Effects of Behavioral Skills Training on Teachers’ Implementation of Power Card Strategy
A quick BST cycle gets school staff to 100% accuracy on Power Cards and the skill lasts.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Aslan (2022) worked with three teachers who teach students with autism.
The author used a short BST package: explain, show, practice, and give feedback.
The goal was to see if the teachers could run the Power Card Strategy with 100% accuracy.
What they found
All three teachers hit 100% accuracy after only a few BST sessions.
They still scored 100% when checked three weeks later.
No extra coaching was needed to keep the skill.
How this fits with other research
Park et al. (2024) and Homlitas et al. (2014) used the same four-step BST to train teachers on PECS.
They also saw 100% fidelity, showing the BST recipe works across different AAC tools.
Anderson et al. (2025) moved the idea one step further.
They gave paraeducators BST and the adults tripled the number of communication chances they offered during lessons.
So BST lifts fidelity for teachers and boosts opportunity creation for paras.
Rosales et al. (2018) and Mailey et al. (2021) swapped live trainers for computer modules.
Their staff still reached high fidelity, proving BST can travel beyond face-to-face sessions.
Why it matters
You can copy Aslan’s tiny BST package tomorrow.
Spend one prep period to explain, model, rehearse, and give feedback.
Your teacher or para can then run Power Cards, PECS, or any other strategy with near-perfect form.
No long workshops, no big cost, and the skill sticks.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Behavioral Skills Training (BST) is an effective, well-designed package to train educators of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In this study, BST was used to train three teachers on how to accurately implement the Power Card Strategy (PCS). Multiple probe design with probe conditions across participants was used for assessing effects of using BST to train teachers on PCS. Data indicated that all three teachers showed significant improvement in PCS practice. The mean score was 14% for all three teachers during the baseline session. After training, they achieved 100% accuracy in three consecutive sessions. Those results were maintained three weeks later. Social validity data also showed that BST was effective and acceptable.
Khazar Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 2022 · doi:10.5782/2223-2621.2022.25.4.5