Single-case Design Methodology Research Articles

Problem solving team interventions: Web-based and consultant-based experimental evaluations

This research was designed to develop, implement, and evaluate an assessment and intervention protocol to increase problem-solving teams' (PSTs) adoption and implementation of evidence-based practices aimed at students with disruptive behavior problems. Participants included 15 PSTs. Adopting single-case design methodology, we examined whether a customized set of assessment and intervention consultant-led intervention procedures could be used to improve the activities, process, and recommendations of PSTs compared to a web-based intervention. We were interested in evaluating two variations of the problem-solving model based on the team initiated problem-solving (TIPS) approach. TIPS includes steps to successful problem solving and solution implementation for student academic and behavioral concerns. Based on visual analysis and statistical randomization tests, we found that a teleconsultation web-based model of PST intervention was not effective in improving the functioning of the PST. In contrast, a customized, consultation-led intervention model with PST facilitators that followed this approach was found to be effective in improving both the foundation and thoroughness of the PST's problem solving. Implications of future PST improvement models for practice and research are discussed.

A Synthesis of Prealgebraic Reasoning Interventions for Students with Mathematics Difficulty in Grades 6 Through 8

In this synthesis, we analyzed 10 prealgebraic reasoning interventions for students with mathematics difficulty (MD) in Grades 6 through 8. All interventions focused on one or more prealgebraic concepts including integer operations, algebraic expressions and equations, and functions. Of the 10 intervention studies, six employed single-case design methodology and four employed group design. We synthesized intervention effects and identified instructional practices utilized within interventions. Results indicated positive proximal student performance across studies, generally positive maintenance effects, and mixed transfer effects. Manipulative-based instruction and explicit instruction were the two most used instructional practices within interventions, supporting their use in improving targeted prealgebraic reasoning skills among students with MD. Additional implications for research and practice are discussed.

A Synthesis of the Effects of the Color Wheel System on Classroom Behaviors

Teachers spend a significant amount of time redirecting students, addressing problem behaviors, and transitioning the class, leading to less instructional time. The Color Wheel System (CWS) is a classroom behavioral management intervention that uses clear, specific rules for different activities. It can be implemented in a variety of classrooms and modified to meet the needs of the teacher (e.g. additional rule sets, reinforcements, using animals instead of colors to differentiate between rule sets). This literature synthesis and meta-analysis evaluated the overall effectiveness of the CWS. Thirteen studies using single-case design methodologies within 12 articles with a total of 261 participants were included in the analysis. Results indicated an overall moderate treatment effect, Tau-U = 0.88 (CI = [0.78, 1.35]) on student behaviors with individual study effects ranging from 0.61 to 1.00. There were no variables that significantly moderated the effects of the CWS on student behavior. Discussion focuses on implications for researchers and educators.

Insights from a pilot investigating the impacts of shared E-scooter use on physical activity using a single-case design methodology

IntroductionShared e-scooters have recently emerged as a convenient, flexible transportation option for short trips in dozens of cities and on university campuses. While there is survey evidence that e-scooting replaces walking and bicycling trips, potentially impacting physical activity (PA) levels, little is known about how e-scooter use objectively affects PA and how e-scooter use affects individual travel options in ways that could influence planning for active transportation. MethodsThis paper provides insights into the PA impacts of shared e-scooter use within a small sample of frequent e-scooter riders in the Phoenix, AZ, area. The single-case, longitudinal study monitored the daily biometric data of eight participants over a five-week period during which e-scooter use was alternately allowed, prohibited, and allowed again in an “ABA” design. The study also employed surveys and daily travel logs to gather information on travel behavior and perceptions of benefits and disbenefits related to e-scooter use. ResultsBiometric data indicate that bicycling and walking trips are substantially more active than e-scooting or driving trips. Self-reported trip data suggest that when e-scooters were allowed (Phases 1 and 3), e-scooter trips disproportionately replaced walking, bicycling, and/or e-biking trips, compared to auto trips. However, when participants were prohibited from using e-scooters (Phase 2), 89% of trips were reported by automobile, complicating the story of trip substitution and suggesting larger contextual influences. Finally, participants saw e-scooters as an important transportation option. ConclusionsE-scooter use appears to reduce physically active travel, although it is somewhat healthier than driving and its relationship with PA seems to be moderated by transportation habits, options, and context. E-scooter users clearly value e-scooters for their convenience, affordability, speed, and fun. Cities could consider restricting e-scooters in highly walkable areas, but should recognize e-scooters as an important part of the urban transportation system.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders and Classroom-Based Interventions: Evidence-Based Status, Effectiveness, and Moderators of Effects in Single-Case Design Research

Students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) experience symptoms of inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity that often manifest as academic impairment. As such, teachers must select interventions to increase the probability of success for students with ADHD in their classes. Prior meta-analyses have evaluated school-based intervention effects; however, no systematic review meta-analysis has evaluated the effectiveness of interventions implemented in classrooms with students with ADHD. Additionally, classroom-based studies are frequently conducted through single-case design methodology, and recent advances in meta-analytic techniques provide the opportunity to explore intervention effectiveness as evaluated through quality research. Therefore, to inform selection of evidence-based interventions to be implemented in classroom settings, the current systematic review with meta-analysis of single-case design studies was conducted to evaluate intervention effectiveness, evidence-based status, and moderators of effects for four intervention types (behavioral, instructional, self-management, and environmental) when implemented with students with ADHD in classroom settings. The analysis included 27 articles published from 1971 to 2018. Overall and specific to each intervention type, the results indicate that classroom-based interventions for students with ADHD were moderately effective. Instructional and self-management interventions were deemed evidence based by What Works Clearinghouse standards and potentially evidence based by Council for Exceptional Children standards. Behavioral interventions were found to be potentially evidence based by Council for Exceptional Children criteria and were most effective when selected through functional behavior analysis and implemented by researchers in secondary settings. Instructional interventions were more effective when implemented in special education settings targeting academic outcomes. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Learning From Interactive Whiteboard Instruction Technology in Teaching Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Interactive whiteboard instruction technology provides interactive learning environment and serves as a motivational tool for the students. The study aims to investigate the effectiveness of interactive whiteboard (IAW) to teach early numeracy skills to the ASD students. The study has employed single-case design methodology and evaluated students for the effectiveness of using interactive whiteboard for teaching skills to the students through multiple probe design. A total of five baseline sessions were conducted on total four recruited students. During the intervention, data was obtained for at least three sessions from the date each student reached the acquisition criteria. The results showed that introduction of the intervention resulted in all participants meeting the established criteria. The early numeracy skills were generalized by all the four students to a different setting and with different materials. These results have supported the effectiveness of the interactive whiteboard, coupled with DTT to teach early numeracy skills to students with ASD. The study has concluded that interactive whiteboard with DTT was effective to teach early numeracy skills to the ASD students.

Initial development and evaluation of the student intervention matching (SIM) form

There is currently a large gap in both research and practice between student identification practices for those at-risk (i.e., universal screening, teacher referral, or extant data as early identification methods) and the selection of appropriate Tier 2 interventions for social, emotional, and behavioral concerns. The purpose of this study was to develop and test the treatment validity of the Student Intervention Matching (SIM) Form, an intervention matching protocol designed for use at Tier 2. To this end, single-case design methodology was employed to systematically evaluate outcomes associated with use of the SIM Form in the intervention selection process. Participants included eight elementary-age students arranged in sets of four student dyads. A multiple baseline design was used in order to examine the relative effectiveness of matched interventions according to the SIM Form, and mismatched interventions according to the SIM Form. Results indicated that interventions matched using the SIM Form were functionally related to improved student outcomes across a variety of dependent variables when compared to mismatched phases. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

Response to mediated intervention: Dynamic assessment in context

Aim:This study demonstrates the usefulness of the Response to Mediated Intervention (RTMI) process, in which sociocultural contexts, dynamic assessment, evidence-based interventions and student responsiveness intersect. Recommendations useful to both teachers and students result. The process is strength-based, and uses an asset-oriented mindset.Method/Rationale:Using multiple baseline single case design methodology, effect sizes were calculated to determine outcome effectiveness in 11 case studies. Goal Attainment Scales (GAS) tracked cognitive integration. Assessors used dynamic cognitive assessment findings along with student contexts to create meaningful transfer of thinking skills to academic areas of concern. Modifiable cognitive skills were linked to evidence-based interventions for a minimum of six sessions.Findings:ES calculations demonstrated a range of effects across cases, from none to large, with the vast majority in the medium to large effect size range. All GAS measures of cognitive skill integration demonstrated positive trends. Social validity measures affirmed the value to students and teachers.Limitations:Due to the nature of single case design, one cannot generalise effectiveness of each intervention to the larger population. However, the RTMI process used successfully across multiple cases suggests that the process rather than each intervention might be generalised.Conclusions:Used in an ecosystems context, RTMI shows great promise for helping accelerate academic outcomes for students with education challenges who are not making sufficient progress with academic intervention alone. Attending to student thinking processes facilitates transfer.

Cognitive behavioural therapy for visual hallucinations: an investigation using a single-case experimental design

AbstractThere has been limited application of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to the treatment of distressing visual hallucinations (VH) in people with psychosis. Preliminary research applying interventions to a novel presenting issue are enhanced by utilizing designs that allow strong inferences to be made about the effect of the intervention. Hence, this study aimed to measure change in appraisal, affect, and behaviour as a consequence of CBT VH, to improve understanding of the process of change. A multiple-baseline experimental single-case design methodology was used with five participants who received a CBT VH treatment package. Participants used daily diary measures to record appraisals, affect, and behaviours related to the distressing VH. Standardized measures were completed at each phase change. Four individuals completed therapy. Formal visual analysis of the data supported by statistical analysis indicated significant changes for appraisal and affect, with replication across three participants. Changes in frequency of VH were reported in two cases. Change was not evident on the standardized measures. This study replicates and extends the findings in showing potential value of CBT VH. Further research should consider alternative methods of capturing behavioural change. Attempts should also be made to replicate across therapists and centres.

A Modified Dialogic Reading Intervention for Preschool Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

We examined the effect of a modified dialogic reading intervention on levels of verbal participation and vocabulary growth in nine preschool children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) using single-case design methodology. Baseline book reading resulted in consistently low levels of verbal participation followed by an immediate increase in verbal participation during dialogic book reading sessions for all children. Dialogic reading also resulted in greater gains in book-specific vocabulary for all children, as compared with baseline book reading sessions. The improvement in verbal participation was characterized by more frequent responses to the adults’ question prompts during reading. No improvements in children’s independent initiations of comments or questions during the book reading activity were observed.

The educational validity and utility of single-case design research in building evidence-based practices in education

ABSTRACTImproving academic, behavioural, and social outcomes of students through empirical research has been a firm commitment among researchers, policy-makers, and other professionals in education across Europe and the United States (U.S.). To assist in building scientific evidences, executive bodies such as the European Commission and the Institute for Education Sciences at the U.S. Department of Education have established systematic dialogues and expert panels to determine the rigour, relevance, and impact of educational practices and supports as investigated through a range of research methodologies. In this paper, we give an overview of the single-case design (SCD) research, which is part of the quantitative experimental research and is used widely in education and applied behaviour analysis. First, we describe the philosophical assumptions and defining features of SCD methodology and we explain how SCD researchers exert control for data believability. Second, we review criteria suggested by task-force panels (e.g. European Platform for Investing in Children, What Works Clearinghouse, Council for Exceptional Children) to determine evidence-based practices (EBPs). Finally, we conclude with strengths and criticisms addressed for SCD methodology and we discuss implications on how SCD research would contribute on improving learning outcomes of all students and advancing the knowledge base of EBPs.

Intervening Negative Impact of Stigma on Employability of a Person with Schizophrenia Through Social Case Work

Schizophrenia impose a heavy toll on a person’s capacity to work, there are serious barriers to employment that mental health service users have to overcome some of them within mental health service themselves, stigma and discrimination from employers and the general public, having basis as their implicit assumption regarding employability of people with mental health problems. This is an outcome study based on single case design methodology which assessed the efficacy of social case work (intervention). It provides evidence that a person with schizophrenia can achieve and maintain successful employment with adequate social case work intervention despite the challenges like stigma imposed by this serious mental illness.

Parent-Implemented Interventions for Young Children With Disabilities

The purpose of this review was to analyze fidelity features in parent-implemented interventions for young children with disabilities. The authors conducted a review of 24 studies published in nine peer-reviewed journals. Each identified article was scored on the following categories: the participant characteristics, settings, study design, independent variables, measurement of implementation and intervention fidelity, parent training components, dependent variables, social validity, overall outcomes, and study rigor. The results indicated that, although all studies described parent training components, few reported implementation fidelity. Across the studies trainers were most likely to use performance-based feedback and modeling to support parent implementation of the intervention. Although 20 studies used single-case design methodologies, only 2 studies met contemporary single-case research design standards. The authors provide an analysis of implications for future research related to supporting high-fidelity implementation of parent-implemented interventions.

Effects of a family-implemented treatment on the repetitive behaviors of children with autism.

The restricted and repetitive behaviors of children with autism can interfere with family functioning as well as learning and socialization opportunities for the child. To date, neither pharmacological nor comprehensive behavioral treatments have been found to be consistently effective at significantly reducing children's engagement in repetitive behaviors. We developed Family-Implemented Treatment for Behavioral Inflexibility (FITBI) to target the full variety of repetitive behaviors found in autism. For the current study, a therapist and parents of five children with autism (mean age=48months) co-implemented FITBI in a clinic setting over a 12-week treatment period. Using single case design methodology, significant reductions in repetitive behaviors were found for all participants and maintenance of treatment effects for 4 of 5 participants.

Neuropsychological interventions for memory impairment and the role of single-case design methodologies

Neuropsychological interventions for memory impairment and the role of single-case design methodologies

Enhancing accountability in behavioral consultation through the use of single-case designs.

Single-case design and progress monitoring methodologies are efficient and cost-effective strategies for increasing accountability for indirect service provision. Single-case design conceptualizes the treatment of an individual as an experimental process that can be monitored over time and evaluated for effectiveness. Increasingly in clinical, counseling, and educational settings, interventions are administered through indirect service (i.e., behavior consultation) due to the large unmet need within children's mental health and the limited number of child-focused professionals available to address these challenges (Kataoka, Zhang, & Wells, 2002; Meyers & Nastasi, 1999). Single-case methodologies offer clear feedback and treatment evaluation through charted progress monitoring that consultees can understand and interpret. Keywords: behavior consultation, single-case designs, accountability, visual analysis. Historically, psychological service provision has most often occurred without direct accountability for service outcomes. Practitioners report that the techniques that they use in clinical were learned during their training and then altered based on trial-and-error experience (Hayes, Barlow, & Nelson-Gray, 1999). This subjective of altering and administering treatment techniques may occur due to the need to adapt known techniques to an individual client's needs given resource constraints. While the primary goal of any treatment is that the client benefits, designing a treatment that facilitates the quantitative analysis of treatment change results in the ability to both a) establish a correlation between the client's treatment and outcome and b) develop empirical support for the future use of the treatment for a similar presenting problem and client. One way to address the need for increased accountability for service outcomes in applied settings is through single case design outcome and progress monitoring methodologies. Single case design conceptualizes the treatment of an individual as an experimental process that can be monitored over time and evaluated for effectiveness. Rather than relying on anecdotal evidence of change as a result of the intervention, single case interventions are designed for the unique presenting needs of a client, and then the impact of the individual's intervention is monitored over the course of implementation using data collection and analysis techniques. The past 10 years have witnessed an increasing commitment to within the fields of education and psychology. The evidence-based practice movement developed out of calls for increased accountability and transparency in service provision. The field of psychology has committed to researching and documenting the usefulness of psychosocial treatments for mental health problems (Kazdin & Weisz, 2003). Similarly, in the field of education, recent legislative mandates such as the No Child Left Behind Act have emphasized the need for educational practitioners to use instructional techniques that have research-based support (U.S. Department of Education, 2007). As professionals involved in the cognitive and social-emotional development of the nation's youth, psychologists, social workers, and educators need to develop efficient systems for evaluating and documenting the effectiveness of their service provision. This article presents a model for using single-case design methodology to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions, and in particular interventions delivered through indirect service approaches.

Empirically evaluating the effectiveness of reading interventions: The use of brief experimental analysis and single case designs

Recent advances in area of brief experimental analysis have demonstrated that comparative single case designs can be used to meet criteria for empirically supported treatments. The purpose of the present study is to provide an overview of how single case design methodology can be used to demonstrate the effectiveness of school-based interventions in the area of reading. We examined the effects of combining skill-based and performance-based reading interventions on the oral reading fluency of four elementary-aged students identified with mild reading problems. A brief experimental analysis using an adapted alternating treatment design was employed to examine the effects of the intervention conditions across a 12-week period. For a majority of the participants, the effects of combining these two types of interventions resulted in greater oral reading rates than when a skill-based intervention was presented in isolation. The results of this study demonstrate how single case design elements, combined with brief experimental analysis, can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of treatments as well as treatment components. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Functional Assessment Research on Students with or at Risk for EBD

The present article reports information resulting from a review of 19 articles reporting studies conducted in the 1990s with a total of 62 participants who were identified as having, or being at risk for, emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). Studies were included in this review only if (a) a functional assessment was conducted, (b) the participants were identified as having, or being at risk for, EBD, and (c) the study was published after 1989. Findings indicate that functional assessment research is being conducted with young children in special and general education settings with the use of single-case design methodologies. A review is made of the nine articles that reported findings from functional assessment-based intervention studies. The review suggests that antecedent-based interventions, primarily curricular modifications, are most often examined. Results indicate that present research methodology includes important components essential to making valid conclusions from outcomes, and in generalizing findings. Directions for future research are discussed.

The Treatment of Severe Self-Injurious Behavior by the Systematic Fading of Restraints: Effects on Self-Injury, Self-Restraint, Adaptive Behavior, and Behavioral Correlates of Affect

Severe self-injurious behavior (SIB) in people with mental retardation is difficult to treat when dangerously frequent or intense responding rules out functional analysis and interventions that permit free responding. This situation is common when restrictive devices, such as straight arm splints, are used. In this study, the effects of introducing flexion into a straight-arm splint, on SIB, self-restraint, adaptive behavior, and behavioral correlates of affect were examined for three individuals with severe mental retardation. Using single-case design methodology, for two individuals self-injury was reduced to zero, while the overall level of restriction was also significantly reduced. From the observed behavioral correlates of affect, there was no evidence of an increase in negative affect with the introduction of the new splint and the fading procedure, but there was evidence of an increase in positive vocalizations. Engagement in activities and social contact were not affected by the introduction of the new splint. The reasons for a decrease in SIB with a corresponding decrease in restriction in the absence of any manipulation of contingencies for SIB are discussed, with particular reference to stimulus control.

Case study: Amantadine: a potential treatment for the minimally conscious state

Pharmacologic strategies have been advocated to enhance the neurorehabilitation of persons with severe traumatic brain injury. Dopaminergic pathways have been felt to play a significant role in arousal. Employing single case design methodology we present the case of a survivor of severe traumatic brain injury who appeared to have a dose dependent response to the pro dopaminergic medication amantadine. Further research is necessary to clarify the role of pharmacotherapy in the improvement of functional outcome.