Document Type
Thesis
Degree
Master of Science
Major
Education
Date of Defense
7-12-2024
Graduate Advisor
Andresa De Souza
Committee
Andresa De Souza
Abigail Kennedy
Lindsay Athamanah
Abstract
Abstract
Children are spending more time online, which is putting them at risk of encountering online predators. There have been attempts to minimize the occurrence of these encounters, but most of these involved instructional training and parent supervision. One alternative intervention for addressing safety skills that has been shown to be effective is behavior skills training (BST), which is a procedure based on behavior analytic literature. BST involves instructions, modeling, rehearsal, and feedback. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of BST on the acquisition of online safety skills in adolescents and adults with developmental disabilities. In-situ assessments occurred before the BST training and after to evaluate the effectiveness of BST in acquiring online safety skills for a 15-year-old participant. A follow up probe was conducted to evaluate if the safety skills were maintained over time. Results indicated that BST with in-situ training is an effective method of training online safety skills for children with autism. The results are discussed in terms of the contributions from applied behavior analysis for strategies to promote social media safety in people with developmental disabilities and directions for future research.
Recommended Citation
Lynn, Robert, "Using Behavioral Skills Training to Promote Online Safety Skills in Individuals with Developmental Disabilities" (2024). Theses. 453.
https://irl.umsl.edu/thesis/453