The purpose of this dissertation was two-fold: 1) to examine the teaching practices of paraprofessionals or teachers who have had ABA training and those who have not, and 2) to examine the differences in teaching practices between professionally trained RBTs and paraprofessionals or teachers who have had no ABA training. A case study was performed…

Applied behavior analysis (ABA) is considered an applied science under the umbrella of behavior analysis and was accepted into the mainstream science in the mid-1900s. An increase in the prevalence of autism gave rise to the need for evidence-based social skills curricula. Previous research indicated many children respond well to video modeling…

A substantial body of research suggests that a combination of social, organizational, and inner factors impact how educators implement and make sense of new policies. The way educators understand policies can influence how they act on them. This study sought to expand this research body into how educators made sense and implemented Michigan's…

Workforce development programs and job satisfaction were topics that were well-studied in traditional groups of workers and it was known that these programs had a positive effect on the contributions and outcomes of today's organizations. The research problem addressed the lack of focus on non-traditional groups of workers and the associated lower…

In Spring of 2020, COVID-19 forced school buildings to close across the United States. As a result, many early learning programs and elementary schools serving children with challenging behaviors and their families moved online. Families with young children receiving complex educational and behavioral services in traditional brick-and-mortar…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to compare perceptions of preparedness to teach students with emotional disabilities (ED) between teachers with a mild intervention license and teachers with an ED license. The study examined the perceptions of five teachers with a mild intervention license and five teachers with an ED license as derived…

Teaching students with intellectual and development disabilities (IDD) can often be a difficult and complex job. Teachers frequently rely on educational support staff or paraprofessionals to assist in the classroom in a variety of ways. However, paraprofessionals are unlikely to come into the classroom with the knowledge and skills needed to…

Teachers are expected to support all students that enter their classrooms including students with Emotional and Behavior Disorders, also known as EBD. The maladaptive behavior exhibited by students with EBD often prevents them from engaging successfully in learning and forging relationships, leading to them being disconnected from school (Sheaffer…

The current study added to the growing literature on school-based dialectical behavior therapy (SB-DBT) by examining the implementation of a SB-DBT intervention with high school students. It was hypothesized that students' perceived emotion regulation and adaptive coping would improve whereas reports of dysfunctional coping would decrease from…

Attention deficit and hyperactive disorder (ADHD) refers to a neurological condition prevalent in students ages 3-17 years. General education teachers are challenged with providing efficient behavior interventions for students with pervasive symptoms of ADHD. The Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA) incorporated a multi-tiered…

This study was designed to determine the effectiveness of a computer assisted instruction to deliver discrete trial training of academic skills to students with significant intellectual disabilities. Based upon the principles of Applied Behavioral Analysis, discrete trial training was identified as an evidence-based practice in teaching skills to…

Training parents to serve as interventionists for their child is a common approach to enhance child well-being. The scope of parent training described in the literature spans diverse teaching practices, settings, and child diagnoses. Research demonstrates that parents can learn and implement a variety of skills with integrity; however, there is…

The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to understand the essence of the shared lived experiences of undergraduate college students with anxiety disorders at two universities in the Southeastern United States. One institution is a mid-sized, public, nonsectarian university; the other is a small, private,…

African American students have been overrepresented in school discipline and the criminal justice system for years. The tendency for this overrepresentation increases when the African American student has a disability, particularly emotional or behavioral disabilities. The problem addressed in this study is that African American students…

For early intervention services, DEC (2014) recommends the Primary Service Provider (PSP) model, in which one provider serves as primary liaison between the family and other team members. The model focuses on the role of families and caregivers in child development, interventions aligned with natural learning environment practices, and…