Social validity assessment of behavior data recording among human services care providers

Care providers within human services organizations have many job responsibilities and performance expectations. In the present study, we conducted social validity assessment with 78 care providers concerning their attitudes and opinions about behavior data recording with adults who had intellectual disability and lived in community group homes. Specifically, the care providers responded to a written questionnaire that inquired about the practicality, training/supervision, and value of behavior data recording in the context of service delivery. Results indicated generally high approval of behavior data recording practices, purposes, and approaches to training. We discuss implications of these findings for implementing data recording by care providers and the contribution of social validity assessment to training and performance management within human services organizations.     

Brief report: effects of supplemental feedings of white bread on chronic rumination

A common intervention for rumination is satiation: allowing individuals to eat additional and unlimited portions at meals. The effectiveness of this intervention is often overshadowed by concerns of overeating and related long-term health issues. The current study evaluated a variation of food-satiation procedures by providing supplemental feedings of white bread to a 44-year-old man who had severe mental retardation, sensory impairment, and chronic rumination. Post-meal supplemental feedings were associated with decreases in rumination to near-zero levels. While the reasons for the effectiveness of this procedure are uncertain, it may be an alternative to traditional satiation procedures, particularly for individuals who have weight concerns or restrictive diets. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Teaching students with autism spectrum disorder to tolerate haircutting

We describe intervention with 2 adolescent male students who had autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and resisted haircutting performed by care providers at a residential school. The students were exposed to a graduated hierarchy of steps including the presence of hair clippers, and increased duration of hair clippers against their scalp and hair. Edible reinforcement was presented contingent on completion of a step without interfering behavior. Both students learned to tolerate all of the steps in the graduated hierarchy and a full haircut with maintenance at 2-, 4-, and 6-month follow-up. The study supports previous tolerance-training research with children and youth who have intellectual and developmental disabilities and resist personal care and hygiene routines.     

Toilet training children with sensory impairments in a residential school setting

Acquisition of toileting skills is an essential educational objective for children with developmental disabilities. However, there are few empirical reports of toilet training programs for children who have developmental disabilities and combined sensory impairments. The present studies evaluated toileting programs for two children with multiple disabilities and vision and hearing deficits. The programs featured systematic prompting, scheduling, and reinforcement procedures that were applied in a residential school setting. Each child was successfully habit-trained with results maintained 1–5 months posttraining. One of the children also demonstrated consistent, self-initiated toileting.     

Effects of DRL and DRL combined with response cost on perseverative verbal behavior of an adult with mental retardation and obsessive compulsive disorder

Although there has been increased interest in the identification and diagnosis of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) in people who have developmental disabilities, clinical research has been reported infrequently. The present single‐case study evaluated the effects from systematic behavioral intervention with a 26‐year‐old man who had moderate mental retardation, OCD, and exhibited perseverative verbalizations. Verbalizations were reduced when the man gained access to preferred activities contingent upon a low response frequency (DRL: differential reinforcement of low‐rate responding). The behavior was reduced further when a DRL contingency was implemented in the form of a response cost procedure. The implications of these findings for the treatment of OCD in people with developmental disabilities are discussed. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Improving student bus-riding behavior through a whole-school intervention

We describe a multicomponent intervention to improve bus-riding behavior of students attending an urban public school. The intervention was developed with technical assistance consultation that emphasized collaboration among students, school personnel, and bus drivers. The primary intervention procedures were identifying appropriate behaviors during transportation ("bus rules"), training bus drivers to deliver positive reinforcement, and rewarding student performance through a weekly school-based lottery. Disruptive bus behaviors, as measured by discipline referrals and suspensions, decreased with intervention relative to baseline phases in an ABAB reversal design. These positive results were maintained over the long term, with school personnel assuming responsibility for intervention in the absence of ongoing consultation.     

Alternative response training with contingent practice as intervention for pica in a school setting

Pica is a serious challenging behavior displayed by some persons with developmental disabilities. We report the near‐elimination of automatically reinforced pica in a 7‐year‐old boy diagnosed with autism by having him practice an alternative response (discarding objects) contingent on attempted or actual pica. Intervention was implemented 6 hours per day, under naturalistic conditions in a school setting, with outcome maintained through a 4 month follow‐up phase of evaluation. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.