<i>Promoting the emergence of advanced knowledge: A review of</i> peak relational training system: Direct training module <i>by Mark R. Dixon</i>
PEAK turns RFT into a teachable, trackable curriculum—try one lesson and watch the evidence grow.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Reed and colleagues wrote a friendly review of the PEAK Direct Training Module.
They looked at how the program turns Relational Frame Theory (RFT) into ready-to-use lessons.
The paper does not test kids; it sums up early studies and shows how the lessons are laid out.
What they found
The authors say PEAK gives you a clear, step-by-step way to teach verbal and cognitive skills.
They note that small studies outside Dixon’s lab are starting to back the lessons.
Still, they urge readers to check the new data before buying in.
How this fits with other research
Belisle et al. (2021) extends PEAK by moving the same lessons onto a computer screen for remote DTT.
McIlvane (2003) warned that RFT needs child data to be convincing; Reed et al. answer that PEAK is now doing just that.
Enoch et al. (2020) found most BCBAs want RFT training but feel lost; PEAK gives them a ready-made place to start.
Why it matters
If you run verbal behavior programs, PEAK can save you hours of goal writing.
Grab the manual, pilot one lesson, and track the data.
Watch the new studies as they drop so you know when the evidence is solid enough to scale up.
Get CEUs on This Topic — Free
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ on-demand CEUs including ethics, supervision, and clinical topics like this one. Plus a new live CEU every Wednesday.
Open the PEAK Direct Training book, run one trial of the first listener-responding lesson, and graph correct responses.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
Mark Dixon's (2014) manual, PEAK Relational Training System: Direct Training Module, proposes a novel approach to manualized evaluation and curriculum development. Dixon's PEAK system, introduced in the book as the first of four modules, translates derived relational responding methodology into a new verbal‐behavior approach. The PEAK system is firmly rooted in the basic, conceptual, and applied behavior‐analytic tradition; however, it differs substantially from the competition in its unique application of relational frame theory to produce efficient learning. The manual's accessible nature renders it a viable product for many users and readers. The growing empirical support for PEAK’s efficacy, usability, and psychometrics is impressive and provides a robust empirical basis for the system that is not described within the pages of the manual. Behavior analysts may shy away from a manualized system that explicitly omits discussion of scholarship and empirical bases but would be remiss in doing so, given the potential of PEAK to revolutionize the way clinicians and parents apply the verbal behavior approach.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 2016 · doi:10.1002/jaba.281