An Evaluation of Multiple SAFMEDS Procedures.

Lindsley developed the "say all fast minute every day shuffled" (SAFMEDS) procedure in the late 1970s to enhance the typical use of flash cards (Graf & Auman, 2005). The acronym specifically guides the learner's behavior when using flash cards. A review of SAFMEDS research indicates its successful use with children, college students, and older adults with and without disabilities. The literature also indicates that SAFMEDS procedures are not well documented and have multiple variations, limiting practitioners' ability to know what procedures to use and when. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a basic SAFMEDS procedure and four supplementary SAFMEDS procedures on the rates of correct and incorrect responding to unfamiliar Russian words and Chinese characters in college students. The results of the study suggest that the basic SAFMEDS procedure produced some learning (i.e., increases in correct responding and decreases in incorrect responding), but all of the supplementary procedures led to greater increases in the number of correct responses per 1-min timing. Further research evaluating differences in performance across the supplementary procedures is warranted.

A Review of SAFMEDS: Evidence for Procedures, Outcomes and Directions for Future Research.

SAFMEDS is an assessment and instructional strategy pioneered in the late 1970s by Ogden Lindsley. SAFMEDS was developed as an extension and improvement of flashcards. The aims of this article are to provide an overview of the literature related to SAFMEDS and to identify further research needs. The results of this review suggest that a great deal of research is still needed to clarify the SAFMEDS procedures and the benefits of SAFMEDS over traditional instruction. These conclusions are in line with broader criticisms of fluency-based instruction.

Ethical Considerations for Interdisciplinary Collaboration with Prescribing Professionals.

Behavior analysts often work as part of an interdisciplinary team, and different team members may prescribe different interventions for a single client. One such intervention that is commonly encountered is a change in medication. Changes in medication regimens have the potential to alter behavior in a number of ways. As such, it is important for all team members to be aware of every intervention and to consider how different interventions may interact with each other. These facts make regular and clear communication among team members vital for treatment success. While working as part of an interdisciplinary team, behavior analysts must abide by their ethics code, which sometimes means advocating for their client with the rest of the team. This article will review some possible implications of medicinal interventions, potential ethical issues that can arise, and a case study from the authors' experience. Finally, the authors propose a decision-making tree that can aid in determining the best course of action when a team member proposes an intervention in addition to, or concurrent with, interventions proposed by the behavior analyst.