ERIC EJ750824: Enhancing Frequency Recording by Developmental Disabilities Treatment Staff

2006·0.06 MB·English

by  ERIC

JOURNALOFAPPLIEDBEHAVIORANALYSIS 2006, 39, 253–256 NUMBER2 (SUMMER2006)
ENHANCING FREQUENCY RECORDING BY
DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES TREATMENT STAFF
DENNIS B. MOZINGO AND TRISTRAM SMITH
UNIVERSITYOFROCHESTERSCHOOLOF
MEDICINEANDDENTISTRY
MARY R. RIORDAN AND MAXIN L. REISS
BEHAVIORMANAGEMENTCONSULTANTS,INC.
TALLAHASSEE,FLORIDA
AND
JON S. BAILEY
FLORIDASTATEUNIVERSITY
We evaluated a staff training and management package for increasing accuracy of recording
frequencyofproblembehaviorinaresidentialcarefacility.Amultiplebaselinedesignacrossthe
firstandsecondworkshiftsshowedthat2of8participantsincreasedtheiraccuracyfollowingin-
servicetraining,andall8improvedduringaconditionwithsupervisorpresenceandfeedback.
Improvementsweremaintainedwhenfeedbackwasremovedandgeneralizedtoactivityperiods
when neither supervisor presence nor feedback was provided. Other staff behavior was not
adverselyaffected bythe intervention package.
DESCRIPTORS: staff management, frequency recording, feedback, data collection,
developmental disabilities
_______________________________________________________________________________
A cornerstone of applied behavior analysis is tal disabilities in a residential care facility. We
precise data collection to support objective then examined whether accuracy improved with
evaluation of interventions in educational and standard behavior-analytic methods for improv-
human service environments (Baer, Wolf, & ing staff performance (in-service training fol-
Risley,1968).However,littleresearchisavailable lowed by performance feedback from super-
onthereliabilityofdataobtainedfromstaffwho visors; Reid, 1998). We then conducted probes
provide ongoing service delivery in community to evaluate generalization and maintenance.
settings. To address this issue, we assessed staff
accuracy in recording frequency of problem METHOD
behaviordisplayedbypersonswithdevelopmen-
Participants and Setting
The study was completed in partial fulfillment of the Participants were 8 paraprofessional direct-
requirements for the PhD by the first author at Florida careinstructors(DCI)inaresidentialtreatment
StateUniversity. We thank Terry Revell and MattRevell
setting for persons with developmental disabili-
fortheirsupportoftheresearch.Inaddition,thankstothe
staffandconsumerswhoparticipatedinthestudy.Wealso ties.DCIswerewomen(exceptBD),aged22to
thank David McAdam for his helpful comments on the 60 years old, with 1 month to 11 years
finalmanuscript.
9 months experience in developmental disabili-
Requests for reprints and all other correspondence can
ties.EachDCIworkedduringeitherthefirstor
be addressed to Dennis B. Mozingo, Department of
Pediatrics, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University second shift, and each was assigned to either
of Rochester, 601 Elmwood Ave., Box 671, Rochester, Treatment Group 1 (3 women with profound
New York 14642 (e-mail: Dennis_Mozingo@urmc.
mental retardation) or Group 2 (2 men with
rochester.edu).
doi:10.1901/jaba.2006.55-05 profound mental retardation).
253
254 DENNIS B. MOZINGO et al.
Design and Procedure dependent measure was percentage agreement
A multiple baseline design was appliedacross between each DCI and observers regarding the
staff on the first and second shifts in each occurrence of target problem behavior, in-
treatment group. During baseline, DCIs fol- cluding its time (to the minute), code, and
lowed their usual routines. Supervisors, who number of tallies. Target problem behavior
included the senior behavior analyst (the first included physical and verbal aggression, self-
author) and two female DCI supervisors, were injury, property destruction, disrobing, and
present and gave performance feedback, al- pica. Data were also collected to confirm that
though they did not follow a specific protocol the intervention did not have adverse effects on
for doing so. other staff duties and to verify that supervisors
The first intervention was a 45- to 60-min adheredtoobservationandfeedbackprocedures
in-service training session that consisted of (details available from the first author).
a lecture by the first author on frequency data Primary observations of DCI data collection
collection, followed by distribution of materials were conducted 4 to 5 days per week in
to ensure that each DCI had one pouch card classrooms and living, dining, and recreation
withaccuratedefinitionsandspacetoenterdata rooms. Generalization observations, during
for each person with target problem behaviors. which supervisors were absent, were performed
Each card was 8 cm by 13 cm; data were 2 to 3 days per week in the hour following
recorded on the occurrence of a behavior and primary observations for Group 1 (second
the time (indicated by wall-mounted digital shift), 3 hr later for Group 2 (second shift),
clocks with large numbers). and4 hrlaterforGroups1and2(firstshift)in
The second intervention was a systematic living, dining, and recreation rooms. All
procedureforsupervisorpresenceandfeedback. observations were 55 min long. Agreement
At the onset of each session, the supervisor between independent observers was assessed in
entered the observation area, observed for 29%ofsessions;themeanwas90%(range,0%
6 min, and recorded each target behavior that to 100% across sessions).
occurred on his or her own set of pouch cards.
ThesupervisorthenapproachedtheDCIoneat
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
a time, compared the DCI’s data entries to his
orherownentriesandgavefeedback,including The top two graphs of Figure 1 depict the
(a) a statement of agreement that the target percentage of problem behaviors recorded by
behavior did or did not occur, (b) praise for individual DCIs in each of the two shifts, for
agreements, (c) prompts to practice by copying each of the two treatment groups, during
the supervisor’s entry if there were disagree- primary observation sessions. Data points
ments, and (d) reminders to continue to make represent DCI performance on days when
entries throughout the work shift. The final target problem behaviors occurred, providing
condition involved supervisor presence without the opportunity to make frequency recordings.
feedback. During this condition the supervisor When 2 DCIs were present, data are shown for
entered the observation area, made entries on each. The mean number of target behaviors per
his or her pouch cards, and left at the end of session ranged from 1 to 4.3 across conditions
6 min without providing feedback. forallshiftsexceptGroup1(secondshift).This
shiftencounteredproblembehaviormoreoften,
Measurement and Interobserver Agreement with means ranging from 4.5 to 15 across
Trained student research assistants served as conditions.
observers,acommonpracticeinthesettingthat The results show that the in-service training
may have reduced staff reactivity. The main had no effect on 5 of the 8 DCIs’ frequency-
ENHANCING FREQUENCY RECORDING 255
Figure1. Thetoptwographsdepictpercentageoftargetproblembehaviorsrecordedbydirect-careinstructorsfor
Groups 1 and 2 across first and second shifts in primary observations. Data points represent sessions in which target
problembehaviors occurred.Thebottomgraphdepictsperformanceingeneralizationsessions;thenumbersontopof
eachbar indicate the numberof sessions inwhich target problem behaviors occurred.
256 DENNIS B. MOZINGO et al.
recording performance (there was no opportu- present. Further, improvements were main-
nity to assess AB’s performance in this tained even after feedback was abruptly with-
condition). Supervisor presence and feedback drawn and may have generalized to sessions
ledtoimmediateandmarkedimprovementsfor when supervisory techniques were never ap-
those DCIs who did not respond to the initial plied. Moreover, because target problem behav-
training. The improvement in JA’s frequency iors occurred in a minority of observation
recording following the in-service training was intervals, supervisor feedback regarding the
maintained in the condition with supervisor nonoccurrence of problem behavior seems to
presence and feedback, and AW showed have been enough to increase DCI frequency
additional improvement over that obtained recording. Finally, it appears that high rates of
with the in-service training. Improvements problem behaviors (Group 1, second shift)
appeared to be maintained and perhaps in- resulted in more variable staff performance,
creased during supervisor presence without suggesting the need for enhanced supervision
feedback, although additional data are needed (e.g., longer monitoring periods) or alternative
to confirm this finding. Group 1 (second shift) methods of measuring problem behavior in
showed the greatest fluctuation in performance such cases.
in the supervision conditions, perhaps due to
Supervisory techniques in other settings in
the higher rate of problem behaviors that the
which behavioral data are collected (e.g., class-
group had to record.
rooms) and with different types of data
The bottom graph in Figure 1 displays
collection warrant further investigation. Anoth-
generalization data for those DCIs who had
er topic for research is whether in-service
opportunitiestorespondinbaselineandatleast
training is necessary or whether supervision
two experimental conditions. The number of
and feedback alone are effective in improving
sessions when problem behavior occurred is
staff performance. Nevertheless, the supervision
depicted above each bar. The data suggest that
methodsinthisstudymaybeanefficientmeans
staff generalized accurate data collection to
ofimprovingandmaintainingstaffrecordingof
settings in which supervisors were absent, but
problem behavior, which may, in turn, support
this conclusion must be made with caution
sounder evaluations of services for people with
because of the small number of data points.
developmental disabilities.
One implication of the findings is that the
supervisor presence already inherent in the
REFERENCES
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JournalofAppliedBehavior Analysis, 1,91–97.
necessary. Also, consistent with other research
Gardner,J.M.(1972).Teachingbehaviormodificationto
(e.g., Gardner, 1972), in-service training by
non-professionals. Journal of Applied Behavior Analy-
itself was ineffective in improving performance, sis, 5,517–521.
suggesting that skill deficits alone were not the Reid, D. H. (Ed.). (1998). Organizational behavior
management and developmental disabilities services:
major factor that contributed to DCI baseline
Accomplishments and future directions. Journal of
or post-in-service performance. Organizational BehaviorManagement,18(2/3).
DCI performance improved substantially
with a very brief supervisory period (6 min)
Received April 25,2005
followed by feedback. Thus, most frequency
Final acceptance January20, 2006
recording occurred when supervisors were not Action Editor,Dennis Reid