Q4: How the CLM implementation improves the quality of the ABA services providedby a school?
Many ABA programs are written by BCBAs to decrease undesirable behaviors (e.g., Injurious toward others or property violations). A common ABA practice is for each BCBA and her colleaguesto spend an inordinate amount of time discovering what desirable behavior(s) (e.g., communicating wants and needs) could replace the undesirable behaviors. This can become quite complicated when a child may NOT have learned any desirable behaviors to replace the undesirable behavior(s). For example, if a learner hits another learner on the playground when he wants a turn throwing the ball and he cannot communicate that he wants a turn, it can be almost impossible to isolate a replacement behavior. Therefore, the BCBA must focus on writing a program to teach the learner to communicate. If the BCBA has to develop such a program, it may take several hours of his/her time to do so. Since the development of language behaviors is likely to very complicated and time consuming.
However, if the BCBA and her colleagues are trained as CLM Implementers, they can simply conduct a CLM Placement Test to determine the beginning CLM Lesson. Let's assume the learner has placed in CLM Lesson 12. If so, the learner can begin to learn how to: 1) Askspontaneously for items or Teacher actions s/he wants using his/her newly developed verbal skills; 2) Wait for at least 30 seconds for preferred items without annoying and injurious actions or responds appropriately when some items or activities are "Not Open"; and 3)Give item(s) to peer(s) within 5 seconds (e.g., with point from Teacher).The CLM Lesson are available online so they can be easily accessed for each learner's programming.
As a part of the CLM Programming, the BCBA may have to add a supplementary contingency (e.g.,"Deprivation") to motivate the learner to perform the desirable behavior during the early parts of the programming. To make it easier for BCBAs, one of the CLM Products contains several Contingency Worksheets to develop desirable repertoires or weaken undesirable repertoires. Each worksheet contains at leastan Overview, Cautions, and Guidelines. The guidelines can be customized per learner. Refer to Table 1 for an example of the Contingency Worksheet, Deprivation.
Table 1. Contingency Worksheet: Deprivation
In the CLM Units, implementers are taught how to formulate, deliver, and monitor the CLM Curriculum and Contingency Worksheets. Therefore, it makes it much easier for the BCBA to implement programming with such a very knowledgeable and skilled team members. Less and less errors are likely to occur the further the implementers have completed the seventeen CLM Units. It is important to know that the Behavior Analysis Certification Board (BACB) has approved the CLM Units for BCBAs/BCaBAs to earn CEUs. Therefore, you can predict the likely effect that is to occur regarding the quality of the evidenced-based CLM Programming for the learners.
In addition, should the BCBA complete the CLM Units, it serves him/her in several other ways. for example:
1.If CLM Team Members speak a common language that can facilitate collaborative interactions.
2. Can avoid likely programmatic errors if s/he knows which CLM Units have been completed by implementer(s). Otherwise, the implementer may be asked to deliver or monitor programming that s/he is NOT capable of doing so.
3.Getting agreement on what should be implemented is most likely to affect the quality of programming. Otherwise, an implementer may decide to deliver the programming his/her "way" when the BCBA is not present.
4.The essence of the analysis of the data is dependent on the fidelity of programming.