May Institute Clinician Co-authors Article that Discusses Methods to Reduce Problematic Behaviors During Discrete Trial Instruction

Alice Shillingsburg, Ph.D., BCBA-D, Senior Vice President of Applied Verbal Behavior for May Institute, and Assistant Director of May Institute’s National Autism Center, co-authored an article titled “Rapport Building and Instructional Fading Prior to Discrete Trial Instruction: Moving From Child-Led Play to Intensive Teaching” that was published in the Behavior Modification journal.

As a result of a study conducted with four participants diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), Dr. Shillingsburg and colleagues from the Marcus Autism Center in Atlanta, Ga., determined that rapport building, or “pairing” a therapist and teaching setting with highly preferred activities prior to teaching students with ASD can reduce problematic behaviors during the instructional period. 

Dr. Shillingsburg provides clinical leadership for May Center Schools for Autism and Developmental Disabilities. Her clinical expertise includes the development of language and behavioral programming to address a variety of behavioral difficulties and social communication deficits associated with autism and other developmental disabilities.

[Read Dr. Shillingsburg’s bio.]