Evidence-Based Practice and Measurement Procedures

Evidence-Based Practice and Measurement Procedures

Evidence-Based Practice and Measurement Procedures

For this assignment, you will provide a response to each of the questions below. For each question, you are encouraged to use the peer-reviewed resources provided throughout the units to support your responses. Please do not copy and paste the whole question into the document. Rather, provide a brief heading that correlates with each section below.

Scientist-Practitioner Model

• Discuss with a strong rationale why it is important to your clients and to the field of ABA as a whole that you embrace the scientist-practitioner model as a behavior analyst.
  • Your discussion should include how evidence-based practices, reliable and valid measurement, social validity, and procedural integrity each play an important role in supporting the science and the practice of your work as an effective and ethical behavior professional.

Measurement Procedures

• Select one of the case studies provided. Provide the following information based on the case study you chose:
  • Operational definition of the behaviors.
  • Determine what kind of data recording method(s) are most appropriate to measure the critical dimension of each behavior, with a rationale explaining your decisions, including how environmental constraints influenced your measurement procedures.
  • Case Studies for Unit 4 Assignment:
  • Alex is a 25-year-old individual with developmental disabilities residing in a group home setting. Alex has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and presents with two significant problem behaviors: aggressive outbursts and self-injurious behaviors (SIBs). Aggressive outbursts can often last for several minutes or beyond and include behaviors such as hitting, kicking, and yelling. These behaviors frequently occur when Alex transitions between activities or when there are disruptions in their immediate environment (such as other individuals yelling, playing loud music, or clapping). Alex’s SIBs include skin picking until they bleed or biting themself on the hand, wrist, or arm. SIBs can often be observed when Alex does not get their way or when they seem to be experiencing increased levels of anxiety or frustration. These behaviors pose a concern to Alex's safety and impact the overall quality of life for Alex and fellow residents and staff in the group home.
  • Mickelle is a 3-year-old little girl with Down syndrome who is enrolled in a home-based early intervention program. Her parents are concerned about her inability to communicate her wants and needs effectively. While she has a few words, such as “Mama,” “Baby,” and “Bye Bye,” she is not able to mand for items or tact many items in her environment. In addition, she frequently throws temper tantrums, where she flops to the floor, bangs her head on the ground, cries loudly, and kicks her feet. Her parents also note that Mickelle does not sleep well. She will only stay in her room briefly before coming out to be with her parents. Her parents also report that Mickelle will come out of her room multiple times after being put to bed before she finally lays down and goes to sleep.

Data Reliability and Validity

• Create a hypothetical set of data using at least eight data points for each behavior identified in the case, and provide your data collection using the following forms as appropriate for your measurement procedures:
  • Duration Recording Sheet
  • Frequency Recording Sheet
  • Interval Data Recording Sheet
  • Latency Recording Sheet
  • Cumulative Record Data Sheet
• Graph the behaviors using a simple line graph, making sure to use proper ABA graphing conventions and providing a figure caption formatted in proper APA style.
• Discuss how you would account for reliability and validity in your measurement to ensure procedural integrity.

Please review and follow the assignment requirements in the next tab, titled Assignment Details.Your assignment should be 8–10 pages, not including the title and reference pages, and should include the following elements:

• Title page: Provide the assignment title, your name, course and section number, instructor name, and date.
• Body: Include an introductory and a concluding paragraph. Answer all the questions in complete sentences and paragraphs, using appropriate personal and professional insights.
  • The assignment must be written in Standard English and demonstrate superior organization, including a highly developed viewpoint and purpose that is clearly established and sustained. The communication of your thoughts must be highly ordered, logical, and unified, displaying exceptional content, organization, style, and mechanics (including the use of correct grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure).
  • Your responses should meet professional writing standards, using proper tone and language. The writing and writing style should be correct and accurate and reflect knowledge of applied behavior analysis.
• Reference page: Sources listed in APA format.
  • Include a minimum of three scholarly peer-reviewed sources to support your responses and conclusions.
• Use Arial or Times New Roman 12-point font, double-spaced and left aligned.
• Use standard 1" margins on all sides.
• Use current APA formatting and citation style.