Structural Analysis of Instructional Variables and Their Effects on Task-Engagement and Self-Aggression

A brief structural analysis (Wacker, Cooper, Peck, Derby, & Berg, 1999) of instructional variables was conducted to assess levels of task engagement and self-aggression behavior in a seven-year old child with multiple disabilities within a classroom setting. Results indicated increased levels of task-engagement and reduced levels of self-aggression as stepwise changes in treatment components occurred. The present study validated use of structural analyses procedures within classroom settings by educational personnel as a means of identifying relationships between specific instructional antecedents and appropriate behavior and in linking assessment results to the design of child-centered behavior supports.