Date of Award:

5-2024

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling

Committee Chair(s)

Thomas Higbee

Committee

Thomas Higbee

Committee

Casey Clay

Committee

Heather T. Weese

Abstract

Behavior support staff (BSS), including paraprofessionals, behavior technicians, and other entry-level school staff that support students with challenging behavior, play an essential role in public education settings, especially in special education classrooms. With the increasing number of students requiring intensive behavioral supports, it is imperative to identify cost-efficient strategies to provide adequate training to expand the behavioral skills of these individuals. For instance, training BSS to implement empirically supported behavioral strategies, such as functional behavior assessment and function-based intervention selection, may have benefits for both staff and students alike. Therefore, the purpose of this project was to develop an interactive computer training (ICT) that includes slides with recorded narration, video modeling, embedded skill practice opportunities, and periodic assessments. The project was designed to assess the effects of the ICT on BSS's accurate collection of descriptive (antecedent-behavior-consequence, ABC) data from brief video scenarios, analyze descriptive data from completed ABC data charts, and select appropriate function-based interventions to address problem behavior. Prior to baseline sessions and following mastery-level performances in post-training assessment sessions, we will also conduct generalization probes to assess whether the skills trained in the ICT generalize to longer videos with multiple instances of student problem behavior, that more closely mimic natural classroom settings where skills would be used. The training will conclude with a modified social validity questionnaire to assess the general acceptability of the training procedure as well as the utility of the skills targeted.

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