling, L. M. (2023). Treating elopement without extinction in a preschool setting. Behavioral Interventions, 38(1), 268-282. https://doi.org/10.1002/bin.1909 Article Summary The purpose of Boyle et al. (2022) study was to examine the efficacy of distinct types of interventions targeting the reduction of elopement in preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) without applying extinction or blocking responses. Eloping (leaving an area without permission) is a behavior with significant consequences. Major focus of this research was on treating elopement in the context of applied behavioral analysis (ABA). Unlike in the school setting, traditional interventions employ extinction. Due to logistical and ethical reasons, these traditional approaches are not applicable in school contexts. The research was intended to determine if Functional Communication Training (FCT) alone was adequate in addressing elopement or if alternative strategies were necessary. To determine how the elopement of a 4-year-old boy, Patrick, would be maintained, trial-based functional analysis (TBFA) was utilized in an attempt to resolve the maintaining functions. Patrick was taught to use communication cards using FCT in order to communicate with instructors. Latency and communication responses were taken into account. The persistence of elopement would necessitate an additional response-blocking component of the intervention. Boyle et al. (2022) found that tangible and automatic reinforcement maintained Patrick’s elopement. When tangible reinforcers were the motivating factor for elopement, access to tangible reinforcers alone succeeded in preventing elopement. Nevertheless, in the case of elopement reinforced automatically (sensory stimulation), FCT alone was not sufficient, and response blocking was needed to reduce the behavior further. The findings indicate that extinction is not a universal solution to elopement, and reinforcement-based interventions can be effective substitutes for extinction. The study highlights the importance of function-based interventions and individualized treatment approaches in behavior analysis. The study's strengths include its application in a real-world preschool setting and its data-driven methodology. However, this approach was limited due to the use of a single-case design and lack of long-term follow-up. Future research should explore alternative strategies for automated maintenance of elopement that would be more sustainable in school settings and assess the long-term feasibility of reinforcement-based interventions. Key Intervention Strategies Functional Assessment and Experimental Design. One fundamental ABA principle included here is its strict application of functional assessment through trial-based functional analysis (TBFA) and an experimental design. The researchers manipulated antecedents and consequences systematically and thereby identified the variables maintaining Patrick’s elopement. They isolated tangible, escape, attention, and ignore conditions to generate a clear behavioral profile from which they were able to select intervention. Experimental control was established by the use of multiple baseline designs across behavioral functions, which indicated that the changes observed were due to the treatment components. The researchers ensured that measurements were precise by using detailed measurements of frequency, latency, and interobserver agreement (Boyle et al., 2022). This approach illustrates the ABA's commitment to data-driven decision-making and individualized treatment planning. Targeted modifications supported the intervention’s effectiveness after carefully analyzing the contextual variables. The procedures were systematic, thereby promoting objectivity when measuring and informing adaptive treatment. Differential Reinforcement and Functional Communication Training (FCT). The use of differential reinforcement to replace elopement with functional communication is another ABA principle that is demonstrated in the intervention. Children with ASD cannot communicate what they need and what is important to them. Elopement may be understood as a lack of listening and the inability of others to understand Patrick and his needs. In the final part of the assessment, Patrick was taught an appropriate alternative behavior using FCT. The therapist purposely did not respond to Patrick’s prompts without allowing Patrick to escape. Allowing Patrick access to his chosen items and other good sensory rewards reinforced desirable behaviors. The new behavior was shaped by a clear contingency structure that substantially reduced instances of elopement in the future. In order to teach appropriate alternative behavior, Patrick learned through FCT using communication responses that were reinforced. It entailed a series of delays in time between the prompts, along with eventually independent functional communication responses emitted by Patrick, who was no longer eloping. In those interactions in which Patrick would functionally respond to Patrick’s directive, he was accorded for doing so with tangible rewards. In contrast, in the cases of elopement, he was awarded brief access to sensory rewards or tangible items (Boyle et al., 2022). This new behavior was shaped by this new approach to managing Patrick’s elopement, thus reducing cases of elopement. The intervention took advantage of the ABA principle of behavior modification through positive reinforcement and reinforcement differential, as improved by adjusting reinforcement schedules and parameters. Therefore, using this systematic approach provides the therapist with an opportunity to reinforce appropriate behavior, shape behavior, and obtain skill acquisition, as well as decrease at-risk behavior of children diagnosed with ASD. Response Blocking and Contingency Management. Treatment for elopement behaviors was based on response blocking and contingency management. In the automatic condition, the intervention was centered first on FCT, and if elopement continued, response blocking was used to extinguish the behavior. A therapist constantly redirected Patrick back to the instructional area whenever he attempted to elope. This act prevented Patrick from accessing the reinforcement sensory consequences of walking. The immediate reduction in elopement following the introduction of response blocking illustrates the ABA principles of extinction and positive punishment. The intervention did so by manipulating the consequences contingent on behavior and changing the response pattern. In addition, this adjustment highlighted that treatment procedures need to be developed in accordance with real-time data. Precisely measuring latencies and response frequencies allowed for systematic modification of the intervention to make behavior change reliable and stable over time. This strategic application of ABA methodologies exemplifies how tailored interventions can successfully modify complex behaviors. Education Lee, G. T., Hu, X., Liu, Y., & Yang, Z. (2021). Improving pretend play for children with autism through experiencing the stimulus properties of real objects. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 54(4), 1369-1384. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaba.843 Article Summary The article by Lee et al. (2021) aims to improve symbolic play skills for children with ASD. The researchers tested if sensory-based training methods could boost symbolic play capabilities in children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder by teaching them how to assign pretend properties to objects. The article re...