Applying behavioral analytic consultation to schools to assess and treat a student's elopement

Abstract

A team of behavioral consultants applied the Behavioral Analytic Consultation to Schools model while working with educators in a public school setting to evaluate and treat elopement behavior of an 11-year-old student with autism spectrum disorder. Assessment conducted by the consultants included interviews, descriptive analysis, preference assessment, trial-based functional analysis of elopement, and a reinforcer analysis conducted using an alternating treatment design. An acceptable behavior intervention was developed in consultation with educational staff and family. Consultants trained educational staff on procedures to implement the intervention and data collection. When intervention components were implemented as designed, the student's elopement in the classroom and out of the school building decreased. This study is an example of a successful application of the Behavioral Analytic Consultation to Schools model where consultants take primary responsibility for the evaluation, and collaborate with educational team members and family members to apply what was learned from the assessment to a successful intervention. The results of this application of the model provide continued support for evaluating the use of the model to improve outcomes for students engaging in severe behavior in public school settings.