Teacher-Implemented Response Interruption and Redirection: Training, Evaluation, and Descriptive Analysis of Treatment Integrity.
Brief BST gets classroom staff to run RIRD with high accuracy—just coach the timing.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Giles et al. (2018) taught teaching assistants to use Response Interruption and Redirection (RIRD).
They used a short BST package: explain, show, practice, and feedback.
The team watched how well the staff started and stopped the redirections.
What they found
All staff reached high accuracy after the brief training.
The most common slip was bad timing—starting or ending RIRD at the wrong moment.
How this fits with other research
Davenport et al. (2019) and Metras (2017) show the same BST recipe lifts fidelity in teachers and BCBAs.
Lattal (2004) proved that a quick verbal fix mid-session also boosts trainer accuracy, so feedback is the shared engine.
Tullis et al. (2020) adds a twist: RIRD must be in place or extra instructive feedback targets won’t stick for kids with ASD—highlighting why correct timing matters.
Why it matters
You can run a 20-minute BST loop and trust staff to hit RIRD steps with few errors. Watch the first few sessions and give a timing cue if they jump in too early or late. Pair this with any extra teaching you do; well-timed RIRD keeps stereotypy low so new targets sink in.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Response interruption and redirection (RIRD) is an effective intervention for decreasing stereotypy. During RIRD, contingent on occurrences of stereotypy, therapists interrupt the behavior and prompt the participant to complete an alternative response. Although RIRD has been implemented by teachers in classrooms, it requires continuous monitoring of participants to be implemented with fidelity and may be difficult for teachers to manage. The present study evaluated the effectiveness of RIRD when implemented in classrooms. In addition, we evaluated if novice teaching assistants could be trained to implement RIRD. Finally, a descriptive analysis of treatment integrity errors during RIRD was conducted. Three children and teaching assistants participated. Following a written instructions baseline, the teaching assistants were trained to implement RIRD using modeling, rehearsal, and feedback. The training increased the accuracy of RIRD implementation for all participants. Incorrectly initiating and terminating RIRD were the most common treatment integrity errors observed.
Behavior modification, 2018 · doi:10.1177/0145445517731061