Behaviorism in Autism
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ScribdTranslationsBehaviorism in Autism
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ScribdTranslationsBEHAVIOURISM IN AUTISM
Behaviorism has been one of the most controversial concepts in the psychological,
pedagogical and therapeutic environment, since the theoretical and methodological
proposals of Pavlov, Thordike and Skiner.
According to the advances made by different authors, according to Ciemborowicz,
Darzycka, Grzegorczyk Dluciak, Mayer, Rajs-Glazar, Stachurzca, Szostak-Kedzierska, they
point out that the premises of behaviorism are:
- Environmentalism: the environment conditions all living beings.
- Experimentalism: through experiments it is possible to identify the underlying
reasons for a certain behavior and modify it.
- Optimism towards changes: since all behavior is caused by an influence from the
environment, it is possible to bring about the necessary change in that behavior
through modification of the environment.
- Anti-physical: mental phenomena, emotions and thoughts cannot be the object
of scientific identification.
Behavioral therapy seeks a systematic application of learning techniques to modify human
behavior.
Specifically in the field of autism, behaviorism has been used in therapies for children with
autism since 1961, when C. B. Ferster showed that autistic children were able to learn
simple behaviors in the presence of reinforcers such as food.
Later, behavioral therapy became very famous due to the work done by Ivar Lovaas, who
carried out detailed research in 1973 on early behavioral language intervention programs
for children with autism, developed by his team, confirming their high efficacy.
Before starting behavioral therapy:
Prior to the design and implementation of behavioral therapy, professionals must follow
some general rules before starting behavior modification:
- Have a diagnosis of the child.
- Consider that each child is a unique individual, so needs, progress and
achievements are also individual and should never be compared with other children.
- Knowing that there are no universal therapies.
- Create a schedule according to individual needs.
- Designate a behavioral environment that surrounds the child.
- Take into account the child's health and physical condition.
- Work as a team with parents and teachers.
- Maintain consistency, discipline and follow the established schedule
Goals:
When developing a behavioral therapy program, specific objectives are assumed:
- Development of absent adaptive behaviors.
- Reduction of unwanted behaviors through extinction (aggressive and self-
aggressive behaviors, self-stimulation, ritualistic behaviors, distracting behaviors,
incorrect language, etc.).
- Generalization and maintenance of the effects of therapy over time and in the
contexts in which the subject develops, using strategies such as: occasional
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reinforcement, delayed reinforcement, gradual elimination of a program,
reinforcement transition, development of peer support and transfer of behaviors.
Behavioral analysis:
Behavioral analysis is based on observations and recording of facts related to a given
person's activity. Thus, behaviorists do not presuppose a priori any limitations arising from
existing or hypothetical biological factors, that is, they do not determine what a person is
capable or incapable of achieving.
Thus, through behavioral analysis it is possible to define a problem in clear terms, describe
observable behaviors, measure the time of the behaviors and avoid labels and hypothetical
factors. This allows for the description and treatment of specific behaviors of people with
autism, such as: abnormal reaction to the physical environment, aggression and self-harm,
request for environmental invariability, as well as social, language and communication
disorders, developmental and postural abnormalities, among others.
Behavioral intervention programs
As indicated by the Autism Spectrum Disorders Study Group of the Carlos III Health Institute
(2006), some of the therapies that apply the principles of behavior modification and
techniques based on learning theories as the main teaching tools are: Under this heading
are included Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), Intensive Behavior Intervention (IBI), Early
Intensive Behavior Intervention (EIBI), Early Intervention Project (EIP), early intervention,
Discrete Trial Training (DTT), Lovaas therapy, UCLA model, home-based behavioral
intervention, parent managed or mediated home based behavioral intervention.
Many of these terms are often used interchangeably without being so, which causes
confusion among families and professionals. For example, ABA is a broader term than
Lovaas therapy, and DTT is a specific technique.
These programs, techniques or treatment models differ from each other in variables such
as the age of onset, intensity, duration, environment in which they are applied, specificity
for autism, possibility or not of making them compatible with other interventions and level
of participation of parents as co-therapists.
Principles for carrying out behavioral therapy:
To develop a behavioral therapy, it is necessary to follow some principles:
- Principle of small steps: this is the most important, since each activity that is
taught to the child is divided into small, clear and understandable steps. The work
progresses from one step to the next when the child has 100% mastered the
previous step. Here the instructor must be punctual, clear and precise.
- Principle of the gradient of difficulty level: in this principle, work begins with
easy and concrete exercises that range from basic skills that the child will use
immediately to those from which he will benefit throughout his life.
- Principle of application of reinforcement: reinforcement is any action that
consolidates a behavior that occurs before reinforcement, that is, if after a behavior
is manifested a reward or something pleasant is provided, the possibility of the
behavior being repeated under similar conditions increases. Thus, behavioral therapy
frequently uses rewards, initially using material and biological reinforcements (food,
drinks) and progressively associating them with social rewards.
Behavior modeling process:
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Behavior is conditioned by many internal and external factors. Each behavior has its
objective and results in specific situations. In this sense, undesirable behaviors must be
eliminated in the initial phase of therapy, replaced by activities and skills necessary for
integration into society.
For this, the following tools could be used:
- Positive reinforcement of behavior.
- Negative reinforcement of behavior.
- Positive punishment.
- Negative punishment.
- Extinction.
- Self-control
Each of the above tools will depend on the child's behavior, allowing him or her to learn
what types of behaviors are desired and which are not. Thus, the method or tool to be used
to eliminate a behavior must be planned in advance.
Principles for eliminating unwanted behaviors:
Behaviorists use the following principles to develop programs to eliminate unwanted
behaviors:
- Selection of a specific period of time to dedicate entirely to a specific program.
- Selection of the person responsible for a specific program.
- Modeling habits that are incompatible with undesirable behavior.
The elimination of unwanted behaviors will be effective if a program for the development
of alternative behaviors is simultaneously introduced, suggesting positive practice. This
strategy emphasizes practicing appropriate behavior directly upon the appearance of
undesirable behavior, that is, an undesirable behavior is extinguished and an appropriate
behavior is reinforced.
Areas of application of conductive therapy:
Behavioral therapy can be applied throughout a child's development and covers the
following areas:
- Early language comprehension: understanding simple instructions.
- Imitation training: imitation of global and specific motor skills, movements and
gestures, imitation of lip movements.
- Pairing and classification.
- Verbal imitation: development of communication skills
- Active language: naming objects, people, events and activities.
- Abstract concepts.
- School learning.
- Social development.
- Personal autonomy activities.
Recording information:
When carrying out behavioural therapy, extensive information must be recorded, in which
the following aspects are recorded in detail:
- Programs used.
- Stimuli and reinforcers used.
- Behaviors to modify.
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- Instructions given.
- Response to the program.
- Progress or setbacks of the subject:
This information must be updated and available for consultation by the interdisciplinary
team that treats the child with autism.
Cooperation with the family:
Therapy should be carried out at home by the child's family and other close people, since
the therapy must be continuous and without rest. This ensures that the child can improve in
many areas of his or her activity.
