An examination of the feasibility and implementation fidelity of a multi-component treatment program for students with EBD

Abstract

The practice of serving students with emotional and behavioral challenges in the United States has been fraught with anxiety, fear, and stress. Fortunately, researchers in the field of emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) have identified a range of empirically supported interventions to improve outcomes for students with EBD. This study sought to examine the feasibility of TIERS, a special education-based treatment program for students with EBD, in 10 self-contained classrooms. Despite the provision of multiple evidence-based supports for implementation, two and a half years of fidelity data indicated that none of the participating classrooms fully implemented the program as intended. These findings raise at least some concern regarding the practicality of the TIERS program, as designed, for its targeted setting/population. Study limitations and future directions are discussed.

Keywords:

• Emotional and behavioral disorders
• feasibility
• treatment program

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Rondy Yu

Dr. Rondy Yu is an assistant professor of teaching in school psychology and director of the applied behavior analysis program at the University of California, Riverside. His current research interests include topics related to programming for children/adolescents with emotional and behavioral disorders, integrated systems of support, and treatment integrity.

Wesley A. Sims

Dr. Wesley A. Sims is an assistant professor in the School of Education at the University of California, Riverside. His research interests include improving educator service delivery practices within tiered service delivery systems, implementation science in educational settings, and assessment of educator classroom management behavior.