Developing Behavioral Fluency with Movement Cycles Using SAFMEDS

• Published in: Journal of behavioral education Vol. 25; no. 1; pp. 120 - 141
• Main Authors: Kubina, Richard M., Yurich, Kirsten K. L., Durica, Krina C., Healy, Nora M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer 01.03.2016; Springer US; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Behavior Change; Behavior Patterns; Behavior Problems; Behavioral assessment; Behavioral psychology; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Child and School Psychology; Educational improvement; Educational psychology; Intervention; Learning and Instruction; Maintenance; Methods; Morphemes; Motion; Movement; Observation; Original Paper; Pictorial Stimuli; Posttests; Precision Teaching; Present tense; Pretests; Psychological aspects; Psychological Patterns; Psychology; Resistance (Psychology); Skill Development; Special education; Special Education Teachers; Student Behavior; Teaching methods; United States (East); Verbs; SAFMEDS; Movement cycles; Behavioral fluency; Behavioral definitions
• ISSN: 1053-0819; 1573-3513
• DOI: 10.1007/s10864-015-9232-1

The Precision Teaching term "movement cycle" refers to a behavior with a clearly observable movement and a distinct beginning and end. The present experiment examined whether behavior analysts and special education teachers could become fluent identifying movement cycles. A frequency-building intervention called SAFMEDS, an acronym for Say All Fast Minute Every Day Shuffled, required participants to see a picture of behavior on a laminated card and say the movement cycle. A multiple baseline multiple probe design with two groups of four participants revealed the effects of the intervention. Results showed a replication of effects with each group using equivalent SAFMEDS decks. The SAFMEDS intervention produced behavioral fluency and also fostered strong maintenance effects for a majority of the participants.