Comprehensive Collection, Charting, and Communication System

Project Summary: SymTrend is seeking funding to bring low-cost, technology-afforded power
and efficiency to the special education (SPED) of a lower functioning child with autism
(LFCA). Each LFCA has a federally mandated, individualized education plan (IEP). An
effective IEP requires intensive school and home-based behavioral monitoring: iterations of
behavioral data recording, progress charting, and team communication. SymTrend will extend
the functionality of its current Internet and mobile system for behavioral monitoring to
include the use of digital pen technology for recording on specially printed forms. The
project will then test the two types of electronic monitoring (iPod Touch and digital pens)
against current pencil and paper monitoring. It is hypothesized that an electronic system
with four components - i.e., forms creation, data collection, progress charting, and team
communication - will reduce the time burden of behavioral monitoring and enable schools to
meet the IEP needs of its students within the constraints of very restrictive educational
budgets.

Objectives: The three objectives of this project are 1) to design and implement a
four-component behavioral monitor for IEPs that is easy-to-use, cost-sensitive, and has the
power and efficiency to optimize and sustain behavioral improvement in LFCA; 2) to
incorporate functionality for an extensive range of a) learning contexts, b) types of
behavioral measurement, and c) progress charting formats that meet IEP reporting
requirements; and 3) to contrast electronic behavioral monitoring with standard paper
methods in terms of: a) efficiency, b) power, and c) acceptance.

Design and Methods: The test of the system will include a sample 15 children participating
in one of two public school systems. LFCA will be monitored by parents and more than one
type of professional both at school and at home. Monitoring will occur in the context of
skill learning and disruptive behavior elimination. Professionals will keep track of their
time and effort doing behavioral recording, charting, and communicating with other members
of the IEP team. The research design includes within-subject comparisons of baseline paper
monitoring versus electronic monitoring in terms of efficiency, power, and acceptance.

Significance: The electronic behavioral monitoring system created to support IEP use with
LFCA can also be used with higher functioning children with autism (HFCA), other
developmental disabilities (e.

g., ADHD), other clinical uses (e.g., depression and anxiety), academic use (e.g.,
university level behavioral science) and commercial use (e.g., human factors studies).