The ABLE Academy

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The Able Academy — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 14:26:14 +0000

Naples Winter Wine Festival

The Able Academy — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 19:08:49 +0000

Colleen Cornwall opened ABLE Academy in 1996 as a roving mission, bringing her staff and her devotion to the principles of applied behavior analysis into the homes of her students.

Cornwall and her staff attack their students’ learning and social disorders by building new behaviors through one-on-one instruction, speech therapy and small groups. Eventually, Cornwall expanded ABLE to a brick-and-mortar campus, but by 2009 that location was too small for the burgeoning school’s enrollment and 12 employees.

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ABLE Academy gives critical developmental help

The Able Academy — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 19:04:46 +0000

ABLE Academy gives critical developmental help. Click here to view gallery

Beasley Broadcast Supports ABLE Academy

The Able Academy — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 09:21:28 +0000

Beasley Broadcast Supports the Efforts of ABLE Academy to Positively Impact Children With Autism.

NAPLES, Florida, March 5, 2008 – Beasley Broadcast Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: BBGI), a large- and mid-size market radio broadcaster, is pleased to report their recent $3,000.00 contribution to ABLE (Applied Behavioral Learning Enterprises) Academy, a not-for-profit Southwest Florida organization positively impacting children with autism and other developmental delays and their families.

In existence since 1996, ABLE Academy offers assessment, individual and group intervention to children, adolescents, and adults, as well as parent and staff training, program development and consultation to organizations nation-wide through a professional team of Board Certified Behavior Analysts, Educators, a Speech Language Pathologist, and Researchers.

Financial contributions help provide:

Scholarship funds to help families offset the exorbitant expenses related to therapeutic intervention for individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities
Outreach programs to provide in-home training to families of individuals with autism and developmental delays.
Increased community awareness to assist with developing life options for individuals with autism and developmental delays and their families

“Autism strikes 1 in 150 children, affecting approximately 1.5 million Americans,” said ABLE Academy’s founder, Colleen Cornwall, MS, BCBA. “More than 5,000 current peer-reviewed journal articles offer study after study correlating rapid acquisition of skills and improved learner outcomes to Applied Behavior Analysis – which is what we provide.”

Brian Beasley, Beasley’s Vice President of Operations, commented, “ABLE Academy has made a huge difference in the lives of children and families dealing with autism. We will continue to support their efforts in every way we can.”

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Assessment

The Able Academy — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 09:16:29 +0000

Each learner receives thorough assessments including functional skill, academic skill, functional problem behavior, and language. Appropriate assessment instruments and procedures are selected based upon the individualized needs of each child. Individualized Treatment Programs are developed using the assessment results. The data collected during the assessment procedure is also used as a baseline to determine the child’s progress.

Treatment Plan Development

The Able Academy — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 09:16:20 +0000

Behavior intervention programs aim to target undesirable behaviors and replace them with more appropriate behaviors. Each unique program is based upon assessment data. A specific intervention program is designed for the individual learner after careful observation of the learner in a variety of different environments. Interviews with caregivers, other service providers, and focused interaction with the learner are important pieces in the creation of a specific set of behavior goals. Upon receiving the assessment results, a clinician will consult with you and help guide you to the right treatment program(s) for your child.

Implementation of the Intervention program mandates ongoing caregiver involvement and program oversight, including competency-based training, data collection, data review and data based program modification. Caregivers are strongly encouraged to participate in trainings specific to their learner’s program. In some circumstances caregivers will be trained to implement treatment programs; in more complex situations direct clinical service is recommended.

Intensive ABA Therapy

The Able Academy — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 09:16:11 +0000

Behavior Analysis is the science of behavior. Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is the process of systematically applying interventions based upon principles of learning theory to improve socially significant behaviors to a meaningful degree (Baer, Wolf & Risley, 1968; Sulzer-Azaroff, Mayer, 1991).

The procedures used in ABA are scientifically validated in hundreds of peer-reviewed research articles dating back to the 1960’s. ABA is used across a wide variety of areas including developmental disabilities, learning and behavior disorders, gerontology, organizational performance management, animal and pet training, brain injuries, behavioral medicine, and behavior toxicology. Applied Behavior Analysis is utilized in staff management in most Fortune 500 companies.

When children learn skills exclusively in isolation, they are less likely to generalize those skills to various items and across environments. From the onset of instruction at ABLE Academy, each skill acquisition program is designed with generalization in mind. Children learn multiple examples of the same concept and are required to demonstrate skill competency across instructors and environments within the clinic facility. This is achieved through ABLE Academy’s Three-Tiered Approach to Skill Building. Generalization, or the transferring of behavior form one situation to another (e.g. from communication with caregivers in the home to interacting with classmates at school), takes precedence using this exclusive method. Each learner’s program includes highly individualized and precise teaching procedures across the following tiers of instruction:

Tier One:

Behavior Therapist to child ratio 1:1. Tier One instruction allows for intensive instruction through errorless teaching in order for the child to acquire new skills.

Tier Two:

Behavior Therapist to child ratio 1:2-1:6. Tier Two offers strongly facilitated, small group instruction during which the child demonstrates skills previously acquired in Tier One. In Tier Two, the intensive instruction methodology utilized in Tier One is maintained, but new instructors and peers are introduced.

Tier Three:

Behavior Therapist to child ratio 1:2-1:6. Tier Three offers therapist designed, but child led naturalistic teaching opportunities in which the child demonstrates acquired skills with limited or no direct instruction. Tier Three encourages development of interactive peer structures in which skills can be demonstrated in their most meaningful application.

Verbal behavior comes in many forms. It can be written, spoken, or signed. Every individual has verbal behavior whether they “talk” or not. Verbal behavior includes behavior other than the spoken word. We live in the midst of words, so it’s difficult to think about words as behavior, but they are in fact the most complex human behavior, that which separates us from other species. Words give us a very efficient way to influence the behavior of others. We use our words to influence others.

Verbal behavior involves social interaction between a speaker and a listener, and includes both vocal and non-vocal behavior. It analyzes the variables that control different types of verbal responses. Most traditional language approaches differentiate between receptive (listener skills) and expressive (vocal) language. B.F. Skinner’s functional analysis of verbal behavior further analyzes vocal behavior according to its function. Requesting, labeling, and talking about things in the absence of those things are all components of “expressive language.” Focusing on the reasons we say words rather than the form of the response allows us to more effectively teach functional language skills.

Learners with developmental and/or language disorders may label many objects or pictures of objects in their environment but may not be able to request the same object or talk about the object with related terms (i.e. “Look it’s flying,” while pointing to an airplane.) Conversational skills are very difficult to acquire for individuals with developmental disabilities and language delays because typical conversations are functionally comprised primarily of requests for information and responses that are not related to things directly visible in the environment. In addition to the basic applied behavior analysis procedures, a child’s existing verbal behavior and the barriers that are preventing it from developing at a typical rate are assessed and teaching strategies proven to be effective are implemented.

Errorless teaching encompasses a set of instructional strategies that ensure children respond correctly when learning a new skill. Learners are provided with the direction (the cue) and are immediately given the correct response or help to perform the correct response (prompt). Immediate prompting reduces the likelihood of errors. With many other teaching procedures such as massed trials with error correction procedures, opportunities for initial mistakes are permitted and then corrected through a series of instructor responses (e.g., “no,” “try again,” social disapproval.) Errorless learning employs procedures that ensure correct responding when the skill is first introduced. Prompts are then systematically removed from the teaching trial and distracters are introduced so the learner can continue correct responding given multiple conditions.

The basis of errorless teaching is that learners with developmental and language disorders do not learn as successfully from their mistakes as typically developing children may, but instead continue to repeat them. Research suggests that learner frustration following lengthy correction procedures and social disapproval can actually provoke problem behavior such as tantrums, refusal, aggression and self-injury. Over time, trial and error teaching also damages the relationship between the instructor and the learner, reducing the learner’s willingness to approach new learning situations. This actually results in a declining rate of skill acquisition, which is in direct opposition to the opportunities for skill development afforded by effective ABA.

Speech Therapy

The Able Academy — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 09:15:55 +0000

Onsite Speech Language therapy is available as an exclusive service or as a supplemental service to our other program models. Scientifically validated teaching procedures are employed by a Speech Language Pathologist to ensure rapid acquisition of speech and language skills.

Clinical Classroom

The Able Academy — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 09:15:45 +0000

The goal of Applied Behavior Analysis is to bring behaviors under the control of carefully selected stimuli such that a learner can display targeted behaviors across instructors and environments. This is demonstrated by our exclusive three tier method of skill acquisition, in addition to employing effective teaching strategies and probing current skills listed as mastered.

The Clinical Classroom model offers learners the opportunity to experience intensive language, academic, social and self-help skills training in a unique classroom setting that affords each learner both 1:1 and small group opportunities. Individual learner objectives and targeted skills are instructed and integrated during every activity. Opportunities are presented for immediate practice of newly acquired skills with peers in a carefully designed educational setting, supporting your child to apply skills learned in a 1:1 fashion in small groups. Because research demonstrates that people learn best when they are motivated, the teaching procedures employed offer high rates of reinforcement and materials are carefully selected to increase the motivation of each learner to acquire new skills.

All individual learner programs and intensive learning activities are designed and implemented by Board Certified Behavior Analysts, Applied Behavior Clinicians, Certified Teachers and a Speech Language Pathologist. Data is maintained on specific skill behaviors each day; parents receive daily reports to indicate their child’s performance in each of the learning zones as well as quarterly progress reports.

The clinical classroom is available for children ages 2-12 and is a McKay approved school program for children residing in the state of Florida.

LEAP Program

The Able Academy — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 09:15:35 +0000

LEAP at a glance…

The Language Education and Application with Peers (LEAP) program offers a clinical-classroom style environment for your child created and implemented by Board Certified Behavior Analysts and Certified Teachers. Scientifically validated teaching procedures are used to ensure rapid acquisition of communication, social, behavioral and academic skills. Opportunities are afforded for immediate practice of newly learned skills with peers in a carefully designed educational setting. This setting guarantees that your child can apply the skills learned in a 1:1 fashion, to groups of 1:3. Because research shows that children learn best when they are motivated, the teaching procedures used offer high rates of positive reinforcement. The materials used are developmentally appropriate and carefully selected to increase the motivation, curiosity, and excitement of each child.

Language Education and Application with Peers:

At first glance, the LEAP program looks like a small pre-school classroom. Created and implemented by a Speech Language Pathologist and a Behavior Analyst with dual teacher certification, the LEAP program identifies language and other critical skills that are in need of intervention in order for your child to become more capable of learning from his everyday experiences.

Parents and educators who live and work with a child with language delays know there are a variety of skills that each child must acquire. The acquisition of what to others may seem to be a minor skill is often viewed as a major “breakthrough” for those involved in the child’s intervention. Those individuals involved in the child’s treatment realize that the amount of time, and the sophistication of teaching methodology, is greatly magnified compared to what is required for a child with normal language development to achieve a similar skill.

Carefully designed instruction of critical skills may result in the faster acquisition of a larger set of skills without the need for sophisticated teaching. LEAP’s educational activities focus on teaching the child skills that will result in generalized learning that will allow the child to learn many skills in educational and social environments containing less structured opportunities such as a classroom, church group or play date. The purpose of the LEAP program is to arm each child with the skills needed so that he or she can “learn to learn” without highly specialized instruction by incorporating the following:

Language- An individualized skill development plan designed for your child coupled with specially designed activities allow for language instruction in all of the different environmental conditions under which language typically occurs.
Motivation- Certain skills will only be demonstrated when a child is motivated to engage in the skill. A focus on the interests of your child gives the intervention team insight into your child’s motivation. Motivation sets the stage for authentic learning!
Generalization- Skills learned are only beneficial to a child if he can use those skills in a variety of new situations. The LEAP program teaches to generalization by ensuring that your child can respond correctly given different materials, different people, different social settings, and in different verbal contexts.
Spontaneity- A child’s spontaneous use of language is a very important marker in language acquisition; specific behavioral procedures are employed to help your child develop spontaneity.
Fluency- Children in therapeutic settings often acquire basic skills but lack the ability to quickly use them when they are required in a variety of contexts. Precise language and behavioral teaching techniques assist your child in gaining fluency.
Joint Attention- The ability to share attention with others to items and events that occur is crucial in developing functional language and social reciprocity. Developing joint attention is a major goal of the LEAP program.
Learner Readiness- Children who are able to follow directions and complete tasks to access social reinforcement are generally more successful in school.
Social Skills Development- Instruction in the subtle skills that are needed by children to interact with and learn from their peers is embedded into each activity.
Imitation- The importance of having a well-developed imitative repertoire has been long recognized by parents and professionals as critical to development of a wide variety of language, self-help, motor, academic and self-help skills. Imitation is incorporated into all LEAP learning activities.