Teaching Intraverbals: How & When?

Intraverbal- A verbal operant first defined by BF Skinner in his book “Verbal Behavior”. An intraverbal is a type of language that involves explaining, discussing, or describing an item or situation that is not present, or not currently happening. Examples include: Answering the question “How old are you”, filling in the missing words “At the zoo last month, we saw some _____, _______, and a ______”, or singing songs “Sing the alphabet song”.

Intraverbals can often be the most challenging and time consuming programs to teach during ABA therapy. Even for therapists or parents who don’t know the verbal operants and aren’t sure what an “intraverbal” is, they usually want their child/client to perform a variety of intraverbal skills.

Common questions/complaints I get when a child lacks an intraverbal repertoire include:

“She only uses language to ask for things, she isn’t conversational”

“He can greet his teacher by name every morning when I take him to school, but if I just randomly ask him: What’s your teachers name? he won’t say anything”

“She is almost 8 years old and she still can’t answer the question: How old are you”

“He can sing the entire Barney song (“I love you”) while watching the videos, but if I ask him to sing it during bath time he just looks at me”

“She doesn’t participate when we play The Question Game during dinner. We all take turns answering questions like “Name a pink animal”, “Sing your favorite song”, and “What should we have for dessert”. I know she’s verbal, why does she refuse to answer these questions?”

Teaching a child to mand (request) is extremely important, particularly when beginning an ABA program, because manding is how the child can communicate wants and needs to the outside world. If a child can’t communicate to me that they are hungry, how will I know?

Unfortunately, in some ABA programs a child can get stuck at only using language to mand or tact (label). This would look like a child who only communicates with others to request (I want popcorn please) or to label (That car is red). The child might spend their entire day manding and tacting, and to the parents and therapists there is no problem! The child is talking and communicating…clearly the ABA was effective. Eventually someone notices that when asked direct questions, the child won’t respond. Or when placed with peers, the child wanders away or just stares blankly at them. At that point, either the staff and family begin to think the ABA “isn’t working”, or the child is blamed for being difficult or stubborn and just choosing not to talk.

An ABA program should teach all components of language, not just the ability to request or label. If a child is not currently working on intraverbals in their ABA program (or will be, after meeting some prerequisites first) then that is a problem. You definitely don’t want to skip over teaching intraverbals. The reason why is simple: if I removed all intraverbals from my speech, I wouldn’t have very much to say. I would sound exactly like some of my clients. I would ask for things, or label what I see…..and that’s it. Most conversation consists of a variety of intraverbals, and if you want your child/client to move past talking and really begin communicating, then intraverbals are the way to teach that.

So how and when do you teach intraverbals?

-          Firstly, intraverbals (as the name somewhat indicates) are a verbal skill. It would be inappropriate to add intraverbal programs to the curriculum of a nonverbal child. If you are able to teach the child language, then first work on building mands and tacts before introducing intraverbals.

-          Strong receptive skills can also help a child learn intraverbals, because you can begin teaching by having the child receptively describe an item (Give me the one that is a utensil), and then you can remove the tangible item and present the demand as an intraverbal (Name a utensil). Similarly, you can also transfer as mand or tact to an intraverbal response by first teaching the target response as a mand or tact with the item present, and then removing the item and teaching the target response as an intraverbal. You can bring the tangible item back out as a prompt, but you would then need to fade that prompt in order for the target response to be a true intraverbal. I tell this to therapists all the time: If you are holding up a card or object, you are not teaching an intraverbal.

-          Be sure to minimize student error. I would suggest using Errorless Teaching, where the child is not allowed to practice making errors. The therapist is quick to provide full prompts, and then fade out those prompts systematically. Especially with intraverbal programs, it isn’t uncommon to see all sorts of lovely escape behaviors (including aggression) to get the therapist to back off. This can happen even with the most calm, sweet, “peace and love” type of client. Intraverbals are hard. Rote responding, studying the room, or looking at the therapists face will not reveal the answer to an intraverbal question. Understand the difficulty of intraverbal questions before you begin teaching them, and be prepared that you may need to use new and varied reinforcers, and provide lots of prompts to help the child contact success and stay motivated.

-          Here are a few do nots: Do not begin teaching intraverbals too early (may confuse or frustrate the child). Do not completely avoid teaching intraverbals (remember, intraverbals are the building blocks of conversation). Do not begin teaching intraverbals until echolalia is under control. Otherwise, the child will just repeat your question or statement, and become frustrated when that isn’t the right answer. Do not teach intraverbals out of order (child only has a few mands, and 10 tacts….it's way too soon to teach intraverbals). Do not reinforce escape behaviors that pop up during intraverbal programs.

-          The simplest types of intraverbals are usually songs, or fill- ins. This would include things like that: “Ready, set, (go)”, “1, 2, (3)”, “Old MacDonald had a (farm)”, “A cow says (moo)”, “I love (you)”. You may be saying to yourself: Oh, my child already exhibits some of these fill -ins or my child can sing songs. That must mean they’re ready for  intraverbal programs! Not necessarily. With Autism, it is common that skills can present in a splintered fashion (the child can count up to 100, but can’t touch their nose). So this is why careful assessment of the child as well as looking closely at their programs is necessary before jumping into teaching intraverbals. If after careful review, the child does have a solid repertoire of mands and tacts then try adding in a few simple intraverbal programs such as animal fill-ins or singing songs. Don’t be in such a hurry to teach the more complex intraverbals, until the child has demonstrated success with simple intraverbals.

-          Lastly, I highly recommend seeking the services of a qualified BCBA for teaching intraverbal skills. There are so many unintentional mistakes that can be made with intraverbals, and this is such an important skill, that it’s best to consult with a professional.

*Quick Tip:

Here is a list of some of the more complex intraverbal program goals. Depending on the needs of your child/client, some, all, or none of these programs could be added into your current ABA program (start with the simple, build up to the complex):

Meow says a ____/Ribbit says a _______ (Reverse fill-ins)

Tell me something that flies in the sky, it’s an animal, and it says “chirp” or “tweet” (Intraverbal Feature Function Class)

Socks and ________/Knife, spoon and ______ (Associations)

You use a towel to _______ (Functions)

Where do you bake cookies?/What can you kick? (WH questions)

Can you name a color? (Class)

Is a banana a vegetable? (Yes-No questions)

Name something that does NOT have a tail. (Negation)

The Contract

*Disclaimer: This post may not be that helpful for parents who use therapists employed by an agency or company, or for therapists who do not work for families directly. This post will be most helpful for families who hire staff directly, and ABA therapists who are independent contractors.

I have mentioned briefly in previous posts about hiring ABA Therapists (Hiring ABA Therapists: The Interview, Hiring ABA Therapists: The Other Side of the Interview ) that it is important during the interview process to clearly outline the position, discuss rules/policies, and determine if the lovely person sitting in front of you will be a good fit for your child. Not every ABA therapist will be a good fit for every family. I have worked with all kinds of professionals, some were very sweet and motherly, and some were strict and no-nonsense. Some ABA therapists are great and energetic with preschool aged children, and some ABA therapists are horrible with young children. Matching a particular type of therapist with just any family isn’t the best idea. Ideally, you want the therapist to be a good fit with your family, have good rapport with your child, as well as be experienced and educated in ABA methodology.

It is important as a parent hiring staff, or as an ABA therapist working with a family, to view yourself as a professional. I started out in this field working for families directly, and I made many mistakes as far as professionalism, communicating with the family, asking for pay raises too quickly, getting too close to the family, etc. Working in someones home as an ABA therapist is not a typical 9-5 job, and for many families it’s their first experience being a “manager” over staff. Conflicts, problems, and miscommunications can arise on the side of the parents, or the ABA staff. I love to share information on my blog that can prevent other people from making the mistakes I made, especially ABA therapists who are new to this field.

In addition to understanding how to conduct the hiring interview (from the perspective of the parent and the ABA staff) I highly recommend creating an Employment Contract. 

The purpose of the employment contract is to clearly outline the expectations, guidelines, and requirements of the position. For parents, you should have all ABA staff sign a contract before working with your child. For ABA therapists, before beginning work with the family you should sit down and go over the contract together. 

Putting everything in writing and talking about each issue in the contract can help prevent or minimize awkward, embarrassing conflict in the future, such as:

Does the therapist offer babysitting services?

If the therapist stays late for 45 minutes after the session, is that overtime? 

If the therapist works on the 4^th of July, is there vacation pay offered?

If a sibling of the client breaks one of the therapists toys, who pays for that?

What does the therapist do if he/she shows up for a session and the child is throwing up?

How much notice does the therapist need to give before quitting?

Can the parents sit in on the therapy session and observe?

Who buys reinforcers: the parents or the ABA therapist?

Does the therapist still get paid if the family abruptly cancels a session? What if the session is cancelled after the therapist has already arrived at the family’s house?

Can the parents leave the therapist alone with the child, or do they have to be home the entire session?

If the parents are divorced, is the therapist expected to conduct therapy at 2 separate homes?

How do pay raises work?

Is mileage reimbursement offered?

Will punishment techniques be used?

If there is no BCBA or Consultant, who is responsible for managing and overseeing the progress of therapy?

I work with many families who hire inexperienced individuals and then provide them with training. This can be expensive, as well as take weeks or months to accomplish. Imagine how frustrating it would be to spend hundreds of dollars and several months training a college student, only to have her quit suddenly after she was denied a raise. I see things like that happen all the time, which is why its so important to hammer out these employment details before beginning work, or before hiring an ABA therapist to work with your child.

For the parents, the employment contract will help you to make clear what your expectations are and the level of professionalism you expect. If the person is unwilling to sign the contract or wants to change everything in it, that’s a pretty good indicator of a poor candidate for the position. I recommend mentioning the contract during the initial interview, so all candidates will be forewarned that there are specific standards of excellence that must be met in order for them to be employed by your family.

For ABA therapists, having an employment contract demonstrates that you are a professional, and that you have guidelines and policies that you need to maintain in order to work with a family. Often the family will look to the ABA therapist to establish the level of professionalism, so if you show up to the interview with a contract to discuss, that sends a clear message: “I’m a professional, and I take my job seriously”.

Here is a sample contract from the perspective of the parent, and the ABA therapist:

ABA Employment Contract: Parent

ABA Employment Contract: Therapist

*Note: These are just samples; you will likely need to modify the content to fit your particular needs and concerns. For both parents and ABA therapists, it’s important to emphasize that the contract is a requirement for employment and is not optional. For ABA therapists, I also suggest adding a Parent Involvement Policy to the contract, in order to communicate to the family from day 1 the level of involvement that you expect from them.

Quote of The Day

“If a child doesn’t know how to read, we teach.”

                                          “If a child doesn’t know how to swim, we teach.”                                               

“If a child doesn’t know how to multiply, we teach.”

“If a child doesn’t know how to behave, we…..Punish."

John Herner, National Association of State Directors of Special Education President 1998-1999

I recently had the opportunity to conduct a teacher training. Staff training is my favorite part of my job, but particularly when I get to speak to teachers. I believe that all educators (not just special ed teachers) need an understanding of ABA and behavior management in order to effectively run their classrooms.

Every time I get to train or consult with educators, I get to spread the word about ABA. I get to emphasize that those annoying, frustrating, "nonsense" behaviors are functional for the child. Simply punishing behavior will not bring about true success. Problem behaviors are opportunities to teach, and impart wisdom to the child that they may use for the rest of their lives.

 Instead of looking at problem behaviors and thinking about what you want the child to STOP doing, try looking at problem behaviors and thinking about what skill you could teach to replace those disruptive and challenging behaviors happening in your classroom.

Promoting Independence: Self-Help Skills

Self-help skills are those functional skills or tasks that build independence, self esteem, and increase the likelihood that a child will be successful across multiple environments. I think teaching self help skills is incredibly important, yet I often see these programs being skipped or left out of a treatment plan.

For parents of a child with Autism, they are typically very used to helping their child be successful. From an early age Mom or Dad have been prompting their child (even if they don’t know the term “prompting”, they have probably been doing it for years), modifying the environment to help their child, calming emotional outbursts/being a safe haven, etc. So by the time you meet a family, the parents have probably fallen into a habit of doing whatever they can to help their child get through each day. Problems can arise when this loving and caring help goes on for too long, across too many environments, and hinders development. 

Part of typical childhood development includes a separation from Mom and Dad and learning to care for yourself, learning to calm yourself, and problem solving, e.g. “I’m in a new public setting and I have to use the bathroom. What do I do?” Emotionally, it can be difficult for a parent to start to separate from a special needs child, and to begin teaching the child skills that will lead to independence. It can be difficult for parents to let their “baby” start learning big girl/big boy skills. So understand that even if you have sound and reasonable reasons for wanting to teach self-help skills to a client, the parents may push back a little bit.

When first meeting a new client, problem behaviors and lack of language can overshadow any other goals. Parents usually express frustration and fear over their child’s lack of communication, or aggressive outbursts occurring multiple times a day. As the professional, even if the parent does not express a concern about self-help skills you should be the one to address it.

Don’t think teaching self-help skills is that big of a deal? If a child is lacking self-help skills they can have a developmental age that is years below their chronological age. Just think about a 9 year old who yells “Wipe me!” from the bathroom, because he still can’t wipe himself after bowel movements. Or a 4 year old who is still spoon fed by Mom. Or an 11 year old who cannot button or zip up his clothing.

The VB-MAPP, Vineland, and ABBLS-R assessments all include some type of self-help/adaptive skill domain. This is an important area of teaching; don’t skip it.

The first step in determining self-help deficits will be the assessment process, and observation. I wouldn’t advise just asking the parents about self-help skills, because parents can over or under estimate the independence level of their child. Always observe the child in the natural environment to make sure the information you were given about their level of independence was correct. 

Think about self-help skills that are developmentally appropriate, will make the child more successful in social settings or across environments (the biggest example of this is Toilet Training), and any self-help deficits that are placing undue burden on the parents. For example, do the parents have to bathe their 13 year old son each night because he is incapable of taking a bath? If so, that is a self-help deficit that should be targeted for intervention. Think about how much it will help that family, and empower that child, if he can start to bathe himself.

If you still are doubting the importance of self-help skills, here is my advice for you: Spend some time with a typically developing toddler. Toddlers are standing right in the gap of “babydom” and being a big girl/big boy. They possess many self-help abilities, and (typically) they want to do things independently even if they don’t have the skill yet. They don’t want you to pour their cereal or pick them up and put them on the couch: they want to do it by themselves. Compare a typical toddler to the child or client you care for, and prepare to be amazed at the difference in independence. Just because a child has Autism does not mean they don’t need to learn independence. I’m not going to wipe the nose of a typically developing 3 year old, and I’m not going to wipe the nose of a 7 year old client just because he has Autism. Hand him a tissue, and tell him to blow! :-)

Take some time to observe your client or child with Autism, and start making note of self-help deficits they have. Look at how these deficits cause learning difficulties or social stigma across environments. Use the information below to help guide your program writing, and to begin teaching the child to be as independent as possible. 

I have never met a parent who told me their goal for their child was to be as dependent as possible. So help these kiddos be more independent, by deciding today to stop doing things for them that they can do themselves.

Self-Help Skills Checklist

• Dressing Skills (tying shoes, putting on shirt, matching tops to pants, etc)
•  Bathing Skills (washes face, uses soap, dries with towel, etc)
• Grooming Skills (uses comb or brush, brushes teeth, can apply Chapstick, etc)
•  Feeding Skills (uses utensils, sucks using a straw, chews with mouth closed, etc)
•  Toileting Skills (wipes after BM’s, stays dry through the night, requests toilet if in a new public setting)
• Independence/Autonomy Skills (chores, making choices, polite refusal, e.g. "No Thanks")

Quote of The Day

Ahhh, the timeless wisdom of Dr. Seuss.
Fantasy, sillyness, and whimsy are necessary ingredients when caring for children in any capacity, especially as a therapist. In some ways working with my kiddos can be like stepping into a Dr Seuss book, where up is down and fish can fly.

If you haven't lately, try to change your perspective about the "odd things" your clients do, and see things from their perspective. Similar to reading a Dr Seuss book, it could be an out of this world experience.

“Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope.” 

Dr Seuss, Writer/Cartoonist, March 1904 - September 1991

Pairing

“Pairing” – The process of creating (or re-creating) an enjoyable, reinforcing, and pleasurable relationship between therapist and child, where the child comes to view the therapist as not just the giver of reinforcement, but as actual reinforcement. 

I have mentioned pairing before on my blog, but this is the first full post all about pairing. Pairing is one of those ABA activities that some therapists just LOVE to do, and some therapists dread. I think this is because so much of pairing is unstructured and “loose” and for left-brain type therapists (like myself), we like structure and order.

I have worked with ABA therapists who are a-MAZ-ing at pairing, and some who definitely needed help and training on successful pairing skills. The good news is that this is a skill that can definitely be improved upon no matter how long you have been working in this field. Pairing in its simplest terms is just being the embodiment of a toy. When I am successfully paired with a child, I feel like a gigantic toy. The child is pushing and pulling on me to get me to engage with them, ordering me around (“No, sit right here!”), excited to see me arrive and sad to see me leave, and any activity is more exciting if Ms. Tameika does it too.

 If you are one of the pros at pairing, feel free to leave tips in the comment section about what helps you be so successful with pairing. If you could use some pairing assistance, then keep reading!

The therapeutic relationship should begin with pairing and rapport building. Even if you already know the child, you shouldn’t immediately jump into giving demands. Pairing is how therapists establish instructional control, build trust, connect themselves to reinforcement (eventually becoming a reinforcer), and get to know the child’s interests. Skipping the pairing process can cause problem behaviors to increase, kill instructional control, and impair the therapist-child relationship. If I am not properly paired with a new client and I just walk in and start giving orders, what is motivating the child to do what I say? What is motivating the child to want to come and play with me? 

What you could unintentionally do is create a situation where the child is doing things you ask to get away from you. So you place a demand, the child answers, you provide reinforcement, and the child walks away/leaves the room/elopes. That is definitely NOT a situation you want. It’s no fun for you or the child to have to chase them around the home. 

You will know pairing has been successful (and you can begin to fade in instruction) when the child is consistently coming toward you, not walking away from you, or when the child chooses to follow you around the home vs. staying up under mom and dad or engaging in solitary play. The whole "Im-going-to-play-alone-with-my-back-turned-to-you" thing is like a red flag that you have more pairing to do. When you can enter the home and start pulling out materials and the child sits down by you and shows interest in working with you, then pairing has been successful.

Pairing is all about social reinforcement and play, which many kiddos with Autism are not motivated by, or will not work for. You are teaching the child to work for non tangibles such as approval or praise, which will also benefit the child away from the therapy session. Teachers don’t usually pass out bits of cookie for correct responding. They are far more likely to give a thumbs up or a smile. Children with Autism may need to learn that non-tangibles can be reinforcing too, and the pairing process is bursting with varied types of social reinforcers.   

Also, even for  kiddos who don’t enjoy play they probably enjoy attention. A therapist showing up at the home 2-3 times each week strictly to play and provide undivided attention is pretty awesome. This can pave the way for instructional control, by implicitly sending the message to the child that you WILL keep showing up and that every time you do the child must interact with you.

Pairing is not something you do for a few days with a new client and then never do again. Pairing should be re-introduced anytime the therapist-child relationship has weakened, or diminished. This could be after a long vacation or long illness, when a new therapist joins the team, if the child has had a recent resurgence of problem behaviors, etc.

These kiddos will not be overjoyed to see you arrive for a session every single day; that’s normal. However, if you reach a point where the child is regularly expressing disapproval at your arrival (“No!”), eloping from your sessions, or having difficulty transitioning into work (mom or dad have to physically bring the child to you to start therapy) then something is definitely wrong with the therapist-child relationship, and its time to go back to pairing.

Instructional control is the process of establishing authority as the therapist, and pairing is the process of establishing yourself as the giver of all good things. Does it sound like these 2 concepts are in opposition to each other? Actually, when done properly pairing will help you gain instructional control. The reason why is because if I am restricting access to the child’s most reinforcing items then that means I control them and some type of interaction with me is required to get the items back.

 If I skipped the pairing process with a new client and just walked up to the child and started giving demands, I would probably get problem behaviors or elopement. The child would simply walk away from me or maybe even run away from me. How are you going to have an ABA session with a child who doesn’t want to be in the same room as you??

There is one last benefit of the pairing process that I feel is sometimes overlooked. Successful pairing teaches the child that I am fun, I am a friend, and when I show up at the house good things happen. So in the future if we have a bad session or the child hates a program I am trying to teach, they can separate the task I am asking them to do from who I am. In other words, they can dislike what I want them to do and still like me.

Here is an example of the first few days of pairing with a new client, and what that progression might look like:

PAIRING PROGRESSION

Day 1: Introduce myself to child. Observe the flow of the day and how the child spends their day. Act more as an observer than an active participant. Shadow the parents as they engage with the child so I am connected to reinforcing people (the parents). Place 0 demands on the child.

Day 2: Greet the child. Begin to connect myself to known reinforcers. If child loves to swing, push the child on a swing. If child loves going to the park, take the child to the park. Praise appropriate independent behaviors, such as eye contact or sharing (“Thanks for sharing with me!”), and have lots of playful interactions doing what the child wants to do. Do lots of narrating or mimicking (if the child is verbal) during the play. Follow the child’s lead.

Day 3: Greet the child and begin to prompt a response. Restrict access to reinforcers by being the one in control of reinforcing items. Deliver these items to the child with no demand required throughout the session. Begin to incorporate social reinforcers into play such as having a babydoll give the child kisses. Praise appropriate independent behaviors, such as eye contact or sharing (“Thanks for sharing with me!”), and have lots of playful interactions doing what the child wants to do. Do lots of narrating or mimicking (if the child is verbal) during the play. E.g. “We’re coloring a picture”. Continue to follow the child’s lead.

Day 4: Greet the child and wait for them to respond. Arrive to the home with a Grab Bag of reinforcing items to introduce during the session. Restrict access to the reinforcers by placing minimal demands on the items. For example if the child wants a pinwheel out of your Grab Bag require them to spin the pinwheel once (prompt if you need to), then immediately praise the spinning and give the pinwheel to the child. If the child is verbal begin to require they label reinforcers to get them (hand the child a ball but dont release it until they say “Ball”). Increase amount of social reinforcers used during the session to a few each hour; label the name of the activities as you do them. For example, as you lift the child into the air say “You’re an airplane!” Begin to have the child follow your lead, e.g. As you are playing with the child on the floor stand up and yell “Come chase me!” and then run into another room. Reward the child following your lead with tickles.

*Quick Tip: Here’s a link to a massive variety of social reinforcers. Try to mix in 5-7 different ideas into each ABA pairing session. Good luck!

Great Pairing Video via Youtube

“It’s Time to Do Your Homework”

This is one of those topics that really transcends Autism or special needs. The majority of my clients who are in school have behavioral difficulties around homework: escape behaviors, noncompliance, aggression, tantrums, etc.

But guess what??—So do neuro-typical kiddos!

It isn’t uncommon that I go into homes and my client needs help completing homework successfully, and so do their older brother and younger sister. So definitely feel free to apply this information to any child you know of who has difficulty with independent and correct completion of age appropriate homework activities (that is the ultimate goal for homework).

Homework is such a common behavioral issue for families because it tends to combine multiple non-preferred tasks into one: completing academic tasks that may be very difficult, working on a task for an extended period of time, following multiple step instructions, working on a task independently, and working for delayed reinforcement. Add to that a situation that (usually) is JUST as frustrating and non-preferred for the parent, and homework time tends to be bursting with problem behaviors.

So how can ABA therapy help with the bloody battle which is often homework time?

ABA therapists approach the task of homework behaviorally. We focus on improving concrete behaviors that will allow the child to be more successful when completing homework, such as listening, attending, reading directions, sitting appropriately in the chair, tuning out noise or stimuli, writing, etc. We will work on homework by targeting the problem behaviors the child is exhibiting to get out of, delay/avoid, or reduce homework expectations.

ABA therapists typically do not approach the task of homework academically. That means that the ABA therapist isn’t trying to teach the child how to do long division, their multiplication tables, or who the 17^th president of the United States was. ABA therapists are not tutors. If the child is an insurance client (the therapy is paid for via insurance) then it actually could be considered insurance fraud for the ABA therapist to spend hours and hours teaching the child what a noun is. Insurance is paying for behavioral interventions, not academic tutoring. This may mean that the ABA therapist helps your child with homework, and all the questions don’t get answered. Or all the problems aren’t done correctly. 

What I will usually do is complete the homework with the child for a specified amount of time (otherwise it could eat up an entire session), and direct the child to give the homework to mom or dad to check while the child and I finish our session.

Common Homework Mistakes

Here are some of the most common mistakes I see parents commit when trying to get a child with an ASD to complete homework. This isn’t about shaming parents; it’s about learning more effective strategies and better ways to tackle the problem of homework completion.

• Arguing with the child: Example – “Is that supposed to be a 3? Erase that and do it again that looks like a 8.....Yes it does……Yes it does…….Yes it does” Endless power struggles and arguments with the child are really just intended to distract you from what you are trying to do and delay the completion of homework. Arguing with a child is never necessary because as the adult, you are the final word. If your child is trying to pull you into an argument, don’t respond. Restate the demand and use prompting to help the child respond correctly.
• Lack of transitions and priming: Example – Parent abruptly walks up to child “Okay, time to do your homework. Come on” Priming basically means you are stating expectations of behavior before the task. This could look like reminding the child to stay on task, that they can ask for help, and what reinforcement they can earn (we’ll talk about reinforcement next). Successful transitions would include telling the child at specific intervals that it is almost time to do homework, such as “it will be homework time in 5 minutes”. Successful transitions could also include making a visual schedule where homework is set for a specific time of day and the child knows that after ____, its time for them to do homework.
• NO reinforcement: Example – Parent has child working on academic tasks for 40 minutes to an hour with no reinforcement given and no praise. In an ABA session I would never have a child work for 40 minutes without delivering some type of reinforcement or praise. That would be a quick way for me to see a lot of problem behaviors start happening. Reinforcement can be tangible, an activity (after homework the child can play video games), or even short breaks in between homework activities, such as: spelling assignment, break, math assignment, break, etc. With children who are very noncompliant or struggle with completing homework correctly it might be hard to praise or reinforce the child. If you can’t praise the child’s successful completion of homework, you can praise their effort, or their behaviors, such as “You are sitting so nice!” or “I love how you are trying even though this is hard”.
• Begging/Pleading with child: Example – “C’mon, lets just finish this okay? Dylan, I’m tired. Please? Lets get this over with” Similar to arguing with a child, it isn’t necessary to beg or plead with a child to exhibit the behaviors you want to see. State your expectations, remind the child what they can earn (see why reinforcement is so important?), and use prompting to help the child be successful. Begging and pleading only puts the child in control and robs you of your power as the parent.
• Making endless, empty threats: Example – “We will sit at this table all day until you write your name on the paper!” Making empty, endless threats sends a clear message to your child: I am frustrated, and I don’t mean what I say. I highly doubt you want to actually sit at the dining room table for 5 hours because your child refuses to write their name on their homework. Choose your words carefully so you don’t end up making nonsensical statements. Stick to your original demand (“Its time to do your homework”) and avoid unnecessary language, which is a HUGE amount of attention to a child who is not doing what you want them to do.
• Doing way too much homework at once: Example – Parent gives child 2 pages of spelling homework, 3 pages of math problems, and 10 sentences to diagram in one sitting. I don’t really know what happened to homework, but there seems to be a lot more of it since I was a child. Some of my older clients come home with pages and pages of homework to complete. I wouldn’t give a child 50 tasks at once during a therapy session, and I wouldn’t suggest a parent do that during homework time. Just imagine how defeating and discouraging that would feel if your boss gave you an assignment that you aren’t very good at and dislike, and it was 50 pages long? That’s how these kiddos feel when their homework assignments are not broken down into sections, with easy tasks interspersed with difficult tasks.
•  “Helicopter” mom or dad: Example – Parent hovers over the child as they complete homework, erases the child’s wrong answers, tells the child where to sit, reads the directions for the child, etc. The ultimate goal of homework is that the child will be able to complete it independently. So to work towards that goal it’s important not to use excessive prompting. If your child has the fine motor abilities to use an eraser, then they should erase their own wrong answers. Try sitting across from them instead of next to them. Offer the child choices so they feel more in control. Say to them “Do you want to sit in this chair or that chair?”, “Which pencil do you want to use?”, or “What do you think: spelling or math first?”.
• Environment isn’t properly arranged: Example – Homework happens all over the house, no designated space, TV is blaring in background, siblings are sitting at same table playing as child is trying to focus on homework, etc. Homework should happen at a specific time of day, in a specific place. The area should be free of distractions and excessive noise, and siblings should be redirected to another area so the child can focus. A child with an ASD might not be able to focus on math homework while their younger brother paints a picture directly next to them. I typically do homework with a client at the dining room table where there is plenty of lighting, and we are far away from video games or TVs.
• Time Out is used during homework time (Nooooooooooo! Please don’t do that): Example – “I told you 3 times to get out your history book! Go to time out until you can listen and pay attention” Time Out as a behavioral intervention will only be effective if the “Time In” environment is reinforcing. If the child is doing homework (which is typically highly non-preferred) then sending them to Time Out is like sending them to Disneyland. What you will likely see is its very hard to get the child to come back to homework after you send them to Time Out, and the problem behaviors keep increasing and getting worse. Instead, set a time limit on homework and choose a very powerful reinforcer. Tell the child if they finish their homework before the timer goes off, they get the reinforcer. This way if the child refuses to comply, you can still use prompting to ensure compliance and now the child has lost a desired reinforcer.

*Resources for Homework Completion:

 http://www.autismlearningfelt.com/2011/04/tips-for-happier-homework-time.html

 http://www.myaspergerschild.com/2012/04/resolving-homework-battles-with.html

http://www.child-autism-parent-cafe.com/homework.html 

 http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/pride-and-joy/201209/battles-over-homework-advice-parents

Using Token Boards

Token boards are a way to visually track the reinforcement for a given task, and its also a type of delayed reinforcement. A goal in any ABA program should always be to fade from continuous, tangible reinforcement to more social reinforcers that are delivered intermittently, such as praise, or privileges. Otherwise our clients will be at a disadvantage when they are in a middle school classroom and expect to receive a bite of cookie every time they answer a question correctly. In the real world, we tend to be motivated by intrinsic reinforcement, and the reinforcement we contact through our environment is usually intermittent. 

Engaging in non-preferred activities during the day can be a challenge for our kiddos. Disruptive and challenging behaviors usually take place during these types of tasks or activities, and I have often observed that the least preferred activities also have the least amount of reinforcement for successful completion. 

Using a token board system provides children with visual information about “how and when” to earn their reinforcer and allows them to see the consequence of low effort, disruptive behaviors..... what I like to call "stalling" behaviors ("I need a pencil...this one is too small.......can we sit in the kitchen.......I'm thirsty!"). The child cannot earn the desired reward while engaging in any of these behaviors, so instead of delivering threats or stating your SD over and over you can just point to the token board and tell the child "As soon as you do 2 math problems, we can go to the park". The child will quickly learn that delaying the task also delays the reinforcement!

Token boards are not difficult to make, and definitely dont need to be purchased. They can even be made quickly on the fly, in the middle of a session. That is something I have done before with kiddos who were having an off day, displaying lots of escape behaviors, or just needed multiple reminders about their reinforcement. Typically, a token board system would be written into the behavior plan so you would already have one ready to for that individual child. However, some days these kiddos just need a little bit more help to be successful and a huge part of ABA is thinking on your feet :-)

Token boards should have (at a minimum) the following three sections:

•The reward section

•The ‘tokens to earn’ section

•The ‘tokens earned’ section

The child needs to understand what they are working to earn, what they must do to earn that item, what will NOT earn the item (this step is often skipped over), and the duration/amount of work you will require before they can access the reward.

Here is an example: You are working with a 6 year old on a Block Design program. The target is the child will build a 4 block structure. You are using a token board system where for every 2 independently correct responses the child earns 1 check. After 2 checks, the child can play 10 minutes of Wii. If the child needs prompting to build the 4 block structure, refuses to comply, builds a 1, 2, or 3 block structure, or exhibits behaviors, they do not earn a check. Only correctly and independently performing the target behavior gains a check. Particularly for older children, they enjoy getting to check off or add the token to the board themselves. Have a mini -celebration each time the child earns a token, and remind them how much further they have to go: "Great working, Evan! You earned 1 token! Just one more, and we can go play Wii!"

 

There are all kinds of ways to create a token board, and the age of the child as well as their interests/personality should guide you. If the child is younger and loves Barbie, then you could have a token board where the child colors in a photo of a Barbie, and when they have colored in 3 Barbie's, they earn the reward. This way earning the reward is fun and the reward itself is fun.

Remember to keep the child motivated. Learning to work for delayed reinforcement is tough. You are essentially thinning the child's schedule of reinforcement and if you move too quickly, you will get behaviors.

Making a Token Board:

Supplies: The actual tokens, spaces to place tokens onto or inside of, and a photo/label/image of what the child is working to earn (if possible you can also place the actual item onto the token board). I highly suggest you laminate both the token pieces and the board, otherwise after a bad session the lovely token board you created could be ripped up in pieces on the floor.

Teaching Strategy: Create firm, concrete rules for the token board and stick to them. It is completely unfair to change the rules of the token board minute by minute, or when you feel like it. I usually use a token board for seriously non-preferred tasks, such as homework. So for homework, my expectations might be that the child needs to do homework independently without needing me or a parent to help them with every problem. So for that child I might create a token board where for every homework problem they complete independently they earn 1 token. They can still ask me for help, they just dont earn a token if I had to help them complete the problem. When homework is all done we will count up their tokens and each token equals 5 minutes of riding their bike outside. If those are the rules then I need to stick to them and allow the child time to learn them. If you change your token board too rapidly, the child will be confused about how it works. If they dont know how it works, then how can the token board benefit them?

Behaviors: It is quite common that once these kiddos learn the rules of the token board the next response is to see just how far those rules can bend. This could mean the child completes a task, but does it incorrectly. Or the child exhibits problem behaviors such as crying or demanding the reinforcer before they have completed the task. This is why its so important to select clear, firm rules before implementing a token board. Everyone on the therapy team needs to be clear on how the token board works, what earns a token, and what does not earn a token. The child cannot access the desired reward until they earn the required number of tokens. If you find that you are having difficulty getting the child to work for the tokens, try reducing the amount of tokens required to earn the reward. Especially for a young child, the child could be required to do 1 difficult task, and 2 simple tasks to earn a token. 

The Reward: The reward used should be powerful, and the more tokens necessary the bigger the reward should be. A child shouldn't have to earn 15 tokens to get a high-five. That would be pretty ridiculous. Providing praise for each token earned (not just the final reward) will also help keep the child motivated. I find that my kiddos get excited to see a token added to their chart, or to add a check to their token board. If you praise their earning a token, then they will start to get excited about progress and not just the ultimate goal. The reward should be delivered immediately upon the child earning the required number of tokens, and don't allow the child to access the reward if they dont have enough tokens. Doing so will simply undermine the effectiveness of the token board.

Token Economy Video