This document provides an overview of a training series on autism spectrum disorders for adults. It covers 11 modules that define autism, characteristics, cognition, learning, sensory differences, behavior challenges, understanding behavior, functional behavior assessments, leisure skills, adolescence and adulthood issues, and safety concerns. The document emphasizes using functional behavior assessments to understand the reasons for behaviors and strategies like changing antecedents and consequences. Medical issues, attention-seeking, escape, tangibles and automatic behaviors are addressed with recommendations like reinforcement, visual schedules, breaking tasks into steps, and replacing behaviors.

1. The Basics of Autism
Spectrum Disorders
Training Series
Regional Autism Advisory Council of
Southwest Ohio (RAAC-SWO)
Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Task Force

2. Adult Training Series
Modules
 Module One: Autism Defined, Autism Prevalence
and Primary Characteristics
 Module Two: Physical Characteristics of Autism
 Module Three: Cognition and Learning in Autism
 Module Four: Autism and Sensory Differences
 Module Five: Communication and Autism

3. Adult Training Series
Modules
 Module Six: Behavior Challenges and Autism
 Module Seven: Understanding Behavior in Persons
with Autism
 Module Eight: Functional Behavior Assessment
 Module Nine: Autism and Leisure Skills to Teach
 Module Ten: Special Issues of Adolescence and
Adulthood
 Module Eleven: Safety and Autism

4. Big Idea
We must be like a
detective in order to
find out the reason for a
behavior and follow the
clues.

5. Remember…..
 Behaviors are a way of coping with what is happening
around us.
 Behaviors are learned through trial and error.
 Behaviors that are reinforced are likely to continue.
 If a behavior continues to occur or it is increasing, it is
being reinforced in some way.
 To change the person’s behavior, we must change what we
are doing.

6. Functional Behavior
Assessment
A Functional Behavior Assessment
(FBA) will help you to discover the
reasons behind a behavior. You can
then decide on a plan for how to
change it.

7. Functional Behavior
Assessment
The ABCs of Behavior
A B C
Antecedent: What happens before the behavior?
Behavior: What is the behavior?
Consequence: What happens after the behavior occurs?

8. Functional Behavior Assessment:
Finding the Reason for the Behavior
 Medical (physical pain or discomfort)
 Attention (verbal or physical)
 Escape (getting away from something that I do
not want to do or from a place that I do not want to
be in)
 Tangible (getting something that I want)
 Automatic (something my body seeks, such as
something sensory, i.e. rocking)

9. Medical Strategies
 If this is a new behavior, check out medical reasons
first.
 Keep track of medical symptoms (when and what).
 Go to the doctor or dentist.

10. Strategies for Attention
Behaviors
 Teach the person better ways to get attention.
 Focus on the behavior that you want to see more
of – and ignore the behavior that you want to
change.
 Avoid using negative words (“don’t”, “no”).
 Use positive words about the behavior that you
want them to do instead (“do”……).
 Use a neutral tone. Show no over-reaction, either
words or facial expressions, to the behavior that
you want them to change.

11. Strategies for Escape Behaviors
 Mix up activities that they like to do with activities that are
harder for them or that they are not interested in doing.
 Have a beginning and end to the activity (i.e. your chore is
done when you pick up all the clothes from the bedroom floor).
 Sometimes it helps to break a task down into smaller steps,
doing one at a time.
 Make sure that you “reinforce” when the task is completed.
This might have to happen after each small step (i.e. drinking
glasses put away, reinforce with praise, plates put away,
reinforce with praise, spoons put away, reinforce with praise,
pots put away, break, etc.).

12. More Escape Behavior Strategies
 Keep things moving on schedule. Too much time doing
any one thing might cause a problem behavior.
 Start with something that the person with ASD does
well and then move to something that is either less
preferred or difficult for them.
 Think about the skills needed, the sensory problems
the person may have.
 Consider the importance or the necessity of the
activity or task.
 When they complete an activity they do not like to
do, remember to use positive reinforcement.

13. Strategies for Tangible
Behaviors
 If waiting is difficult then you may have to teach the
person how to wait. At first, you may have to use a
lot of reinforcement after just a second or two of
their waiting and then slowly work to extend the
amount of time they can wait.
 Consider using an audible or a visual timer, like a
cooking timer, when teaching “wait”.

14. Strategies for Tangible
Behaviors
 Teach “first and then” (i.e. first you pick up your
clothes from the floor, then you take a television
break). A visual schedule can help.
 Remember to use a neutral tone when you are
redirecting them.

15. Strategies for Automatic
Behavior
Automatic Behavior is usually something that the body seeks,
such as something sensory (i.e. rocking)
 Replace the unwanted behavior with an activity that provides
a similar experience (i.e. using a hand fan instead of finger
flicking).
 Find a time and place that the behavior is okay to do (i.e.
sitting in a rocking chair when watching TV).
 Limit “down time” by keeping the schedule moving.

16. Big Idea
Changing something that we are
doing is often easier or better
than trying to change
something the other person is
doing.