Early Intensive Behavioural Intervention (UCLA YAP Model) and Autism Ranking:

Key Features

The UCLA YAP Model of Early Intensive Behavioural Intervention is a highly structured and intense form of applied behaviour analysis in which a child is taught a range of skills by the parents and one or more consultants in the home and/or in a nursery. 

The trainers use a wide range of techniques, many of which build on everyday routines, such as eating or getting dressed.

Specific teaching methods include:

• Discrete Trial Training- a highly-structured form of training that involves a trainer instructing an individual using a series of learning opportunities or trials
• Natural Environment Teaching – a form of teaching based around the interests and preferences of the learner rather than the teacher.
• Incidental Teaching – a form of teaching in which a teacher takes advantage of naturally occurring incidents or situations to provide learning opportunities for the student.

However the trainers may also use a wide range of other interventions, such as sign language and the Picture Exchange Communication System, to suit the needs of the individual child.

Desired behaviour is positively reinforced, for example with bites of food, play with a favourite toy, hugs and lots of praise. Negative behaviour is ignored.

By using these techniques, the child can be helped to progress from simple to more complex behaviours (e.g. from basic to more complicated  self help skills, or from simple non-verbal and verbal imitation skills, which may need to be directly prompted,  to more complex  and spontaneous expressive and abstract language). He or she also leans how to play interactively first with an adult, then with peers, eventually moving from the home or clinic into the school or nursery. The aim is for a child to learn increasingly from his peers, the class teacher and the school curriculum.

It is important that any teaching matches the individual child’s needs and circumstances. For this to work, the therapists must assess the child and his or her environment on a regular basis. The curriculum and teaching techniques can then be adapted as appropriate.

It is important that all those involved in the child’s care are involved in the treatment programme, since the skills learnt in one setting (e.g. the home or clinic) tend not to transfer to other situations (e.g. the classroom) unless these are specifically taught

The success of the intervention depends on the interplay between the age of the child, his or her developmental level and personal characteristics, the intensity of the treatment, competency of the therapists and the ability of families to carry on the therapy at home.  It is important to understand that EIBI may not be appropriate for some children or parents.

Updated

16 Jun 2022

Last Review

01 Sep 2016

Next Review

01 Jan 2023