Association for Behavior Analysis International

Recent commentary at ABAI Conventions and in behaviorally-based popular media publications has highlighted the focus of applications of behavior analysis in developmental disabilities, particularly autism. While there is much to be said about the large-scale potential of our science and the value in diversification of our field, there is also much to be gained from the strong footing that we currently hold in organizations serving individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities. Within these organizations we may be likely to find real-life laboratory settings in which we can begin to conduct research in other areas of social interest including but not limited to environmental sustainability, leader-employee engagement, influence of values on behavior, factors impacting unemployment rates and social justice, and the expansion and development of educational technology that utilizes our science to improve the learning of individuals with and without autism. This symposium will provide 3 data-based presentations outlining work that has been done within such a setting- a public charter school serving individuals with autism in Toledo, OH.

The importance of effective leadership practices in context of anthropogenic climate change is well established by policy negotiators and there has been an increasing trend of organizations creating leadership roles to address environmental issues (Karlsson et al., 2011). Organizational change efforts focused on corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives often generate significant costs for organizations without contributing to desired results, and messages from leaders to stakeholders in organizations do not frequently align with performance related to those messages (Peloza et al., 2012). There has been limited research that systematically addresses how leader communication influences employee performance related to CSR goals (Brammer, Millington, & Rayton, 2007). Relational frame theory, a behavior analytic account of language, allows for analysis of verbal stimuli as motivating operations in context of leader antecedent communication to employee behavior. This study examined the relationship between a leaders verbal behavior and employee performance as related to individual employee values. In an analysis of employee reported values as related to human-caused climate change and effects of leader email communication on energy consumption based on those individual values, results provided compelling information about the potential utility of tailoring leader communication to employee values and provided findings that informed future research directions.

Raising Achievement by Measuring Performance (RAMP) is a software application designed for evaluation of Pre K-12 students daily academic and behavioral performance. The RAMP software system is built on the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis including Precision Teaching. RAMP tracks and monitors performance data, analyzes them, and makes recommendations to assist teachers in selecting evidence-based instructional strategies to improve student learning. Software development is ongoing but the software has been used with elementary, secondary and university students. One of the locations in which this software was field tested and refined was The Autism MODEL School in Toledo, OH. This presentation will include an overview of the RAMP software and an analysis of student data collected at The Autism MODEL School. Use of RAMP across multiple populations has assisted in developing tools that benefit children both with and without disabilities. We will share important learning outcomes from students on the autism spectrum, which have resulted in applications that are beneficial to all students.