Applied Behavior Analysis
Volume 3, Issue 2 ~ February, 2008
Busy Bee Book Review - Quick, Important Highlights of Books about Autism
Best Books on ABA
|
Title: Principles of Everyday Behavior Analysis
Author: L. Keith Miller Publisher (Date): Wadsworth Publishing (2005) Recommended for: parents and teachers interested in learning more about Behavior Analysis. A must for parents implementing an ABA-based home teaching program! Summary: An in-depth book over the history and principles of the science of Behavior Analysis. Review: This was the textbook from my first class in Behavior Analysis during my Master's Degree program, and I am so glad that it was! This book outlines the essential principles of ABA in a very easy-to-understand way. Learning and retaining the material in the book was almost effortless, due to the exercises in the book. "Principles of Everyday Behavior Analysis" provides a solid foundation of knowledge that is necessary for parents and teachers wanting to incorporate ABA into their school or home educational programs. Authors: Lynn Kern Koegel and Claire LaZebnik Publisher (Date): Penguin (2005) Recommended for: parents and teachers of individuals with autism. Summary: Written by a renowned researcher and a parent, the book outlines behavioral interventions for a variety of skills. It also includes several data sheets. Review: While I'm not fond of the somewhat negative title, this book is an excellent resource for parents and teachers! It outlines research-based strategies for everything from communication to challenging behaviors to social skills. Coupled with real-life examples, this book makes the science of behavior analysis relevant and easy-to-understand. I do disagree with some of the social skills recommendations, particularly the suggestion that it would be more desirable for a child with autism to be talking to peers while in line, instead of following a classroom rule to walk quietly in line. Also of concern is the focus on making children "indistinguishable from their peers." However, this book is, in my opinion, a valuable resource for teaching important skills. A must for all families with a child with autism! As a teacher, I have also incorporated many of the ideas from the book in my classroom. Author: Catherine Maurice, Gina Green, and Stephen C. Luce Publisher (Date): Pro-Ed (1996) Recommended for: parents and teachers of individuals with autism. Summary: A manual that provides a foundation for parents or teachers creating an ABA-based educational program for children with autism. Information covered includes choosing educational objectives, how to teach to meet the objectives, sample teaching programs, research findings, how to choose service providers, and data sheets. Review: The final book in my trilogy of essential recommendations for anyone implementing an ABA-based educational program for a student with autism, this book also provides vital information. The information in this book will guide parents through the decisions that must be made when beginning such a program. It also includes teaching programs for commonly-targeted skills. The teaching programs include details on how to prompt each skill, the pre-requisite skills needed for each program, and examples of target behaviors. It also includes a variety of data sheets that are very useful and helpful. I frequently use the data sheet on page 177. Highly recommended! |
Copyright © 2008. Positively Autism. All Rights Reserved.