ABSTRACT
Previous research suggests that performance feedback improves treatment integrity. This study compared the effects of verbal performance feedback and verbal plus graphic performance feedback on implementation of a student-specific behavior support plan (BSP) by members of a second-grade teaching team at a public elementary school. A consultant to the school delivered feedback following regularly scheduled classroom observations. Results indicated that combining verbal and graphic performance feedback was more effective than verbal performance feedback alone in improving treatment integrity. Informal data collected on student performance also suggested that appropriate behavior increased with better implementation of the BSP. Clinical and research issues are discussed.
Subject(s)
Behavior Therapy/methods , Child Behavior Disorders/therapy , Computer Graphics , Feedback , Schools , Verbal Behavior , Child , Faculty , Female , Humans , Male , Public Sector , School Health Services , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
Child psychologists are frequently involved in the assessment of ADHD symptoms among school-aged youth. There is limited information regarding the extent to which psychologists adhere to recommended assessment practices and whether differences exist in assessment strategies among psychologists from different specialty areas (clinical, counseling, and school) and/or who practice in different settings (university, school, or outpatient clinic). A 3 (specialty area) x 3 (employment setting) between-groups design is used wherein 230 child psychologists completed surveys regarding diagnostic practice. Psychologists differ in adherence with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., text revision) diagnostic criteria, use of clinical interviews, and type of behavior observation. Only 15% of psychologists report using multiple methods consistent with recommended standards of best practice. Differences between groups of psychologists indicate that the diagnosis of ADHD in children is influenced by the type of psychologist conducting the evaluation and the setting in which the evaluation is conducted.
Subject(s)
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity/diagnosis , Attitude of Health Personnel , Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders , Psychology, Child/methods , Child , Child, Preschool , Humans , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
This article describes the development of behavioral school care consultation services to public schools within a not-for-profit community behavioral health organization. An overview of the process of behavior consultation is presented. A description of the growth of behavioral school consultation services is outlined in regard to (a) the types of consultation, including individual, school-wide, and district-wide services; (b) trainings in empirically validated assessment and interventions; and (c) the development of an internship and postdoctoral fellowship program. A review of the growth of applied research, particularly in the area of school-wide interventions and its dissemination, also is presented.
Subject(s)
Public Sector , Referral and Consultation , School Health Services , Teaching/methods , Behavior Therapy , Community Mental Health Services/organization & administration , HumansABSTRACT
Office discipline referrals are a common practice in public schools to address students' problem behaviors. The authors report two descriptive studies in a public elementary-middle school to illustrate frequency of office referrals as an evaluative data source. Study I was a behavioral assessment of office referrals to determine the types of discipline problems confronting school personnel and the distribution of referrals among teachers, students, and grade level. In Study II, a fifth-grade class that had the most office referrals in the school received whole-class and individual-student interventions that produced a decrease in the number of referrals. These findings support use of office referrals as a readily available index by which to identify school discipline problems, design interventions, and evaluate outcome.
Subject(s)
Behavior Therapy/statistics & numerical data , Child Behavior Disorders/prevention & control , Punishment , Referral and Consultation/statistics & numerical data , Students/psychology , Child , Child Behavior Disorders/epidemiology , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Humans , Male , Punishment/psychology , Risk Factors , Schools/statistics & numerical data , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
We describe a multicomponent intervention to improve bus-riding behavior of students attending an urban public school. The intervention was developed with technical assistance consultation that emphasized collaboration among students, school personnel, and bus drivers. The primary intervention procedures were identifying appropriate behaviors during transportation ("bus rules"), training bus drivers to deliver positive reinforcement, and rewarding student performance through a weekly school-based lottery. Disruptive bus behaviors, as measured by discipline referrals and suspensions, decreased with intervention relative to baseline phases in an ABAB reversal design. These positive results were maintained over the long term, with school personnel assuming responsibility for intervention in the absence of ongoing consultation.
