Association for Behavior Analysis International

Decades of research has demonstrated the effectiveness of training individuals with and without disabilities using behavior analytic principles. Immediate treatment effects are often great, and attention is then turned to sustaining the behavior change over time. One intervention that has had considerable success in addressing adherence to behavioral recommendations is contingency management (CM). Generally, CM involves earning financial incentives contingent upon emitting a target behavior and has been widely used to treat a variety of behaviors. In this symposium presenters will share their research on using CM. First, research will be shared on conducting focus groups with LGBTQ+ current or former smokers and LGBTQ+ CM or behavior analytic experts to identify what, why, when, and how to tailor the delivery of digital CM for smoking cessation. Next, research will be shared on evaluating whether behavior skills training and CM can produce sustained alignment with safe infant sleep positioning recommendations throughout the night, for a seven-day period, with women recovering from substance use disorders. Finally, research will be shared on using CM with parents of children with ASD to respond to their children’s interfering behavior in the home.

Despite significant reductions in smoking prevalence across the last 50 years, smoking rates remain high for LGBTQ+ people. Cultural tailoring of an effective treatment is an empirically supported approach to increasing treatment uptake and acceptability when disparities exist. Qualitative methods are particularly well suited for culturally tailoring behavioral interventions, such as contingency management (CM). CM is one of the most effective treatments for producing drug abstinence, and digital CM offers a promising extension shown to decrease barriers while maintaining efficacy. Therefore, in the present study, we conducted focus groups with LGBTQ+ current or former smokers and LGBTQ+ CM or behavior analytic experts to identify what, why, when, and how to tailor the delivery of digital CM for smoking cessation. Thematic analysis of de-identified focus group transcripts resulted in identifying themes such as the need for tailored support, inclusive recruitment methods, availability of community connection, and the significance of prioritizing safety. Overall, this study demonstrates the utility of qualitative methods in health disparity research and provides a critical foundation for the establishment of evidence-based culturally tailored approaches to addressing smoking-related health disparities for LGBTQ+ people. Findings will inform the design of CM interventions for LGBTQ+ people.

Sudden unexpected infant deaths (SUID) are a leading cause of infant deaths. Infants of mothers with substance use disorders are at increased risk of SUIDs. Behavioral skills training is an effective intervention to teach caregivers to arrange sleeping environments in alignment with the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations. Further, this intervention has produced maintenance over time in combination with contingency management. One limitation of the previous study is that observation following training was limited to a single time point per night. It is currently unknown if mothers who received the intervention maintain the safe sleeping environment arrangement through the night. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate whether behavior skills training and contingency management can produce sustained alignment with AAP recommendations throughout the night for a seven-day period with women recovering from substance use disorders. In baseline all participants demonstrated variability in arranging a safe sleep area. Following behavior skills training and a prize bowl contingency management program, variability decreased