The Behavior Analyst's Role in Facilitating Interventions in General Education Settings

Abstract

A recent challenge in public school systems has been to increase the amount of time students with disabilities spend with nondisabled, "typical" peers. A host of eloquent discussions have provided a foundation and logical reasons to accept this challenge; for example, social deficits of special education students, the lack of appropriate age models, and limited generalization of skills and/or successful transition for persons graduating from segregated, special education programs. What does this mean for applied behavior analysis as a consultant model? Our role is to train and assist general and special education teachers to meet the individualized needs of students while still promoting acceptable participation in the mainstream of school settings (i.e., large and small peer groups). Specifically, this means that teams of professionals (teachers, consultants, psychologists, etc.) must (a) assess the strengths and weaknesses of individuals and groups of students, (b) identify effective and ineffective classroom practices towards meeting those needs, (c) maintain or enhance "working programs" while selecting research-based interventions to address problem areas, (d) reliably and effectively implement selected intervention programs, and (e) conduct ongoing evaluations to determine program effects and necessary revisions. These steps fit a behavior-analytic approach to education, one stressing researched-based practices and accountability for results (i.e., student performance and outcomes). The following narrative elaborates on points related to the use of applied behavior analysis as a foundation for consultation in general education settings.