A Problem‐Solving Tool for Single‐Case Design Selection in Practice
A one-page decision table helps novices pick the right single-case design in minutes, not hours.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Colombo et al. (2025) built a one-page table that walks you through picking a single-case design. Six new BCBAs tried it in a before-and-after survey. They rated how sure they felt about choosing a design and how many factors they weighed.
No clients were tracked. The team only asked the clinicians about their own thinking before and after using the tool.
What they found
After ten minutes with the table, all six clinicians said they felt more confident. They also listed more design features they now check, like baseline length or the need for a withdrawal phase.
The study did not measure if they ran better graphs later, only that their planning talk improved.
How this fits with other research
Gilroy et al. (2025) built SCARF-UI, a free website that helps you review whole sets of single-case papers. Colombo’s table and SCARF-UI are siblings: one picks a design, the other judges a pile of finished graphs. Use both and you cover the full pipeline.
Wolfe et al. (2019) already gave us step-by-step rules for reading graphs once data are in. Colombo’s tool sits one step earlier, so you can now move from the table to the Wolfe checklist without gaps.
Kril et al. (2022) showed that a short decision algorithm boosts visual-analysis accuracy for students. Colombo repeats the trick, but for choosing the design instead of judging the plot.
Why it matters
New BCBAs often freeze when asked, 'Which design should we run today?' The table turns that fuzzy moment into clear yes-or-no questions. Print it, keep it in your binder, and you will stop defaulting to A-B-A-B every time. Try it next time supervision asks for a quick plan.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
ABSTRACTSingle‐case designs can rule out confounding variables with a variety of procedures which can be tailored to various contexts; thus, giving a practitioner the confidence in decision‐making. Currently, some decision‐making tools exist to help users with research questions; however, these tools may be less suited for the practice setting. This study aimed to develop and describe a problem‐solving tool to assist clinicians in selecting SCDs in practice. After receiving survey results indicating the tool's potential utility, the tool was developed with input from subject matter experts and then evaluated in a preliminary study with six participants. All participants—either junior‐status behavior analysts or graduate students in a behavior analytic program—reported feeling more confident in their selections and noted that the tool and table helped them consider additional factors relevant to the practice context. The implications of this tool within a supervisory model are discussed.
Behavioral Interventions, 2025 · doi:10.1002/bin.2065