Behavior-Analytic Instruction for Children With Autism

Abstract

The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act grants children the right to a free, appropriate public education. Early, intensive behavioral intervention (often referred to as ABA) is demonstrably effective, yet many educators oppose such services, and parents of children With autism have had to pursue them through legal means. Whereas most of the legal decisions have revolved around procedural issues, much of the opposition to behavior-analytic instruction has to do With philosophical issues. Behavior analysis is a scientific discipline, and its appeal to educational decision-makers depends on Whether their fundamental philosophical assumptions support a scientific approach to education. Such assumptions influence the adoption of assessment, curriculum, and instructional technology that can significantly affect outcomes for children With autism. It therefore behooves parents and educators Who employ (or are considering) behavior analysis to recognize the philosophical dimension of the controversy and to gain an appreciation for the conceptual underpinnings of behavior analysis. Behavior analysis exists on three interrelated levels: technology, science, and philosophy. Behavioral philosophy, in turn, is supported by three pillars: empiricism, pragmatism, and selectionism. The convergence of these vieWs led to Skinner's description of the three-term contingency as the “atom” of behavior, from Which effective instructional technology and cohesive theories of autism intervention have been built.