scholarly journals Procedural sensitivities of effect sizes for single-case designs with directly observed behavioral outcome measures.

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 217-235 ◽  
Author(s):  
James E. Pustejovsky
2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 1-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barry Wright ◽  
David Marshall ◽  
Joy Adamson ◽  
Hannah Ainsworth ◽  
Shehzad Ali ◽  
...  

BackgroundA Social Story™ (Carol Gray) is a child-friendly intervention that is used to give children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) social information in situations where they have social difficulties. Limited evidence mainly using single-case designs suggests that they can reduce anxiety and challenging behaviour.ObjectivesThe objectives were to conduct a systematic review, use this to develop a manualised intervention and run a feasibility trial to inform a fully powered randomised controlled trial (RCT) on their clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness in schools.DesignThis is a three-stage study following the Medical Research Council framework for complex interventions. Specifically, it involved a theoretical phase, a qualitative stage and a feasibility trial stage.SettingQualitative interviews and focus groups took place in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service and primary care settings. The feasibility study took place in 37 local mainstream schools.ParticipantsFifty children (aged 5–15 years) in mainstream school settings with a diagnosis of ASD were entered into the trial. For each child, an associated teacher and parent was also recruited.InterventionsThe intervention was a goal-setting session followed by a manualised toolkit (including a training session) for creating Social Stories™ for use with school-aged children. The comparator treatment was a goal-setting session followed by an attention control. Both arms received treatment as usual.Main outcome measuresOutcomes tested as part of the feasibility study included child- and proxy-completed questionnaires for mental health, quality of life and goal-based outcome measures. Adults additionally completed behaviour diaries and the parental stress index.ResultsThe review found that the research into social stories is predominantly based in the USA, carried out in under-12-year-olds and using single-case designs. Most studies either did not follow established Social Story criteria or did not report if they did. The assessment of effectiveness presents a largely positive picture but is limited by methodological issues. There were no adequate RCTs and insufficient information to assess a number of important sources of potential bias in most studies. A manualised intervention was produced using an iterative process between user focus groups and a writing team, and assessed in the feasibility study. All 50 participant groups were recruited within the study time frame. Two outcome measures, the Social Responsiveness Scale-2 and the custom-made goal-based measure, showed high levels of completion rates and appeared to be capturing social and behaviour skills targeted by the use of Social Stories. Detailed recommendations for a full trial are provided.LimitationsBlinding of participants was not feasible. Treatment fidelity was not assessed because of low levels of story return rates.ConclusionsThe study showed that a fully powered RCT is feasible with an extended geographical footprint. A large amount of data and information has helped to inform the design of this RCT, which will be the subject of a future research grant application. Future work could focus on developing an appropriate blinded outcome measure for this population.Study registrationThis study is registered as PROSPERO CRD42011001440.Trial registrationCurrent Controlled Trials ISRCTN96286707.FundingThis project was funded by the NIHR Health Technology Assessment programme and will be published in full inHealth Technology Assessment; Vol. 20, No. 6. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
James E Pustejovsky

A wide variety of effect size indices have been proposed for quantifying the magnitude of treatment effects in single-case designs. Commonly used measures include parametric indices such as the standardized mean difference, as well as non-overlap measures such as the percentage of non-overlapping data, improvement rate difference, and non-overlap of all pairs. Currently, little is known about the properties of these indices when applied to behavioral data collected by systematic direct observation, even though systematic direct observation is the most common method for outcome measurement in single-case research. This study uses Monte Carlo simulation to investigate the properties of several widely used single-case effect size measures when applied to systematic direct observation data. Results indicate that the magnitude of the non-overlap measures and of the standardized mean difference can be strongly influenced by procedural details of the study's design, which is a significant limitation to using these indices as effect sizes for meta-analysis of single-case designs. A less widely used parametric index, the log-response ratio, has the advantage of being insensitive to sample size and observation session length, although its magnitude is influenced by the use of partial interval recording.


2021 ◽  
pp. 016264342198997
Author(s):  
Sojung Jung ◽  
Ciara Ousley ◽  
David McNaughton ◽  
Pamela Wolfe

In this meta-analytic review, we investigated the effects of technology supports on the acquisition of shopping skills for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) between the ages of 5 and 24. Nineteen single-case experimental research studies, presented in 15 research articles, met the current study’s inclusion criteria and the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) standards. An analysis of potential moderators was conducted, and we calculated effect sizes using Tau-U to examine the impact of age, diagnosis, and type of technology on the reported outcomes for the 56 participants. The results from the included studies provide evidence that a wide range of technology interventions had a positive impact on shopping performance. These positive effects were seen for individuals across a wide range of ages and disability types, and for a wide variety of shopping skills. The strongest effect sizes were observed for technologies that provided visual supports rather than just auditory support. We provide an interpretation of the findings, implications of the results, and recommended areas for future research.


Hand Therapy ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 175899832110333
Author(s):  
Zhiqing Chen

Introduction Triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) injuries are associated with distal radioulnar joint (DRUJ) instability and impaired wrist proprioception. Sensorimotor training of extensor carpi ulnaris (ECU) and pronator quadratus (PQ) can enhance DRUJ stability. With limited evidence on effectiveness of TFCC sensorimotor rehabilitation, this study aimed to evaluate the effects and feasibility of a novel wrist sensorimotor rehabilitation program (WSRP) for TFCC injuries. Methods Patients diagnosed with TFCC injuries were recruited from May 2018 to January 2020 at an outpatient hand clinic in Singapore General Hospital. There are four stages in WSRP: (1) pain control, (2) muscle re-education and joint awareness, (3) neuromuscular rehabilitation, and (4) movement normalization and function. WSRP also incorporated dart throwing motion and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation. Outcome measures included grip strength measured with grip dynamometer, numerical pain rating scale, joint position sense (JPS) measurement, weight bearing measured with the ‘push-off’ test, and wrist function reported on the Patient Rated Wrist Hand Evaluation. Results Ten patients completed the WSRP. Mean changes were compared with minimal clinically important differences (MCID) for outcomes. All patients achieved MCID on pain, 70% of patients achieved MCID on grip strength, weight bearing and wrist function. Paired t-tests and Cohen’s D for outcome measures were calculated. There were large effect sizes of 2.47, 1.35, and 2.81 for function, grip strength and pain respectively, and moderate effect sizes of 0.72 and 0.39 for axial loading and JPS respectively. Discussion WSRP presents a potential treatment approach in TFCC rehabilitation. There is a need for future prospective clinical trials with control groups.


Author(s):  
Jacqueline A. Towson ◽  
Yusuf Akemoglu ◽  
Laci Watkins ◽  
Songtian Zeng

Purpose Shared interactive book reading (SIBR) is an evidence-based practice for young children who are typically developing and those with developmental disabilities or considered at risk for developmental delays. The purpose of this review was to provide a comprehensive examination of the evidence of using SIBR to facilitate growth in language skills for young children with developmental disabilities and/or delays. Specifically, authors examined the descriptive characteristics, study rigor, and effect sizes for language and literacy outcomes. Method We extracted data from studies meeting specified criteria ( n = 23) published in peer-reviewed journals on a wide range of variables, including participant characteristics, setting, training/coaching, defined independent and dependent variables, study rigor, and overall outcomes. Descriptive and study rigor data were aggregated using descriptive statistics. Effect-size estimates were calculated for all child outcomes related to language. Results Descriptive data were variable across studies. Three single-case experimental design and three group design studies met design standards without reservations. Single-case experimental design studies overall showed positive effects on child language and communication. Within group design studies, expressive language outcomes showed the largest effect sizes. Conclusion A review of SIBR studies indicates this as a viable intervention to positively impact the language skills of young children with developmental disabilities and/or delays. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.16674355


2013 ◽  
Vol 24 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 528-553 ◽  
Author(s):  
William R. Shadish ◽  
Larry V. Hedges ◽  
James E. Pustejovsky ◽  
Jonathan G. Boyajian ◽  
Kristynn J. Sullivan ◽  
...  

1976 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 311-319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee W. Frederiksen

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