Precision Teaching with Rate Building
appear quite expert at them. Think about how you drive or make a sandwich. You do not think through every element of those tasks; you can perform them easily and with little or no attention to executing each movement. Sometimes, learners with autism can exhibit skills, but are not fluent at them. If compared to how others did those tasks, it often looks more laborious and takes more time to do the tasks compared to a fluent and competent peer. Precision Teaching (sometimes called Fluency-Based Instruction) is a method of building response rates and developing fluency in a variety of skill areas. When PT is applied to learners with autism, there is a focus on the rate of skill demonstration and use of a specific measuring system to chart student progress. (This system is known as the Standard Celeration Chart.) In addition to addressing issues such as long response times (often called latency to respond) and rate of skill demonstration, PT addresses deficits in component skills which can impede progress on more complex tasks. How does Precision Teaching work? Attention is paid to the rate at which the learner can perform the task. Generally, PT is done in short sprints, to increase rate of skill performance. Teaching includes timed practices in which the learner is expected to reach a specific goal. These goals are often referred to as performance aims and demonstrate the learner’s fluency with a skill. In addition, attention is paid to the concept of component skills, which are building block skills for more complex skills. For example, component skills include reaching, pointing, and grasping, which could all impact on skills such as matching or identifying objects. Often, PT with rate-building focuses on the development of core motor skills that assist the learner in performing many other more complex tasks. Of course, PT with rate building can also be used to teach complex skills, as long as the foundation skills are already firmly established.
Precision Teaching (PT) is an area of ABA that has been practiced and researched for many years. In fact, PT is a form of ABA instruction that has been widely used with typical and learning-challenged populations, with great results. It is only recently, in fact, that PT has been significantly extended to learners with autism. Precision Teaching focuses on building the rate at which learners can demonstrate skills, and focuses on the attainment of fluency. Fluency refers to the combination of accuracy plus speed that characterizes competent performance. When people are fluent in skills, they can do them effortlessly and fluidly. They
Resources
Binder, C. (1996). Behavioral fluency: Evolution of a new paradigm. The Behavior Analyst, 19, 1 63-197. Fabrizio, M. (February and March, 2003). A parent’s introduction to fluency: Parts I and II. The OARacle. Alexandria, VA: The Organization for Autism Research. Available at http://www.researchautism.org. Fabrizio, M. A. & Moors, A. L. (2003). Evaluating mastery: Measuring instructional outcomes for children with autism. European Journal of Behavior Analysis, 4, 23-36. McGreevy, P. (1983). Teaching and learning in plain English: An introduction to precision teaching and precision tutoring (2nd ed.). Kansas City, MO: Plain English Publications.
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ABA Principles & Methods
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