Teaching Perspective-Taking and Executive Function Skills to Children with Autism

This webinar, led by Angela Persicke, BCBA, focuses on teaching perspective-taking and executive function skills to children with autism using Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). The presentation emphasizes that cognition and complex behaviors, including perspective-taking, can be systematically taught. The speaker highlights the need for more ABA research on cognitive skills, challenging the myth that ABA produces robotic learning. The webinar outlines a structured approach: baseline testing, multiple exemplar training, and generalization assessment. Perspective-taking, a key cognitive skill, is broken down into observable behaviors linked to private events. Simple forms, like following eye gaze or responding to emotions, serve as building blocks for complex understanding. This ABA-based approach offers a framework for teaching socially critical skills to improve meaningful interactions for autistic individuals.