PIONEERING RESEARCH
In addition to delivering world-class services, our staff are committed to advancing knowledge and practices related to autism and Applied Behavior Analysis. The Faison Center is part of a small group of organizations outside of higher education who regularly publish articles in peer reviewed literature. Our research covers both best practices in working with individuals with autism, and broader explorations of organizational behavior and staff management. Faison staff have published over 40 different research papers since our founding.
This past year, Faison published two new papers. The first investigated how to maximize a team’ s performance based on how they are rewarded. Titled“ Variations of the Dependent Group Contingency and Effects on Employee Performance” and published in the Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, the article was authored by staff members Shantel Pugliese, Jody Liesfield, Eli Newcomb, Gina Graf and Byron Wine. This research explored the relationship between team performance and how individual team members are evaluated. Researchers learned that when the team knows that their overall success is dependent on the success of a specific team member, the team performs better overall. Team performance was highest when the team members didn’ t know which individual’ s performance would be used in evaluating the overall success of the team. This research has direct real-world impact on how Faison’ s behavior analysts lead their teams of teachers and teaching assistants to provide the best services possible each day. who work with clients who show aggressive behavior, this paper explores techniques that staff members can use to better provide a safe learning environment for themselves and our clients. This paper was titled“ A Blocking and Distance Management Staff Training Intervention for Torso- and Head-Directed Aggression,” and was led by staff members Byron Wine and Eli Newcomb. It was published in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, a leading peer-reviewed journal. Research like this benefits the overall field of behavior analysis while also having very practical benefits to both students and staff every day at Faison.
The second published paper also directly impacts our day-to-day work with students. Filling a gap on how to prevent injuries for staff
18 | The Faison Center