Improving Accuracy of Data Collection on a Psychiatric Unit for Children Diagnosed With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Romani et al. (2018) worked with eight children who had intellectual or developmental disabilities on a psychiatric unit. Staff were losing track of behaviors during busy shifts.

The team gave each staff member a clicker, a one-line observation sheet, and a small timer. They taught the staff to tap the clicker each time a target behavior happened and to write a quick tally every ten minutes.

Inter-observer agreement jumped for every child once the package was in place. Staff agreed on what they saw far more often than before.

The tools were cheap and took only minutes to learn. No extra computers or tablets were needed.

LeBlanc et al. (2020) ran a similar test with therapists in a clinic. They swapped a plain datasheet for an enhanced one and also saw better accuracy. Both studies show that small paper tweaks can lift staff fidelity.

Bailey et al. (2010) used self-monitoring checklists with aides in a classroom. Like Romani, they used a multiple-baseline design and found the same pattern: simple staff tools raise procedural integrity.

Ferreri et al. (2011) reviewed health checks for people with ID. Their paper is broader, but it fits here: when staff use a clear checklist, they catch problems they used to miss. Romani narrows the idea to real-time behavior counts on an inpatient unit.

If you work on a busy ward, you can copy this package tomorrow. Hand out three-dollar clickers, print a skinny data strip with one behavior and ten-minute boxes, and set a phone timer. Tell staff to click and tally. You should see IOA climb within the first shift. No extra budget request needed.