Date of Award
5-2024
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Behavior Analysis
Department
Education and Human Services/Behavior Analysis
First Advisor
Robbie Hanson
Abstract
Safety is a priority for first responders when responding to calls, but there have been numerous cases in which unintentional harm was caused when interacting with individuals with diagnoses or disabilities. Thus, it seems as though effective training procedures for these professionals is critical. However, training for first responders varies from state to state and can depend on the county in which the services are provided. Although behavioral skills training (BST) has a well-established history of training non behavior-analytic professionals and although there have been some encouraging recommendations for the effective dissemination of applied behavior analysis (ABA) to those outside the discipline, it is unclear the extent to which BST, or other behavior-analytic methods have been used to train first responders and the overall status of training for these professionals. Further, although previous researchers have conducted systematic reviews related to training for law enforcement when interacting with individuals with autism, these were specific to studies in which experimental designs were employed, possibly limiting the information that could be used to inform needed areas of future research which in turn may influence policy and the development of empirically-validated training materials for first responders. Thus, the purpose of the current review was to extend previous research on this topic by expanding inclusion criteria to examine the status of training for first responders when interacting with people with diagnoses/disabilities.
Recommended Citation
Drost, Mackenzie and Hanson, Robbie, "A Review of Training for First Responders When Interacting with Individuals with Diagnoses" (2024). Theses. 1164.
https://digitalcommons.lindenwood.edu/theses/1164