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The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of performance-based feedback delivered via email on teacher candidates' implementation of a multiple stimulus without replacement (MSWO) preference assessment with an adult confederate. Six participants enrolled in a special education teacher preparation program were recruited to participate. After exposure to an introductory MSWO training video, participant fidelity of MSWO administration was measured. Following baseline, performance feedback was delivered via e-mail to each participant after the completion of each research session. Results indicate that performance feedback delivered via e-mail improved fidelity of implementation for all six participants. Implications and future directions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Impairments in empathic responding are related to decreased social interactions and fewer friendships for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Teaching adolescents to respond empathetically during conversation may promote the development of healthy social relationships. The current study examined the effectiveness of an affective empathy video feedback intervention package to teach empathic communication to four adolescents with ASD (11–14 years old) using a multiple baseline across participants design. Two out of the four participants met mastery criterion, maintained empathy skills up to 4 weeks after intervention, and generalized empathy to a different conversational partner. Effects and implications of the intervention and results are discussed as well as future directions for research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Behavior analysts make dozens of practice-related decisions every day. Past research has extensively examined practice-related decision making by medical and other healthcare professionals, but decision making by practicing behavior analysts has garnered little research attention. The purpose of this proof of concept study was to begin a translational research agenda toward understanding what variables influence behavior analyst decision making and precisely how those variables do so. Behavior analyst decision making often involves data and the most fundamental characteristics of data are those indicating data trustworthiness—validity, reliability, and accuracy. To isolate a single independent variable, we used a lengthening data path procedure to parametrically assess how reducing data accuracy changed decisions to continue or modify an intervention in 30 students of behavior-analytic masters or doctoral programs. When data accuracy was 100%, most participants waited 9–10 trials before intervening. When data accuracy was below 60%, most participants waited 4–6 trials before intervening. To begin exploring potential behavioral processes underlying the influence of data accuracy on practice-related decisions, we also examined how well one popular description of decision making described participant choice—probability discounting. Probability discounting described the pattern of choices well for 16 of the 30 participants, suggesting other analytic frameworks should be explored. Nevertheless, data accuracy systematically influenced the majority of participants choices to continue or modify an intervention, although the degree of influence differed on an individual basis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we evaluated three lessons from a manualized social play skills intervention, Play20. Play20 is a focused intervention that is designed to improve early social skill development in children with autism spectrum disorder through naturalistic play. First, we evaluated the procedural fidelity of instructor implementation of Play20, and we also evaluated the effects of an added instructor self-monitoring checklist in further improving instructor behavior. Finally, we evaluated the effects of Play20 on child play outcomes. Instructor procedural fidelity increased in the presence of the Play20 lessons, and further improved in the presence of the instructor self-monitoring checklist. Child outcomes moderately improved as well. Implications and future directions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is the branch of behavior science focused on solving problems of social significance. For over six decades, ABA researchers and practitioners have sought to improve the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) through application of evidence-based supports. Influenced by the disability rights movement which gained momentum in 1970s and 80 s, the field of ABA has developed an array of procedures to enhance autonomy and choice of people with IDD. These include assessing individual preferences, teaching choice making, augmentative and alternative communication, and techniques for supporting greater self-control. We present behavior analytic definitions of autonomy and choice, illustrate how each of these strategies enable greater autonomy and choice of people with IDD, and discuss unresolved issues and future directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Between 30 and 50% of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) do not develop vocal language deemed functionally acceptable to meet their daily communication needs. As a result, individuals with ASD may require intervention alternatives to vocal speech, such as augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). However, very little is known about how members of the public may respond to forms of AAC. The purpose of this study was to evaluate how two commonly used AAC formats, manual sign and a selection-based speech generating device (SGD), result in access to reinforcement in the natural environment. To do this, we approached naïve adults (i.e., individuals unfamiliar with the aims of the study) and asked questions that were likely to result in reinforcement. We measured whether or not naïve adults accurately responded to each question, and we collected additional descriptive information about their reaction to that form of AAC. This study has important implications for social validity and long-term considerations of AAC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Behavior analysts visually analyze graphs to interpret data in order to make data-based decisions. Though front-line employees implement behavioral interventions on a daily basis, they are not often trained to interpret these data. A clinical decision-making model may aid front-line employees in learning how to interpret graphs. A multiple-baseline-across-participants design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of a clinical decision-making model on the percentage of correct responses when interpreting line graphs. All of the participants increased their percentage of correct responses after the introduction of the clinical decision-making model. Two of the eight participants required additional feedback. The implications of these findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By engaging with family members through video-chat technology, children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may access additional opportunities to develop social connections to build familial cohesion and access emotional support. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a behavioral intervention package in teaching social conversation via video-chat. Using a non-concurrent multiple-baseline across participants with an embedded alternating treatments design, three seven-year-old males with ASD were taught two variations of a social conversation. Their conversation skills generalized to unfamiliar adults, some of whom had no prior experience with children with ASD. When visual supports were removed, participants appropriately varied their social conversations. Social conversations continued to occur 2 weeks following the completion of the study. Results and implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the associations between sleep and challenging behaviors for average and night-to-night fluctuations in sleep, in 39 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) receiving intensive behavioral intervention (IBI). Child sleep was recorded (via actigraphy) for five nights in conjunction with clinician-reported observations of challenging behaviors. Results indicated that on average, poor sleep was associated with higher rates of repetitive behavior, negative affect, and a composite of overall challenging behaviors. These findings suggest that average sleep patterns are important within the context of IBI (rather than night-to-night fluctuations). Interventions aimed at improving overall patterns of sleep may have important cascading effects on challenging behaviors and developmental outcomes for children with ASD and their families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a shared reading intervention on narrative story comprehension and task engagement of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A single-case multiple baseline design was used, and three elementary-aged students with ASD participated in this study. The shared reading intervention included before, during, and after reading strategies (i.e., topic anticipation, dynamic reading, story retelling). Results of this study indicated that all participants demonstrated noticeable improvements in reading comprehension. Despite the longer duration of intervention sessions as compared to baseline sessions, participants showed similar or better task engagement with intervention. Improved reading outcomes were maintained at follow up for all participants. Implications for practical implementation and future research were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Special education teachers often make decisions about interventions to help reduce student problem behavior. There are many variables that impact how teachers make decisions regarding behavioral interventions, and the current study aimed to quantitatively evaluate how delay to treatment outcomes affect teacher decision-making. This study used the delay discounting framework to examine the effects of delays to treatment outcomes on special education teacher decision-making. Participants completed an online hypothetical delay discounting task based on the behavioral economic theory that the value of an outcome (e.g., treatment outcome) diminishes as the delay to that outcome increases over time. Our results indicate that most special education teachers discount delays in treatment effects, suggesting that special education teachers may prefer interventions that result in more immediate behavior change. Implications for future research and consultative practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]