Bernards Township ABA Program (BTAP) Staff Training

1. Bernards Township ABA Program(BTAP)Staff Training Social Competence Casi M. Healey, M.A., BCBA Sharon A. Reeve, Ph.D., BCBA

2. Interaction with Parents • School visits • School visit agendas should be prepared for every school visit. • They should include what programs the parents will be trained on • A copy of the agenda should be given to the parent and be logged in a school visit binder • Parents should sign-in/out upon arrival and departure of the classroom

3. Interaction with Parents • Bringing children to car/bus • What should you say? • What not to say?

4. Interaction with Others(parents, colleagues, visitors, evaluators) • Enthusiastic about program • Positive attitude about students • Positive interactions with students • Support the program • Concern for the rights of students and families • Prompt and prepared • Advocate for students and families • Request input from others • Share credit with others • Give and receive positive and corrective feedback • it is not functional to complain but to concentrate on problem solving behavior

5. Interaction with Others(parents, colleagues, visitors, evaluators) • The following small responses have a large impact • Facial expression • Interaction with students • Relationship with students

6. Social Competence • Children, youths, and adults with developmental disabilities are best served by professionals who teach social competence. • Unfortunately, many persons with developmental disabilities will repeatedly encounter prejudice, fear, and rejection. • Professionals who teach acceptable social and self-care repertoires can contribute immeasurably to the protection of peoples' rights • (McClannahan & Krantz, 1985).

7. Social Competence is an Ongoing Process • Develops over time and the skills you display vary as a function of your age and the environment in which you are currently in • Depends on the discrimination of environmental cues and the display of behavioral responses that correspond to the environmental cues

8. Acceptable Social Behavior • Posture, facial expression, eye contact • Greetings, Interacting with other students • Getting info • Interacting with other people • Showing off work • Elimination of stereotypy • Contextually appropriate language

9. Hygiene Practices • Request tissues and towels • Cover their mouths when they sneeze or talk • Wash their hands at appropriate times

10. Grooming • Brush their hair • Brush their teeth • Put on deodorant • Wash their faces

11. Personal Appearance • Straighten their clothing • Tuck in their shirts • Change their clothing if dirty • Use a napkin

12. Polite/Positive Language • Yes, Please; No, Thank you, • Excuse me • Holding a door • Giving compliments • Saying thank you and you’re welcome

13. Independence • Carrying own items • Walking independently • Initiating activities • Asking you to follow them rather than being led

14. Peer Interaction Skills • Teach play and activity based responses • Teach language around play

15. Recognizing and Acknowledging Others • Thanking others for assistance, sending thank you cards • Attending to changes in individual accomplishments –compliments • Attending to past and future important events in their lives and lives of others

16. Showing Concern for Others • Attending to emotional states of others • Empathizing with others through verbal interactions • Displaying corresponding affect –matching affect to situation

17. Age-Appropriate Behavior • Responding in a manner that is consistent with one’s age • age-appropriate leisure skills

18. Performing at a Criterion Level • All components of a task should be taught • Task should be taught to be completed in the presence of relevant stimuli

19. High Levels of Engagement • Engagement during activities is directly related to social competence in that levels of engagement should match those of typical development • On-task behavior should be high and stereotypy low • On-task behavior must happen in the absence of adults

20. Model Acceptable Social Behavior • Introducing student to others • Including student in conversation • Conversations around the student • All of the social competence skills you are teaching to the students

21. Prompting • Use of manual prompts is necessary to teach our students • They can be intrusive to the learner • How can you be sensitive to this? • They can look bad • How can you minimize this?

22. Full-day Activity Schedule and Motivational System • Full-day schedule • Point to picture of activity • Get activity • Engage in activity with instructor • Put activity away when instructor says they are finished • Go to book • Run LM card and engage in conversation • Step away from the book • Obtain instructors attention • Say statement • Wait for response • Go back to book • Point to picture of next activity

23. Full-day Activity Schedule and Motivational System • Motivational System • Trade in pennies • Take picture off board • Get reward • Set timer • Play with reward • Stop timer • Put choice in discard basket • Select new choice • Earn pennies

24. Full-day Activity Schedule and Motivational System • Independent responses, therefore no verbal interaction • Two separate response chains • How can you ensure they stay separate? • Never end an activity when a penny board ends • Always end activities mid-penny board