In a two-year National Institutes of Health-funded research study involving 11 sites in the U.S., researchers evaluated the acceptance of Behavior Imaging in autism classrooms for Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) decision support, staff & parent training, and assessment. Adoption obstacles were also considered as Behavior Imaging materials were distributed and installation, video capturing, annotation, and sharing tasks were assessed. The majority of educators working with children with autism supported the use of Behavior Imaging as a classroom tool.

The results of Behavior Imaging® used in 11 schools (n=29) across the United States:
Functional Behavior Assessment use case:
– 43% fewer data collection errors
– Greater awareness of classroom activities
– Students assessed simultaneously
Technology Adoption research:
– 90% of users had no difficulty using tech
– 85% of users completed tasks w/o help
Potential Obstacles:
– 13% felt technology support issues could be a potential barrier
– 33% felt parental issues could be a potential barrier

Learn more:   Poster

Capital Area Intermediate Unit (CAIU) partnered with Behavior Imaging to better serve students with autism and behavior challenges. Two preliminary pilot studies were conducted between 2011, and 2012 with the goal of increasing the overall effectiveness of behavior interventions with students demonstrating severe or challenging behaviors.

In both pilots data collection was improved by using Behavior Capture and Behavior Connect. Data gathered during the first pilot was compared to historical FBA/PBSP data and found 1) the overall timeline from start of FBA data collection to implementation of the PBSP with fidelity was reduced by five weeks, 2) staff addressing issues remotely rather than having to travel to the actual classroom location, resulted in nearly $1300 cost savings in time and miles not spent traveling over 3 months, 3) reduction in travel time also increased efficiency of staff time usage, and 4) researchers reported improved data collection accuracy. The second pilot tracked the reduction of aggressive behaviors and the incremental increase of on-task and instructional hours for a student whose behaviors had escalated to a point where is placement was changed to Instruction Conducted in the Home (ICH).

Learn more:   Poster

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Full Summary with Charts

The Idaho State Department of Education (ISDE) is using Behavior Connect (formerly B.I. CARE) to improve and simplify the process of creating, submitting, and evaluating special education progress reports known as Alternate Assessments. Behavior Connect replaces the paper-based processes that have proven cumbersome and extremely time-consuming for teachers and administrators. Special education teachers have long known that students cannot be assessed using standard tests and that progress is difficult to measure using traditional means. Now, teachers in Idaho will have the ability to capture and upload video of students with the click of a mouse. The video is automatically uploaded to the teacher’s computer where it can be annotated (with teacher comments and observations) and then added to a student’s online folder. Paper documents can also be digitized through an integrated fax solution.

Learn more:   Recorded Presentation [Carol L. Scholz, M.Ed., Idaho State Department of Education]

Les Bois Junior High is using Behavior Imaging technology to treat children with autism in special education classrooms. Teachers are using Behavior Capture (formerly B.I. Capture) to record problematic behaviors and the events leading up to those behaviors using the technology’s buffering feature, which allows users to go back in time to determine the antecedent to an incident. Teachers are also using the videos for remote consultation. After they capture videos and annotate them, they send them via a secure central data repository to another teacher or behavioral specialist anywhere in the world for diagnosis. Behavior Imaging video technology is not only saving teachers time and schools money, but it is also significantly improving teachers’ abilities to treat children with autism.

“Behavior Imaging technology has saved us a tremendous amount of time. I communicate remotely with other teachers and behavioral specialists about students using the Behavior Imaging video. It reduces the need to travel or have teachers visit us to observe a child.”

    – Jeanna Hart, Special Education Teacher, Les Bois Junior High

In this National Institutes of Health-funded pilot study, four teachers with varied experience in teaching children with special needs were randomly assigned to eight students each; each of the teachers utilized both traditional pen and paper and “technology-enhanced” (Behavior Capture) methods. They were asked to provide Functional Behavior Assessments (FBAs). With cameras unobtrusively installed in their classrooms, they were able to use “clickers” similar in design to car remotes, to capture a video clip before and after they clicked. Results included a 43% reduction in data collection errors.

Learn more:   Recorded News Coverage

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