Richard K. Fleming

Extending the Reach of Early Intervention Training for Practitioners: A Preliminary Investigation of an Online Curriculum for Teaching Behavioral Intervention Knowledge in Autism to Families and Service Providers

Early behavioral intervention (BI), based on the methods of applied behavior analysis, has the strongest and most consistent scientific support as a means of teaching skills to young children with autism spectrum disorder and reducing their restricted and maladaptive behavior. Although individual applied behavior analysis (ABA)-based treatment plans are usually developed, designed, and supervised by a senior-level clinician, they are most often implemented by a practitioner, such as a parent, direct service provider, aide, or an early childhood professional from a related discipline. Unfortunately, few practitioner-orientated training programs are available to geographically disparate persons. Online distance-learning education offers a potential solution to this problem. Fifty-one individuals participated in an initial study of a short, 3-module online course. The results showed a highly statistically significant difference between the mean pretest and posttest scores. The outcomes suggest the feasibility and user satisfaction of teaching BI knowledge acquisition online and thus bolster confidence that future, larger-scale curricula aimed at teaching BI in a distance-learning format is warranted.

Obesity in children with developmental and/or physical disabilities

Children with developmental or physical disabilities, many of whom face serious health-related conditions, also are affected by the current obesity crisis. Although evidence indicates that children with disabilities have a higher prevalence of obesity than do children without disabilities, little is known of the actual magnitude of the problem in this population. To address this concern, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) held a conference on obesity in children with intellectual, developmental, or physical disabilities, bringing together scientists and practitioners in the fields of obesity and disability to foster collaboration, identify barriers to healthy weight status in populations with disabilities, propose avenues to solutions through research and practice, and develop a research agenda to address the problem. This article describes current knowledge about prevalence of obesity in this population, discusses factors influencing obesity risk, and summarizes recommendations for research presented at the conference.

Innovations in Behavioral Intervention Preparation for Paraprofessionals Working with Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Given the empirically validated success of behavioral intervention based on applied behavior analysis for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other developmental disabilities, the demand for knowledgeable and skilled paraprofessional teaching staff is very high. Unfortunately, there currently exists a widely recognized shortage of such practitioners. This article describes the development of an online training program aimed at preparing paraprofessionals for face-to-face training and supervision as part of a solution to the growing demand. The focus of the program has been on moving beyond traditional online pedagogy, which has limited interactivity. Instead, the approach to teaching fundamental knowledge and implementation skills in behavioral intervention methods incorporates first-person simulations, typical of live mentor/mentee training. Preliminary program evaluation data are also described.

Online Learning for Early Intervention Professionals: Transition Planning from Early Intervention to School

Most states in the U.S. require that early intervention (EI) providers receive ongoing professional education and training. Unfortunately, few education and training programs exist for busy professionals who find it difficult to travel to attend traditional face-to-face classes. An alternative to traditional education is Internet-based online learning. This article describes the development and evaluation of an online learning course entitled Transition Planning from Early Intervention to School. Designed for professionals who provide EI services to children with developmental disabilities and their families, the course is available anytime, anywhere and is fully self-contained, which means it does not rely on an instructor for course delivery. Thirty EI professionals completed a field evaluation of the course in which they completed three modules on topics related to transition planning in EI. Learning was assessed through changes in pretest to posttest scores. Course satisfaction and usability were assessed using a Likert-type survey. Participants increased their pretest to posttest scores by an average of 43% and reported moderate to high overall satisfaction.

A Novel Weight-Loss Tool Designed for Adolescents with Intellectual Disabilities

Weems, MPH, RDN, LDN, a research dietitian, and Laura Truex, MS, RDN, LDN, a research dietitian, both with E.K. Shriver Center, UMass Medical School, Worcester, MA; Renee Scampini, MS, RDN, a lecturer, Urban Studies Program, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; Richard Fleming, PhD, a professor, Department of Exercise and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Boston; and Carol Curtin, PhD, an associate professor, Family Medicine and Community Health, UMass Medical School, Worcester, MA; and Linda Bandini, PhD, RDN, an associate professor, E.K. Shriver Center, UMass Medical School, Worcester, MA, and a clinical professor, Boston University, Boston, MA.