Online curriculum development resource for ABA/IBI/DTT/NET programs

[Guest guest]

NEW INTERNET SERVICE OFFERS CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT DATABASE/RESOURCE FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH AUTISM AND OTHER DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES

www.abacsllc.memberlodge.org to serve as centralized area for membership forum

Herscovitch, M.S.ABA, BCBA

PhD Candidate in Applied Behavior Analysis

Program Director, ABACS, LLC

www.abacsllc.memberlodge.org

Phone: (774) 249-8403

Fax: (774) 745-0369

Email: bherscovitch@...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (July 1, 2008) – ABACS, LLC (www.abacsllc.memberlodge.org), an organization offering behavior analysis services directed towards those whose lives have been touched by autism spectrum disorders, as well as other developmental or behavioral disorders, presents a new Online Program Development Resource (PDR). The online PDR has been developed to change the operation of school-based, home-based, and center-based behavior intervention programs, by offering an efficient and cost-effective way for systematizing, simplifying

and standardizing the process of curriculum development.

This service is geared towards behavior analysts, teachers, parents, senior therapists, or anyone responsible for developing program content for intensive behavioral intervention (IBI) programs, including discrete trial teaching (DTT) and natural environment training (NET), inclusive of protocols for the acquisition of verbal behavior (VB). Members should have sufficient knowledge of target selection, and curriculum development for individuals with autism and other developmental

disabilities.

The curriculum format can accommodate any skill that will be taught using either of the aforementioned formats, including beginner, intermediate, and advanced objectives, across a number of domains. Such domains may include communication/verbal behavior (VB), social skills, academics/pre-academics, play, activities of daily living, gross/fine motor (OT/PT), and vocational/pre-vocational skills.

The PDR can be used on its own, or in conjunction with other resources for selecting goals and objectives, such as individualized education plans (IEPs), department of education frameworks, or popular autism manuals. Though objectives listed in IEPs and other autism manuals specify what the student will learn, they often do not prescribe procedures to ensure consistency of program implementation across people (and time). Teacher requests, prompts/cues, reinforcement, correction procedures, and data collection strategies tend to change when there is not a system in

place to ensure consistent implementation. The ABACS, LLC Online PDR currently provides a system in which to prescribe all key elements of curricula. Listed below is a brief summary of the features currently available (note that 1.2 is currently being made available, but is still in the development phase).

1. Curriculum task list

1.1. A versatile form that simplifies the process of developing curriculum (program instructions) specific to each objective.

1.2. A bank of completed curriculum (program instructions) for beginner, intermediate, and advanced objectives, across a number of domains (i.e. social, pre-academic, academic, play, activities of daily living, gross/fine motor - OT/PT, and vocational), is currently being created and made available to

members. **The first complete version of the curriculum bank is expected to be available by September 1st, 2008**, on time for the 2008/2009 school year. However, curricula are being made available as they are developed, and the bank will continue to be updated following its formal completion. This feature will continue to grow with the feedback of members. It will be set up so as to provide members with guidance through the identification of progressively more complex target skills, as the learner masters out of objectives.

1.3. Many prompting hierarchy forms with associated data collection systems

1.4. A maintenance form

1.5. Numerous data sheets

1.6. Instructions on how to read curricula and associated data collection systems

1.7. Procedural integrity forms to ensure accurate teacher implementation

1.8. Spreadsheet and instructions for data summary and graphing

2. News (blog)

2.1. The news blog addresses a variety of different issues and topics, but is primarily intended as a resource to convey information about the online PRD. Topics may include, but are not limited to, strategies for using the PDR, program ideas, and a forum to answer common (and perhaps not so common) questions regarding the PDR.

3. Discussion forum

3.1. This is a place for members to post questions and ideas about the PDR, as well as read and comment upon other members' posts.

4. List of articles

4.1. A growing list of articles will be made available to members, on a variety of different topics.

5. List of links

5.1. Links will be made available to members, on a variety of different topics.

6. Newsletter

6.1. Receive newsletters throughout the year about a variety of different topics in behavior analysis and autism (please contact admin@... if you are interested in contributing to the newsletter).

Regular updates will be made to the PDR. Members can access all updates to the PDR during the period of their membership. Please visit the website and click on the Program Development link on the left side of the page, where you can obtain further information about the PDR and registration.