The Premack principle states that any Response A can reinforce any other Response B if the independent rate of A is greater than the independent rate of B (Premack, 1959). Applying the Premack principle involves arranging the environment to restrict access to certain responses based on relative probabilities of a set of given responses (Timberlake…

The current study adds to a growing body of behavioral research aimed at learning about changes in behavior over time. In this proof-of-concept study, functional analyses were conducted every 6-8 weeks with eight children diagnosed with ASD receiving early intervention services at a community-based clinic. The goal of this study was to develop a…

Change-point analysis (CPA) is a method for detecting abrupt changes in parameter(s) underlying a sequence of random variables. It has been applied to detect examinees' aberrant test-taking behavior by identifying abrupt test performance change. Previous studies utilized maximum likelihood estimations of ability parameters, focusing on detecting…

When students misbehave, understanding the problem behind their actions can make all the difference in the effectiveness of teacher response. Teachers and students sometimes view the same behaviors differently. When students break school rules, teachers consider the behavior a problem. But for the student, that behavior is often a solution to some…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to determine if teachers' lived experiences of trauma impact practices, relationships, and responses to student behaviors in the classroom. The common themes could allow colleges, school districts, and school leaders to reflect, develop, or improve access to therapeutic interventions and teacher…

In this mixed-methods experiment, we examined the impacts of an externally provided rationale and teachers' own beliefs on cognitive, emotional, and behavioral responses to student misbehavior. Teachers (N = 120) viewed a video describing three instances of a student's misbehavior, then were randomly assigned to receive one of three explanatory…

Background: School-based mental health services, particularly when integrated into multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS), offer an evidence-based strategy for primary and secondary prevention and targeted intervention for students' mental health challenges. Team-based decision-making is at the center of successful MTSS, but the mental health…

This study evaluated acquisition, preference, and generalization of two forms of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) during functional communication training (FCT) with two students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Acquisition of FCT responses, using a picture-based communication system and speech-generating device (SGD; Apple…

Student responsiveness's role in promoting intervention outcomes for students who exhibit problem behavior is understudied. Due to the relational nature of many interventions delivered by teachers that target social, emotional, or behavioral outcomes of students in classrooms, it is essential to assess how responsive students are to teachers'…

Individuals who engage in aggression often display precursors or agitated behavior first, and it is important for caregivers to learn how to minimize risk of injury in the event that aggression were to occur. In this study, behavioral skills training was used to teach 4 caregivers of children who engage in aggression to position their body safely…

Functional communication training (FCT) is an evidence-based intervention that while often effective, can result in rote responding, reduced generalizability of target behavior, and resurgence of challenging behavior (CB) during treatment lapses. Lag schedules of reinforcement have been successfully used to address these concerns. We applied an…

Young children's misbehaviours can be challenging to interpret, evaluate, and intervene on. In turn, adults' interventions on children's transgressions inform children about how others view their actions. In the current research, we examined adult responses to recordings of everyday transgressions committed by young children. This research adopted…

Externalizing behaviors in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are often either reduced or elevated compared to healthy controls (HCs). This study investigated the moderating role of context in ASD by comparing 32 individuals with ASD to 40 HCs during a social and a non-social provocation task. Compared to HCs, individuals with ASD…

Coercion theory well characterizes the behavioral aspects that often lead to dysfunctional family processes. Recent conceptualizations have incorporated emotion into models of coercive interactions, yet empirical evidence has been limited. In this study, repeated measures of mother-child dyads (N = 319) were assessed over the course of 2 years to…

Student responsiveness's role in promoting intervention outcomes for students who exhibit problem behavior is understudied. Due to the relational nature of many interventions delivered by teachers that target social, emotional, or behavioral outcomes of students in classrooms, it is essential to assess how responsive students are to teachers'…