Challenging behavior in adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) can lead to decreased quality of life and social and community inclusion. Compared to research with children there is relatively limited research on effective behavior support interventions for adults with disabilities. The Prevent-Teach-Reinforce (PTR) program…

Purpose: This quality improvement (QI) project evaluated the effectiveness of an educational intervention to enhance adult ADHD patients' understanding and acceptance of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) as an augmentative treatment. The goal was to encourage participants to pursue an MBCT referral from their provider. This initiative was…

This study examines the effect of increasing literacy skills during incarceration to improve adult inmate behavior, defined as a reduction in disciplinary reports received by participants. Male offenders, 18 years or older, housed in the Iowa Department of Corrections between July 1, 2017-June 30, 2019 who completed two or more TABE Reading…

Cognitive behavioral therapy and other forms of rehabilitative programming are currently available for nearly all criminogenic needs. However, there is limited rehabilitative programming available for sexual offenders with minor victims. In order to develop effective programming within future research, the underlying motivations must be explored.…

Over recent years, the field of applied behavior analysis (ABA) has trended toward increased focus on improving the ethics and social validity of behavior analytic interventions. As part of this shift, ABA researchers and practitioners have begun to call long-held practices into question and seek alternative options. Despite their evidence base,…

The present study investigated the effectiveness of telepsychology administered cognitive behavioral therapy to treat anxiety and depression among college age individuals. Specifically, the study investigated effect sizes of telepsychology administered CBT for treating symptoms of depression and anxiety among college-aged adults with depression…

With the prevalence of autism continually on the rise, more Autistic people will enter the work force. Research and employment data demonstrate Autistic individuals have a difficult time securing and maintaining employment. One of the issues Autistic people face is a lack of effective and efficient vocational training. Although Autistic students…

The purpose of this study was to determine an effective training method of improving direct support professionals' (DSPs) ability to accurately and descriptively report antecedent, behavior, and function. A training method, multiple exemplar training (MET), which is not typically applied to this population, was utilized to determine its…

Despite an abundance of research on interventions to improve social skills of young children with intellectual disabilities (ID), there is limited research on interventions aimed at improving social skills of adults with ID. The purpose of this single-subject study was to evaluate the outcomes of the Behavioral Opportunities for Social Skills…

I conducted two studies. First, I examined the applicability of discrete-trial functional analysis (DTFA) for identifying the function of problem behavior in three adults with a dual diagnosis of a significant intellectual disability and a mental illness. Results indicated clear patterns of problem behavior for each participant. Second, I used a…

Difficulty with social competence is a core deficit of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Research on typically developing children suggests the amount of adult talk they are exposed to can positively affect their social competence. With growth in the number of children with ASD entering the inclusive preschool classroom, there is a need to…