Graduation Year

2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Ph.D.

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Degree Granting Department

Child and Family Studies

Major Professor

Kimberly Crosland, Ph.D., BCBA-D

Committee Member

Catia Cividini-Motta, Ph.D., BCBA-D

Committee Member

Rose Iovannone, Ph.D., BCBA-D

Committee Member

Alison Salloum, Ph.D., LCSW

Keywords

assessment, behavior analysis, treatment, vulnerable populations

Abstract

Trauma-informed care (TIC) has been recognized as a critical framework for supporting individuals on the autism spectrum, intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) and those within residential facilities given their heightened risk for experiencing adverse events, including trauma. However, the development and evaluation of a trauma-informed behavior analytic assessment and intervention approach is lacking. Although behavior analysts frequently target behaviors associated with trauma, research suggests that many practitioners have limited training, supervision and competence in TIC, despite widespread recognition of its importance. The Prevent-Teach-Reinforce (PTR) model may be a promising approach to address these limitations, as its practices align closely with the trauma informed framework proposed by Rajaraman et al. (2022) and Pollack et al. (2024). Research has supported the effectiveness and feasibility of the PTR model in assessing and addressing challenging and replacement behaviors in school settings; however, little is known about the effectiveness and applicability of PTR in other contexts, such as residential facilities. Therefore, the present studies aimed to (a) examine residential facility staff’s perceptions and experiences related to TIC (Study 1) and (b) evaluate the extent to which a trauma-informed adaptation of the PTR (PTR-TIP) model led to reductions in challenging behaviors and promoted alternative behaviors among youth with ASD and/or I/DD in a residential facility (Study 2). The results from Study 1 aligned with previous research, indicating that residential facility staff strongly acknowledged the importance of TIC and had a moderate level of competence and comfort with providing TIC. However, unlike previous research, residential facility staff reported having a moderate to extensive level of training in TIC and working with individuals exposed to adverse experiences, including traumatic events. Study 2 provided preliminary evidence of the PTR-TIP model, as a in decrease challenging behaviors and increase in replacement, interactive and happiness behaviors was observed across all three participants.

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