Treatment integrity — the degree to which an intervention is implemented as designed — is the link between a well-designed behavior program and actual client outcomes. A task interspersal procedure that is implemented with low fidelity is not task interspersal; it is an approximation that may produce qualitatively different learning outcomes, including reduced acquisition rates, increased problem behavior, and weakened motivating operations that the procedure was designed to manage.
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Join Free →Task interspersal is an evidence-based intervention commonly used in early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI). Despite its effectiveness, behavior technicians' negative perspectives towards task interspersal may reduce treatment integrity, thus negatively impacting quality outcomes. Behavior skills training (BST) is the gold-standard training method for such procedures, although BST requires intensive resources. To evaluate alternative methods that maintain high treatment integrity with low use of resources, a prompt prescribing the schedule of task interspersal was embedded within the task analysis feature of an electronic data collection system. Participants were only given verbal and written instructions on using the prompt to determine if the prompt would increase treatment integrity without using BST. Furthermore, the present research evaluated whether high rates of treatment integrity could be maintained as a novel prompt schedule was introduced without any further training. A multiple baseline design across participants was utilized to determine the effects of the prompt on treatment integrity of task interspersal during role-play sessions. All three participants demonstrated significant improvement in treatment integrity and maintained this rate of treatment integrity accuracy with a novel prompt schedule. The results support the idea that features within electronic data collection systems can be modified and utilized uniquely to provide behavior technicians with prompts to aid in the treatment integrity of complex procedures without consuming resources required by BST. Furthermore, social validity was examined, with participants reporting increases in confidence and accuracy of task interspersal and recommending the prompt procedure to be utilized for additional programming.
| Certification Body | Credits | Type |
|---|---|---|
| BACB® | 1 | Supervision |
| COA | 1 | — |
Michelle Fuhr, PhD, LLP, BCBA-D, LBA is the Director of Clinical Operations at University Pediatricians Autism Center. She holds a Doctoral degree from Capella University, and Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Western Michigan University, specializing in Behavior Analysis. Michelle spends time teaching and developing curriculum for several ABA programs, including Wayne State University, Capella University, Macomb Community College, and previously Baker College and Oakland University. She has co-authored a chapter in Writing Skills for Behavior Analysts: A Practical Guide for Students and Clinicians. Clinically, Michelle’s interests center around staff training, clinic morale, quality service implementation, developmentally appropriate treatment, and parent-involved treatment, using best-practices such as acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), skills-based treatment (SBT) and motivational interviewing.
Dig into the research behind this topic — plain-English summaries written for BCBAs.
279 research articles with practitioner takeaways
258 research articles with practitioner takeaways
252 research articles with practitioner takeaways
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All behavior-analytic intervention is individualized. The information on this page is for educational purposes and does not constitute clinical advice. Treatment decisions should be informed by the best available published research, individualized assessment, and obtained with the informed consent of the client or their legal guardian. Behavior analysts are responsible for practicing within the boundaries of their competence and adhering to the BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts.