| The prevailing treatment for autism is Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA), which is administered at home by instructors. Instructor perceptions on their successes in responding to violent behaviors in comparison to non-violent behaviors in children with autism were analyzed. Thirty-three participants were recruited from an ABA service provider. The first hypothesis showed that instructors took less time to stop violent behaviors than non-violent behaviors, X 2(9, N=31) = 18.007, p=.035. On the second hypothesis, instructors with more experience felt more successful responding to violent behaviors than instructors with less experience, U=29.000, N1=6, N2=24, p=.025, two-tailed. The last hypothesis revealed that instructors did not think they were more successful responding to violent behaviors than non-violent ones, Z=-1.14, p=0.253. The hypotheses suggest that instructors are receiving adequate training to respond to violent behaviors, which promotes safety in families with children with autism. Further implications are discussed. |
