Examining the Effectiveness of Student Involvement in the Functional Behavior Assessment and Intervention Process

Abstract

Social validity, in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) refers to the acceptance and importance that behavioral treatment has for the consumers of the work. Most often, social validity is assessed by examining the opinions and feelings of indirect consumers such as caregivers, teachers, or those implementing intervention services. Typically, the opinions of the direct recipient of ABA services (i.e. individuals with disabilities that have varying degrees of communication, academic, and cognitive skills) are not assessed or considered. Behavioral assessments and interventions that are conducted, designed and implemented without assessing acceptability on the part of the direct recipient can create both practical and ethical concerns that can hinder the success and long-term effects of intervention services. This study included three direct recipients in the assessment and selection of their own behavior interventions. Recipients were included in the descriptive assessment using the Student directed Functional Assessment Interview (SFAI; O’Neill et al., 2015). A video preference assessment was utilized to demonstrate the intervention options and allow the participants the opportunity to select their preferred procedure. The preferred interventions were then implemented and were successful at decreasing challenging behavior and increasing appropriate behavior for each of the three participants. Implications of these data for practice and future research are then discussed.