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| Fluent Responding in Staff and Students: A Predictor of Outcome |
| Tuesday, May 30, 2006 |
| 12:30 PM–1:50 PM |
| Regency V |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Research |
| Chair: Kara Muirhead (HMEA) |
| Discussant: Kara Muirhead (HMEA) |
| CE Instructor: Kara Muirhead, None |
| Abstract: Binder (1996) discusses the outcomes of fluency including, retention, endurance, application and performance standards. Fluency is an often overlooked stage in learning. Most training for staff and teaching programs for children focus on accuracy only methods. When a skill is fluent, it becomes second nature, increasing the probability for retention, endurance and application. Performance standards are individualized in order to promote these outcomes. The studies in this symposium, individualize strategies in order to attain fluent responding in staff and students. The monitoring of staff implementation could have a direct effect on child outcomes. Performance feedback and video modeling are two strategies that can be applied in order to increase treatment integrity in the absence of an on site consultant. Comparisons between its use within analogue vs. in vivo settings will be discussed. Binder (1996) discusses the outcomes of fluency including, retention, endurance, application and performance standards. Fluency is an often overlooked stage in learning. Most training for staff and teaching programs for children focus on accuracy only methods. When a skill is fluent, it becomes second nature, increasing the probability for retention, endurance and application. Performance standards are individualized in order to promote these outcomes. The studies in this symposium, individualize strategies in order to attain fluent responding in staff and students. The monitoring of staff implementation of programming when a consultant is not on site is a challenge. Improper treatment implementation could have a direct effect on child outcomes. Personalized systems of instruction and video modeling are two strategies that can be applied in order to increase treatment integrity in the absence of an on site consultant. Performance feedback is a more direct method of increasing performance. All of these strategies have been shown effective in increasing fluent responding in staff and students. |
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| Effects of Treatment Integrity on Child Outcomes in Discrete Trial Programs: A Replication and Extension. |
| KARA MUIRHEAD (HMEA), Sandra M. Beaton-Small (HMEA), Stacey Considine (HMEA) |
| Abstract: Researchers (Sarkoff & Sturmey, 2004) have recently begun to evaluate the treatment integrity of discrete trial teaching provided by direct care staff in home-based settings with children with autism. An effective and efficient monitoring system that can be utilized by supervisors of these programs is necessary due to the many other responsibilities that they have within a home visit (e.g. meeting with parents or making program changes). The present researchers previously evaluated the efficacy of a seven-step written and verbal feedback package on the implementation of discrete trial programs for children with autism in their homes that could be implemented by program supervisors. The feedback package was effective in improving staff performance, however, a correlation with marked child improvement was not observed. Therefore, the purpose of the present paper is to first, replicate the effects of the feedback package using a modified data collection system with newly hired direct care staff and second, to extend the previous research by evaluating child outcomes as they are related to staff fluency. A multiple baseline across discrete trial programs will be used with all staff-child dyads. Data will be collected on staff accuracy and fluency of program implementation and child response accuracy.KEYWORDS: Discrete trial teaching, autism, home-based, fluency, treatment integrity, staff training |
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| Assuring the Fluency of Paraprofessional Teaching Skills in Home Based Services. |
| JANICE R. BOLTON (HMEA), Stefanie A. Salome (HMEA), Michele D. Mayer (HMEA) |
| Abstract: Research indicates that intensive behavioral treatment programs are a promising intervention for children with autism. These treatment programs are characterized by the provision of concentrated individual instruction within each treatment session so that the child receives as many learning opportunities as possible. Frequently, these programs rely upon paraprofessional staff to provide direct one to one instruction to the child under the oversight of a supervising clinician. As many of these paraprofessionals have not received formal education in the implementation of behavioral treatment and, as supervising clinicians contact may be limited, it is vital that the paraprofessionals are effectively trained. To assure that the paraprofessional is able to provide the intensity of instruction required, it is important that training packages address both accuracy and fluency of teaching. This study uses a multiple baseline across subjects to evaluate the effectiveness of a brief staff training aimed at teaching fluent implementation of discrete trial teaching. A training package using a practice to fluency aim, along with specific performance feedback, was implemented in an analogue setting and found to successfully generalize to the treatment setting. |
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| Investigating the Effectiveness of Video Modeling and Performance Feedback to Train Staff to Fluency. |
| STACEY CONSIDINE (HMEA), Laurie Richardson (HMEA), Stefanie A. Salome (HMEA), Kara Muirhead (HMEA) |
| Abstract: Staff training is a critical concern when services for children with autism are implemented in a home-based setting. The use of both antecedent (demonstration) and consequent (feedback and checklists) conditions are important in increasing and maintaining staff skills (Harschik et al, 1989). Performance feedback has also shown to maintain staff skills (Iwata, 1982; Parsons & Reid, 1995). Many studies have shown that trained staff can implement behavioral programming for children in various settings with a high degree of treatment integrity. Accuracy of implementation does not necessarily facilitate fluency of implementation. When learners achieve certain frequencies of accurate performance they retain and remain on task or endure for periods of time. Binder, Haughton, and Van Eyk (1995) noted that endurance, the ability to continuously perform skills over increasing durations, is a by-product of fluency. The purpose of this study is to first examine the effects of video modeling and feedback in increasing staff fluency and second to examine the relationship between staff fluency and their ability to maintain high levels of responding within a session. A multiple baseline across subjects design will be used and data will be collected on staff accuracy and fluency of program implementation as well as generalization probes across settingsKeywords: fluency, endurance, staff training, video modeling, performance feedback. |
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