Keeping up with the evidence base: Survey of behavior professionals about Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions

Autism ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 136236132110352
Author(s):  
Lauren H Hampton ◽  
Micheal P Sandbank
Keyword(s):  
Young Children ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Behavior Analyst ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
Behavior Interventions ◽  
Behavior Analyst Certification Board ◽  
Knowledge And Beliefs ◽  
Developmental Behavior ◽  
Primary Service

Professionals who primarily deliver services to children on the autism spectrum employ a range of techniques and supports that are colloquially known as applied behavior analysis therapy. The landscape of evidence supporting interventions for children on the autism spectrum has vastly transformed in the last decade. A substantial, relatively high-quality literature base supports the effectiveness of Naturalistic Developmental Behavior Interventions for supporting development in children on the autism spectrum, yet few professionals serving this population receive training in this category of interventions. Board Certified Behavior Analysts and related professionals are the primary service providers for this population. The purpose of this survey study is to describe and understand the knowledge and beliefs that Behavior Analyst Certification Board certificants have around Naturalistic Developmental Behavior Interventions, and the implications for training the professionals most likely to serve young children on the autism spectrum. A total of 901 respondents completed the survey. Respondents indicated, on average, little to no knowledge of Naturalistic Developmental Behavior Intervention practices and that few believe these practices to be effective or appropriate for the field. We discuss the implications and needs for future training and research in this area. Lay abstract Primary service providers for young children on the autism spectrum and developmentally delayed children use many strategies under the umbrella of applied behavior analysis therapy. The evidence supporting interventions for children on the autism spectrum has changed last decade, and powerful research supports the relative effectiveness of Naturalistic Developmental Behavior Interventions, yet a few professionals serving young children on the autism spectrum receive training in this category of interventions. Board Certified Behavior Analysts and related professionals are the primary service providers for this population. The purpose of this survey study is to describe and understand the knowledge and beliefs that Behavior Analyst Certification Board certificants have around Naturalistic Developmental Behavior Interventions. The survey was completed by 901 respondents. Respondents indicated, on average, little to no knowledge of Naturalistic Developmental Behavior Intervention practices and few believe that these practices are effective or appropriate for the field. Recommendations include increasing training opportunities for related professionals, and changing certification requirements to match the current evidence.

scholarly journals Integrating a Parent-Implemented Blend of Developmental and Behavioral Intervention Strategies into Speech-Language Treatment for Toddlers at Risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (02) ◽  
pp. 114-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Haine-Schlagel ◽  
Marilee Burgeson ◽  
Karyn Searcy ◽  
Kelsey Dickson ◽  
Aubyn Stahmer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Behavioral Intervention ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Funding Agency ◽  
Young Children With Autism

AbstractNaturalistic developmental behavioral interventions include an explicit focus on coaching parents to use therapy techniques in daily routines and are considered best practice for young children with autism. Unfortunately, these approaches are not widely used in community settings, possibly due to the clinical expertise and training required. This article presents the work of the Bond, Regulate, Interact, Develop, Guide, Engage (BRIDGE Collaborative), a multidisciplinary group of service providers (including speech-language pathologists), parents, funding agency representatives, and researchers dedicated to improving the lives of young children with autism spectrum disorder and their families. The group selected and adapted a parent coaching naturalistic developmental behavioral intervention specifically for use with toddlers and their families for community implementation. Lessons learned from the implementation process include the importance of therapist background knowledge, the complexity of working with parents of young children, and needed supports for those working closely with parents, including specific engagement strategies and the incorporation of reflective practice.

scholarly journals Educational Pandemic Impacts in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Classrooms: Qualitative Outcomes from Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and Registered Behavior Technicians (RBT) Perspectives

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chana Josilowski-Max ◽  
Nicole Lambright
Keyword(s):  
Service Delivery ◽  
Behavior Analysis ◽  
Applied Behavior Analysis ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Behavior Analyst ◽  
Course Of Action ◽  
Behavior Analysts

The current COVID-19 pandemic has led to unprecedented changes in how Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) services are provided to students/clients with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and scant literature is available from which to determine the best course of action for providing safe services during a pandemic. The research question for this study is: What is the essence of experiences of parents, teachers, and Board-Certified Behavior Analysts of students with ASD who are now receiving ABA services remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic school closures? Generic qualitative design was used to analyze the responses of nine participants who are either Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) or Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs). Findings indicate that service providers are concerned about the effectiveness of telehealth services, do not believe that safety is always a priority for in person services, and that students/clients are struggling to find success amid the near-constant changes in service delivery brought about by the pandemic. Findings indicate that BCBAs and RBTs working with students with ASD are concerned about the negative outcomes for students in relation to changes in service delivery, are not comfortable with the level of risk to their own health and safety in order to provide services, and that telehealth options for ABA services have pros and cons that are difficult to weigh when determining how best to provide services during a pandemic.

scholarly journals Apps to Teach Social Skills to Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Review of the Embedded Behaviour Change Procedures

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Hanna ◽  
Helena Lydon ◽  
Jennifer Holloway ◽  
Lorna Barry ◽  
Edith Walsh
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Social Skills ◽  
Behaviour Change ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Behavior Analyst ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Behavior Analyst Certification Board ◽  
Task List ◽  
Use Of Technology

AbstractSocial skill interventions have become increasingly popular in recent times, as well as the use of technology to deliver and aid interventions for the autism spectrum disorder (ASD) population. Little research exists on the use of apps to teach social skills to individuals with ASD, in particular the behaviour change procedures that exist within apps. The current review examines the behaviour change procedures that exist within apps according to the Behavior Analyst Certification Board Task List, 5th Edition. A total of 15 apps were included within this review. Results indicate that a variety of behaviour change procedures exist within apps. However, the quality of apps and the number of behaviour change procedures vary across app developers.

scholarly journals Early intervention for young children with autism spectrum disorder: protocol for a scoping review of economic evaluations

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine Pye ◽  
Hannah Jackson ◽  
Teresa Iacono ◽  
Alan Shiell
Keyword(s):  
Early Intervention ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Economic Evaluations ◽  
Early Interventions ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Young Children With Autism

Abstract Background In many countries, children who are diagnosed with autism during the first 5 years of life are offered a range of early intervention options. These options vary considerably in the theoretical approaches and techniques applied, their intensity and duration, settings, the person/s delivering supports and the training they require. Early interventions are a significant contributor to total autism-related costs in Western countries, but only in the last 10–20 years has there been adequate outcome data to enable the comparison of different interventions’ cost-effectiveness. This protocol describes a scoping review to better understand what economic evaluations have been completed in this field, and the methods used to date. Methods We will systematically search the following databases from their inception to 2021 for eligible studies: MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Econlit, PEDE, NHS EED and HTA. Full economic evaluations of any types of early intervention for children with autism prior to school entry will be included. Two reviewers will screen the studies, extract the data and assess the study quality using established checklists. The risk of bias will be assessed using the extended CHEC-list for all studies and, additionally, the Philips checklist for modelled studies. Quality of reporting will be assessed using the CHEERS checklist. A narrative synthesis will be completed to collate the findings, describe the methods used and identify which interventions have been researched from an economic perspective. Discussion This review will provide researchers, policymakers and service providers with current information about the economic evidence for early interventions for young children with autism and point to priorities for further research. It will inform future economic evaluations by highlighting the gaps or inconsistencies in the methods used to date. Limitations of the review will be acknowledged and discussed. Systematic review registration Open Science Framework: https://osf.io/sj7kt

A Systematic Review of the Ethics of Punishment-Based Procedures for Young Children With Disabilities

2020 ◽  
pp. 074193252091885
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Pokorski ◽  
Erin E. Barton
Keyword(s):  
Young Children ◽  
Challenging Behavior ◽  
Behavioral Interventions ◽  
Children With Disabilities ◽  
Behavior Analyst ◽  
Ethical Standards ◽  
Behavior Analyst Certification Board ◽  
Ethical Implications ◽  
Treatment Type ◽  
Young Children With Disabilities

Punishment-based procedures are used to reduce challenging behavior in both special education and applied behavior analytic practices. Although commonly effective, these interventions are associated with an increased level of risk, making their use controversial. However, no research has specifically analyzed the extent to which researchers comply with the ethical standards of the professional organizations for special educators and behavior analysts (i.e., Council for Exceptional Children [CEC] and the Behavior Analyst Certification Board [BACB], respectively) when implementing punishment-based procedures. This might be especially important for young children with disabilities, who are a highly vulnerable population. We systematically analyzed the use of punishment-based procedures with this population to determine (a) characteristics of included children and treatments and (b) the degree to which researchers adhered to ethical standards during implementation. Results indicated a variety of punishment-based procedures have been used with this population and have generally resulted in decreased challenging behavior; these results were demonstrated across age, diagnosis, target behavior, and treatment type. However, researchers demonstrated minimal adherence to ethical standards, with no improvements over time. This indicates a need for improved ethical rigor of researchers implementing punishment-based interventions. Recommendations include (a) the creation and validation of an ethics code to assess the degree to which researchers demonstrate ethical practices, and (b) the development of tools to help practitioners recognize the ethical implications of punishment-based interventions and choose/implement appropriate interventions for behavioral interventions.

Disfluency Characteristics Observed in Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Preliminary Report

2010 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 42-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura W. Plexico ◽  
Julie E. Cleary ◽  
Ashlynn McAlpine ◽  
Allison M. Plumb
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Descriptive Study ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Young Children With Autism ◽  
Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Developmental Stuttering

This descriptive study evaluates the speech disfluencies of 8 verbal children between 3 and 5 years of age with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Speech samples were collected for each child during standardized interactions. Percentage and types of disfluencies observed during speech samples are discussed. Although they did not have a clinical diagnosis of stuttering, all of the young children with ASD in this study produced disfluencies. In addition to stuttering-like disfluencies and other typical disfluencies, the children with ASD also produced atypical disfluencies, which usually are not observed in children with typically developing speech or developmental stuttering. (Yairi & Ambrose, 2005).

Practioner Reflection That Enhances Interprofessional Collaborative Practices for Serving Children Who Are Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (9) ◽  
pp. 3-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristina M. Blaiser ◽  
Mary Ellen Nevins
Keyword(s):  
Young Children ◽  
Professional Practice ◽  
Hard Of Hearing ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Interprofessional Collaboration ◽  
The Self ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Collaborative Practices ◽  
Interprofessional Teams ◽  
Client Care

Interprofessional collaboration is essential to maximize outcomes of young children who are Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing (DHH). Speech-language pathologists, audiologists, educators, developmental therapists, and parents need to work together to ensure the child's hearing technology is fit appropriately to maximize performance in the various communication settings the child encounters. However, although interprofessional collaboration is a key concept in communication sciences and disorders, there is often a disconnect between what is regarded as best professional practice and the self-work needed to put true collaboration into practice. This paper offers practical tools, processes, and suggestions for service providers related to the self-awareness that is often required (yet seldom acknowledged) to create interprofessional teams with the dispositions and behaviors that enhance patient/client care.

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