Establishing and Maintaining a Behaviorally Sound Home Environment for Children with Autism

The requirements of every day life sometimes demand that children merely learn to comply with the directives that are given to them, e.g. its time to turn the TV off and come to dinner; no, you can’t have that toy now, etc. Caregivers who are unable to insure compliance without problem behavior in these situations have difficult times in the home and community.

Over the past 20 years an effective technology for reducing problem behavior has emerged within the field of applied behavior analysis. The literature on functional assessment within the field of applied behavior analysis provides effective reinforcement-based protocols for reducing problem behavior once the function of the behavior is determined.

The presenter will use videotape to illustrate how the science is applied to address the most common problem behavior scenarios (transitioning from preferred to unpreferred activities and accepting “no”). This workshop is designed to teach participants how to:

• identify reinforcers and keep them strong
• structure the home environment and household schedule for success
• utilize research-based procedures for teaching children to incrementally follow routines in the home
• identify behavior by its function (functional assessment)
• determine the behavior reduction methods appropriate for the most common functions