Behavior Analysis in Practice最新文献

This study evaluates the effects of a treatment package to reduce toe-walking (TW) in four male children with autism spectrum disorder, aged between three and six years, with persistent TW. The treatment package involved a combination of motor exercises, positive reinforcement, corrective feedback, and precision teaching. We used concurrent multiple probes across participants design, with RESA checks, to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention. We measured the correct steps during probe sessions, the rate per minute of correct steps during the training, the ankle joint's passive range of motion, and social validity, measured through caregiver questionnaires before and after the intervention. The results indicated a decrease in TW across all participants, with a beneficial effect on the participants' gait patterns and overall physical mobility. It also underscored the potential for applying such an intervention to improve the daily lives of children with ASD. However, the study has several limitations, including not directly measuring generalization, the brief follow-up period post-intervention, and the absence of a component analysis to determine the differential effects of the intervention components.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40617-024-01035-8.

Jessel et al. (Behavior Analysis in Practice, 17, 727-745, 2024) demonstrated that results from the performance-based, interview-informed synthesized contingency analysis (IISCA) had strong correspondence when compared to typical IISCA procedures and produced positive outcomes with resultant functional communication training procedures. On the basis of the assumption that functional analyses may include potentially adverse events insofar as they deliberately and repeatedly arrange conditions suspected to evoke dangerous behavior, Jessel and colleagues argued in favor of aligning functional analysis procedures with guidelines of trauma-informed care. We replicated and extended Jessel et al. (Behavior Analysis in Practice, 17, 727-745, 2024) by conducting a performance-based IISCA with three children with autism referred for behavioral services due to dangerous behavior and by evaluating a comprehensive skill-based treatment informed by the performance-based IISCA. The skill-based treatment resulted in the eventual elimination of dangerous behavior and the acquisition of multiple important skills, with caregivers implementing treatment sessions for two of the three participants. Assessment and intervention procedures and outcomes were socially validated by all participating families.

While working in educational settings remains the second largest area of professional emphasis for Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs), there is a scarcity of research about how these professionals are prepared to provide services and supports in school-based placements. We investigated perceptions of school-based behavior analysts about their levels of preparation and confidence in applying their understanding of knowledge areas specific to school-based practice (i.e., multidisciplinary teaming, Individual Education Program teams, educational curricula and assessments, grade level benchmark standards and alternate standards for students with extensive support needs, educational law, and case law). Our focus was on identifying facilitators and barriers to effective school-based practice within their initial preparation. Additionally, we investigated how these professionals continued their education in these areas after receiving their initial credential. A total of 116 BCaBAs, BCBAs, or BCBA-Ds across each major geographic area of the United States completed a 26-item survey containing closed and open-ended questions. Most respondents perceived their initial behavior analysis training as providing no or minimal preparation in specific areas related to provision of services in educational settings. Those who had received supervised fieldwork in school settings rated their confidence in application of these areas in their practice higher than those who lacked such experience. Many respondents indicated that they had pursued or planned to seek additional training in these areas. They also identified facilitators and barriers to preparation for effective school-based practice. We discuss the results, implications for systems change, professional practice, and areas of future research.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40617-024-01028-7.

Actors need to memorize lines of text to audition for roles with a limited amount of time; therefore, an evidenced-based system may help ensure adequate preparation for auditions. Precision Teaching is a subspecialty within behavior analysis focused on precise definitions and continuous measurement of dimensional features of behavior and analyzes behavioral data to accelerate behavioral repertoires by promoting fluency. One way to promote fluency is through Say All Fast Minute Each Day Shuffled (SAFMEDS), a procedure that has been shown to increase recall through practice and assessment and is a systematic tool for learning that is an improvement over standard flashcard methods. The current study compares the effects of see-say and hear-say learning channel sets on the recall of long theatrical texts for one actor and one non-actor using an adapted alternating treatments design. Results demonstrate that the hear-say learning channel set was most effective for both participants. Additionally, these skills generalized during MESAA tests for both monologues and participants in the absence of the SAFMEDS cards and in novel environments. Participants reported high satisfaction with both treatments, indicating high utility in developing fluency.

In over 30 US states since early this century, behavior analysts have worked for months and years to secure laws to license behavior analysts. At present, very few published accounts exist to document those efforts and to provide models and recommendations for behavior analysts who are interested in advocating for licensure or some form of governmental regulation of behavior analysts. Many are well-prepared in behavior analysis but have little preparation for dealing effectively with the contingencies and procedures involved in making public policies. We provide an account of the extended, complicated efforts by behavior analysts in one state that culminated in establishment of state licensure of behavior analysts. Key activities described here include foundational organizational work by a state behavior analysis organization, preliminary licensure efforts, educating behavior analysts on public policy advocacy, establishing relationships with legislators and their staff as well as government regulatory agency personnel, developing of important alliances with various stakeholders, and review of final successful efforts. Successful efforts and lessons learned are reviewed.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40617-024-01030-z.

The use of single-subject research designs is common among behavior analysts, as well as among other professionals interested in the study of behavior. Although there are clear guidelines for creating graphs to represent data collected with these designs, the type of tools used to produce them requires considerable time and effort to cover the specific criteria to plot data for each type of design and always involves the purchase of a software's license. This manuscript describes four functions created in R language to automatically produce plots with specific characteristics for data collected using single-subject experimental designs. These functions were included in a package created in R to facilitate their sharing, installation, and use (R package for data analysis and representation in behavior science, https://github.com/ruizvja/RDARBS). The application of these functions is exemplified for the cases of reversal design, multi-element design, changing criteria, and multiple baseline. The relevance and convenience of functions is illustrated and discussed in the context of other proposals that have been made for the specialized production of plots for single-subject research designs.

Despite the increasing number of registered behavior technicians (RBTs) certified yearly, applied behavior-analytic organizations report difficulties in hiring and retaining RBTs in Florida. The current study evaluated RBTs' work experiences related to the shortage of RBTs in Florida, particularly work concerns that lead to burnout and turnover. Eleven RBTs were interviewed regarding their working conditions and perspectives on the RBT working conditions. A thematic analysis yielded four main themes: (1) challenges establishing and maintaining competency; (2) difficult working conditions; (3) a transient or unheard-of career; and (4) dissatisfaction with pay and benefits. Results suggested that RBTs' experiences vastly differed across organizations and that a combination of variables impact RBT burnout and turnover, which may contribute to burnout and turnover among RBTs in Florida. Implications for future research on RBT burnout and turnover and recommendations for organizations are discussed.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40617-024-01033-w.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1007/s40617-023-00905-x.].