Behavior Analysis: Research and Practice, Vol 23(4), Nov 2023, 254-274; doi:10.1037/bar0000276
Data collection is essential to monitoring progress and successful outcomes in applied behavior analytic interventions for challenging behavior. Trained observers conventionally collect data, but that may not always be feasible in clinical practice due to time, resource, and billing constraints. Alternatively, parents may collect and report progress data. We assessed the correspondence of parent-collected and trained observers’ data. In Study 1, 23 parents recorded a count and a rating of their child’s challenging behavior at an outpatient clinic while trained observers recorded continuous count data. Parent and observer scores were compared on a session-by-session basis using statistical and visual analyses. We also compared molar discriminations of treatment efficacy using simulated treatment effects based on high- and low-rate sessions. Study 2 replicated Study 1 with 11 parents and compared data using actual treatment effects. Preliminary results suggest that parent report can be a useful tool for both ongoing progress monitoring and quantifying outcomes of behavioral interventions, which may enhance the bridge between applied research and clinical practice. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)