Association for Behavior Analysis International

Promoting the Emergence of Advanced Knowledge (PEAK) Relational Training System is a four part assessment and curricula that includes programs related to direct training, training for generalization, and training via stimulus equivalence and relational frame theory. PEAK Relational Training System assessments and curricula are designed to be easily accessible by anyone, but programs with more advanced or less commonly applied verbal behavior concepts may be problematic for non-expert personnel. The current set of studies evaluate the effects of training strategies used with staff to teach them how to utilize PEAK relational training system validly. Results will be discussed.

Practitioners and therapists who conduct discrete trials with children with autism.

The present study sought to evaluate the extent to which behavioral skills training (BST) program impacted treatment integrity for six direct care staff (3 male, 3 female; aged 20-25) implementing the Promoting the Emergence of Advanced Knowledge Relational Training System (PEAK) with six individuals with autism (5 male, 1 female; aged 9-12). Students and their respective target programs were selected based on PEAK-DT PA and PEAK-DT Assessment results. BST improved overall procedural integrity for all staff involved and, more importantly, all six learners with autism improved their total percentage scores specific to the targeted programs. Generalization probes were conducted at 2-months post-BST, and all staff performance maintained well above baseline levels with novel programs. The importance of appropriate training and treatment integrity specific to the implementation of PEAK is discussed.

PEAK Relational Training System assessments and curricula are designed to be easily accessible by anyone, but programs with more advanced or less commonly applied verbal behavior concepts may be problematic for non-expert personnel. On advanced PEAK-DT programs, behavior technicians, parents, or other service implementers may choose inappropriate stimuli for training, or fail to insert stimuli at all. Three participants (2 female, 1 male; aged 21-23) working in an autism clinic demonstrated 100% accuracy in selecting appropriate stimuli to train on PEAK programs such as tacting animals and colors. However, accuracy of stimuli selected on more advanced programs (e.g., programs for metaphorical emotions, autoclitics, metonymical tacts) averaged 37% across participants in baseline conditions. In multiple baselines across two advanced PEAK programs, each participant received lists of additional multiple exemplars of appropriate stimuli to target in training. Provision of additional exemplars resulted in 93-100% accuracy across all targeted programs. Generalization probes verified participants could successfully generate additional appropriate novel stimuli for training. Results suggest that PEAK users may wish to keep records of stimuli used for programs to increase future accuracy and ease of implementation in more challenging programs.

The current studies evaluated the effectiveness of three paraprofessionals' implementation of equivalence based multiple exemplar training following behavioral skills training (BST). The paraprofessionals were trained using programs from Promoting the Emergence of Advance Knowledge Relational Training System-Equivalence (PEAK-E) and Transformation (PEAK-T) Modules. Both consist of evidence based assessment and curriculum that uses behavior analytic language and discrete trial process to promote language skills and the use of stimulus equivalence. Each was used as a tool to teach paraprofessionals how to apply equivalence training following BST. Two multiple baseline designs were used to implement a behavioral skills training package across three paraprofessionals in an autism classroom. Task analyses were used to teach symmetrical relations among weather, seasons, and months using a program in PEAK-E (data included). Results showed that paraprofessionals unfamiliar with behavior analytic language used PEAK-E to conduct multiple exemplar training following BST.