Things you can do to expand on your child's potential.

I first started working with children diagnosed with autism in the 1970s when the incidence was around 1 or 2 in every 10,000 children. It was a rare condition, and most children were institutionalised by adolescence. About half remained nonverbal for life and most of the effective interventions at that time relied heavily on imitation and repetitive drill practice and were highly adult-driven. While the children progressed, they didn't really enjoy the sessions and engaged in many meltdowns and interfering behaviours to avoid and escape them. Adults frequently used punishment to reduce these behaviours.

Our team, led by my husband Robert Koegel, who was then a professor and Director of the Koegel Autism Centre at the University of California, Santa Barbara, began researching ways to improve teaching procedures. We focused our attention on the possibility that the children were exhibiting a lack of motivation due to learned helplessness. In other words, when a task became difficult, adults stepped in to help and direct, which allowed the children to cede control and stop trying.

To reverse this cycle, we researched and combined individual motivational components to improve behaviour and speed up learning. While many of these motivational variables have been repackaged and discussed in different ways, the key areas remain largely the same. These are:

• Choice. It's important to consider choice and preference when working with individuals with autism. For example, choice can be incorporated into language teaching by using favourite toys, topics, or activities when targeting communication goals. Academics can also benefit from choice. A teacher can greatly increase students' interest, engagement, and motivation in a task by allowing them to choose their own topics for an essay or journal entry or suggesting they add up prices of desired objects in catalogs rather than simply fill out a math worksheet.
• Direct and Natural Rewards. Making activities meaningful is critical, i.e., linking a behaviour with its outcome. For example, a child who is learning their first words will feel the most rewarded when they request a desired item and instantly receive it. Writing an essay about a favourite game and then getting the opportunity to play that game connects the goal with a positive outcome. Combining natural rewards with choice and preferences makes the activity especially motivating and enjoyable.
• Rewarding Attempts. Trying is just as important as being correct. True attempts at any task should be rewarded, even if you need to say, "Good try" and provide the correct answer.
• Task Variation. Drill practice can be tedious and aversive. Varying the tasks improves interest and engagement.
• Interspersing Easy and Difficult Tasks. No one likes being repeatedly presented with difficult tasks. In contrast, when we're successful at some easy ones, we're willing to try the more challenging ones. It's important to make sure that target goals are interspersed with already mastered activities.

The overall motivational package has been described as "Pivotal Response Treatment" (PRT) since incorporating these motivational components has been shown to have positive effects on other areas. For example, when these components are incorporated, interfering, disruptive, and aggressive behaviours show significant reductions. Also, positive effect improves; children are rated as showing more interest, happiness, and enthusiasm. More responses and correct responses are seen.

Today there has been a huge increase in the incidence of autism. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that 1 in 36 children is diagnosed with autism. More resources are going toward support for autistic individuals and their families. However, a chronic problem is presumed incompetence-too often autistic individuals with the potential to participate and possibly excel are excluded from activities, academics, and social activities. Their bright lights are never seen, and their strengths are not realised, utilised, or expanded upon. My blog will focus on the hidden brilliance that needs to be recognised and built on to support, encourage, and bring out areas that can help create a better future. This focus is important for all individuals, but especially for those with autism whose strengths are too often overlooked.

Article by Lynn Kern Koegel Ph.D.

Posted April 13, 2023

Published by Psychology Today