The Challenge

There is considerable research that intensive behaviour intervention (IBI) provided to children with autism under age six can result in significant gains, resulting in about half of the children no longer needing special assistance, when they enter school.   Because of this research and the explosion of IBI, many parents of children with autism entering school are now expecting continuation of an applied behaviour analytic approach for their child.   However, there are several obstacles including:

•  Schools may consider intensive behaviour intervention to be a treatment, not education, and therefore not consistent with their mandate;

•  School Boards tend not to have trained front-line staff in applied behaviour analysis nor consultants who can provide supervision to front-line staff.   The typical expectation for consultants in applied behaviour analysis is a post-graduate degree in the field and Board Certification (www.bacb.com); and,

•  The delivery of one-to-one behaviour therapy in isolation of the rest of the class may not be consistent with the philosophy of many school boards for inclusion of children with disabilities.  

Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA)

Although it may not be feasible or appropriate to provide one-on-one Intensive Behaviour Intervention (IBI) for many children with autism in schools, it is practical to provide supported inclusion based on principles of applied behaviour analysis.   Applied behaviour analysis is a field in psychology that has emerged over the last 40 years in which skills are broken into small teaching units and taught to children in a precisely prescribed manner using empirically-validated teaching techniques and systematic measurement of student gains.    Intensive Behaviour Intervention is only one form of applied behaviour analysis typically consisting of highly structured one-on-one teaching within a controlled environment.

What Is Supported Inclusion

The main debate for the inclusion of children with autism into regular classes, is not whether to, but how to. The challenge is how to structure inclusion meet the needs of the individual child with autism, the rest of the class, within manageable resources.  

There is a large body of research indicating that simply placing students with developmental disabilities in classes with typically-developing children by itself, results in little gains in their academic or social adjustment. As previously stated, nor is it consistent with inclusion to remove a child to receive the bulk of his/her education through one-to-one instruction in separate environment.  

Successful inclusion of children with autism requires a systematic implementation of programs that result in gains in the following key skill areas identified in research as necessary for success in regular classrooms.   These areas are:

• The ability to follow school routines independently
• The ability to communicate needs and thoughts independently
• The ability to initiate and sustain reciprocal peer interaction
• The ability to participate and learn in a group
• The ability to complete seatwork activities independently
• Low levels of problem behaviours that interfere with learning (e.g. stereotypic behaviour, disruptive behaviour, inattentiveness, aggression, etc.)

ABA-based supported inclusion consists of: a) individually-targeted interventions to teach skills and shape behaviour specifically of the child with autism in a regular classroom; and, b) intervention introduced by the classroom teacher for the entire class that would assist all students including the child with autism.  

The steps in the Behaviour Institute's approach to supported inclusion is as follows:

• There is an initial interview with one of the psychologists to discuss the services the parents are hoping for.   If the child is not known to BI, then s/he should be brought into the initial interview as well.
• The parents inform the principal of their desire to have outside consultants involved with their child in school and describe the types of support they are hoping for.
• The Supported Inclusion Coordinator may come to the class to collect measures on the child's participation in group instruction, disruptive behaviours, engagement on task, independent seatwork and peer interaction.
• A meeting at the school is arranged with the principal, teacher, EA (if applicable) and consultants with the BI psychologist.   The psychologist will be present a model of collaborating with the school with examples of areas of programming.
• The psychologist arranges to view the child in the school for about 1 hour within two weeks of the initial school meeting and then have a 1.5 hour meeting with the teacher, parents, school consultants, etc.   At this second meeting, the psychologist will give a Powerpoint presentation on supported inclusion for children with autism, the child's areas areas of need and recommended interventions for consideration by the school.   Up to three interventions are selected by the group.   Roles and responsibilities for design, implementation, evaluation of the interventions and other functions are clarified at this meeting.
• The psychologist returns within two weeks with a written plan for input.   An implementation plan is developed, including consideration of having a BI Senior Facilitator be in the classroom to provide modeling and feedback on the selected interventions.
• The BI Facilitator is in the class for 3 hrs to take data and model the program.  The length of time the typically on the following schedule:
• 3 days, week 1
• 2 days, week 2
• 1 day, week 3
• 1 day, week 4
• 1 day, week 6
• 1 day, week 8
• 1 day, week 12

•  If a longer-term presence in the classroom is needed, a Facilitator from the Behaviour Institute would be assigned to support the child and work with the classroom teacher.

•  There are school-based meetings of the entire time once a month

 

If you are interested in the supported inclusion service, please call one of the offices for an initial interview (Toronto - 416-251-9277; Hamilton - 905-570-0777)