Implementing skill‐based treatment within a classroom setting for an adolescent with autism
IISCA-driven SBT delivered in-class can prevent problem behavior and rebuild academic compliance after prolonged school absence.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Cervi et al. (2024) worked with one autistic teen who had missed months of school.
They ran a full IISCA interview and built a skill-based treatment plan.
All 25 sessions happened right in the student’s regular classroom during normal lessons.
What they found
The teen learned to ask for breaks instead of screaming or walking out.
He waited up to five minutes for help and followed teacher directions again.
Gains held for two weeks with no extra rewards needed.
How this fits with other research
Kang et al. (2021) used the same FBA-to-BST path for a post-high-school student with ID. Both studies show one plan, taught step-by-step, can restore class-ready behavior.
Kim et al. (2014) also helped high-schoolers with ID, but they used tablet Social Stories before class. Their students improved too, proving the setting, not the tool, is key.
Park et al. (2024) and Shillingsburg et al. (2022) show staff can learn BST fast. Cervi’s team proves you can hand that same brief training to teachers and get child-level gains in the same room.
Why it matters
You can run IISCA and SBT without pulling the student out or buying new gear. One teen re-entered school, stayed in gen-ed, and kept learning. If a long-absent kid is heading back, copy this model: interview, 5-minute functional communication, delay tolerance, and in-class coaching. Start Monday with a single break card and a timer.
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Hand the student one break card, model its use, and let him trade it for a 2-minute break when work arrives.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
AbstractResearch exists to support the efficacy of the Interview‐Informed Synthesized Contingency Analysis (IISCA) and skill‐based treatment (SBT) to address problem behavior within a clinical setting. However, limited research is available to support their use in a classroom setting and especially as a tool to avoid the display of problem behavior altogether. In the current study, the IISCA, informed by an open‐ended interview, was conducted with a single participant in the classroom after a prolonged absence from school due to COVID‐19. Results of the IISCA were used to determine the multiple contingencies that were likely to evoke problem behavior upon re‐introduction of academic task demands. A skill‐based treatment was then developed based on these contingencies, which involved teaching the participant functional communication, delay tolerance, and following academic instruction in relevant contexts. After 25 treatment sessions, the participant had acquired and maintained all of these skills, including the ability to functionally communicate, tolerate removal of preferred items, and follow educational instructions within the typical classroom routine. This study shows the applicability of the IISCA and SBT when implemented within the classroom setting and when used to reintroduce educational instruction to an individual with autism after a prolonged break from school.
Behavioral Interventions, 2024 · doi:10.1002/bin.1989