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A systematic analysis was conducted of measurement and reporting practices related to procedural fidelity in single-case research for the past 30 years. Previous reviews of fidelity primarily reported whether fidelity data were collected by authors; these reviews reported that collection was variable, but low across journals and over time. Results of this review indicate that fidelity data collection was variable across journals, but increasing over time. However, despite previous recommendations for doing so, authors of many studies failed to report when data were collected, for what behaviors, and for which participants. Recommendations include continued fidelity measurement, increased breadth of measurement, increased precision of measurement, and explicit reporting of fidelity data and measurement procedures by authors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors describe an intervention for 3 preschoolers with disabilities who had low peer-related social competence. The intervention taught academic skills tailored to the need of each target student in small groups (triads) with two typically developing peers, using a progressive time delay procedure. Prior to instruction and separate from the students with disabilities, typical peers learned to provide reinforcers for correct responses, and to say "thank you" when a group mate shared. The authors assessed the acquisition of sharing and thanking behaviors during instructional sessions by the preschoolers with disabilities and generalization of these social behaviors to contexts similar to classroom activities for all participants. Results were (a) all participants learned targeted academic behaviors; (b) all participants learned some academic behaviors taught to their peers; (c) participants without disabilities modeled sharing with high fidelity but modeled thanking with lower fidelity; (d) all participants with disabilities shared and less frequently said "thank you" during instructional sessions (although they were never prompted to do so); and (e) participants with and without disabilities shared in art and picnic activities and said "thank you" to a lesser extent, although they were not prompted to share or thank in these contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The What Works Clearinghouse document on single-case experimental designs is critiqued. Three criticisms are offered. First, between-group experimental concepts and terminology unfortunately seeped into the description of single-case experimental designs; examples and potential negative effects are identified. Second, the document contains a number of critical omissions; four of these are noted. Third, the document contains some “errors” or misconceptions; examples are provided. Despite these criticisms, the document is generally accurate and may become quite useful for individuals reviewing single-case studies when they conduct synthesis of research literature. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Collection of interobserver agreement data and reporting the results with summary statistics are standard practices in single-case research. An alternative to summary statistics is plotting the second observer's data on the same graph as the primary observer. In this study, we evaluated whether plotting the second observer's data differentially influenced the judgments about functional relations for A-B-A-B designs. Participants were graduate students and experts. Results suggested that (a) experts made more accurate judgments than graduate students, (b) raters made more accurate judgments for graphs with 1 rather than 2 primary data paths, and (c) raters were not influenced differentially in their judgments of functional relations by the presence or absence of the second observer's plotted data. In addition to standard hypothesis testing, equivalence testing was performed and showed accuracy of judgments was equivalent for graphs with and without the second observers' data being added. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An essay is presented on naturalistic approaches to special education. According to the author, the skills that educators want children to learn and how should educators organize children's experiences and observations so they will learn those skills are the two factors that need to be considered when implementing naturalistic approaches. The essay also mentions the drawbacks to naturalistic approaches and the similarities between early intervention and early childhood special education.

Most investigators using single-case experimental designs use interobserver agreement (IOA) checks to enhance the credibility of the collected data, and they report the results of those assessments using percentage of agreement estimates. An alternative is to graph both observers’ records of the measured behavior on the primary study graphs. Such graphing leads to greater transparency and is advocated for five reasons: (a) to make explicit how IOA assessments were distributed across the study, (b) to ensure agreement estimates are reported at the level of the measured behavior of interest rather than a broader observational code, (c) to detect observer drift, (d) to detect the effect of observer expectations, and (e) to put the IOA data in a more suitable context for assessing the internal validity of the study by eliminating the need for an arbitrary agreement criterion. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this article, the authors focus on issues of instruction in classrooms. Initially, a brief definitional and historic section is presented. This is followed by a discussion of four assumptions about the current state of affairs: (a) evidence-based practices should be identified and used, (b) children’s phase of performance should dictate practice selection, (c) naturalistic procedures should be used, and (d) play is a defensible curricular domain. Three challenges (instructional, experimental, and resources) are noted. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: Adequate street crossing skills reduce the risk of injury and increase the functional independence of individuals with disabilities. This paper reviews research involving instructional interventions for street crossings with individuals with disabilities. Eight studies were included. There was evidence individuals could be taught street crossings using classroom based interventions, roadside instruction, or virtual reality technology. Classroom based methods were successful when involving strategies which promoted generalization of skills. Task analysis found the steps involved in street crossing included: stopping at the curb, looking left and right, walking quickly, walking within the crosswalk, and continuing to look left and right. A variety of instructional strategies were used, but the small body of literature did not allow clear identification of superior strategies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The effects of structured work systems based on the principles of structured teaching were evaluated with 3 preschool-aged children with developmental disabilities (2 children had autism). A withdrawal design was used with 2 participants, and a multiple baseline across stimuli was used with the other. During baseline, children were given 3 tasks to do with no structure or guidance. During intervention, a structured work system was provided, including organization of the physical structure, visual schedule, and predictable routines. Graduated guidance was used to teach the children use of the system. Use of the structured work system produced increases in engagement and the speed and accuracy of task completion along with decreases in stereotypic behavior and escape attempts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined the effectiveness and efficiency of 2 instructional arrangements using progressive prompt delay (PPD) with 3 young children with autism and 1 child with developmental delays. Specifically, we compared PPD with instructive feedback (IF) to PPD without IF in an adapted alternating treatment design. The results suggested that (a) children with autism and developmental delays can learn when PPD is used with IF, (b) IF can be an effective method of instruction for young children with autism and developmental delays, and (c) the combination of PPD and IF can increase the efficiency of instruction. Data collected 8 to 9 weeks after instruction ended showed that participants maintained mastery of 58% to 92% of the acquired behaviors. We discuss these results within the constraints and limitations of the data and recommend areas for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perla, a 4.5-year-old girl with autism, attended an inclusive child care center. She had 12 classmates, but she was the only child with autism. Perla used three-and four-word sentences to communicate, followed simple verbal directions during most classroom routines, and imitated teacher and peer behaviors when prompted. Perla rarely interacted with her peers unless prompted by her teacher, Sahalie. She used a picture schedule with some adult help throughout daily routines. However, her participation in circle time was inconsistent. Most days, she started crying during the transition to circle time and did not stop whimpering until the end of it. Perla avoided peers and sat on the edge of the carpet. She often disrupted circle [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Imitation is a primary means through which children learn new skills. Most children learn to imitate without being taught but some children with disabilities fail to develop or use imitation in the absence of direct instruction. The importance of teaching imitation to children with disabilities has been acknowledged, with studies appearing as early as the 1960s. Although recent studies regarding the nature of imitative abilities in children with disabilities have been published, relatively few intervention studies exist. The purpose of this review was to synthesize the literature on teaching young children with disabilities to imitate. Four distinct intervention types emerged. Suggestions for improving interventions include using specific prompting strategies; embedding instruction across activities; teaching imitation of multiple, salient models; and using reinforcing behaviors and materials. Future research is needed on questions regarding instructional sequence, effective instructional practices, and measurement and promotion of generalized imitation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A multiple probe design was used to examine the relation between teachers' use of the system of least prompts, contingent imitation, and praise, and the acquisition, maintenance, and generalization of pretend play by 4 children with disabilities. The teachers' use of the intervention package was functionally related to increases in the children's frequency and diversity of pretense behaviors, including related vocalizations. Children also maintained the responses in probes without prompts and generalized them to sessions with a nonteacher adult. The findings replicate previous studies on adult prompting of pretend play and extend the literature by using taxonomy of pretense to measure pretend play, measuring teachers' fidelity of implementation, and assessing maintenance and generalization of children's pretend play. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]