Target Skills Research Articles

Using Video Modeling Package on Improving Workplace Social Skills of Young Adults with Talent Traits and Autism: A Case Study

Stable, positive relationships with colleagues or supervisors are difficult for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to maintain. Little was known in teaching social skills of students with ASD in workplace, not mentioning for those who have ASD as well as talent traits. This pilot case study aimed to use a package of cognitive behavioral training, applied behavior analysis (ABA) guidelines, and secondary-tier generic video modeling to teach workplace social skills to five young adults with ASD and talent traits. The intervention lasted for 8 weeks, with 3 hours of intervention each week. Per ABA guidelines, the authors focused on the talent traits and preferred activities of the participants with ASD, and structured the training to include a reward system and opportunities to practice learned skills in the community. Analysis using nonparametric statistics revealed a significant difference between the means of pretest and posttest scores (Z = 2.032, p < .05) on a curriculum-based assessment. Significant improvements among the participants were noted on their assessments of all five target skills, on the teacher log, and through interviews. This study requires further replication with rigorous design to make causal conclusion.

A preliminary investigation of fixed and repetitive models during object imitation training.

Empirically based guidelines for imitation training for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are limited and there is no existing evidence about what types of imitative models foster faster acquisition of imitation in children with ASD. We compared rates of acquisition for two different methods for presenting the imitative model (i.e., repetitive, fixed) in simple (Experiment 1) and conditional (Experiment 2) discrimination arrangements. The results suggest that some children with ASD may acquire imitation more rapidly when repetitive models, rather than fixed models are used to present the target skill. In Experiment 3, we investigated the features of object imitation models that might influence acquisition. The results of Experiment 3 suggest that the dynamic nature of repetitive models might be responsible for the differential acquisition we observed in the earlier two Experiments. Additionally, the presence of an outcome (e.g., stacked blocks) during training does not enhance acquisition.

Implementing Diverse Instructional Strategies in Adapted physical Education Program: A case study of a child with autism

The number of individual with autism has been increased past decades. Along with the prevalence, diverse instruction strategies were introduced and implemented in the field of adapted physical education/activity. The purpose of this case study is investigating the effectiveness of the instructional strategies for children with disabilities. A student, nine years old boy with autism, participated in this study. Four different teaching strategies, reproductive teaching style, video modeling, system of least prompts, and chaining strategy, were implemented to teach a target skill, overhand throw. Task analysis were implemented to measure the skill performance weekly for three weeks. The result indicated that the participant showed improvement in on a skill component, T position. The participant did not showed notable improvement on overall skill performance.

The Effects of Using Interactive Task-based Activities in Online Eng-lish Writing Classes

This quantitative and qualitative study aims to scrutinize the effectiveness of utilizing interactive task-based activities to teach English writing in Bethlehem Secondary School for Girls. The experiment was conducted at the second semester of the academic year 2016/2017. Two scientific sections from the 11th grade participated in the study; section B was the control group and section C was the experimental one. The former group practiced writing traditionally. The students in the latter group were enrolled in two online platforms, “Facebook” and “PBworks”, to practice the target skill electronically. A questionnaire, pre/posttests, online platforms, a text content analyzer tool and self-reports were administered to investigate the participants’ achievement and attitudes. With regard to the writing skill, the results indicated that the experimental group outperformed the control one. Also, the former manifested more positive attitudes towards e-learning than the other one.

The Effects of Using Interactive Task-based Activities in Online Eng-lish Writing Classes

This quantitative and qualitative study aims to scrutinize the effectiveness of utilizing interactive task-based activities to teach English writing in Bethlehem Secondary School for Girls. The experiment was conducted at the second semester of the academic year 2016/2017. Two scientific sections from the 11th grade participated in the study; section B was the control group and section C was the experimental one. The former group practiced writing traditionally. The students in the latter group were enrolled in two online platforms, “Facebook” and “PBworks”, to practice the target skill electronically. A questionnaire, pre/posttests, online platforms, a text content analyzer tool and self-reports were administered to investigate the participants’ achievement and attitudes. With regard to the writing skill, the results indicated that the experimental group outperformed the control one. Also, the former manifested more positive attitudes towards e-learning than the other one.

Virtual Reality Support for Joint Attention Using the Floreo Joint Attention Module: Usability and Feasibility Pilot Study.

BackgroundAdvances in virtual reality (VR) technology offer new opportunities to design supports for the core behaviors associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) that promote progress toward optimal outcomes. Floreo has developed a novel mobile VR platform that pairs a user receiving instruction on target skills with an adult monitor.ObjectiveThe primary objective of this pilot study was to explore the feasibility of using Floreo’s Joint Attention Module in school-aged children with autism in a special education setting. A secondary objective was to explore a novel joint attention measure designed for use with school-aged children and to observe whether there was a suggestion of change in joint attention skills from preintervention to postintervention.MethodsA total of 12 participants (age range: 9 to 16 years) received training with the Joint Attention Module for 14 sessions over 5 weeks.ResultsNo serious side effects were reported, and no participants dropped out of the study because of undesirable side effects. On the basis of monitor data, 95.4% (126/132) of the time participants tolerated the headset, 95.4% (126/132) of the time participants seemed to enjoy using Floreo’s platform, and 95.5% (128/134) of the time the VR experience was reported as valuable. In addition, scoring of the joint attention measure suggested a positive change in participant skills related to the total number of interactions, use of eye contact, and initiation of interactions.ConclusionsThe study results suggest that Floreo’s Joint Attention Module is safe and well tolerated by students with ASD, and preliminary data also suggest that its use is related to improvements in fundamental joint attention skills.

An Exploration of the Performance and Generalization Outcomes of a Social Skills Intervention for Adults with Autism and Intellectual Disabilities

Deficits in social communication skills present significant challenges for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), yet few evidence-based social skills interventions exist for adults with ASD and intellectual disabilities. The current study investigated the efficacy of a social skills intervention, which comprised of the Walker Social Skills Curriculum: The ACCESS program (Adolescent Curriculum for Communication and Effective Social Skills), video modeling, and the addition of generalization programming, to target social skills for community inclusion. A multiple-probe single-case experimental design and pre/post outcome measures were used to evaluate the effects of the social skills intervention on improving social communication skills in six adults with ASD and intellectual disabilities. Participants received 20 intervention sessions, each session delivered for 1.5 h, twice per week. Generalization of target skills was programmed through the inclusion of, (a) training in the natural setting, (b) introducing natural maintaining contingencies, (c) multiple exemplar training, and (d) incorporating social situations and common stimuli from the natural setting in the training sessions. All participants demonstrated increases in social communication skills with skills generalizing to natural environments. In addition, significant improvements in overall social skills as measured by the SSiS, SRS-2, and the ACCESS Placement Test were shown following the social skills intervention. The generalization of newly acquired skills varied across participants highlighting that other variables may impact on treatment effects. Therefore, consideration of and support for social skills interventions that program and assess for the generalization of treatment effects are needed. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

Effect of Peer Delivered Social Stories on the Crossing Skills of Primary School Students with Developmental Disabilities

In this study, it was aimed to examine the effect of a peer education program developed on the acquisitions of knowledge and skill of writing and implementing social stories by students attending primary school, and the effect of social stories delivered by peers who have completed the program (peer tutor) on the acquisition of crossing skills by students with developmental disabilities (peer tutees), maintenance of this skill two weeks after the end of the implementation, and generalization with a different street. In the study, social validity data were collected from peer tutees and peer tutors using a subjective evaluation approach. The study was carried out with a total of six participants consisting of three students aged between 7 and 9 years who attend a primary school in a province in East Anatolian Region, two of whom are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and one of whom is diagnosed with a mild intellectual disability, and these students' peers with normal development. Peer tutees were taught how to write and deliver social stories with one-on-one instruction by following the steps of Powerpoint presentation, modeling, experimenting, and providing feedback. In the study, a multiple probe design with probe conditions across dyads (peer tutor - peer tutees), one of the single subject research models, was used to evaluate the effect of social stories written and delivered by peer tutors on peer tutees' learning crossing skills. Research results showed that peer tutors acquired the social story writing and implementation skill accurately by 100%. After the instruction delivered by the peers who acquired the social story writing and implementation skill, it was observed that peer tutees acquired the crossing skill and could generalize it to a different street, and that two peer tutees with the ASD continued to exhibit this skill they acquired accurately by 100% two weeks after the end of the study. Maintenance data were not collected from the third peer tutee due to the closure of schools. Social validity data collected from peer tutees and peer tutors using a subjective evaluation approach showed that both peer tutees and peer tutors had positive opinions on the target skill, social stories, and research results. These results were discussed within the context of the literature, and suggestions were made to include peer mediated implementations in teaching different skills with different methods and to make the use of social stories in teaching safety skills by parents, siblings, specialists working in the field and teachers widespread.

TRAINING OF AVIATION PERSONNEL FOR THE NEEDS OF THE AIR FORCE AND THE RELATED FUTURE CHALLENGES

Higher military education is nowadays undergoing numerous changes due to the “Concept of the development of higher military education in 2017-2026” adopted in 2016. The following article looks at the planned modifications in the context of training aviation personnel for the needs of the Air Force. The “Training military pilots” section discusses the process of training candidates to be military pilots, the main problems related to it as well as the nature of the system of training and educating the cadets of the Polish Air Force University. The considerations in the next section of the article concern the selection of candidates for military pilots. The recruitment, consisting of several stages, aims to efficiently identify the best candidates for service in aviation. The screening training, the aim of which is to check the predispositions of candidates for serving as pilots, is a novelty in this process. The chapter “Selection” looks at the solutions applied so far in the School of Eaglets, and also analyses the benefits of the new recruitment method. The final sections of the article concern the profile of the graduates of the Polish Air Force University, their target skills and the development plans of the University in the face of the challenges posed.

A Review of Literature: Touchmath StrategyforMathematics of Students with Intellectual Disabilities and Autism Spectrum Disorders

본 연구의 목적은 지적장애 및 자폐성장애 학생을 대상으로 Touchmath 전략을 적용한 국내외 단일대상연구를 체계적으로 수집하고, 비교 분석함으로써 향후 이들을 위한 효과적인 수학 교수를 계획하는 데 유용한 기초 자료를 제시하고자 하였다. 이를 위해 지금까지 국내외에서 발표된 Touchmath 전략 중재 관련 단일대상연구를 조사하고, 선정 기준에 따라 국내 5편, 국외 5편 총 10편의 단일대상연구를 최종 분석 대상으로 선정하였다. 본 연구의 문헌 분석은 7개의 분석변인(연구 대상, 중재 환경, 연구 설계, 목표 기술, 중재 방법, 중재 효과, 질적지표)에 따라 비교 분석하였다. 첫째, 연구대상은 국내외 모두 자폐성장애보다 지적장애가 더 많았고, 중고등학생보다 초등학생을 대상으로 하였다. 둘째, 중재 환경은 국내외 모두 공교육기관에서 다수 연구되었다. 국내는 특수학교에서도 연구되었지만 국외는 특수학교에서는 연구되지 않았고, 특수학급과 일반학교의 특별실에서 다수 연구되었다. 셋째, 연구 설계는 국내외 모두 교대중재 설계보다 대상자 간 중다 간헐 기초선 설계를 많이 활용하였다. 넷째, 목표 기술은 국내외 모두 덧셈을 다수 목표기술로 설정하였다. 다만, 국내에서는 곱셈도 목표 기술로 설정하였다. 다섯째, 중재 방법은 Touchpoint를 익히는 활동을 한 다음 이를 기초로 문제를 해결하게 하였다. 여섯째, 중재 효과는 국내외 모두 평균으로 보았을 때, 중재가 큰 효과 크기를 보였으며 (M PND > 90%), 유지와 일반화도 큰 효과 크기를 보였다(M PND > 90%). 일곱째, 질적지표는 거의 모든 지표를 충족하는 것(80%)으로 나타났다. 이러한 결과를 바탕으로 논의에서는 향후연구에 대한 함의점을 제시하였다.The purpose of this study was to analysis the research literature of touchmathstrategyfor students with intellectual disabilities(ID) and autism spectrum disorders(ASD). A systematicsearch of the literature from 2008 to 2019 revealed 10 experimental studies(single-subject design) published in special education within south korea and another countries. This study analyzed the 10 selected studies in terms of 7 analytical variables: participants, research settings, experimental design, target skills, method of intervention, effect size(PND), quality indicators. The findings of the study were as follows: First, Most of the participants of studies were more ID than ASD. It was aimed at elementary school students rather than middle and high school students. Second, Most of the research setting of studies were school(classroom). Third, Most of the research design of studies were a multiple(probe) across participants design. Fourth, Most of the target skills of studies were addition(numbers and operations). Fifth, Most of the method of intervention of studies were was to learn the touchpoint and then solve the problems. Sixth, The results of studies indicated a large positive effects for interventions(M PND > 90%), maintenances and generalizations(M PND > 90%). Lastly, Most of the studies havemet more than 80% of quality indicators. These findings provide implications for future research and practice.

Effectiveness of Social Stories in Teaching Abduction-Prevention Skills to Children with Autism.

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effectiveness of social stories in teaching abduction-prevention skills to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Three male participants with ASD, aged 4-12years, participated in the study, which was conducted using a multiple-probe-across-participants design. Thirty-nine voluntary adults participated in the study as strangers who presented lures to the participants. The findings of the study showed that social stories were effective on promoting acquisition for all students with ASD. All the participants were able to learn the target skill and maintain their learning. Social validity data were also collected from participants and their parents. Social validity findings revealed that the opinions of the participants and their parents were positive overall.

Interventions for Daily Living Skills in Individuals with Intellectual Disability: a 50-Year Systematic Review

There has been a recent upward trend in studies evaluating the effectiveness of interventions to increase adaptive behavior in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD); however, fewer studies have focused on individuals with intellectual disability (ID) without comorbid ASD. The aim of the present review was to conduct a systematic review of studies published over the last 50 years that aimed to improve activities of daily living in children and adults with ID. The database PsycInfo was searched using specific keywords with a publication date range of 1968 to August 2018. The results of this search yielded 193 total results. Based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, 20 studies were included in the present review. Various aspects of these studies, including target skills, intervention techniques, and outcomes, are summarized. A variety of behavioral principles were found to effectively increase acquisition and use of daily living skills. Certain trends in the literature, such as a focus on parent or caregiver training and a move toward more technology-based interventions, were identified. Future research on this population has clinical implications for access to behavioral interventions for individual with developmental disabilities.

A multilevel logistic hidden Markov model for learning under cognitive diagnosis.

Students who wish to learn a specific skill have increasing access to a growing number of online courses and open-source educational repositories of instructional tools, including videos, slides, and exercises. Navigating these tools is time-consuming and the search itself can hinder the learning of the skill. Educators are hence interested in aiding students by selecting the optimal content sequence for individual learners, specifically which skill one should learn next and which material one should use to study. Such adaptive selection would rely on pre-knowledge of how the learners' and the instructional tools' characteristics jointly affect the probability of acquiring a certain skill. Building upon previous research on Latent Transition Analysis and Learning Trajectories, we propose a multilevel logistic hidden Markov model for learning based on cognitive diagnosis models, where the probability that a learner acquires the target skill depends not only on the general difficulty of the skill and the learner's mastery of other skills in the curriculum but also on the effectiveness of the particular learning tool and its interaction with mastery of other skills, captured by random slopes and intercepts for each learning tool. A Bayesian modeling framework and an MCMC algorithm for parameter estimation are proposed and evaluated using a simulation study.

Training Staff to Provide Quality Support for Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Recommended Practices and Target Skills

Many adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) receive support from staff within human service agencies. Those staff, and especially personnel in direct service roles, usually require training to ensure they have the skills to provide desired support in a quality manner. Staff training is particularly important in regard to adults with severe symptoms of ASD who require more staff support than individuals with less significant ASD challenges. This paper describes training of front-line, human service staff in key performance skills for providing quality support for adults with severe symptoms of ASD. A summary of performance- and competency-based behavioral skills training is initially provided as a means of ensuring staff acquire skills to fulfill job expectations. A description of skills that warrant training based on behavior analytic research involving adults with severe ASD symptoms is then presented. The targeted skills focus on how to provide meaningful day activities tailored for adults with severe symptoms of ASD, teach in a naturalistic manner in light of common staffing characteristics of adult service settings, promote daily happiness, provide beneficial social attention, and treat adults with ASD in general with dignity. The important yet qualified role of staff training in the overall provision of quality support is also emphasized.

The effects of animated video modeling on joint attention and social engagement in children with autism spectrum disorder

BackgroundThe purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of animated video modeling (VM) in promoting the acquisition and generalization of joint attention and social engagement in children autism spectrum disorder. MethodParticipants include six children ranging in age from 7 to 11 years old, each with Autism Spectrum Disorder. A multiple baseline design across participants was used to evaluate the relationship between the independent and dependent variables. ResultsVisual analysis of the results suggest rapid acquisition of both target skills and generalizing across settings and persons. Additionally, caregivers reported animated VM was a socially valid treatment. ConclusionsFindings have several important implications regarding the use of animated VM as an intervention. Most importantly, animated video modeling may contribute to the rapid acquisition of joint attention and social engagement. Limitations and recommendations for future research are presented.

A Systematic Review of Play-Based Intervention in Enhancing Social Skills Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) display social skills dysfunction, such as lack of social interaction, communication skills, social engagement, emotion recognition and social play. One of the aspects being emphasized in managing behaviour of ASD and other categories of learning problems is teaching social skills and academic skills. While learning through play to strengthen social skills behaviour has gained its place in normal preschools but it has been neglected for children with disabilities in classroom settings. Hence, a pressing need for more studies to look into play-based intervention, particularly within the school setting, so as to enhance social skills functioning amongst children with ASD. In fact, many studies have exemplified the benefits of play for those diagnosed with ASD. As such, this review combs through evidences that employ play as an intervention for children with ASD in enhancing their social skills. The objectives of this review are: (i) to identify empirical studies that employed play-based interventions in enhancing the social skills amidst children with ASD, and (ii) to identify the type of play approach applied in natural setting. In order to gather published articles for the study, online databases, such as ScienceDirect, ERIC, ProQuest, PsycINFO, PubMed, Springer link, JSTOR, and Google Scholar, were used for data search. Thirty papers were collected and the outcomes suggest that numerous studies have explored schools to investigate a wide range of play strategies in both structured and unstructured approaches based on specified target skills. Furthermore, this study lists the strengths and shortcomings of the reviewed studies, along with several implications that highlight the practice of play as an intervention within the school setting.

The Effects of Lag Schedules of Reinforcement on Social Skill Accuracy and Variability

Five participants with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) between the ages of 10 and 14 years attended a twice-weekly social skills group for 8 weeks. A multiple probe design across skills with concurrent replication across participants was utilized to assess the effects of social skills training using multiple exemplars and lag schedules on social skill variability. Prior to intervention, participants demonstrated low levels of skill accuracy and appropriate variability. Training with one and three exemplars of target skills without lag schedules resulted in no to small increases in appropriate variability, despite increases in skill accuracy. Following introduction of lag schedules, substantial increases were observed. Post-intervention rating scales completed by parents of participants indicated improvements in social functioning and reductions in repetitive behavior.

A Systematic Review of Peer-Mediated Interventions for Preschool Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Inclusive Settings

Peer-mediated interventions (PMI) are implemented for skills teaching for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), particularly within the context of early learning environments. PMI have several potential advantages in comparison to adult-led intervention; however, there is a lack of research evaluating the use of PMI with younger populations. This review aims to synthesize the literature regarding the use of PMI in skills teaching for children with ASD in preschool settings. A systematic search of the literature spanning 1980–2018 was conducted, and 31 articles were identified for inclusion. Results are discussed in relation to participant and peer characteristics, PMI procedures, target skills, intervention outcomes, and research strength. The effectiveness of PMI is discussed along with directions for future research.

Re‐employment of people with chronic stroke: A single‐centre retrospective study

Re-employment is the goal of rehabilitation for many patients after stroke. This study retrospectively examined previously employed stroke survivors who were unable to return to work at time of discharge from hospital and identified factors which were correlated with successful re-employment following a rehabilitation programme involving occupational therapy at a support facility. Factors correlated with reactivation of drivers' licence after stroke were also investigated. Participants were 150 post-stroke patients who were discharged from a support facility for persons with disabilities from April 2011 to March 2016. Data on patients' sociodemographic information, activities of daily living, and physical functions had been recorded at the time of admission into the facility. Employment status was recorded at discharge. Data were collected retrospectively in July 2017 from the medical records. Logistic regression models were prepared to examine factors correlated with successful re-employment and reactivation of drivers' licence after occupational therapy. A stepwise logistic regression model revealed that the following four factors were significantly correlated with successful re-employment: (i) the dressing-lower body item in the Functional Independence Measure (P<0.001), (ii) the grooming item in the Functional Independence Measure (P=0.002), (iii) marital status (P=0.007), and (iv) the problem-solving item in the Functional Independence Measure (P=0.028). Another stepwise logistic regression model revealed that the factors were significantly correlated with successful reactivation of drivers' licence: (i) the problem-solving item in the Functional Independence Measure (P=0.002), (ii) the dressing-lower body item in the Functional Independence Measure (P=0.011) and (iii) the residence area (P=0.038). A single-centre retrospective study demonstrated several significant correlates of successful re-employment and reactivation of drivers' licence after stroke following rehabilitation training which employs occupational therapy to target skills critical for employment.

Applied Implications of Understanding the Natural Development of Effortful Control

Effortful control (EC) is an important target for many interventions intended to facilitate positive psychosocial outcomes. The first wave of these efforts has emphasized adult-to-child instruction and individualized practice of target skills. Future tests of these ideas will be facilitated by efforts to critically evaluate and improve the construct validity of EC measures. New avenues for these applied approaches will also grow out of a more complete understanding of the processes that govern EC development. Specifically, I argue that the natural development of EC includes important roles for contextual and peer relationship factors that have yet to be capitalized on in efforts to increase EC in children.