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A Systematic Review of Caregiver-Implemented Functional Analyses

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Abstract

The purpose of this systematic review was to systematically locate and analyze the research on caregiver-implemented functional analyses and subsequent function-based interventions. We included 36 studies and examined multiple features of the studies, including participant demographics, functional analysis characteristics, intervention characteristics, procedural fidelity, risks of bias, and social validity. Overall, the studies showed that caregivers were able to implement functional analyses that yielded differential responding, although few studies reported procedural fidelity data. Caregivers were also able to implement function-based interventions that led to socially significant changes in challenging behavior. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

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References marked with an asterisk indicate studies included in the review.

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Funding

Funding was provided by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (Grant No. 325D150079). The opinions expressed are those of the authors, not the funding agency, and no official endorsement should be inferred.

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  1. Anita Zucker Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Studies, University of Florida, 1-320 Norman Hall, PO Box 117050, Gainesville, FL, 32611-7050, USA

    Sara Germansky, Brian Reichow, Mackenzie Martin & Patricia Snyder

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  1. Sara Germansky
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Appendix: Search terms and order

Appendix: Search terms and order

  1. 1.

    Famil*

  2. 2.

    Parent*

  3. 3.

    Caregiver*

  4. 4.

    Care-giver*

  5. 5.

    1 or 2 or 3 or 4

  6. 6.

    “functional analysis”

  7. 7.

    “functional analyses”

  8. 8.

    “functional behavior* assessment”

  9. 9.

    “functional behaviour* assessment”

  10. 10.

    “functional assessment”

  11. 11.

    “behavior* assessment”

  12. 12.

    “challenging behavior assessment”

  13. 13.

    “problem behavior assessment”

  14. 14.

    6 or 7 or 8 or 9 or 10 or 11 or 12 or 13

  15. 15.

    involv*

  16. 16.

    implement*

  17. 17.

    perform*

  18. 18.

    teach*

  19. 19.

    train*

  20. 20.

    15 or 16 or 17 or 18 or 19

  21. 21.

    S5 and S14 and S20

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Germansky, S., Reichow, B., Martin, M. et al. A Systematic Review of Caregiver-Implemented Functional Analyses. Behav Analysis Practice 13, 698–713 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-019-00404-y

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