NATURAL ENVIRONMENT TEACHING JUSTIN DAIGLE, MA, BCBA, LBA
Dec 30, 2015
WHAT IS NET?
• Natural Environment Teaching• Often called “Incidental
Teaching”• Effective way to address
concerns of Autism
BACKGROUND
• ABA – Applying behavioral principals in treatment
• DTT – A form of teaching using discrete trials
• NET – An alternative form of treatment
EFFECTIVE
• National Standards Project• NET is Effective• Does not have to be combined
with other teaching methods (such as DTT), but often is.
AT TCA
• Our Goal: To teach target behaviors in a DTT setting, then using NET to generalize the behaviors to different situations.
REVIEW OF NET
• Not Structured• Client Led• Data is Recorded
Separately• No discrete
ending/beginning
TRANSFER TRIALS
• You can still use principles of Errorless Learning in NET
• Transfer Trials• Error Correction Trials• Differential Reinforcement
A FEW NOTES
• Vary your stimuli• Remember the goal is to have
the client behavior spontaneously
• Remember it’s all about the client’s motivation
KNOW YOUR CLIENT
• Where are they at?• Where should we “push”
them?• What are the most
important “battles”?
ADDITIONAL NOTES
• Work on skills mastered in DTT
• Balance the amount of demands with the amount of free access
DISTINCTIONS
• Early Learner (cookie)• Intermediate Learner (I want
a cookie)• Advanced Learner (Can I have
a cookie, please?)
EARLY LEARNERS
• 1 word Mands• Instruction Following• Impure Tacting• Intraverbal Fill-ins (if able)
INT. LEARNERS
• Manding with “Carrier Phrases” (I want, I need, give me, etc)
• Manding for attention• 2-step Instruction Following• Answering Basic Questions
ADV. LEARNERS
• Manding for Information• Reciprocal Commenting• Tacting using sentences• Recalling Past Events• Full Intraverbals
ADV. LEARNERS
• It is considered more adventitious to teaching verbal behavior in an NET environment to Advanced Learners.
• Why do you think that is?
ISSUES WITH NET
• “Unstructured” means there is more emphasis placed on the talent of the instructor.
• Data can be difficult to take because targets have to be broadly defined
YOU AND NET
• NET takes practice to learn• Try running intervals of
NET trials with your clients after the data sheet has been completed.