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| A Transdisciplinary Approach to Behavioral Dysfunction: A Behavior-Analytic Account of Pharmacological Interventions |
| Monday, May 26, 2025 |
| 11:00 AM–11:50 AM |
| Marriott Marquis, M4 Level, Capitol & Congress |
| Area: DDA; Domain: Service Delivery |
| Chair: Emily Paige Exline (Kennedy Krieger Institute ) |
| Discussant: Maria G. Valdovinos (Drake University) |
| CE Instructor: Emily Paige Exline, Ph.D. |
| Abstract: Individuals with developmental disabilities are at increased risk for behavioral dysfunction including challenging behavior, avoidance, and problems with mood instability to name a few. Pharmacological and behavioral interventions are commonly used to address these problems. This symposium includes a behavior-analytic account of the use of pharmacological interventions for addressing various types of behavioral dysfunction. The presenters will take a transdisciplinary approach to tackle how behavioral processes are affected when combining pharmacological and behavioral interventions. The first presentation will use clinical-research data to demonstrate how behavioral assessment modalities can be used to monitor the effects of psychotropic medication on preferences, rate of challenging behavior, and function of challenging behavior. The second presentation will describe the Neurobehavioral Model of Care that uses behavioral and biological determinants of challenging behavior and other types of behavioral dysfunction to inform individualized interventions. Additionally, the second presentation will address how pharmacologic interventions may alter operant processing and motivating operations. The Discussant will comment on directions for future research and clinical implications of using combining behavioral and pharmacological practice. |
| Instruction Level: Advanced |
| Keyword(s): Behavioral Assessment, Behavioral Pharmacology, Challenging Behavior, Developmental Disability |
| Target Audience: Audience members should have an understanding of the underlying processes of challenging behavior, as well as behavior analytic assessments and treatments for challenging behavior. |
Learning Objectives: 1. Attendees will understand how behavioral, medical, and psychiatric variables can interact with respect severe challenging behavior and other types of behavioral dysfunction
2. Attendees will be able to describe a Neurobehavioral Model of Care that seeks to apply targeted behavioral, medical, and pharmacological interventions to address the relevant variables contributing to behavioral dysfunction for each individual
3. Attendees will experience introductory content related to behavior analytic theory regarding how psychotropic medications may assert their effects, and relevant behavioral assessments that may be appropriate for monitoring behavioral changes across medication conditions. |
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| Leveraging Diverse Behavioral Assessment Modalities to Monitor the Behavioral Effects of Psychotropic Medication |
| ALISON COX (Brock University) |
| Abstract: Psychopharmacological interventions are commonly used to treat challenging behaviors in persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Many persons comprising this clinical population present with communication deficits, which may be especially problematic because physicians largely rely on self-report measures to discern how medication changes are impacting their patients (Quinn, 2014). As such, behavioral researchers may be well-suited to support this population by leveraging a range of behavioral assessment measurement systems to monitor the behavioral effects of psychotropic medication. Generally, behavioral researchers have posited that psychotropic medications may assert their effects by serving as (1) a motivating operation, (2) an (un)conditioned reinforcer, and/or (3) a discriminative stimulus. Regardless of how the medication is asserting its effect – practically, this translates to medication changes differentially affecting individuals’ experiences in their environment. It follows that these changes may require behavioral intervention adjustments to ensure function-matched programming etc. Using clinical-research data, this presentation will describe an assessment battery enacted across medication changes, including psychotropic PRN (as needed) conditions, to monitor preference and challenging behavior rate and function. Clinical implications and future directions will also be discussed. |
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Integrating Behavioral and Pharmacological Interventions for Individuals With Severe Challenging Behavior and Other Types of Behavioral Dysfunction |
| LOUIS P. HAGOPIAN (Kennedy Krieger Institute) |
| Abstract: Severe challenging behavior in individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities is generally considered to be the product of interactions between dysfunction stemming from the primary disability and experiences that establish and reinforce challenging behavior. For some individuals, medical, neurological and psychiatric comorbidities can contribute to behavioral dysfunction and may interact directly with operant contingencies. Functional analysis can precisely identify the events in the environment that occasion and maintain the challenging behavior. The function of behavior not only guides targeted behavioral treatment but can contribute to the diagnostic process for identifying (or ruling out) comorbid medical and psychiatric conditions. The current presentation will describe a Neurobehavioral Model of Care that represents an integrative transdisciplinary approach for identifying the environmental and biological determinants of challenging behavior and other types of behavioral dysfunction - which guides the application of targeted behavioral, medical, and pharmacological interventions. Concepts and methods for this approach to transdisciplinary assessment and treatment will be discussed and illustrated with case examples. This includes discussion of how pharmacological agents can affect operant processes and alter motivating operations; and how such interactions have the potential to be synergistic or counter-therapeutic. |
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