Evaluating the Effects of On-Task in a Box as a Class-wide Intervention for Increasing On-Task Behavior and Academic Performance

The present study was designed to replicate and extend the literature on the intervention package, On-Task in a Box, as a class-wide intervention to increase on-task behavior and decrease disruptive behavior. A second purpose of the study was to evaluate the effects of the intervention on students’ academic performance. The On-Task in a Box intervention utilized video modeling to train students on how to engage in on-task behavior, as well as how to self-monitor their behavior. Additionally, the intervention included students self-monitoring their on-task behavior using self-recording forms. Depending on select students’ percentage of on-task behavior on the self-recording forms, reinforcement was provided through a group contingency. The effects of the intervention were determined through a multiple baseline design across three elementary school classrooms (1st and 2nd grade). Target students were identified to determine the effects of the class-wide intervention on individual students. Data were collected on class-wide and target students’ on-task and disruptive behavior and class-wide and target students’ academic productivity and accuracy. Results indicated the On-Task in a Box intervention was effective at increasing on-task behavior and decreasing disruptive behavior. However, no differences in academic performance were found. Furthermore, teachers and target students found the intervention to be acceptable and effective for improving behavior

A Comparison of Two Procedures for Assessing Preference in a Classroom Setting

The purpose of this study was to compare a method of assessing preference within a large group format to individual preference assessments. Individual preference assessments were conducted by presenting an array of four edible stimuli to a participant and allowing the participant to select a preferred stimulus, with stimuli removed from the array based on selection criteria. Group preference assessments were conducted in a classroom of 19 students, with all students responding simultaneously to a prompt to identify a preferred stimulus using Plickers—unique Quick Response code cards that are read by an accompanying smartphone app. During the group procedure, stimuli in the array were restricted on the individual participant level. Results indicated that the group procedure was a valid and rapid method of assessing preference within a group of individuals. Although additional research is required, practitioners and researchers may consider use of Plickers as a promising means of evaluating preference within a group setting

Increasing Behavioral Variability and Social Skill Accuracy in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Although social skills training for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often addresses deficits in social communication, restricted and repetitive social behaviors are less frequently targeted in the literature. The present study evaluated a manualized social skills training program, modified to incorporate lag schedules of reinforcement, to promote appropriate and variable responding in three children in a school setting. Participants attended social skills once weekly, with probes of social skills taking place daily. A multiple baseline design across target skills was used to determine intervention efficacy. Results of the study indicated that the social skills curriculum incorporating lag schedules of reinforcement resulted in substantial increases in the number of appropriate and variable responses demonstrated by participants during each probe session, as well as the number of appropriate and variable responses demonstrated overall