Effects of a Teacher Training Program: Dissemination of Evidence-Based Intervention Techniques to the Community

Abstract

The number of children with developmental delay is continuously increasing. Evidence has shown that the outcomes for these children can be improved with early intervention based on applied behavior analysis. However, the growing number of cases exceeds the services available for these children. Therefore, it is important to disseminate intervention strategies to the community. The present study reports an evaluation of a teacher-training program based on applied behavior analysis that was designed to teach skills for intervening with children with developmental delay. The program consisted of (a) three 90-minute didactic lectures, (b) fıfteen 30-minute On-the-Job Training (OJT) sessions, and (c) ten 60- minute video feedback sessions. Participants were 2 teachers working at a regional support center, and 6 children, including 3 children with autism and 3 with delays in language development. The teachers’ intervention skills were evaluated with a 40-item fıdelity list that was developed for this program; the children’s outcomes were assessed using standardized tests and behavior coding. After the intervention, the teachers’ fıdelity scores improved; the improvements were maintained at a 2-month follow-up evaluation. The children’s vocabulary and scores on social skills measures also increased after the intervention, and the number of challenging behaviors decreased. The feedback procedures appeared to be essential for improving the teachers’ intervention skills, and the parallel use of OJT and the video feedback seemed effective. The results also suggested that the feedback had to be repeated several times before the acquired skills stabilized. Implications for the effıcacy and feasibility of this training program are discussed. Key