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Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluation of ABA Content on IQ Gains in Children with Autism

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Abstract

The present study examined the content of applied behavior analytic therapy (ABA therapy) on skill acquisition and intelligence test scores of twenty-eight children with autism and related disabilities. Using a randomized controlled trial, we compared (a) traditional ABA consisting of verbal behavior techniques developed by Skinner (Verbal behavior, Appleton-Century-Crofts, New York, 1957), (b) comprehensive ABA which added techniques post-Skinner’s theory of language, and (c) waitlist control. Results obtained indicated that even though skill acquisition improved equally across both intervention groups compared to the control, highest intelligence score changes were shown for participants in the comprehensive ABA group (F: 2, 24 = 9.198, p = 0.001). With increasing emphasis on client outcomes, the present data suggest that when hours of intervention are kept constant, ABA service providers may be at an advantage by incorporating techniques that are typically considered beyond the traditional ABA ideas of Skinner’s account of language development.

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Notes

  1. The one participant eliminated from the comprehensive intervention group due to significant deviation demonstrated a change score of + 61 points from pre- to posttest IQ. Although no errors in administration were discovered, and no problem behavior was observed at either test administration, this participant’s data were removed to force an underestimated mean of treatment effect in the statistical analyses.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Behavior Analysis and Therapy Program, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, 62901, USA

    Mark R. Dixon, Dana Paliliunas, Becky F. Barron, Ayla M. Schmick & Caleb R. Stanley

Authors
  1. Mark R. Dixon
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  2. Dana Paliliunas
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  3. Becky F. Barron
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  4. Ayla M. Schmick
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  5. Caleb R. Stanley
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mark R. Dixon.

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Conflict of interest

First author receives small royalties from sales of the PEAK curriculum. Remaining authors declare they have no conflict of interest.

Informed Consent

Informed consent and assent were obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Appendix

Appendix

Therapist:

Rater 1:

Rater 2:

Date:

Preparation checklist

Instructions: For each item, evaluate if the therapist has met expectations as outlined in the item description. A score of 0 suggests that the therapist has not met expectations and is reserved for when the therapist fails to complete the step entirely. A score of 1 suggests that the therapist has completed the item; however, greater performance is expected. A score of 2 suggests that the therapist has met expectations for the given item

Item

Score

1. Has determined appropriate stimuli to use as reinforcers using a preference assessment method

0

1

2

2. Has program sheets with appropriate stimuli indicated on the program sheets

0

1

2

3. Has written the date and randomized the stimulus presentation order on the data sheets

0

1

2

4. Has arranged the environment in a way that minimizes distractions to conduct training

0

1

2

5. Has all necessary stimuli, as specified in the participant’s program, to conduct training

0

1

2

 Total score

/10

 Percentage score

/100%

Implementation checklist

Instructions: The implementation checklist is designed to evaluate implementation fidelity for any number of consecutive trials. We recommend that at least five trials be evaluated. For each trial, provide a tally indicating whether the step was completed correctly or incorrectly. Note that, for each trial, a step can only be performed either correctly or incorrectly, and the total number of tally marks for each step (i.e., correct + incorrect) should equal the number of trials that have been assessed. Also, only a single tally mark may appear in steps 3 and 4 for each trial as these items are incompatible with one another (i.e., the participant either demonstrates the correct response or an incorrect response)

Train trials

Test trials

Step

Correct?

Incorrect?

Step

Correct?

Incorrect?

1. Clearly presents the discriminative stimulus

  

1. Clearly presents the discriminative stimulus

  

2. Allows appropriate time for participant response

  

2. Allows appropriate time for participant response

  

3. If participant response is correct, provides reinforcement

  

3. Does not provide reinforcement when participant response is correct

  

4. If participant is incorrect, provides appropriate prompt

  

4. Does not provide prompt when participant response is incorrect

  

5. Quickly progresses to the next trial

  

5. Quickly progresses to the next trial

  

Total

  

Total

  

Percentage correct (Train + Test)

 

Notes

Preparation fidelity: (percentage score preparation checklist)

 

Implementation Fidelity: (percentage correct implementation checklist)

 
  1. Developed by Jordan Belisle, M.S., BCBA, Southern Illinois University; Mark R. Dixon, Ph.D., BCBA-D, Southern Illinois University
  2. jbelisle@siu.edu; mdixon@siu.edu

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Dixon, M.R., Paliliunas, D., Barron, B.F. et al. Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluation of ABA Content on IQ Gains in Children with Autism. J Behav Educ 30, 455–477 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10864-019-09344-7

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