Implementation
You are now ready to start the BST process, beginning with the first step, and continuing with the subsequent steps when the learner is ready. You will probably need to repeat some steps to allow the learner to practice. You can also go back to previous steps to review items with the learner.
Here are some tips for the person(s) who will be responsible for implementing each step of the intervention:
Take a look at these two examples of BST sessions:
Tracking Progress
Depending on the skill taught, the number of learning opportunities per day or per week may be limited and more than one person may be responsible for teaching the skill to the learner. It is therefore very important to monitor the learner’s progress and to ensure that the intervention is implemented accurately using the data collection sheets and the Intervention Planning Tool.
Using the Data Collection Sheet: Practice Exercise will allow you to:
See how the practice exercises went for Jeremy’s team:
Jeremy’s Data Collection Sheet: Practice Exercise
The Data Collection Sheet: Natural Environment makes it possible to:
See how the observation in the natural environment went for Jeremy’s team:
Jeremy’s Data Collection Sheet: Natural Environment
The Intervention Planning Tool makes it possible to:
If the frequency of the targeted behaviour does not increase in the learner, consider these questions:
Planning and Implementing the Intermittent Reinforcement Program
When the learner reaches the set SMART goal, you need to plan for the next step – the intermittent reinforcement program. It makes it possible to maintain the frequency of the targeted behaviour. If you suddenly stop offering the reinforcer as a result of the targeted behaviour, you may see an immediate decrease in the frequency of the behaviour. To maintain the frequency, you must gradually fade the reinforcement.
Here are the steps for planning and implementing intermittent reinforcement:
Skill Generalization
According to Cooper, Heron, and Heward (2007), a behaviour is generalized when it occurs in other contexts, with other people and over time, without specific teaching related to these variables. It would be impossible to teach all people, all behaviours, under all circumstances. Generalization is therefore an essential concept that must be considered from the start of intervention planning, so that it is integrated into the entire process. For some learners, generalizing skills will be easier than for others.
Here are some strategies that encourage the generalization of learned skills:
Here are some tips for the person(s) who will be responsible for implementing each step of the intervention:
1. Instructions
Step 1: Written and Oral Instructions
- Consider the learner’s level of receptive language proficiency. Make sure the explanation is appropriate for their level of understanding.
- The steps can be written down and/or presented with visual support. For example:
2. Modelling
Step 2: Modelling
- It can be helpful to involve other adults, or even other students, in the modelling activity to make it more realistic.
- Adjust the complexity of the modelling according to the learner's level of understanding.
- Model the skill using different scenarios to facilitate generalization.
- Model the skill as it would usually be practiced by other students of the same age as the learner.
- Do as many modelling sessions as you deem necessary.
- If the skill being taught is a social skill, make sure that your modelling represents a familiar social context for the learner. Try to reproduce a situation that includes a favourite activity or peers who share similar interests. This should increase the motivation of the learner to want to learn the skill you are trying to teach.
3. Rehearsal
Step 3: Rehearsal or Repetition
- In order to start the session on the right foot, offer a prompt to the learner on the first try, if you deem it necessary. Refer to the Prompting section to determine the type(s) of prompt to use.
- For some skills, it is possible to complete several consecutive trials in a single exercise session (e.g., Sharing equipment, Crossing the street, Starting a conversation). For other types of skills, however, repeating trials is not appropriate (e.g., Putting on a snowsuit). In these cases, your exercise sessions will need to be spread over several days.
- If more than one exercise session is necessary, make sure that each session ends on a positive note. In other words, do not end a session immediately after the learner makes a mistake.
- Reinforce the targeted behaviour, even if you rely on a prompt. Offer the reinforcement according to criteria identified during planning and use higher-value reinforcers for the best responses (i.e., independent responses).
- Decrease the prompting gradually so that the learner learns to demonstrate the targeted skill independently.
- Perform the practice exercises until the learner reaches the criterion for success. Spread your exercises over several days to keep the learner motivated.
4. Feedback
Step 4: Feedback on Performance
- Offer feedback to the learner immediately after each practice exercise.
- Give profuse, descriptive compliments when the skill has been performed well.
- If the learner has difficulty demonstrating the skill during practice exercises:
- Offer another type of reinforcement for good performance of the skill (e.g., a token system) to increase motivation.
- Vary the type and intensity of the prompting to help the learner succeed, and then try to gradually decrease the prompts so that they can achieve independent success.
5. Observation
Step 5: Observation in the Natural Environment
Continue to offer reinforcement to the learner.
- Continue to collect data and support the learner until they achieve the goal that was set.
- If the learner has difficulty demonstrating the skill in the usual environment:
- Repeat steps 1 to 4, varying the context or the people involved.
- Vary the type and intensity of the prompting to help the learner succeed, and then try to gradually decrease the prompts so that they can achieve independent success.
- Be sure to offer reinforcement that is sufficiently motivating.
- If the taught skill is a social skill, consider the learner’s motivation to demonstrate the behaviour. Some situations may be more conducive to practicing the skill than others.
Continue to offer reinforcement to the learner.
Take a look at these two examples of BST sessions:
Tracking Progress
Depending on the skill taught, the number of learning opportunities per day or per week may be limited and more than one person may be responsible for teaching the skill to the learner. It is therefore very important to monitor the learner’s progress and to ensure that the intervention is implemented accurately using the data collection sheets and the Intervention Planning Tool.
Using the Data Collection Sheet: Practice Exercise will allow you to:
- See the results of each of the learner’s practice exercises;
- Note the type of prompt that was used during each practice exercise;
- Note how many sessions and how many trials were done;
- Note how many sessions were needed for the learner to achieve the success criterion;
- Validate the success of the goal.
See how the practice exercises went for Jeremy’s team:
Jeremy’s Data Collection Sheet: Practice Exercise
The Data Collection Sheet: Natural Environment makes it possible to:
- See the results of each observation session in the natural environment;
- Note how many sessions were needed before the learner reached the goal;
- Validate the success of the goal;
- Ensure that the observation was made in more than one context.
See how the observation in the natural environment went for Jeremy’s team:
Jeremy’s Data Collection Sheet: Natural Environment
The Intervention Planning Tool makes it possible to:
- Compile the results in a single document;
- See which steps of the BST were done during the teaching sessions;
- Note whether some steps took longer to master than others;
- Note certain trends (for example, if each step has been mastered in the same context, with the same person);
- Obtain additional information through the notes and comments.
Click here to examine the Teaching Sessions section of Jeremy's Intervention Planning Tool.
| Date and Time | Individual(s) Involved | Location | Steps Performed | Notes and Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 29th 10:30 | Mrs. Perry and Mrs. Harvey | Hallway | ☑︎ Instruction ☑︎ Modelling ☐ Practice Exercise ☐ Feedback ☐ Natural Environment |
Jeremy was very motivated and enjoyed seeing me “being the student”. BH |
| March 29th 11 :00 |
Mrs. Perry and Mrs. Harvey | Hallway | ☐ Instruction ☐ Modelling ☑︎ Practice Exercise ☑︎ Feedback ☐ Natural Environment |
Mrs. Perry led the practice exercises and Mrs. Harvey observed. Nice participation from Jeremy. BH |
| March 30th 2 :00 |
Mrs. Perry and Mrs. Harvey | Hallway | ☐ Instruction ☐ Modelling ☑︎ Practice Exercise ☑︎ Feedback ☐ Natural Environment |
One trip was very difficult because he met a teacher in the hallway. BH |
| March 31st 9 :00 |
Mrs. Perry | Hallway | ☐ Instruction ☐ Modelling ☑︎ Practice Exercise ☑︎ Feedback ☐ Natural Environment |
Great session! BH |
| April 3rd | Mrs. Perry and Mrs. Harvey | Hallway and schoolyard (3 trips) | ☐ Instruction ☐ Modelling ☐ Practice Exercise ☐ Feedback ☑︎ Natural Environment |
BH |
| April 4th | Mrs. Harvey | Hallway and schoolyard (2 different trips) | ☐ Instruction ☐ Modelling ☐ Practice Exercise ☐ Feedback ☑︎ Natural Environment |
Some difficulty with the schoolyard - locker trip. BH |
| April 5th | Mrs. Harvey | Schoolyard - lockers | ☐ Instruction ☐ Modelling ☐ Practice Exercise ☐ Feedback ☑︎ Natural Environment |
BH |
| April 6th | Mrs. Harvey | Schoolyard - lockers | ☐ Instruction ☐ Modelling ☐ Practice Exercise ☐ Feedback ☑︎ Natural Environment |
BH |
| April 7th | Mrs. Perry and Mrs. Harvey | Schoolyard - lockers | ☐ Instruction ☐ Modelling ☐ Practice Exercise ☐ Feedback ☑︎ Natural Environment |
BH |
| April 10th | Mrs. Harvey | Hallway and schoolyard (2 different trips) | ☐ Instruction ☐ Modelling ☐ Practice Exercise ☐ Feedback ☑︎ Natural Environment |
Goal achieved BH |
If the frequency of the targeted behaviour does not increase in the learner, consider these questions:
- Are all steps of the intervention being implemented as planned?
- Was the data collection done accurately?
- Was the prompting and reinforcement implemented as intended?
- Does the list of potential reinforcers need to be updated?
- Does the quantity and quality of the reinforcer offered match the effort required to complete the task or demonstrate the requested behaviour?
- Does the learner have access to reinforcers at other times? Does it affect their motivation to get the reinforcer in teaching sessions?
Planning and Implementing the Intermittent Reinforcement Program
When the learner reaches the set SMART goal, you need to plan for the next step – the intermittent reinforcement program. It makes it possible to maintain the frequency of the targeted behaviour. If you suddenly stop offering the reinforcer as a result of the targeted behaviour, you may see an immediate decrease in the frequency of the behaviour. To maintain the frequency, you must gradually fade the reinforcement.
Here are the steps for planning and implementing intermittent reinforcement:
1. Determine the components of the intermittent reinforcement program.
Some components of the intermittent reinforcement program are comparable to those of the continuous reinforcement program. Other components, however, must be modified in order to gradually fade the reinforcement. The quantity provided and the access time must decrease while the ratio must increase. In other words, instead of sticking to the 1:1 ratio, you can now attempt to offer reinforcement at a 2:1 ratio and reinforce after two occurrences of the targeted behaviour. When a token saving system is in place, it is possible to change the exchange ratio and thus increase the cost of items.
2. Offer the reinforcer or the token to the learner based on new reinforcement criteria.
At this stage, those responsible sometimes tend to be less vigilant, because the learner has already reached the set goal. However, it is imperative to continue to observe the learner or to evaluate their work and to maintain reinforcement to avoid a decrease in the frequency of the behaviour.
3. Record data
Continue to record the data on the data collection sheet or directly in the Tracking Progress section of the Intervention Planning Tool.
4. Manage the exchange of tokens against the reinforcer.
The designated person will be responsible for arranging the exchange at the appropriate time.
5. Make changes to the intermittent reinforcement program at the appropriate times.
The intermittent reinforcement program will need to be adjusted to maintain its effectiveness. The goal is to gradually get the learner to exercise the targeted skills with reinforcement naturally occurring at the same frequency and intensity as their peers. For example, if a teacher praises students on average every five minutes while working on a project, you might start by offering a reinforcer every minute, then every two minutes, and so on until the learner settles for one reinforcer every five minutes. Decisions must be made based on the data collected.
Skill Generalization
According to Cooper, Heron, and Heward (2007), a behaviour is generalized when it occurs in other contexts, with other people and over time, without specific teaching related to these variables. It would be impossible to teach all people, all behaviours, under all circumstances. Generalization is therefore an essential concept that must be considered from the start of intervention planning, so that it is integrated into the entire process. For some learners, generalizing skills will be easier than for others.
Here are some strategies that encourage the generalization of learned skills:
- Use a variety of scenarios when teaching (e.g., “Today we are going to pretend to be in the gym.” “Now we are going to pretend to be in the cafeteria.”);
- Model and practice a variety of correct responses with the learner;
- Model and practice a variety of incorrect responses with the learner, if appropriate;
- Teach the skill more generally, so that the learner does not get attached to less important details;
- Teach the skill in contexts that resemble the usual ones so that the transfer is easier and natural;
- Use different people during modelling and practice exercises so that the learner gets used to demonstrating the skill in the presence of other people;
- Even after the goal has been reached and the BST completed, regularly check that the learner continues to demonstrate the skill;
- Talk to the learner’s parents/guardians to ensure they are promoting the generalization of the skill at home.
