Pyramidal Training: A Large‐scale Application With Institutional Staff

Abstract

This study evaluated an indirect method of training 45 institutional direct care staff to conduct behavioral programs. Three supervisors were trained to improve teaching behaviors (instructions, prompts, and consequence) used by the direct care staff while working with severely and profoundly handicapped residents. In addition to training, daily feedback was provided to supervisors regarding performance of their staff. Results of a multiple baseline analysis across teaching behaviors (instructions, prompts, and consequences) and content areas (communication and gross motor skills) showed that providing training and feedback to supervisors resulted in increases in correct teaching behavior by direct care staff. However, teaching behavior newly learned in one content area (communication) did not generalize to the other area (gross motor skills). Data collected on resident behavior showed small but noticeable improvement in terms of correct responses and attending behavior during programming. Results are discussed in terms of the benefits of a pyramidal approach to training institutional staff.

Teaching Practitioners to Conduct Behavioral Skills Training: A Pyramidal Approach for Training Multiple Human Service Staff

“…As indicated earlier, a number of previous investigations with pyramidal training did not report the degree to which practitioners implemented the constituent steps of the training process while training other staff (e.g., Demchak & Browder;Haberlin et al;Jones et al, 1977;Neef, 1995;Pence et al, 2012;Shore et al). Third, whereas in a number of previous investigations trainers trained other staff only on a specific skill set on which the trainers recently had been trained Haberlin et al;Page et al, 1982;Pence et al), in the current investigation the trainers trained target skills that were not the focus of their own training. That is, the participants initially were assessed while they trained three specific skills to a staff person in simulation (behavior-specific praise, least-to-most prompting, providing a two-item choice) but trained to train using two other skills (embedded teaching, conducting a preference assessment).…”

“…In typical investigations with pyramidal training a specific behavior-change skill has been trained to a small group of personnel who were then directed to train the specified skill to other individuals (Demchak et al, 1992;Green & Reid, 1994;Haberlin, Beauhamp, Agnew, & O'Brien, 2012;Kuhn, Lerman, & Vorndran, 2003;Neef, 1995;Page, Iwata, & Reid, 1982;Pence et al, 2012). However, because this approach focuses on trainer and staff use of a specific behavior-change skill, questions have been raised regarding the degree to which the staff trainers would be able to train other important skills to staff beyond the specific behaviorchange skill that was the focus of the trainers' own training (Demchak & Browder, 1990;Finn & Sturmey, 2009).…”

A Supervision Program for Increasing Functional Activities for Severely Handicapped Students in a Residential Setting

“…Implementation of this approach in institutional settings has proven to be cost-effective in that only a small amount of administrative time is necessary to implement training programs. This method has also been shown to be effective in producing maintenance of staff skills, because supervisors remain in the work environment (Page, Iwata, & Reid, 1982;van den Pol, Reid, & Fuqua, 1983).…”

Applied Behavior Analysis: Teaching Procedures and Staff Training for Children with Autism

“…Staff training procedures that are well-established and accepted in the research literature, include: verbal, written, and video instructions; modeling; role-playing; in-vivo practice; and performance feedback (Cullen, 1988;Delamater, et al, 1984;Demchak et al, 1992;Fielding, et al, 1971;Fleming, et al, 1996;Gardner, 1972;Gladstone & Spencer, 1979;Greene, et al, 1978;Harchik, et al, 1989;Harris, et al, 1975;Johnson & Fawcett, 1994;Krumhus & Malott, 1980;Matson, 1990;Neef, et al, 1986;Page, et al, 1982;Parsons & Reid, 1995;Parsons, et al, 1996;Parsons, et al, 1987;Reid & Green, 1990;Richman, et al, 1988;Sepler & Meyers, 1978;Touchette & Howard, 1984). These established training methods can be used alone or in conjunction with more than one method to promote skill development.…”