The Electronic Behavior Assessment System®(EBAS)™ is founded on the pilot study A Collaborative Electronic Behavior Assessment System (eBA): Validation and Evaluation of Feasibility (Master Thesis). While the study had to limit the capabilities of the system to compare traditional behavior assessments vs. web-based assessments, EBAS™ unlocks the full potential of eBA.
EBAS™ is a collection of different components designed to improve the quality of indirect assessment and overcome existing barriers when collecting quality information. The assessment components reflect current research on the type of questions that should be asked during an assessment interview to meet most requirements by third parties (e.g., insurance organizations) to establish the appropriate level of support families need to ensure a successful intervention.
A pilot study was conducted using five reviewers during Phase 1 and 10-dyads during Phase 2. In Phase 1, the questionnaire was evaluated to see if the questions asked were appropriate, relevant, clear, readable, and useful. In addition, the web-page was also evaluated to collect user feedback and make appropriate changes to simplify ease of use.
After data from Phase 1 was evaluated, appropriate changes were made to the questionnaire and web-page based on the feedback received. In Phase 2, the feasibility of using the system was evaluated by comparing the time to complete an indirect assessment, the quality of information gathered, and service provider and caregiver satisfaction using two groups.
Results From The Study
Phase 1 results indicated that questions met the criteria for appropriateness, relevance, clearness, readability, and usefulness. The caregiver ecological assessment received the most variable evaluation perhaps due to its novelty. The caregiver ecological assessment asked questions to learn how the child’s challenging behavior and developmental disability impacted the caregivers daily routines.
Phase 2 results indicated that regardless of the experience of the interviewer, the questions asked during the interview produced quality information. There was also no significant difference in the duration to conduct the interview assessment between both groups. However, the time to conduct the interview using the web-based system had less variability.
Summary of the Study
The eBA questionnaire ask important questions that can produce high quality information. The overall goal of all questions as a collective, is to identify barriers to treatment, which goals are most important to the family, and what behaviors are most challenging and should be addressed first. Administering all components of the assessment can lead to potential savings in cost associated with interviews and the duration of behavioral services provided. eBA should be used to gather preliminary information prior to using other indirect assessment tools such as the Motivation Assessment Scales (MAS) or prior to conducting a functional analysis.
Current Version
The current version of EBAS™ has been updated to version 2.1 based on participant feedback received after the study was completed. There are two versions available, the paper version and the electronic version which has superior data collection features. For caregivers, both the paper and web-version are available for free when subscribed to the system. Practitioners can use the paper version free of charge, along with other resources we provide (e.g., data-sheet templates). To use the web-version, practitioners must be associated with a business account.
Limitations of the questionnaire. Some questions are important to establish services but were omitted from eBA. For example, client availability and insurance covered by were omitted for the following reasons, (a) encourage an open dialog between services providers and caregivers (b) discourage turning down clients because their current availability is not convenient when the caregivers desperately need help, and (c) find alternative solutions that can help the family afford services (e.g., parent training vs 1:1 therapy).
While the eBA system was limited to the constrictions of the research to allow for fairness in the study. EBAS™ brings out the full potential for what the eBA system can do.
References
Silvestre, C.E. (2018). A Collaborative Electronic Behavior Assessment System (eBA): Validation and Evaluation of Feasibility (Master Thesis). Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/7574