Association for Behavior Analysis International

This project aims to increase physical activity among individuals with a mild intellectual disability, living in a residential care facility in Auckland, New Zealand. The study design used is a multiple baseline design. The first intervention comprises of self-monitoring strategies using a Garmin Vivosmart HR watch that tracks the number of steps, distance and Heart Rate of an individual. The following intervention involves goal setting, feedback and direct instruction. The hypothesis is that participants steps and overall intensity of exercise will increase following a combination of the two interventions. The Beck Anxiety Inventory will also be used pre and post intervention to see whether or not the increased physical activity reduces anxiety.

Behavioural skills training (BST) is an evidence-based method for training support staff, parents and caregivers of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Behavioural skills training is comprised of four components: (1) instruction, (2) modeling, (3) rehearsal, and (4) feedback, and has been used to train caregivers on assessment implementation, as well as behavioural reduction and skill acquisition protocols. Alongside improved trainee performance, an important dependent variable for consideration may be improved client outcomes. This is because client outcome improvement in relation to caregiver training may help researchers, clinicians and administrators determine the true added value of investing in caregiver training initiatives. The current paper is a comprehensive review of all scholarly literature that employed behaviour skills training to train implementers and reported on client outcomes. We endeavored to explore which specific study components in behavioural skills training packages were most often associated with improved client outcomes. Thirty articles met inclusion criteria and were reviewed. The results of this review were inconclusive at identifying specific characteristics associated with client outcomes. This may be because much of the literature reports improved client outcomes. Finally, we discuss other common trends, existing literature gaps, and clinical implications.

Chronic antisocial behavior during childhood and adolescence is one of the problems that most affect healthy development. It results in damage to the relationship with the environment, social interactions, delinquency, mental health, and unemployment (Milller, 2004; Dishion & Patterson, 2016). Coercion has been defined as a set of interpersonal tactics, display in a social context, through which individuals or groups use aversive behavior to obtain rewards and access to desired activities, status, and avoid or escape of control and aversive demands (McCord, 1995; Patterson, 1982). Coercion can be defined in terms of its topography and social function (Snyder & Dishion, 2016). The primary purpose of this study is to evaluate the group differences of children with coercive behavior and control of three age groups based on their interactions in conflict, analyzing the change in the behavior topography over three deferent age groups. One hundred eighty children from three school levels participated: 4-year-old (60 children), 8-year-old (60 children), and 13-year-old (60 children). Children, teachers, and parents were evaluated about their interaction with peers, child behavior, and practices, respectively. It was analyzed the weight of the connections of children, considering three kinds of significant relationships based on their standard deviations over the global average: weak; moderate; strong. On the other hand, based on the answers that children give about their recent conflicts, they will be codified in terms of the person involved, the people involved in the conflict, and the topography of the coercive behaviors exhibited by the protagonists of the conflict.