Date of Award

7-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Behavioral Analysis

First Advisor

Catherine Nicholson

Second Advisor

David Wilder

Third Advisor

Amanda Thayer

Fourth Advisor

Leslie Matuszewich

Abstract

Play is a critical developmental context for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), supporting cognitive, social, communication, and adaptive skill development. However, many adults, specifically registered behavior technicians (RBTs), demonstrate limited engagement in developmentally appropriate play behaviors, which can restrict the quality of play-based interventions, which are essential for effective treatment. However, little research has examined interventions designed to improve adult play behaviors. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of functional coaching on increasing adult functional play behaviors during therapy sessions with children diagnosed with ASD. Two RBTs participated in the study, and two children receiving ABA services served as indirect recipients of the intervention. A multiple-probe design across responses was used to evaluate the effects of functional coaching across three play schemes: Duplo Blocks, cars and a racetrack, and a pretend kitchen set. Functional coaching was based on participant-specific performance barriers identified through the Performance Diagnostic Checklist-Human Services (PDC-HS). The dependent variables included the rate and variety of play actions, the rate and variety of contextually relevant verbal comments, and therapist engagement. Results demonstrated immediate improvements in targeted play behaviors following the introduction of functional coaching and generalization to novel play contexts that were maintained over time. These findings suggest that functional coaching is an effective staff-training approach for improving play-based interactions and may provide practitioners with a practical framework for training adults to implement play interventions with greater quality and consistency.

Comments

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