Date of Graduation

Fall 2016

Degree

Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis

Department

Psychology

Committee Chair

Michael Clayton

Abstract

Behavioral skills training (BST) was used to teach discrete trial teaching (DTT) to three paraprofessionals. Discrete Trial Teaching (DTT) has been used successfully with students with autism to individualize and simplify classroom instruction. DTT is an evidence-based training procedure used with elementary aged children to promote the development of communication/language, adaptive behavior, cognitive/academic skills, social and play skills, and for reducing interfering behaviors. Behavioral skills training is a training package that includes instructions, modeling, rehearsal, and feedback. A multiple baseline design across participants was used to assess the treatment effects. The paraprofessionals in this study increased their implementation of DTT from 70%, 58%, and 66% during baseline to 97%, 96%, and 99% respectively. This data supports previous findings that Behavior Skills Training can be used to train paraprofessionals to correctly implement Discrete Trial Teaching.

Keywords

autism, discrete trial teaching, behavior skills training, staff training, paraprofessionals

Subject Categories

Applied Behavior Analysis

Copyright

© Ali Jo-Celeste Headley

Open Access

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