Evaluation of a telehealth training package to remotely train staff to conduct a preference assessment.

Recent advancements in telecommunication technologies make it possible to conduct a variety of healthcare services remotely (e.g., behavioral-analytic intervention services), thereby bridging the gap between qualified providers and consumers in isolated locations.

Replication and extension of a check-in procedure to increase activity engagement among people with severe dementia.

Engelman, Altus, and Mathews (1999) evaluated a procedure to ensure that staff checked in with elderly residents in a nursing home and offered activity choices. We report findings of a replication, with some additional components, to increase appropriate activity engagement among 5 residents (aged 77 to 83 years) with severe dementia. Evaluated in a concurrent multiple baseline design across participants that incorporated partial withdrawal phases, activity engagement increased for 3 participants, with modest improvement for 1 other participant.

Representativeness of direct observations selected using a work-sampling equation.

Deciding on appropriate sampling to obtain representative samples of behavior is important but not straightforward, because the relative duration of the target behavior may affect its observation in a given sampling interval. Work-sampling methods, which offer a way to adjust the frequency of sampling according to a priori or ongoing estimates of the behavior to achieve a preselected level of representativeness, may provide a solution. Full-week observations of 7 behaviors were conducted for 3 students with autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disabilities.

Calibration of observational measurement of rate of responding.

The quality of measurement systems used in almost all natural sciences other than behavior analysis is usually evaluated through calibration study rather than relying on interobserver agreement. We demonstrated some of the basic features of calibration using observer-measured rates of free-operant responding from 10 scripted 10-min calibration samples on video. Five novice and 5 experienced observers recorded (on laptop computers) response samples with a priori determined response rates ranging from 0 to 8 responses per minute.

Teaching individuals with profound multiple disabilities to access preferred stimuli with multiple microswitches.

We replicated and extended previous research on microswitch facilitated choice making by individuals with profound multiple disabilities. Following an assessment of stimulus preferences, we taught 6 adults with profound multiple disabilities to emit 2 different responses to activate highly preferred stimuli. All participants learnt to activate both microswitches.

Assessing observer accuracy in continuous recording of rate and duration: three algorithms compared.

The three algorithms most frequently selected by behavior-analytic researchers to compute interobserver agreement with continuous recording were used to assess the accuracy of data recorded from video samples on handheld computers by 12 observers. Rate and duration of responding were recorded for three samples each. Data files were compared with criterion records to determine observer accuracy.

Continuous recording and interobserver agreement algorithms reported in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (1995-2005).

We reviewed all research articles in 10 recent volumes of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (JABA): Vol. 28(3), 1995, through Vol. 38(2), 2005.

Toward the use of a standardized assessment for young children with autism: current assessment practices in the UK.

Little is known about the progress of autistic children following specific interventions in England. Nor do we know how frequently standardized assessments are used to monitor progress or to evaluate specific educational interventions. The reports of 75 children with autism, for whom special educational provision had been determined by a local education authority, were reviewed.

Progress and outcomes for children with autism receiving parent-managed intensive interventions.

Parent-managed behavioral interventions for young children with autism are under-researched. We analysed data from 66 children served by 25 different early intervention consultants. After a mean of 31.