Graduation Year
2020
Document Type
Thesis
Degree
M.S.
Degree Name
Master of Science (M.S.)
Degree Granting Department
Child and Family Studies
Major Professor
Raymond Miltenberger, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Committee Member
Catia Cividini-Motta, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Committee Member
Kimberly Crosland, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Keywords
behavioral skills training, in situ assessments, safety skills training
Abstract
Approximately 1,600 attempted kidnappings occurred within 2018 (National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, 2019). In a 2016 report by Wolak, Finkelhor, and Sedlak, of the 105 stereotypical kidnappings that occurred in 2011, many resulted in sexual assault, the children are never found, or death. These dangerous circumstances warrant a method of teaching safety skills to children to avoid abduction. Research has shown that small-scale simulation is effective for teaching firearm safety to 3- to 5-year-olds children (Maxfield, Miltenberger, & Novotny, 2019). This research has not been applied to abduction prevention safety. The current study aimed to address this research gap and evaluated small-scale simulation to train abduction prevention skills. Two typically developing 5-year-olds were trained in their homes using behavioral skills training with a small-scale model and dolls. They were assessed using in situ assessments in store aisles, front yards, or a neighborhood park. All participants acquired abduction prevention skills, with one participant requiring a few booster training sessions.
Scholar Commons Citation
Ritzmann, Jessica E., "Evaluating Small-Scale Simulation for Teaching Abduction Prevention Skills" (2020). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/8289
