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Relevant data of an effective
program for teaching children with autism.
Luis A. Pérez-Gonzalez
and Gladys Williams
University of Oviedo and Applied Behavioral Consultant
Services, New York, Spain and USA
Three children with autism participated
in a pilot research devoted to analyze the impact of a comprehensive
application of behavior analysis on their habilitation. We record
data on a continuous basis about all aspects of the program.
After six months, we found that the children can learn at a high
pace when the teachers are well trained. The speed and
the competence of teachers resulted in a great number of goals
achieved in the program; the goals reflect the number of skills
the children learn. The number of goals met by hour increased
when the program wasconducted for more hours per day. This fact
suggests that an intensive program is more effective than a less
intensive one for teaching these
children. Quantitative data showed that we taught at a pace 15
times faster than the pace in a standard school for children
with special needs. The qualitative data showed even more impressive
results. Even in a few weeks, children’s parents and close
relatives apparently noticed the acquisition of novel skills.
These data demonstrated the effectiveness of a comprehensive
program based on the science of behavior to habilitate children
with learning difficulties.
Keywords: Applied Behavior Analysis,
autism, verbal behavior. |