Defense Date

6-18-2026

Graduation Date

Summer 8-7-2026

Availability

Immediate Access

Submission Type

dissertation

Degree Name

PhD

Department

School Psychology

School

School of Education

Committee Chair

Kara McGoey

Committee Member

Elizabeth McCallum

Committee Member

Reva Mathieu

Keywords

Naturalistic Developmental Behavior Interventions, NDBI, early intervention, autism spectrum disorder, early childhood education; special education

Abstract

The current trend of an increasing prevalence rate of autism spectrum disorder creates a growing need for evidence-based interventions that can be accessed in the natural environments, such as within inclusive educational settings. Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions (NDBIs) integrate principles of applied behavior analysis and developmental psychology, and offer effective tools for increasing social communication behaviors in autistic children that align with the neurodiversity-affirming movement. The present study sought to evaluate the effectiveness of Behavior Skills Training (BST) in teaching core NDBI skills to a preschool teacher, examine changes in teacher self-efficacy related to supporting autistic students, and assess the impact of NDBI implementation on a student’s social engagement behaviors.

A single-subject multiple baseline across behavior design was used with one teacher-student dyad in an inclusive preschool classroom. BST was used to target three core NDBI skills: Promoting Engagement, Encouraging Communication, and Direct Teaching. Data collection included the measures of the Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Intervention Fidelity Scale (NDBI-Fi), the Autism Self-Efficacy Scale (ASSET), and partial-interval recording procedures of the student’s behaviors.

Results indicated that BST was an effective approach to teaching the teacher participant to implement NDBI strategies within the classroom environment. The intervention was viewed as socially valid, feasible, and led to an increase in the autistic student’s frequency of various social engagement behaviors. The study contributes to the growing literature on the dissemination of NDBIs beyond clinical environments and suggests that empowering teachers with these practices may improve opportunities for autistic children.

Language

English

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