Caregiver choice in alternating treatments
Abstract
[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Caregivers have a large impact on the long-term effectiveness of any Applied Behavior Analysis treatment plan designed for their child's needs. There is a call-to-action to develop more effective training procedures and implement strategies to gain buy-in up front to maintain caregiver adherence. The purposes of this current study were to 1) further evaluate the effectiveness of nontechnical instructions on fidelity in a Behavioral Skills Training component analysis, 2) evaluate whether caregiver choice is impacted by treatment effectiveness alone, or if graphic feedback is needed, and 3) evaluate the preference for and effects of providing choices to caregivers via social validity data. Caregivers were involved in treatment planning and implementation of protocols in an alternating treatments design. These procedures were used in order to increase future adherence of ABA strategies post-discharge of child. Results indicate 1) nontechnical protocols alone were not sufficient in training any of the caregivers to fidelity, 2) treatment effectiveness impacted 2/3 caregivers' choices of implementation whereas graphic feedback was necessary for 1/3 caregivers and 3) overall, the study processes were deemed socially valid for all caregivers.
Degree
M.S.
Thesis Department
Rights
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