Behavioral Skills Training (BST) is a comprehensive teaching approach that ensures the mastery of new skills through step-by-step instruction, observation, practice, and feedback. Its effectiveness in various settings makes it a valuable tool for teaching new skills and improving performance, particularly in ABA and professional development contexts.
Example
A behavior analyst is using Behavioral Skills Training (BST) to teach a classroom assistant how to implement a behavior intervention plan for a student with challenging behaviors. The process follows these steps:
- Instruction: The analyst first provides verbal and written instructions, explaining the behavior intervention plan and each step the assistant needs to follow to manage the student’s behavior.
- ModelingModeling occurs when a learner observes and then imitates a...: Next, the analyst demonstrates the correct implementation of the plan by role-playing the interaction with a student, showing the assistant how to respond to specific behaviors.
- Role-Play: The assistant then practices the intervention with the analyst or another colleague playing the role of the student. This allows the assistant to apply what they’ve learned in a realistic but controlled setting.
- Feedback: After the role-play, the analyst provides immediate feedback, highlighting what the assistant did well and offering suggestions for improvement. The role-play and feedback cycle may be repeated until the assistant feels confident and can apply the skill independently.