Teaching and Learning Technologies in Higher Education: Applied Behaviour Analysis and Autism; “Necessity is the Mother of Invention”

Abstract

247The implementation of effective instruction in higher education for professionals working with children with autism and their families is complex: not only does the learner need to acquire an understanding of the principles and procedures of applied behaviour analysis but s/he also needs to be able to apply these to autism interventions. In essence, a professional who is appropriately trained in behaviour analysis and autism intervention should be able to understand and interpret autism diagnostic procedures; implement and utilize direct and indirect assessments; discern non-evidence-based from evidencebased practices; select and apply procedures as appropriate; be proficient in functional assessment and analysis, data collection and evaluation procedures; and problem-solve effectively when children are not making progress.However, as noted in the introduction to this special section, few universities worldwide offer higher education programs in applied behaviour analysis that are accredited by the Association for Behaviour Analysis International (ABAI) and approved by the Behavior Analytic Certification Board (BACB) for Certification (see Weiss & Shook, 2010). Even fewer have higher education programs that combine autism and applied behaviour analysis courses which meet consumer guidelines for autism specialists (see Weiss & Shook) and also fulfil university validation standards.In many places throughout the world the demand for behaviour analytic supports and services for individuals with autism far outweighs the availability of graduate-level courses. This situation has led to professionals who lack both adequate knowledge and relevant Professionals on both international and national levels who work with children with autism are expressing the need for graduate-level training in applied behaviour analysis. The implementation of effective instruction in higher education for professionals working with children with autism and their families is a complex undertaking: the learner needs to acquire an understanding of the principles and procedures of applied behaviour analysis and also adapt this knowledge to the learning prerequisites of individuals with autism. In this paper we outline some current thinking about adult education and blended learning technologies and then describe and illustrate with examples emerging possibilities of multimedia technology in the development of teaching materials. We conclude that synergies between graduate-level curriculum requirements, knowledge of adult learning, and communication technology are necessary to establish comprehensive learning environments for professionals who specialize in autism intervention.

A didactic perspective on negotiations and collaborations between different actors within the Swedish support system: children with autism spectrum disorders included in community-based preschool settings

“…The findings when focusing on the pedagogue reinforce previous results that a competent pedagogue is a prerequisite for learning (Leaf et al, 2016;McGee et al, 2019) and that expertise can be acquired through education and supervision (Denne, Hastings, Hughes, Bovellc, & Redford, 2011;Roll-Pettersson, Ala'i-Rosales, Keenan, & Dillenburger, 2010). Based on our findings, interorganizational collaborations can contribute to the latter.…”

An Investigation of the Efficacy of Asynchronous Discussion on Students’ Performance in an Online Research Method Course

“…A number of risks are associated with sub-par or even status quo educational experiences. Ultimately, the end products of behavior analytic educational programs that produce practitioners are behavioral interventions that aim to improve the lives of clients and their families; educational experiences that do not impart the requisite knowledge for this task can result in diluted services at the expense of the most vulnerable populations (Roll-Pettersson, Ala'i-Rosales, Keenan, & Dillenburger, 2010). Furthermore, limited or inappropriate training within such programs might lead to misinformed graduates who could potentially place the integrity and Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s40617-016-0157-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.…”

“…Furthermore, limited or inappropriate training within such programs might lead to misinformed graduates who could potentially place the integrity and Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s40617-016-0157-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. credibility of the field in jeopardy, due to a lack of appropriate education and experience (Roll-Pettersson et al, 2010). With the additional flexibility and variety of instructional formats available to students and instructors, challenges and opportunities are abounding.…”

Teaching Discrete Trial Training

“…More skill-oriented units cover reinforcement, DTT, error correction, prompting, and data collection. Roll-Petterson, Alái-Rosales, Keenan, and Dillenburger (2010) describe several key components of potentially successful online training programs for teaching the fundamentals of EBI. These include written and interactive media, video demonstrations of key skills, and animation.…”