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As the prevalence of autistic children receiving special education continues to increase, educators are expected to identify and implement evidence-based interventions for autistic students. Unfortunately, there are numerous barriers to implementation of evidence-based interventions in schools and educators report a lack of adequate training regarding the needs of autistic students and appropriate intervention approaches. Modular approaches to intervention are a promising but untested strategy for helping educators receive training on evidence-based interventions and support with implementation. This study uses mixed methods to explore the initial feasibility of the Modular Approach to Autism Programs in Schools (MAAPS) in typical school settings. Key indicators of feasibility are presented using the RE-AIM framework (Glasgow et al. "American journal of public health," 89(9), 1322-1327, Glasgow et al., 1999), with emphasis on intervention fidelity, social validity, and promise of efficacy. Additionally, directions for future research are discussed.

This study evaluated the use of the Prevent-Teach-Reinforce (PTR) model as an intensive individualized behavior intervention. Three educators and three high school students with autism spectrum disorder participated in the study. A concurrent multiple baseline design across participants was used to demonstrate the outcomes. The results indicated that the educators implemented the PTR intervention plans with high levels of fidelity, and their implementation of the intervention plans led to decreases in problem behavior and increases in replacement behavior across all three participating students with autism spectrum disorder. The educators demonstrated using the Individualized Behavior Rating Scale Tool effectively as designed to monitor student progress, and the educators and students found the PTR intervention to be acceptable and satisfactory. All three educators expressed interest in continuing to implement the PTR intervention after the completion of the study. Implications and areas for future research are discussed.

Although there is a wealth of research supporting the effectiveness of using functional behavior assessment (FBA) to inform development of behavior intervention plans (BIPs), schools continue to find the FBA and BIP process challenging for implementation, particularly for students with emotional and/or behavioral disorders (EBDs) in high school settings. The current study evaluated the use of the prevent-teach-reinforce (PTR) FBA model for three high school students with EBD in self-contained settings. Results indicated that PTR was effective at reducing problem behaviors and increasing replacement behaviors for all three students. Teachers implemented the interventions with high levels of fidelity. Social validity scores obtained from both teachers and students indicated acceptability of the PTR process and outcomes. Limitations and areas for future research are suggested.

Background: Although many interventions have empirical support in improving the outcomes of students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), schools struggle with implementation of these interventions. Method and materials: We conducted 13 focus groups with 69 participants who included parents, educators, and administrators across three states to examine the challenges schools face in implementing evidence-based interventions (EBIs) and to evaluate the acceptability and contextual fit of the Modular Approach to Autism Programs for Schools (MAAPS). MAAPS is a comprehensive modular intervention that uses an active coaching process to guide school-based teams in selecting, planning, and implementing EBIs that are customised to meet individual student needs. Results: Results suggest that when implementing EBIs, schools face considerable challenges including limited resources (eg funding, personnel, materials, time) and personnel training. MAAPS was considered highly acceptable primarily due to the involvement of a coach who would support the teacher. Specifically, participants indicated that the physical presence of the coach actively providing support could help relieve the stressors and burdens of the teacher. Conclusions: Interpretations of these findings are discussed in terms of their implications on understanding the challenges schools face when adopting and implementing EBIs.

To date there are no evidence-based comprehensive interventions for use in school settings. There are numerous barriers to delivery of high-quality interventions in schools that have limited the transfer of research-based interventions to school settings. "Modular Approach to Autism Programing for Schools (MAAPS)" is a framework for implementation of evidence-based interventions in school settings that is designed to address these barriers. The development and initial evaluation of MAAPS was conducted using an implementation-science framework and results indicate that MAAPS is aligned with needs and resources available in schools, that it had excellent social validity, and that there is good evidence that MAAPS is effective for addressing core and associated features of autism in educational settings. [For the corresponding grantee submission, see ED605688.]

Students in general education classrooms are increasingly being identified as being in need of individualized behavior supports. Thus, this study assessed the Prevent-Teach-Reinforce (PTR) model to determine its impact on problem and replacement behaviors of typically developing students with behavioral challenges in a high-need elementary school setting. In addition, the study examined the validity and usability of the Individualized Behavior Rating Scale Tool (IBRST), which was developed in conjunction with the PTR model as a feasible daily progress monitoring tool. A multiple baseline across participants was employed with three first grade students to evaluate the impact of implementation of the model on the students' behaviors. The results of the study indicated that the PTR model was effective in reducing problem behaviors and increasing the use of replacement behaviors for all three participants. In addition, the IBRST completed by the teachers was found to have a substantial correlation to data collected during direct observations.

It has been more than two decades since the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA; 1997) included language about the use of functional behavior assessments (FBAs) and behavior intervention plans (BIPs) to address the challenging behaviors of students with disabilities in schools. It has been more than ten years since three technical adequacy studies were published that evaluated school-based FBAs' and BIPs' inclusion of essential components and found them to be significantly lacking. The aims of this study were to expand upon the previous research by (a) establishing the psychometric properties of the FBA/BIP Technical Adequacy Evaluation Tool (TATE), (b) evaluating the technical adequacy of 135 completed FBAs and 129 BIPs from 13 school districts across a single state, and (c) comparing the findings to previous studies. The results showed that (a) the TATE has moderate but acceptable internal consistency, excellent inter-rater reliability, and good content validity, (b) the technical adequacy scores of the evaluated products ranged between 40% and 50% of the total components, and (c) most of the BIPs had similar flaws to those seen in the previous research; however, improvement was noted in the FBA components. The implications for practice and suggestions for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A functional behavior assessment is a process for identifying events in the environment that reliably precede (i.e., antecedents) and follow (i.e., consequences) problem behavior. This information is used to develop an intervention plan. There are two types of antecedents--triggers and setting events. Triggers are antecedent events that happen just before the behavior and seem to push it to happen while setting events can occur at a time removed before the behavior (hours or even days) and set the whole chain in motion. Setting events are not always affecting problem behavior, and they can be difficult to understand and to identify. However, when they are playing a role, it is important that they be included in the functional behavior assessment because support plans will need to incorporate them to be effective. In this article, we describe setting events, discussing how they work and why. We then explain how setting events might be identified, and how they can be incorporated into intervention planning.

School psychologists deliver a broad array of services within schools including consulting, training, chairing/facilitating teams, and evaluating students to qualify for services. Often, school psychologists are faced with competing demands and multiple barriers to effective service delivery. Fortunately, teleconsultation may reduce the impact of these barriers. In this article, the authors review several barriers to effective service delivery and identify ways that teleconsultation may be useful to mitigate those barriers.

"Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder" (ADHD) is one of the most prevalent disorders in school-age children. Children with ADHD often have difficulty at school and at home. Medication is a common treatment for children with ADHD; however, it has been shown to be more effective when combined with behavioral interventions. Self-management has extensive research support showing its effectiveness for children with ADHD primarily in academic settings. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact a self-management intervention would have on the on-task behavior of children during various routines, both academic and nonacademic, in the home setting. Participants were trained to use a self-management intervention. In addition, parents were trained to conduct accuracy checks on their child's performance as well as deliver feedback and rewards. All three participants showed an increase in on-task behavior following the implementation of the self-management intervention; two of the three participants' on-task behavior maintained high, stable levels as the self-management schedule was faded. One participant's on-task behavior did not maintain high levels and therefore required implementation of a self-management plus reinforcement for on-task behavior condition to reestablish high, stable levels of on-task behavior. For one participant, the duration of the targeted routine increased. Current limitations are discussed, and recommendations for future research in this area are provided.

Data assessment is critical for determining student behavior change in response to individualized behavior interventions in schools. This study examined the interrater agreement of the Individualized Behavior Rating Scale Tool (IBRST), a perceptual direct behavior rating tool that was used by typical school personnel to record behavior occurrence in students requiring individualized interventions. Two independent observers (teacher and data collector) used the IBRST to rate student-specific problem and appropriate behaviors during specified observation times. Data were collected across 19 students and agreement between raters was compared. Resulting linear- and quadratic-weighted kappa coefficients indicated generally adequate agreement between raters on problem behaviors and appropriate behaviors. When ratings were categorized into more or less salient behaviors, less than adequate agreement (<0.60) was found for some behaviors that were less salient. Agreement remained stable from baseline to intervention. Implications for practice, limitations of the study, and directions for future research are discussed.

This study was conducted to examine the feasibility and potential efficacy of implementing an adapted, family-centered version of the school-based prevent-teach-reinforce (PTR) model. The research included two families who implemented the PTR process for their children in collaboration with the researchers. The adapted PTR was tested using a multiple baseline design across routines to examine changes in child behavior across experimental conditions. Results indicated that the adapted PTR intervention was associated with reduction in child problem behavior and increases in alternative behavior in both target and non-target routines. The results also indicated that the parents were able to implement the behavior intervention plan with fidelity and successfully use the PTR process for a novel routine. The PTR intervention also had high social validity ratings; both self- and novel-rated validity indicated that the PTR intervention was acceptable to both families and the community at large. The data are discussed in terms of the expanding evidence related to the PTR model and the extension to a family context.

Although there is a substantial empirical foundation for the basic intervention components of behavior analysis and positive behavior support (PBS), the field still lacks a standardized program model of individualized PBS suitable for widespread application by school personnel. This article provides a description of a standardized PBS model that is in the process of development and large-scale evaluation. The "Prevent-Teach-Reinforce" (PTR) model is designed to meet the behavior support needs of students with serious behavior challenges in a broad range of school settings. Included in this article are an overview of the model's components and implementation process, two case examples, and a discussion of the model's status and future directions. (Contains 2 tables and 2 figures.)

Although there is literature supporting the effectiveness of tertiary behavioral supports, the majority of the studies have been conducted with single-subject designs. The Prevent-Teach-Reinforce (PTR) model is a standardized model of a school-based tertiary intervention. This study reports initial results from a randomized controlled trial to compare whether the PTR model, as implemented by typical school personnel, is more effective than interventions typically used (i.e., services as usual). To date, 245 students in Grades K-8 have been enrolled in the study, and preliminary results show that students who received the PTR intervention had significantly higher social skills and academic engaged time and significantly lower problem behavior when compared with students who received services as usual. Teachers gave high social validity ratings to the intervention. Implications for widescale school adoption are discussed. (Contains 3 tables.)

This article identifies six core elements that have empirical support and should be included in instructional programs for students with autistic spectrum disorders. They are: (1) individualized supports and services; (2) systematic instruction; (3) comprehensible/structured learning environments; (4) specialized curriculum content; (5) functional approach to problem behavior; and (6) family involvement. (Contains references.) (Author/DB)