1. Article Review
Running Head: ARTICLE REVIEW
Article Review #2
Samantha Eason, Bianca English, Ronjales Merritts, & Shavonda Ward
University of Phoenix
SPE/576: Characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorders
Annalisa Davenport
December 6, 2015
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2. Article Review
Developing Effective Behavior Intervention Plans: Suggestions for School Personnel
By: Samantha Eason
The journal article I reviewed this week was titled Developing Effective Behavior Intervention
Plans: Suggestions for School Personnel written by Kim Killu. This article discussed how
behavioral difficulties has been a long time issue for educators. The article stated that although
many students benefited from conventional classroom behavior management techniques, others
required individualized to address the relationship between learning and behavior. In order to
develop a BIP or behavior intervention plan a functional behavior assessment is required. This
article also discussed how many intervention plans use rewards to reinforce positive behavior.
1. In what way does this information expand your knowledge regarding the
assessment or intervention process for children or adolescents with ASD and their
families? Specifically, how does this relate to receptive/expressive language,
cognitive communication, social aspects of communication & communication
modalities?
The information in this article gave me a greater knowledge of assessment intervention processes
for children with ASD because I was not aware that anything such as a behavior intervention
plan even existed. I think this is a great assessment and am eager to look into it for my now three
year old ASD son. I believe using something such as a BIP assessment would allow for positive
reinforcement for appropriate receptive/expressive language, communication, etc. In fact, when
my son was first diagnosed he would not respond to his name. My son went to behavioral
therapy where they suggested using an edible reward to get him to respond to his name.
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3. Article Review
2. Based on your current views of children and adolescents with ASD, describe how
the information you read supports or refutes your beliefs and practices regarding
receptive/expressive language, cognitive communication, social aspects of
communication & communication modalities.
I believe this article supported my current views that children and adolescents need consistency
and positive reinforcement. By performing a BIP assessment on children and adolescents with
ASD one can determine how best to manage desired behavior, even with communication.
3. Explain how you will apply the knowledge you gained from reading the article as
you collaborate with team members (which includes families) to support the needs
of children and adolescents with ASD specifically related to receptive/expressive
language, cognitive communication, social aspects of communication, &
communication modalities (you may relate your application to a specific child or
adolescent with a diagnosis of ASD if you wish).
This article gave me the knowledge to be able to apply these practices and assessments to future
students with ASD and help their families learn to conduct an intervention for behavior
management as well.
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4. Article Review
New strategies and findings for behavioral interventions
In autism spectrum disorders
By: Bianca English
According to (Lord & Jones, 2012), Behavior interventions are the source of change for
children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and a major cost to families and government.
Apart from a few medications that reduce aggression, irritability, and hyperactivity, early
intensive behavioral intervention is currently the only empirically validated source of
improvement in cognitive skills.” This article discusses in detail the new strategies and findings
in behavioral intervention research and the effects of different components of behavioral
treatments, including caregiver training and direction instruction. The effects of these
interventions are dependent on the child’s characteristics as well as the family skills and
attitudes.
1. In what way does this information expand your knowledge regarding the assessment
or intervention process for children or adolescents with ASD and their families?
Specifically, how does this relate to receptive/expressive language, cognitive
communication, social aspects of communication & communication modalities?
The information within the article expanded my knowledge regarding the assessment or
intervention process for children or adolescents with ASD and their families in many ways. The
article discusses how delays in spoken language are no longer considered part of the diagnostic
criteria for autism, because there are many other reasons why a child might have a language
delay. I learned that a diagnosis of ASD should never be made without attention to a child’s
expressive and receptive language skills, and that when present, communication disorders such
as language delay are coded as separate but relevant factors.
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Autism spectrum disorder is defined by deficits in social communication, which include poor
social reciprocity (back and forth of emotions), limited flexibility in nonverbal communicative
behaviors (eye contact, facial expressions, body postures), and a history of repetitive, restricted
behaviors or interests (RRBs).
2. Based on your current views of children and adolescents with ASD, describe how
the information you read supports or refutes your beliefs and practices regarding
receptive/expressive language, cognitive communication, social aspects of
communication & communication modalities.
The information that I have read supports my beliefs and practices regarding
receptive/expressive language, cognitive communication, social aspects of communication,
because it is important that families learn how to communicate better with the autistic child and
by teaching the child how to communicate effectively with others. Some children may be
nonverbal and have difficulty expressing themselves through facial expressions and body
movements. Others have difficulty understanding and using spoken language. This can affect
their ability to make new friends. This can also cause children to become frustrated and become
disruptive in class.
3. Explain how you will apply the knowledge you gained from reading the article as
you collaborate with team members (which includes families) to support the needs
of children and adolescents with ASD specifically related to receptive/expressive
language, cognitive communication, social aspects of communication, &
communication modalities (you may relate your application to a specific child or
adolescent with a diagnosis of ASD if you wish).
One way I will apply the knowledge that I have gained from reading this article is by
encouraging the families of autistic children to participate in some kind of parent-mediated
treatment, where the parents are being taught how to interact with their children. This will have
the most affect if done during early preschool years. The students will also show improvement of
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nearly a standard deviation in language and adaptive skills over the school year. This treatment
supports the role of family environment on development in ASD.
I would also suggest the use of modified behavioral treatments such as pivotal response training,
which is a naturalistic intervention model derived from ABA approaches. This intervention
targets pivotal areas of a child’s development, such as motivation, responsivity to multiple cues,
self-management, and social initiations. The goal is to increase communication and social
reciprocity through basic skills such as imitation of sounds or words or imitating actions with
objects or gestures such as waving goodbye. The larger goal is to increase joint attention and
enhance the understanding of social meaning.
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7. Article Review
Developing Effective Behavior Intervention Plans: Suggestions for School Personnel
By: Ronjela Merritts
According to (Killu, 2008), “Behavior intervention plans are used to address the
relationship effectively between learning and behavior that require several elements and
procedures." The Federal Government mandate and develop programs to meet the needs of
students with disabilities and behavior problems that interrupts school performance. Behavior
disrupts a student's academic learning The schools is responsible and held accountable for
developing individualized intervention plans to assist with academic performance.
1. In what way does this information expand your knowledge regarding the assessment
or intervention process for children or adolescents with ASD and their families?
Specifically, how does this relate to receptive or expressive language, cognitive
communication, social aspects of communication, and communication modalities?
The article has expanded my knowledge regarding assessments in several ways. First, I
learned that a behavior intervention plans demonstrate the relationship between a
student's learning and problems that may be a challenge with classroom performance.
According to (Killu, 2008") " behavior interventions outlines strategies and concepts for
dealing with problem behaviors." One strategy the educator must use when applying a
behavior intervention plan is to respond positively toward the student's behavior. If the
student exercises positive behavior, the teacher should give them positive points. Another
strategy is to establish classroom rules and redirection to address the relationship between
learning and behavior. If the student responds favorably, the teacher should give rewards.
The type of assessment for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder is a "Functional
Behavior Assessment (FUBA)." A Functional Behavioral Assessment is an extension of
a Behavior Intervention Plan. The assessment of the Functional Behavior Plan targets and
addresses the student’s problem behavior. A Functional Behavior Assessment is data
driven and determines how often, frequent, when and where the behavior occurs (FBA).
An Individualized Educational Plan relates to receptive and expressive language based on
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reading goals. If students with Autism Spectrum Disorders are struggling with reading
skills, they are expected to perform an objective at a certain mastery level. The student's
cognitive intervention depends on upon their intellectual performance. If a student is
having difficulty with applying concepts, the teacher can use strategies such as Direct
Instruction, Scaffolding and Re-teaching the skills. Social skills will apply to the
Functional Behavior Assessment by using strategies such as role playing and modeling
demonstrating to the student how they should act in a school setting with other peers.
Also, teaching students the appropriate classroom manage skills such as raising their
hand before speaking. Finally, Communication Modalities include assistive technology
such as text talk and Communication Picture Exchange System where the student with
autism communicates with a picture their wants and needs.
2. Based on your current views of children and adolescents with ASD, describe how
the information you read supports or refutes your beliefs and practices regarding
receptive/expressive language, cognitive communication, social aspects of
communication, and communication modalities.
The information that I have read supports my beliefs and practices regarding receptive/
expressive language because many inappropriate behaviors occur based on the Student
with Autism Spectrum Disorder inability to perform a certain task (Kalli, 2008). The
student with Autism Spectrum Disorder may not have the ability to speak as clearly as
other peers. They may become off task and refuse to follow instructions based on their
poor reading skills. Student’s with Autism Spectrum Disorders may not have the ability
to retain or express information that they have learned which is a deficit of their cognitive
skills. Their social aspect of communication may lead a student with Autism Spectrum
Disorders with or without the ability to develop social skills. Student’s with Autism
Spectrum Disorders may act out of anger because they cannot make friends based on
their inability to communicated. Communication modalities may include technology such
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as social stories on the computer and role playing with peers. Finally, when students with
Autism Spectrum Disorders practice these strategies, it will target the behavior and lead
to more successful interventions.
3. Explain how you will apply the knowledge you gained from reading the article as
you collaborate with team members (which includes families) to support the needs
of children and adolescents with ASD specifically related to receptive or expressive
language, cognitive communication, social aspects of communication, and
communication modalities. You may relate your application to a specific child or
adolescent with a diagnosis of ASD if you wish.
I plan to apply the knowledge that I have learned about receptive/expressive language by
providing instructional strategies, such as phonemic awareness and fluency skills. I plan
to provide goals and objectives for students with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Students
with Autism Spectrum Disorder have difficulty with behavior due to low reading skills.
Along with the Behavior Intervention Strategies, I plan to add a Functional Behavior
Analysis to identify the target behavior. After identifying the target behavior, I plan to
provide data and re-teach strategies to decrease negative behaviors. For cognitive
communication, my goals are to teach students with Autism Spectrum Disorders
organization skills, memorization skills, and problem-solving skills. I will demonstrate
cognitive strategies that will provide students with Autism Spectrum Disorders a routine
that provides a daily outline and schedule of daily activities. Furthermore, I will teach
students role playing skills that demonstrate the most effective strategy with how to
communicate with others. Another strategy of communication skills is to have the student
with Autism Spectrum Disorder to share their publish work with other peers. The
information provides parents and team members by collaborating and providing resources
and strategies such as Direct Instruction, Modeling, and Re-Teaching so that student's
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10. Article Review
with Autism Spectrum Disorders will learn and be able to apply concepts. Finally, the
communication modalities will be to have the student to communicate by using a
computer and another mode of assistive technology device.
In conclusion, the article was to discuss behavior intervention plans, and
Functional behavior plans to address the relationship between learning and behavior. The
goal is to use various strategies to reduce negative behaviors. Students with Autism
Spectrum Disorders and students with behavior Disabilities will need a Behavior
Intervention Plan to address problem behaviors. The Functional Behavior Assessment
targets the behavior and addresses the occurrence, frequency, and duration. Functional
Behavior Assessment is an extension of the Behavior Intervention Plan. Once the
behavior is known, strategies and interventions are provided so that the student with
Autism Spectrum Disorder can perform academically.
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11. Article Review
Treatment of Autism in Young Children: Behavioral Intervention and Applied Behavior
Analysis
By: Shavonda Ward
Autism is one of the most widely recognized and reliably diagnosed developmental
disorders. There is general professional consensus that autism is biologically based, with a strong
genetic component and likely involvement of various neural structures. Distinct deficits in social
reciprocity and relatedness are often apparent early in development, typically by 12 to 15
months, with reliable and valid diagnosis usually possible by 24 months. Early and intensive
behaviorally based treatment, in particular the use of applied behavior analysis, is effective in
systematically teaching skills and reducing problematic behaviors. Despite evidence of efficacy,
however, the limited availability of quality behavioral services for children with autism is a
significant barrier to effective treatment.
1. In what way does this information expand your knowledge regarding the
assessment or intervention process for children or adolescents with ASD and
their families? Specifically, how does this relate to receptive/expressive language,
cognitive communication, social aspects of communication & communication
modalities?
This article expands my knowledge regarding intervention process for children with ASD.
Behavioral intervention teaches a child not only to “know” the rules of what is expected, but to
use their skills and behaviors more automatically, modifying behavior and adding new behaviors
using well understood and established behavioral principles such as reinforcement, shaping,
prompting and prompt-fading, and generalization. With this technology, target behaviors are
broken into very small, separate components and each skill is taught systematically in a way that
is likely to be effective for that child, typically individually at first, utilizing specific prompts and
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reinforcements until the child reaches a predetermined level of mastery that is designed to
increase likelihood of maintenance and generalization.
2. Based on your current views of children and adolescents with ASD, describe how
the information you read supports or refutes your beliefs and practices
regarding receptive/expressive language, cognitive communication, social aspects
of communication & communication modalities.
After reading this article it supports my beliefs that using a behavior intervention such as ABA
(Applied Behavior Analysis) will let the student know what’s expect of him/her and what are the
reinforcements.
3. Explain how you will apply the knowledge you gained from reading the article as
you collaborate with team members (which includes families) to support the
needs of children and adolescents with ASD specifically related to
receptive/expressive language, cognitive communication, social aspects of
communication, & communication modalities (you may relate your application
to a specific child or adolescent with a diagnosis of ASD if you wish).
Children with autism typically have difficulty accurately attending to, interpreting and utilizing
the feedback that automatically exists in their world. Applied behavioral analysis and subsequent
treatments analyze these interactions and sequences of behavior, making explicit the rules,
consequences, and expectations that others understand more automatically, in an effort to teach
more adaptive, useful, and maintainable behaviors and skills. When using ABA, I would like for
it to carry over from school to home. I would like to give the parents the same tools to use at the
house. They may alter their goals, task, and reinforcements. Once the parents are on board it’s a
little easier to get the child to follow the rules of what is expected.
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13. Article Review
References
Killu, K. (2008). Developing effective behavior intervention plans: Suggestions for school
personnel. Intervention in School and Clinic, 43(3), 140-149. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/211749857?accountid=35812
Reference: Lord, C. & Jones, R.M. (2013). New Strategies and Findings for Behavioral
Interventions in Autism Spectrum Disorder. New York Academy of Science. 70-76
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