Implementation of Interventions Using Social Stories, Article Writing Example

The article by Bucholz and Brady (2008) could help many teachers and employers learn how to teach students with disabilities, as well as help practitioners implement interventions. By using certain interventions, such as Literary Based Behavioral Interventions (LBBI), practitioners are able to narrow their help and feedback based on the particular person they are trying to help as these interventions would be based on his or her specific needs. According to Bucholz and Brady, “the term LBBI includes the array of intervention formats that present opportunities for instruction and rehearsal through print or pictures and incorporates instruction with full or partial sentences, written reminders, stories, photographs, drawings, comic-strip illustrations, or other media” (2008, p. 50). These are perfect tools to be able to use in order to learn how to implement interventions to help others with disabilities. Social Stories, as indicated in the article, is one great way to improve job training. Using Social Stories helps the employer and the employee understand what needs improvement and helps create certain goals for the employee to reach. Bucholz and Brady (2008) state in order to begin this type of intervention, the writer of the LBBI should first target an employment behavior that needs improvement or further development. Afterwards, they then explain that the writer of the LBBI should target the specific behavior and replace it with behavior that is acceptable. By doing this, the employee understands that there is something wrong with the way he or she is doing a task and he or she is taught a new, more efficient way to do the task. Finally, the best thing to do in implementing this type of intervention is allow the person to know and understand that the LBBI was made specifically for that person and  that he or she can refer back to it at any time in order to help him or her do his or her jobs more effectively. The important factors to take into account when implementing an intervention plan are to do the following:

Create an intervention that is within the comprehension and language levels of the individual for whom it is being created, and decide whether some type of illustration might improve the effectiveness of the intervention. The illustration might include photographs line drawings, comic-strip style illustrations, clip art, or even links to sounds and video (53).

Practitioners can implement many different intervention programs for many different types of people. The article states that it is easy to do as long as the practitioner knows that implementing the idea will take work and will take a little time for the person to get accustomed to the new changes. But, in order for it to be successful, the practitioner should develop it for an individual, give the individual clear instructions on how it is going to help him or her, and allow that individual to take his or her time learning to implement it for themselves with the help of their practitioner. It is stated that LBBIs and other intervention programs are there to “furnish information that helps individuals know what to do in a given situation” (Bucholz & Brady, 2008, p. 54).

References

Bucholz, J. L., & Brady, M. P. (2008). An intervention for students and employees with developmental disabilities. Teaching Exceptional Children, 41(2), 50-55.