1. Jamie Owen-DeSchryver, PhD
START Early Childhood Training: Implementing High Quality Preschool Programming
Amy Matthews, Ph.D., BCBA
Jamie Owen-DeSchryver, PhD
Grand Valley State University
Linda Elenbaas, MA
Muskegon ISD

2. Agenda Transition Data follow up Problem solving process
Challenges with behavior and learning
Review and Intervention supports
Behavioral Skills Training (BST)
Celebration and Future Planning

3. Review
Review

4. Wow, that’s a good idea
If you hear any good ideas you want to take back and try right away, put them on the Wow form

5. Get out your team action plan (green form)
Complete your Target Student Data and share your Action Plan with us

6. Seamless Transitions during Early Childhood

7. Transition to Kindergarten
Start at entry – day one!
Focus on independent skills and skills needed for kindergarten: Dressing, toilet training, sitting, following directions, self-regulation, responding to group instructions, following a routine

8. Plan for Transitions Early
Talk to your existing special education team about student movement

9. January – March Transition Portfolio
Transition Program Options
About My Child-Parent input
Student Summary
Pre-School Developmental Checklist
Transition Accommodations Profile
Routine Based Assessments
IEP, Met, Work Samples

10. April - June
Parent (child) and member of student’s current teaching team visit classroom and meet the receiving teacher
Receiving teacher is invited to visit student’s current placement (if teacher can’t visit, take video to share

11. Preparations
Give receiving teacher any supports that have been used or created for the student
Schedule
Visual supports
Prompting procedures
Differentiated output
Behavior support summary
Demonstrate strategies in the classroom at a visit, provide training, and/or a visit to the new classroom with the student.

12. Communication between Parents and Receiving Teacher
Discuss classroom communication procedure in new classroom
Discuss what programs and family activities are part of the new classroom and school community (e.g., PTA, volunteering)
Discuss any food or health needs or restriction

13. Communication between Sending Teacher and Receiving Teacher
Provide additional information on autism that is pertinent to the student
Inform the receiving teacher that present staff is available for questions or concerns as the student transitions into the new class.
If available staff can be placed in new classroom for up to 2 weeks during transition period. Staff is to work directly with the teacher as a classroom support giving the teacher strategies and assistance with the student should issues come up.

14. Preparing the Student Create a countdown calendar
Create a transition book detailing as much as possible about the classroom and building
Give the student the classroom rules in advance
Prepare student for riding a new bus and having a new bus driver
Have the child visit the classroom and playground

15. Preparing Peers
Request parent consent to do sensitivity training when school starts
Talking about the differences between each of us (e.g., hair color, eye color, glasses, tall , short)
Read the book My Friend With Autism or play video
Read 10 things my friend “Tobin” wants you to know about him
Let the students ask questions and answer as honestly as possible while maintaining the student’s dignity

16. Models to Support Successful Transition
Special education teacher is available to assist with transition
Related services staff supports transition to new classroom
Paraprofessional staff attends kindergarten (or new early childhood program) for first week
In the fall, early childhood programs start a week later than K-12 to allow EC staff to support transition

17. Preparing for Transition
Team Discussion

18. Information Needed Today
Please complete today and turn in:
EC Target Student Reporting Form – 1 per team/ 1 per target student
Effective Practices Assessment and Planning Tool (EPAT) – 1 per team
Post Training Questionnaire (blue) – 1 per person

19. Target Student Reporting Form
IMPORTANT:
Record follow up data for independence and classroom engagement and summarize on the Target Student Reporting form
Target Student Reporting Form

20. Classroom Engagement

21. How is your classroom engagement for your targeted activity?
Brainstorm ideas to improve engagement

22. Program and Student Data

23. How is your student’s independence?
Brainstorm ideas to increase independence for your target student or for other students

24. Early Childhood Assessment Tool

25. Are you still encountering these?
Interfering Behaviors
2. Learning Challenges

26. Educating Young Children with ASD

27. Early Childhood Training Concepts

28. Identifying Interventions: Some Possible Purposes of Problem Behavior
Student doesn’t UNDERSTAND the task/ activity
Student doesn’t LIKE the task/activity
Student wants an item that’s not available
Student is easily upset by mistakes or something that is not “right”
Student has difficulty with transition from preferred to non-preferred
Student has difficulty with change or unusual events
Student desires interaction, but uses inappropriate strategies to gain attention from others
Student avoids interaction with others
Student’s behavior appears to be comforting or internally pleasing

29. Identifying Intervention

30. Autism Speaks

31. Use a Problem Solving Process for One Area of Challenge

32. Effective Teaming

33. Visual Organizer

34. Is this a problem worth working on?
(photo)
Flipchart…. If you have a genuine problem, you just might have an action plan when you leave here.
Problem Identification: do we have a problem worth working on… can it be resolved… discussion continues.
5 minutes to talk about a problem….

35. Look at your data (photo)
Specify what your problem is .. When how often what does the data says? This might be the place where we decide do we need to collect more data before moving forward.. But usually you have a situation where you may choose to collect more data, but you need a plan beginning tomorrow. 5 minutes - go

36. Look at your data Effective Practices Assessment Tool (EPAT)
Classroom Engagement
Independence
Opportunities to Respond (OTR)
Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA)
Student IEP progress

37. Brainstorming (photo)
Talk about the adult behavior. Take a little more time with this.

38. Cluster and Prioritize
(photo)

39. Implementation Variables
This is the very first time that discussion about barriers can be addressed.

40. Action Plan development
Who will do what… action plan…

41. Use a Problem Solving Process for One Area of Challenge

42. Early Childhood Training Concepts

43. Identifying Interventions

44. Visual Organizer

45. Action Plan

46. Future Planning: This Year and Next Year What are the key priorities for your team to address for the rest of this year and into next year?

47. Behavioral Skills Training (BST)

48. Examples of Using BST Expectations 3Rs Prompting Following a schedule
Skills to Teach Staff
Skills to Teach Students
Expectations
3Rs
Prompting
Following a schedule
Differential reinforcement
Circle time rules
Daily schedule
Mini schedule
Toileting
Dramatic play sequence
Peer training

49. Behavioral Skills Training (BST)
INSTRUCTIONS
Descriptive explanation, with clear written instructions
MODELING
Provide a live or video example of the procedure or behavior
REHEARSAL
Practice to ensure implementation fidelity
FEEDBACK
Confirm correct performance or provide coaching for correction
Parsons, M. B., Rollyson, J. H., & Reid, D. H. (2012). Evidence-based staff training: A guide for practitioners. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 5(2), 2-11.

50. Preparation for BST
Identify and define the skills you want to teach (usually easier skills first)
Identify all the situations in which the skills must be used
Establish a baseline by assessing the learner’s skills in real situations

51. Step One: Instructions
Create specific instructions and describe expected behaviors
Provide instructions in a visual format, either written or pictures
Specify appropriate situations for the behavior

52. Examples - Instructions
*Instructions may be adapted as needed, such as using pictures, videos, or simplified language

53. Step Two: Modeling The correct behavior is demonstrated
Make sure the learner is attending
Live modeling to demonstrate the appropriate behavior
Symbolic modeling involves using video or audio as the model
Provide various examples

54. Example - Modeling Peer Training for Making a Choice
The teacher would say to the Jake, “I am going to show you how to offer a choice to a friend.”
Next the teacher models the steps with a second student, Ben.
The teacher would say “I am picking a car and a train since I know my friend Ben likes both of these.”
Teacher says “I am going to hold them out” while modeling this behavior. The teacher asks “which one do you want” of Ben.
When Ben reaches, the teacher gives the one item that was reached toward first.
The teacher acknowledges Ben’s choice by saying “I like the train too.”

55. Step Three: Rehearsal Provide an opportunity to practice
Correct behavior followed by immediate specific praise
Partly correct or incorrect behavior are followed by corrective feedback
Rehearse behavior until demonstrated correctly a few times

56. Example - Rehearsal Peer Training for Making a Choice
The teacher would say to Jake, “Now it is your turn to show me how to offer a choice to a friend. I will help you if you need it.”
Initially, the teacher might need to provide visual, verbal, or physical prompts to practice.
The student may practice with the teacher or another child.
Jake would follow all the steps in the instructions and those modeled by the teacher.

57. Step Four: Feedback
For correct performance: Praise, acknowledge, or provide another reinforcer immediately
Find something to acknowledge or praise
Use descriptive praise
Give feedback one behavior at a time
Be positive
For incorrect performance: Provide instructions on how to improve performance or prompt for correct performance.

58. Example - Feedback
The teacher provides specific acknowledgement for the steps completed correctly, such as “you picked two things that Ben likes.”
If mistakes are made, the teacher provides feedback such as “ remember to only give him one toy and you keep the other one”
The teacher then asks Jake to practice it again
Practice continues until it is correct, or the teacher decides to end of that BST session and practice more another day

59. Generalization of BST
The goal of BST is for the student to acquire new skills and to use them in real situations outside of the training
Therefore, the training should:
Involve a variety of role plays that simulate actual situations, both examples and non-examples
Incorporate real life material into training (e.g., lunch bags, toys, schedules, peers)
Practice skills outside of BST sessions ( in real life situations in which the behavior should occur snack table, play area)
When you see desired behaviors occur outside of the training, provide specific praise or another reinforcer
If desired behaviors do not occur outside of training, provide additional training

60. Staff Training: Increasing Opportunities to Respond (OTR)
Step one: Show PowerPoint slides - Trainer would define opportunities to respond (OTR), the importance of OTR, and describe when and how often staff should deliver OTR.
Step two: Trainer would model or show video models of delivering OTR, at desired frequency, across as many relevant situations as possible.
Step three: Trainer would create role-plays to simulate situations in which staff would deliver OTR and have the teachers practice delivering OTR until each teacher correctly delivers OTR at desired rate across various situations.
Step four: During role-plays, trainer would provide feedback for correct and incorrect performance.

61. Example Assessment and Plan
3 Rs – video
Instructions + fidelity tool
Modeling
Practice
Feedback
DR (see AFIRM)

62. Celebrate Your Success
We did it!
What have you accomplished this year?

63. Information Needed Today
Please complete today and turn in:
Post Training Questionnaire (blue) – 1 per person
Effective Practices Assessment and Planning Tool (EPAT) – 1 per team
EC Target Student Reporting Form – 1 per team/ 1 per target student
Training evaluation (lavender) – 1 per person