Association for Behavior Analysis International

Development of effective strategies for modifying staff behavior can have a positive impact on the learning and behavioral outcomes for students and clients in a variety of settings. This symposium will describe four studies focused on the utilization of varying forms of feedback to improve staff training outcomes. In the first study, Austin and colleagues evaluate the use of graphic feedback and goal-setting on the number of learning opportunities staff present to classroom students during instructional time. The second presentation will include a study by Shuler and colleagues that focuses on the generalization of classroom-management strategies to therapeutic-riding lessons. More specifically, the study evaluates the effectiveness of written and graphical feedback, provided to instructors, on increases in labeled praise and rider opportunities to respond. In the third study, Kamana and colleagues evaluate the utility of behavioral skills training and on-the-job feedback for increasing the healthy behavioral practices of staff in a program for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In the final study, Molony and Ringdahl evaluate the effects of in-service training and frequency of performance feedback on the maintenance of direct-care staffs’ appropriate interactions with clients. Each presentation will highlight unique considerations for staff training strategies. Finally, Dr. Dave Wilder will discuss the collective findings and areas for future research.

Advanced graduate students, BCaBA, BCBA, BCBA-D, Educators, Administrators

Decades of research on training staff to provide active treatment (e.g., Parsons, Rollyson, & Reid, 2004) has suggested (a) its importance for decreasing problem behavior and increasing appropriate behavior and (b) the efficacy of behavioral skills training (BST; Parsons, Rollyson, & Reid, 2012) and on-the-job feedback (Van OOrsouw, Embregts, Bosman, & Jahoda, 2009) for increasing important staff behaviors in programs for adults with IDD. Recently, discussion papers (e.g., Ala’i-Rosales et al., 2018) and a few research studies (e.g., St. Peter & Marsteller, 2017) have suggested the potential utility of using FBA and function-based interventions to derive preventive approaches for problem behavior. The purpose of the current study was to create a prevention approach based on common functions of problem behavior and effective function-based interventions to create four healthy behavioral practices. We used BST and on-the job feedback to increase implementation of these practices across over 150 staff. The current paper will present pre-post training analyses of individual staff performance as well as individual staff performance in observations following initial training versus subsequent observations in which on-the-job feedback was provided. Outcomes suggested increases in all practices for most staff but little consistent difference between BST alone and on-the-job feedback.