Use of Checklists to Increase Staff Performance on Documentation of Session Notes in an ABA Facility

Sep 20, 2026

Uploaded by Aldword

Session notes are required by insurance companies to document services and track client progress and concerns for treatment planning. Prior studies have shown that package interventions can improve the accuracy of progress note completion, though they may be slow and difficult to implement in practice. This study examined whether a single checklist intervention improves session-note accuracy in an ABA facility. A non-concurrent multiple-baseline design compared three technicians’ documentation accuracy before, during, and after checklist use. Checklist-only performance did not reach mastery; verbal and written feedback increased accuracy to mastery levels.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages31

Reading Time1 h 18 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

ABA for Autism Spectrum Disorder

Documenting ABA Services

Organizational Behavior Management

Behavioral Skills Training

Performance Feedback

Feedback Delivery

Self-Monitoring

Checklists

OBM Interventions to Improve Session Notes

Statement of the Problem

Method

Participants

Materials

Experimental Design

Procedure

Baseline

Intervention

Follow-up Probes

Assessment of Social Validity

Results

Interobserver Agreement (IOA)

Social Validity

Discussion

Running Head: Use of Checklist to Increase Staff Performance 1 Use of Checklists to Increase Staff Performance on Documentation of Session Notes in an ABA Facility by Tricia Vallinger, MS Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in the Applied Behavior Analysis Program YOUNGSTOWN STATE UNIVERSITY Running Head: Use of Checklist to Increase Staff Performance 2 Use of Checklists to Increase Staff Performance on Documentation of Session Notes in an ABA Facility Tricia Vallinger I hereby release this thesis to the public. I understand that this thesis will be made available from the OhioLINK ETD Center and the Maag Library Circulation Desk for public access. I also authorize the University or other individuals to make copies of this thesis as needed for scholarly research. Signature: ______________________________________________________________ Tricia Vallinger, Student Date Approvals: | Dr. Stephen Flora, Thesis Advisor Date | | --- | | Dr. Kris Brown, Committee Member Date | | Dr. James Juergensen, Committee Member Date | Dr. Salvatore A. Sanders, Dean of Graduate Studies Date Running Head: Use of Checklist to Increase Staff Performance 3 ABSTRACT Session notes are required by insurance companies to serve as documentation for services provided and provide an account of progress and problems to help guide further treatment. Previous research has investigated the use of package interventions to increase accuracy of progress note completion and found that they can be effective. While effective, package interventions consisting of many components can be time consuming and difficult to use in applied settings. Thus, the purpose of the current study was to investigate the use of a single intervention (checklists), opposed to a treatment package, for its effects on session note accuracy in an ABA facility. A non-concurrent multiplebaseline design across individuals was used to compare the accuracy of three behavior technician’s session note documentation before, during, and after the use of a checklist. All three participants were unable to meet mastery criteria with the checklist alone. The addition of verbal and written feedback rapidly increased performance to mastery level. This finding indicates that checklists alone may be insufficient to increase session note accuracy and multiple components from a behavioral skills intervention may be necessary to improve staff performance on session note documentation. Keywords: Applied behavioral analysis, autism spectrum disorder, checklists feedback, organizational behavior management Running Head: Use of Checklist to Increase Staff Performance 4 Contents Introduction ........................................................................................................................5 ABA for Autism Spectrum Disorder .......................................................................................... 5 Documenting ABA Services ................................................................................................................. 6 Organizational Behavior Management ...............................................................................7 Behavioral Skills Training .......................................................................................................... 9 Performance Feedback ............................................................................................................. 10 Feedback Delivery .............................................................................................................................. 10 Self-Monitoring ........................................................................................................................ 11 Checklists ................................................................................................................................. 12 OBM Interventions

FAQs

Why are session notes important in an ABA facility?

Session notes are required for insurance documentation and provide a record of progress and problems to guide further treatment.

What did the study compare regarding note accuracy?

It compared the accuracy of three behavior technicians’ session note documentation before, during, and after checklist use.

Did checklists alone achieve the performance mastery criteria?

No. All participants failed to reach mastery using the checklist alone, but adding verbal and written feedback increased performance to mastery.

Sep 20, 2026

Uploaded by Aldword