More and more youngsters are being diagnosed with autism under the age of 3, creating opportunities for early intervention moreso than in any other time in our field's history. Additionally, young children with other developmental disabilities or delays can benefit from the technologies of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) as well, with their disabilities being known as early as birth (e.g., Down syndrome). This presentation will first overview the rationale behind a play-based approach for infants and very young children with or at risk for autism or other developmental disabilities or delays. The presentation will outline basic types of play and their importance to overall development, as well as review some of the play deficits commonly seen in youngsters with autism, developmental disabilities, or developmental delays. Finally, the presentation will describe in detail how to conduct a play-based ABA program with a young child, the importance of family input and participation, data collection, and compare and contrast this approach with more traditional ABA programming.
Presenter bio:
Amanda Boutot, Ph.D., is an associate professor of special education and coordinator of the masters program in autism and applied behavior analysis at Texas State University. She has worked in the field for over 25 year, starting out as a teacher and therapist and moving on to specialist and consultant as she earned her graduate degrees. Most famously, she has the distinction of being the last doctoral student of Dr. Jim Gilliam (Gilliam Autism Rating Scale; Gilliam Asperger Disorder Scale). As a doctoral level Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA-D), she has served roles including consultant to public schools and community based centers, trainer, program supervisor, expert witness, researcher and university faculty. She has presented worldwide on ABA, autism, developmental disabilities, early intervention, and play. She has authored numerous peer reviewed professional publications, and authored/co-authored and/or edited several books, book chapters, and has a recently published assessment and curriculum, the Play and Language (PAL) Program for Early Autism Intervention (published by Moontower Publishing).
About the Presenter
Dr. Amanda DiGangi is Clinical Professor and Associate Division Director in the Division of Educational Leadership and Innovation with the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College. A Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA-D), Amanda has been actively engaged in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis and Special Education across a variety of settings for more than 30 years. As a former special education teacher, Amanda collaborates with public schools on issues related to severe challenging behavior, classroom positive behavior interventions and supports, and programming for students with autism and other developmental disabilities. She has worked with individuals ages 4 months through adult and has provided training and supervision, face to face and online, for a wide range of participants. Amanda has taught graduate and undergraduate courses in special education and ABA for the last 25 years, specializing in the application of ABA to a variety of real world settings. Her research centers on the use of ABA with infants and toddlers with Down syndrome and play-based ABA for young children with autism. Her interests include particular focus on organizational behavior management (OBM) and application of OBM in school-based settings. She has recently earned a certificate in OBM and is completing a second masters in organizational leadership. A lifelong animal lover with a keen interest in applied animal behavior, Amanda regularly volunteers her time on the behavior team for a no-kill animal shelter as well as the behavioral observations team at the Arizona Center for Nature Conservation (Phoenix Zoo), and enjoys applying our phenomenal science in new and exciting ways.
