Single-case design emphasis in American Psychological Association-accredited school psychology programs.

Single-case design (SCD) is an underutilized research methodology in school psychology literature. Despite its relevance to practitioners and applied intervention researchers alike, the majority of intervention research disseminated in school psychology journals tends to involve group designs, such as the randomized controlled trial. Group designs are useful for answering a wide variety of research questions but may not always be relevant to practitioners seeking procedures that work for their students or researchers seeking for the optimal design to answer their research questions. In comparison, the relative dearth of SCD studies in school psychology literature, in conjunction with common values among the field regarding data-based decision making and the scientist-practitioner model to training, raises questions about the cause of this gap. The present study sought to review doctoral training programs in school psychology and evaluate their relative emphasis on SCD in training. Seventy-six American Psychological Association-accredited school psychology programs were reviewed, and results indicated that roughly two thirds of programs do not emphasize SCD during training. Implications regarding school psychology training and research are discussed and recommendations are provided on future directions for school psychology trainers and researchers. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Incorporating feasibility protocols in intervention research.

In this paper, we review some dimensions of feasibility research. Feasibility research focuses on the intervention process and addresses questions about whether and how an intervention can be evaluated and implemented. Feasibility studies are implemented prior to conducting an outcome-focused pilot study or full-scale evaluation to test the effectiveness of an intervention. We propose a feasibility framework that includes 10 possible dimensions to evaluate in a feasibility trial, including (a) recruitment capability, (b) data collection procedures, (c) design procedures, (d) social validity, (e) practicality, (f) integration into existing systems, (g) adaptability, (h) implementation, (i) effectiveness, and (j) generalizability. Among these dimensions we offer some priorities that researchers can consider in establishing feasibility. Although feasibility investigations can advance evidence-based practice in psychology and education, we review current challenges for researchers to consider when incorporating a feasibility protocol into their intervention research agenda.

Evaluating the Influence of Intraverbal Topography in Conditional Discrimination Procedures.

Stimulus equivalence training has been relatively under represented in the research literature for training individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in early letter-sound correspondence. The primary purpose of the current study was to compare the effectiveness of two different topographies of intraverbals on the emergence of untrained relations between letters and their phonemic sounds for two elementary aged children with ASD. Given frequent difficulties answering WH-questions for children with ASD, assessment and training using questions or statements was compared using a test-train-test sequence. Relations that required auditory-visual match to sample tasks emerged for both participants; however, emergence of untrained intraverbal relations differed based on the topography of assessment and training used. Limitations and future directions are discussed.

A Comparison of Math Cover, Copy, Compare Intervention Procedures for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Cover, Copy, Compare (CCC) and Copy, Cover, Compare (MCCC) procedures are effective interventions for improving math fluency. However, there is a gap in literature exploring the use of these interventions for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The purpose of the current study was to compare the use of CCC and MCCC for children with ASD using a multi-component single-case experimental design. The results showed no notable difference between the interventions. Implications and limitations, particularly surrounding experimental control, are discussed in detail.

Autism spectrum disorder traits in typically developing emerging adults and associated parenting: A person-centered approach.

Research on parenting children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) indicates these children receive parenting tailored to their condition. However, little is known about ASD in adulthood, especially in emerging adults at college, and how they are parented. The current study examined how emerging adults in a non-clinical typically-developing sample differed in their current perceptions of parenting as a function of ASD traits. Participants completed questionnaires about their current perceptions of parenting and self-reported ASD traits. Parenting characteristics assessed included parenting style, discipline, parent-child relationship quality, and parental distress. Results indicated that higher levels of self-reported ASD traits were associated with increasingly ineffective parenting characteristics including lower authoritative style, harsher discipline, poorer parent-child relationship quality (e.g., lower involvement), and higher parental distress. Researchers are encouraged to extend ASD research into adulthood by validating diagnostic methods with adults and investigating processes in adulthood that have been well-established in the childhood ASD literature.

Autism Spectrum Disorder Symptoms and Comorbidity in Emerging Adults.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) continues to grow in prevalence each passing year. As more children are diagnosed, it makes sense that the emerging adult and adult population with ASD also will continue to grow. Although the body of research is quite large for children with ASD, the literature for emerging adults with ASD is sparse in comparison. The current study aimed to extend existing literature further by beginning to explore the realm of emerging adulthood. Specifically, the study investigated the presence of comorbid psychiatric symptoms in emerging adults who also presented with ASD symptoms as measured by the Adult Self-Report (Rescorla and Achenbach in The Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment (ASEBA) for ages 18 to 90 years. The use of psychological testing for treatment planning and outcomes assessment: volume 3: instruments for adults, 3rd edn. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, pp 115-152, 2004). Emerging adults were categorized as having normal, mild, moderate, or severe levels of ASD symptoms and were compared for the presence of comorbid psychiatric symptoms. Overall, results suggested that emerging adults who presented with greater ASD symptom severity were more likely to experience the presence of additional comorbid symptoms.