Evaluating interactive computerized training to teach practitioners to implement firearm safety skills training
A half-hour computer module can prepare BCBAs to teach firearm safety drills with near-perfect accuracy.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Baruni et al. (2025) built a 30-minute computer module that teaches BCBAs how to run firearm safety lessons with clients.
Three BCBAs took the module, then tried the real safety drills with a confederate child.
The researchers scored how closely each BCBA followed the script, step by step.
What they found
All three BCBAs hit high fidelity after the short computer course.
They also said the module was easy to use and worth their time.
How this fits with other research
Mailey et al. (2021) and Rosales et al. (2018) used similar computer BST packages for social skills and PECS.
Baruni’s new study shows the same tech works for a very different, high-risk topic: guns.
Ruppel et al. (2023) added live Zoom feedback after remote slides.
Baruni cut that live piece—feedback was baked into the module—yet still reached the same 90 % plus fidelity, saving staff time.
Sureshkumar et al. (2024) taught first-aid to kids through video prompts.
Baruni flips the lens: now we train the adult, not the child, but the safety theme links the two.
Why it matters
If your clinic ever needs to add firearm safety lessons, you no longer need a full in-person workshop.
Assign the 30-minute ICT module, check competency, and you are ready to go.
The same format could plug into other rare but critical safety skills—think poison control or water safety—without pulling staff off the floor for long trainings.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Researchers have shown that behavioral skills training (BST) and in situ training are effective for teaching firearm safety skills to children. Within the safety skills literature, there is evidence that manualized interventions are effective for teaching parents and teachers to conduct BST. An approach that has not been evaluated for teaching safety skills is interactive computerized training (ICT). The purpose of the current study was to evaluate an ICT program with three Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA) who provided services to clients with autism spectrum disorder. In the final phase, the BCBAs implemented firearm safety skills training with their clients. Overall, the BCBAs implemented the safety skills training protocol with high fidelity during post‐ICT assessments and rated the ICT program positively.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 2025 · doi:10.1002/jaba.70013