Assessing long-term maintenance of staff performance following behavior skills training in a home-based setting

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine M. Aherne ◽  
Lauren Beaulieu
2021 ◽  
pp. 174462952199534
Author(s):  
Amber T Ethington ◽  
Amy D Spriggs ◽  
Sally B Shepley ◽  
Margaret E Bausch

Research demonstrates that combining video modeling and visual activity schedules into video activity schedules has been effective in increasing independence for students with disabilities. However, the instructional procedures used to teach students to acquire the necessary skills to navigate those tools vary among existent research. In this study, a behavior skills training package was investigated within a multiple probe design across participants, to determine if four elementary aged participants with intellectual disability could acquire self-instruction skills to navigate a video activity schedule. Three participants acquired the self-instruction skills using behavior skills training. After learning how to navigate the video activity schedules, the same three participants generalized and maintained the self-instruction skills to perform additional novel behaviors. The results suggest that behavior skills training may be an effective instructional strategy for teaching self-instruction skills and a means to program for generalized behavior change for students with intellectual disability.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
HyangHee Kim ◽  
Nam-Bin Cho ◽  
Kyung Min Kim ◽  
Minji Kang ◽  
Jinwon Kim ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Tongue pressure is one of the effective indices of swallowing function, which decreases with aging and disease progression. Previous research has shown beneficial effects of swallowing exercises combined with myofunctional tongue strengthening therapy on tongue function. Tongue exercises utilizing mobile Health (mHealth) technologies may have tremendous potential in advancing healthcare in the digital age to be more efficient for people with limited resources, especially for older adults. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to explore the immediate and long-term maintenance effects of an 8-week home-based mHealth app intervention program aimed at improving the swallowing tongue pressure in older adults. METHODS We developed a mobile health (mHealth) app for intervention which was utilized for 8 weeks (3 times/day, 5 days/week, a total of 120 sessions) by 11 community-dwelling older adults (10 women; mean age: 75.7 years) who complained of swallowing difficulties. The app was used for three therapy maneuvers: effortful prolonged swallowing (EPS), effortful pitch glide (EPG), and effortful tongue rotation (ETR). Pre-intervention and post-intervention isometric and swallowing tongue pressures were measured using the Iowa Oral Performance Instrument (IOPI). We also investigated the maintenance effects of the intervention on swallowing tongue pressure at 12-week post-intervention. RESULTS Eight out of 11 participants adhered to the home-based 8-week app therapy program with optimal intervention dosage. At the main trial endpoint (i.e., 8-week) of the intervention program, the participants demonstrated a significant increase in swallowing tongue pressure (median = 17.5 kPa at pre-intervention and 26.5 kPa at post-intervention; P < .05). However, long-term maintenance effects of the training program on swallowing tongue pressure at 12-week post-intervention were not observed. CONCLUSIONS Since swallowing tongue pressure is closely related with dysphagia symptoms, the combined methods of EPS, EPG, and ETR training have positively affected swallowing tongue pressure with their use as indirect and direct exercises. The mHealth app is a promising platform which can be used to deliver effective therapeutic service to vulnerable older adults. To investigate the therapeutic efficacy with a larger sample size as well as long-term effects of the intervention program, further studies are warranted. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT RR2-10.2196/19585


10.2196/22080 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. e22080
Author(s):  
HyangHee Kim ◽  
Nam-Bin Cho ◽  
Jinwon Kim ◽  
Kyung Min Kim ◽  
Minji Kang ◽  
...  

Background Tongue pressure is an effective index of swallowing function, and it decreases with aging and disease progression. Previous research has shown beneficial effects of swallowing exercises combined with myofunctional tongue-strengthening therapy on tongue function. Tongue exercises delivered through mobile health (mHealth) technologies have the potential to advance health care in the digital age to be more efficient for people with limited resources, especially older adults. Objective The purpose of this study is to explore the immediate and long-term maintenance effects of an 8-week home-based mHealth app intervention with biweekly (ie, every 2 weeks) human mediation aimed at improving the swallowing tongue pressure in older adults. Methods We developed an mHealth app intervention that was used for 8 weeks (3 times/day, 5 days/week, for a total of 120 sessions) by 11 community-dwelling older adults (10 women; mean age 75.7 years) who complained of swallowing difficulties. The app included a swallowing monitoring and intervention protocol with 3 therapy maneuvers: effortful prolonged swallowing, effortful pitch glide, and effortful tongue rotation. The 8-week intervention was mediated by biweekly face-to-face meetings to monitor each participant’s progress and ability to implement the training sessions according to the given protocol. Preintervention and postintervention isometric and swallowing tongue pressures were measured using the Iowa Oral Performance Instrument. We also investigated the maintenance effects of the intervention on swallowing tongue pressure at 12 weeks postintervention. Results Of the 11 participants, 8 adhered to the home-based 8-week app therapy program with the optimal intervention dosage. At the main trial end point (ie, 8 weeks) of the intervention program, the participants demonstrated a significant increase in swallowing tongue pressure (median 17.5 kPa before the intervention and 26.5 kPa after the intervention; P=.046). However, long-term maintenance effects of the training program on swallowing tongue pressure at 12 weeks postintervention were not observed. Conclusions Swallowing tongue pressure is known to be closely related to dysphagia symptoms. This is the first study to demonstrate the effectiveness of the combined methods of effortful prolonged swallowing, effortful pitch glide, and effortful tongue rotation using mobile app training accompanied by biweekly human mediation in improving swallowing tongue pressure in older adults. The mHealth app is a promising platform that can be used to deliver effective and convenient therapeutic service to vulnerable older adults. To investigate the therapeutic efficacy with a larger sample size and observe the long-term effects of the intervention program, further studies are warranted. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) RR2-10.2196/19585


2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 12-28
Author(s):  
D. Rizzi ◽  
A. Dibari

Choosing the correct target behavior to teach is fundamental for parents, teachers, therapists and other professionals working with people with autism and other intellectual disabilities. While early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) for young children diagnosed with autism can produce large gains in social, cognitive, and language development, choosing the appropriate curriculum for adolescents and adults warrants some further reflections. Starting from puberty and adolescence, the focus of teaching should move from what the student is missing with respect to typically development peers to what the student needs to become an effective adult, with the final outcome of “making a life”. Applied Behavior Analysis is effective in teaching functional skills, adaptive skills, daily living skills, safety skills, sexuality, physical exercise, self-advocacy and other often overlooked skills that can contribute to the improvement of the quality of life of people with or without disabilities. Research suggests that working on functional skills provided through a meaningful curriculum leads to a more independent life. During this presentation the contribution ABA can offer in developing a meaningful curriculum for adolescents will be reviewed. Particular focus will be placed on using Behavior Skills Training (BST) and other environmental manipulations to teach safety skills to adolescents and young adults with autism spectrum disorders. Examples of safety skills include abduction prevention, seeking help if lost, inappropriate physical contact and information disclosure. The use of technology in teaching safety skills to students with a poor repertoire of verbal behavior will be discussed.


2021 ◽  
pp. 004005992110498
Author(s):  
Alicia F. Saunders ◽  
Shawnee Wakeman ◽  
Brett Cerrato ◽  
Holly Johnson

Behavior skills training (BST) with ongoing coaching is an effective form of professional development that creates sustained educator practice change and improves student outcomes. We provide a model for how BST can be used to improve the implementation of evidence-based practices with both teachers and paraprofessionals, the latter of whom often do not receive professional development opportunities or coaching. We propose a model for BST with digital tools that can be used in face-to-face, hybrid, and virtual formats, which is timely given the pandemic. A vignette with a dyad of educators is used to illustrate the model and examples of fidelity and coaching forms are included. A figure of the BST process with visual supports provided to the educators is included.


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