Teaching Strategies 1

Teaching Strategies for Students with Autism

Alisha Larsen
Edu 203
March 10, 2016
Teaching Strategies 2

Abstract

This paper will explore some popular teaching strategies and the effectiveness for students with

Autism. The focus will be on a few popular strategies including Applied Behavior Analysis

(ABA), Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT), and Discrete Trial Teaching (DTT). ABA was the

base for both PRT and DTT to be created. They have taken ideas from ABA and translated them

to fit some different methodology views. There will also be some discussion on how these

teaching strategies will fit into the planning of an IEP. The plans for PRT are very detailed but

more open to move with the child. The plans for DTT are strict and more solid with less room for

movement to fit the child.

Teaching Strategies 3

There are many approaches to take when teaching all students but students with Autism

require some extra help in areas that a regular student does not. Due to this difference we will be

examining some popular strategies used for teaching students with Autism. There are many

opinions on if the students should have a structured learning environment or something more

fluid to allow the students to direct their learning. I did some searching on the internet to look for

some common teaching strategies for children with Autism. Through this I found the Autism

Speaks website with a few pages devoted to teaching strategies to use for students with Autism. I

took some of these strategies and looked them up through the school library website to find some

journal entries devoted to each specific strategy or multiple strategies. I found that the ABA

strategy, PRT strategy and DTT strategy were all linked using many similar ideas but branching

off at points. I thought it might be interesting to look deeper into these to see how differently

they really were.

Literature Review

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is a systematic approach to the assessment and

evaluation of behavior, and the application of interventions that alter behavior (Autism Speaks

2016). Since the 1970s ABA has been in use with a goal to alter behavior through a specific

sequence of skills to improve socialization, communication, and adaptive functioning (Fanni-

Pangiota 2015). This is accomplished through the control of the environment prior to the

behavior, consequences and positive reinforcement (Autism speaks 2016). ABA has been the

most consistent method to obtain improvements of any other method (Fanni-Pangiota 2015). The

view is that an individuals behavior is manipulated by changing events that surround a behavior

(Aubyn, Suhreinrich, Reed, Bolduc and Schreibman 2010). ABA uses antecedent stimuli

(things that happen before a behavior occurs, such as a teacher asking a child what color a crayon
Teaching Strategies 4

is) and consequences (events that happen after a behavior occurs, such as giving the child the

crayon after he or she names the color) to produce the changes (Aubyn et al, 2010). There have

been many strategies based off ideas from ABA, such as DTT and PRT, which use many of the

same strategie (Aubyn et al, 2010).

Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT)

PRT follows a naturalistic behavioral intervention plan based on the ABA principles

(Aubyn et al, 2010). PRT was developed to help kids respond to cues and people in many places

and reduce dependency while increasing spontaneity of the student (Aubyn et al, 2010). Some of

the basic components of PRT are loosely structured learning, continuous interaction between the

student and the teacher, child initiated learning through an indicated interest in an item, materials

selected by the student, goal behavior is urged, there is a direct relationship between response

and consequence, and the child is awarded for attempting, not just for correct responses (Aubyn

et al, 2010).

With PRT the teacher provides the cues for the student to respond (Aubyn et al, 2010).

There are some specific guidelines to follow for learning opportunities, which include, gaining

attention, giving the child options, mixing in maintenance tasks, giving multiple clues,

contingent consequences, Direct reinforcers, and reinforcement for attempting (Aubyn et al,

2010). The teacher should have the attention of the student before giving a cue and it should be

given at an appropriate educational level for the student (Aubyn et al, 2010). The lessons should

include things the child is interested in to keep the student focused (Aubyn et al, 2010). There is

also shared control with the materials so the student can work on verbal and social interaction,

as well as giving the teacher an opportunity to model good behavior (Aubyn et al, 2010).

Incorporating mastered skills periodically can enhance the self-esteem of the student, keeping
Teaching Strategies 5

them motivated, as well as refreshing the knowledge previously taught (Aubyn et al, 2010).

Giving the child multiple cues at once by using conditional discrimination to practice responding

to multiple elements at one time (Aubyn et al, 2010). Consequences should be given immediately

for the strongest effect, including if a reward was previously coming, to prevent the belief that

the bad behavior was being rewarded (Aubyn et al, 2010). Direct reinforcers means the

previous behavior is directly related to the consequence, ex. if car is said a toy car could be

given (Aubyn et al, 2010). Finally, there should be positive reinforcement given for good

attempts (Aubyn et al, 2010).

Discrete Trial Teaching (DTT)

Also modeled after ABA, DTT, also known as the Lovaas method, focuses on skills and

behaviors through an established curriculum (Autism Speaks 2016). Skills are broken down and

learned in small steps with prompts, which are slowly weeded out for mastery (Autism Speaks

2016). Positive reinforcement is again used to reward accomplishments. DTT was created in the

1970s and 80s for Lovaas theory that intensive therapy could help a child catch up to their

peers if started immediately (Debate 2006). Students are put in one on one coaching for up to 40

hours a week to fit the intensive therapy required for the plan (Debate 2006). The strategy is also

inconsistent according to who is doing the treatment. According to them, both training in

behavioral analysis theory and techniques, and therapist's patience and child factors such as

likeability, motivation, compliance, intellectual competence, and behavior problems all related to

child outcomes (Peters 2013).

Summary of the strategies

The plans though derived from the same idea have some very different ideas when it

comes to the implementation. PRT and DTT seem to be the furthest apart in the strategies. PRT
Teaching Strategies 6

is very fluid, changing as the student changes, always evolving with the student. DTT is a set up

plan that will slowly change in what the student is experiencing but it is still following the plan

set up for it. DTT has also had some controversial views from the effectiveness. ABA has had

the most consistent success and seeing as it is the base of the other two theories discussed I

would think that it is a good plan to follow.

Individualized Education Program (IEP)

These strategies could come up in the planning meeting for an IEP for a student with

Autism when they are discussing the services and instruction that will be provided for the

student. Knowing what they know about the student they would need to take a look at the many

different strategies available and make a decision on what teaching strategies would work best

for the specific child. Would a student led learning strategy work better? If the student had

trouble focusing on anything besides their strong field of interest in cars, a student led approach

through PRT might be a good option. Tailoring the lessons to fit with cars could keep the student

interested. The geography lesson about China could learn about the cars built in China (Aubyn et

al, 2010). A reading lesson could be taught with a book about cars, etc. Maybe the student would

learn better following a strict schedule and the PRT model would be a poor choice. The best way

to meet a students IEP goals the next year is to choose the best strategy for the student to set

them up for success. To set them up for success the best plan needs to be chosen to fit their

preferred learning strategy. The biggest difficulty for the IEP team is knowing how the student

will respond to each strategy without trying them out.

Teaching Strategies 7

References

Aubyn, C.S., Suhrheinrich, J., Reed, S., Bolduc, C., & Schreibman, L. (2010). Pivotal
response teaching in the classroom setting. Preventing School Failure, 54(4), 265-274.
Retrieved from
http://ezproxy.library.csn.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/748881476?
accountid=27953

Autism Speaks. (2016, March 9). Retrieved from Autism Speaks:

https://www.autismspeaks.org/sites/default/files/sctk_educating_students_with_autism.
pdf

Debate still surrounds lovaas method. (2006, Apr 23). The Chilliwack Progress Retrieved from
http://ezproxy.library.csn.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/377888656?
accountid=27953

Fani-Panagiota, R. (2015). Teaching strategies for children with autism. Journal of Physical
Education and Sport, 15(1), 148-159.
doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.7752/jpes.2015.01024

Peters-Scheffer, N., Didden, R., Korzilius, H., & Sturmey, P. (2013). Therapist characteristics
predict discrete trial teaching procedural fidelity. Intellectual and Developmental
Disabilities, 51(4), 263-72. Retrieved from
http://ezproxy.library.csn.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1439534832
?accountid=27953