We systematically reviewed more than 25 years of applied research examining the system of least prompts response prompting procedure with individuals with disabilities. We identified 123 peer-reviewed studies including 413 participants receiving instruction with the system of least prompts. A total of 252 experimental designs were evaluated, with 51 designs indicating a functional relation and the presence of 154 demonstrations of effect across 91 individuals. Our data indicate that the system of least prompts is an evidenced-based practice for teaching chained responses related to community, self-care, and vocational skills to individuals with moderate intellectual disability who are 13 years of age or older. In addition, we present and discuss a method for analyzing and aggregating data from single-case studies to account for noneffects and publication bias when identifying if an intervention meets standards as an evidence-based practice.

Self-instruction using videos or other supports on a mobile device is a pivotal skill and can increase independence for individuals with disabilities by decreasing a need for adult supports. This study evaluated the effects of progressive time delay (PTD) to teach four adolescents with autism and intellectual disability how to initiate self-instruction in the presence of a task direction for an untrained task. Participants were screened for imitating video models prior to the study and were taught to navigate to videos on an iPhone(®) in history training. A multiple probe design across settings embedded in a multiple probe design across participants was used to evaluate the effects of PTD on initiation of self-instruction. All participants learned to self-instruct. Two participants generalized self-instruction to two novel settings. Two participants required instruction in two settings before generalizing to the third. Three participants generalized self-instruction in the presence of a task direction from the researcher to a task direction from their classroom teacher in all three settings. One participant generalized to a task direction presented by the classroom teacher in one setting, but not in the other two. All participants maintained self-instruction behaviors assessed 1 week after all participants met criteria in all settings. Self-instruction using videos or other supports on a mobile device is a pivotal skill and can increase independence for individuals with disabilities by decreasing a need for adult supports.

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The single-case adapted alternating treatments design allows for an experimental comparison between two independent variables applied across two equally difficult, yet functionally independent, dependent variables. The design has been used prominently within the special education and behavior analysis literature since its inception. Despite its history and continued use, there are currently no formalized quality standards specific to the adapted alternating treatments design. Given the rise of evidence-based practices and the increased number of organizations developing quality and rigor standards, a discussion and evaluation of quality indicators specific to adapted alternating treatments designs is warranted. We provide an overview of quality indicators and examine their prevalence over the years within a subset of studies commonly incorporating the adapted alternating treatments design. Implications for researchers who use the design and organizations that develop standards for single-case research are discussed. Copies of coding tables and syntax in Microsoft Excel and SPSS formats may be obtained via Open Science Framework at https://osf.io/guw6h/ .

Professionals working with individuals at risk for, or with, disabilities are required by federal legislation to select, implement, and formatively and summatively evaluate the effectiveness of evidence-based practices in typical settings. Although multiple resources related to graph construction and visual analysis are available in the literature, studies on training pre-service and in-service professionals to visually analyze data are lacking. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a multi-component visual analysis training for pre-service professionals enrolled in a behavior management course. The training explained the importance of graphing and visually analyzing data, taught participants how to visually analyze data, and included guided practice visually analyzing sample A-B graphs. Results indicated that participants were likely to display difficulties visually analyzing complex data paths and, following the training, were able to increase their accuracy of visual analysis. Limitations and implications for future research and pre-service and in-service training are discussed.

Young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often demonstrate delays in expressive communication, impacting their ability to independently function in typical environments. Individuals with ASD who develop expressive language during early childhood experience better outcomes later in life; therefore, examination of naturalistic language interventions (NLIs) remain an important area of investigation. The current study used a multiple probe design across participants to examine the effects of a classroom-based NLI on various expressive language targets in three preschool-aged children demonstrating characteristics of ASD. Findings suggest the intervention had positive and maintained effects on trial-based use of language targets, as well as concomitant changes in commenting, requesting, and phrase complexity. Implications regarding implementation of NLIs within typical classroom play activities are discussed.

Coaching parents to implement evidence-based strategies is one method for increasing the number of hours young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) access intervention services. The purpose of this study was to teach parents of young children with ASD to implement naturalistic strategies during play in a clinic setting. Results indicate a brief coaching procedure was effective for training parents to implement behavioral strategies, with concomitant changes in child behavior. Additional research is needed to determine how to facilitate maintenance over time and whether effects generalize to typical settings.

The role of behavior analysts, specifically those that are board certified and working in schools, is increasingly moving from that of a behavioral technician (i.e., the direct change agent manipulating the environment to promote behavior change in a client) to that of a behavioral consultant (i.e., an indirect change agent enabling a consultee, teacher, or parent to act as the direct change agent for a client). Given that consultation can provide services to a greater number of individuals than traditional direct intervention, training in consultative methods is important to the work of behavior analysts. The current study provides a review of consultation courses offered in behavior analyst preparation programs. We identified 187 programs meeting our inclusion criteria. Across departments, 98 programs were affiliated with education departments, 66 with psychology departments, and 24 with other departments. Of all programs, 26 (13.9%) provided at least 1 consultation course. Implications for behavior analyst preparation programs and for consumers of behavior analysis are discussed.