A vital aspect of language training in ABA is what we call “discrimination.” When we use that word, we are referring to the ability to differentiate between two things. In other words, knowing what a thing is and what it is not. Understanding discrimination can allow therapists to systematically build their students’ understanding of concepts. In this article, I will explain several common scenarios in which decisions regarding discrimination present themselves.
1. Difference between options:
When teaching a child to discriminate between items be mindful of the difference between the items. For example, typically, when first teaching a label, you would want a substantial difference between the items that you are presenting. Therefore, when teaching “car,” you may have a horse, chair, and ball as other options to choose. Then, as the child demonstrate success, you would make the other options more similar to a car, such as a bus, bicycle, motorcycle, and tram. If the child can identify the correct item in that field, you can be more confident that he/she understands the concept of “car.”
2. Complexity of the field:
Another factor to consider is what the child will be seeing when they answer your question. One element is how many items, or “distractors,” will be out. Identifying the correct item out of three is much easier than out of ten. Other important elements include the size of the area to scan and how neat the area is.
3. Variations in materials:
It is well known that presenting multiple examples of teaching targets is critical for teaching a learner to understand a new concept. Let’s use receptive labeling as an example. If you are trying to teach a child to identify “dog” but only use one picture, then that child will only learn that one picture is a dog. For the child to gain a generalized understanding of the concept of “dog,” you must use many different pictures with a wide range of dogs.
4. Performing Actions:
When teaching a child to understand actions, you need to think about the combination of verbs that you teach. Once again, at first, you will want to choose targets that are clearly different from one another. So, it would not be a good idea to choose “drink” and “eat.” On the other hand, “push” and “throw” may work well together because they look quite different. One other thought is related to how you pair objects with the verbs. You cannot use the same action all the time with a given verb and visa versa. You need to mix up the combinations; otherwise, the child will know what to do just by looking at the object and will not need to listen to the verb.
5. Action-Object Combinations:
Once you are putting actions and objects together in your instructions, you can start by having just one item on the table. However, you will need to work up towards having multiple items out when giving the instruction. That way, the child must know the correct action to perform and the correct object to perform it with.
6. Basic Instructions:
When first teaching instructions, we often begin with targets like “Get a tissue,” “Push the car,” or “Wipe your mouth.” When presenting these instructions, you need to think about how the materials will be arranged. For example, if you are doing “Open the door,” do not have the door all the way closed. Have it about half-way closed. That way, the child will have to demonstrate that he/she knows the difference between “open” and “close.”
The above describes several important considerations related to discrimination when working on receptive language. Being mindful of these issues when teaching will help your child learn more quickly.
Information provided by
Dr. David FischerPsy. D., BCBA-D
Autism Partnership Behavioral Consultant
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Dr. David Fischer received a doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology from Rutgers University, USA, advised by Dr. Sandra Harris. Since 1999, he was worked in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis and with individuals diagnosed with a developmental disability. He completed his pre-doctoral internship and post-doctoral fellowship at the Marcus Institute in Atlanta, Georgia working in the severe behavior unit, short-term-out-patient clinic, feeding disorders unit, and early intervention clinic. From 2007 – 2011, he trained public school teachers to instruct and manage the behavior of their students diagnosed with Autism spectrum disorder. He also was the clinical coordinator of the Asperger’s College Program, which provides support services to Rutgers students diagnosed with Asperger’s Disorder. |
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[:zh]語言訓練當中的「辨別能力」是我們在應用行為分析（ABA）治療中的一個重要範疇。當我們使用該詞時，指的是分辨兩件物件的能力。換句說法，就是知道那個物件是什麼，和不是什麼。當學生明白到辨別之後，治療師便可以有系統地建立不同概念的理解。在這篇文章中，我會講解幾個關於決定不同辨別中常見的情況。
1. 不同詞彙的分辨
當教導小朋友分辨時，要留意物件的分別。例如，當教到一個新詞彙，你需要指出兩種物件的明確分別。所以，當你教導「車」這個詞彙時，你需要準備馬，椅子和球等等的其他選擇作辨別用途。然後，當小朋友成功分辨，你便需要找和車較為相似的一些選項，例如巴士，單車，電單車和電車。如果小朋友也能成功分辨到對的物件，你便能知道他明白車的概念了。
2. 範圍的複雜程度
另一個需要考慮的因素，就是當小朋友回答問題時，他們會看見什麼。其中一個元素是有多少選項或干擾物件。例如在三個物件的範圍中找出正確物品，會比在十種中找到正確物品較為容易。另一重要元素是範圍的大小和範圍內東西擺放的整齊程度。
3. 素材的不同
眾所周知，給予小朋友多種例子對於教導他們一個新概念是十分重要的。例如當教導一個新詞彙，比方說要教「狗」，如果只用一張圖片，小朋友便會只學習到該張圖片中的狗，因此必須用不同的圖片及不同種類的狗來教導「狗」這詞彙。
4. 做動作
當教導小朋友明白動作，必須留意動詞的組合。同樣地，首先你需要選擇一些截然不同的教學目標。例如把「飲」和「吃」放在一起教，並不是一個好的例子。相反，「推」和「扔」一起教可能是不錯的目標，因為這兩個動作看起來較不一樣。另外也需要留意，如何把物件跟動詞配合在一起。你不能每一次都用同一個動作配合同一個動詞。反之，你需要利用不同的組合，否則小朋友一看見物品便會知道需要做什麼動作，而忽略到聆聽指示中的動詞。
5. 動作及物件的組合
當你開始把動作和物件在你的指令中配合起來，你可以先把一個物件放在桌面上。但是，當提出不同指令時，你需要慢慢把桌面上的物件數量增加，這樣才能確保小朋友知道應該做那一個正確的動作和正確的物品。
6. 簡單指令
當教導一個新指令，我們經常會從「拿紙巾」，「推車」或「抹咀巴」開始。當你在給予這些指令時，你需要想一想這些物件要如何配合。例如當你要教「開門」這個指令時，不要把門完全關上，而是把它半掩，這樣才知道小朋友明白「開」和「關」的分別。
以上是一些訓練語言和動作辨別的重要考慮。多顧慮到這些要點，便能幫助你的小朋友學習得更快更有效率。
資訊提供
David Fischer博士心理學博士 — 美國, 國際認證行為分析師 — 博士級
Autism Partnership 行為分析治療顧問
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在Sandra Harris博士的教導下，David Fischer博士於美國魯特格斯大學取得臨床心理學博士學位。自1999年起投身ABA範疇，為一眾患有發展障礙的人士服務。他於畢業前後在美國喬治亞州亞特蘭大Marcus Institute工作，專責處理嚴重行為及短期門診個案、餵食障礙個案及早期治療等。 Fischer博士於2007-2011年間，在附屬魯特格斯大學的道格拉斯發展障礙中心工作，主要訓練學校老師如何教導及處理患有自閉症學生的行為問題， 並為魯特格斯大學患有亞氏保加症的學生提供援助。 |
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