Patrick McGreevy was a teacher for children with moderate-to-severe disabilities. He received the Ph.D. from Kansas University under the guidance of Ogden R. Lindsley. He served on the faculties of four universities. He is the founder of the Journal of Precision Teaching and Standard Celeration Charting, the author of ten journal articles, including one on the treatment of Lesch-Nyhan disorder, a book chapter on verbal behavior, and Essential for Living, a functional life skills curriculum. For five decades, Dr. McGreevy has provided consultations for individuals with moderate-to-severe disabilities in schools, hospitals, and residential programs. He is a proud proponent of standard measurement and a recipient of the Ogden R. Lindsley Lifetime Achievement Award of the Standard Celeration Society. Patrick McGreevy, PhD, BCBA is specialist in evaluating and developing social skills for children and adults with disabilities.
Abstract of the International ABA Conference 2020 presentation.
When Autism is a Delay in Skill Acquisition and When it’s Not
This presentation will be in English..
Abstract:
Objectives: (include 3-5 learning objectives for your presentation (for session evaluations): BCBAs – specifically state in behavior analytic terms)
1. Participants will describe when autism is a delay in skill acquisition and when you would known that
2. Participants will describe when autism is not a delay in skill acquisition and when you would know that
3. Participants will describe how this awareness effects the direction of instruction
Abstract: Early intervention for children with autism often begins with an assumption that gaps in their current skill repertoire are simply delays in typical skill development. This assumption then leads to the use of developmental curricula like the VB-MAPP, the ABLLS, or the Early Start Denver Model, which specify those gaps in the context of typically-developing children. Instruction is then directed toward filling in those gaps, thereby eliminating those delays and permitting children to ‘catch up’ to their typically-developing peers. As most children with autism become older, it will become apparent that those gaps cannot be filled in despite high-quality instruction. What were once referred to as ‘delays’, are actually experienced as ‘barriers’, which are almost impossible to overcome and which necessitate a life skills curriculum.