Improving Behavioral and Academic Outcomes for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Testing an App-based Self-monitoring Intervention

Abstract

Self-monitoring (SM) is a behavioral intervention with a long history of successful implementation for students with autism spectrum disorder. Despite the development of sophisticated software applications, they are rarely incorporated into data collection procedures for SM interventions. The current study evaluated an SM application, goal setting, and reinforcement to improve on-task behavior and academic outcomes of two students with ASD. A single-subject ABAB withdrawal design, replicated across both students, demonstrated a functional relation between implementation of the SM application and on-task behavior from baseline (46% and 14%) to intervention (96% and 91%, respectively) phases for both students. One student’s percent accuracy on math story problems improved from baseline (22.7%) to intervention (68.6%), while the second student showed improvement from baseline (21.4%) to intervention (61.6%) in the percentage of total points on a writing rubric. Limitations and implications for future research are offered.