Content Validity Evidence for the Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program

The Effects of Discrete Trial and Natural Environment Teaching on Adaptive Behavior in Toddlers With Autism Spectrum Disorder

The literature has yet to review the differential effects of Natural Environment Teaching (NET) and Discrete Trial Teaching (DTT) on adaptive skills. A sample of 142 children diagnosed with ASD between the ages of 16 and 35 months received either DTT, NET, or both interventions (NET+ DTT). The Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (BSID) Adaptive Subscale and the Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program (VB-MAPP) Barriers Assessment were used as baseline and posttest measures. Children who received NET and NET+DTT conditions showed significant improvements compared to the DTT condition indicating that the addition of NET leads to increased adaptive skills and decreased barrier behaviors in participants. DTT may also play a necessary foundational role for children with more significant delays. These results provide support for the use of a combination of teaching strategies in community-based early intervention and refine protocols for teaching adaptive skills to toddlers with ASD.

Using Pivotal Response Treatment to Improve Language Functions of Autistic Children in Special Schools: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Language difficulties exert profound negative effects on the cognitive and social development of autistic children. Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) is a promising intervention for improving social communication in autistic children, but there is a lack of a comprehensive examination of language functions. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of PRT in promoting the primary language functions (requesting, labeling, repeating, responding) defined by (Skinner, B. F. (1957). Verbal behavior. Martino Publishing.) theory of verbal behavior in autistic children. Thirty autistic children were randomly divided into the PRT group (Mage = 6.20, SDage = 1.21) and control group (Mage = 6.07, SDage = 1.49). The PRT group were provided with an 8-week training of the PRT motivation component in addition to treatment as usual (TAU) in their schools, whereas the control group only received TAU. Parents of the PRT group were also trained to practice the PRT motivation procedures at home. The PRT group demonstrated greater improvements in all four measured language functions compared to the control group. The improvement in language functions in the PRT group was generalized and maintained at the follow-up assessment. In addition, the PRT intervention enhanced untargeted social and communicative functioning, cognition, motor skills, imitation, and adaptive behaviors in the autistic children. In conclusion, language intervention using the motivation component of PRT is effective in promoting language functions as well as widespread untargeted cognitive and social functions in autistic children.

Using the ADDIE Model of Instructional Design to Create Programming for Comprehensive ABA Treatment

ABA research abounds with articles on increasing or decreasing a small set of behaviors. These articles fit nicely within the framework of Focused ABA Treatment in which the goal of treatment centers on only a few behaviors. However, many behavioral practitioners spend most of their time developing Comprehensive ABA Treatment in which a large number of behaviors are systematically changed across multiple developmental domains. Few resources are available to help in designing and implementing such programming. This article presents a model from the field of instructional design for the development of comprehensive programming. Applying the ADDIE model-Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, Evaluate-the article identifies a consistent process to follow, critical actions to take, and helpful resources to use when developing comprehensive programming for individuals with autism.

Teaching Graduate Students to Translate Nonbehavioral Treatments Into Behavioral Principles

Behavior analytic translations of nonbehavioral treatments were recommended by Brodhead in Behavior Analysis in Practice, 8(1), 70-78 (2015) as part of a decision-making framework for practitioners working on interprofessional treatment teams. Professionals from different disciplines often have overlapping scopes of practice and competence, yet each recommends interventions according to their discipline-specific worldview and training. Nonbehavioral treatment recommendations may be especially challenging for behavior analytic practitioners who are committed to the science of human behavior and who are also ethically obligated to work cooperatively and in the best interest of the client. Learning to translate nonbehavioral treatments into behavior analytic principles and procedures may function as a valuable means of improving professional judgment, thereby promoting evidence-based practice and effective collaboration. Behavioral translations may expose procedures that are, in fact, conceptually systematic, creating more opportunities for behavior analysts to partner in interprofessional care. Using a behavioral skills training package, graduate students of applied behavior analysis were taught to translate nonbehavioral treatments into behavior analytic principles and procedures. All students produced more comprehensive translations following training.

Content Validity Evidence for the Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program

The purpose of this study is to provide content validity evidence for the Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program (VB-MAPP). A national panel of 13 experts provided an evaluation of the domain relevance, age appropriateness, method of measurement appropriateness, and domain representation across the three levels of the Milestones Assessment, Early Echoic Skills Assessment (EESA), and Barriers Assessment. Overall, the content validity evidence for the VB-MAPP Milestones, EESA, and Barriers Assessment was moderate to strong across the evaluated areas although there were areas with limited or conflicting support. The evidence suggests that the scores of the VB-MAPP provide information relevant to the target behaviors of interest but a few domains may not be fully represented by their specific items.