Exploring Implementor Error during Remotely Conducted School-Based Functional Analysis Telehealth Training Package

Abstract

In schools, special education teachers and paraprofessionals are expected to support the completion of functional behavior assessment procedures in the development of a behavior support plan. Often times, school-personnel are limited in their training and resources, particularly in situations where experimental procedures are necessary. This exploratory study aimed to assess the remote delivery of a comprehensive functional analysis (FA) training package via telehealth to school personnel and examine the nature of implementor error through rate of omission and commission errors within and across FA conditions. Paraprofessionals and a special education teacher were trained over telehealth using telepresence robots to implement functional analyses in the schools. Three functional analyses were then conducted. Information regarding procedural integrity, acceptability, and rates of omission and commission errors during each FA condition are presented, along with implications for research and practice.

Keywords:

• Functional analyses
• staff training
• telehealth
• telepresence robots