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ANNOUNCEMENTS
Welcome! This is the Autism of America Behavior Technician Monthly Newsletter. We are providing this resource so that we can more easily share important information and company announcements with everyone.
Announcements
You can view the company calendar to find important information, closing dates, and to schedule any meetings (when needed). Find the calendar here.
To access the calendar (and any other password-protected pages on the AOA website), use password: AOA2403!
This password may change at times for security purposes. You will be informed when this occurs.
Reviewing the newsletters is a mandatory part of your position.
BT REMINDERS
This area of the newsletter will address things related to your position as a Behavior Technician. We will give reminders that you may already be familiar with just as a refresher or for the purposes of informing those who may not be aware of the information. We might also share new information related to your role as a BT.
Reminder(s) of the Month
Company Values
It's a new year. Let's take a moment to reflect on our company values. Autism of America is founded on the following values:
Excellence
Compassion
Respect
Diversity
Positivity
Consider how you can improve upon or continue to incorporate AOA company values into the services you provide to your clients.
FEATURED ABA CONCEPT
This area of the newsletter will briefly review one ABA concept, strategy, or tip as a way to help you improve your ABA skills which will ultimately help us give the best quality services to our clients. We continue to strive for excellence in our services and want to support your growth in the field, as well.
Use Contingencies of Reinforcement
It is essential that you provide reinforcement for your client. Reinforcement should be the core component of your efforts at managing behaviors and encouraging skill acquisition. Reinforcement is when something occurs after a target behavior and that behavior happens more often in the future.
POSITIVE VS NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT: Positive reinforcement is adding something after a behavior while negative reinforcement is removing something after a behavior. We want to use positive reinforcement as much as possible. This is a more compassionate approach to supporting our clients and can result in great outcomes.
CONTINUOUS VS INTERMITTENT REINFORCEMENT: Continuous reinforcement is when reinforcement is provided after every occurrence of the target behavior while intermittent reinforcement is reinforcing less often (sometimes the frequence is specifically stated, such as every 3 trials and then spaced out to every 5 trials, etc.). For skill acquisition, the aim is to move from continuous to intermittent reinforcement.
IMPORTANT DATES (Events, Closings, Etc.)
CLOSINGS
NEW YEAR'S DAY - Wednesday, January 1st, 2025
EVENTS
QBS Training (Grand Rapids location)
January 16th and 17th; 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
Themed Client Activity: Paper Bowl Snowman Craft
Week of January 20-24
This is a way to connect all of our BTs and kiddos and bring a greater sense of community to our team despite being in many different locations. Additionally, this activity gives our clients something new and exciting to experience which can incorporate mastered skills, current goals, or new skills as well as to develop social and communication skills no matter the learner's needs or abilities. Feel free to contact your Center Coordinator or the BCBA overseeing your case for more guidance.
To celebrate this season of the year, AOA would like all of our centers (and home-based staff if you're able) to help our kiddos complete a craft representing this theme.
The craft we will complete is a Paper Bowl Snowman Craft which supports a variety of skills such as fine motor skills and receptive language skills. You can also incorporate pattern and/or color recognition.
Find further instructions at: https://kidscraftroom.com/paper-bowl-snowman-craft/
Craft Info:
Materials:
Paper Bowls
Pipe Cleaners
Large 1 Inch Pom Poms
Mini Black Pom Poms
Coloured Cardstock
Wiggle Eyes
ScissorsÂ
Glue
COMPANY VALUES
We would like to share the AOA core values with you. We strive to incorporate these values into everything we do. We hope you will embrace these values and demonstrate them throughout your work, as well.
THE AOA CORE VALUES INCLUDE:
Excellence
Compassion
Respect
Diversity
Positivity
THANK YOU
Thank you for all you do for your clients and for AOA. We appreciate you!
If you have any questions about this content, feel free to contact the Training & Development Director, Heather Gilmore, at hgilmore@autismofamerica.com. You are also welcome to contact your BCBA, center coordinator, or HR staff.
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