Wearable Technology to Measure the Occurrence of Self-Injury During a Functional Analysis

Conducting a functional analysis (FA) is considered the gold standard for assessing the function of disruptive behavior and informing function-based treatment plans for individuals with autism and developmental disabilities. However, data collected during FAs are subject to human error. Accelerometers are wearable sensors that capture an individual's movement and can be used to identify behavioral events. The purpose of this study was to pilot the use of accelerometers to identify the occurrence of self-injurious behavior events during a FA. Three participants with autism, who engaged in self-hitting behaviors, participated in this study. Researchers conducted a FA with the participants while they wore small accelerometer devices. Observational data were collected using (1) live observation ("clinical-grade"), (2) from frame-by-frame video analysis ("research-grade"), and (3) via accelerometers. Researchers calculated interobserver agreement across data sets. Discussion of results and recommendations for practice and future research are included.