Aaron J. Fischer

An Evaluation of the Effectiveness and Acceptability of Teleconsultation.

ABSTRACT School-based psychological services are typically provided through a triadic model of consultation in which a school psychologist works directly with a teacher or school staff member to address the academic, behavioral, or mental health concerns of a student. With advances in current technology, school psychologists have the capacity to use videoconferencing to engage in their consultative responsibilities. Teleconsultation has the potential to improve the provision of consultative services by increasing school psychologists’ efficiency and providing individuals, especially those in rural areas, access to greater service. The current study evaluated the effectiveness and acceptability of teleconsultation as a means to deliver behavioral consultation services to three teachers and their students. A nonconcurrent multiple baseline across subjects was used. Results showed that consultants could develop a behavioral intervention with a teacher and effectively implement the intervention to improve student outcomes. Teachers also rated teleconsultation as an acceptable means for service delivery.

A critical review of videoconferencing software to support school consultation

With recent advances in technology, several viable options now exist for school consultants to communicate with teachers via synchronous online videoconferencing (VC) without the need for specialized equipment. Unfortunately, few studies have evaluated the effectiveness of school consultation through VC, so practitioners are provided little guidance when determining if VC is suited to these specific needs. In this article, we identify the VC software packages most commonly used in the growing telehealth literature and discuss how features common to these programs might support effective school teleconsultation. We focus our attention on six specific capabilities: (a) onscreen document sharing; (b) group VC; (c) instant messaging; (d) recording capabilities; (e) integrated cloud storage; and (f) ethical compliance in regard to client confidentiality. Potential applications of these features are discussed, as well as practical and ethical considerations for trainers and school practitioners.

Screening, Assessment, Treatment, and Outcome Evaluation of Behavioral Difficulties in an RTI Model.

Outcomes for students classified as emotionally disturbed (ED) are among the poorest for any disability group and include disturbingly low graduation rates, poor academic achievement, high rates of school suspensions and school dropouts, and chronic interpersonal problems. Additionally, these students are often underserved within the school setting with an overall prevalence rate of less than one percent. This underservice may be partially due to the definition of ED provided in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA, 2004), which is vague, contradictory, and redundant. Additionally, IDEA does not provide guidelines for how to assess for ED, thus, assessment procedures and prevalence rates widely differ by state. We propose the use of a Response to Intervention (RTI) model for the assessment and treatment of students with ED. Within an RTI model, students are provided evidence-based interventions implemented with integrity, and their response to these interventions is continuously monitored. This article defines RTI and describes methods of screening, assessment, treatment, and outcome evaluation for ED within the model.

Technology and Telehealth Applications

This chapter discusses the application of technology, specifically telehealth, during behavior analytic practice, by presenting the past and current status of behavior analytic practitioner training in telehealth, the research base and implications for practice, and practice guidelines, procedures, and implementation recommendations. The current research shows that telehealth is a viable option for practice in behavior analysis. A review of the extant literature is presented as a reference for practitioners and researchers who are interested in telehealth applications. This emerging modality of service provision could provide individuals from remote and underserved areas access to behavior analytic services. Bridging the service gap could improve outcomes for individuals in a variety of settings including schools, home, and community settings.

Chapter 8 – Video Modeling

There has been a shift in emphasis from language-based instruction to more visual instructional supports as a catalyst for learning in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This development reflects extensive reports that children with ASD demonstrate enhanced performance on visual discrimination tasks compared with matched controls. Therefore, it is not surprising that the majority of current educational programs for children with ASD frequently employ visual aids such as picture prompts, photographic activity schedules, and videos. This chapter focuses on the use of video modeling applications with this population.

A comparison of problem identification interviews conducted face-to-face and via videoconferencing using the consultation analysis record☆

School psychologists who experience challenges delivering face-to-face consultation may utilize videoconferencing to facilitate their consultation activities. Videoconferencing has been found to be an effective method of service delivery in related fields and emerging research suggests that it may be effective for providing teacher training and support in school settings. In this exploratory investigation, we used the Consultation Analysis Record (Bergan & Tombari, 1975) and its four indices to assess the effectiveness of conducting problem identification interviews via videoconferencing versus face-to-face. Overall, findings indicated significant differences across these two conditions, with videoconference interviews coded as having higher indices of content relevance, process effectiveness, and message control, but lower content focus, compared to face-to-face interviews. As these indices have been positively associated with favorable consultation outcomes, the results provide initial support for the effectiveness of consultation delivered via videoconferencing.

The impact of stimulus preference, order-effects, and treatment component omission in evaluating treatment integrity

Prior research on treatment integrity has focused either on the lack of measurement of the independent variable or on methods to increase overall levels of treatment integrity. Little research has focused on the effectiveness of common interventions when implemented with less than perfect integrity. The current investigation evaluated the effectiveness of using differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA) and prompting to increase math completion for 36 early elementary students. Treatment was evaluated when both components were implemented, when only reinforcement was implemented, when only prompting was implemented, and when neither was implemented. In addition, preferences for either attention or escape and order-effects of conditions were evaluated. Results indicated treatment was effective at all levels of implementation compared to baseline. However, when preferences for escape and attention were evaluated, analysis revealed individuals who preferred escape responded best when both treatment components were implemented, whereas for individuals who preferred attention, all treatment conditions were equally effective. In addition, results evaluating order effects indicated that exposure to either prompting or reinforcement prior to baseline significantly increased math completion as well as exposure to reinforcement in the first condition.

When Is Teleconsultation Acceptable to School Psychologists

ABSTRACT School psychologists report a desire to increase consultation with teachers but are limited by competing job demands. Consultation via videoconference (i.e., teleconsultation) offers one possible means of increasing consultant availability to teachers, but little is known about the acceptability of this technology in actual practice. In this exploratory study, we conducted an online survey to assess the conditions under which school consultants would use teleconsultation to assist teachers remotely. Sixty-two school psychology practitioners, trainers, and trainees completed a choice-based conjoint survey designed to assess teleconsultation acceptability in the context of varying commute times, consultee comfort levels, and student problem severities. Findings suggest important differences in teleconsultation acceptability in the context of real-world tradeoffs. Implications of these results are discussed, as well as the potential for using conjoint analysis to better understand technology decisions among school consultants.

Teleconsultation: Application to Provision of Consultation Services for School Consultants

ABSTRACT In this article, we provide critical information on previous research and offer recommendations for establishing and implementing teleconsultation services within a school setting. Specifically, we review (a) the history behind teleconsultation, (b) previous applications of technology and teleconsultation within the school setting, (c) recommended equipment for completing teleconsultation, (d) previously identified benefits of using teleconsultation, (e) previously identified concerns regarding the use of teleconsultation, and (f) the best practices for providing teleconsultation services. Important considerations from current research in the area of teleconsultation are highlighted.

Highlighting the Utility of the Consultation Analysis Record for Consultation Research and Training

ABSTRACT What we say in consultation is important, and thus studying spoken messages has been an important topic in consultation research and training for decades. Here we raise awareness of the Consultation Analysis Record (CAR; Bergan & Tombari, 1975), a well-established verbal interaction coding system that has largely disappeared from the professional literature. Following a description of the CAR and six summary findings from research that has employed it, we turn our attention to its future utility, including facilitating its use with technology and its applications to multitiered systems of support teams and procedural integrity research. The central thesis is that the CAR remains a valuable tool to study processes and outcomes of consultation as well as to train consultants, and it should be used more often for these purposes.