Association for Behavior Analysis International

An important element in ABA practice is the development of behavioral change programs that emphasize skill acquisition. This relies upon effective assessment. Effective assessment practice in ABA, particularly as it relates to young children, should include a play-based approach to facilitate the demonstration of skills within their naturally occurring contexts. Yet, there is a dearth within the behavior analytic community of standardized methods in the assessment of skills within the play-based context. Expanding the assessment methods utilized is key for continued growth in the field. This talk explores the development of such an assessment, comparing it with the existing PEAK Comprehensive Assessment (PCA) in capturing the skills of young learners within the play-based context. Data from piloting this assessment across a sampling of over 20 learners with autism and how these data converge and diverge with data captured in the traditional PCA are examined, revealing that greater than 50% of participants performed significantly better in the play context. This demonstrates that assessment within the play context may be more suitable for young learners to demonstrate skills within their repertoire.

The interplay between psychological flexibility and risk-taking behavior is a novel area in which ABA can offer profound methods for decreasing unnecessary risk-taking behavior,, which can be detrimental. This presentation discusses correlations between risk-taking behavior as assessed using the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART) and psychological flexibility assessed using the Wisconsin Card Sorting Task (WCST) and the Child Psychological Flexibility Questionnaire (CPFQ). Psychological flexibility, the ability to adapt cognitively and emotionally to changing circumstances, plays a pivotal role in shaping how individuals perceive and engage with risk. By fostering psychological flexibility, individuals can navigate novel and challenging situations with resilience and adaptability. ABA intervention’s potential to modulate and mitigate impulsive and harmful decision-making processes is explored by investigating the association between performance on the BART and WCST, as well as responses to the CPFQ. Results indicate negative correlations between psychological flexibility and risk taking behaviors. This discussion uncovers practical implications for ABA practitioners and researchers, as it highlights the opportunities for intervention and the development of behavior analytic methodologies that promote adaptive decision-making while reducing unnecessary risks.

Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) play a pivotal role in recommending treatments for individuals with autism. These recommendations must be firmly grounded in established scientific evidence to ensure optimal care. However, the complex landscape of autism treatment presents unique challenges. This presentation delves into two insightful studies. The first study sheds light on the issue of the use of technical terminology bias and the challenges behavior analysts face in grasping its nuances. These challenges may inadvertently lead to a phenomenon known as technical drift, where terminology evolves in ways that can affect the precision of recommendations over time. The second study explores how the severity of autism symptoms influences the recommendations made by behavior analysts. This single variable can exert a significant impact, potentially causing deviations toward non-evidence-based practices. Expansion of our methodology to include advances in practices and the inclusion of novel technical terms can impact drift over time. This presentation highlights the need for continued vigilance in the field to protect our science from drift.