Increasing Trials Presented to Children With Autism: Using Frequency Building With Modeling and Feedback

Area of Science:

• Behavioral science
• Clinical psychology
• Developmental pediatrics

Background:

• Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often require specialized interventions.
• Effective delivery of behavioral interventions relies on trained staff.
• Increasing the frequency of learning opportunities (trials) can enhance treatment outcomes for children with ASD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a staff training package on the rate of trial presentations.
• To determine if specific training components improve intervention delivery for children with autism.

Main Methods:

• A staff training package was developed, incorporating repeated timings, modeling, and frequency building.
• Training sessions were 20 minutes, with staff practicing 1-minute trial timings.
• The study involved 3 participants and measured trial presentation frequency before and after training phases.

Main Results:

• The training package led to a higher frequency of trial presentations across all 3 participants.
• The modeling and feedback phase showed the most significant increase in trial frequency.
• Staff demonstrated improved ability to deliver more frequent learning opportunities.

Conclusions:

• Staff training is an effective method for increasing the frequency of trial presentations in autism interventions.
• The combination of modeling and feedback in training enhances intervention delivery for children with autism.
• Optimizing staff training can lead to more intensive and potentially more effective behavioral interventions for ASD.