Bicycle Riding: Pedaling Made Possible Through Positive Behavioral Interventions

Abstract

This study demonstrated how the tenets of positive behavior support could be used to teach an educational activity. Emphasis was placed on the implementation of practical strategies to minimize errors during instruction and maximize positive outcomes. A 9-year-old boy with Asperger syndrome served as the participant, and the skill targeted for development was bicycle riding. An eight-step task analysis based on a highly individualized approach was used for instructional purposes. A changing criterion design was used to demonstrate progressively the emergence of bicycle riding over a span of 64 sessions. The implications of selecting target skills based on the criteria of social values, the employment of practical teaching strategies, and scientific deduction are discussed.

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