Procedural Integrity in Applied Settings: A Survey of Training, Practices, and Barriers

Although applied behavior analysis (ABA) practice guidelines exist (Behavior Analyst Certification Board (R) [BACB (R)], 2020; Council of Autism Service Providers [CASP], 2020), research has shown that barriers to their implementation can be present in everyday clinical practice across a variety of areas (e.g., Blackman et al., 2023; DiGennaro Reed et al., 2015; Oliver et al., 2015; Roscoe et al., 2015; Sellers et al., 2019). To date there are no published studies that have assessed the status of procedural-integrity training, practices, and barriers experienced by Board Certified Behavior Analysts (R) (BCBAs (R)) providing ABA services. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to determine the extent to which BCBAs engaged in the procedural-integrity monitoring process and what barriers they encounter in clinical practice. To gather this information, we surveyed BCBA practitioners. The findings reveal that BCBAs often observe providers implementing clinical services and provide feedback; however, they reported that a lack of training, time, and established systems, along with competing contingencies were barriers to engaging in data related procedural-integrity responsibilites (data collection, tracking, and analysis). Based on these findings, implications for BCBA training and support in addition to potential solutions and future research directions are discussed.