Newsletter
Volume 32 | 2009 | Number 1
2009 ABAI Autism Conference
By Dr. Maria E. Malott, ABAI Chief Executive Officer and Dr. William L. Heward, ABAI President
Building on the successes of its 2007 and 2008 conferences, ABA International certainly maintained its standard of excellence for the 2009 Autism Conference. Titled Research to Practice: Making Real Changes in the Lives of People with Autism, the conference took place on February 6-8 at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville-Riverfront against the beautiful back-drop of Jacksonville, Florida. The conference events focused on pragmatic, research-based “how to” information that practitioners and parents could use to improve the lives of children with autism. This year’s conference was attended by 495 people from 12 countries and 43 states. As seen in figure 1, the turn-out for this event was excellent.
This year’s conference was made possible by the support and assistance of several hard-working components of ABA International: The Parent-Professional Partnership Special Interest Group, which serves both parents of children with autism and related disabilities and interested professionals; ABAI’s Practice Board, which focuses on matters of interest to agencies and providers of behavior analysis services; and the Autism Special Interest Group, which brings together individuals who specialize in or have an interest in the application of behavior analysis to the education and treatment of autism.
In addition to these groups, a great deal of credit for the conference is due to dedicated sponsors, organizational members, and exhibitors. This year’s conference was sponsored by BEACON Services, an organization that uses clinical practices of applied behavior analysis (ABA) to provide intensive instruction to children with autism, and The Evergreen Center, a private non-profit residential treatment center serving children and adolescents with autism and other developmental disabilities. The ABAI organizational members that contributed to the conference were The May Institute, which has set a national standard for providing comprehensive, research-validated services to children and adults with autism and other mental healthcare needs; and The National Autism Center, an organization dedicated to serving children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders by supporting effective, evidence-based treatment approaches.
This year’s exhibitors included Accelerations Educational Software; Autism New Jersey/COSAC; Behavior Change Consultants, LCC; the Florida Institute of Technology ABA Online Program; Montcalm Schools; NSU Mailman Segal Institute for Early Childhood Studies; Pacific Child and Family Associates; and TRICARE Management Activity Department of Defense Enhanced Access to Autism Services Demonstration.
Accelerations Educational Software offers effective and affordable educational software for individuals with Autism and other learning disabilities. Autism New Jersey/COSAC is a non-profit agency dedicated to ensuring that all people with autism receive appropriate and effective services to maximize their growth potential and to enhance the general public’s overall awareness of autism. Behavior Change Consultants, LLC is a small company in Pinellas County, Florida that provides person-centered applied behavior analysis services. The Florida Institute of Technology ABA Online Program offers a comprehensive program in behavior analysis, with all courses taught at the Master’s level. Montcalm Schools is a private, therapeutic residential program that helps troubled teens through the use of strength-based practices and positive peer culture. NSU Mailman Segal Institute for Early Childhood Studies showcases best practices in the fields of early childhood education, special education, family support, and parenting education. Pacific Child and Family Associates offers applied behavior analysis services for children and adults with autism and other developmental disabilities. TRICARE Management Activity Department of Defense Enhanced Access to Autism Services Demonstration is designed to increase access to ABA therapy for 8,500 eligible dependents of active duty service members by allowing reimbursement for ABA therapy. The enthusiastic support of these groups significantly contributed to the robustness of this year’s conference.
The conference featured nine invited speakers whom offered their insight into a wide variety of topics related to autism. Dr. Diane M. Sainato’s presentation focused on empirically validated strategies for teaching independent performance skills to young children with autism. Dr. Bridget A. Taylor reviewed responses that comprise joint attention and reciprocal language as she outlined the research-based strategies necessary to teach these important skills. Drs. Lynn Kern Koegel and Robert L. Koegel provided and overview of several pivotal areas – such as responsivity to multiple cues, motivation to initiate and respond to social and environmental stimuli, and self-regulation of behavior – that, when changed, result in positive changes in other areas. Dr. Peter F. Gerhardt gave an overview of the efficacy of ABA-based interventions across a variety of skill and instructional domains with older learners, with particular attention paid to instructional strategies beyond discrete trial instruction. Dr. Adrienne M. Perry’s presentation focused on the distinction between efficacy and effectiveness in a review of the research surrounding intensive behavioral intervention for young children with autism. Dr. Thomas Zane delivered a presentation on the behalf of Suzanne Letso and discussed the development, management, and leadership of ABA services for individuals with autism and related disorders. Dr. Samuel L. Odom emphasized the selection of practices that may be most useful for promoting learning and inclusion in general education and community settings. Dr. Brian A. Iwata provided an overview of methods for identifying the environmental determinants of problem behavior and for developing systematic and individualized treatment programs with emphasis on experimental approaches to assessment and how these approaches may be adapted for a wide range of situations. Brief articles by Dr. Sainato, Dr. Taylor, Drs. Lynn Kern Koegel and Robert Koegel, Dr. Gerhardt, Dr. Perry, Mrs. Letso, and Dr. Odom are included in this issue of the ABAI Newsletter (see pages 61-82).
As with previous conferences, a bookstore served as a forum for presenters to sign their publications.
On Friday and Saturday evenings, poster sessions served to further inform attendees. This year, 89 posters presented autism-related research and information that covered the categories of experimental analysis, applied behavior analysis, service delivery, and theory. Please see figure 2.
In addition to these groups, a great deal of credit for the conference is due to dedicated sponsors, organizational members, and exhibitors. This year’s conference was sponsored by BEACON Services, an organization that uses clinical practices of applied behavior analysis (ABA) to provide intensive instruction to children with autism, and The Evergreen Center, a private non-profit residential treatment center serving children and adolescents with autism and other developmental disabilities. The ABAI organizational members that contributed to the conference were The May Institute, which has set a national standard for providing comprehensive, research-validated services to children and adults with autism and other mental healthcare needs; and The National Autism Center, an organization dedicated to serving children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders by supporting effective, evidence-based treatment approaches.
In addition to the invited presenters and poster sessions, this year’s Autism Conference featured three expert panel sessions that gave attendees the opportunity to pose questions and raise issues that most concerned them.
Recent Developments in Behavioral Programming & Interventions featured panelists Peter Gerhardt, Lynn Koegel, Robert Koegel, Diane Sainato, and Bridget Taylor and was moderated by Mary Jane Weiss. This discussion centered on state-of-the-art educational and behavioral interventions for individuals with autism. Please see figure 3.
Using Science to Guide Autism Treatment featured panelists Brian Iwata, Sam Odom, Adrienne Perry, and Susan Wilczynski and was moderated by James Carr. This discussion focused on the use of scientific-practices in selecting and modifying autism treatment. Please see figure 4.
Current Status, Challenges and Opportunities in Legislation of Behavior Analytic Autism Services: Observations and Recommendations from Professionals and Parent Advocates featured panelists Mandy Davani, Michael Dorsey, Kim Lucker, and Eric Prutsman and was moderated by Jack Scott. This panel focused on discussing legislative actions at the state and federal level and their impact on the quality and availability of behavior analytic services. Please see figure 5.
The interaction between panelists and attendees made possible by these sessions led to many enriching and informative experiences such as the one shown in figure 6.
A DVD/Webcast package of the 2009 Autism Conference is available from ABAI. Please see figure 7.
The DVD contains audio and slides of each invited speaker’s presentation and is available for purchase through the ABAI store at http://apps.abainternational.org/store/ or by completing and mailing the form on page 98. Board Certified Behavior Analysts who purchase the DVD/Webcast package have the option of earning continuing education credits.
The conference would have not been possible without the dedicated work of the Program Committee: Dr. James E. Carr, Dr. David Celiberti, Dr. Marianne L. Jackson, Dr. Jack Scott, Dr. Mary Jane Weiss, Dr. Susan Wilczynski, and Dr. William L. Heward. The ABAI Council is especially grateful to Dr. William Heward, whom has worked tirelessly both in the Program Committee and in the development of the Autism Conference for the last three years, contributing outstanding work and leadership to the field. He has been an integral part of this event has helped make it both extremely effective and popular.
We are now in the planning stages for the 2010 Autism Conference, which will be soon announced. Dr. Travis Thompson, representing the ABAI Practice Board, and Dr. Gregory P. Hanley, representing the ABAI Science Board, will be co-chairing the program committee for the 2010 Conference. Watch for an announcement of this event to be made soon. To learn more about the conference program, go to:
www.abainternational.org/autconf/index.asp
