Date of Graduation
Spring 2026
Degree
Master of Science in Behavior Analysis & Therapy
Department
Mental Health & Behavioral Science
Committee Chair
Michael Clayton
Abstract
Individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are placed at an increased risk of experiencing poor mental health outcomes that can contribute to a compromised quality of life (Lee et al., 2022). In the field of applied behavior analysis (ABA), interventions have been explored to combat psychological inflexibility through acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT; Hayes et al., 1999) and Accept. Identify. Move. (AIM; Dixon & Paliliunas, 2018). Although results have been promising, the majority of current research is focused on adults with ASD or neurotypical children. Therefore, a research gap exists in using ACT-based therapies with young, autistic children. To create an intervention tailored specifically toward younger learners, especially those with emerging verbal language skills, Dixon (2023) created a child-friendly ACT and AIM-based curriculum called the AIM Explorers. To the researcher's knowledge, no empirical research currently exists in evaluating its effectiveness. The current study aimed to explore the overall psychological and behavioral effects of the curriculum. Three children with an ASD diagnosis participated in the intervention during their routinely scheduled ABA therapy sessions. The intervention consisted of ongoing implementation of AIM Explorers lessons, which were administered by a registered behavior technician (RBT). The lesson intensity varied across participants based on their clinic availability. The results suggested there is a dose-response trend between the intensity of treatment and psychological outcomes, which were measured through self-report questionnaires. No functional relationship between the intervention and the frequency of challenging behaviors was determined. The current study serves as a preliminary investigation of the use of the AIM Explorers curriculum with young children, informing practitioners of best practices in the field.
Keywords
acceptance and commitment therapy, autism spectrum disorder, psychological flexibility, ABA therapy, social and emotional learning
Subject Categories
Applied Behavior Analysis
Copyright
© Makenna Besett
Recommended Citation
Besett, Makenna, "Psychological Flexibility in Autistic Learners: Evaluating the ACT-Based AIM Explorers Curriculum" (2026). Graduate Theses/Dissertations. 4157.
https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/4157
