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EVALUATING A SUPERVISION PROGRAM FOR DEVELOPING AND MAINTAINING THERAPEUTIC STAFF‐RESIDENT INTERACTIONS DURING INSTITUTIONAL CARE ROUTINES
Author(s) -
Ivancic Martin T.,
Reid Dennis H.,
Iwata Brian A.,
Faw Gerald D.,
Page Terry J.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
journal of applied behavior analysis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.1
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1938-3703
pISSN - 0021-8855
DOI - 10.1901/jaba.1981.14-95
Subject(s) - praise , multiple baseline design , task (project management) , psychology , baseline (sea) , applied behavior analysis , quality (philosophy) , medical education , nursing , applied psychology , medicine , developmental psychology , social psychology , autism , psychiatry , philosophy , oceanography , management , epistemology , geology , economics , intervention (counseling)
This study evaluated a program to teach and maintain language training interactions between institutional staff and profoundly handicapped children during a routine care task. Following baseline observations of bath sessions, staff were sequentially taught in multiple baseline fashion to vocalize more during the bath, praise child vocalizations, imitate sounds, and provide sound prompts. Procedures included a brief in‐service meeting followed by a series of supervisory prompts and feedback. Results indicated that staff acquired the interaction skills in the bath sessions and that the skills generalized to another direct care task, dressing. The number of days on which components of supervision were implemented decreased from 47% of all days during the experimental conditions to 19% of the days during a 19‐week maintenance period with no decrease in staff behavior. The interactions were shown not to interfere with the quality of the direct care task nor to increase the amount of time necessary to complete it. Also, some increases were noted for child vocalization frequencies. The advantages of providing therapeutic interactions during care routines are discussed along with the need for staff management techniques with long‐term maintenance value.