# **A Survey of Safety Skills Training Used by Behavior Analysts in Practice**
### **By [Your Name]**
Keeping children safe is a priority for caregivers and educators everywhere. Yet, many children, particularly those with neurodevelopmental disabilities, face increased risks of harm from accidents and potentially dangerous situations. Teaching safety skills effectively is vital, and behavior analysts play a crucial role in this effort.
A recent study by Baruni and Miltenberger (2023) explores how behavior analysts train children in safety skills, which methods they use, and how effective those methods are. This blog post will summarize these findings and highlight practical takeaways for behavior analysts.
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## **Understanding Safety Threats for Children**
Children face many risks in daily life, and common threats include:
- **Abduction** – interactions with strangers or unfamiliar adults.
- **Sexual abuse** – prevention of unsafe touch and appropriate responses.
- **Poisonous substances** – dangers of ingesting harmful chemicals or medications.
- **Firearms** – safely responding to the discovery of a gun.
- **Fire-starting agents** – understanding the risks of matches and lighters.
For children with disabilities who may struggle with generalizing learned behaviors, these dangers are even more concerning. Passive education techniques, such as lectures or videos, may not be enough. Instead, children need hands-on, behavior-based training to master these skills.
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## **The Role of Caregivers and Behavior Analysts**
Parents and caregivers are the first line of defense in keeping children safe, but teaching safety skills at home can be challenging. Behavior analysts can provide structured training that goes beyond simple instruction, ensuring children learn skills that work in real-life situations.
However, teaching safety skills involves challenges:
1. Ensuring children practice the skills in realistic settings.
2. Addressing individual learning differences.
3. Reinforcing learned behaviors over time.
How are behavior analysts currently tackling this issue? Baruni and Miltenberger’s (2023) study provides insight into the techniques they use and their perceived effectiveness.
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## **Behavioral Skills Training (BST): An Evidence-Based Approach**
One of the most effective techniques for teaching safety skills is **Behavioral Skills Training (BST)**. BST consists of four key steps:
1. **Instruction** – Teaching children what to do in a given safety-related situation.
2. **Modeling** – Demonstrating the correct response to show what is expected.
3. **Rehearsal** – Having the learner practice responding in a realistic way.
4. **Feedback** – Providing guidance on improving their response.
BST has been shown to be highly effective, particularly when combined with in-situ training (practicing skills in real-world locations). With this method, children can actively respond to scenarios rather than passively learn information.
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## **Findings from the Survey**
Baruni and Miltenberger (2023) surveyed **695 behavior analysts and technicians** to understand their safety skills training practices. The key findings include:
### **1. Perceived Importance of Safety Skills Training**
The majority of respondents agreed that safety training is critical for children. When ranking safety skills by importance, analysts rated them in the following order:
1. **Abduction prevention**
2. **Sexual abuse prevention**
3. **Poison prevention**
4. **Fire-starting agent safety**
5. **Firearm safety**
### **2. Real-Life Exposure to Safety Threats**
Many clients had **already encountered dangerous situations** in real life. The frequency of each type of reported safety concern suggests that **these are not hypothetical risks—children are facing real dangers.**
Despite this, many children were **not adequately prepared** to respond to these threats, emphasizing the need for behavior analysts to increase training efforts.
### **3. Common Methods Used by Behavior Analysts**
The survey examined the training methods most commonly used by behavior analysts. Findings showed:
- **67% use BST**, making it one of the most preferred methods.
- **Discrete Trial Training (DTT)** was another widely used technique.
- **Natural Environment Training (NET)** was incorporated to increase generalization.
Despite BST's effectiveness, many behavior analysts *still use passive instruction* rather than hands-on practice. This suggests a gap between what research supports and what happens in the field.
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## **Challenges and Barriers to Effective Training**
While BST is an effective method, behavior analysts face barriers in implementation, including:
- **Time constraints** – Many practitioners struggle to fit BST into treatment plans.
- **Lack of caregiver support** – Parents may not reinforce practice at home.
- **Ethical concerns** – Safety training often requires simulated scenarios, which some caregivers or organizations may be hesitant to allow.
To overcome these barriers, behavior analysts should:
1. **Integrate BST into regular therapy** – Incorporate safety skill practice naturally into ongoing sessions.
2. **Train caregivers** – Teach parents to support skill generalization at home.
3. **Advocate for evidence-based methods** – Educate schools and organizations on the importance of active learning techniques like BST.
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## **Key Takeaways for Behavior Analysts**
1. **Children face real-world safety threats—training is essential.**
2. **BST is an effective way to teach safety skills.**
3. **Many behavior analysts still rely on passive methods, limiting effectiveness.**
4. **Barriers to training exist, but they can be overcome with strategic planning.**
By using evidence-based methods like BST and pushing for widespread adoption in clinical and educational settings, behavior analysts can make a measurable difference in children's safety.
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## **Final Thoughts: Expanding Safety Training in ABA Practice**
The findings from Baruni and Miltenberger (2023) highlight a crucial issue in ABA practice: many children are at risk, yet few receive adequate preparation. Behavior analysts have the skills and tools to change this by prioritizing **effective, hands-on safety training** in their work.
**Want to read the full study?** Check out "A Survey of Safety Skills Training Used by Behavior Analysts in Practice" by Baruni & Miltenberger (2023) here: [https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-023-00835-8](https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-023-00835-8).
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