Examining the Efficacy of Conjoint Behavioral Consultation for Middle School Students With Externalizing Behavior Problems

This exploratory study examined the efficacy of Conjoint Behavioral Consultation for addressing classroom disruptive behavior for middle school students with externalizing behavior problems. In addition, the parent–teacher relationship, parent and teacher competence in problem-solving, and acceptability were examined. Participants were parents and teachers of four middle school students with externalizing behavior problems. Disruptive classroom behavior data were examined in a concurrent multiple baseline across participants design. Parent–teacher relationship, competence in problem-solving, and acceptability data were examined descriptively. Findings suggested improvements in disruptive behavior for each participant. However, limitations impeded interpretations. Parent–teacher relationship data were inconclusive. Six out of eight parents and teachers with pretest and posttest data reported improvements in their competence in problem-solving. All parents and teachers perceived the consultation process favorably. Limitations and future directions are discussed.

Behavioral Collaboration and Consultation

School consultation is a service delivery model that increases the potential of school-based interventionists to provide services to children. This is due to consultation’s indirect nature and emphasis on training consultees. In a consultative model, a consultant (e.g. school psychologist) works with a consultee (e.g. teacher) who will deliver an intervention to a child. The chapter describes the relative advantages of such practices, such as efficiency, improved outcomes for students, enhancement in knowledge of consultees, and fostering of family-school partnerships. The chapter presents a model for behavioral consultation, with considerations that should be made in order to enhance the effectiveness of consultation. In particular, elements of sincerity, trust, communication, and partnership are described. Following, the chapter describes both traditional behavioral consultation and conjoint behavioral consultation.

The Effect of Conjoint Behavioral Consultation Program Related Teaching on Problem Behavior and Communication/Social Skills with a Blind and Autistic Child

Individuals with disabilities display problem behaviors frequently. This case study presents an analysis of the extent to which one student’s pattern of multiple problem behaviors and the potential efficacy of Conjoint Behavioral Consultation (CBC) as a model for linking families, schools, and special education settings to address educational concerns in order to reduce problem behaviors, increasing communication and social skills for a child with visual impairment and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The child with, multiple disabilities his parents, school teachers, and consultant were involved in conjoint consultation, a model of cross-system collaboration to address shared concerns for educational needs. In this structured educational model, parent, teacher, and special education teacher (consultant) worked collaboratively in interdisciplinary joint decision making with extensive input regarding child’s individuality. The study incorporated a delayed non-concurrent multiple probe design across behaviors using qualitative explanations in mixed design. Outcome measures included parent and school teachers observations of child functioning across home, school and special education settings as a result of consultation-mediated interventions and social validity indices assessing acceptability and consumer satisfaction. Results suggested the impression that CBC is a socially valid procedure for addressing concerns of child with multiple disabilities across home, school and special education systems. Both parents and school teacher reported the consultation process to be highly acceptable although limitations with the methodology of single subject design. Research is needed to determine the contexts and conditions under which the model is more or less effective using increased number of participants.