As the number of children with developmental and learning disabilities continues to grow the efforts are being made on the global level to provide them with the best support so that they can live a better life.
There is growing literature that ensures the effectiveness of the use of trial-based functional analysis (TBFA) in applied settings. The present study was conducted with the purpose to assess the accuracy and social validity of parent-implemented TBFAs. The participants were three young children with ASD and their mothers. Each mother was told to effectively implement the TBFA with coaching from a behavior consultant. After the implementation of the TBFA, parent-implemented function-based interventions were evaluated using multiple probes across parent-child dyads design. It was observed that the child’s challenging behavior decreased and communication increased. TBFAs required approximately 5 to 7 hr of consultant time however as each mother who participated in the study rated the TBFA as socially valid.
The study concluded through its findings that the parent-implemented TBFAs may be an accurate and socially valid method to evaluate the function of challenging behavior in homes. The discussion includes implications for practice and directions for future research.
Reference: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1088357618755695
