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Using AppliedBehavior Analysisto Educate Studentswith Autism inInclusive EnvironmentsIt is important that all students receive appropriateeducational services so that they can reach theirpotential as individuals and as members of thewider community. There has been a continuingincrease in the number of students eligible forspecial education services under the definition ofautism. This increase has made the education ofstudents with autism within inclusive classroomsa key priority for educators and parents. Childrenwith autism are entitled to effective evidence-basedinterventions delivered in the least restrictiveenvironment possible, and preferably in generaleducation settings.Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) provides anevidence-based framework for addressing theneeds of students with autism within inclusiveeducational settings. ABA and inclusive practicesare not only compatible frameworks, but are alsopowerful methods of assuring educational progressfor students with autism.

AutismAutism is a disorder affecting a significantnumber of children within the Commonwealthof Pennsylvania and across our nation andthe world. Current estimates regarding theincidence of autism suggest that autismoccurs in about 1 in 68 children (CDC, 2015).As of December 2014, 29,273 Pennsylvaniastudents received special education servicesunder the eligibility definition of autism(PDE Child Count Data, 2015).The core characteristics of autism areimpairments in social interaction and communication and the presence of repetitiveor stereotyped patterns of behavior. Autismis considered a spectrum disorder in that itcan affect patterns of behavior and levels ofinvolvement to different degrees across individuals who have received the diagnosis. Allindividuals with autism can learn; however,skill levels for cognition, communication,social and motor skills may show considerable variation across individuals.Inclusive PracticesInherent in inclusive practices is the conceptof belonging or membership within the general education classroom. It differs from thepast practice of mainstreaming where a childneeded to demonstrate a readiness to beeducated in general education settings byobtaining a predetermined academic orbehavioral level of functioning. Inclusivepractices means that all students, regardlessof cognitive or academic level, are membersof the general education class, and thatappropriate supports are provided so thateach student can learn and participate.Inclusive education is about individualsbelonging to a community. Their communitymay include their school, the age-appropriategroup of children with whom they will interact,and the neighborhood in which they reside.According to a significant federal court ruling(Oberti v. Board of Education in ClementonSchool District, 1993), “Inclusion is a right, notthe privilege of a select few.” An inclusiveschool is a place where everyone belongs, is2accepted, and supports and is supported byher or his peers and other members of theschool community in the course of having hisor her educational needs met (Stainback &Stainback, 1990, p. 3).The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act(IDEA) supports inclusive practices by requiringthat “to the maximum extent appropriate,children with disabilities, including childrenin public or private institutions or other carefacilities, are educated with children that arenondisabled; and that special classes, separateschooling or other removal of children withdisabilities from the regular educational environment occurs only if the nature or severity issuch that education in regular classes with theuse of supplementary aids and services, cannotbe achieved satisfactorily” (IDEA, 1997).The least restrictive environment componentof IDEA establishes a preference for educatingstudents with disabilities in general educationclasses with supplementary aids and services(Burns, 2003; Etscheidt & Bartlett, 1999).Consideration of the general educationclassroom must be the starting place for anydecision making about the placement of a student who receives special education services.Adaptations and modifications to the generaleducation curriculum and activities are provided to ensure the student is receivinginstruction appropriate to his or her needs.The term “full inclusion” is used by some tomean the inclusion of every student with adisability in a general classroom, throughoutthe school day, without exception. Althoughit may be appropriate for some students toremain in general education all day, IDEArequires that a continuum of placementsvarying in their restrictiveness be available toensure that all needs are met. Pennsylvaniaschool districts maintain the required continuum of placements that are designed toprovide a rich supply of diverse programsthat support sound inclusive practices.

Although adherence to a high level ofacademic standards is imperative, inclusiveeducation asserts that “Whether students’needs have been met is reflected not onlyby whether they have attained certain objectives, but by the impact that educationalexperiences have had on their lives”(Giangreco, 1994). The quality of life of anindividual with a disability and his or heracceptance and participation in the community are as important as academic growth.Applied Behavior AnalysisApplied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is ascientific approach to behavior focused onenvironmental events that are crucial to itsunderstanding and change: antecedents andconsequences. Its principles are used tochange and improve behaviors. The effectiveness of these principles has been confirmedby many experimental studies and can beapplied in a variety of settings with differenttypes of people—infants to adults.In schools, ABA has been used to guide awide variety of successful educational practices in both general and special educationprograms. Over the past 20 or more years,ABA has been established as a powerfulsource of interventions in educational programs for students with autism. ABA hasconsistently been effective in assisting individuals with autism in achieving meaningfuland non-trivial progress (see NAC StandardsReport, 2009).By analyzing the relationship between theantecedent (what happened before thebehavior occurred), the behavior (what behavior actually occurred), and the consequence(what happened after the behavior occurred),educators or educational teams can begin todevelop a comprehensive plan for changingbehavior.Interventions derived from the field of ABAhave been demonstrated as being effective inassisting individuals with autism in acquiringskills that provide significant educational benefit (NAC, 2009). Interventions based on theprinciples of ABA have been developed(Hundert, 2009) to establish conditionsthat support individuals with autism as fullmembers of the schools they attend.The Link Between Autism, Inclusion, andABAHaving students simply placed in an environment because it is inclusive is not enough.“Being there” is necessary, but not sufficient.Students need to be included and receivemeaningful educational benefit. It is the individualized education program (IEP) planningteam, including parents of students withautism, that determines both services andleast restrictive educational programming.In Pennsylvania, Individualized EducationProgram (IEP) teams are required to adhereto the following guidelines when makingeducational placement decisions: A free and appropriate public education(FAPE) must be provided to every studentwith an IEP; moreover, FAPE must bedelivered in the least restrictive environment (LRE) as decided by the IEP team. Students will not be removed fromgeneral education classrooms merelybecause of the severity of theirdisabilities. When students with disabilities, including students with significant cognitivedisabilities, need specially-designedinstruction or other supplementary aidsand services to benefit from participating in general education classrooms, asrequired in their IEP, local educationagencies are obliged to ensure thatthose services are provided. IEP teams must determine whether thestudent’s IEP can be implemented ingeneral education classrooms with supplementary aids and services beforeconsidering removal from the generaleducation classroom.3

School districts will consider the fullrange of supplementary aids andservices in general education classrooms, based on peer-reviewedresearch to the extent practicable,including modification of curriculumcontent, before contemplating placement in a more restrictive setting.“Supplementary aidsand services meansaids, services, andother supports thatare provided in generaleducation classes,other educationrelated settings, andin extra-curricular andnonacademic settings,to enable childrenwith disabilities tobe educated withnondisabled childrento the maximum extentappropriate.”(PA Education Regulations,Chapter 14, 34 CFR 300.42)In educational settings, supplementaryaids and services must be available to allstudents who need them. Supplementaryaids and services are designed to providemeaningful educational benefit and are provided in a manner that avoids stigmatizingstudents (Gaskin Settlement Agreement,2005). Stigmatizing is calling attention todifferences in a way that lessens a person’svalue or esteem. Instruction for studentswith autism may target several areas that4will allow critical supports to be deliveredwithout stigmatizing effects (Hundert, 2009): Teaching the skill to participate andlearn in a group Teaching the skill to initiate andsustain reciprocal peer interactions Teaching the skill to completeseatwork assignments independently Teaching the skill to communicateneeds clearly and independently Teaching the skill to follow classroomroutines independently Reducing problem behaviors thatinterfere with learning Teaching the skill to self-regulate,make inferences, and take theperspective of othersThese areas are not prerequisites for participation in an inclusive setting for studentswith autism, rather they are areas in whichsupplemental aids and services are oftenbeneficial. Each of these areas has beenaddressed through behavior analyticprinciples.While the body of interventions derived fromthe field of ABA for inclusive educationalpractices is too large to be reviewed in detailhere, some key interventions are highlightedon the following page. Effective student outcomes and inclusive educational opportunitiesare selected from evidence-based approaches.The evidence of what works for students iscentral for planning purposes. ABA providesa powerful, evidence-based framework foraddressing the needs of students with autism.Decision making, however, should not beguided by any one approach, rather it shouldbe guided by the collaborative and databased discussions of the IEP team. ABA isone of several approaches that need to beconsidered in planning educational programs.