Abstract
Behavioral skills training (BST) is a performance- and competency-based training package composed of instructions, modeling, rehearsal, and feedback. Previous reviews have demonstrated that BST is an effective training package to teach interventionists to implement behavior analytic interventions (Kirkpatrick et al. in Journal of Behavioral Education, 28, 344–361, Kirkpatrick et al., Journal of Behavioral Education 28344–361, 2019). The purpose of this review was to examine the characteristics of BST for training adult interventionists to implement behavior analytic procedures with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Also, we investigated various factors that may lead to efficient BST delivery, compiled the external validity indicators included in BST research, and investigated the methodological quality of BST research studies. In this systematic review of 30 studies from 2004 to 2019, we found that trainers consistently taught the four BST components, yet implementation varied substantially across studies. Inconsistent reporting of factors affecting efficiency limited our ability to analyze which components and delivery methods was most efficient. External validity measures, such as generalization and outcome measures for children receiving the behavior analytic intervention, were often reported. The evidence quality and design quality were mixed. BST is generally accepted as an effective intervention for training a wide range of interventions; however, more high-quality research studies are needed including evaluation of explicit descriptions for all BST components.
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Smith, S.G., Mattson, S.L., Aguilar, J. et al. Behavioral Skills Training with Adult Interventionists: a Systematic Review. Rev J Autism Dev Disord 11, 296–319 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40489-022-00339-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40489-022-00339-1