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The Autism Support Network presents:

•ABA IN SCHOOLS•By

•Nancy Walton

•nancy@autismsupportbc.ca

Team Collaboration

• Home Team:-Student-Parent-Behaviour Consultant-Lead/Senior Instructor

- ABA Advisory Committee SSD

• School Team:-Student-Principal-Classroom Teacher-Integration Teacher-ABA SW

- Student Support Services

Comprehensive Curriculum Design

Each student’s program should consist of individualized comprehensive curriculum design across the following domains:

- Academic Literacy - Communication- Play or Leisure Skills- Social skills- Self- Help- Pre-vocation - Behaviour Management (Self-management)

The Goal

• To integrate the student into what the class is doing.

• And to have an individualized one to one curriculum to work on when the student does not have the pre-requisite skills necessary to learn the group lesson, in the group setting.

• MAXIMIZE the student’s time!

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Collaboration with School

• Behaviour Consultant's provide ongoing supervision of the student’s program by:

- Participation in the IEP process.- Monitoring the data collected.- Ongoing direct assessment.- Ongoing program design.- Ongoing program implementation.

Collaboration Continued

• Behaviour Consultants are not in the classroom to evaluate the teacher.

• The goal of the Behaviour Consultant is to determine what needs to be taught to the student to have him or her participate in the classroom as independently as possible.

What should a program look like ?

¢Discrete and objective, written, long term goals (LTO’s) addressing skill deficit or challenging behaviours.

¢Discrete and objective, written, short term goals (STO’s)– with clear steps building to the long term objective.

¢Very specific teaching strategies or tactics scripted on how to meet these goals.

¢Data collection procedures scripted – data sheets and graphs provided.

YM Self-Management Sitting at Circle Time Students Name Repertoire Program Long Term Objective - LTO:

To remain seated with peers for at least 10 minutes of circle time, in the absence of inappropriate behaviors such as laying down, vocal protest, attempted elopement, and touching peers, for 10/10 consecutive sessions. 1. While the ABA SW is seated directly behind student. 2. While the ABA SW is seated 2 feet behind student. 3. While the ABA SW is seated 5 feet behind student

Short Term Objectives -

Onset Date

Completion Date

STO A) Materials needed: 5-token board, reinforcer menu, vibrating timer. Target: Tokens delivered on a FI 30-sec. schedule. Sit directly behind student. A – Generalized (e.g., ‘Let’s go to circle time,’ etc.) Tactic – 1x verbal prompt and physical prompt to sit nicely when first sitting on carpet at circle time. B – (+) = Y. remains on the carpet area, sitting ‘criss-cross’, for duration of target interval (-) = Y. attempts to elope from carpet area, does not sit ‘criss-cross’, lays down, touches peers, engages in vocal protest at any time during interval C – For (+) = FR1 vocal praise + FR1 token. When token board is full, Y. should be permitted to leave circle time immediately and to access the earned reinforcer. For (-) = Correction = Tact behavior rule broken and re-start timer for new target interval. Provide brief physical prompting as necessary. Data: 1 LU per interval Criterion = 2 x 18/20 consecutively; Graph in 20’s.

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How to Advocate for Your Child

• 1) Understand legal precedents Hewko and Moore

• 2) Use language of Hewko: Instructional Control and Meaningful

Collaboration

• 3) Write focused letters and move up the chain of command (get help

with letters)

• 4) Give Deadlines

• 5) Be willing to escalate (media, lawyer, Human Rights Tribunal)

• 6) Join other parents to make systemic change

Memorize your Hewko rights

•Your child should be under instructional control at school•The school must have meaningful consultation with the child’s home team.

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What is Instructional Control

• Instructional control applies to any behaviour that you want your child to do. Every ABA program is an instruction for your child. You want someone who will be able to allow your child to be successful in school through their individualized ABA protocol. This might include, non-aggression towards others, eating properly, writing paragraphs, playing tag... What ever your ABA goals are.

When the District does not have Instructional Control

qYour child’s academic work (or session behaviour) at home is better than at school

qYou find out your child spends and unreasonable amount of time disengaged in the classroom

qYour child’s aide is unable to consistently maintain control over your child sufficient to delivering their curriculum

qYour child’s aide has not familiarity or training with ABA

Hewko - Meaningful Consultation

• Hewko talks about what is NOT meaningful consultation, leaving room for an expanded future definition.• Examples of non meaningful consultation:• Districts listing their options as the only choices.• Saying they’ll do something and then not doing it;• Not following up;• Rejecting things out of hand;• Intimidating people;

More examples of non-meaningful consultation

qAction without informing parents (e.g., calling in provincial autism support);

qFollowing perceived district policy/philosophy without inquiry or individual consideration;

qSetting strategy for meetings before hand (e.g., everyone be on the same page, act as good listeners, don’t answer questions, etc);

qReject parent requests before hearing them or understanding them;

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More examples of non-meaningful consultation

• Recommend interventions that aren’t based in evidence (e.g., deep massage);• Introduce interventions without consulting with parents (e.g., bean

bag);• Failing to include any recommendations from home-based team;• Failing to train TA;

More examples of non-meaningful consultation

qLeave out parents and home-based team from providing input into criteria for new EA;

qScheduling meetings without trying to accommodate home-based team

qSecret meetings before and after s.11 appeal hearing;qSharing information with the Board but not with parents;qRefuse recording of hearing;qRefuse to keep minutes of hearing

Moore 2012 SCC 61

• North Vancouver did not accommodate the needs of a student with Dyslexia• Finding of discrimination restored• District undertook no assessment, financial or otherwise, of what

alternatives were or could be reasonably available to accommodate special needs students if the Diagnostic Centre were closed. In order to decide that it had no other choice, it had at least to consider what those other choices were.

How To Use Hewko or Moore

• All Educational Administrators are aware of Hewko. But if allowed to, they will go against your child’s rights.• If you are having a problem with your child’s school situation, think

about how it is a violation of Hewko or Moore. • It is important to be able to clearly point out which of your child’s

rights are being denied. Familiarity with Hewko and Moore can help you win your argument.

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Advocating: Keeping a Paper Trail

ØAlways be professional and communicate clearly

ØClearly state what you are requesting. Then, why it is important. Give examples of how it can be achieved (how it’s done at home, or how other students elsewhere do it). Use Hewko language (instructional control, meaningful consultation).

ØPick your battles. Determine when you need to get involved. There will be lots of issues – some small and some large – and educators need to understand that when you do approach them with an issue it is important and needs to be dealt with in a timely manner. The boy that cries wolf. Reinforce good behaviour – are they doing something good?

Example of a Request for an ABA trained aide

January 15, 2014Dear Mr. Director of Student ServicesMy son, John Doe, at Suchnsuch Elementary will require an aide who is well trained in Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA). It is imperative that his aide be able to maintain instructional control allowing him optimal opportunities to learn.John has been involved in an ABA program since the age of two, designed and supervised by Mr X Consultant. Through this behaviouraltreatment, he has been able to master a variety of things, including academics, life skills, social skills, gross and fine motor coordination.Research has shown that children with autism learn when paraprofessionals are trained in their individual ABA protocol and supervised by a qualified Behaviour Consultant.Please get back to me by January 30, 2014 with a meeting date to discuss who will be supporting John next year.

Advocating in School

ØPractice ahead of time. Stay on message. Write the request out, read it, practice it, check it (make sure you know exactly what you are asking, who you are asking and why you are asking for it).

ØEmotional? Bring a trusted person with you to meetings. Get someone to review your correspondence to make sure you are not inflammatory and that you are clear in your message.

Advocating in School

ØKeep EVERYTHING in writingØTake meeting minutes if IEP’s, teacher meetings, meetings with principal or

resource teacherØEmail the minutes within a week of the meetingØMake a written account of conversations and email them to interested parties

asking for clarificationØIf told “NO”, ask for it in writing!! Who said “NO” as well.

ØUse a deadline for all requests Ø“I request that we have a meeting set up for next week, if I do not hear back

with a response by Friday November 29th I will consider that a denial of this request.”

ØBe willing to escalate in a timely manner if your child’s needs are not being met

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District Heirarchy’s Vary

• Classroom Teacher• Principal• *District Administration – who is responsible for special needs

supports for your child?• Superintendent• Board of Education (Section 11)• Human Rights Tribunal

BC School Act - Section 11

• 11 (2) If a decision of an employee of a board significantly affects the education, health or safety of a student, the parent of the student or the student may, within a reasonable time from the date that the parent or student was informed of the decision, appeal that decision to the board. • (7) A board must: (a) make a decision under this section within 45

days of the date on which the board receives the appeal, and (b) promptly report that decision to the person making the appeal.

BC Education Documents that support collaboration with the parent:

• BC Special Needs Student Order• BC School Act• Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE)

(advocates for collaboration but also lists what is NOT collaboration)

Studies for Advocating

• Eikeseth, Smith, Jahr and Eldevik, Behavior Modification, 2002

• Howard, Sparkman, Cohen, Green, Stanislaw, Research in Dev Disabilities, 2005 (and again in 2014)

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Advocacy RoadmapThe Public System

Appeals:

• All school boards must have appeal procedures (in section 11 of the

school act) to help resolve disputes.

• NOTE – School Boards MUST obey the law and operate in the spirit of

Hewko

• Recently, parents are turning to the Human Rights Tribunal for

support.

Filing with Human Rights Tribunal

One case where a parent filed a human rights case because they had to move from Coquitlam to Surrey to access ABA for their child

- Parent won, but $$ outcome can not be discussed- District had to be educated in ABA

A second case won by a parent who didn’t want CUPE to keep bumping EA due to seniority

What does Surrey’s Systemic ABA System Provide?

• The ability for anyone to have a highly trained ABA SW if they have someone from their own team who is qualified to be hired• A fairly pure pool of highly trained ABA SWs• An ABA Advisory to help parents continue to fine tune the ABA SW

program.• Consultants have excellent access to their clients and are able to

highly influence the IEP and the daily programming.• Meaningful Collaboration• Instructional Control over most ABA children.

The Right Conditions For Systemic Change in a School System

• Strong ABA community thanks to a neighborhood support group for ABA• Several parent presentations to the School Board, over several years,

demonstrating the research that supports ABA in schools.• A mixture of highly demanding parents and highly collaborative

parents.• Constant letter writing and phone calls asking for ABA Support

Workers (squeaky wheel gets the grease)• Hewko decision looming (now its here to use)• A School Board member who understood ABA and “got it”. (ie. Run

for the school board)