Applied Behavior Analysis is the science of applying experimentally derived principles of behavior to improve socially significant behavior. The research and application of ABA contributes to a wide range of practical areas, including AIDS prevention, education, gerontology, language acquisition and parenting, and ABA-based interventions have gained particular popularity in the last 20 years related to teaching students with autism spectrum disorders. Social Validity, a concept used in such behavioral intervention research, focuses on whether the goals of treatment, the intervention techniques used and the outcomes achieved are acceptable, relevant, and useful to the individual in treatment. Judgments are made (often via clinical trials) about the effects of the intervention based on statistical significance and magnitude of effect. Essentially, social validity alerts us as to whether or not the ABA-based intervention has had a palpable impact and actually helped people in ways that are evident in everyday life. This clinical research volume offers a detailed evaluation of the extant findings on Social Validity, as well as discussion of newly emerging factors which reemphasize the need for well-developed methods of examining SV. Basic conceptualizations, measurement, research findings, applications, ethics, and future implications are discussed in full, and novel recommendations relating back to clinical treatment are provided. The volume will give readers a firm understanding of the general concept of SV, help them become familiar with the research methods and findings, and teach them how to establish and evaluate the Social Validity of individual interventions and treatment programs. - Consolidates literature broadly distributed across journals and book chapters into single source - Provides discussion of SV in greater depth and breadth than is found in other sources, which generally just focus on general conceptualization and broad research findings - Describes how concept of SV can be influential in numerous areas of clinical practice

Research Methods in Applied Behavior Analysis, third edition, is a practical and accessible text that provides the beginning researcher with a clear description of how behavior analysts conduct applied research and submit it for publication. In a sequence of ten logical steps, this text covers the elements of single-case research design and the practices involved in organizing, implementing, and evaluating research studies. This revision covers important new topics for consideration when designing a study, including ecological validity, procedural fidelity, and the consecutive controlled case series design, which includes replications of single-cases and the statistical analysis of accumulated studies. Also included are chapter summaries, specific tips for master’s and doctoral researchers, and recommended procedures for BCBA consultants. Rich with details from the authors’ vast experience and numerous examples from published research, this text is an indispensable resource for students of applied behavior analysis and for practicing behavior analysts.

This comprehensive, authoritative guide contains everything readers need to know to screen and assess preschoolers competently and according to federal standards. Packed with the most current research and clinical instruments, and reflecting recent changes in the federal legislation, this book includes important coverage of play-based assessment, family assessment, and multicultural issues.

A new introduction from the Buros Institute, the Buros Desk Reference Series is composed of individual volumes containing reviews of test instruments commonly used in particular areas. The first edition in this series brings together reviews of over one hundred tests most frequently used by school psychologists. Entries include reviews taken from the Mental Measurements Yearbook, along with descriptions of population, purpose, scoring, publisher, etc., taken from Tests in Print IV. The book is organized by category (e.g., Intelligence, Personality, Behavior Ratings) and also includes a title index, score index, and publishers directory. The convenient size and easy-to-locate information in this publication makes it an ideal desktop companion.