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Single case research designs (SCRDs) are integral to identifying evidence-based practices (EBPs) for young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD); however, the field lacks guidance on measuring response maintenance within SCRDs. We identified 103 studies in which researchers used SCRD to investigate the maintenance of behavioral intervention outcomes for children with ASD ages 0-5. Findings include: (a) maintenance conditions across most EBP categories, (b) limited within-case replication of maintenance assessment, (c) inconsistent use of maintenance terminology, (d) varying frequencies of maintenance assessment, and (e) wide range in latency to first and last maintenance probe. Results indicate a pressing need for the regular inclusion of maintenance conditions in behavioral research to increase our understanding of programming for and assessing maintenance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phonological awareness (PA) is a critical prerequisite skill for learning to read in an alphabetic language. Given that preschoolers with Down syndrome (DS) often exhibit deficits in PA, additional research is needed on methods to enhance their learning. In this study, we implemented a multiple probe across behaviors single-case design study to evaluate the effect of explicit PA instruction on the skills of 2 preschool-aged participants with DS. Specifically, we assessed the children's abilities to blend and segment syllables, onset-rime, and individual phonemes. Results indicated a functional relation between intervention and one child's performance on a researcher-created assessment of blending and segmenting directly targeted and novel words; 2 demonstrations of effect were indicated for the second child. A post-hoc item analysis indicated that both participants made greater gains in blending than in segmenting. Implications for practitioners and future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]