Impact of Online Training Videos on the Implementation of Mand Training by Three Elementary School Paraprofessionals.

With the number of students with autism and related developmental disabilities increasing and a lack of trained professionals, solutions are needed to provide training on a large scale. Alternative training approaches need to be developed so that paraprofessionals can access training in an efficient and effective way. One such possibility is online training. A multiple baseline design across participants was used to evaluate the impact of online training videos (OTV) on the implementation of mand training with three paraprofessionals in a public school setting. The three paraprofessionals were of Hawaiian ancestry, ages 32, 34, and 42 years. Three elementary aged students with autism and developmental disabilities also participated in the study. They were ages, 6, 8, and 10 years, and also of Hawaiian ancestry. All participants lived in a rural area of Hawaii. After the OTVs, the percentage of correct implementation of mand training increased for all paraprofessional participants and maintained over time. Improvements in accurate teaching were also accompanied by increases in the rate of spontaneous manding by the students. Results support the use of online training as an effective alternative to inservice training for paraprofessionals. The number of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has increased by more than 500% in the last decade (United States Government Accountability Office, 2005). Over the past 20 years, there has been an increase of 123% in the number of paraprofessionals employed in the educational system to help meet that need (Legislative Review & Investigations Committee 2006). Unfortunately, the number of students with disabilities served under IDEA is growing at a greater rate than the growth of trained staff (United States Department of Education, 2000). Many of the services provided to students with ASD in public schools are delivered by paraprofessionals. Despite this fact, a scarcity of research exists evaluating the effectiveness of paraprofessionals in improving outcomes for children with disabilities, including students with ASD (Marks, Schrader, & Levine, 1999; Young, Simpson, Myles, & Kamps, 1997). Many paraprofessionals are not adequately trained in evidence-based interventions to support children with disabilities. Rural areas experience increased challenges in providing training opportunities for paraprofessionals (Pickett & Gerlach, 2003). When training is available, it’s usually unstructured and not competency based (Pickett & Gerlach, 2003). The methods of applied behavior analysis (ABA) have been demonstrated to have positive effects in teaching individuals with disabilities over the last 40 years (Eldevik et al., 2009; Howard, Sparkman, Cohen, Green, & Stanislaw, 2005). In 2010, the National Autism Center conducted the National Standards Project and produced a set of standards for effective, research-validated education and behavioral intervention for children with ASD. The overwhelming majority of established interventions identified was developed in the behavioral literature and demonstrated the application of ABA procedures. An important aspect of ABA interventions is the implementation of mand training procedures. Mand training is a technique used to Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Emaley McCulloch, 2800 Woodlawn Dr., #175, Honolulu, HI 96822. E-mail: emaley@ autismtrainingsolutions.com Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities, 2013, 48(1), 132–141 © Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities 132 / Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities-March 2013 teach individuals functional communication. Teaching mands (requests) is a pivotal goal in most treatment plans for students with autism (Sundberg & Michael, 2001). Teaching students to mand for items/activities has many benefits. For students with autism and related disabilities, mand training has been effective in decreasing problem behaviors such as self injury and aggression (Carr & Durand, 1985; Winborn, Wacker, Richman, Asmus, & Geier, 2002), increasing vocabulary and spontaneous speech (Arntzen & Almas, 2002; Knapczyk, 1989), and increasing social interactions with parents, teachers, and peers (Sundberg, Loeb, Hale, & Eigenheer, 2002). A limited number staff trained in implementing ABA and/or mand training may result in limited opportunities for learning valuable communication and social skills (Lerman, Vorndran, Addison, & Kuhn, 2004). Research has demonstrated ways to successfully train staff in mand training procedures. Laski, Charlop, and Schreibman (1988) demonstrated that discussion, modeling, and invivo coaching was effective in promoting mand training among staff and parents, however, lengthy instructions were required. In 2010, Nigro-Bruzzi and Sturmy used behavioral skills training (BST) to train staff to implement mand training with students with autism. The training consisted of 30 to 60 min sessions of instructions, video modeling, roleplay rehearsal, and performance feedback. Training resulted in increases in staff performance in mand training and in unprompted mands by children. Although effective, each trainee required one-to-one time with an experienced behavior analyst, which may not be possible in many situations. Online training in ABA principles, including video demonstrations of procedures being implemented, might be one solution to overcoming the barriers associated with paraprofessional training and professional development. Online training and education has been found to be effective in many disciplines, including business, health care, computer science, and medicine (Ruiz, Mintzer, & Leipzig, 2006; U.S. Department of Education, Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development, 2009). Online training offers learners control over the learning sequence and pace of instruction, allowing them to tailor their experiences to meet their personal learning objectives. One study investigated the use of an online training tool in the field of ABA and autism. Granpeesheh et al. (2009) examined the effectiveness of an online training tool to teach the academic knowledge of ABA treatment for children with autism with a group of newly hired service providers. This online training presented the information through text, voice-over, and occasional video clips. Performance of participants who received e-learning training was compared to the performance of a group who received traditional classroom training. Results showed knowledge of ABA principles and procedures increased substantially for both groups, suggesting that e-learning can be similarly successful at teaching foundational concepts as traditional classroom training. One question that this study did not address was whether the online training affected the quality of the clinicians’ implementation of the principles when actually teaching students. The current research study evaluated the impact of online videos on the direct application of ABA principles in the classroom. The purpose of this single-subject study was to evaluate the impact of online training videos (OTV) on paraprofessionals’ use of mand training procedures with students with ASD and related disabilities within a special education setting. We also examined the impact of the online training on the students’ frequency of mands (requests).