Behavior Analysis in Practice最新文献

Trauma-informed care (TIC) refers to the guiding principles that inform how organizations or individuals arrange services with respect to acknowledging both the prevalence and impact of trauma. Given the elevated risks of trauma in the populations with which many behavior analysts work, clarifying why, how, and if TIC should be incorporated into behavior analytic work seems prudent. Although the core commitments of TIC are inherently aligned with ethical and effective applied behavior analytic practice, there are few exemplars of how TIC can be intentionally incorporated into behavioral assessment and treatment. This special issue is intended to begin to fill that gap, as well as to promote further discussion of the benefits and limitations of TIC in ABA. In this introduction, we review both the prevalence and potential outcomes of trauma, as well as attempting to dispel misconceptions about TIC that appear common among the behavior analytic community. We highlight how the articles in the special issue are important in developing an evidence base for TIC in ABA, as well as suggesting areas for future research.

One of the most critical intervention strategies when working with individuals with significant language delays associated with autism spectrum disorder and related developmental delays is teaching mands. For mand training to be effective, an establishing operation (EO) must be in effect, yet EOs are often difficult to observe. Before learning to mand, an individual may point to or approach a reinforcer, which likely indicates an EO related to that reinforcer, and may be considered an indicating response (IR). Observing an IR before prompting a mand increases the likelihood that the prompt is delivered when an EO is in effect and that the response is truly a mand. Missing from the literature is a consistent definition of IRs and a robust set of guidelines for using them in practice. In this tutorial, we review the terms and topographies of IRs in the literature to arrive at a definition of IRs. We then provide practical, research-based recommendations for using IRs during mand training, as well as assessing, selecting, teaching, and replacing IRs. Last, we provide tools and resources related to decision making and data collection with respect to IRs.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40617-024-00965-7.

Mands are consistently described as critical learning targets for members of vulnerable populations in need of language intervention (Ala'i-Rosales et al., 2018; Michael, 1988; Sundberg, 2004). Reviews of the literature demonstrate a prevalence of the mand in the applied literature (e.g., DeSouza et al., 2017). Yet, gaps between research and practice exist in scientific fields resulting in decades-long delays between identification of evidence-based approaches and adoption in everyday use. The mand may be particularly at risk for procedural drift in practice settings given the sometimes elusive nature of establishing operations (EOs) and the relative complexity of procedures used to contrive them. Thus, the purpose of this tutorial is to build upon prior conceptual (e.g., Shafer, 1994) and applied (e.g., Cengher et al., 2022) reviews on mands to provide a contemporary, in-depth review of three procedures used to contrive EOs: incidental teaching, the interrupted chains procedure, and programmed restriction of reinforcers. Recent examples from the literature are discussed along with considerations for use in practice. Resources to support implementation including integrity checklists and role play scenarios are provided.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40617-024-00985-3.

Boyce and Hineline (2002) published their seminal article describing interteaching more than 2 decades ago. Since then, a robust line of research has emerged demonstrating the efficacy of this instructional approach in college classrooms across a variety of subjects, class sizes, levels of instruction, and in the most recent research, across various teaching and learning modalities. The purpose of this article is to provide a guide and resource for those interested in implementing interteaching in their classroom as well as those interested in conducting interteaching research. The information provided in this tutorial stems both from the current, supporting literature base and the authors' collective experiences implementing interteaching in their own classrooms over the last decade.

Evaluating online educational platforms requires studying the design, development, and implementation of the learning environment as well as the learning materials, learners, and learning process to facilitate improvements in teaching and skill acquisition. The accelerated growth of online educational tools has prompted a need for systematic evaluation of online educational platforms. Khan Academy has experienced immense popularity and is used by students worldwide. However, little research has been conducted on the effects of Khan Academy at the individual level. Thus, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Khan Academy in teaching elementary math to three participants using objective methods. Participants completed worksheets prior to and following Khan Academy to determine its effectiveness in teaching targeted math skills. Results indicated that Khan Academy was effective for all three participants. Thus, Khan Academy may be an effective tool for acquisition of elementary math.

Although applied behavior analysis (ABA) practice guidelines exist (Behavior Analyst Certification Board^® [BACB^®], 2020; Council of Autism Service Providers [CASP], 2020), research has shown that barriers to their implementation can be present in everyday clinical practice across a variety of areas (e.g., Blackman et al., 2023; DiGennaro Reed et al., 2015; Oliver et al., 2015; Roscoe et al., 2015; Sellers et al., 2019). To date there are no published studies that have assessed the status of procedural-integrity training, practices, and barriers experienced by Board Certified Behavior Analysts^® (BCBAs^®) providing ABA services. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to determine the extent to which BCBAs engaged in the procedural-integrity monitoring process and what barriers they encounter in clinical practice. To gather this information, we surveyed BCBA practitioners. The findings reveal that BCBAs often observe providers implementing clinical services and provide feedback; however, they reported that a lack of training, time, and established systems, along with competing contingencies were barriers to engaging in data related procedural-integrity responsibilites (data collection, tracking, and analysis). Based on these findings, implications for BCBA training and support in addition to potential solutions and future research directions are discussed.

Many toddlers are likely to exhibit challenging behavior that caregivers may find stressful or difficult to manage. However, intensive behavioral intervention addressing challenging behavior may be costly and unnecessary if the parents can be taught how to assess and treat everyday challenging behavior in a practical manner. We conducted this study with caregiver implementers of five neurotypical toddlers who exhibited some level of challenging behavior. In addition, the caregivers and the families all identified as Latin Americans. The functional analyses identified a context in need of treatment in around 15 min and the treatment taught the toddlers increasingly complex communication responses that eliminated challenging behavior. In addition, caregivers completed a social validity questionnaire supporting the practical use of the assessment and treatment procedures in their home setting. We discuss the importance of these findings in terms of culturally relevant care.

Hispanic/Latiné individuals are not well-represented among master's and doctoral level board certified behavior analysts despite being well-represented at certificant levels with fewer educational requirements (i.e., registered behavior technicians and board certified assistant behavior analysts). To increase Hispanic/Latiné representation among master's and doctoral level behavior analysts, the field must first identify barriers that may be preventing individuals from this population from pursuing careers in behavior analysis. We surveyed undergraduate students who were currently enrolled in or had previously completed at least one behavior analytic course about their experiences with sociocultural barriers (e.g., lack of mentorship, white-centered pedagogy) previously suggested in the literature. Results indicated that, relative to white students, mentorship and diverse classroom examples are more likely to increase Hispanic/Latiné students’ plans to pursue behavior analysis. Implications and future directions for creating supportive environments for Hispanic/Latiné students are discussed.

Variable-ratio (VR) schedules of reinforcement can lead to steady response rates and make behavior less resistant to extinction but can be difficult to implement with fidelity. Utilizing a concurrent multiple baseline design across participants, we sought to determine how classroom assistant (CA) delivery of VR schedules followed mean and variability requirements and evaluated the effects of programmed schedules of reinforcement on the implementation of VR schedules. Results suggest that the use of programmed schedules of reinforcement led CAs to increase the variability of reinforcer delivery and remain closer to the desired mean. Programmed schedules of reinforcement increase the variability in classroom assistant-implemented VR schedules. Programmed schedules of reinforcement assist classroom assistants in remaining close to the intended mean of the VR schedule. Programmed schedules of reinforcement are cost-effective and easy to provide for classroom assistants in the classroom. The descriptive statistic range can be used to characterize the variability of reinforcement schedules.