Evaluating Sensitivity to Behavioral Change Using Direct Behavior Rating Single-Item Scales

Abstract

In this study, the researchers evaluated the sensitivity of Direct Behavior Rating Single-Item Scales (DBR-SIS) for assessing behavior change in response to an intervention. Included in the analyses were data from 20 completed behavioral consultation cases involving a diverse sample of elementary participants and contexts using a common intervention in an A-B design. Secondary purposes of the study were to investigate the utility of 5 metrics proposed for understanding behavioral response, as well as the correspondence among these metrics and teachers' ratings of intervention acceptability. Overall, results suggest that DBR-SIS demonstrated sensitivity to behavior change regardless of the metric used. Further, we found limited association between student change and teachers' ratings of acceptability.