Association for Behavior Analysis International

Self-management in schools involves the personal application of behavior change procedures which produces a corresponding change in desired behaviors. Self-management procedures may offer expectational utility for those with autism given the degree of independence afforded by these interventions. Research has shown the effectiveness of self-management in increasing on task behavior as well as the effectiveness of peer praise in increasing on task behavior in the mainstream classroom. Although research has evaluated the effect of self-management on on-task behavior, further replications are needed to ensure the effectiveness of these procedures. The current study sought to evaluate the effectiveness of self-management in increasing on-task behavior in the mainstream classroom. A self-management system with visual prompts and peer mediation was created for the client while staff took data on his on-task behavior for 2-minute intervals. Additionally, a reversal design was utilized to evaluate the effects of the intervention. Overall, the findings suggest the intervention was effective in improving on task behavior and subsequent modifications to the intervention resulted in improved performance compared to that of baseline. The implications and limitations of the intervention will be discussed.

This presentation identifies the issue of chronic absenteeism in the special education population. It then examines research-based strategies that would help create a positive learning environment, and increase student engagement. Then, the presentation offers an action plan to address this issue. The presentation addresses sustainability by examining the issue of chronic absenteeism in the special education population and then offers solutions to creating a learning environment that will increase and sustain student engagement in the special education population.

Functional Behavior Assessments (FBAs) effectively assess function of behavior and lead to more effective interventions than interventions not based on function (Newcomer & Lewis, 2004). Unfortunately, questions remain regarding school personnel’s ability to obtain knowledge and skills necessary to conduct FBAs and create meaningful behavior change (Scott et. al., 2005). An FBA form was created to guide the FBA process for pre-service school based personnel. A pre/post test design was used in conjunction with the (TATE) Technical Adequacy Training Tool (Iovannone et al., 2015) to compare technical adequacy of FBAs developed with the guiding form, to FBAs developed without the guiding form. Qualitative data was gathered via survey to seek feedback from users regarding their experience with the guiding form through the FBA process.

The relationship built between the educational system and families can be complex yet essential to the child's overall success. An integrated review was conducted to synthesize primary evidence around parent training and family engagement within the school system. The purpose of this review is to illuminate the cross-section between parent training and parental involvement/engagement. Parent training has been recognized as an evidence-based intervention while parental involvement research is a relatively new research topic. Parent training is more commonly found within the community setting, however, the bond between the school system and families have been growing to address children’s problem behaviors. This review seeks to answer the larger question of how parent training bridges the home-school-community communication divide to serve families better. The preliminary database search was conducted across several electronic databases (e.g. ERIC) using text words, database-specific subject headings, and age limits, when available to address parent training, parent engagement, and parental involvement. The initial search yielded 811 articles. After duplicates and the removal of articles, 268 were left for full article screening with five articles remained for the full-text review. The analysis found that, that few articles focus on bridging the home-school connection by incorporating the core principles of family involvement or engagement within their studies parent training methods.