Identifying Implementation Usability Issues of an Evidence-Based Behavioral Intervention for Use in Schools

Area of Science:

• Behavioral intervention research
• Implementation science
• Human-centered design

Background:

• Challenging behaviors are a significant concern for autistic students, often lacking adequate school-based resources.
• The Reinforcement-Based Intervention (RUBI) program, evidence-based for clinicians, needs adaptation for school settings.
• The Discover, Design/Build, Test framework was used to identify and address usability issues for school implementation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and address implementation usability issues of the RUBI program for use in elementary schools.
• To redesign the RUBI program through a collaborative, iterative process with school partners.
• To ensure the adapted intervention, RUBIES, fits the school setting and integrates with existing systems.

Main Methods:

• Collaborative redesign involving 41 school staff members from 28 elementary schools.
• Utilized in-class behavioral observations and cognitive walkthroughs during the Discover Phase.
• Employed collaborative redesign sessions and demonstration studies in the Design/Build Phase, rating issues for importance and feasibility.

Main Results:

• Two primary implementation usability issues were identified: (1) integration with existing school support systems and (2) challenges in data collection within schools.
• Qualitative data analysis using conventional content analysis identified these critical issues.

Conclusions:

• Addressing identified usability issues is crucial for enhancing the utility and successful implementation of RUBI in schools.
• Partner-engaged methods successfully identified critical issues before implementing the redesigned intervention, now called RUBIES.
• The study discusses implications for integrating RUBIES within school frameworks like MTSS and streamlining data collection via technology.