Using a Music Therapy Collaborative Consultative Approach - World ...

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incorporated, and systematic strategies are used to teach complex skills. Drawbacks of the
traditional behavioral approach are that the complex data system involved in this approach
might complicate the implementation in inclusive preschool settings, the use of “aversive”
techniques for behavior management is highly controversial, and staff members on early
childhood teams often do not receive enough training for proper implementation of this
approach in classroom routines (Dempsey & Foreman, 2001; National Research Council,
2001).
There are now more contemporary behavioral approaches, such as the natural
language paradigm (e.g., Koegel, O’Dell, & Koegel, 1987), incidental teaching (e.g. McGee
et al., 1999), time delay and milieu intervention (e.g., Halle, Marshall, & Spradlin, 1979),
pivotal response training (e.g., Koegel et al., 1999), and peer-mediated strategies (e.g.,
DiSalvo & Oswald, 2002; Goldstein et al., 1992; McGee et al., 1992) that emphasize
naturalistic delivery in group settings and are more compatible with inclusion. These
behavioral approaches are based on systematic teaching trials focusing on the child’s
initiation, the child’s interest, and natural reinforcers in the child’s environment. Although
not as well known to professionals and parents, these strategies have led to impressive
outcomes in numerous domains (Dempsey & Foreman, 2001; National Research Council,
2001; Schreibman, 2000). A detailed description of the continuum of behavioral approached
has been published in several summary documents (e.g., Anderson & Romanczyk, 1999,
Prizant & Wetherby, 1998, Schreibman, 2000).