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An Examination of the Efficacy of Training School Personnel to Build Behavioral Interventions from Functional Behavioral Assessment Information

The current study evaluated the efficacy of a training series designed to teach typical school-based behavior support professionals to build behavioral interventions from functional behavioral assessment (FBA) information. The study was conducted in three stages. First, a descriptive assessment examined the extent to which typical school team leaders demonstrated knowledge of core behavior support plan (BSP) development features following a four-part training series on the development and implementation of function based supports. The second stage of the study assessed the extent to which participants who met criteria for BSP development during training were then able to lead a typical school team in building a BSP that was perceived by expert behavior analysts as "technically sound." In the final stage, a nonconcurrent multiple-baseline design was used to determine if there is a functional relationship between implementation of BSPs led by typical school-team leaders who received the training and improvement in the level of student problem behavior.

Thirteen school professionals participated in four 1-hour "From Basic FBA to BSP" training sessions. A post test analysis of BSP knowledge indicated that the participants ended training with the knowledge needed to use FBA information to develop student BSPs. Six of the 13 professionals went on to lead school-based teams in the development of BSPs that were rated by outside experts as technically adequate. Direct observation data were collected on student behavior during the implementation of five of the six resulting BSPs, and decreases in problem behavior and increases in academic engagement were seen for all five student participants. Additionally, participating team leaders and classroom staff indicated that they found the procedures and tools used to be both acceptable and effective. These results document preliminary findings supporting the efficacy of a four-part training series used to teach typical school staff to use FBA data in designing student BSPs. Further implications for practice in schools and directions for future research are discussed.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:uoregon.edu/oai:scholarsbank.uoregon.edu:1794/12550
Date January 2012
CreatorsStrickland-Cohen, Monica, Strickland-Cohen, Monica
ContributorsHorner, Robert
PublisherUniversity of Oregon
Source SetsUniversity of Oregon
Languageen_US
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeElectronic Thesis or Dissertation
RightsAll Rights Reserved.

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