The impact of treatment development process, intervention type, and problem severity on treatment acceptability as judged by classroom teachers

Abstract

This study expands upon the treatment acceptability literature by investigating the impact of various processes through which interventions are developed. Specifically, teachers were presented with a case study and informed that the recommended treatments for the presenting problem were developed in one of three ways: (a) by a teacher and school psychologist collaborating with each other, (b) by a teacher alone, or (c) by a school psychologist alone. The type of treatment recommended (positive versus reductive) and the seriousness of the presenting problem (mild versus severe) were also investigated. Results indicated that teachers found interventions developed via a collaborative model to be more acceptable than those developed by either a teacher or a school psychologist working in isolation from each other. As has been reported in prior studies, positive interventions were found to be more acceptable than those that were reductive in nature. Unlike prior investigations, however, treatments recommended for severe problems were not found to be any more acceptable than those recommended for mild problems. Implications of the findings for service delivery and limitations of the study are discussed.