Family-Centered, Assessment-Based Intervention to Improve Behavior During an Early Morning Routine

Abstract

This article presents a demonstration of assessment-based intervention conducted in a family context to improve the responding of a boy with Asperger syndrome during the early morning routine of getting dressed and ready for school. Following a process of functional assessment, we developed a multicomponent intervention package, which was implemented by the boy's mother. We used a reversal design to demonstrate the effectiveness of the intervention package. The results showed that the intervention produced a substantial reduction of problem behaviors, higher levels of on-task responding, and a clear decrease in the length of time required to complete the morning routine. This empirical analysis provides another demonstration of the efficacy of a family-centered approach of assessment-based positive interventions in natural family contexts.