Association for Behavior Analysis International

Having a clearer understanding of what qualities and corresponding behaviors contribute to exceptional service delivery may allow practitioners to strengthen their behavioral repertoire and, by extension, improve client well-being. Initial data utilizing the Exemplary Behavior Analyst Checklist (EBAC) indicates that U.S.-based behavior analysts believe being ethical, data-driven, analytical, client-centered, and applied are the most important characteristics to being an outstanding practitioner (Zayac et al., 2021). The current study expanded this research by asking Board Certified Behavior Analysts located outside of the United States to identify the characteristics and corresponding behaviors of individuals they consider to be exemplary in the profession. Seventy participants from 22 countries rated the extent to which exemplary behavior analysts display each quality and corresponding behaviors on the EBAC using a 1 (never exhibits this quality) to 5 (always exhibits this quality) Likert-type scale. Participants also ranked their top ten qualities in order of importance. The results showed agreement between the international and U.S.-based behavior analysts on eight out of the top ten characteristics, with the top five selections being the same (but in different order). These findings suggest there are a set of core characteristics and behaviors displayed by exemplary behavior analysts.

Research indicates that staff knowledge and perceived confidence to manage behaviours that challenge is positively impacted by staff training. Following the recent increase of remote working, this study investigates whether online training in key areas of applied behaviour analysis improves an understanding of behaviours that challenge. Staff supporting individuals with behaviours that challenge at four different care homes were invited to complete online training videos. Participants (N=18) completed pre and post questionnaires to measure knowledge at four points: before viewing, during the video, upon completion and one month after. Participants were provided with fictional scenarios and correctly identified the function of a behaviour 38.9% of the time at baseline, 83.1% after training and 100% at 1-month follow up. Overall, scores in most knowledge domains increased, however on average were high (79%) at baseline. Fourteen participants described what they will do differently following the training, of which 10 described how they have changed their practice one month later. Results suggest that training can be an effective tool for increasing an understanding of behaviours that challenge. Further evaluation of training in combination with individualised input to reduce behaviours that challenge should be considered.

Transition-aged youth with intellectual disability (ID) often experience barriers to community integration due to limited transportation. One method to overcome this barrier is to teach youth with ID to use a ridesharing application (app), such as Lyft or Uber. Four youth with ID, ages 18-22, used a ridesharing app to access community locations as part of their transition program on a university campus. A single case multiple baseline across participants design was used to evaluate the efficacy of classroom and community direct instruction. Social validity of the teaching procedures was assessed via participant satisfaction surveys and exit interviews. Results indicated a functional relation between the classroom and community instruction and number of steps completed independently to request and use a ridesharing app for two of the four participants. Two participants demonstrated an ascending trend line during baseline which diminished the confidence in a functional relation for these participants. Implications for teaching transportation skills to enhance quality of life for transition-age youth with ID is discussed.

This study investiaged whether an iPad-based speech-generating device (SGD) and systematic insruction were effective in child acquisition of question answering. The study was conducted with two children with autism using a multiple probe across behaviors design. Results demonstrated that the iPad-based SGD and systematic instruction resulted in acquisition of answering all questions. Follow-up data were collected one, three, and five weeks after instruction ended. For all participants, skills maintained during follow-up and generalized to novel settings and skills. Social validity data were also collected and indicated that teachers without experience using SGDs found them to be effective and feasible for teaching communication skills.