Change Agent Training in Behavior Analytic Procedures for People with Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract

This paper reports a meta-analysis to evaluate procedures to train change agents in discrete trial teaching, preference assessment, and mand training. Behavioral skills training packages were the most commonly used and were consistently and highly effective in changing change agent behavior. Procedural variation in training overlapped in effectiveness. Training was slightly less effective for parents than for staff and university students. The effect size for the behavior of the individuals with whom the change agents applied behavioral procedures was slightly smaller than for change agents and was reported in only about one third of papers. Behavioral skills training is a highly effective and robust approach to delivering change agent training for different skills training procedures.