Graduation Year

2015

Document Type

Thesis

Degree

M.A.

Degree Name

Master of Arts (M.A.)

Degree Granting Department

Child and Family Studies

Major Professor

Kimberly Crosland, Ph.D., BCBA-D

Co-Major Professor

Raymond Miltenberger, Ph.D., BCBA-D

Committee Member

Kimberly Church, Psy.D., BCBA-D

Keywords

safety skill, walk away, tell staff, comment of disapproval, adult, group home

Abstract

Bullying is a continuing problem for adults with intellectual disabilities who live in group homes and attend adult day training settings together. Many different intervention approaches have been reviewed. Most research in this area focuses on bullying in schools with typically developing children, and therefore, a need for effective behavioral interventions for adults with intellectual disabilities still remains. Previous research has found success in teaching safety skills to a variety of populations using behavioral skills training (BST) and achieving generalization of these skills using in situ training (IST). This study evaluated BST to teach a response to bullying (RtB) to the victims of bullying, with added IST for participants whose skills did not generalize to the natural environment. This study attempted to remove the hypothesized reinforcer of social attention from the perpetrator of bullying. In situ assessments (ISA) were conducted in the natural setting after BST sessions had already occurred. When BST was not sufficient in evoking the correct response during ISA, IST was added for 2 participants and an incentive was added for 1 participant to increase motivation when responding still did not meet completion criteria. However, BST alone was successful in teaching the RtB to two participants, evident by their responses during ISA. The results of this study are consistent with previous BST and IST research.

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