Ervention scripts are used ubiquitously in behavioral intervention research and practice. In research, scripts describe knowledge of common routines and activities as well as their behavioral relationships (e.g., Abelson, 1981; Bower, Black & Turner, 1979; Fivush, 1984; Furman & Walden, 1990; Schank & Abelson, 1977). We use the term script to describe a contextualized intervention plan. In contextualizing plans, intervention steps are developed withparents and teachers, tried out, and refined as necessary. These features may make scripts different than some treatment plans. Scripted plans may be derived from information about successful patterns of interaction within activities and routines and also from intervention design principles and research (e.g., Ganz, Cook, & Earles-Vollrath, 2007; Goldstein & Cisar, 1992; Gronna, Serna, Kennedy, & Prata, 1999). Scripted plans also have the potential to demystify what may be complex processes of change for informed consent purposes. Scripts can help adults implement an intervention and they can help children by serving as models for appropriate language and actions. From 1990 to 1999 we conducted research on how to achieve effective scripted interventions (Barnett, & Air et al., 1999; Barnett, & Bell, et al., 1997; Ehrhardt, Barnett, Lentz, Stollar, & Reifin, 1996). Since that time, the procedures have been used for training professionals and providing comprehensive intervention-based services (Barnett, et al., 2002; Bonner & Barnett, 2004). A basic premise is that, since interventions are often hard to carry out by teachers and parents, scripts can help to support implementation in a way that is consistent with the research fidelity (i.e., accuracy of differentiating components) and that maintains the integrity (i.e., accuracy of implementation) of the plan (Gresham, 1989; Moncher & Prinz, 1991). As an overview, intervention-related support variables may include a problem-solving consultation process, scripts for the desired performance, coaching, feedback, and brief trials or “tryouts” to refine plans or compare alternative intervention conditions. Scripts are modified for appropriate levels of support to help teachers, parents, students, or others in reaching and maintaining fluency. Much of the discussion that follows pertains to the use of scripts for specific instructional methods and the development of language and social interaction skills. Language is a natural focus for intervention because it is prerequisite for complex learning (Hart & Risley, 1995) and social interaction. There is also a well-established link between levels of communicative competence and challenging behaviors (Goldstein, 2002). Furthermore, for many young children, it is not possible to isolate language from other developmental domains (Barnett, Macmann, & Carey, 1992). This paper reviews the concepts,methods, research, and applications supporting scripted interventions. Our focus is on young children. However, the methods to be described have broad applicability and could play an important role in multidisciplinary collaboration with speech-language clinicians, teachers, parents, school psychologists, and other team members (e.g., Ehren, & Nelson, 2005; Staskowski & Rivera, 2005; Troia, 2005). Script Use in Decision Making: Response to Intervention (RTI) Scripts are intended to improve intervention performance. The variables of accuracy and reliability in carrying out the intervention steps are known as intervention or treatment integrity or adherence. While adherence to intervention plans has always been critical to the internal validity of outcome research, the accuracy of adherence to an intervention plan is now also fundamental to educational decision making (Barnett, VanDerHeyden, & Witt, 2007; Gresham, 2004). A key concept known as response to intervention (RtI) suggests that a student’s cumulative intervention history (i.e., prevention and intervention outcomes supported by technical adequacy data) may be used as evaluationdata for specialized services decisions (Barnett, Daly, Jones, & Lentz, 2004; Barnett, Elliott, Wolsing et al., 2006; Fuchs, 2003; Troia, 2005). Within the RtI framework, script use would be analyzed by tiers (see below) and by intensity of implementation variables such as time, effort, and specialized professional resources (Barnett et al., 2004)
