The Use of a Brief Treatment Package to Increase Session Note Completion in an ABA Agency

Brown et al. (2021) tested a tiny three-part package on ABA line staff.

The package gave each tech a filled-out sample note, a short self-monitoring checklist, and one round of verbal feedback.

Six technicians who write session notes for kids with autism took part.

The researchers counted how many blank fields were left in each note before and after the package.

Right after the package, every tech left almost zero blanks.

The clean notes stayed clean one week and two weeks later with no extra coaching.

Luna et al. (2019) tried a checklist alone two years earlier. Their checklist helped staff list toys and prompts, but reports of problem behavior got worse. Brown’s fuller package fixed every field and kept the gains.

Shabani et al. (2006) and Sellers et al. (2019) both used brief BST plus feedback to lift staff accuracy. Brown’s note package mirrors their recipe: teach, watch, give quick praise or correction.

Guercio et al. (2025) recently showed that letting staff earn preferred items can also juice data sheets. Brown skips the token economy and still wins, showing two different roads to the same finish line.

You can copy this package on Monday. Print one perfect note, hand out the checklist, and spend five minutes giving feedback. No extra money, no new software. If you supervise RBTs who rush through notes, this is the fastest fix in the literature.