PECS Siesta

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PECS Siesta
Fiesta

• Michelle
• PSY 671

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PECS

• Picture Exchange Communication System
• PECS is used througout the Early Childhood
  Developmentally Delayed (ECDD) classroom at
  Croyden
• PECS uses an icon exchange to mand (ask for) or
  tact (label) objects

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Setting and Participant Description

• Setting Croyden Avenue School
• Participants
• Undergraduate tutors
• graduate tutors
• Supervisors
• And the children, of course
• This intervention is currently hypothetical, but
  will hopefully be implemented next year

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Current Icon Request Protocol

• Tutors write what icons they need on a sheet by
  the playroom
• The supervisor reads the sheet and distributes
  the icons
• --OR--
• The tutor puts a red square on the outside of the
  booth
• When the supervisor comes over the tutor tells
  the supervisor what icons are needed

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Reason to Intervene

• Tutors and children are currently not receiving
  icons for reinforcers in a timely manner
• Therefore the child cannot ask for a reinforcer
  if they dont have the icon for it
• This takes away from learning opportunities
• Tutors are not asking for all icons
• Tutors typically only ask for icons as they need
  them
• The current icon request protocol is inconvenient
  and ineffective

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Competing Contingencies
Natural Contingencies

• The icon request form is rarely filled out
  because
• Tutors forget what icons they need since they are
  in the playroom
• Filling out the form takes away time and
  attention from their child

• Filling out the icon request form only slightly
  raises the probability of receiving icons before
  the next preference assessment

A preference assessment is when the child picks
out new toys
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Ineffective Natural Contingency
No probability of Receiving icons Before
next preference assessment
Tutor fills out Icon request form
Slightly higher Probability of Receiving
icons Before next preference assessment.

• The probability is too low to control the tutors
  behavior

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Natural Competing Contingency
Given amount of Time and attention For child
Tutor fills out Icon request form
Less time and Attention for child

• Penalty of the loss of time

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Baseline Graph
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Baseline Graph Description

• Tutors had an average of 45 of their icons over
  the baseline period
• This means the child could have 55 more learning
  opportunities than they currently do

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Specify the Performance Objectives

• We want tutors to have all of their icons for all
  of their reinforcers at all times

This will increase the childs learning
opportunities
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Input-Process-Output Model
(Tutors with new icons) Distribution
supervisor distributes icons (supervisor with
new icons) Production supervisor puts old
icons away and gathers new
icons (Supervisor with forms and old icons)
Distribution supervisor obtains
envelope (envelope posted and ready to be
picked up) Distribution post filled
envelope on booth (icons and form in
envelope) Distribution put icons and
form in envelope (completed form
and old icons) Production fill out
form (Incomplete form and new toys)
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Goal Specification Form
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Design the Intervention

• Tutors will lose points if the fail to
• Fill out the Icon Request Form
• place it in the envelope
• Place the old icons in the envelope
• Post the envelope on the outside of the booth

The icon request form is the same as the old
preference assessment sheet
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Performance Management Contingency
Deadline before monitoring
Tutor will lose Points
Tutor fills out Icon request form And posts it
with Old icons on Outside of booth
Tutor will not Lose points

• Avoidance of loss of points

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Theoretical Contingency
Tutor fears loss Of points
Tutor fills out Icon request form And posts it
with Old icons on Outside of booth
Tutor does not Fear loss of points
Escape
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Implementing the Intervention

• Implemented July 31,2008
• Tutors were trained in the new procedures on July
  30th at weekly seminar meeting
• The tutors avoid the loss of points by completing
  the form and placing it and the icons in the
  envelope
• Points will be deducted if the tutors are missing
  icons when they are monitored

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Evaluate the Intervention
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Evaluate the Intervention

• The intervention increased the average number of
  icons to 83
• This is a difference of 38

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Problems

• The icon request sheet was previously the
  preference assessment sheet
• The sheet only had space for 5 reinforcers per
  preference assessment

• So, many tutors were only asking for the 5 most
  preferred reinforcers
• I created a new sheet with room for 9 reinforcers
  

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Evaluate the Recycle
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Evaluate the Recycle

• The recycle increased the average number of icons
  to 88
• This is an additional increase of 5
• This was an overall average increase of 43

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Questions or Comments???