Effects of Training, Prompting, and Self‐monitoring on Staff Behavior in a Classroom for Students With Disabilities

Abstract

This study extended the limited research on the utility of tactile prompts and examined the effects of a treatment package on implementation of a token economy by instructional assistants in a classroom for students with disabilities. During baseline, we measured how accurately the assistants implemented a classroom token economy based on the routine training they had received through the school system. Baseline was followed by brief in-service training, which resulted in no improvement of token-economy implementation for recently hired instructional assistants. A treatment package of prompting and self-monitoring with accuracy feedback was then introduced as a multiple baseline design across behaviors. The treatment package was successfully faded to a more manageable self-monitoring intervention. Results showed visually significant improvements for all participants during observation sessions.

Teaching Practitioners to Conduct Behavioral Skills Training: A Pyramidal Approach for Training Multiple Human Service Staff

“…These features differentiate BST from more traditional approaches to staff training in human service agencies that emphasize verbal teaching strategies such as vocal and written instructions (Parsons et al). In contrast to the noted effectiveness of BST (see Reid, O'Kane, & Macurik, 2011, for a review), investigations have repeatedly demonstrated the lack of effectiveness of the latter approaches for training staff to perform target skills (Alavosius & Sulzer-Azaroff, 1990;Gardner, 1972;Petscher & Bailey, 2006).…”

A Module-Based Approach: Training Paraeducators on Evidence-Based Practices

“…The most common training formats that have shown positive training outcomes include: (a) some form of didactic instruction, such as direct instruction, (b) modeling, (c) rehearsal, and (d) feedback (Bolton & Mayer, 2008;Brock & Carter, 2013;Feldman & Matos, 2013;McCulloch & Noonan, 2013). In addition, prompting strategies (e.g., Petscher & Bailey, 2006), coaching (e.g., Duchaine, Jolivette, & Fredrick, 2011), self-monitoring (e.g., Kalis, Vannest, & Parker, 2007), and performance feedback (e.g., Reinke, Lewis-Palmer, & Merrell, 2008) have been used to enhance paraeducator use of various instructional techniques. Didactic instruction, when combined with feedback, has shown more positive outcomes in use and maintenance of skills (e.g., Koegel, Kim, & Koegel, 2014) than when used in isolation (e.g., Matthews & Hagopian, 2014).…”

Increasing Academic Engagement through Focused Antecedent Modification

“…As such, teachers may need to consider other strategies to support students who have not responded to universal strategies. Strategies may include self-monitoring techniques (Petscher & Bailey, 2006), targeted intervention approaches such as Check in-Check out (Todd, Campbell, Meyer, & Horner, 2008), and systematic specialized intervention such as Priming (Koegel, Koegel, Frea, & Green-Hopkins, 2003).…”

“…Before implementing classroom behavioral supports, teachers should identify and evaluate existing classroom structures (Sayeski & Brown, 2011). Then develop individualized interventions for those student behaviors that require more support besides the universal classroom rules and consequences that may be sufficient to support some students (Petscher & Bailey, 2006). However, rather than approach the development of interventions using a trial-and-error approach, researchers advocate using the functional behavioral assessment (FBA) process to determine variables associated with problem behavior (Chandler& Dahlquist, 2010;Kern & Clemens, 2007;Walker, Shea, & Bauer, 2007;Zirpoli & Melloy, 1997).…”