RUTHERFORD, NJ – Felician University’s International Center for Autism and disabilities Research in Education (I-CAdRE) participated in a three-part training series for 30 educators and professionals in North Jersey in September 2021. This training was a part of the St. Francis Grant and those who attended are all supporters of individuals with autism in underserved schools. Co-founder of the Self & Match System and Assistant Professor, Dr. Katharine Croce, BCBA, led the seminar with fellow co-founder, Jamie Salter, Ed.S., BCBA.

This hands-on and interactive workshop took place virtually, and provided individuals with an opportunity to learn a distinct, self-monitoring intervention, and motivational system that can be used in various settings. The system is user-friendly and can be easily implemented right away.

The Self and Match System is a self-monitoring and motivational system grounded in the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). This behavior intervention promotes systematic behavioral success for children and young adults who use self-monitoring with a match constituent. It requires the student and adult to independently answer 3-5 questions and then compare the results. After the comparison, the answers are broken down into a points system (for example, 2 points for a ‘yes’ and 1 point for a ‘no’). The student would then receive reinforcement at pre-determined times that are contingent upon the percentage of points earned.

There are four fundamental components of the Self and Match System:

• Systematic planning before beginning an intervention
• No one is perfect (Self and Match advocates setting a student’s criteria for reinforcement at 80-85%, not 100%)
• Linking function of behavior to intervention & reward options which leads to increased success
• Interventions change as students change (frequently reviewing the data to determine if any changes are necessary)

The next training session will occur on December 3, 2021.

For more information about the Self and Match System, click here or contact Dr. Katharine Croce at crocek@felician.edu.

For information regarding Felician University’s I-CAdRE, click here.

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About Felician University

Felician University inspires and engages more than 2,300 undergraduate, graduate, and adult education students through programs in its schools of Arts & Sciences, Business, Nursing, and Education. In the past three years, Felician University has ranked 3^rd in New Jersey in “Best Return on Investment for Private Colleges” by the PayScale.com College ROI Report and the “#1 Safest College Campus in NJ” by niche.com. With campuses in Rutherford and Lodi, New Jersey, the Franciscan values of social justice, compassion, and respect for human dignity serve as an inclusive foundation for transforming the lives of tomorrow’s leaders. For more information, please visit https://felician.edu.