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An Analysis of Classroom Contextual Factors on the Behaviors of Students with Autism

An Analysis of Classroom Contextual Factors on the Behaviors of Students with Autism. Maureen A. Conroy, Jennifer M. Asmus, Crystal N. Ladwig, Brian A. Boyd University of Florida Presented at the CRIEI Conference San Diego, CA February 2004 Supported by U.S. Department of Education

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An Analysis of Classroom Contextual Factors on the Behaviors of Students with Autism

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  1. An Analysis of Classroom Contextual Factors on the Behaviors of Students with Autism Maureen A. Conroy, Jennifer M. Asmus, Crystal N. Ladwig, Brian A. Boyd University of Florida Presented at the CRIEI Conference San Diego, CA February 2004 Supported by U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (#H32D324D020023)

  2. Research Questions Examine the effects of contextual factors on: • Rate & duration of target child social behaviors • Sequential relationship between target child and peer social behaviors

  3. Participants • Total N = 18 children (ages 2 - 5 years old) • Diagnosis = Autism/ASD • Included in natural environments • All children demonstrate social deficits &/or social problem behaviors

  4. Settings • Conducted in natural settings including general education classrooms, preschool, and childcare settings • Approximately 7 - 20 children per classroom • Certified classroom teacher or early childhood professional in each classroom

  5. Pilot Participant • Gary • 5 years old • Asperger syndrome • Communication skills - Speaks in 3 - 4 word sentences • Academic delay in math • Significant social deficit • Setting • Kindergarten classroom • 19 students • Certified teacher and full-time teaching assistant

  6. Observation Procedures • Data collected across 9 activities via videotapes (approximately 20 - 30 min/activity) • Continuous, sequential recording system of social behaviors and contextual factors using PROCODER (Tapp, 2003) & HP Pavillion Computer • Data analysis using MOOSES (Tapp, 2003) • Data collected for 9 - 10 hours across 12 weeks

  7. Contextual Factors • Activities • Manipulatives/blocks • Cognitive/Books/Preacademics • Art/Sensory • Pretend/sociodramatic play • Dance/music • Snack/meal time • Computer • Transition • Games with rules

  8. Contextual Factors - continued • Target child behaviors • Unoccupied • Stereotypy/self injury • Inappropriate behavior • Engagement • Manipulative • Cognitive/books/preacademic • Art/sensory • Pretend/sociodramatic • Dance/music • Snack/mealtime • Computer • Games with rules

  9. Contextual Factors - continued • Peer Group Size • Small (2-5) • Large (over 5) • 1:1 • No peer group • Play Format • Adult directed • Child directed • Adult Engagement • Active • Passive • Disengaged

  10. Contextual Factors - continued • Perceived & Terminal Outcomes • Escape social situations • Escape from social to stereotypy • Obtain peer attention • Obtain adult attention • Obtain tangible reinforcer • Obtain tangible & escape social situation • No outcome

  11. Dependent Measures • Child Behaviors • Initiations • Helping/affection/comfort • Requests • Play organizer • Negative initiation • Initiated, but can’t tell • Responses • Active responses • Appropriate refusal • Passive responses • Negative refusal • No response/continued current activity • Responded, but can’t tell

  12. Dependent Measures - continued • Child behaviors • Interactions • Positive • Negative • Adult behavior • General prompt • Specific prompt • Comments/praise • Reprimand • Removal of tangible • Other

  13. Interobserver Agreement • IOA calculated using (A/A + D) x 100 • IOA calculated on 29% • Contextual Factors (Occurrence and nonoccurrence) • Mean =99% (range = 99% - 100%) • Social Interaction Behaviors (Occurrence only) • Mean = 85% (range =76% - 100%)

  14. Data Analysis • Rate/duration of target child social behaviors were calculated across each contextual factor • Lag sequential analyses to examine the relationship between target child and peer social behaviors was conducted across contextual factors • Conditional probability scores were calculated to compare the strength & direction of relationships in presence of contextual factors

  15. Data Analysis • Probability Analyses • Indexes for determining the strength of the relationship • .0 - .3 = mild relationship • .3 - .6 = moderate relationship • .6 - 1.0 = strong relationship

  16. Maureen Conroy: Looking at the data under question 9 - it looks like this is the total duration of interaction, but then it appears that interactions occurred longer in different contextual factors? Descriptive Data on Social Behaviors • Target Child Initiations = .02/min • Target Child Responses = .15/min • Interactions = 397 seconds (?) • Peer initiations -> Target child responses = • Target child initiations -> Peer responses =

  17. What are the effects of various activities on rate, duration, & sequence of social behaviors?

  18. Rate & duration of social behaviors?

  19. Sequence of target child & peer social behaviors

  20. What are the effects of peer group size on rate, duration, & sequence of social behaviors?

  21. Rate & duration of social behaviors?

  22. Sequence of target child & peer social behaviors?

  23. What are the effects of play format on the rate, duration, & sequence of social behaviors?

  24. Rate & duration of social behaviors?

  25. Sequence of target child & peer social behaviors?

  26. What are the effects of adult engagement on rate, duration, & sequence of social behaviors?

  27. Rate & duration of social behaviors?

  28. Sequence of target child & peer social behaviors?

  29. What are the outcomes of social behaviors?

  30. Social behavior outcomes?

  31. What behaviors is target child engaged in when not social interacting?

  32. Target Child Behaviors

  33. Limitations • Pilot data presented (N=1) • Low rate of behaviors • Difficulties interpreting sequential relationships • Uncontrolled base rate of antecedent and target behaviors • Conditional probability index has limitations (Yoder & Feuer, 2000)

  34. Conclusions, Implications, & Future Research Directions • Overall rate/duration of target child social behaviors is extremely low • However, context appears to effect rate/duration of those behaviors • Activities • Higher rate of initiations • Art, computer, games with rules • Higher rate of rate of responses • Manipulatives, computer, transitions, games with rules • Interactions occurred in • Cognitive, art, games with rules

  35. Context and Rate/Duration of Social Behaviors • Group size • Higher rate of initiations • Small group • Higher rate of responses • Small group & 1:1 • Interactions occurred • Small group & 1:1 • Play Format • No difference in initiations between adult & child directed • Higher rate of responses • Child directed • Longer duration of interactions in child directed

  36. Context and Rate/Duration of Social Behaviors • Adult engagement • Higher rate of responses when teacher was disengaged • Longer duration of interactions when teacher was passively engaged

  37. Context & Sequence of Behaviors • Overall probability of peer initiations and target child responses were low • Overall probability of target child initiations and peer responses were low

  38. Context & Sequence of Behaviors • Activity Context • Activity context did not appear to influence the strength of the relationship between peer initiations & target child responses • Target child initiations and peer responses were more likely to occur in art, computer, & games with rules in comparison to other activities

  39. Context & Sequence of Behaviors • Group size • Peer initiations & target child responses more likely to occur in small group & I:1 • Target child initiations & peer responses more likely to occur in small group & no peer setting

  40. Context & Sequence of Behaviors • No difference between adult vs. child directed formats for peer initiations & target child responses or target child responses and peer initiations

  41. Context & Sequence of Behaviors • No difference between types of adult engagement and peer initiations & target child responses • Target child initiations & peer responses are more likely to occur then the adult is active or disengaged

  42. Social Outcomes • Obtaining peer attention & tangibles are the most likely outcomes of social behaviors

  43. Implications & Further Research • Context plays an important role in the rate and duration of social behaviors for this particular participant • Replication needs to occur for generalizability of findings • Sequential analyses should be viewed with caution

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