Behavioral Intervention in Autism & Developmental Disabilities

Catalog description

For many decades, behavior analysis has contributed significantly to the understanding and treatment of autism and related developmental disabilities. This course will provide students with the knowledge and skills needed to work with individuals with autism and related developmental disabilities not only in early intervention efforts but across the entire spectrum of settings, age ranges, and developmental levels. Autism and related developmental disabilities will be addressed in terms of assessment, education, and treatment. Some specific areas targeted that are characteristic of autism will include language, social skills, self-injury, sleep disorders, and stereotypic behavior. Some specific educational strategies emphasized will include discrete trial training, incidental teaching, prompting and fading. The students will gain a knowledge of the major issues related to the use of behavior analysis with individuals with autism and related developmental disabilities including education issues such as due process and inclusion and legal and ethical issues surrounding the certification of behavior analysts. Students also will learn how to evaluate the research related to various treatments and educational practices for autism.