Association for Behavior Analysis International

This symposium presents three papers that evaluated student behavioral outcomes of interventions implemented by teachers in pre-kindergarten or elementary school classrooms within public schools and a meta-analytic review of studies that utilized behavioral procedures to train educators in implementing behavioral interventions. The behavioral interventions examined in the first three studies include Class Pass Intervention, high-p instructional sequences with and without differential reinforcement, and antecedent-based intervention of seating arrangement using stability stools and scoop rocker chairs. The studies report increased academic engagement and decreased problem behavior, initiation and compliance to low-probability instructions, or increased on-task behavior in students with varying disabilities. The last paper examined the characteristics of 20 studies and the variables that moderate the effectiveness of teacher training interventions.

Basic understanding of school-based interventions, evidence-based behavioral interventions, treatment integrity, and approaches to teacher training

Disruptive behavior is a challenge to classroom management for many teachers. Behavior such as calling out, getting out of seat, and off-task during instructions interfere with instructional time and have negative impacts on student learning. The Class Pass Intervention (CPI) is an antecedent-based intervention that has proven effective in decreasing disruptive behavior and increasing academic engagement for students of various ages and skill levels. This presentation introduces the results of a study on the use of CPI, which targeted three elementary school students with varying disabilities and assessed its impact on student behavior during academic time periods. Using a multiple-baseline across participants design, this study evaluated the impact of CPI on the students’ academic engagement and disruptive behavior, specifically when reinforcement was systematically faded across sessions. Results indicated that the CPI successfully decreased disruptive behavior and increased academic engagement of two of the participating students. Further, the intervention remained effective when reinforcement was thinned systematically for one student, and the effects generalized to nontargeted academic time periods for all three students.

The antecedent-based strategy, known as the high-probability (high-p) instructional sequence has been one effective way to facilitate teachers to prevent noncompliant behavior and increase acquisition of functional and adaptive behaviors for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). However, the outcomes of using the high-p instructional sequence as an intervention in school settings remain inconsistent. This presentation outlines the outcomes of using the high-p instructional sequence intervention during pre-academic and academic activities for three young children ASD served in a pre-kindergarten or elementary classroom. The outcomes of the intervention were examined using a multiple-baseline across participants design. The results indicated that for one of three participants, higher rates of compliance with low-p activity instructions were displayed during the high-p intervention alone phase and maintained above criterion level during high-p fading. For two children, adding a differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA) to high-p was necessary to increase initiation and compliance to criterion levels.

Characteristics of emotional and behavioral disabilities (EBD) include learning difficulties that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors and an inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers. Often, children with EBD have a tendency to have negative experiences in school and engage in challenging behavior in the classroom. This could stem from their lack of desire or motivation to succeed, which is often found in individuals with EBD. One possible antecedent manipulation, alternative seating, may reduce problem behavior and involves exchanging the typical seating and tables in classrooms for different types of seating options with various sizes and functions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of stability stools and scoop rocker chairs on in-seat behavior and on-task behavior in classrooms with children with EBD. All three participants demonstrated improvements in in-seat behavior using both types of alternative seating compared to a standard classroom chair. On-task behavior improved for all students but was variable for two students. Teachers preferred the stability stool while results were mixed between the stool and the rockers on preference by students.

Although the use of evidence-based interventions has shown to yield positive outcomes for the students being served, many educators do not incorporate evidence-based interventions in their instructional practice. Even when they are incorporated, educators may not always maintain sufficient levels of treatment fidelity during and following training. Treatment fidelity is important because it has been associated with improvement in student outcomes. Generally, implementing interventions with fidelity should be a prerequisite before expecting favorable student outcomes. The current study identified and evaluated peer-reviewed studies that utilized behavioral procedures to train educators in implementing behavioral interventions. All studies included in the analysis met the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) standards with or without reservations. Characteristics of the participants, behaviors targeted for educators and students, and educators’ involvement in the training process will be described. Effectiveness of key components of training, effects of training on student outcomes, and effects of training on generalization and maintenance of skills will be reported. Implications for practice and future research will be discussed.