Vocabulary List

Vocabulary List

1. Discrete Trial (D.T.): A method of instruction based on the principles of behavior analysis. Skills are broken down into small teachable units. Each unit is taught using multiple presentations or trials in rapid succession. Each distinct trial or presentation has 3 components (SD, Response, and Consequence). See also 3-term contingency. 2. Discrete: meaning apart, separate, detached from others, distinct.

3. Trial: Meaning an attempt to do something. A trial in DT always has 3 components, a distinct beginning middle and end.

4. Contingency: dependence on the fulfillment of a condition. Example: Reinforcement is contingent upon the student emitting the target behavior.

5. 3-term Contingency: Refers to the dependent relationship between presenting an SD( the student emitting a response( providing reinforcement or correction. The foundation of discrete trial.

6. Stimulus: An energy change that affects an organism. We also refer to our instructional materials as stimuli because these items signal what response will be reinforced. 7. SD or Discriminative Stimulus: Actually means S Delta. Refers to a stimulus which signals what responses will be reinforced and which will not. This is established through a history or reinforcement. In discrete trial a discriminative stimulus is often an instruction. Example: whats your name? is the SD and the response that will be reinforced would be the child saying his/her name.

8. Response: A single instance of behavior. For our purposes, a response is any behavior the student emits after the presentation of an SD (discriminative stimulus).

9. Reinforcement: occurs when an event/stimulus change that immediately follows a behavior increases the future frequency of that behavior under similar circumstances. Types of reinforcement: positive and negative. 10. Prompting: Any assistance provided to help the child emit the correct/target response. Types of prompting include: Physical, Gestures, Verbal, Modeling11. Discrimination: Making a distinction between one thing versus another. The way we can discern if a student understands a concept, instruction, etc. is to present multiple stimuli at the same time, present the SD and see if the child emits the desired response. See also randomization. 12. Mastered: We consider a specific skill mastered if a pre determined criteria is met. The criteria are established in the students goals. For 10 trial drills, the criteria is scoring 80% or higher (8 out 10 trials) for 3 consecutive days/session or 100% over 2 consecutive days/sessions. For instructional activities that are only presented one time a session, the criteria is often 4 out 5 consecutive trial days. Skills are not considered mastered unless they are presented in a randomized format.

13. Generalized: We say a skill is generalized if the child can emit the desired response in multiple contexts/environments, with different people, stimuli, and interspersed in between other responses with different forms of the SD. For example, we teach the child to sit when someone provides the direction sit down. The child should be able to follow the direction, when it is given by Mom, at the dinner table before dinner and Mom is able to say please go sit down. Another example would be teaching a child to identify an apple. The child should be able to a drawn illustration of an apple in a book, when asked Wheres the apple? with Dad while looking at books in the doctors office. Matching and imitation are considered generalized when specific targets no longer need to be taught. The child can emit the desired response with new/untaught targets. 14. Probe: means to investigate, question, or search. For our purposes it means to test a students skills by seeing if they can independently do a behavior without us teaching it specifically. Probing is done once with each teaching assistant. 80% or higher means the student can do the behavior. 15. Novel: synonym for new. For our purpose novel means untaught.16. Receptive Language: Refers to the language that is emitted by others and understood by the listener. Example: touch shoe child touches shoe instead of car or ball. Stand up child stands up.

17. Expressive Language: the language produced by the child. Expressive language can in different forms. Saying I want bubbles. Pointing to bubbles or exchanging a PECS icon for bubbles are all forms of expressive language.

18. Following Through: For our purposes, means when you present an instruction and the child does not engage in the desired response, you immediately assist the child to engage in the behavior.

19. Compliance: synonyms: cooperation, obedience

20. Teach phase: this refers to the first two sessions when a new skill is introduced. We teach the student by immediately prompting them to engage in the correct or target response after the presentation of the SD and providing reinforcement for each prompted response. After the teach phase prompted responses are not reinforced. 21. Mass trial (M.T.): Refers to when a single target behavior that is introduced alone. Example: Identifying shoe instead of shoe, book, cup in one drill.

22. Randomized (R.): Introducing multiple targets in one drill and presenting them in random order.

23. Interspersed Trial: Presenting an SD for a mastered response in between trials presenting targets the student in currently learning. We use interspersed trials for maintenance and expansion. 24. Continuous Chain: We use this term for imitation drills. 2-step continuous chain For continuous chains of imitation, you present the SD one time, engage in response continuously until the child engages in the response then move onto the next behavior. Essentially, the student follows along with each behavior as it happens.

25. Sequenced Chain: We use this term for imitation drills. For a 2-step sequenced chain you present the SD perform both behaviors and after both actions are performed the child imitates both actions. Essentially the child has to remember what actions were performed. 26. Visual Cue: is a signal that can be seen by the child that indicates the desired response. Example: Presenting the direction sit down accompanied by patting your hand on the chair you intend for the child to sit. Patting the chair is an example of a visual cue.27. Visual Target: Anything that can be seen that that creates a clear boundary in which to complete the desired response. Example: Baskets or trays set up to place matched identical objects. A small piece of construction paper indicating the area in which a student places an object when asked to put here. 28. Coordinated Eye Gaze: This term refers to a child using eye contact in conjunction with verbal behavior to communicate. Specifically, we use this term to refer to a student communicating by pointing, using words or PECS, looking from the desired object to the communicative partner and back to the object.29. Verbal Behavior: Behavior whose reinforcement is mediated by a listener. Behavior can be vocal or non vocal (i.e. gestures, printed words/symbols, pictures etc).30. Directional Point: Using a pointed index finger to indicate the direction you would like your student to look. Often paired with directions such as look or put in, or put here.