Graduation Year

2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree

M.S.

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.)

Degree Granting Department

Child and Family Studies

Major Professor

Catia Cividini-Motta, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Raymond Miltenberger, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Kwang-Sun Blair, Ph.D.

Keywords

Differential Reinforcement, clinic, contingency mapping, disruptive behavior, self-monitoring of Performance, Independent Task Completion

Abstract

Self-monitoring (SM) is an evidence-based self-management procedure that can improve behavior and academic performance across diverse populations and settings. However, results of a meta-analysis of SM on strategy use and academic performance of K-12 and higher education students suggest that SM is more effective when it is embedded into a multi-component intervention. Contingency mapping (CM), a visual representation of contingencies in effect for desirable and undesirable behaviors, has been shown to improve behavior (e.g., increase social communication skills, increase on-task behavior) in the clinical and school settings. Previous research has not evaluated the effects of a treatment package consisting of SM and CM. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a multi-component intervention consisting of technology-based SM and CM on the disruptive behavior and task completion of three children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Child participants were between the ages of 4 to 7 years old and were recruited from an applied behavior analysis (ABA) clinic along with their registered behavior technicians (RBT) who participated in implementing the procedures. The results of this study showed that the treatment package (i.e., SM plus CM) was effective in decreasing disruptive behavior and increasing task completion for two participants out of the three participants treatment effects generalized to a novel implementer, and participants rated the intervention as socially valid.

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