Instruction in Functional Assessment

By Marcie Desrochers, Moira Fallon, College at Brockport faculty members. Instruction in Functional Assessment introduces learners to functional assessment (FA), which includes a variety of assessment approaches (indirect, observational, and experimental) for identifying the cause of an individual\u27s challenging behavior for the purpose of designing effective treatments. FA is mandated by federal law and is a recognized empirically based approach to treatment of individuals with challenging behaviors (e.g., disruptive, self-injurious, and aggressive behaviors). Instruction in FA is essential for students who will one day enter professions as educators, psychologists, social workers, counselors, or mental health professionals. The purpose of this textbook is to provide instruction in FA skills for pre-professionals in the fields of education and psychology. This supplemental resource provides the context, background, and knowledge to facilitate students\u27 acquisition of the methods, decision-making, and skills involved in conducting FA. Each chapter begins with focus questions designed to promote reflective thinking and ends with discussion questions. To promote application of FA in diverse situations and teach important lessons, case studies of individuals with challenging behaviors, interactive activities, and opportunities for practice are embedded in the chapters. Moreover, the text includes the ingredients to facilitate students\u27 role play and rehearsal of appropriate FA skills while working in cooperative groups and using performance-based traininghttps://digitalcommons.brockport.edu/bookshelf/1362/thumbnail.jp

An Evaluation of Simulations in Developmental Disabilities (SIDD) Instructional Software that Provides Practice in Behavioral Assessment and Treatment Decisions

Simulations in Developmental Disabilities (SIDD) is a multimedia computer program designed to provide undergraduate psychology students with practice in making assessment and treatment decisions. Eighteen undergraduate psychology students participated in an experiment to test the instructional effectiveness of SIDD. Post-test scores were significantly higher in the experimental group who received training with SIDD than in a control group who did not receive training. The students also rated the software positively. Future strategies to further evaluate the software are discussed

An experimental evaluation of the instructional effectiveness of a student response system: A comparison with constructed overt responding

Student response systems (SRSs) are increasingly being used in the classroom. However, there have been few well-controlled experimental evaluations to determine whether students benefit academically from these instructional tools. Additionally, comparisons of SRS with other interactive methods have not often been conducted. We compared SRS, Constructed Overt Response (COR), passive, and control conditions to determine their effects on learning and affect. We found that students performed better in the interactive conditions-SRS and COR-than the other conditions. Participants' gain and retention of gain scores in the SRS condition were lower than those in the COR condition. Participants in the SRS condition perceived their condition as more enjoyable than those in the passive condition and more useful than those in the control condition. Additional research questions are raised about how these interactive methods may best improve student learning

Case Difficulty of Simulation Software

Preliminary results concerning difficulty levels of client cases in Simulations in Developmental Disabilities: SIDD are presented. Participants conducted assessments to identify causes of problem behavior and propose treatments for 10 clients. Although SIDD may teach clinical decision-making skills, providing numerous cases did not guarantee learning for all participants. Exposure to a difficult case early in instruction was associated with better overall performance by participants. Additionally, treatment performance best indicated perceived difficulty level. Further experimental research comparing order of difficulty is recommended

An Experimental Comparison of the Effect of Teacher Versus Self‑Evaluation/Self‑Reflection Feedback on College Students’ Behavioral Observation Skills

An experimental investigation of the effectiveness of two types of feedback on college students’ acquisition of behavioral observation skills was conducted. Special education and psychology students completed two training assignments involving behavioral observations of students engaging in problem behavior. Depending on the condition to which they were randomly assigned, participants experienced either teacher or self-evaluation/self-reflection feedback immediately after each assignment was completed. Participants in the teacher feedback condition scored higher on the post-training assignments and viewed it more positively than those in the self- evaluation/self-reflection condition. Additional research is needed to identify the relevant variables contributing to effective teacher feedback since it is a frequent component of instructional situations

Developmental Disabilities: Labels and Beyond

The presenters will delve into the nuances of labels given to individuals with developmental disABILITIES such as intellectual disabilities and autism. In this workshop participants will be exposed to research, stories, videos, and interactive activities to explore how labels can impact people in significant ways