Community Based Instruction
http://www.autismhandbook.org/images/c/c3/Community_Based_Instruction.ppt#260,3,What is CBI?
The above website is a wonderful introduction Power Point Presentation to the area of Community Based Instruction for ASD children.
Presented by:
Todd Harris, PH. D. & Cathleen M. Albertson, MA, BCBA Devereaux CARES
Community Based Instruction is an integral part of the learning process for Autism Spectrum Disorders students.
It affords them the opportunity to learn outside the environment of the traditional classroom. Community Based Instruction steers away from the
typical field trip, (ie. mall, theatre, museum). These community trips are career/work focused where learning takes place in a community setting not far from the students' home.
FAQs (Frequently asked Questions)
What is CBI?
We all know that we are not calling our trips “field trips”. We call them “community based instruction”. We have changed the name; but how have we changed our thinking? So what is CBI?
CBI is a data driven trip that occurs in a natural setting where the student can work/practice a goal that will be used in the same setting or a similar setting when the student is an adult.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and its 2004 reauthorization also mandate that student activities "promote movement from school to post-school activities, including post-secondary education, vocational education, integrated employment, continuing and adult education, adult services, independent living, or community participation."
What is a natural setting?
A natural setting is a setting within the students’ own community. It is a neighborhood community setting. It’s a setting that the student will frequent as an adult to live an independent life. An example of a natural setting is the Laundromat in Detroit. An example of what is not a natural setting is a fish farm in Dexter, MI.
A Laundromat is a natural setting because this is a setting where the student is likely to frequent as an adult to live an independent life. We go to a setting that is located within Detroit because that is where the student is going to go. They probably won’t go to one in Novi. Other examples of natural settings are the library, the bank, the post office, and the grocery store.
Why not fishing? The reason that fishing in Dexter is not a CBI trip is that it’s not a trip within the students’ community. Also, we are not working on skills that will translate (or generalize) to settings that improve the likelihood that the student will have an independent adult life. Fishing is a field trip. It’s a trip that you have aligned to the curriculum, and it might be a worthwhile field trip to learn more about the life cycle of a fish, but it’s not CBI.
We all like going to nice places and we are often enticed by a new area that is located outside our city to take trips. If we are taking trips to increase learning for the student then we need to look more closely at the students’ own environment (neighborhood). If it’s not happening in the neighborhood then it’s probably not a skill that we need to work on with that student. There just is not a need for the student to go to Great Lakes Crossing instead of a shopping center in Detroit. That’s not the place that they are most likely to do their shopping. We should practice the skills in the most realistic environment.
If the skill we are working on is exchanging money. Then why not work on that at the local supermarket rather than the pretzel line at the Mall in another city? The student is most likely and most frequently going to be exchanging money at the grocery store. It only makes the most sense to practice the skill there.
The reason that CBI is a funded activity for students with autism is that our students have trouble generalizing and learning abstract skills. If we are to use the funding the way it was intended to be used then we must teach skills in the environments that they are going to be used. That is why we are leaving the classroom to get out there in the real world and practice the skills needed for adult independent living.
What kind of data is involved in a CBI trip?
Just like with any lesson or goal that we teach there is a component of data collection. There should be a pre-test to determine the trip goals, data collection during the trip, and post-assessment data. Careful planning is involved in CBI. There must be an assessment of the student and his needs to determine where would be an appropriate setting.
What is the difference between CBI and a Field trip?
Community-Based Instruction differs from the traditional field trip in that instruction is cumulative, and usually the same skills are instructed and assessed from week to week. The emphasis is on acquisition and application of functional and age-appropriate skills in a naturalistic context.
Field trips are NOT Community-Based Instruction, and are NOT a legitimate substitute for systematic instruction in functional, age-appropriate skills in natural settings. Because they tend to be episodic, one-time activities, student needs for consistency, repeated practice, and systematic generalization are difficult to address in the context of a field trip.
Students with developmental disabilities should participate in field trips with grade-level age-peers in the context of a mainstreaming activity; presumably, if this is the case, specific IEP goals relating to socialization, communication, behavior and academic skills are addressed. However, activities of this sort do NOT constitute, nor are they a substitute for, Community-Based Instruction http://www.bcps.org/offices/special_ed/altmsa_autism/pdf/cbi_handbook.pdf
What areas of learning (goals) should be addressed in CBI?
Community- Examples would be purchasing an item, community signs, stranger danger, walking rules, traffic safety, using community resources such as post-office, using a telephone in the community, and community mobility such as riding a bus or taking a taxi.
Social Skills- Examples are greeting others; personal space, behavior skills, requesting information, asking directions, and safety skills might also fall under social domain.
Personal Management- Examples could behygiene, budgeting, opening a bank account, making grocery lists, time management, organization, and doing laundry.
Vocational- Examples are completing a task at a job site, interacting with others in a job setting, time management, work-site behavior, and specific job skills.
Recreation/leisure- Examples are library skills, navigating and performing a fitness routine at the local YMCA, renting a movie, purchasing craft supplies and making a craft.
Academics (curriculum alignment)- CBI is easily aligned to the curriculum. An easy example is that of exchanging money at the local McDonald’s. This skill aligns easily with the GLCE topics such as record, add, and subtract money.
How many trips should I take?
Community environments should be visited repeatedly so that the students can learn and then practice target skills. Community based instruction is not just exposing students to different environments; its purpose is to master target goals and skills. In order to assess, create a target goal, work on the target goal, and provide maintenance of the mastered skills then students need to go to the same place multiple times.
How can I get there?
As funding becomes less available for CBI it’s a good idea to look into incorporating a community mobility skill to the field trip. If you want to go to the post office and learn how to mail a letter why not take the city bus to get there and work on those mobility skills as well. There are also many places in the neighborhood that a class can walk. Walking can include working on skills such as traffic safety, and community signs. For many of our students both walking and taking public transportation will be necessary skills for independent adult living. It’s our job to start now.
Do I align my trips to the curriculum or the IEP goals?
The answer to this question is both.
What are some more examples of CBI trips?
My suggestions for CBI trips are:
Post Office
Library
Local restaurants
Local YMCA
The Bank
Grocery Store
Local retail store
Local Parks
Laundromat
Convenience Store/Pharmacy
What about the fun?
The fun of CBI is not in exposing students to different environments but in seeing your students master a skill that they will really use. It’s exciting to see students learn skills that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. The fun is in knowing that you have truly made a difference.