Snowflake School Improving the quality of family life
Pupils' achievement is outstanding
The Leadership and management of the school are outstanding
..staff provide an exceptionally high level of care.
..pupils make exceptional progress
Ofsted Report - 2023
Snowflake School
Secondary Site
Applied Behavior Analysis / Verbal Behavior
ABA is the science of applied behaviour analysis. It is a method of analysing behaviour in order to understand its function, and uses this information to guide treatment and change the behaviour. The ABA curriculum initially provides a one-to-one intensive programme that is individualised and continually monitored, to ensure that each child reaches their full potential.
Intervention at Snowflake school will be guided by the science of applied behavior analysis ( ABA ) including Skinners Analysis of Verbal Behavior. ABA is the only scientifically validated and comprehensive approach to teaching children with special needs, including autism, and typical children. It is also the only scientific and genuinely effective approach to reducing or eliminating problem behaviour. The evidence based research will guide the intervention delivered to the children at Snowflake School .
Through assessment children’s individual needs will be identified and daily instruction based on those needs will be provided utilizing the principles of applied behavior analysis.
Effective Teaching Procedures
For a review of the effective teaching procedures that will be used to establish instructional control and to ensure that children’s learning is enjoyable whatever their difficulties click on the following link www.carboneclinic.com to see the peer reviewed article ‘The Role of the Reflexive Conditioned Motivating Operation (CMO-R) during Discrete Trial Instruction of Children with Autism’ V.J. Carbone, B. Morgenstern, G. Zecchin-Tirri & L.Kolberg
Snowflake School believes that VB is the most effective intervention for teaching functional communication and the intervention will be guided by Skinners Analysis of verbal behavior. Click here for further information on Verbal Behavior by Dr Carbone
ABA consultancy and ongoing training of our staff will be provided by Carole Roxburgh, a BCBA and Lead Consultant who has worked with the Carbone Clinic for a number of years. The Carbone Clinic is widely considered to be a centre of excellence for the application of and research into ABA . For more information on the Carbone Clinic, please click on the following link: www.carboneclinic.com
Snowflake School has contact with the best VB practitioners and researchers in the world.
Our staff will receive ongoing training in the practice of VB.
ABA is the only treatment programme with proven results supported by research. In the USA ABA approaches have been used successfully with children who have autism for more than 30 years.
Aims
To provide quality ABA services to children with ASD or difficulties in social communication, offering a curriculum that recognises children as individuals and allowing each of them to reach their full learning potential.
To provide a safe and secure environment where children have the confidence to develop new relationships and experience new learning opportunities.
To foster the partnership between home and school, including (where appropriate) programme development in both settings and in the community.
To teach socially significant behaviours, enabling the children to integrate as fully as possible into the curriculum.
Handling difficult behaviours
Children with autism can sometimes display challenging behaviours, which may interfere with their learning, and disrupt the learning of others.
When dealing with these behaviours staff follow the Snowflake School behaviour policy guidelines.
We aim to reduce unwanted behaviours and teach appropriate replacement behaviours through encouragement and positive reinforcement.
Where a child is in danger of harming themselves or others, they will always be safeguarded.
Data and record keeping
Assessment is a daily on-going process. The children are baselined on the 'Verbal Behaviour Milestones Assessment and Placement Programme' (VBMAPP) on admission. The VBMAPP assessment is updated in full every year. The following data records are also kept on each child:
Mand data - This records the times in a day that a child asks for an item. Mands may be recorded as prompted and unprompted mands, and data recorded and graphed. The level of prompt required is also recorded for some children.
Probe data - This is recorded the first time a skill command is given in a day. The child must respond in time and correctly to score a Y and a criterion for mastery is set individually.
Weekly targets mastered in each skill area are recorded and results graphed.
Behavioural data is recorded individually. ABC data sheets are used for this.
Video data is kept regularly on each child. The use of digital photography is also used as a method of recording some activities.
Children accessing the stepping stones, Early Learning Goals and P levels of the National Curriculum will be formally assessed at the end of each year.
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