Transforming engagement: a case study of building intrinsic motivation in a child with autism

Abstract

This longitudinal case study of a 10-year-old girl with autism and severe communication impairment measures the impact of the MORE (Means, Opportunities, Reasons and Expectations) approach to enhancing engagement and communication. Through detailed observation of video data over a period of 28 months, engagement behaviours including interaction with adults and following adult directions increased, while resistant behaviours such as kicking, hitting and pushing adults away decreased. Fluctuation between different 'states' demonstrated that the frequency and duration of engagement was influenced by the MORE approach and an emphasis on developing intrinsic motivation. In order to enable further efficacy research, core features of the intervention and the changes in engagement over time are described.Key words: autism, case study, engagement, intrinsic motivation IntroductionChildren with a wide range of disabilities tend to show reduced levels of engagement (Kemp et al., 2013;Kim & Mahoney, 2004), which inevitably impacts on their learning. Furthermore, children with autism are considered to have the lowest levels of engagement in terms of frequency and duration (Kemp et al., 2013;Simpson et al., 2013): it has been argued that the tendency of children with © 2016 NASEN DOI: 10.1111/1467-8578.12137 autism to engage more with objects than people can limit learning opportunities (Adamson et al., 2010). Additionally engagement can be reduced by maladaptive behaviours (Fulton et al., 2014), which tend to persist and become an embedded part of the child's repertoire.This article describes the ways in which engagement was fostered in a 10-yearold girl who was highly resistant to any adult intervention. The MORE (Means, Opportunities, Reasons and Expectations) approach was adopted to build intrinsic motivation to cooperate with adults as a foundation for learning. EngagementEngagement is the link between the person and their action (Kemp et al., 2013) and can determine a person's achievement and school behaviour . Students who are behaviourally engaged show attention, effort and persistence (Fredricks et al., 2004). In an education context, emotional engagement refers to the ways in which students relate to staff and peers and their willingness to participate in learning activities . Both positive and negative reactions to the learning setting are part of emotional engagement; students who are positively engaged are interested in learning and see its value. Emotional engagement therefore has a strong link to motivation and the terms are used interchangeably; while Appleton et al. (2006) distinguish between engagement and motivation, the latter typically relating to 'why' a person engages.Cognitive engagement includes investing in the process of learning, putting effort into studies and working towards mastery (Fredricks et al., 2004). It is reportedly increased by challenge (Jensen, 2005) and is characterised by coping with failure and persisting despite setbacks.These aspects of engagement (behavioural, emotional and cogn...

Canine Assisted Occupational Therapy: Protocol of a Pilot Randomised Control Trial for Children on the Autism Spectrum

“…Child sessions will involve evidence-based interventions without the inclusion of the dog. Strategies used to encourage intrinsic motivation to engage will be as indicated within the treatment group with the exclusion of the therapy dog [2] [22] [23].…”

“…Interventions relying on extrinsic motivators, such as reward systems, to entice children to engage, have limited success in enhancing the duration, frequency and sustainability of behaviour [2]. Activities draw on a child's intrinsic motivation to engage show greater success for children on the autism spectrum [2] [21]. Several strategies support a child's intrinsic motivation and engagement within therapy sessions.…”

“…Several strategies support a child's intrinsic motivation and engagement within therapy sessions. Providing the child with a sense of choice within the intervention (for example, allowing the child to assist in developing the activity schedule) promotes a sense of control, facilitating engagement with the therapist and with the task [2] [22] [23]. In addition, providing children with whole tasks with multiple steps has been shown to foster greater engagement when compared to repetition of a single component [22] [23].…”

“…Beginning the session by incorporating the child's special interests has been posited to provide a more playful environment in which the child is more likely to engage [22] [23]. Incorporating the use of visuals supports, such as activity schedules and social stories, has been shown to enhance the child's sense of autonomy, whilst reducing the need for adult prompting [2] [19] [24] [25].…”

“…• Child strengths and interests identified through discussion with the parents. • Discussion of home practice expectations.Initial session with the child(2)…”