Thomas Caffrey
Speaker Bio:
Thomas Caffrey M.Ed., BCBA earned his BA in Education from Arizona State University and his M.Ed in Education from Georgian Court University. In addition, he completed post-graduate work in applied behavior analysis at Penn State University and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.
Mr. Caffrey co-authored with Dr. Vincent J. Carbone an 8-hour professional development training CD series entitled: The Verbal Behavior Approach to Teaching Children with Autism (Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.. The presenter is an internationally recognized speaker who has conducted over 250 national and international invited presentations and workshops. His research interests center on teaching functional communication skills and helping teachers implement strategies to manage problem behaviors in public school settings. For the past 12 years, he and his colleagues at VBN Training, have been conducting workshops and providing hands-on support for schools and agencies that serve children with autism throughout the United States, Ireland, Italy, UAE and Egypt.
Mr. Caffrey is a parent of a child with autism (Alicia, 18) and has a strong passion for sharing the benefits of the science and his experience with others. .
Title:
Global Causes of Problem Behavior and Teaching Children with Special Needs
Description:
Epidemiological studies suggest that between 40 and 60% of problem behavior that occurs with persons with developmental disabilities is the result of escape-motivated behavior (social negative reinforcement) often related to academic demands. This, of course, is a big problem since children with developmental disabilities need to have a great number of demands placed on them in order to learn the many skills they will need to function in society. There is more at stake than just the unpleasantness of maladaptive behavior. Left unaddressed, problem behavior impedes a child's ability to learn which has long-term quality of life implications for them, their caregivers, and society.
Using technical and plain language along with videotape examples, the presenter will introduce common causes of problem behavior in teaching children with special needs and then demonstrate how they can be avoided and/or overcome.
Objectives:
- Explain why many children with autism dislike teaching and teaching materials.
- Describe how motivational variables can be manipulated to ‘condition’ teachers, teaching materials, and even peers as reinforcers.
- Define mand and explain its significance for teaching children with autism and other developmental disabilities.
- Identify 10 research-based teaching procedures that have proven to reduce problem behavior.
- Describe the two most common functions of problem behavior and explain how basic behavioral principles can be applied to reduce/eliminate them.
