The current set of experiments sought to evaluate and address current, empirically based assessments and treatment protocols for children who have autism and/or other developmental disabilities. The past few decades of research have been successful in developing effective behavioral treatments, however, the dissemination of these strategies has not been maximized in applied settings. Furthermore, many existing treatments are outdated or not widely used in school or social settings. The current experiments evaluate existing effective assessments and treatments and extend them with the implementation of a novel package based off of commonly utilized discrete trial training behavioral techniques in behavior analysis. This treatment protocol was shown to have high inter observer reliability scores throughout the use of this assessment, as well as a high correlation with a commonly used language assessment in Experiment 1. Experiment 2 examined the positive effects of this treatment curriculum guide following skills training. Experiment 3 evaluated the validity of the programs that examined higher order learning from Skinner's (1957) analysis of verbal behavior. The results suggest that this assessment and training protocol has significant potential in efficiently training students with and without disabilities. Implications of these finding are discussed in terms of future progress of translational research in applied settings. Furthermore, the present set of experiments contributes largely to the dissemination of emerging research and practice in behavior analysis.

Paraprofessionals spend the most time with the neediest students, but receive the least amount of training and support. All target students in the study had developmental disabilities, were between the ages of three and five, and had a history of challenging behavior. Paraprofessionals in the study were recruited because they had the least experience and training administering behavior support plans (BSPs) in their setting. A multi-level consultation model was used to train paraprofessionals (i.e., teaching assistants) to implement individualized BSPs. First, paraprofessionals were trained in a one-on-one setting how to implement the BSPs using behavioral skills training. Next, adherence to the BSP was monitored by independent observers and additional support was delivered contingent on meeting an adherence criterion. Through a cascading logic, data showed that paraprofessionals engaged in immediately and significantly higher levels of BSP adherence following application of the multilevel consultation model, and as a result, students engaged in immediately and significantly lower rates of challenging behavior (Tau-U = -.97 to -1), which maintained over time. Further, all adult participants rated the procedures as highly acceptable. Thus, with minimal training provided to each paraprofessional across the study (M = 151.2 minutes), and dramatic observed changes in challenging behavior, the multilevel consultation model proved highly efficient, effective, and acceptable.

Check, Connect, Expect (CCE) is a secondary tier behavioral intervention for at-risk students who require targeted behavioral support in addition to school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports. A full-time coach in the CCE intervention provided behavioral supports including daily check-in and check-out procedures, as well as targeted social skills instruction. This study extended CCE to a self-contained elementary school for students with emotional and behavioral disorders. Twenty-two students participated in the 17-week study that involved a four week baseline phase, followed by a 13-week intervention phase. The following research questions were addressed: (a) How did CCE affect student behavior?; (b) How did CCE affect student weekly academic engagement?; (c) How did CCE affect student weekly math calculation and oral reading fluency growth?; (d) How did severity of behavior predict student response to CCE?; (e) How did function maintaining the behavior predict student response to CCE?; (f) How did relationship strength with the coach predict student response to CCE?; and (g) How socially valid was CCE for teachers, paraprofessionals, and students? Two growth curve models were used to analyze the academic and behavioral data. Overall, students displayed significant behavioral growth during the intervention phase and positive growth in the areas of academic engagement and achievement. Severity of behavior, function, and relationship strength were not significant predictors of student response to the CCE intervention. Future directions, limitations, and implications for practice are discussed.

This study adopts the theory of planned behavior to understand and influence auditors’ knowledge-sharing behavior. Ajzen (1991) indicates that persuasive communications, such as belief-targeted messages, can be used as behavioral interventions to alter intentions and behaviors. Thus, this study develops and evaluates the effectiveness of behavioral interventions (belief-targeted messages) in encouraging auditors’ knowledge-sharing behavior. This study uses a 2×2 between-participants design. Arguments targeting behavioral beliefs and arguments targeting normative beliefs are manipulated. Consistent with expectations, the results of this study were that (1) auditors exposed to an intervention share more knowledge, compared to auditors not exposed to any interventions; (2) auditors share the most knowledge when exposed to an intervention that includes arguments targeting both behavioral and normative beliefs; (3) the effects of behavioral interventions on knowledge-sharing intention are mediated by auditors’ attitudes and perceived norms related to knowledge sharing; and (4) the influences of attitude and perceived norms on knowledge-sharing behavior are mediated by the intention to share knowledge. The findings of this study have implications for literature and practice. It extends the theory of planned behavior to the auditing setting and examines auditors’ knowledge-sharing behavior with the firm’s knowledge management systems (KMS). Knowledge sharing with the firm’s KMS could potentially mitigate knowledge loss for public accounting firms. The findings of this study provide guidelines to firms regarding how they can encourage knowledge sharing among auditors.

The effectiveness of behavioral interventions for the treatment of young children with autism has been well documented in professional literature. The success of these procedures, however, depends on the fidelity of implementation and proper training of the therapist. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a 125-skill, comprehensive staff training package that involved a graduated sequence of teaching. In addition to changes in skills, social validity and training time were also assessed. Results indicate that correct demonstration of skills increased following training, incorrect implementation decreased, teachers rated the procedures favorably, and the total training took between 20 and 32.5 hours for over 120 skills to reach mastery criteria. A discussion of the results as well as implications for future research is also provided.

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Evidence-based practices in the field of special education within the United States has been well defined in the literature yet challenges persist with the widespread implementation of these practices within school settings. There are many factors that can negatively influence the portability of these practices in classroom settings that remain unaddressed in the literature. The results of a qualitative evaluation aimed at determining teacher’s perspectives on barriers to implementing evidence-based procedures in the area of positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) are described. Data analysis revealed several highly pertinent barriers that teachers face in their attempts to implement evidence-based practices in the classroom. Recommendations for minimizing these implementation barriers are discussed.

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IMPACT (Integrated Management of Physician-Delivered Alcohol Care for Tuberculosis patients) is a randomized, controlled effectiveness trial based in Tomsk, Russia, that assesses the effect of oral naltrexone and brief behavioral counseling on tuberculosis outcomes and alcohol use in 200 patients. Tuberculosis physicians without addiction experience delivered interventions as part of routine care over a 6-month period, focusing on alcohol intake reduction to support successful tuberculosis treatment. We describe design, training, and fidelity monitoring using a Russian and American team of physicians, bilingual coders, and supervisors. Culturally appropriate adaptations, limitations, and implications for future trials are discussed. The clinical trial identification number is NCT00675961. Funding came from the National Institutes of Health and National Institute on Drug Abuse.