Implementing parent training to produce skills in the home environment

Document Type

Thesis

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Psychology

Degree

M.S. Applied Behavior Analysis

Date Completed

2015

First Committee Member

Ahearn, William H.

Second Committee Member

Thompson, Rachel

Third Committee Member

MacDonald, Rebecca

Abstract

"Behavior analytic procedures have been found to be effective in teaching parents to promote critical skill performance in the home setting (Marcus, Swanson, & Vollmer 2001). It has been suggested that parental involvement in promoting skill performance aids in treatment outcomes for children with autism (Whalen, Schreibman, & Ingersoll, 2006). The purpose of this study was to teach parents to effectively promote skill performance at home. Participants were four parents and their children who were diagnosed with autism. The training package included five components: explanation of rationale behind treatment, role-playing, interaction with the child with immediate feedback, interaction with the child with delayed feedback, and follow-up sessions. Prior to starting training, the researcher asked parents to select the skills they wanted their children to perform independently at home. Skills selected included showering, bed making, folding pants, face washing, and nose blowing. Target behaviors for the parent included the delivery of correct prompts and correct consequences. Data were collected on the child’s independent performance of the selected skills. A multiple probe design was used, targeting one of three selected daily living skills at a time with probes also occurring for the untrained skills. Results indicated that parents, with the exception of the family that withdrew from the study, were effectively trained through the explanation of rationale and role-playing alone. However, for one parent, and one skill, a booster session involving the parent and their child, was necessary. The parents’ teaching skills generalized across untrained tasks."

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