Association for Behavior Analysis International

Burnout is a pervasive phenomenon that affects individuals across various professions and industries. However, in the field of behavior analysis, the issue of burnout is particularly salient given the high demands and intense nature of the work. Board-certified behavior analysts are required to provide evidence-based interventions to individuals with a wide range of developmental disabilities, often within complex environments. The stress and pressure associated with behavior analytic work can have significant negative consequences on the well-being and job performance of board-certified behavior analysts. This poster aims to explore the concept of burnout in the context of board-certified behavior analysts. Specifically, it seeks to understand the prevalence, risk factors, and impacts of burnout on board-certified behavior analysts, as well as the strategies and interventions that may help mitigate burnout in this population. By examining these issues, this review will contribute to a better understanding of the unique challenges faced by board-certified behavior analysts, and help identify effective ways to support their well-being and job satisfaction.

As of 2021, around seven million children in the United States have been diagnosed with a disability. Of these children, almost 12% of these students are also categorized as an English Learner (EL). Although research in the area advocates for bilingual education to accommodate the evolving student body, the language of instruction in schools across the United States remains primarily English, and parents are advised to speak only in English at home to their children. Further, while many children with disabilities display challenging behaviors, breadth of research on heritage-language instruction and challenging behaviors for children with disabilities remains narrow. Few studies examine this relationship, and no formal critique of these interventions exist. In this literature review, I review and critique four articles for the following research question: Is there evidence to suggest that heritage-language instruction decreases rates of challenging behaviors in early elementary-aged children with disabilities? In the review, selected single case research studies are described and evaluated in terms of internal and external validity, and recommendations for future research and current practice are discussed.

Special education teachers and paraeducators have reported barriers to effective training for training and coaching paraeducators. Built-in time for teacher-paraeducator collaboration with specific training and feedback have been requested by key stakeholders. Practice-based coaching (PBC) is a job-embedded coaching model and incorporates a non-hierarchical and collaborative relationship between the coach and coachee. ParaImpact is a multi-component professional development (PD) package. The package includes online instructional modules and PBC framework with teacher-as-coach to increase implementation fidelity of evidence-based practices by paraeducators. ParaImpact is designed to support the ongoing training of special education teachers to coach paraeducators to implement systematic instruction with high fidelity. We evaluated the effectiveness and accessibility of the ParaImpact PD package in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) with a treatment and control condition. We utilized pre-post measures for teacher and paraeducator cohesion and improvement of IEP. Additionally, we measured 4 waves of outcome data for paraeducator and target student behavior. Two-level multilevel modeling (MLM) was used to analyze repeated data. Multiple regression model was used to analyze pre-post measures with the pre-test scores as a covariate. We measured the social validity of ParaImpact from treatment teachers and paraeducators. Implications for future research and practice will be discussed.

Training opportunities allow the workforce to enhance career growth, develop skills and knowledge, and deliver excellent service for individuals they serve. Traditional training such as lecture, group discussion, and role playing have typically been the most widely used formats (Grampesheh, et. al., 2010). ELearning training has become more mainstreamed which can be both challenging (Bughun, et.al., 2018) and innovative. Online training allows trainees to customize their trainings based on individual time and location. Due to the development of information technology and the Internet, people are replacing traditional training with eLearning to better manage their workforce (Lim, et.al., 2007). If planned appropriately training programs can provide important benefits to organizations which can include an increase in job satisfaction, better morale among the employees, increased motivation, better understanding of concepts, reduce turnover, and enhance company image (Gutterman, 2023). The focus of this research is to provide a literature review on the impact of eLearning trainings within applied behavior analysis programs.

Research has shown that positive feedback can increase students' on-task behavior and reduce problem behavior in the classroom. The aim of this study was to examine the rate of teachers' verbal feedback in one school in Iceland and measure its association with students' on-task behavior. The participants in this study were 31 teachers and approximately 650 students of theirs, aged five to 16 years. Direct observations were carried out three times during the school year. Ninety-two measurements took place in classes from the first to the tenth grades. The main results were that students received more negative feedback than positive. Most of the negative feedback was on social behavior and positive on academic performance. Positive feedback on social behavior was rarely given. The students' on-task behavior was 83%, a higher proportion than in the previous study in Iceland. Peer distraction was the most common reason for students being off-task. The study results showed a significant positive correlation between positive feedback on academic performance and students' on-task behavior and instructions, explanations, expositions, and on-task behavior. A significant negative correlation was between negative feedback on social behavior and students' on-task behavior.

Regulation and self-management are two essential factors for young children's readiness for the expectations and demands they face in kindergarten and school, and for coping with the world. Self-management is a cluster of learned skills that are mediated, modified and encouraged in early childhood through parents. An activity schedule is an intervention strategy developed to promote children's self-management, and to increase independent engagement in completing activities. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the effect of the use of an electronic activity schedule on the independent completion of a morning routine. The participants were two sisters, aged 4.5 and 6.5 years. The dependent variable, independent completion of the morning routine, was directly observed and measured using event recording and graphically presented as percentage of steps of the morning routine completed independently. Social validity data were collected from the participants and their mother. The findings showed that independent completion steps of the participants were low and variable during baseline and immediately improved to 100% during intervention. The participants were satisfied with the intervention's procedures and findings. The study concluded that an electronic activity schedule may improve the quality of the morning routine.