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Single subject experimental designs
and educational treatments. Dolores Rollo, Silvia Perini and Marina Pinelli University of Parma, Italy Single subject experimental designs are among the most significant contributions from contemporary behavioural psychology to the applied analysis of behaviour. They assure: more accuracy in evaluating the individual performances, greater flexibility as a function of induced behavioural modifications, more evidence for main effects, due to greater control over the causes of behavioural variability, the experimental analysis of rare events. Recent statistical procedures based on time series analysis provide these designs with internal and external validity, permitting: control of the cause-effect relation between independent and dependent variables generalisation of the results to different subjects and to many settings. Are presented three instances of single subject design concerning individualised educational treatment and verified by "C test" for time series. The first one was planned to modify the verbal behaviour of a 7 year old child with elective mutisme and other behavioural troubles as: hyperactivity, attentional deficits and disabilities on academic skills. The second application -planned to modify the social behaviour of a 4 year old child showing temper tantrums, aggressive behaviour toward peers, failure to pay attention to academic tasks- was successfully managed in the school setting. The third was planned to modify the developmental disorders of a 6 year old child with autism. Keywords: single subject experimental design, behavioural therapies, statistical analysis |
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