ABSTRACT Competing stimulus assessments (CSAs) are used to identify high‐competition stimuli that effectively reduce challenging behavior. Despite their efficacy, CSAs can be time consuming to complete. Recently, Imler and Weyman examined the efficacy of a latency‐based CSA (LBCSA) to improve assessment efficiency. Although results suggested that there may be some utility to the LBCSA, it was not compared to a traditional rate‐based CSA. The current study's purpose was to replicate and extend the work of Imler and Weyman by conducting an LBCSA followed by a rate‐based CSA to examine the correspondence among outcomes for two individuals with automatically maintained self‐injury. Results indicated that the CSA outcomes were similar. During the extended treatment evaluation, high‐competition stimuli reduced self‐injury. However, when stimuli were associated with mixed outcomes across CSAs, the results of the traditional CSA were more accurate. Avenues for future research on LBCSAs are discussed.

No abstract is available for this article.

ABSTRACT Prompts are a common instructional component in skill‐acquisition programs for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Stimulus prompts are underused, likely due to limited contemporary guidance and challenges with their feasibility, making them somewhat enigmatic. Incorporating stimulus prompts into tablet‐assisted instruction could improve feasibility. This applied study compared two types of digital stimulus prompts to teach conditional discriminations to three children with ASD. A survey of popular children's tablet apps and games informed prompt selection, and we conducted a tablet‐based instruction readiness assessment. Using an adapted alternating treatments design with a no‐treatment control, we compared motion (within stimulus) and pointing (extra stimulus) prompts across multiple stimulus sets. Both prompts were efficacious for two participants after individual modifications, and there was little difference in efficiency. Neither was efficacious for the third participant despite multiple modifications. Findings contribute to research on digital stimulus prompts and systematic evaluations of skill‐acquisition procedures.

ABSTRACT Feeding difficulties are pervasive for children with autism. The present study investigated the effects of a pairing intervention on cooperation with instructions/acceptance of new foods, inappropriate behaviors, proximity to therapist, and indices of happiness for two children with autism and avoidant restrictive food intake disorder. The researchers sought to examine the effects of an intervention package that did not require restrictive seating or nonremoval of the spoon while assessing caregiver acceptability throughout the procedures. When the pairing intervention alone was not effective to decrease inappropriate behaviors and increase acceptance of new foods, we implemented pairing with shaping procedures. Pairing with shaping was effective to increase acceptance of four new foods for one participant. For the other participant, we ultimately implemented nonremoval of the spoon procedures to increase acceptance of new foods and decrease inappropriate mealtime behaviors. Results have implications for the conditions under which interventions other than nonremoval of the spoon may increase acceptance of new foods for children with autism and feeding difficulties, and how efficacy and efficiency may impact caregiver acceptability.

ABSTRACT Direct observation and measurement of behavior are the cornerstones of effective research and practice in applied behavior analysis (ABA). Despite the importance of data collection, little research is available to guide behavior analysts on issues, such as accuracy, as it relates to data collection integrity. In this paper we examined the extent to which observer reliability is influenced by observer load (i.e., the number of behaviors being simultaneously recorded) and response rate. Results show that both load and response rate may impact the reliability of data collected by newly trained direct care staff. Implications for the design of data collection systems will be discussed, as well as additional considerations and future directions needed on the topic of data collection integrity.

ABSTRACT This study examines the efficacy of fully immersive virtual reality (VR) to teach pedestrian safety skills to children with autism spectrum disorder. Four autistic children who met inclusion criteria related to tolerance of VR equipment, absence of problem behavior, and limited baseline skills participated. Using VR with an omnidirectional treadmill, participants were taught safe pedestrian crossing across three traffic conditions: clear crossings, busy crossings, and crossings where a vehicle came to a stop. Through a concurrent multiple probe design, pedestrian skills taught in VR were assessed for generalization across both virtual environments (VEs) and natural environments (NEs). All participants acquired the target response within the virtual teaching environments, and three of four participants demonstrated generalization across VE and NE, supporting the efficacy of immersive VR for promoting safety and independence. The findings highlight VR’s potential as a low‐risk and customizable teaching environment capable of promoting real‐world skill generalization.

ABSTRACT Behavior‐specific praise (BSP) is an evidence‐based strategy that reinforces appropriate student behavior and improves classroom engagement, yet its implementation remains inconsistent among preservice special education teachers. This study examines the effects of BSP training on the instructional practices of preservice special education teachers and the on‐task behavior of middle school students with moderate intellectual disabilities. This study employed a single‐subject multiple‐baseline design, wherein three preservice teachers received structured training, real‐time coaching, and performance feedback to enhance BSP implementation. Results showed increased BSP implementation among preservice teachers, highlighting the need for ongoing support to sustain these practices.

ABSTRACTStaff training is an essential component of effective behavior analytic interventions. This study examined behavioral skills training (BST) to teach staff in a juvenile residential facility to conduct appropriate room searches. The participants in the study were four staff members over the age of 18 years old who worked in the facility. All staff increased the fidelity of room searches after BST, however, room searches took less time when an observer was not present. A feedback component was implemented after behavioral skills training if the durations of room searches were shorter when the participant was unaware that they were being observed. Room search duration increased after feedback was delivered.

ABSTRACTFunctional communication training is an effective and well‐established intervention for socially maintained challenging behavior. Previous research determined that preference for functional communication responses (FCRs) influences treatment durability. This study extends previous research by evaluating the use of a sequential extinction procedure to establish a hierarchy of preference for FCR modalities within a treatment context. We taught participants different FCR modalities to access the same reinforcer maintaining challenging behavior and assessed modality preference via a concurrent operant mand modality preference assessment measuring FCR modality response allocation and challenging behavior. We then sequentially placed preferred modalities on extinction to establish a preference hierarchy and evaluate persistence of communication and challenging behavior during treatment challenges. Preference hierarchies were established for all participants within the context of treatment (functional communication training). Additionally, some challenging behavior was observed when preferred modalities were placed on extinction; however, effects were temporary and did not always persist across sequential extinction phases. These findings provide preliminary evidence to support teaching multiple communication modalities may lead to a more durable treatment. Implications for clinical practice and future research are discussed.