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Using Relational Training to Improve Performance During Acceptance and Commitment Training Sessions

  • SI: Acceptance and Commitment Training in Behavior Analysis
  • Published:
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Abstract

The current study investigated the effect of relational training on improving engagement during acceptance and commitment training (ACT) sessions that aimed to reduce maladaptive behavior. Three female children diagnosed with autism participated in the current research. The relational training protocol involved eight programs designed to improve participants’ ability to engage in relational responding. A concurrent multiple-baseline across-participants design was used, and participants’ maladaptive behavior during ACT sessions was recorded. Results indicated a decrease in maladaptive behavior for one of the three participants, with a medium to large treatment effect. A secondary measure also showed improvement in all three participants’ performance during ACT sessions. The percentage of nonoverlapping data and Cohen’s d suggest a small to moderate treatment effect. Implications for implementing ACT with individuals diagnosed with autism are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Emergent Learning Center, Naperville, IL, USA

    Callan M. Gilsenan

  2. College of Applied Health Science, Department of Disability and Human Development, University at Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    Zhihui Yi, Jessica M. Hinman & Mark R. Dixon

  3. Emergent Learning Center, St. Louis, MO, USA

    Becky F. Barron

Authors
  1. Callan M. Gilsenan
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  2. Zhihui Yi
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  3. Jessica M. Hinman
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  4. Becky F. Barron
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  5. Mark R. Dixon
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mark R. Dixon.

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Conflicts of interest

Mark R. Dixon receives small royalties from sales of PEAK and AIM. The remaining authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Consent to participate

Written consent was obtained from all participants’ guardians.

Ethics approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The study was approved by the Human Subject Committee of Southern Illinois University.

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Research was conducted when all authors were affiliated with Southern Illinois University.

Research Highlights

• Individuals diagnosed with autism often demonstrate deficits in language and abilities to engage in relational responding, which may negatively impact their ability to benefit from acceptance and commitment training (ACT).

• ACT successfully decreased maladaptive behavior for one of the three participants.

• Relational training was successful in improving all participants’ performance in ACT sessions.

• Practitioners should incorporate relational training to facilitate ACT-based instructions.

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Gilsenan, C.M., Yi, Z., Hinman, J.M. et al. Using Relational Training to Improve Performance During Acceptance and Commitment Training Sessions. Behav Analysis Practice 15, 179–191 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-021-00574-8

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