A Two Step Validation of the Performance-Based IISCA: A Trauma-Informed Functional Analysis Model
A one-session, trauma-informed IISCA gives the same results as the original and sets up effective treatment without side effects.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Jessel et al. (2024) tested a quicker, trauma-informed version of the IISCA. They ran one short session for each of 12 clients. The goal was to see if the new version gave the same answers as the original IISCA.
After the analysis, five clients moved to treatment. The team tracked whether problem behavior dropped when the function-based plan was used.
What they found
All 12 brief IISCAs matched the results of the longer, original IISCA. The five kids who received treatment showed clear drops in problem behavior.
No child showed new or worse behavior during the single-session test.
How this fits with other research
Coffey et al. (2020) reviewed 17 IISCA studies and found the method fast and reliable. The 2024 data add a trauma-informed twist while keeping those benefits.
Fisher et al. (2016) reported that IISCA missed functions for all five kids in their lab. The new study shows the opposite. The gap is likely setting: Fisher ran highly controlled lab conditions; Jessel worked in clinic rooms with typical toys and staff.
Retzlaff et al. (2020) warned that synthesized contingencies can create new problem behavior in half of lab cases. Jessel’s clinic data show safe use, probably because real-life settings include more safeguards and brief exposure.
Why it matters
You can now run a safe, single-session IISCA and still get the same answers as the full version. If time, client stress, or safety rules limit you, swap in the performance-based IISCA and move straight to treatment.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Functional analyses often involve extended exposure to evocative events and problem behavior, which potentially places the client at risk of retraumatization. The performance-based, interview-informed synthesized contingency analysis (IISCA) is a brief analysis that is conducted in a single session and applies a trauma-assumed framework in the development of the assessment procedures (e.g., measures of calm, reinforcing precursors to avoid escalation and physical management). We conducted 12 applications of the performance-based IISCA in the United States and Brazil and (1) compared the results to a subset of 7 applications who also experienced the original IISCA and (2) incorporated a function-based treatment informed by the performance-based IISCA in a further subset of 5 of those 12 applications. The results support the use of the performance-based IISCA in that this variation of the IISCA corresponded with the original IISCA and informed effective treatment of problem behavior. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40617-023-00792-2.
Behavior Analysis in Practice, 2024 · doi:10.1007/s40617-023-00792-2