Robert Schramm, MA, BCBA   behavior analyst responsible for the ' European Institute Knospe-ABA , the ABA / VB autism

The parents involved in helping their children overcome the effects of autism are faced with many problems every day. As a consultant who works with the science of 'Applied Analysis and Verbal Behavior I rarely spend a day in which I will face a question that implies the question "How can I make my figlio______?" Usually ends with the phrase " is seated at the table when we eat, "" do not run into the street "," use the toilet "or thousands of cells with different things that children with autism do not do when he is asked. The problem with these questions is that they are all symptoms of the same problem. Collect ideas to meet any of these symptoms, only gives us a patch until it presents a new symptom.

Get instructional control is the most important aspect of any intervention for autism or learning relationships. Without it, you are lacking the power to guide your child and consistently, without your guidance, the acquisition of skills for your child relies only on his interests. Without that you are able to help you achieve your desires and to participate in learning activities you can not help significantly. Instructional control must be seen as nothing but a positive working relationship. Depending on your choice of action, you may have heard to describe the instructional control in how to teach subservience, develop a report student / teacher or win the respect of your child. Regardless of the type of surgery you use, you can not teach your child anything you want if you do not get his will to follow your lead. Depending on the version of the approach that you are studying, you must have some idea of how they can take control of your child's instructional. This usually means that you become a reinforcer for him and slowly add to the game simple instructions. These instructions are usually for things that your child already wants to do. Since he wants to follow these guidelines you can follow easily reinforce them making things more fun and reinforcing. Then in time you will begin to increase the amount and difficulty of instruction as the child becomes more eager to get things lavorareper reinforcing and activities that you are offering. . For some children this is what leads them to develop a good working relationship. For the vast majority of children, however, this technique is grossly insufficient to help them overcome the lure of their current life style such as "I tell you, Mom and Dad do."

To better help our families to develop a lasting relationship of instructional control, I started to roll out of my guidelines based on the methods we used to solve the problem in those families who continued to have a weak instructional control in spite of the normal procedures. These guidelines have become at the end of a series of seven points that allow parents to use the environment as an ally in their Bataglia against autism. .

Once you have systematically applied these seven points in the environment of your child, you no longer need to keep checking your child. His natural desires become your motivation to participate in joint activities, to follow the instructions and had to compete with the responsibility of maintaining social interaction.

Begin to make choices to engage actively in tasks more difficult because you got his desire to continue to interact. And 'only when your child will begin to make the independent choice to maintain and prolong the interaction that you can begin to teach him than what he wanted to start learning.

The seven points work because they act as a barrier, blocking access to reinforcements earned. The failure to follow even one of the seven points would upset the whole balance and certainly the vostroi child be able to find a way to avoid the benefits of your teaching.

1. Show your child that you are the one who controls the things that he wants to take it or he wants to play and you decide when to have them

Everything that your child prefers to do or prefer to play with which is a potential reinforcement because he chooses a behavior. Your control of these things is essential in the early stages to get the instructional control. Your child should not be deprived of objects of value for him, but rather should expect to gain time in which to have them follow simple instructions and behaving appropriately. The best way to control the use of reinforcement to teach your child to begin to decide which things you can have in its environment and what they can do to induce you to insert or remove. To limit the reinforcements, begin to throw out the baby's favorite things from the room and the rest of the house. Put these items in a place where they can be seen but not accessible to the child. Just make sure he knows where they are: a transparent container will be enough for a small child, while larger ones may require a closed room or in a cabinet in his room.

The limitation of reinforcements becomes more important once you begin working with the child. Every time you see him lay a reinforcing item you must immediately put it on. If he can win out and begins to play, take it or see something that you had not thought to limit, take note of this and remove it from when it's done. In this way you can reintroduce it when a possible reinforcement. If your child has a favorite activity, consider the way in which you can control them. The mini-trampolines can be hung on the wall, the shutters can be closed and the swings can be rolled up and raised when not in use.

2. Show your child that you are funny. Make sure that every interaction you have with him is a pleasant experience so that he will want to follow your instructions to buy time to be with you.  

In the best programs ABA / VB approximately 75% of every interaction you have with the child should be a process of equalization of yourself with fun activities and reinforced recognized. The activities of equalization should be guided by your child's motivation and should include mainly declarative language and nonverbal. You basically share your thoughts and ideas with the child so silly and fun without requiring anything in return. What you are about showing what you want? To equalize the reinforcement, followed and when the child shows interest in something you pretend to humor him. Let his game is more fun because you are there with him. If your child wants, for example, the music, you must be one that gives it to him. You can then lift it up, blow it up and dance with him while he is listening. It 'absolutely just turn off the music when he chooses to leave the area or begins to play or behave in an inappropriate manner (step 1). It 'important, however, at least in the early stages of instructional control, turn on the music show that immediately upon returning to cease the activity or inappropriate. You should always work to increase the level of enjoyment from what could have alone. Be careful not to deprive the fun things. This is sometimes more difficult than you think. If you play with your child is not something you are particularly good, please exercise: a good equalization of yourself to the reinforcement is essential for good teaching.

3.     Prove that the child may believe. Always do what you say and say what you think. If you tell the child to do something, do not allow access to reinforcement until he has completed acceptably. This includes help him complete the task if necessary.  

The words usually do not have consequences, but threatening consequences. If you do not give a result in your words your child will not have the basis for making good decisions. During the teaching time, not awarded when your child avoid learning by letting your instructions remain unfulfilled. When you give a statement or a command, technically called a discriminative stimulus or SD, you can expect your child to choose to fulfill your request. Until they decide to make this choice, you must not allow him to find any other reinforcement. Do not allow other choices are reinforced so that will make the choice that you are trying to teach in the best interest of the child. When a positive behavior and learning is in the best interest of the child he will choose it more often and more willingly. Consider carefully your choice of words. If you make the child a question, the answer should be allowed and you must respect his decision even if it prevents the teaching. This means that you have to think of the possible answers before you ask the question. For example, you asked the boy if he wants to work with you and he said "no" your child did not give an inappropriate response, because you gave them the option of working or not working and he has opted not to work. You must understand that it was your decision to make a claim that caused the problem. You can avoid this by using a specific language. Say what you think and think what you say. Tell your child exactly what you want him to do using direct instruction or SD. When you tell your child "Sit," "Come to me" or "Make qiuesto" you must always expect the child to respond with an appropriate choice (this may require having to help). If you have a ball with which your child wants to play and tell him to sit down, you should not give him the ball until he is sitting. Unless he sits, negategli the ball until he makes the right choice. Remember, you have to give instructions only during 25% of the time when not playing and not officially recognized the reinforcement so that the process of saying what PEMS and think what you say is not a constant weight to his wishes.

4. Show your child that you follow your directives for his own good and that is the best way to get what he wants. Give directives as easy as often as possible and then reinforced its decision to participate by following these beautiful experiences.

Once you have established control over the reinforcement of the child can begin to use them to support his choice to behave appropriately. To follow this properly you need to know the law of Premack: in the case concerning the teaching of your child means that this law has to follow to follow a command and / or display appropriate behavior before allowing him to have something he wants. The best way to ensure that your child follow this law is to make a request or give a command to the child before giving him anything you could want. Your directive can be anything relevant or useful as asking, "Throw it in the trash" or "Sit down and I will give it." It could also be the first to ask a simple motor imitation as a way to develop a teaching exchange. The more opportunities your child has something he wants as a reinforcement after having followed a command or had an appropriate behavior, the faster you will learn to follow the rules and commands is the best way to get what they want. Resist the temptation to ask the child if he wants something before him that meets the demand for it. You should also avoid saying "If ____, allora_____" or make statements like "If you put away your Lego will give you ice cream." These statements are shortcuts to get what you want from the child, but they are full of limitations and potential problems. It 's always better to surprise the child with one thing or action done according to your choice after he did a good thing. The use of the statements "if, then" traducuno not the best choice for your child, even invite him to start a negotiation with you. To overcome early in the first step to earn instructional control, give your child opportunities to hundreds of days to make an appropriate choice based on a command. You must then immediately reinforce this positive choice. When you have taken control of his reinforcements, it will be easy to give him the opportunity to follow commands. Because it is you who are in control of his favorite things, the child must come to you to get what he wants. When it does, you just have to ask him to do something first.

5. The first reinforcement after each response must be positive, must pass as a result of fewer and fewer.

Consistency is important because the child must understand that choosing a certain behavior leads to get something he wants earnestly. Understand that good choices to achieve good things reflects the reality of life and it will happen only if at every good choice will be followed by a positive consequence. Since many of these choices are based on SD (commands) that the dates, the child will begin to follow these commands as a necessary component to obtain the good things he wants. When the child understands that it is in his interest to follow your commands and give good answers begin to make the necessary efforts to focus on what you want with him. Eventually he will begin to come to you to have a SD (control) because he knows that's the first thing to get her favorite things. This awareness of the importance of others is one of the first steps towards recovery from start to occur only if the following commands is always the best and fastest way in which the child is able to obtain reinforcement. This means strengthening each correct answer. At the beginning does not let even one answer remains good without being followed by some form of reinforcement. There is always some form of reinforcement available, can be tickled, a swing through the air or a long tight embrace. Later, when the child wants and will be able to constantly adapt to your requirements, you will begin to decrease the number of reinforcements. In the early stages, each time you reinforce a behavior, it is as if affermaste that this is a behavior that you want to see again in similar circumstances. Once the child has understood, that will also include when a behavior is reinforced because you do not like and do not want to see it again. Once obtained, instructional control can be maintained with a slow thinning of the amount of reinforcement through an increase in the response-reinforcer relationship. When the good will of the child to participate in learning improves you must pass by a ratio of one to a variable ratio of two or three. This means that on average you have to follow the reinforcement every two or three answers. Later, you can switch to a ratio of five and possibly to a variable ratio of ten or more. The reason why we use a variable ratio of reinforcement in the program is due to scientific studies have shown that it is consistently more effective in evoking a strong response that the program requires.

6.     Show that you know your priorities and your son.  

Identify and write down everything, or favorite activity that can be reinforcing for your child and then see which you prefer in each different situation. Make a list of its current and condivitela reinforcements with all adults who regularly interact with the child. You should try to find or develop one or two every day reinforcements. The child needs to be able to work for a wide variety of reinforcements. Therefore always twisting to prevent it weakens the value of reinforcing. It 'also a good idea to keep reinforcing the most appreciated by your child or activities that are used as such, for the most difficult or important skills such as language acquisition or autonomy in the bathroom. In addition to knowing what you want your child, you should also be aware of your priorities. What is the most important thing that you want your child to learn? Normally, when working with a child you have different goals in mind simultaneously. In this case it is possible that the choice of a single behavior that your child may be appropriate for a goal you are trying to achieve, but inappropriate for another and for this you need to know which is your priority. If for example you equate the reinforcement of your child, you can respond to behave differently than if it were trying to focus on instructional control or skill acquisition. Rarely there is only one way to respond to a behavior that your child chooses, it is important to know what are the priorities from moment to moment and make the choice of how to strengthen the basis of these priorities.

7. Let the child know that ignoring your instructions or choose inappropriate behavior will NOT get the reinforcement.

This is sometimes the most difficult to do correctly, and you should have a Behavioral Consultant (preferably certified) providing his leadership.

Not permettetemai your child to get the reinforcement when noon followed a directive or has taken an inappropriate behavior. You must constantly recognize when behaving inappropriately on purpose and need to make sure that that behavior has not happened. You simply do not strengthen. The way we do is apply a consequence called extinction. When the child decides to leave his teaching post, make sure he understands that his choice has no controlling effect on you. This can be done through declarative statements like "I think we're done playing," "Oh well" or "Hello". They are also useful and important non-verbal reactions: pick up the material and the reinforcements and go in a different location. Diverted eye contact and / or turn the other side over the child. Keep playing with other things on their own or with other siblings. Make sure your child can not gain access to reinforcement (both objects, and actions) and can not go out until it returns to finish the work he has left. This will encourage him to consciously choose to follow your instructions and return to the activity in common with you. Let the child go back and wait for is a better option than trying to take it or drag it against his will. Forcing the child to work increases your motivation to escape. To make teaching as productive as possible, he must decide that it is his interest to learn from you. Do not force this decision, but arranged the environment so that the 'learn from you is the best option for the child and then give him the opportunity to achieve it. Although in the early days you feel like you spend the most time in waiting without teaching, resist: you are teaching! What your child is learning during this waiting period is the most important work is not motivated you could do otherwise. What he is learning to do is to desire participation in your teaching.

Follow these steps to fully see that your waiting time will begin to decline rapidly and the level of motivated learning that makes the child will far surpass what we reached in the past. In our work we found that children who choose to return to teaching after the application of the seven points of instructional control, the less likely to leave again. When away from the place of teaching will be for a period of time shorter and shorter. In many cases, children can become so motivated to be part of the learning with you that they will ask to start. And 'motivated learning only through this that children are able to achieve previously unimaginable levels of skill. The reason for the extinction used as a tool for instructional control is that it is an extremely powerful way to reduce problem behaviors. Points one through six are designed to help increase frequency and quality of your child's positive behavior choices. When used properly these steps without delay, make life easier for you and your child: he follows your directions and participates in a positive interaction with you and therefore you cheerfully give him his favorite things. And 'this part of the instructional control that we want to spend the most time allegramentecon joy and laughter. The benefits of the process of extinction, however, are not immediate: the results are obtained over time and persist in the absence of reinforcements. However, this seventh point of instructional control must be in the game every time your child makes a choice that you do not want to see again. The settlement allows you to reduce behavioral problems without the need of punishment procedures. We must understand that the extinction is always a cost, however, the explosion from extinction. This is a period during which intensifies in extinction behavior and / or increases before finally decreasing, becoming more serious behavior that we wanted to settle. The initial periods of the explosion to extinction can be long and difficult to bear. If the behavior of extinction due to the explosion to get the child to do what he wants to increase these behaviors in the future. So it is extremely important that when you decide to be committed to extinction will follow. This means do not reinforce the child until he made ​​the original statement or your chosen an appropriate replacement behavior of what we want to reduce. However, even with the danger of reinforcing the explosion from extinction, it remains the best way to reduce the choice of inappropriate behavior and convince the child that I would follow your commands is the quickest and easiest way to get what he wants. And 'only through the overcoming of every explosion extinguisher gain full control over instructional and will develop a good working relationship with him. The explosion begins to decrease rapidly in length and strength when the child begins to understand that there is no benefit in using these inappropriate behaviors.

Use extinction to reduce the problem behavior can be a powerful tool but can be used without consistency as damaging as beneficial. When used properly can reduce choices of extreme behavior within days or weeks. However, if you are not well prepared to overcome all the outbursts of extinction is present, you will eventually increase the duration and severity of these behaviors you are trying to extinguish. And 'for this reason that I strongly suggest learning how to apply this seventh point, if possible under the guidance of a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.

Unfortunately avoid extinction is not a profitable option. Parents, teachers and therapists sometimes avoid using extinction to the fact that the initial stages of the explosions are severe and destructive. The termination may be scary and difficult when you do not know how to effectively follow the procedures. If you are allowed to avoid the use of extinction because they fear the result of explosive behavior, you can prevent your child uses these behaviors in the short term, but does not eliminate from the repertoire of your child's explosive behavior. In fact, its use will slow only until you can no longer accept the growing severity of the inappropriate behavior of the child will not learn that the explosive behavior of extinction are not useful until it has tried many times without success.

In addition to the instructional process to gain control with your child, to incorporate these points in the lifestyle of your family will ensure that it retains a positive relationship in the work. More become good parents and therapists to follow these seven points, better and faster than their children begin learning to choose positive behaviors on a regular basis. My experience has also shown that every person who reaches the instructional control with a child helps make the process easier and faster for the next. That is, when you and your husband will be able to get the instructional control, it will be easier for her grandfather and grandmother do the same and so the success of grandparents make it easier for therapists and teachers.

Teaching with video as a reinforcement of the best ways to begin earning instructional control because this course uses the seven points: start with the tune to a favorite video of your child. Make sure you have absolute control and can decide when and why the video is started or stopped (step 1). Then start the video for the baby and let it bounce on your knees, or sfregategli the head or back and looks at making the experience more fun with you than without you (step 2). Put the video on pause and give your child a simple command like "gimme five" (step 4). When he executes the command immediately, restart the video (step 5). If the child chooses not to respond to the command immediately remove the video or stand in front of the TV show that you do what you say (step 3). If the child begins to rise from his chair, crying, screaming or try any other inappropriate behavior, no longer need to put that video (step 7) or allow him access to any other reinforcement (step 1). Then as soon as the child becomes calmer and choose to follow your command, with or without help (step 3), you can turn it back on (step 5). Start again to bounce him and massage him again (step 2). If the child is not speech, it is important to control instructional teach him to use a sign to ask for the video. If you talk, you should try simple motor imitation skills as saying "Do this" while you touch your head, take a shot on the ground or clap your hands. Apply these seven steps of instructional control in this teaching environment relaxed and highly motivating, will give you the practical experience you need to incorporate the rest of the day the child.

Document from the site www.emergenzautismo.org