A Precision Teaching Framework for Training Autistic Students to Respond to Bids for Joint Attention

Precision teaching has historically been primarily applied to academic skills. This study aimed to show how precision teaching could enhance the application of existing evidence-based interventions focused on crucial pre-academic skills, such as joint attention. Joint attention is typically broken into two categories: responding to bids for joint attention (RJA) and initiating joint attention (IJA). This study developed RJA using precision teaching and play-based, natural environment teaching. Four autistic students, aged between 5 and 6, attending a special education school in England participated. Six prerequisite skills were trained in two triads during 15-min sessions for three weeks. RJA was then targeted, and participants needed three, four, five, and seven days, respectively, to master it. A concurrent multiple baseline design across participants was used for all skills. Participants improved across all skills with moderate effect sizes that were maintained five weeks post-intervention. Moreover, participants demonstrated steep learning rates measured via celeration, low variability measured via the bounce metric, and a maintenance of performance improvements during the assessment of endurance, stability, and generalization. The results suggest that autistic students can quickly improve their RJA skills and demonstrate fluency in them. However, the results are tentative and require replication while addressing the limitations that have been identified. Integrating precision teaching and naturalistic approaches could offer practitioners additional information about the impact of existing evidence-based interventions on developing RJA and related skills

Evaluation of quality of life therapy for parents of children with obsessive–compulsive disorders in Iran

Previous research has provided evidence on the effectiveness of CBT in the symptomatic improvement of children with obsessive–compulsive disorders. There is also increasing recognition of the importance of involving parents and families in treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the short-term effectiveness of such an intervention that promoted family strengths [(quality of life therapy (QoLT)] for mothers of children with obsessive–compulsive disorders (OCD). The sample consisted of 40 children with OCD and their mothers, who had been referred to clinics in Esfahan city in Iran. Mothers were randomly allocated to an experimental (QoLT) and waiting list control group. Mothers participated in eight QoLT group sessions over 4 weeks. QoLT incorporated CBT techniques in managing OCD symptoms. Measures were completed pre- and post-intervention by both groups. Children completed the Yale–Brown obsession compulsion scale for Children, the Revised children's manifest anxiety scale, and the brief multidimensional student’s life satisfaction scale; mothers completed the quality of life inventory (QoLI). QoLT was associated with decrease in OCD and anxiety symptoms and increase in children's satisfaction in the global, family and environment domains, as well as with increased QoLI scores in their mothers. Parenting interventions like QoLT can complement individual modalities such as CBT in the presence of family-related difficulties. This can be particularly applicable in countries and settings with limited resources and high stigma of child mental health problems

Impact of Trauma on Palestinian Childrens and the Role of Coping Strategies

We are grateful to all the Palestinian families in the Gaza Strip for their involvement. Also, to the data collectors for their valuable input.Aims: To investigate the impact of war trauma On child mental health; the mediating role of different coping strategies. Methods: The sample was selected randomly from the five localities of the Gaza Strip that had been exposed to war16 months earlier. Children completed the Gaza Traumatic Events Checklist- 20 items-War on Gaza, UCLA PTSD scale, Birleson Depression Scale, Child Revised Manifest Anxiety Scale, and Kidcope for children. Results: Children reported many traumatic events (mean = 4). One third (32.5%) had partial and 12.4% had full criteria of PTSD. Children living in families with low family monthly income reported more emotional problems. There was significant association between exposure to traumatic events and developing PTSD. The rates of significant anxiety and depressive symptoms were 20.5% and 22.3% respectively. Girls reported significantly more depressive symptoms than boys. Children commonly used the following coping strategies: wishful thinking, problem-solving, emotional regulation, and distraction. Trauma was negatively correlated with social support and wishful thinking, and positively correlated with self-criticism. Lack of social support and wishful thinking predicted all three types of mental health problems, while social withdrawal specifically predicted depression. Conclusions: Trauma can have long-standing impact on children’s mental health. Communitybased intervention programmes could enhance children’s resilience. Parents, teachers, universal and specialist mental health practitioners have essential roles in the development and delivery of such programmes

Commentary on “Video-modelling as an effective solution for coaching carers of autistic adults”: building skills; that should be our priority

Purpose – This paper aims to discuss the importance of offering high-quality support focussed on developing the skills of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Design/methodology/approach – The analysis will be based on the study published by Cohen and McGill (2020), who demonstrated that video modelling led to improvements in support workers’ performance when training adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to brush their teeth. Findings – Developing the skills of staff members and services users should be one of our primary aims. Evidence-based practices grounded in behaviour analysis can help produce optimal outcomes that will improve the quality of service provision and, subsequently, the service users’ quality of life. Originality/value – This paper is aimed at parents and professionals working in the field of disabilities who are keen to further improve the service provision of people with disabilities

Comparing the Minimum Celeration Line and the Beat Your Personal Best Goal-Setting Approaches During the Mathematical Practice of Students Diagnosed with Autism

This study compared two goal-setting approaches found in the Precision Teaching literature, namely the minimum celeration line and the beat your personal best during the mathematical practice of three male students diagnosed with autism, aged 8–9. An adapted alternating treatments design with a control condition was embedded in a concurrent multiple baseline across participants design. Each approach was randomly allocated to either the multiplication/division (×÷) table of 18 or 19, while no approach was allocated to the ×÷14 table that acted as a control. Instruction utilized number families and consisted of (a) untimed practice, (b) frequency-building, (c) performance criteria, (d) graphing, and (e) a token economy. Upon practice completion, an assessment of maintenance, endurance, stability, and application (MESA) was conducted. Participants improved with both conditions and maintained their performance well, while improvements with the control condition were weak. The beat your personal best approach was highlighted as slightly more effective in terms of average performance and more efficient in terms of timings needed to achieve criterion. No differences were identified in terms of learning rate (i.e., celeration) or performance on the MESA. More research is warranted to identify which goal-setting procedure is more appropriate for students in special education.</p

Trauma, PTSD, and Traumatic Grief among Palestinian Children

Aim: The aim of this study was to find the relationship between war traumatic experiences due to war on Gaza, PTSD, and traumatic grief in Palestinian children. Methods: The sample included randomly selected 374 children aged 6-16 years. Children completed measures of experience of traumatic events (Gaza Traumatic Checklist), Child Post Traumatic Stress Reaction Index, and Traumatic Grief inventory. Results: Palestinians children experiences variety of traumatic events. No sex differences in reporting trauma. Mean traumatic events reported by children was 12.80 traumatic events. The study showed that 9.3% of the participants lost someone during the war. Mean traumatic grief in boys was 19.96 and 18.29 in girls. For PTSD, 1.3% of children showed no PTSD, 7.2% reported mild PTSD reactions, 29.9% showed moderate PTSD reactions, and 61.5% showed severe to very severe PTSD reactions. Trauma exposure was significantly associated with PTSD. No sex differences in PTSD. Conclusions: This study revealed that children living in area of conflict and war are at risk of developing mental health problems. Study showed that children with traumatic grief need psychosocial support from families and community to enable them of passing through their grief. Moreover, parents have to be involved in all activities given to their children and to be part of such activities to enable them better communication with their children and being able of detecting children with pathological grief and enable them of helping children in overcoming the effect of grief and trauma.We are grateful to the team who collected the data under enormous difficulties. Also, our many thanks to families and children who participated in this study, for their openness in sharing such difficult issues. Also to Mr. Khalil Megdad for his work as statistician in this study

Using Precision Teaching to Improve Typically Developing Student’s Mathematical Skills Via Teleconferencing

This study evaluated the effects of Precision Teaching in improving typically developing students’ mathematical skills when delivered via teleconferencing in India. Four students received Precision Teaching, while nine acted as control participants. Precision teaching involved instruction in three mathematical skills; two prerequisite skills and the primary skill of mixed addition and subtraction facts. Instruction included untimed practice, timed practice, goal-setting, graphing, and a token economy. Participants who received Precision Teaching received ten practice sessions for the prerequisite skills and 55 sessions for the primary skill. The results demonstrated improvements in the prerequisite skills of varied magnitude and considerable improvements in the primary skill, which were maintained above baseline performance levels. In addition, those who received Precision Teaching were below the 15th percentile rank at the initial assessment and above the 65th percentile at the post-intervention assessment in the math fluency subtest of the Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement—Third Edition. Control participants did not demonstrate similar improvements. Results suggest that Precision Teaching could produce accelerated outcomes even when delivered via teleconferencing. Therefore, it could be a valuable system for helping students ameliorate potential learning losses resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.</p