Systematic Review of Procedures and Outcomes of Choice-Based Interventions with Children

• Published in: Education & treatment of children Vol. 46; no. 1; pp. 77 - 106
• Main Authors: Kestner, Kathryn M., Finch, Kacey R., Kolb, Rebecca L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01.03.2023; Springer
• Subjects: Aggression; Applied Behavior Analysis; Behavior disorders; Behavior Patterns; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Child and School Psychology; Child Behavior; Clinical Psychology; Coding; Communication; Communication (Thought Transfer); Consumer preferences; Context Effect; Counseling Techniques; Counselor Client Relationship; Decision Making; Definitions; Dependent variables; Developmental Disabilities; Developmental Psychology; Experiments; Feedback (Response); Interpersonal Competence; Intervention; Meta Analysis; Opportunities; Personal Autonomy; Predictor Variables; Preferences; Psychological Patterns; Psychology; Reinforcement; Research Design; Research Reports; Review; Schedules; Self control; Self Determination; Skill Development; Systematic review; Topography; Choice; Concurrent schedules; Concurrent operants; Differential reinforcement
• ISSN: 0748-8491; 1934-8924
• DOI: 10.1007/s43494-023-00088-8

In behavior-analytic clinical work and research, opportunities for choice can be arranged as an independent variable, and response allocation among choice options can be measured as a dependent variable (i.e., engaging in one response given two or more concurrently available options). Choice-based interventions provide behavior analysts with tools to promote their clients’ rights to autonomy and self-determination by incorporating client preference. The purpose of the current article is to systematically review the literature published from 2003 to 2020 on choice-based interventions with children. We reviewed 32 articles (38 experiments) identified through ERIC, PsycINFO, and MEDLINE/PubMed, and we summarized the participant and study characteristics arranged into two categories by procedure: (1) differential reinforcement with asymmetrical-choice options; and (2) building choice opportunities into daily contexts. We provide suggestions for clinical applications of choice to intervention procedures and future research. The reviewed literature demonstrates how practitioners working with children can use choice-based interventions to incorporate consumer choice into clinical practice while effectively addressing versatile clinical goals across populations and settings.