Date of Award

Summer 8-8-2022

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

MA Applied Behavior Analysis

Department

Education Studies

Advisor

Lauren Goodwyn, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Frank Cicero, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Kate Johnson, M.A.

Keywords

acceptance and commitment training, applied behavior analysis, autism, behavioral skills training, staff training

Abstract

Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACTr) uses at least one of six self-management skills to alter the function of covert behaviors and teach staff to change or persist in behaviors in the moment to pursue long-term positive reinforcement. While ACTr addresses the private events that impact work performance, it does not provide educators with the skills to implement the procedures with integrity. Behavioral Skills Training (BST) is an evidence-based strategy that teaches educators to implement skills with integrity. However, BST does not address private events that impact work performance. The benefits of ACTr address the limitations of BST and vice versa. The purpose of this systematic review was to determine whether the literature supports the effectiveness of ACTr in conjunction with BST on the acquisition and maintenance of workplace behaviors of educators working with autistic and/or developmentally disabled clients. A PRISMA flowchart was used to screen single-subject designs that evaluated the effects of the full BST package with at least one component of ACTr on overt work behaviors of staff using behavior-analytic procedures in an educational setting. The final analysis included one article which supported the training package to improve work performance. Future researchers should continue to investigate the addition of ACTr components within the full BST package to address limitations of the current literature and add to the current research highlighting the importance of ACTr in the field of applied behavior analysis (ABA).

Download

Share

COinS