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Preference Assessment
Based on a solid scientific foundation, Preference Assessment is a tool for determining which reinforcer is most efficient for any given child. The whole idea behind this app was to make the preference assessment process easy and accurate. And as a parent who knows nothing about that process, I must say this app did the trick. It walks you through the process nice and easy.
There's no flash and there's no glitz. Hey, that's science for ya! But Preference Assessment focuses on the essentials and it delivers.
The developer states in the app's description, "A preference, or reinforcer assessment is one of the key components of a BIP (behavior intervention plan) or FBA (functional behavior assessment). To effectively strengthen a target behavior a caregiver must know which items or activities will act as the strongest reinforcers." That's true stuff. Use the wrong reinforcer and you'll watch your plan fall apart quick. Without the correct reinforcer the child has little or no motivation. As a parent I know that to be fact.
You should know that there's a free or Lite version of this app. The lite version makes a good trial for you to evaluate. But only the full version features Multiple Stimulus and Multiple Stimulus without Replacement assessments in addition to Paired Choice which is included in the Lite version. If you know what I'm talking about, then you're probably in the field of behaviorology (as I like to call it). The full version allows you to use up to seven items in your assessment, whereas the Lite version allows a maximum of three.
Preference Assessment has the instructions built-in, which is always nice.
Results are presented in a bar graph, which is easy to read and understand. For increased readability it would be my preference that the bars in the graph were each a distinctively different color. As it sits, the bars and the text are black... and drab. In fact, when adding items to the assessment, prior to beginning the assessment, it would be nice if each added item was presented in a different color. That would make it easier to rearrange the items also - if the color of each item stayed consistent. Adding color wouldn't do anything to help the functionality of Preference Assessment, but I believe it would greatly aid the person doing the assessment, the clinician.
As the app description notes, "One study found a near zero correlation to what was chosen via a preference assessment and what was predicted by caregivers (Green, Reid, White, Halford, Brittain, & Gardner 1988)." That says a lot! That validates the need for an app like this!
I can't see many parents using it, though I could definitely see the need. But Professionals who want to ensure they're on their "A" game would be smart to use Preference Assessment. If you're not using the correct and preferred item during therapy sessions the effectiveness of your whole plan goes down the toilet. Any nobody prefers that.
