Choice-Stimulus Preference Assessment for Students At-Risk for Emotional Disturbance in Educational Settings: An Improvement for Practice?

The ability of educators to identify consequences that act as reinforcers may predict the success of behavior change strategies predicated on the use of reinforcement. Although well supported for children with severe disabilities research concerning the effectiveness of choice-stimulus assessment for children with emotional disturbance (ED) remains limited. The current study evaluated the effectiveness of choice-stimulus preference assessment, specifically, multiple- stimulus without replacement (MSWO) procedures, in identifying reinforcers for children with ED using evidence-based math remediation (i.e., cover, copy, and compare [CCC]). The study compared the effects of an MSWO and the vocal nomination of preferences using an alternating treatments single-subject design. The study also assessed the stability of the MSWO and vocal nomination assessments over multiple administrations. Results indicated that the MSWO assessment identified effective reinforcers for students at-risk for ED. The MSWO generated more consistent findings than vocal nomination. In one case, the reinforcers identified by the MSWO assessment evoked more frequent use of CCC than nominated reinforcers. Directions for future research and implications follow a discussion of findings