Association for Behavior Analysis International

The Association for Behavior Analysis International® (ABAI) is a nonprofit membership organization with the mission to contribute to the well-being of society by developing, enhancing, and supporting the growth and vitality of the science of behavior analysis through research, education, and practice.

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47th Annual Convention; Online; 2021

All times listed are Eastern time (GMT-4 at the time of the convention in May).

Event Details


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Symposium #240
CE Offered: BACB
Navigating Telepractice During the Pandemic: Problem Resolution to Promote Access to Intervention at the Individual, Small Group, and Systemic Level
Sunday, May 30, 2021
12:00 PM–12:50 PM
Online
Area: AUT/OBM; Domain: Service Delivery
Chair: Valerie R. Rogers (The ABRITE Organization)
CE Instructor: Valerie R. Rogers, Ph.D.
Abstract: Access to clinically recommended Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) services has been significantly impacted for many consumers in light of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Given local shelter-in-place mandates along with needs for increased safety and reduced risk, telepractice for educational and medically necessary ABA services at the behavior technician level has been attempted. With this novel mode of technician level intervention, providers have faced many learner, caregiver, and setting variables that have served as barriers to accessing telepractice intervention. Given the novelty and limited empirical investigations on technician level telepractice, additional solutions for common barriers are needed. The current symposium seeks to support practitioners in identifying and overcoming barriers such that consumers can access needed intervention when in-person treatment may not be possible. The first paper describes a model designed to promote and sustain access to educational and medically necessary ABA services via telepractice under pandemic conditions. The second paper provides specific problem resolution strategies at the level of the learner and caregiver to increase access to telepractice ABA services and corresponding learner outcomes. The final paper describes the systemic changes implemented to ensure employee safety and retention by pivoting towards values and access to services and resulting outcomes.
Instruction Level: Advanced
Keyword(s): COVID-19, problem-resolution, telehealth, telepractice
Target Audience: Experience managing or directing at an ABA service provider, Visual inspection of data, understanding of best practices for learners with autism, understanding of behavioral skills training, understanding of tiered service delivery model.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the presentation, participants will be able to: 1) Describe at least one training topic provided to behavior technicians, BCBAs, and caregivers to increase access to telepractice. 2) Describe at least 3 solutions to common learner barriers and 3 common caregiver barriers to telepractice. 3) Describe at least 3 outcomes at the organizational level resulting from the COVID response plan (e.g., social validity outcomes, employee satisfaction, and telepractice hours provided).
 
Commitment, Collaboration, and Service Provision During Crisis: A Model to Sustain Access to Multifaceted Behavior Analytic Services
JANICE FREDERICK (The ABRITE Organization), Valerie R. Rogers (The ABRITE Organization), Ginger R. Raabe (The ABRITE Organization)
Abstract: The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) has resulted in deleterious global impacts including an unprecedented disruption to educational and medical services including applied behavior analysis (ABA) intervention. The closures of schools, center-based facilities, and the ongoing threats to the sustainability of in-person service delivery have demanded revisions to traditional, in-person ABA service delivery models to mitigate service loss. The current paper provides a description of a model designed to promote and sustain access to educational and medically necessary ABA services under pandemic conditions. Components of the model including telepractice and the tools and processes required for its implementation as well as the analysis of its viability as an alternative to in-person intervention will be reviewed. Telepractice will be discussed as a safeguard to continuation of services in the presence of ongoing threats. Barriers to telepractice and problem resolution strategies to address learner and caregiver variables that may impede its utilization will be discussed. Additionally, steps taken related to advocacy, coordination with caregivers and funders and the training provided to board certified behavior analysts (BCBAs) designed to promote continuation of intervention under evolving circumstances will be provided.
 
Problem Solving Through a Pandemic: Addressing Learner and Environmental Barriers to Increase Access to Behavior Analytic Telepractice Services and Corresponding Learner Outcomes
VALERIE R. ROGERS (The ABRITE Organization), Janice Frederick (The ABRITE Organization), Ginger R. Raabe (The ABRITE Organization)
Abstract: Access to applied behavior analysis (ABA) services has been significantly impacted for many learners given the COVID-19 pandemic. Shelter-in-place orders and safety concerns have resulted in a movement toward telepractice service delivery across educational and medically necessary ABA services, even at the level of the behavior technician (BT). Still, the ease with which in-person BT intervention can move to telepractice may differ significantly depending on multiple factors including both learner readiness skills and environmental and caregiver support. The current paper describes problem resolution strategies and corresponding treatment outcomes for individual children receiving ABA services categorized across four learner profiles. Participants within these clinical profiles presented with varying degrees of learner and caregiver barriers. Specific barriers, strategies toward removing these barriers, and data regarding the initial outcomes of this endeavor are presented. The procedures and results are discussed in a manner to support practitioners in identifying and overcoming barriers such that consumers can access needed intervention when in-person treatment may not be feasible. Future directions including the need for ongoing empirical investigations regarding telepractice outcomes are also discussed.
 

Pivoting Towards Values to Address Large Scale Problem Resolution: An Organization’s Systemic Response to the Global COVID-19 Pandemic

GINGER R. RAABE (The ABRITE Organization), Janice Frederick (The ABRITE Organization), Valerie R. Rogers (The ABRITE Organization)
Abstract:

The coronavirus of 2019 has wreaked havoc on the business world and overall economy, including organizations providing applied behavior analysis (ABA) services. Directors of ABA service organizations faced problem resolution at an unprecedented level and the need for leadership and effective decision making had never been more important. The pandemic and resulting shelters in place caused a flood of information and directors were forced to make decisions with multi-faceted implications for both the consumers they served and the employees who trusted them. This presentation will address the implementation of problem resolution within and across all aspects of an ABA organization. A COVID response plan was created by pivoting towards values and taking steps to maximize employee safety while continuing to provide access to medically necessary services and concomitantly ensuring measurement as scientist practitioners. This presentation will include details related to immediate and ongoing steps in relation to these outlined values. In addition, this presentation will share data collected through a variety of means including, but not limited to, employee and parent surveys, measures related to access within the different services provided and total hours of telepractice hours delivered across the organization.

 

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