Although the early behaviors associated with autism spectrum disorder have been well characterized, many behaviors are also commonly observed in young children with other developmental delays and even in those with typical development. Therefore, consideration must be given to whether a child demonstrates sufficient autism spectrum disorder…

The authors conducted 324 full-class-length observations of 108 high school students with severe disabilities in general education classes, focusing analyses on how often students were present during class and in proximity to peers without disabilities. Students were not present for a substantial proportion of the classes in which they were…

The study examined the effects of the types of communication breakdowns of the communication partners on the repair strategies of students with severe intellectual disability during interaction within the natural school environment. Forty-eight staff members, divided into two groups based on daily vs. weekly contact with the student, and 12…

Background: The aim of this descriptive single case study was to describe a unique interaction with a person with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD) in a holistic way--focusing on the client, the staff member, and the interacting dyad--and to include the experiential knowledge of the interaction partner. Method: A videotaped…

Peer support arrangements are an evidence-based practice for increasing interactions between students with severe disabilities and their peers in general education classrooms, but it is unclear how interactions vary across instructional formats or generalize outside the classroom. In this single-case design study, we tested the efficacy of peer…

Case study research methodology was used to describe the play behaviors of three infants at 12 months of age, who were later diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. Data included standardized test scores, and analyses of video footage of semi-structured play sessions from infants identified as high risk for autism, because of having a sibling…

Supporting social interactions and positive peer relationships is an important element of comprehensive secondary education and transition programming. For many adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), such social connections may be fairly limited apart from intentional programming. We examined the efficacy and social validity of peer…

The method of Direct Behavior Rating (DBR) incorporates aspects of both systematic direct observation and behavior rating scales to provide an efficient means to collect time series data. This study extended the development and evaluation of DBR Single-Item Scales (DBR-SIS) as a behavior assessment tool. Eighty-eight undergraduate students used…

Effectance, defined as the child's independent, effective interaction with people and things, is studied through observation of the play of 36 preschool low income black children. The children were observed and filmed in semi-structured play sessions, primarily with family dolls, doll furniture, and small baby bottle. Instruments used were: (1)…

Although research on the role of social support in psychological well-being has increased, little attention has been given to behavioral methods for measuring these supportive mechanisms. To study the support exchanged in marital dyads, a behavioral observation system was designed and used to detect changes in the marital relationship of one…

This article addresses the adequacy of instruments for assessing family functioning and the process for introducing family assessment into early intervention services. Use of the Parent/Caregiver Involvement Scale illustrates how observation can be used to assess dyadic family interactions and can be interpreted to tailor intervention to…

This list consists of 89 descriptions of methods for coding or describing activities as an observer. Included are systems for use in measuring general activity in classrooms and others for collecting data on specific events. The bibliography covers infants, grades K-12 and teacher behaviors, marital interaction, parent and child behavior, and…

Direct observation in natural settings has been recognized for nearly a century as an important methodology to capture the nuances of children's behavior for research, clinical assessment, and program evaluation. These ecologically valid descriptive data complement more widely used behavior rating scales to evaluate the impact of intervention…

The purpose of this study is to report a behavioral observation validation of a multiple social interaction measurement instrument entitled the "Barclay Classroom Climate Inventory." This instrument measures social interaction in the elementary classroom as derived from self-report, peer judgments and teacher expectations. It provides an…