Utilization of the AIM Explorers Curriculum with K-5 Learners in a Classroom Setting

This session will examine treatment outcomes and logistics when implementing the AIM Explorers Curriculum within the K-5 classrooms at Insight Academy, a private school for students with social-emotional and behavioral challenges. The AIM Explorers Curriculum is a comprehensive treatment package that incorporates the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), mindfulness practices, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Key components of the treatment include daily ACT based lessons that align with CASEL’s 5 social-emotional learning standards, a token economy with function based reinforcement, daily check-in, interval based point delivery, and check-in/check out procedures featuring feedback on goal-setting, successes and challenges. Additions to this treatment at Insight Academy included daily caregiver reports, bi-monthly newsletters disseminating AIM and ACT content and additional group contingencies. This session will also include potential solutions to barriers commonly experienced when implementing behavior intervention in a school setting. Social validity measures and a comparison to a commonly used non-behavior analytic framework for addressing social-emotional issues are also evaluated within this session.