Association for Behavior Analysis International

This meeting is for those interested in the interface of behavior analysis and the court/legal system including service as an expert witness, examination of defendants to determine competence and responsibility, issues related to trial preparation, testimony, direct and cross examination, etc.

The purpose of the meeting is for the executive council and membership to meet and manage any BAAMS agenda items, which may include budget review, voting, and planning.

Positive behavior support (PBS), a systems approach, uses behavioral principles to redesign environmental contexts that enhance quality of life while decreasing problem behavior and increasing socially valid replacement behavior. Behavior analysts involved in PBS operate within various levels from providing direct supports to individuals to applying principles to broad systems (e.g., organizations, schools). The Positive Behavior Support Special Interest Group provides a forum for behavior analysts to discuss issues relevant to the profession.

During the past decade, Applied Behavior Analysis has grown substantially in mainland China. However, as a growing profession, there is a need for qualified behavior analysts who not only have the knowledge and skills to practice, but also adhere to the professional and ethical guidelines to provide quality care to clients. One way to satisfy this need is to have more people undergo the appropriate course sequence and be certified as behavior analysts. The purpose of this meeting is to provide an update about the current status of board-approved Applied Behavior Analysis training course in mainland China.

A meeting of board members to discuss the annual convention program.

There is limited research on the acquisition of Maths and numeracy skills for children with Intellectual Disabilities (ID) a special school. We conducted research on the delivery of an adapted Maths Recovery program with three secondary aged children with ID who attended a special school in the UK. The design was a series of single case designs with repeated measures. Over an eleven week period the adapted Maths Recovery programme was delivered by teaching assistants. They had received a short training session on Discrete Trial Teaching and how to follow the teaching manual accompanying the program, but otherwise had no prior knowledge of ABA methodology. Results are discussed with reference to increased numeracy ability in the three children and the practical strategies required to support children with ID so that they may benefit from the program. The adapted Maths Recovery curriculum can successfully be used with children with ID in special school settings and can improve their numeracy skills. Our data show promising results and support the rationale for larger evaluation studies

Most children with autism spectrum disorders engage in problem behaviors (e.g., stereotypy) that are maintained by automatic (nonsocial) reinforcement. Given that researchers and practitioners typically have no control over the consequences maintaining these behaviors, assessment and treatment are often a challenge in applied settings. To address this issue, the symposium aims to present recent advances in both the assessment and treatment of problem behavior maintained by automatic reinforcement in children with autism spectrum disorders. The first presentation will discuss the use of a modified trial-based functional analysis to identify the function of automatically-reinforced behavior following ambiguous results. The second presentation will examine the effects of using a technology-based intervention on engagement in stereotypy and other challenging behavior in a girl with autism. Finally, the third presentation will present the results of a study on validating the algorithms of an app designed to support parents in the reduction of stereotypy in children with autism spectrum disorders. Altogether, the presentations will provide an overview of recent research on the assessment and treatment of automatically-reinforced behavior in this population.

The use of portable electronic devices to learn novel skills offers a number of benefits to individuals with autism including social acceptability and increased independence. A multiple baseline across behaviors design was used to evaluate the effects of iPod-based visual activity schedules with embedded video models on the academic skill acquisition of a young girl with autism. The participant engaged in stereotypy, which was reported to increase in the presence of the iPad, and other challenging behaviors during work. Results indicated that the intervention was effective at improving the participants performance of each academic task. Following the removal of intervention, the participant accurately performed two of the three skills without additional teaching procedures. Stereotypy remained stable and the participants engagement in challenging behavior decreased as she demonstrated acquisition of each academic task. Stimulus generalization across academic targets was demonstrated and skill acquisition was maintained during three-week follow-up probes. Implications for practitioners and directions for future research are discussed.

This symposium is concerned with behavioral interventions that target social skills in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It focuses mainly on affect, joint attention, and responding to the interest of others as means for enhancing social interactions. The first presentation is a conceptual examination of the different approaches in the study of affect as a critical component of social-communication intervention in ASD; it reviews the behavioral interventions literature of the last 20 years and considers possible reasons for the underrepresentation of this research topic in the behavioral literature and ways to encourage it. The second presentation reports on an empirical study concerned with the effectiveness of prompting and reinforcement to teach gaze shift to toddlers with ASD when responding to a request, responding to joint attention, and initiating joint attention. Finally, the third presentation reports on an empirical study that evaluated the effects of verbal instructions, a visual flow chart, and differential reinforcement on the acquisition and generalization of asking a question to play partners who displayed non-verbal cues showing disinterest.

We used a multiple-probe-across-participants-experimental design to evaluate the effects of verbal instructions, a visual flow chart, and differential reinforcement on the acquisition and generalization of asking a question (Do you still want to play?) when play partners displayed non-verbal cues showing disinterest (e.g., yawning). To ensure that participants learned to discriminate when to ask the question, we presented disinterested and interested trials. While playing, partners showed interest on some trials, and disinterest on others. None of the participants asked the question on disinterested or interested trials during baseline. During intervention, two of the participants learned to ask the question on disinterested trials, and did not ask the question on interested trials. Correct responding for the third and final participant are currently on an increasing trend with the most recent probe at 83% correct. We anticipate criterion responding within two sessions. Responding measured during games where the intervention was not used indicated generalization of question asking to non-trained disinterested scenarios. We will continue to collect generalization and maintenance data for all participants.

Social Skills deficits are evident in individual with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) across their lifespan. The gap in these deficits often become more prominent as the individual gets older. This symposium will look at an investigation of behavioural interventions for pre- young adults and adults with ASD to enhance work place inclusion. The research will look at two single case research designs to teach conversation skills and an adapted version of the Adolescent Curriculum for Communication and Effective Social Skills (ACCESS; Walker et al., 1988). The results of both studies discuss the importance for social skills interventions amongst this population ad highlights the factors that can impact on teaching social skills necessary for inclusion, as well as a discussion of the contextual factors that support individuals with autism within the workplace.

Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are faced with significant barriers relating to employment opportunities and workplace participation. The current study examined the effectiveness of an employment skills intervention utilizing technology to increase social communication skills necessary for workplace inclusion. The intervention comprised of an adaptation of the Adolescent Curriculum for Communication and Effective Social Skills (ACCESS; Walker et al., 1988) to include video modelling (VM). The study was delivered in a vocational training centre for adults with autism and intellectual disabilities. Participants attended two sessions per week across a period of 20 weeks. The study employed 8 single case multiple probe designs to target three broad curricular areas (i.e., peer-related social skills, adult-related social skills, and self-related social skills). Pre-test and post-test standardized assessments and additional direct behavioural measures were also taken. The outcomes of the study highlight the factors that can impact on teaching social skills necessary for inclusion, as well as a discussion of the contextual factors that support individuals with autism within the workplace.

The current research evaluated the effectiveness of a behavioral skills training package used to increase appropriate conversation interactions for six adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Deficits in the area of social skills can become a significant feature for individuals with disabilities and in particular for those with ASD. A multiple probe design across participant dyads was employed to examine the effects of the intervention on conversation interactions. The behavioral skills training package was delivered in small group instruction and included; (i) instructions about having a conversation, (ii) modeling a conversation, (iii) practicing a conversation, and (iv) feedback on performance during each session. Engagement in appropriate conversation was measured according to a task analysis. Results indicated that the behavioral skills training package was effective for increasing appropriate conversation interactions for all six participants, and maintenance was evident four weeks post intervention. The findings are discussed in relation to the importance for social interactions and communication amongst this population.

It is well established that individuals with autism have deficits in social skills especially joint attention, social referencing and social conversations. Efforts to remediate these deficits have proven to be challenging as the source of difficulty has much to do the failure of social behaviors to function as motivation operations. In the current symposium we will present data from three lines of work in this area. In the first paper, Deitchman, examined the effects of video modeling and feedback on the development of social conversation skills. They taught participants to respond to a generalized repertoire of natural social cues including affective, gestural and verbal cues discriminative for the availability of social reinforcement, and found that all participants learned to respond appropriately during conversation generalization trials. In the second paper, Holohan, implemented a protocol including video modeling and feedback to train both therapists and parents how to teach three different joint attention skills. In the third paper, Walker extended work on social referencing by teaching children to respond differentially to an adults facial expression in the presence of an ambiguous situation such as a basket with a hidden object and found generalization across different stimuli.

Few studies address higher order stereotypy, such as insistence on sameness, perseverative patterns of social interaction, and highly circumscribed interests for participants with ASD. Researchers have characterized these behaviors as difficulties with variant responding, and some have attempted to bring repetitive behavior under discriminative control using multiple schedules of reinforcement that target arbitrary or tangible natural discriminative stimuli. This study extended the literature by teaching participants to respond to a generalized repertoire of natural social cues including affective, gestural and verbal cues discriminative for the availability of social reinforcement. Video modeling was used during discrimination training and video feedback during conversation trials to promote the saliency of natural conversation cues. Inter-observer agreement and procedural integrity data were taken on at least 50% of all trials during all conditions and was 80% or higher. All participants learned to discriminate S+ and S- cues and respond appropriately during conversation trials and also during all generalization probes.

Developing technology to teach social referencing is important because social referencing is an important safety skill. The purpose of this study was to teach 3 toddlers with autism social referencing using a multiple baseline across participants design. Social referencing is a chain of behavior in which a child gaze shifts from an ambiguous situation to an adult, and then changes their behavior based on the adults facial expression. Participants were trained using differential reinforcement and time-delay prompting to gaze shift from an ambiguous object, an unknown container, to an adult and reach or not reach based on the adults facial expression. Mastery at the table with a previously unknown container was followed by generalization probes on the floor, with a second experimenter, and 2 other unknown containers. All participants acquired social referencing during training, and the skill generalized to a second person, to another setting, and to novel containers. The implications for using differential reinforcement and time-delay prompting to teach social referencing are discussed. Inter-observer agreement and procedural integrity data were taken on at least 33% of all trials during all conditions and was 80% or higher.

Relational frame theory (RFT) identifies general categories of relational frames in which stimulus events and classes are often related. Hierarchical frames address the relation between two stimulus classes with regards to how one is a member or attribute of the other. A series of multiple-baseline studies were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of Promoting the Emergence of Advanced Knowledge: Transformation module (PEAK-T) programs for teaching hierarchical relations to children with autism. The participants were taught to demonstrate a particular skill such as sorting or stacking different stimuli based on stimulus function, to more complex sorting skills such as arranging by multiple attributes. The studies will highlight the use of non-arbitrary and arbitrary relational frames. The results indicated that the participants were able to learn hierarchical relations. Participants also demonstrated a transformation of stimulus function to novel stimuli following mastery of the initial training procedure. Results of this study imply that children with autism can be taught hierarchical relations using the PEAK-T module. Implications regarding the efficiency of relational training will be discussed.

Relational Frame Theory provides a behavioral account of language development that emphasizes non-arbitrary and arbitrary relations among stimuli. Of the applied literature surrounding derived stimulus relations, approximately 73% has evaluated developing coordinated relations; however, comparatively fewer studies have evaluated facilitating the development of other relational frame families. Facilitating the development of derived stimulus relations can have important benefits for individuals with deficits in their verbal repertoires. In the present study, we evaluated a set of procedures taken from the PEAK-Transformation curriculum for determining if two adolescents with autism could demonstrate a transformation of stimulus function from non-arbitrary stimulus properties to arbitrary stimuli following comparative relational training. A multiple baseline across skills with an embedded multiple probe design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the procedures. The percentage of correct responses during baseline were below 50%, but with successive training the participants were able to demonstrate the directly trained r(bigger) and r(faster) relations, as well as the combinatorially entailed r(smaller) and r(slower) relations (Tau-U = .98, and 1.0, p<0.001). Additionally, both participants were able to match the arbitrary stimuli with non-arbitrary stimulus properties following training. The implications of the procedures in application to individuals with autism are discussed.

Programs that target language deficits for children and adults with disabilities are often conducted unimodally, most often with visual and auditory stimuli. More recent literature has explored the use of cross-modal relations (i.e., gustatory, olfactory, tactile, etc.) to enhance the verbal repertoire of individuals with language deficits. More specifically, recent studies have discussed the use of stimulus equivalence with cross-modal relations in the development of new verbal skills. A multiple baseline design was conducted across three participants (three tier and two tier) to determine whether PEAK equivalence module was an effective tool in teaching adults with autism relationships among stimuli. A program training and testing for derivation of transitivity among gustatory, auditory, and visual sensory stimuli was conducted. Stimuli were selected and probed initially preceding the training. First, gustatory stimuli to a visual picture was trained. Then a visual picture to a spoken word was trained. Finally, once mastery criterion was met, each participants accuracy of responding was tested to evaluate results. Results showed that all five participants reached mastery criterion in training sessions and were able to derive new relations following direct training.

Applied behavior analysis is a well-established field. Both trainees and established professionals have clear-cut paths to train, publish, and practice within traditional wheelhouses of ABA. Behavior analysis has had a huge, important, and undeniable impact in a few areas (most notably, clinical practice with individuals with disabilities). And yet, as Skinner and other have noted, our science has hardly realized its potential to address the litany of other social and clinical problems that plague humanity. As social justice movements have boomed in recent years, our students, colleagues, and friends express increasing interest in tackling new and vexing challenges, integrating our science into mainstream areas of practice, and affecting system-level and policy changes. This event will showcase a conversation among panelists who have gone outside the box in their careers, venturing into spaces rarely occupied by behavior analysts. Panelists will discuss their work implementing behavior-analytic solutions for diverse issues, such as ending health disparities, preventing suicide and child abuse, and improving routine pediatric care. Panelists will engage in a frank discussion about their experiences in this work. Special consideration will be given to facilitators and barriers to their efforts to expand their professional scope, both from beyond and within the behavior analysis community. Panelists will reflect on key choice-points in their career and training and share lessons learned regarding career development. Ample time will be devoted to Q&A with audience members considering an expansion of their work beyond behavior analytic comfort zones.

Depression is consistently associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and other CVD risk factors such as obesity. The mechanisms of this association are likely multifactorial, but identifying behavioral mechanisms of the association are imperative to developing and disseminating effective interventions that can impact both symptoms of depression and health behaviors that lead to CVD. Dr. Whited’s presentation will briefly review the literature regarding depression treatment for CVD prevention, and introduce one potential intervention, behavioral activation treatment for depression (BATD), that has potential to fill this role. BATD is a brief individual treatment for depression that focuses on replacing depressogenic behaviors with behaviors that reduce or eliminate depressive symptoms based on the patients’ life values. Health behavior change can also be seamlessly incorporated into BATD treatment so that both depressive symptoms and health behaviors are simultaneously impacted. Dr. Whited will conclude by presenting data from various sources supporting BATD approaches for health behavior change.

Behavior analysts and clinical psychologists

Historically, research on human sexuality and romantic and sexual relationships has rarely been conducted with the general population using a single-subject design and direct measures of behavior. This symposium presents research studies focused on a behavior analytic strategies for teaching sexual consent, examining the impact of attraction and self-disclosure on intimacy-related behaviors, and for assessing the impact of mindfulness on gender dysphoria and valued behaviors. Presenters will discuss resulting data and their implications, as well as directions for future research, instruction, and applied projects.

This study examined the effects of a sexual consent training on pre-test and post-test responding of young adults from the general population. Participants attended a 90-minute workshop that presented five modules of information on sexual consent, including myths and society perspective related to sexual violence and consent, how to give and get consent from a sexual partner, and video scenarios where consent was received, not given, or unclear. As part of a multiple probe design, participants completed an assessment at the beginning of the session and multiple times following modules presented. Results of the study showed that, in general, participants correct responses on the assessment increased following the presentation of each module, and assessment performance was correlated to performance on the application tasks. This presentation will address implications and directions for future research in the area of sexual consent education.

This study examined the effects of initial partner preference combined with intensity level of self-disclosure questions in a speed dating setting on the intimacy-related behaviors of queer-identified adults from the general population. Participants attended a two-hour speed dating session. As a part of an alternating treatments design, participants alternated between 10-minute speed dating sessions with high-intensity questions and high-preference partners, low-intensity questions and high-preference partners, high-intensity questions and low-preference partners, and low-intensity questions and low-preference partners. Results and anecdotal outcomes of speed dating, along with implications and areas for future research will be discussed.

This study examined the effects of mindfulness and values-focused exercises on gender dysphoria and valued behavior for individuals experiencing gender dysphoria. Five adult participants selected and tracked one or more valued behaviors, as well as the frequency, duration, and magnitude of daily dysphoric episodes using an electronic daily survey. During baseline conditions, there were no instructions regarding mindfulness practice put in place. During experimental conditions, participants met with the experimenter twice per week to complete Acceptance and Commitment Therapy-based exercises, and experimenters encouraged participants to practice mindfulness on their own every day. Results of the study show that frequency of dysphoric episodes decreased over the course of the study for the four participants who were exposed to all conditions; however, it is unclear whether this change was due to mindfulness practice, meetings with experimenters, major life events, or a combination of the three. Valued behaviors remained at similar levels across conditions, and responses on the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQ-II) decreased over the course of the study for most participants. Participants rated the exercises as useful and applicable to their valued behaviors and reported that practicing mindfulness was helpful for self-care and for staying in the present moment.

People with developmental disabilities have been reported to have high rates of physical inactivity, overweight, and obesity (Melville, Hamilton, Hankey, Miller, & Boyle, 2007). This symposium presents an overview of three studies that sought to promote physical activity and healthy eating choices. In the first study, an interdependent group contingency was evaluated to promote walking in dyads at a young adult program geared towards individuals with developmental disabilities. This intervention was successful for one dyad, and considerations are discussed with regard to prerequisites of learner capability. In the second study, goal-setting and a peer mentor was paired with participants to promote walking in college students diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Two out of three participants were able to increase the number of steps walked per day absent financial incentives or rewards. This may have implications for the use of social reinforcement and support network to promote physical activity. Finally, the third study evaluated the effects of reinforcing positive statements regarding healthy food choice and its effects on preference. A rewards, goal setting, and parallel instructive feedback package was used to promote higher rates of positive statements. While it was successful at increasing both number and variability of statements, it did not appear to have a significant effect on food preference.

An overwhelming number of adults in the United States have failed to meet the prescribed recommendations, with approximately 20% meeting the recommendations (CDC, 2013). Unsurprisingly, the lack of physical activity is also prevalent among college students. According to the American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment (ACHA-NCHA), only 45.4% of the sampled students engaged in the prescribed recommendations for aerobic activity (ACHA-NCHA II, 2016). In an attempt to increase aerobic physical activity among college students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a goal-setting and peer-pairing treatment package was implemented and evaluated with a multiple-baseline-across-participants design. The participants goals were individualized and systematically increased throughout the course of the study. The paired-peers provided daily goal reminders and met with their assigned participant on a weekly basis. The data suggest that goal-setting and peer-pairing were effective in increasing levels of physical activity for two out of three participants.

People with intellectual disabilities have been reported to have high rates of physical inactivity, overweight, and obesity (Melville et al., 2007). This study evaluated a goal-setting and interdependent group contingency strategy on physical activity with four young adults with intellectual disabilities. Aerobic physical activity was measured as accumulated number of steps per school day. Each participant pair accessed preferred items or activities contingent on meeting or exceeding their individual goals. Prior to intervention, the participants average number of steps were 2,693, 3,519, 4,006, and 5,701. During the final week of the intervention, the participants average number of steps were 4,521, 6,016, 5,064, and 7,563, respectively. The data suggest that physical activity levels were higher during the intervention weeks for all four participants. The results provide initial support for the efficacy of goal-setting and group contingency strategies among young adults with intellectual disabilities in a school setting.

Previous research (Hubner et al., 2008; Sheyab et al., 2014) have found positive correspondence between the emission of positive statements and a subsequent increase in the behavior of interest (e.g. reading). This study sought to evaluate these findings in a novel application. Adults with developmental disabilities have been reported to have high rates of overweight and obesity (Melville et al., 2007), and so the researchers sought to evaluate whether reinforcing positive statements regarding healthy food choices would shift preference of food choices in an analogue setting. Four female adults with developmental disabilities participated in the study. Positive statements regarding healthy foods were promoted through goal setting, parallel instructive feedback, and rewards. While this intervention was successful in promoting more varied and a higher number of positive statements, it did not appear to successfully shift preference.

Play is important in the development of every child. A deficit in appropriate play skills is commonly associated with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). As such, play skills are often a target of comprehensive intervention programs for young children with ASD. Many different approaches have been used within the context of comprehensive interventions to teach pretend play skills to children with autism, but a limited number of these studies focus on increasing variable or novel play behaviors. The goal of the present study was to use differential reinforcement of novel and variable responses to teach three preschoolers with autism to engage in a variety of pretend play behaviors. A multiple baseline design across participants and playsets was used. Appropriate pretend play behaviors were differentially reinforced based on whether the behavior occurred for the first time in a session or for the first time in the study. Results thus far show increases in variability of pretend play behavior, engagement in novel behavior, use of novel play objects, and engagement in appropriate play as compared to baseline levels. Results indicate that differential reinforcement can be used to increase variability and novelty of appropriate pretend play behaviors of children with ASD.

Applied behavior analysis has been relegated to the outskirts of American education. Most general educators believe that behaviorism is either dead, or useful only for solving social behavior problems or teaching special education students. In order to have greater influence, behavior analysts need to know the tenets of the current dominant theory of learning, constructivism, to build a more effective case for our alternative. This presentation will thus describe three types of constructivism: Piagets original organismic, developmental radical constructivism; mechanistic, information processing constructivism; and contextual, social constructivism. In that context, behavior analysts can posit their own -ism, instructivism, which involves transmission of culture by directly teaching skills and concepts to learners; and describe a broader educational process that juxtaposes instructivism and constructivism to facilitate constructivist practices involving learners creating meaning through inquiry and critical thinking. Indeed a full behavioral education model must involve iterative bouts of traditional behavioral instructivist practices, and building complex repertoires from the component repertoires thus established by teaching generative repertoires like questioning, reasoning and problem solving. Finally this presentation will show how generative behavioral education can do a better job than current constructivist design by further proceduralizing John Deweys Reflective Thinking process.

We conducted a multi-site analysis of behavioral skills training for police cadets (N = 70). Skills included a baton strike, pressure point manipulation, handcuffing, and disarming of a suspect. Skill maintenance was assessed at 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 week follow-ups. Results suggest that the percentage of skill steps completed at posttest decreased gradually across follow-up tests while larger decreases were observed in the percentage of participants that completed the critical component of each skill. We provide suggestions for police skill training and discuss programming for fluency and skill maintenance.

Repetitive and stereotypic motor movements or vocal behavior are one of diagnostic characteristics of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Motor stereotypy can interfere with the acquisition and demonstration of many adaptive skills. Additionally, the occurrence of repetitive motor behavior in young children with ASD may socially stigmatize individuals and limit the development and maintenance of peer relationships. The current study evaluated the effects of a differential reinforcement procedure used to establish control over motor stereotypy in one instructional context in a childs home. The child was given a bracelet to signal that reinforcement was available after an activity only if motor stereotypy did not occur (as identified by instructional staff). Control over motor stereotypy was established in the training condition (while wearing the bracelet), and its use was then expanded to non-training settings. In the next experimental phase, the child was taught a multi-step self-monitoring program using the bracelet procedure. The data indicate that the procedure was effective in decreasing the occurrence of motor stereotypy across all evaluated settings. However, motor stereotypy was not eliminated by the procedure. The findings are discussed in terms of function of behavior as well as establishment and transfer of stimulus control.

This research evaluated the effectiveness of a family-centered feeding intervention, Easing Anxiety Together with Understanding and Perseverance (EAT-UP), for promoting food acceptance by children with autism spectrum disorder. In phase 1 of the study, a concurrent multiple-baseline design was used with systematic replication across three families. Baseline was followed by a parent coaching/education phase and then a parent independent phase. Using direct observation and pre- and post-intervention questionnaires, data on acceptance of less preferred foods and challenging mealtime behaviors were collected. A second study phase analyzed the efficacy of EAT-UP as a train-the-trainer model for behavior analysts, SLPs and OTs. The approach involves the integration of evidence-based behavioral strategies, environmental supports, dyadic communication supports, and use of the parent as primary interventionist. Our preliminary studies found that the program was effective when parents received the training (a) directly from the researchers in the family home and (b) through other professionals with the close support of the researchers in a clinical setting. All children demonstrated increases in food acceptance (n=15) and dietary diversity and decreased challenging behaviors. Implications for practice and research will be discussed.

Stimulus preference assessments (SPA) afford opportunities for instructors to identify reinforcers in behavioral acquisition and reduction programs, and they also provide opportunities to improve decision-making and autonomy in individuals with disabilities, including autism spectrum disorder. Recent attention has been paid to extending the utility of SPAs in the treatment of challenging behavior, to assess preference for complex stimuli, and to further inform the underlying behavioral mechanisms that make SPAs effective. This symposium highlights such a movement, featuring research from the three above areas. First, this presentation will discuss a methodological evaluation that aims to identify a brief, yet reliable free-operant format for tangibly-maintained problem behavior. Next, two studies will discuss the results of efforts to extend the utility of preference assessments that assess preference for complex stimuli, such as social interactions and electronic applications embedded within an iPad. The final study will discuss recent advancements of video-based preference assessments and an evaluation of the potential behavioral mechanisms that may make them effective.

Previous researchers have conducted preference assessment studies using different types of stimuli (e.g., edibles, tangibles, music) to identify reinforcers for individuals with disabilities. This study investigates the ability of paired-stimulus preference assessment techniques to assess the potential reinforcing effectiveness of iPad applications (apps) on the academic behavior of preschoolers with autism. This study yielded a preference hierarchy for each participant among the iPad apps. Participants responding increased upon implementation of the low-preferred app. When accessing the high-preferred app as reinforcement, participants generally engaged in a higher rate of responding. These results show that a paired-stimulus preference assessment can be used to rank preference of iPad apps, and therefore identify which apps are high-preferred and low-preferred. Findings also add to the research in showing that high-preferred stimuli are more effective because they increase rates of responding. This study provides many possibilities for conducting future research involving preference of technological stimuli.

Video-based preference assessments with children with autism allow instructors to capture the visual features of stimuli (e.g., the active movement of a toy), a luxury not afforded by preference assessments conducted in pictorial format. Video-based preference assessments also allow instructors to mitigate the inherent constraint of presenting multiple large or complex stimuli at once and assess preference for protracted events. This presentation will describe three studies that evaluated video-based preference assessments that demonstrated that contingent access to chosen stimuli may not be necessary. The first study will describe initial findings of how video-based preference assessments without access to selected stimuli may accurately predict preference. The second study will discuss the utility of video-based preference assessments in assessing preference for novel stimuli. The third study will discuss results from a study that systematically examines the behavioral mechanisms responsible for the success of video-based preference assessments, when access to selected stimuli is not provided.

Consistent use of antiretroviral medications by adults living with HIV can suppress plasma HIV-1 RNA (viral load) to undetectable levels. This ongoing study is evaluating the effectiveness of an incentive intervention in promoting suppression of viral load. Adults living with HIV who have detectable viral loads are being randomly assigned to an Incentive or a Usual Care Control group. Incentive participants receive high magnitude incentives for maintaining reduced or undetectable viral loads, the testing frequency is gradually reduced as participants achieve longer periods of viral load suppression, incentives are arranged on a schedule of escalating reinforcement for sustained suppression of viral load, and the intervention is maintained for two years. Assessments are conducted every 3 months throughout the two years of treatment and every 6 months throughout the year following treatment. Interim results for 30 participants who completed the 3-month assessment show that Incentive participants have significantly lower viral loads than the Usual Care Control participants at the 3-month assessment. If the incentive intervention maintains suppressed viral load, it could be used to improve the health of adults living with HIV.

Little research has examined methods for helping a parent with a treatment-resistant child who is using alcohol or drugs. We adapted Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT) designed for spouses of substance-using adults for use by parents of treatment resistant youth and evaluated the revised program on efficacy in facilitating treatment entry and reducing substance use and behavior problems of the youth. Parents were randomly assigned to receive either CRAFT or 12-Step Facilitation Training (TFT). Parents reported on their youths treatment entry during CRAFT sessions and at 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-up assessments. At baseline and follow-ups, parents also reported on youth substance use and behavior problems (using Achenbach Child and Adult Behavior Checklists). Large differences were seen with 77% of the youth of CRAFT parents receiving a brief intervention and treatment referral compared to 42% of the youth in the TNF group. There were significant reductions in substance use and behavior problems as a main effect of time; but no differences as a function of the type of training.

The effective treatment of challenging behavior extends beyond the treatment setting. The ultimate objective to an intervention is that treatment effects on challenging behavior persist in the natural environment, which often presents reinforcement contingencies that differ from that of the treatment setting. Therefore, evaluation of resurgence and reinstatement is critical. Such evaluation may lead to the design of treatments that produce effects that will maintain in natural settings. Resurgence is the recurrence of a previously extinguished behavior with another behavior is placed on extinction. Reinstatement, on the other hand, is the recurrence of a previously extinguished behavior when response-independent reinforcement is delivered. In this symposium, we present research regarding the advances in the evaluation of resurgence and reinstatement. The first presentation evaluated resurgence of challenging behavior after the delivery of FCT in conjunction with schedule thinning. The second presentation analyzed the effects of mand modality preference on resurgence. The third presentation examined the effects of repeated exposure to extinction and response effort on resurgence. The final presentation evaluated reinstatement of challenging behavior during response-independent delivery of non-targeted stimuli. The final discussion will summarize these studies, highlight the applied value of the results, and discuss future research.

Reinstatement is the recovery of previously extinguished responding during response-independent delivery of previously reinforcing stimuli. In this translational study, we examined reinstatement of problem behavior exhibited by individuals with autism during the response independent delivery of non-targeted stimuli. First, problem behavior was reinforced on a fixed-ratio (FR) 1 schedule of reinforcement with one stimulus (item 1). Next, problem behavior was reinforced on a FR 1 schedule of reinforcement with a second stimulus (stimulus 2). Next, extinction was implemented with stimulus 2 and problem behavior extinguished. In the fourth component, a fixed-time 2-min schedule of reinforcement was implemented in which stimulus 1 was provided noncontingently. Reinstatement of problem behavior was observed during the fourth component. These results provide further evidence that (a) reinstatement is a mechanism that may represent a challenge to treatment and play a role in clinical relapse of problem behavior and (b) the response independent delivery of stimuli with which extinction is not applied can also produce reinstatement of problem behavior.

Identification of preferred stimuli is critical for effective intervention programs for individuals with disabilities. Direct preference assessments have been the gold standard for identification of preferred stimuli among individuals not capable of vocally expressing preferences. However, direct preference assessments are mostly commonly implemented to identify preferred tangible stimuli. In this symposium, we will present research regarding the advances in the assessment of preference for social stimuli and other novel stimuli. The first presentation will report results from an examination of preference for social interactions delivered by various social partners. The second presentation will describe the results from a study that evaluated two paired-choice presentation methods, video and picture, to identify preference for social stimuli. The third presentation will summarize the results of a study that examined preference for therapy animals. The final presentation will report the results from an examination of the degree to which video modeling influenced preference for initially low-preferred stimuli. The final discussion will summarize these studies, highlight the applied value of the results, and discuss future research.

Few studies to date have examined variations in preference that could arise when identical preference assessments are administered by unique social partners (Clay et al., 2012; Rapp, 2005). This study examines the contextual sensitivity and validity of social preference assessment results when the relationship of the participant with the assessor or "social partner" is varied. Three identical, forced choice (Fisher, et al., 1992) social preference assessments were conducted across three different social partners for a young adult man with Autism. Assessments were conducted with his mother, a regular staff member, and an unknown researcher. Results from the three preference assessments showed that he preferred unique social activities with his mother, the most familiar social partner, and different activities with the staff member and unknown researcher. Results from a follow-up reinforcer assessment showed that when social activities were contingently offered and compared, the participant had higher rates of responding when the uniquely selected social activity was delivered by the corresponding social partner. These results suggest that preference for social activities could vary based on the social partner delivering them. Implications for the validity of social preference assessments when administered by an individual who will not be delivering the social reinforcers and the strength of identified social reinforcers across different social partners.

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) typically display deficits in social interaction and have restricted interests. Assessing preference for stimuli has been found to be valuable when determining reinforcers to be used in interventions to address these behavior deficits. Recent research suggests benefits of the presence of pets and therapy animals in social responding of children with ASD. It follows, therapy animals may be preferred and valuable as reinforcers in treatments for these children. However, preference for animals, and contingent access to animals to increase desired responding has not been clearly demonstrated in research. Six children ages 3-5 with ASD participated in this study. We assessed preference for, and reinforcing efficacy of a therapy animal (i.e., dog) in children with ASD. Results of this study thus far have revealed idiosyncratic preferences for the therapy animal. However, we have found preference has been a predictor of reinforcing efficacy for all participants.

Much less is known about the discounting of delayed losses than about the discounting of delayed gains. We present our findings from recent studies involving the discounting of losses, including one conducted in our laboratory that examined discounting of both delayed losses and probabilistic losses over a wide range of amounts. In another conducted online, we examined discounting of delayed losses using a questionnaire modelled after Kirby's monetary choice questionnaire. The results from the laboratory study revealed no consistent effects of magnitude with either delayed losses or probabilistic losses, in contrast to the well-established finding of robust magnitude effects with delayed gains, in which larger amounts are discounted less steeply than smaller ones, and also with probabilistic gains, in which larger amounts are discounted more steeply than smaller ones. The results from our online studies replicate these differential magnitude effects for delayed gains and delayed losses using a different procedure and much larger, more representative samples. Taken together, these findings argue that although delay and probability discounting involve fundamentally different decision-making mechanisms, nevertheless the discounting of delayed and probabilistic losses share an insensitivity to amount that distinguishes it from the discounting of delayed and probabilistic gains.

The evidence that delay and probability discounting may be different processes in decision-making is robust. However, the findings about effort discounting and its possible relationship with delay discounting are unclear, because the results seem to depend on the framing of choice, as well as the participants. The present study evaluated the magnitude effect in delay, probability, and effort discounting with hypothetical outcomes in psychology major college students . The results suggest that the magnitude effect in effort discounting is similar to the effect in delay discounting, namely, that larger rewards are discounted less steeply than smaller rewards. The hyperbolic model was also able to fit the data for the effort discounting task. We propose to apply Structural Equation Modeling for future studies to assess possible underlying processes in choice behavior that includes delays, probability, and effort required for outcomes. Furthermore, different procedures could give information about under which circumstances delays and effort discounting are similar or different from each other. Regardless, in a applied context, effort discounting would be useful to identify patients with potential low adherence to treatment.

Science content is still a commonly over-looked academic content area for students with severe disabilities despite recent research. The purpose of this study was to show that students with severe disabilities can learn science content in a whole group setting when taught using applied behavior analytic principles, such as prompting and fading techniques. Four elementary-aged students with severe disabilities between 1st and 5th grade were taught science content using group lessons and effects were measured by a multiple baseline design across units. Participants were taught content from three different units: Energy, weather, and plants; the science content selected aligned with Virginias Alternative Standards of Learning (ASOL) and helped complete two of the participants Virginia Alternate Assessment Program (VAAP) portfolios. Each unit consisted of five vocabulary words and their definitions and three concept questions (i.e., key ideas of the unit). Science content was taught to all four participants in group lessons using systematic instruction utilizing errorless prompting methods such as constant time delay and activities that related to the unit content. Probe trials were used to determine baseline and intervention effects.

This study examined a way to blend the strengths of two approaches for addressing students problem behavior: function-based intervention and crisis intervention. This resulted in a model referred to as function-based crisis intervention (FBCI). Using a delayed multiple-probe design, results showed that FBCI reduced the severe problem behavior of three students with autism while maintaining safety for students and staff. Implications for future research and practice are discussed

Since the mid-1980's, JRC has been embroiled in legal battles with various state agencies. For decades, we have been fighting for the right to effective treatment and a parent's right to choose the most effective, least restrictive treatment for their child. Regulatory changes have often led to major struggles within our organization and significant regression in clients behaviors. Fighting for the reversal of the regulations, contesting the proposed implementation of changes to regulations, and ultimately ending up in court against several states will be included in the discussion. Included are dealing with New York State's refusal to allow aversive interventions and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts effort to reverse its own longstanding approval of carefully applied aversives.

From the initial expert report draft to the final cross-examination in the courtroom, the requirements of a behavior analyst as an expert witness will be enumerated and described. Tasks such as composing an expert report, deposition preparation, responding in a deposition, reviewing the literature, trial preparation, trial testimony, and logistics will be discussed. In addition, attorneys use many behavioral procedures such as behavioral momentum, response blocking, stimulus control, and punishment. Examples of these procedures in a high profile trial in the northeast will be provided and analyzed. In addition, areas in which an attorney may attack behavior analysis (e.g. single-subject research design, animal research, determinism, practice limitations) will be reviewed.

Behavior analysts are frequently employed to reduce or eliminate harmful forms of self-injurious behavior (SIB) emitted by their clients. However, when SIB is dangerous or life threatening, common approaches to intervention (e.g., response extinction) are neither feasible nor safe. Our participant was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections (PANDAS) and engaged in frequent bouts of high intensity and multiply controlled but socially mediated SIB, including swallowing inedible objects (e.g., batteries, pens, etc.), self-choking, self-biting, head banging, and vomiting. This talk highlights an iterative approach to intervention in which multiple techniques were attempted before socially valid outcomes could be achieved. Intervention ultimately incorporated DRO, DRA, FCT, NCR, response interruption and redirection, and negative punishment procedures that were organized into an individualized levels system and embedded into a structured daily activity schedule. Results indicate that the major components of this intervention were ineffective in isolation and support some data suggesting that SIB is often most effectively addressed through multi-component interventions.

Matrix training approaches have been an area of clinical research for decades, yet many variables related to the effectiveness of the procedures have yet to be empirically studied. This symposium examines several of these variables with a wide range of participants. The first study examined the use of over-lapping or non-overlapping designs when teaching language skills to typically developing toddlers. The second study examined whether teaching pre-requisite component skills prior to combinated skills is necessary by comparing three different teaching arrangements. The third study examined the role of testing sequence in promoting recombinative generalization across matrices with children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The fourth study examined applications of matrix training with language skills with 2-year olds diagnosed with ASD. Findings from these studies have implications for clinical programming and future directions for research in the area of matrix training. Results and common themes will be discussed by Dr. Linda LeBlanc.

Recombinative generalization involves the production of novel responses to untrained stimuli when the component skills are in an individuals behavioral repertoire. Matrix training, which has been shown to result in recombinative generalization, involves arranging targets so that some combinations are exposed to direct teaching while others may emerge without instruction (e.g., Axe & Sainato, 2010). The current study examined the efficacy and efficiency of three matrix-training procedures employing a non-overlapping approach and arranged in an adapted alternating treatments design to teach textual responses and noun-verb tacts with three participants. The component skills necessary to emit the combination skill were not in the participants repertoire prior to the study. The matrix-training procedures included: teaching the component skills with the combination skill, teaching only the combination skill, and teaching the component skills to mastery prior to teaching the combination skill. Thus far, results show that the procedure which includes teaching the component skills along with the combination skill has met the criterion for recombinative generalization in the fewest sessions and least instructional time. Procedural arrangements to promote efficient acquisition and recombinative generalization with matrix training will be discussed.

Research in matrix training has shown that when the diagonal targets are trained the individual may demonstrate correct responses to the non-diagonal targets within the same matrix and novel targets (Frampton, Wymer, Hansen, & Shillingsburg, 2016). The purpose of this study was to replicate prior research with an altered order of post-tests to isolate whether effects are due to multiple exemplar training (MET) or unique to matrix training. Three males and 1 female diagnosed with autism were exposed to matrix training with mastered tacts of nouns (e.g., cat) and verbs (e.g., jumping). Following baseline of a Generalization Matrix and Matrix 1, the diagonal targets within Matrix 1 were trained (e.g., The cat is jumping). Post-tests were conducted for the Generalization Matrix prior to post-tests for Matrix 1. Three participants showed immediate recombinative generalization within the Generalization Matrix, results similar to those obtained through MET. One participant showed recombinative generalization with the Generalization Matrix only after exposure to the Matrix 1 post-test. This result suggests that the opportunity to respond to the trained targets and their recombinations had a facilitative effect; a component not included in MET. These findings have bearing on language programming strategies and conceptualization of matrix training approaches.

Communication deficits are common in children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Using generative instruction for communication skills, such as matrix training, instructors teach a subset of skills and new skills emerge without direct teaching. Such an approach can result in a faster acquisition of functional language in children with communication delays. Matrix training has been used to teach preschool-aged children with ASD spelling, writing, receptive identification, and pretend play skills. This approach also has been effectively used to teach tacting and listener skills to children with intellectual disabilities. We employed matrix training with much younger participants:2-year-old boys, diagnosed with ASD with a limited communication repertoire. We taught noun-verb tacting and listener responding skills. During baseline, participants demonstrated limited correct noun-verb tacting. Correct responses for targets directly taught increased progressively across trials. Further, we observed spontaneous generalization to novel noun-verb tacts in the natural environment. These findings suggest matrix training can be a useful instructional strategy for expanding the communication repertoire of young children diagnosed with ASD.

All my thoughts are in pictures. When somebody says a word, I see a picture in my imagination. If I think about the word goose, I start visualizing pictures of geese, such as Canada geese on the campus quad, Mother Goose of the nursery rhyme, and flocks of geese in corn fields. When I was in my twenties, I thought everybody thought the same way I did. In my first work with cattle, I observed that they would often refuse to move across a shadow on the ground or a coat on a fence. It was obvious to me to look at what the animal was seeing because of the way my thought processes worked. Research studies now provide evidence that animals have specific sensory-based memories. One study showed that habituating a horse to the sudden opening of an umbrella does not transfer to flapping tarp. In my own work, I discovered that if I removed the coat from the fence, the cattle would move easily through the chute. In my work with flighty antelopes, our team was able to condition Nyala and Bongo antelopes to voluntarily enter a box for a feed reward and then receive injections and be blood sampled. A new sudden novel stimulus will send these animals crashing into wall. To prevent this, we had to spend ten days habituating them to the sliding door on the box BEFORE we could start standard operant conditioning. The first day the door was opened only one inch and when the animal oriented towards me, I stopped moving it. The next day it was moved 2 inches. To prevent an antelope from having a massive behavioral response we stopped moving the door when it turned and oriented its head towards it. Never push the antelope past the orienting response when a new thing is introduced.

Individuals interested in animal management.

Although much is known about how to effectively teach individuals with autism a variety of skills, two areas of increased interest include how to make instruction more efficient and how to ensure that the acquired skills are maintained over time. The current symposium includes three papers examining the effects of different reinforcement arrangements on acquisition or maintenance of responding by individuals with autism spectrum disorder. In the first study participants were taught either tacts or auditory-visual conditional discriminations using reinforcers that were selected by either the participant or the experimenter, and the efficiency of instruction was compared across the two choice conditions. In the second study, the effects of providing the choice of back-up reinforcer in a token economy either before beginning work or immediately prior to the token exchange on task completion and problem behavior were evaluated. In addition, participant preferences were examined. The final study describes two studies evaluating the effects of several schedules of reinforcement on the durability of responding in extinction. Participant preferences were also assessed.

Providing consumers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) a choice of putative reinforcers during learning trials may confer advantage during skill acquisition programming. However, such advantage should not be assumed, and may not be associated with the most efficient instructional arrangement. The current study conducted an assessment of the relative value of child- and experimenter-choice of putative reinforcers using a progressive-ratio reinforcer assessment. Next, we taught tacts or auditory-visual conditional discriminations participants with ASD and evaluated efficiency of instruction across child- and experimenter-choice conditions. The results indicated that the most efficient acquisition was observed during the experimenter-choice condition for both participants. The results are discussed in light of previous studies and areas for future research.

Token boards are often used during teaching sessions for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Following the completion of the response requirement, tokens can be traded in for back-up reinforcers. The selection of reinforcers can occur either before the work period begins (i.e., pre-selection) or after the response requirement has been fulfilled (i.e., post-selection). Experiment 1 evaluated the effects of pre- and post-selection of reinforcers on rate of task completion and problem behaviors for three children diagnosed with ASD. Results showed that both pre- and post-selection of reinforcers were more effective at increasing task completion and decreasing problem behaviors than a baseline condition, in which a 5 min break was provided at the end of the session but tokens could not be exchanged for a reinforcer. Experiment 2 attempted to assess the three participants preferences for pre- and post-selection conditions. For two participants, pre-selection was preferred, and no clear preference was demonstrated by the third participant. The results of the present study suggest that providing a tangible reinforcer rather than a break alone is more effective at increasing the rate of work. Additionally, these data suggest that some participants may prefer to choose their reinforcer prior to beginning a period of work.

Thinning the schedule of reinforcement is commonly employed in behavioral programming as it may increase the feasibility of treatments in applied settings and may effectively program indiscriminable contingencies. In clinical programs, schedule thinning may be used to facilitate the maintenance of treatment outcomes; however, little guidance has been provided to clinicians regarding optimal methods for thinning the schedule of reinforcement or whether thinning the schedule is necessary. The current presentation will describe two studies designed to evaluate the effects of several schedules of reinforcement on the durability of responding in extinction for four children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. An adapted alternating treatments design was used across both studies. In Study I, we compared five schedules of reinforcement with differentiated levels of responding observed once the session duration was increased for two participants. In Study II, we included three schedules of reinforcement and procedures hypothesized to promote discrimination across conditions. Durable responding in extinction was observed across conditions; however, during preference assessments, a shift in preference was observed for both participants. Implications and future directions will be discussed.

Current evidence supports that meeting critical, time sensitive language acquisition goals for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is best facilitated through Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention (EIBI) based on the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). Although 47-48% of children receiving EIBI have been reported to experience optimal outcomes (i.e., they are indistinguishable from their typically developing peers by age 7), the responses of children who do not respond optimally vary widely. Recently, empirical questions in EIBI research have shifted towards attempting to identify the determinants of this variability rather than further demonstrations of general treatment efficacy. This symposium will explore some of the possible determinants of the variation in treatment response particularly as it relates to EIBI interventions informed by Skinners analysis of verbal behavior. Specifically, we will explore treatment delivery methodology (parent-implemented versus center-based) as well as the influence of the childs pretreatment verbal repertoire on treatment response. We will also discuss the measurement issues in detecting treatment response as well as the utility of a recently developed dynamic experimental design that informs adaptive treatment strategies and provides insight into matching treatments to children based on pretreatment child characteristics to further improve treatment outcomes.

Children diagnosed with autism may respond differently to early interventions based on Skinners analysis of verbal behavior as a function of their pretreatment characteristics. The purpose of this study was to evaluate if child baseline levels of verbal functioning predicted response to a parent-implemented ABA intervention based on Skinners analysis of verbal behavior (VBA). Consistent with the literature on rates of optimal treatment outcome in Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention, after the 3-month VBA treatment as part of a small, randomized pilot trial, the sample produced mixed outcomes in rates of verbal behavior (VB) and joint attention (JA) observed during parent-child interactions. Between 40-60% of the sample engaged in increased rates of VB after VBA, whereas only 20% of the sample engaged in increased rates of JA. Preliminary evidence indicated that children with relatively weak initial manding and strong initial listener repertoires responded more favorably to VBA than other participants, suggesting that the speed at which children respond to VBA treatment differs based on pre-treatment verbal repertoires. Further, evidence of treatment response differed across individuals, emphasizing the need for multiple dependent measures to assess treatment response (e.g., rates of verbal behavior, rates of joint attention, growth trajectories in VB-MAPP scores).

The Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomized Trial (SMART) design has been growing in popularity as a means of exploring how to optimize the effectiveness of an intervention by systematically adapting the intervention to an individuals characteristics and changing needs. The purpose of this study is to assess the use of the SMART design with two ABA-based interventions (i.e., Discrete Trial Instruction (DTI) and the Verbal Behavior Approach (VBA)) for preschool children with ASD. The study includes two stages of randomization where all children are randomly assigned to receive DTI or VBA for 8 weeks. At the end of this first stage, response to treatment is determined based on clinical global impressions and rates of skill acquisition. At the end of 8 weeks of treatment, responders to treatment continue with the assigned intervention for another 8 weeks while non-responders are randomly assigned to receive either an intensified version of the assigned intervention or the previously unassigned intervention for 8 weeks. Preliminary data for 8 participants will be presented to evaluate the methodology used to identify responders from non-responders. The SMART design may be a promising approach to improve EIBIs outcome success rate as well as the treatment outcomes for initial non-responders.

Communicative delays are a challenge commonly experienced by individuals with disabilities that have deficits within their verbal repertoires. The increasing prevalence of individuals with disabilities has led to an increasing relevance for empirically based treatments designed to address deficient verbal repertories. Facilitating the development of complex verbal operants and the emergence of derived stimulus relations is a crucial consideration for this population that can produce significant gains toward a robust and sophisticated verbal repertoire. The present set of studies will discuss the application of procedures taken from the Promoting the Emergence of Advanced Knowledge (PEAK) curriculum to teach complex verbal operants to individuals with autism and traumatic brain injuries, two populations that frequently have delayed verbal repertories. The presenters will outline sets of procedures to teach abstraction of stimulus properties across sensory modalities using the Picture Exchange Communication System, as well as methods to promote the emergence of metonymical tacts of gustatory stimuli using stimulus equivalence in individuals with autism. In addition, the application of a set of procedures to teach complex verbal operants to individuals with traumatic brain injuries will be discussed.

Gustatory, olfactory, and tactile properties are features of stimuli that are encountered on a daily basis. Much of the literature focuses on the development of responding to auditory and visual properties of stimuli, however, there is limited literature available on the development of responding to other sense modalities, such as taste, smell and touch. The present study evaluated the efficacy of a set of procedures described in the PEAK-Generalization curriculum for bringing tact extensions of abstracted tactile properties under stimulus control. A multiple baseline design across skills was implemented with two participants with disabilities, in which correctly tacting tactile properties of Wet/Dry and Hard/Soft stimuli was reinforced. Baseline accuracy for correct responses was below 50%, and all participants demonstrated mastery following training (5 consecutive trial blocks at 100%). Generalization probes of novel stimuli were conducted throughout the study, and both participants demonstrated generalization of stimulus control to novel stimuli with the same tactile properties. Mastery of trained and tested skills were maintained following a 2-week period. The results have implications for procedures that promote the abstraction of stimulus properties other than that of visual and auditory.

Minimal research to date has explored the clinical utility of incorporating metonymical tact extentions into equivalence relations. The purpose of the current study was to extend previous research using the Promoting Emergence of Advanced Knowledge Relational Training System Equivalence Module (PEAK-E) to determine if stimulus equivalence with gustatory stimuli and metonymical tact extensions would emerge for three participants diagnosed with Emotional Behavior Disorder (EBD). A nonconcurrent multiple probe embedded within a multiple baseline across participant design was used. Participants were trained three, six-member stimulus classes (i.e., A-B, A-C, A-D, E-D, F-D) that included gustatory stimuli (A), images (B), spoken words (C), written words (D), metonymical tacts (E), and Greek letters (F) across flavor categories (sweet, sour, and spicy). Participant response selection and intraverbal vocal responses were collected across training and testing trials respectively. Two participants were tested on selection-based and intraverbal responses of novel metonymical tacts following training. During baseline probes, the mean percent of correct responding was 75%.Following training, all participants responded correctly on 90% of trials, and demonstrated acquisition of 25 untrained relations. Participants who completed testing for novel metonymical tacts did not demonstrate generalization of the tact extensions or an emergence of correct intraverbal responses.

The emission of early social skills, like eye contact and vocalizations, during infancy serves as the pre-requisite foundation for the development of subsequent functional social and language skills later in childhood (Novak & Pelaez, 2004). Research that demonstrates the acquisition of these preverbal skills is presented. Specifically, the use of synchronized reinforcement procedures where mothers are taught to provide simultaneous behaviors such as smiling, verbal praise, and rhythmic touch contingently to reinforce infant eye contact in the natural environment (Pelaez et al., 1996). The assumption is that establishing eye contact in young children can aid the learning of other foundational skills required to build social communicative behaviors. Further, two forms of contingent social reinforcement (maternal vocal imitation and motherese speech) are presented as effective means for increasing the rate of infant vocalizations (Pelaez et al., 2011a; 2011b, Neimy, et. al., in press). The research reports on the use of both contingent and noncontingent vocal imitation and motherese speech for increasing the rate of infant vocalizations among typically and atypically developing infants through a parent-training model. The emphasis is that establishing pre-verbal vocalizations facilitates the development of subsequent verbal vocalizations among at risk infants and potentially mitigates language delays in later childhood.

Deficits in social engagement are among the main developmental problems observed among children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). In particular, joint attention and social referencing skills are critical for the development of more complex social interactions. The use of behavioral techniques and brief parent-infant engagement training has shown to be successful in promoting these social skills. Our assumption is that targeting joint attention and social referencing skills in the natural environment by using caregivers as therapists can potentially mitigate and prevent the development of later onset behavior language problems commonly associated with ASD. The current presentation reviews and extends previously published procedures for the training of joint attention and social referencing modeled after Pelaez and colleagues (2012) operant learning paradigm. Further, a model for expanding previous findings to the natural environment is proposed where joint attending skills can be taught first to aid in the acquisition of social referencing. While very similar social behavior chains, joint attention and social referencing have functional differences. Specifically, social referencing adds another component to the joint attention chain where the learner reacts to the novel stimulus in a manner that is in accordance with anothers facial expressions or emotional cues.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) initially developed as clinical behavior analytic psychotherapy which focused on building effective, meaningful repertoires in the presence of previously aversive private events. As a psychotherapy, ACT has been primarily empirically evaluated as a treatment for difficulties usually classified as psychopathology. This is somewhat inconsistent, however, with the behavior analytic approach as psychopathology is typically classified topographically instead of functionally. This symposium presents exploratory data on ACT interventions for individuals targeting problems in everyday living. The first paper considers the behavioral changes of students throughout a class designed to teach ACT essentials for college student adjustment. The second paper explores the feasibility and utility of an ACT-based intervention with a group of MMA fighters. Preliminary data suggests that ACT could be a useful model for constructing behavioral interventions for people looking to improve their quality of life through values-based activities. Implications of methods and consequences of each intervention, along with challenges for applications of ACT in nonclinical settings will also be discussed.

Eco-feedback technology provides consumers with information related to their resource (energy, water, food) consumption with the aim of promoting environmentally-responsible behavior. This talk will survey behavior analysts past, present, and potential future conceptual and applied contributions to eco-feedback. The audience will learn about popular and cutting edge eco-feedback technologies and related opportunities for behavior analysts across various sectors, including transportation (in-vehicle feedback regarding fuel efficiency), residential (home energy and water reports and energy management technology), and commercial/cross-sector (digital dashboards and informational art installations). The talk will also introduce an interdisciplinary theory of effective eco-feedback.

Null Hypothesis Statistical Testing (NHST) was developed to provide an objective way to quantify inference. The result is a ritualized technique that is frequently necessary for publication despite criticisms that it is minimally informative, misleading, and produces unreproducible results. NHST tests the probability of the data given a null hypothesis that is rarely of interest and is often implausible. The result is a torturous statement of whether the data are likely to have occurred. An alternative approach, called Information Theoretic (IT) based inference, does not carry many of these problems because it returns a different probability. IT approaches ask the question of interest in model building: Of a set of models, which ones are best? And by how much? By building upon Akaike Information Criteria, IT inference returns the probability of the models considered given the data, numbers that are readily interpretable. Unlike NHST, the approach actually encourages the testing of many models in order to increase the chances of including good ones. Corrections for multiple comparisons are neither necessary nor appropriate. The tutorial will identify criticisms of NHST, offer a (relatively) nontechnical background for IT approaches, and provide examples of IT-based inference using spreadsheets.

Certified behavior analysts, graduate students, licensed psychologists.

Stimulus preference assessments have become the standard for identifying potentially reinforcing consequences. One type of pleasurable stimulus that is universal but scarcely studied is music. Given its wide popularity, its accessibility, and ease of use, music may be a valuable reinforcer for increasing responding with instructional tasks. The current study investigated a preference-assessment method with two high school students using a paired-stimulus assessment method to examine its predictive validity with math computation measured as correct digits per session. Equal difficulty level math worksheets were concurrently available for high-preference and low-preference songs. Alternative activities (e.g., crossword puzzles, sudokus) were also concurrently available. The results clearly indicated that responding was consistently higher with worksheets that were associated with high-preference songs as consequences than with low-preference songs for both participants. For one participant, the alternative activities had to be removed to find the effect. For the other participant, a phase in which only low-preference songs were available was administered, which led to very variable results. The implications will be discussed in terms of how music preference assessments might be used to investigate reinforcement effects for other areas of responding and how this method might be useful in investigating motivating operations in educational settings.

These studies investigate evidence-based methodologies for staff training, including use of a Direct Observation Measurement form based on the Teacher Performance Rate and Accuracy (TPRA) scale (Ingham & Greer, 1992; Greer, 2005) on accuracy of learn unit presentations (Albers & Greer, 1991) delivered to students in a behavior analytic setting. A second study evaluated the effectiveness of modules on teacher skills, including contingency-shaped, verbally-mediated and verbal behavior of the science repertoires. Although a module treatment package is considered an integral component of the Comprehensive Application of Behavior Analysis to Schooling (CABAS) program, the effect of modules on classroom and teacher behaviors have not been heavily researched. Finally, an applied Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and New York State Licensed Behavior Analyst (NYS LBA) applied supervision curriculum was developed to address required Task List and knowledge requirements as well as necessary skillset development to become an effective BCBA/ LBA supervisor in practicum.

Greer, Williams, & McCorkle (1989) investigated the effects of applying the science of behavior analysis to a schoolwide system, which led to the development of the Comprehensive Application of Behavior Analysis to Schooling�, or CABAS�. Implementation of a module treatment package encompassing contingency-shaped, verbally-mediated and verbal behavior of the science repertoires represents an integral component of the CABAS� program. Although the validity of many individual components of these modules have been evaluated, limited research exists on the effectiveness of the treatment package as a whole on student achievement and learning. This study sought to evaluate the effects of a combined module treatment package with an incentivized PSI component on student learning using a concurrent multiple baseline design across three special education teachers. Results to follow.

Senior leaders spend a tremendous amount of time planning and resourcing their strategic initiatives. Yet numerous studies have found that 70% of these strategies fall far short of their goals. Why? Employees have learned to wait out new initiatives to see if their leaders are serious about the change. They look for signs that go far beyond an exciting vision and the provision of ample resources; they want to see day-to-day leadership behaviors that indicate a sustained, personal commitment to the strategy. Through 30 years of consulting to senior leaders, the author has found a winning formula to quickly derive the top leadership behaviors that will accelerate strategy execution at any firm. The key is to find the unique behaviors that will signal a serious commitment to change for this strategy, this leadership team, at this point in time and to get them implemented in a highly visible, coordinated way. Three case studies will be shared: (1) a global airline that improved the customer service delivered by 29,000 flight attendants; (2) a global oil company that improved capital decision making across 12,000 employees, and; (3) a pharmaceutical company that transformed itself into a patient centric, customer focused organization.

Practitioners in Organizational Behavior Management (OBM), and those who have an interest in OBM, large-scale behavior change, systemic analyses, and sustainable behavior change.

The biopsychosocial model acknowledges that high-level phenotypes (e.g., impulsivity, good at math, etc.) are multiply-caused by a plethora of contributing, interacting factors, such as specific genetic configurations, socio-economic status, culture, ethnicity, gender, and so on. However, the model does not explain how these variables interact with each other or how, exactly, they contribute to a specific outcome. I submit to the reader a potential explanation. Drawing on theoretical advancements from the field of complex systems and on computational research on the dynamics of behavioral repertoires (McDowell, 2013; Popa, 2013; Popa & McDowell, 2016), the theory discussed here proposes that the interaction between agents and their environment consists of a continuous-choice process during which agents adapt to environmental changes. This process molds an individuals context (e.g., income, culture, etc.) into robust collections of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral manifestations like impulsivity, authoritative parent, etc. The factors typically associated with impulsivity (for example) contribute to its emergence indirectly, by altering the relative value of existing options, and, by extension, the moment-to-moment probability of choosing one course of action over another. High-level phenotypes, therefore, cannot be directly explained by the contributing factors themselves, but by the moment-to-moment changes they produce in cognition and action.

Researchers collect data in a variety of ways when working with children with pediatric feeding disorders, from frequency of the occurrences of problem behavior, to consumption data supported by grams consumed or volume of emesis, i.e., vomiting. While data analysis is one of the foundations of Applied Behavior Analysis, taking a novel approach to the measurement of behavior can provide valuable insights into underlying maintaining and confounding variables, thus providing a novel perspective and analysis of the target behaviors. This symposium focuses on the practical applications of cumulative graphing and the behavioral evaluation of emesis for children with pediatric feeding disorders. By comparing information obtained from across session graphs to cumulative graphs, a variety of variables may be analyzed within session to better inform treatment decisions. In the case study of a participant with emesis, hypotheses about the reason or function of the emesis will be analyzed and discussed. Wherein results indicate that emesis occurred most frequently with novel foods of taste and texture, but abated with exposure.

Emesis (i.e., vomiting) during meal time may result from various factors, including volume sensitivity, structural/anatomical anomalies, and environmental factors related to food novelty and texture. This study focuses on Chase, a 6-year-old boy with spina bifida, during his admission to an intensive feeding program to decrease gastrointestinal-tube dependence and frequency of emesis. Hypotheses about the reason or function of the emesis were developed based upon assessment, observation, and caregiver report. The results of this study indicated that Chase was more likely to have emesis when presented with foods of novel taste and texture. However, with exposure, emesis decreased more quickly for novel puree foods compared to the same food at a higher texture. With exposure, rates of emesis decreased across both type and texture of food. There were no significant differences found for environmental differences with observer reaction to emesis or volume sensitivity. The methods utilized in this study may be useful to practitioners to evaluate the variables maintaining emesis, and warrants further evaluation in future research.

Data are often graphed across multiple sessions to assess change in a target behavior over time. Still, this level of data analysis may not be sensitive enough to detect important information regarding behavior, stimuli, and motivating operations. Across session data analysis may mask changes in rate of responding over the course of time, in the presence of a specific stimulus, and in response to a change in contingencies. Cumulative graphs can identify changes in allocation of behavior, rate of behavior, and motivating operations as well as onset of behavior within a session. This presentation will illustrate the use of cumulative graphs to analyze and inform treatment decisions in interventions for children diagnosed with pediatric feeding disorders, and by comparing information obtained from across session graphs to cumulative graphs. Volume sensitivity, fidelity of parent training, and response effort within a session, as well as other topics, will be analyzed using cumulative graphs.

Dixon et al. (2015) ranked graduate programs in behavior analysis per the publication rates of their faculty. While controversial, this established the contention that research productivity may be a vital component of graduate training. Conversely, Malott (1992) argued that graduate programs should focus less on researcher skills and more on developing practitioners. At ABAI 2016, Wilder, Reeve, and Dixon offered a panel to discuss the importance of research in graduate ABA training. The purpose of this panel is to continue and expand that discussion, particularity with respect to the practicum and supervision graduate programs provide to students. Participants will take part in an open discussion regarding the role and integration of research into practice experiences. Should supervisors encourage or even require students to take a case-driven research model, such as the one proposed by Reid (1992)? Should practicum and supervision experiences focus more on the delivery on services without attention to specific research issues? Can ABA practice truly be separated from a research-based orientation and still uphold the seven dimensions of ABA as outlines by Baer, Wolf, and Risely (1968)? These questions and many others will be discussed in an open forum. This is part two of a two part panel.

Autism is a developmental disorder characterized by difficulties in communication and social interaction, and is often accompanied by the presence of maladaptive behavior (e.g., aggression, self-injurious behavior). Increasing functional skill development is particularly important for individuals with developmental disabilities. Effective use of reinforcement-based procedures is critical for addressing behavioral excesses and building necessary functional skills to increase independence. However, a number of environmental variables affect the decisions made by this population. Variables, such as, impulsivity, task difficulty, reinforcer quality, the presence of competing disruptive behavior, are all factors that influence decisions made by individuals with ASD. The purpose of the current symposium is to evaluate the impact of variables that affect response allocation in individuals with ASD and to improve outcomes for this population. Talks will address the nature of impulsivity in different clinical populations and identify ways to address it, ethical ways to influence choice-making, broadening response variability, and application of these concepts to inform plans to address disruptive behavior.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a pervasive developmental disorder characterized by impairments in social communication, and restricted and repetitive interests and activities. While not a defining characteristic of ASD, many individuals with this diagnosis display issues with impulsivity. The presence of impulsivity can be pervasive and dramatically affects the intervention process. In the scientific literature, impulsivity is often conceptualized as an issue with temporal discounting. Temporal discounting refers to the decrease in the present value of reinforcers as a function of the delay of their receipt. Researchers have outlined some procedures for evaluating delay discounting in human populations. However, much of this research is limited to hypothetical choices with typically developing populations. Additionally, little research has been conducted comparing impulsivity of individuals with Autism who are lower functioning to typically developing individuals using real as opposed to hypothetical choices. The purpose of the current investigation was the employ delay discounting procedures with both neurotypical individuals and individuals with ASDs. In the investigation, participants were given choices between an impulsive choice and a self-controlled choice. Indifference points were plotted. The preliminary results suggest that individuals with ASD may respond more impulsively than neurotypical peers.

Interventions aimed at increasing behavioral variability hold particular importance in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Several procedures have been demonstrated in the applied and translational literature to increase response variability including extinction and lag schedules of reinforcement. However, little is known about the relationship between reinforcer magnitude and response variability. In the basic literature, Doughty et al. (2013) evaluated the effects of reinforcer magnitude on behavioral variability by manipulating reinforcer magnitude across alternating variability thresholds, with results suggesting that larger reinforcers induced repetitive responding. The purpose of the current study was to translate these findings to evaluate the relative effects of different magnitudes of reinforcement on response variability in children with ASD. A lag 1 schedule of reinforcement was in place during each condition within an alternating treatments design. Magnitudes of reinforcement contingent on variant responding were manipulated across the two conditions. Inconsistent with basic findings, the results showed higher levels of variant responding associated with the larger magnitude of reinforcement. Potential implications for programming for variable responding will be discussed.

The use of a countdown timer has been shown to be an effective tool in helping increase quiet waiting during a differential reinforcement of other behaviors (DRO) procedures in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) that exhibit vocal and motor stereotypy. For lower functioning individuals with ASD that lack the prerequisite skills to read a digital or analogue clock, the use of a visual countdown timer may provide a concrete and visual representation of the passage of time that aids in the implementation of the DRO procedure. The talk will address a recent study that compares the use of a digital countdown clock with a visual countdown timer application (i.e. a tablet application where as time elapsed, a red circle or disk disappeared and the image of the reinforcer in the background was revealed) to facilitate a DRO procedure. The study results provide an addition to the literature on the use of this reinforcement-based procedure to treat lower functioning individuals with ASD that exhibit frequent, disruptive and socially stigmatizing vocal stereotypy.

Idiosyncratic patterns of speech are common in ASD and greatly affect the extent of an individuals social and educational inclusion. Although there is a wealth of literature detailing and evaluating interventions for a variety of verbal behaviors in ASD, there is a relative dearth of literature describing interventions for idiosyncratic speech characteristics (e.g., atypical prosody) and even less focused specifically on loud speech. To address this gap in the literature, the current study presents and evaluates a treatment package implemented with three children with ASD and a history of loud speech (i.e., = 70 db). A concurrent multiple baselines across participants with an embedded reversal design was used to determine whether a multi-component intervention (i.e., an antecedent modification, a differential reinforcement of other behavior [DRO] procedure, and in-vivo feedback) effectively reduced participants loud speech. Results indicated rates of loud speech were reduced to near-zero levels while the treatment package was in place. The present study extends the literature on speech prosody in ASD, fills a gap in the treatment literature by detailing and effective intervention for loud speech, and provides a foundation for future investigations into a nuanced yet crucial aspect of social communication.

The success for pharmacotherapy depends on the patients taking their prescribed medication. Unfortunately, adherence to prescribed medication averages 50% in developed countries (Sabat, 2003). Reasons for non-adherence can include forgetfulness, lack of information, complex regimens, and poor relationships with clinical staff, among others (Osterberg and Blaschke, 2005). A review of 76 medication adherence studies conducted by Claxton, Cramer, and Pierce (2001) found that as number of required doses increased, adherence decreased. Non-adherence can have serious negative health consequences for the individual, which increases the cost of care. Due to the serious health and economic consequences of adherence to pharmacotherapy regimens, evidence-based interventions to increase medication adherence should be a top priority to behavioral scientists. Presentations will feature a smartphone-based approach to reinforcing antiretroviral adherence in HIV+ adults, employment based reinforcement of adherence to an opioid pharmacotherapy that blocks the effects of drugs like heroin, a delay discounting account of pregnancy- and condom-protected sex among methadone-maintained women, and treatment adherence in Multiple Sclerosis patients. The discussant is an eminent scholar in behavior analysis whose broad range of contributions include work in the areas of traffic and pedestrian safety, education, and developmental disabilities. Taken together, audience members can expect a robust overview of behavior analytic research in the area of medication adherence.

Even though antiretroviral therapy (ART) increases the quality of life for those with HIV and reduces the risk of HIV transmission, only 59% of patients with HIV in North America report adherence >90%. Injection drug use and cocaine use are both related to higher risk for HIV transmission and lower adherence. HIV drug users are thus an important population to target for increasing ART adherence. The purpose of the current project was to test the feasibility and acceptability of a smartphone based ART adherence intervention in drug using HIV patients. Participants were randomized to either a treatment-as-usual control group or the SteadyRx treatment group. Those in the SteadyRx group were given a smartphone with the SteadyRx application. Participants used the smartphone application to record themselves taking their medication for six months. $2.00 was deposited to a reloadable debit card for each day videos were correctly submitted, and bonuses were available for 3 day and 29 day consecutive adherence. MEMS caps were used to monitor adherence in both groups. Results indicate that the system is usable and feasible.

Behavioral interventions are needed to improve naltrexone treatment for opioid use disorder. This ongoing study is evaluating employment-based reinforcement for extended-release naltrexone (XR-NTX) adherence and opiate abstinence on decreasing opiate use. After completing an outpatient induction to be eligible for XR-NTX, participants are assigned to a usual care, opiate abstinence, XR-NTX, or opiate abstinence + XR-NTX group. Participants are invited for 24 weeks to the Therapeutic Workplace, a model employment-based program for drug addiction where they can work each weekday. To maintain maximum pay, participants assigned to the opiate abstinence group must provide opiate-negative samples, whereas those assigned to the XR-NTX group must accept naltrexone injections. Both conditions must be met for the opiate abstinence + XR-NTX group. Usual care participants have no contingencies for their pay. Preliminary analyses focusing on the outpatient induction phase show that employment-based reinforcement for opioid abstinence and oral naltrexone adherence was successful getting 58.3% of participants inducted onto naltrexone. Participants coming from longer-term detoxification programs and who were not on parole or probation had more success. Full planned analyses on opiate use during the intervention will provide important information on the separate and combined effects of using incentives for XR-NTX adherence and opiate abstinence.

Functional analyses have been utilized extensively to identify the functions of problem behavior in individuals with varying disabilities. Following the identification of function, function-based treatment analyses are completed to teach functionally equivalent replacement behavior. When problem behavior is maintained by social contingencies, attention, tangible, and escape are the most common functions. This symposium will address instances in which the common replacement behaviors for attention, tangible, and escape are not sufficient in reducing or eliminating problem behavior. One talk will discuss modifications to the functional analysis methodology when working with individuals with traumatic brain injury. Two of the talks will discuss skills relevant to an identified tangible function. When this function is identified, not only does the individual require the skill of requesting, but also toleration when requests are denied. Two methods of accepting denied access will be discussed. Finally, a methodology for evaluating the maintaining variables of problem behavior that is multiply-maintained by social functions will be reviewed. This evaluation will assist practitioners in systematically evaluating the functional communication responses that require further training.

The combination of factors that contribute to neurobehavioral challenges and complexity following a brain injury can be significant, and have a devastating impact on the individual and their family. These complications include aggression, agitation and poor frustration tolerance, poor self-awareness, disinhibition, impulsivity and poor judgment, emotional instability, and issues related to cognition and communication, participation and compliance, and awareness. Often, these complications are individualized to each client, as the specific brain injury will influence how functioning is affected. Therefore, it is often necessary to modify the standard functional analysis procedure and include manipulations of conditions and variables specific to that individual. The present study will present data from an idiosyncratic functional analysis to identify social variables maintaining problem behavior, and a subsequent treatment based on the maintaining variables identified in the functional analysis.

Challenging behavior may be evoked in individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities when requests for items or activities are denied or delayed. When a problem behavior is evoked by denied access to items or activities, an individuals inability to accept no could be problematic and lead to high rates of challenging behavior. However, there has been limited empirical research conducted to examine methods of teaching individuals to accept no when access to preferred items or activities is denied. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of two methods of accepting no to minimize an individuals challenging behavior when access to preferred items, activities and edibles was denied or delayed. A response class hierarchy (RCH) assessment was initially conducted to determine which challenging behavior to target. Out of the three individuals, only one of the individuals behaviors occurred in a clear, predictable hierarchy. A no with an alternative and a yes with contingency intervention were then implemented with all three individuals and compared to determine which method was most effective in reducing challenging behavior. For one of the participants, both treatments worked a majority of the time. Low levels of challenging behavior were seen during each treatment. For another participant both treatments worked equally and for the last participant, the "yes" with contingency appeared to be the most effective and led to the lowest rates of challenging behavior. These results suggest that by either arranging contingencies or presenting an individual with alternatives, frequency of challenging behavior may be reduced.

Individuals who consistently engage in aggression are often relegated to restrictive settings that can substantially alter their quality of life, as well as the quality of lives of their care providers. Thus, the repercussions of ineffective intervention are vast. Functional communication training (FCT) is commonly employed to teach children to mand for functional reinforcers. Teaching tolerance of delayed or denied reinforcement can be a critical, complementary treatment component when FCT is used to reduce or eliminate aggressive behavior and maintain treatment effects in natural settings. The purpose of the current investigation was to evaluate the effects of a multi-phase intervention on the aggressive behavior of 9- and 10-year-old males with Autism. Treatment components, including FCT and tolerance training, were implemented across separate contexts and subsequently synthesized in a single condition. Results demonstrate that a) functionally distinct, independent manding came under the control of multiple specific establishing operations during synthesis conditions (as was programmed) and b) both participants consistently emitted tolerance responses (in the absence of aggression) following delayed or denied reinforcement when presented with various combinations and durations of establishing operations.

Skill acquisition programs frequently include prompts to occasion behavior. Responses under the control of a prompt are then transferred to the discriminative stimulus or establishing operation that evoke behavior in the natural environment. Despite substantial evidence regarding the efficacy of transfer of stimulus control procedures, some individuals may not consistently engage in independent responding in appropriate settings. The current symposium presents a collection of studies that evaluated strategies to promote independent responding and reduce or prevent dependence on prompts. The first study compared the efficacy and efficiency of three interventions to treat prompt dependence for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder or other developmental disabilities. The second study provided tactile prompts to reduce rapid eating in a child with autism and compared two prompt fading strategies. The third study investigated the effects of fading procedures to teach independent and varied play skills to young children with autism during free play on the playground. All three studies will provide a discussion of how best to promote independent responding and fade prompts from instruction.

Prior research has focused on identifying effective strategies to prevent prompt dependence from occurring during the training of novel skills, although it is unclear whether interventions are also effective for reducing pre-existing prompt dependence. The current literature has also indicated that the relative efficacy and efficiency of different interventions may be idiosyncratic across learners, suggesting the potential benefit of an individualized assessment. The purpose of the current study was to extend the literature on prompt dependence and assessment-based instruction by conducting an assessment to compare interventions for skills for which four participants with developmental disabilities consistently engaged in correct responses following prompts but did not perform independently. An alternating treatment design was used to compare the effects of differential reinforcement, prompt fading, and an extended response interval on independent correct responses. Thus far, the results indicate that fading the vocal prompt may increase independent correct responding, but differential reinforcement was the most efficacious and efficient intervention strategy. The results also support the extension of assessment-based instruction to identify interventions for prompt dependence.

This study assessed the effects of a vibrating pager (i.e., tactile prompt) on reduction of rapid eating in an adolescent male with autism. We replicated the procedures used by Anglesea et al. (2008) to slow the pace of food consumption with two extensions. The first extension was to examine whether the pager prompt could be successfully faded by altering the intensity of the vibration. The second extension was to compare the effects of fading by stimulus intensity vs. fading by stimulus frequency. An ABABCBCB reversal design was used to evaluate the effects of the tactile prompt on reduction of pace of eating (ABAB) and to compare the effects of fading the tactile prompt by intensity vs. by frequency (CBCB). Results showed that the pager was successful in decreasing the pace of eating to an appropriate level and the tactile prompt was successfully faded. Fading by frequency was ineffective in maintaining an appropriate pace of eating while intensity fading was successful. The intensity fading involved switching the pager from a high intensity, to a low intensity and to low intensity that was muffled.

Children with autism often have difficulty playing appropriately and independently. Activity schedules have been shown to be effective at teaching children with autism to play. Some individuals with autism engage in repetitive behaviors, especially on the playground. A previous study showed that activity schedules were effective at reducing repetitive or patterned behavior on the playground by teaching three students with autism to play appropriately and independently. This study investigated the effects of fading procedures on teaching independent and varied play skills to young children with autism during free play on the playground. All three participants engaged in more playground activities when they were taught to use the activity schedule binders. Two of the three participants were able to fade to more portable forms of activity schedules, and go through the entire fading sequence. One of the participants was only able to fade to smaller size pictures in the activity schedule binder.

There are many factors to consider when making curriculum decisions within clinical and human service settings. Efficacy, ease of implementation, and empirical bases can be crucial for advancing language skills and increasing the adaptive behavioral repertoire of individuals. Assessing individual preference for possible reinforcers within a large-scale curriculum is also of consideration when undergoing program changes. While there are a number of assessments that are commonly used in human service settings, the Promoting the Emergence of Advanced Knowledge (PEAK) Assessment and Curriculum Guide moves beyond just assessing skills. It additionally provides practitioners with a treatment guide. This symposium presents the utility of the PEAK curriculum in a human service agency, its efficacy, and implementation strategies. Additionally, this symposium will assess the utility of behavioral skills training for a system-wide roll out of PEAK within a different human service agency. Correlations of the PEAK assessments with full-scale intelligence tests will also be discussed. Finally, factors and implications of using preference assessments within the PEAK curriculum are also discussed.

Human service agencies that provide applied behavior analytic therapies are often looking for the most effective curriculum programming. With the relatively recent arrival of the empirically based assessment and treatment package, PEAK Relational Training System, human service agencies that desire to use cutting-edge technology are confronted with a difficult choice: Invest significant energy and capital into the adoption of a new system, or maintain the status quo. In this talk, we will examine the challenges and successes of an agency that chose to adopt a new system, and examined the impact of behavior skills training to teach their old and new behavior technicians how to implement the ABA-based services. The current presentation will address the challenges and limitations to system-wide roll-outs of new technologies. The impact of behavioral skills training on the implementation of PEAK by behavior technicians will also be discussed. Additionally, the presentation will explore whether each PEAK curriculum module is sufficiently independent from the need for behavioral skills training.

Promoting the development of language skills within clinics provides an opportunity to utilize a variety of assessments and programming. To reduce rote responding in children with autism, language curriculums should be encouraged to include opportunities for generalization of skills to new settings, people, and concepts. The PEAK Relational Training System provides an assessment and guide for developing basic, intermediate, and complex verbal skills through direct training, generalization, and relational responding. The present symposium will look at the utility of using a random stimulus design within the PEAK programs to enhance generalized responding with basic and more advanced language skills. The ease of PEAK program implementation with children with autism will additionally be discussed with regards to graduate student training and in settings with intensive behavioral interventions. Finally, correlations between the commonly used Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales- Second Edition, and the PEAK Generalization module will be discussed. The implications of the presented studies provide an outline for how to promote generalized responding for individuals with autism and related disabilities, and the easy use of the PEAK curriculum.

The PEAK curriculum for academic and verbal skills has demonstrated numerous benefits for children with autism. However, similar to other behavioral assessments, the number of stimuli trained does not imply concept mastery of the underlying skill and individual judgment is subject to bias. In the present study, we demonstrate the utility of combining the random stimulus experimental design with the PEAK curriculum in several human subjects diagnosed with autism. In the random stimulus design, groups of probe stimuli were presented without reinforcement or error correction as a baseline, and were alternated with groups of training stimuli which were presented with reinforcement for correct responses and error correction for incorrect responses. Response accuracy during probe sessions was low and all three groups of training stimuli were mastered (two consecutive sessions scoring 80% or higher) within ten sessions. One group of probe stimuli was then trained to criterion, requiring comparatively few sessions, thus indicating a faster learning rate than the previous training groups and suggesting mastery of the overall concept. The benefits of the random stimulus design in autism practice with the PEAK curriculum including avoiding repeated exposure of stimuli, replicating teaching effects, and objectively judging concept mastery are discussed.

The PEAK Direct Training Module provides an assessment and instruction of basic behavioral repertoires grounded in Skinners Verbal Operant theory. Prior research has supported the reliability and convergent validity of PEAK assessments, as well as the application of several PEAK programs with individuals with disabilities. The current investigation will provide a discussion of how PEAK can be used in a university clinic run by graduate students and their advisors. This model provides a service for the community, as well as supervision and learning opportunities for students. In addition, we will show data detailing the assessment-to-treatment model of PEAK with 2 individuals with disabilities attending the clinic. The results show that the assessment was able to reliably provide targets for discrete trial instruction, and that the PEAK procedures were efficacious in establishing target skills. These results provide support for the use of PEAK with vulnerable populations, as well as extend prior research in a novel clinical setting.

The behavioral deficits of inattention and, impulsivity can impact daily functioning in a number of different ways, resulting, for some, in clinically diagnosable struggles. For example, disorders of mood, attention, personality, and substance use are all characterized by persistent inattention and impulsivity. Understanding the factors involved in the assessment and influence of these struggles is key in continuing to develop behavioral interventions for such disorders. This symposium will explore pathological processes like inattention and impulsivity in the lab with volunteer research participants. The first paper will detail the development of a behavioral assessment of delay discounting, a phenomenon where participants engage in behaviors that result either in immediate points, gradually accruing points, or by points being awarded after a delay. The second paper will explore how derived causal efficacy judgments influence impulsivity and inattention in a computerized assessment. Implications for behavioral interventions for inattention- and impulsivity-based disorders will be discussed in both studies. A general, moderated discussion will follow.

Inattention and impulsivity are behavior problems that tend to significantly disrupt activities across a range of life domains. Chronic impulsivity and inattention are often diagnosed as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The clinical literature suggests that individuals diagnosed with ADHD tend to maintain rule-governed self-evaluations of causal efficacy, which, in turn, are associated with higher levels of inattention, impulsivity, and resulting dysfunction. This study examined how derived causal efficacy could impact intention and impulsivity. Participants completed a series of Go/No-Go tasks with and without contextual cues. Some of these cues had derived causal efficacy functions through their relations with discriminative stimuli for high or low rates of responding. The impact of derived causal efficacy was examined in relation to errors of omission (inattention) and errors of commission (impulsivity). Data suggested that participants successfully transferred causal efficacy functions across the equivalence classes. Impacts on inattention and impulsivity varied, however, between individuals. Implications for behavioral interventions for inattention, impulsivity, and ADHD will be discussed.

Impulsivity often leads to high-risk behavior due to its focus on immediate gratification in lieu of long-term gains. Delay discounting is the phenomenon through which a larger, delayed reward is discounted to the extent that the individual displays a preference for a smaller, immediate reward. Most human delay discounting procedures involve choices between two hypothetical outcomes involving various types of reinforcers. In these procedures, participants are provided with multiple trials where two hypothetical outcomes (e.g., $10 now or $100 after some delay) are presented and a choice is made between the two. The validity of such tasks is limited, as the contingencies (i.e., reinforcers and delays) are never directly experienced by the participants. This paper will describe the development of a computer-based assessment of delay discounting, in which participants directly contact both the reinforcers and the delay. The data suggest slightly different processes of delay discounting when contingencies are directly experienced.Implications for intervention on impulsivity will be discussed.

The gateway configuration of In-Street signs has been shown to produce an increase in the percentage of drivers yielding the right-of-way to pedestrians; this study examined at what distance the gateway configuration was most effective on yielding the right-of-way to pedestrians, how far in advance of the crosswalk drivers yield, as well as what time of day the In-Street signs were most effective at producing yielding in drivers. Data were collected on all vehicles that passed through the intervention at a residential neighborhood with a steady flow of traffic. To account for time of day, a data point was collected at the top of each hour from the hours of 9am to 2pm, where sign distance was varied each hour. The gateway treatment has been replicated on multiple sites across the state of Michigan, and was shown to be effective at increasing yielding right-of-way to pedestrians during this study.

In a now well-publicized study, Hamlin and Wynn (2011) concluded infants are born with an innate, not learned, tendency to judge the prosocial (moral) behavior of others. They based this conclusion on their study in which after watching a puppet show, 72% of infants chose the puppet that helped rather than the puppet that hindered a third puppet from attaining its goal. In the current investigation, we replicated their methods and extend their work by including a within-subject measure of infant puppet choice across repeated trials to assess the stability of infants’ choice. Twenty infants viewed a puppet show nearly identical to that described by Hamlin and Wynn (2011) and chose between two puppets (i.e., helper or hinderer) immediately following the puppet show. Although results were a similar to those of Hamlin and Wynn (2011) on the first choice trial (65% of infants chose the helper puppet on the first trial), infants did not consistently choose the helper across trials; several infants demonstrated a side bias, with 10 infants choosing puppets presented on the right or left side on at least four of five trials. Results are discussed in the context of the current replication crisis in psychology.

Each year in the United States, approximately 3,500 infants die suddenly and unexpectedly, and many of these deaths are due to unsafe sleep positioning or environments (Centers for Disease Control, 2016). To promote safe sleeping and infant development, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that caregivers put infants to sleep on their backs at night and on their stomachs during the day when awake, known as tummy time. In Study 1, we evaluated the effectiveness of a new, educational video on 120 current and expectant parents knowledge of the AAPs positioning recommendations. The video was associated with a significant improvement in participants knowledge from pre- to post-test. In Study 2, we evaluated the effectiveness of toys and adult interaction on infants head elevation and negative vocalizations during tummy time. To date, four infants have participated and for three of the four participants, parent interaction with a toy, while held on incline was effective in increasing head elevation and/or decreasing negative vocalizations. The studies suggest that continued caregiver education of positioning recommendations is warranted and that commonly recommended interventions (i.e., toys alone) for tummy time might not be sufficient to produce meaningful change in head elevation or negative vocalizations.

Lloyd Morgan’s Canon advises that animal behavior should not be interpreted in terms of higher psychological processes if it can be fairly interpreted in terms of processes which stand lower in the scale of psychological evolution and development. Leaving aside how we might define ‘higher’ and ‘lower’, this is encouraging to the behaviorist, except that we might say that interpreting human behavior should be subject to the same strictures. But, whether an explanation appealing to the simplest possible processes works is an empirical matter. In this talk I’ll describe three experiments with New Caledonian crows, two published and one not at the time of writing, on putative behavioral innovation in metatool use, putative causal understanding in the Aesop’s Fable task, and putative flexibility of tool manufacture in response to environmental demands. I’ll explore the role of the behaviorist in contributing interpretations and devising control conditions when collaborating with behavioral ecologists, consider how the word fairly in Morgan’s Canon should be interpreted, and discuss how we should be guided by the principle of parsimony in understanding behavior.

Graduate Students and Researchers in Behavior Analysis

An adapted alternating treatments design was used to evaluate and compare the effects of two group-oriented contingencies interventions on math assignment accuracy in an intact first-grade classroom. Both an interdependent contingency with class-average criteria (16 students) and a dependent contingency with criteria based on the average of a smaller (4 students), unknown, randomly selected group of students were applied. For both contingencies, rewards and criteria were randomly selected and unknown to students. Idiosyncratic and class-wide analysis showed immediate, sustained, and meaningful improvements in math assignment accuracy (e.g., from a class average of D to a class average of B) across both contingencies with little differences between the two interventions. Social validity and forced choice data suggest that the two teachers and the majority of the students preferred the small-group contingency which included an additional random component. Discussion focuses on applied implications associated with randomizing contingency components.

Behavior analysts are ethically required to conduct assessments and develop function based interventions based on these assessments (BACB Professional and Ethical Compliance Code, 2014; Baer, Wolf, Risley, 1968). The interventions must be written comprehensively and clearly into an accessible document, known as a behavior support plan or behavior intervention plan. Individuals creating these plans must first be able to identify the proper components of a behavior plan (Horner, Sugai, Todd & Lewis-Palmer, 2000; Kroeger & Phillips, 2007; McVilly, Webber, Sharp & Paris, 2013; Vollmer, Iwata, Zarcone & Rodgers, 1992) and then have an organized way to communicate these components. The presenter will first present the necessary components of a behavior support plan will be identified based on a survey conducted with professionals in the field. The development of a potential behavior support plan template to utilize across settings will be presented, and the development of rubric, as well as possible evaluative strategies for these templates will be reviewed.

Behavior Analysts are required to document assessment results and behavior change programs clearly and concisely (BACB 4th Edition Task List, 2012; BACB Professional and Ethical Compliance Code, 2014; Baer, Wolf & Risley, 1968). This documentation often takes the form of an assessment report and/or behavior plan. Carr (2008) suggested this process of documentation occurs in three stages: identification of appropriate treatments, content of the plan and the plan structure/visual layout. However, Carr further stated there is little guidance for the content of the plan and the plan structure/visual layout. This lack of guidance is further complicated by the recent Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) task list requiring knowledge of the essential components of a written skill acquisition and behavior reduction plan (BACB RBT Task List, 2013). There have been previous attempts as resolving this lack of guidance (e.g., Horner, Sugai, Todd & Lewis-Palmer, 2000; Kroeger & Phillips, 2007; McVilly, Webber, Sharp & Paris, 2013; Vollmer, Iwata, Zarcone & Rodgers, 1992), but the passage of time, methodological concerns, dearth of research and other factors, allow the lack of guidance to persist. The purpose of this presentation is summarize the literature regarding behavior plan components and to share data from a survey of behavior analysts (i.e., BCBA and BCBA-D) regarding necessary components. Once a consensus of essential components is established, subsequent researchers can evaluate the validity of the consensus. Additionally, structure and visual formatting of the essential components can be evaluated.

Often times in practical settings behavior analysts are required to include specific components in behavior support plans. From a clinical director or BCBA supervisor perspective, it can be challenging to insure that supervisees include all of the appropriate components in the behavior support plans they create. This part of the symposium will focus on the process of creating electronic behavior support plan templates that will assist therapists through the process of writing behavior support plans to the standards set by the supervisor. Whether supervisees need guidance in writing target behavior definitions, goals, and assessments or following state regulations, electronic behavior support plan templates may assist. Electronic behavior support plans can be used to create more consistent behavior support plans in a variety of settings. Examples will be provided on how to create templates with the goal of helping practitioners create higher quality behavior support plans.

Behavior analysts are often required to write behavior support plans without specific guidance on the requirements for each component of the plan. Though templates provide guidance as an outline for the behavior support plan, they do not provide specific details as to how to fill in each component. A rubric can provide the information to guide individuals to complete a template with examples and details for appropriate information. A rubric not only serves as a guide for the individual writing the plan, but may also be utilized as supplementary material during trainings of how to write behavior support plans or as an evaluation tool for supervisors or committees reviewing behavior support plans. Rubrics may be adjusted per setting or location based on state regulations and setting policies. Possible methods of training with a rubric as well as evaluative methods will be discussed.

As the number of behavior analysts practicing internationally grows, there is an increasing need for our field to navigate complex social and cultural differences while remaining in line with our fundamental philosophies and our professional and ethical guidelines. Across the United States and the world, differences abound in the acceptability of certain behaviors, the treatment of individuals with disabilities, the use of reinforcement and punishment, and the role of religious, educational, and governmental institutions. The expansion of our field into new markets and areas of practice has outpaced our ethics and compliance code, and many practitioners need to balance social validity and cultural sensitivity with professional guidelines. This panel discussion will bring together practitioners from around the world to share experiences in delivering behavioral services in an increasingly multicultural society. Topics to be addressed include the use of punishment, prioritizing treatment goals, selecting reinforcers, navigating religious and cultural beliefs, and legal and ethical compliance issues.

Applied and basic researchers in behavior analysis depend on the visual analysis of graphic data. Visual analysis occurs across two phases: a within condition analysis and a between condition analysis. The roots for visual analysis began at the inception of behavior analysis. However, a growing concern within single-case design exists. Namely, the use of supplemental statistics for graphed time series data. Many criticisms lobbied against single case design stem from a lack of universal decision rules and unreliability across raters illustrate the limitations of visual analysis. Critics suggest adding statistical or quantitative analyses to visual analysis provides objectivity, increased confidence of the results, and enhances the strength of the outcome. The present symposium presents two empirical reviews. First, a survey asked two questions: (1) how many visual analytic tactics did the experimenters employ in a within condition analysis and (2) did the experimenters report quantitative or qualitative analyses. The second asked if after recharting functional analysis data on a functional analysis celeration chart, could a numerical value be established to quantify function.

The analysis of graphic data in single case designs serves as the primary means for judging the significance of results. Single case design books provide guidelines for analyzing data within conditions. The four noted areas targeted for analysis include level, trend, variability, and the number of data points within the condition. The present survey examined 50 articles using ABAB designs within behavioral journals. The survey asked two questions. First, how many visual analytic tactics did the experimenters employ per condition. And second, the quantitative and qualitative analyses reported per condition. The results found a majority of articles used very few within condition analytic tactics. When used, researchers tended to rely on level rather than trend, variability, or number of data points per condition. The experimenters also relied on even fewer qualitative rather than quantitative descriptions of level, trend, and variability. The discussion covers adherence to graphical analysis guidelines and the subjective nature of qualitative descriptors.

Functional Analysis has provided many benefits to many individuals and the field of Applied Behavior Analysis as a whole. Most notably, functional analyses have become an effective assessment tool to discover the environmental variables that maintain challenging behavior. Once determined, interventions can then be created to incorporate the noted variables. Although implementing and analyzing functional analyses has many benefits, many areas for improvement remain. For instance, determining function relies on visually comparing different levels, variability, and the direction and degree of trend. All of the previously mentioned tactics rest on each reviewers subjective impression of the data. Quantifying the function would serve as means to more objectively determine function. The present study examined a series of multi element designs used in functional analyses for the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. The data were recharted on a functional analysis celeration chart. The data reveal a range of values indicating the function behavior as revealed through quantification.

Using equivalence-based instruction (EBI) and multiple-exemplar training, college nursing students were taught three, 4-member classes of pediatric behavior problems that had properties of both medical and behavioral origin. After equivalence classes were established, membership to either a behavioral or medical alternate class was tested with the presentation of multiple probe vignettes (short case histories) not used during training. These vignettes served as supplemental contextual cues that shifted membership between behavioral or medical alternate classes. The results extended the applied contextual control literature by demonstrating generalization across contextual cues using multiple exemplars.

Increased availability of reimbursement options in autism intervention has led to increased scrutiny of the business practices of autism service providers. In particular, providers of Applied Behavior Analysis have been subject to increased scrutiny of their billing practices, which has on several occasions led to federal investigations. This session will equip providers with basic information about the federal government’s tools for investigating and prosecuting health care fraud.

Practitioners of applied behavior analysis, particularly business owners

The Supportive Education for Returning Veterans (SERV) curriculum has been able to retain and graduate ninety percent of the student veterans that complete the courses. The curriculum model includes credit-bearing resiliency orientation to full semester courses. Courses are cohort-based, learner-centered, and use a problem-based learning model that promotes a healthy support system as student veterans navigate their academic career.

Educators, practitioners, students

An Individualized Education Program (IEP), by definition, states a student should receive instruction that is tailored to his/her specific needs. The IEP outlines the goals and activities that over the course of a year should lead to measurable progress. What happens when an IEP is implemented in a system that does not support the student? When a systems approach to behavior analysis is used, the student remains at the center of the program yet has interdependent relationships. These relationships are with the instructional staff, supervisory staff, family members, and university students. Instructional gains are made when each component of the system is accountable to the student, and accountability is derived from the application of behavior analytic instruction to each component. Behavior analytic instruction, as it is applied to an educational setting, can lead to measurable gains not only in meeting the student?s IEP goals, but for all components of the system (e.g., student, instructional staff, supervisory staff, and university). In this symposium, each presenter will illustrate how behavior analysis was applied to a component of the system with the goal of creating measurable change.

A behavior analytic school by definition has to include much more than discrete trial instruction. In schools where behavior analysis is used as a systems approach to educating its population the dimensions of Applied Behavior Analysis should be observable across all aspects of the setting. In such settings the power of data should be evident. Student performance, teacher performance as well as supervisory productivity can be measured and evaluated and ultimately changed to better meet the needs of both students and staff. Once gathered and analyzed, data are used to make clinical and administrative changes that lead to progress toward greater learning and improved outcomes for the school. Important aspects in educational services are quantified, thereby becoming variables themselves to be systematically manipulated to improve the performance of the system, in this case the school as a whole. The following presentation will look at the data collected in 2 schools, across one year. The value in these data is what can and has been used to move toward improved outcomes.

esearch has demonstrated that most-to-least (MTL) and least-to-most (LTM) prompting are effective in helping children with Autism Spectrum Disorders acquire a variety of skills. However, when directly compared to one another, the efficiency and efficacy of these prompting procedures have been variable. The inconsistencies in the literature could be due to selecting prompt topographies that do not promote correct responding. To address this, the present study began by assessing different prompt topographies and then compared most-to-least (MTL) and least-to-most (LTM) prompt fading with only prompt topographies that were potent enough to promote corrected responding. The subsequent comparison of prompt fading procedures revealed that MTL prompting was more effective and efficient than LTM prompting for all three participants. Further implications for practice and future research are discussed.

ne of the most crucial elements of an effective behavior analytic program is the promotion of generalization from school to the home and other relevant community settings. A number of researchers have looked at parent training methods in an attempt to identify the most salient factors associated with positive outcomes (Clark et al, 1982; Hudson, 1982; Baker & Brightman, 1984). Given the numerous formats in which parent training is now available, trainings are becoming more readily available to parents. As a result, it is imperative that effective and efficient parent training methods are implemented to improve instructional efficacy as well as manage home and community behavior problems. The purpose of this experiment was to examine the effectiveness of three parent training formats on fidelity of implementation, student behavior change and generalization to the home and community. The independent variable consisted of verbal instructions, verbal instructions plus teaching behavioral principles and verbal instructions plus modeling and structured feedback. The dependent variables included the fidelity of implementation across participants, student behavior change following implementation and generalization to the community. Results are presented in terms of the efficiency of strategy in training, effect on student behavior and generalization within the home and community.

The present symposium explores new areas of treatment and provides a review of the efficacy and effectiveness of established treatments for severe problem behavior. In Study 1, the boss-hat protocol was implemented and destructive behavior was observed to decrease by an average of 96% across cases. Results of this study emphasize the importance of function-based treatment even when the function may momentarily fluctuate. Study 2 provides an updated review of behavioral treatments for self-injurious behavior and examined current treatment trends. Study 3 focused on the effectiveness of functional communication training (FCT) with contingency-based reinforcement thinning with 25 outpatient clinical cases in which the IISCA was applied during the assessment period. Results showed at least a 90% reduction in problem behavior across cases. Study 4 focused on the efficacy and effectiveness of FCT in published research to date as well as whether or not FCT has been established as an evidenced-based practice in the general field of psychology.

Standard functional analyses (FA) sometimes do not identify momentary fluctuations in the function of destructive behavior (Bowman et al., 1997). In such cases, individuals may mand for the reinforcer that is currently most preferred, and destructive behavior may be evoked if this mand is not reinforced. In the current study, following inconclusive standard FAs, we conducted a mand analysis with a test condition in which mands produced reinforcement only following destructive behavior and a control condition in which mands produced reinforcement throughout. We then evaluated a function-based treatment colloquially referred to as the boss-hat protocol in which we provided differential or time-based reinforcement of mands in accordance with multiple or chained schedules that included reinforcement-schedule thinning to practical levels. By treatments end, destructive behavior decreased by an average of 96% from baseline rates across all cases. We discuss these results relative to the importance of matching treatments for destructive behavior to operant functions even when those functions fluctuate from one moment to the next.

Self-injurious behavior (SIB) has been defined as behavior that produces physical injury to the own individual�s body (Tate & Baroff, 1966) and is a common behavior exhibited by individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). However, overall rates of SIB among those with IDD are varied. Many treatments have been studied to reduce SIB, with applied behavior analytic treatments showing robust efficacy. For example, Kahng et al. reviewed peer-reviewed studies on the behavioral treatment of SIB exhibited by individuals with IDD from 1964-2000. Their results showed that behavioral interventions are highly effective at decreasing SIB, particularly when based on the results of a functional assessment. The purpose of the current study is to update and extend the review by Kahng et al. We reviewed and analyzed the current treatment trends for SIB exhibited by individuals with IDD from 2001-2016. More specifically, treatment trends as they compared to Kahng and et al.�s original review will be discussed.

Jessel, Hanley, and Ghaemmaghami (2016) recently evaluated the results of 30 interview-informed, synthesized contingency analyses (IISCAs) and found them to be an effective tool for identifying the functions of problem behavior across a wide variety of topographies, participants, and locations. However, Jessel et al. did not include data on the effectiveness of the corresponding treatments. In the current study, we collected and summarized 25 additional outpatient clinical cases, from analysis to treatment, in which the IISCA was applied during the assessment period. The IISCA identified socially mediated functions of problem behavior, which informed personalized treatments of functional communication training (FCT) with contingency-based reinforcement thinning. At least 90% reduction in problem behavior was obtained for every participant by the end of the treatment evaluation. The assessment and treatment process was socially validated by caregivers who rated the procedures highly acceptable and helpful, and the improvement in their childs behavior highly satisfactory.

Functional Analysis has been a useful approach to determining the function of problem behavior for decades. These four presentations represent recent extensions and refinements to the procedures used by Iwata, Dorsey, Slifer, Bauman, and Richman (1982/1994). The first presentation demonstrates the use of functional analysis for the identification of a response-response relation for problem behavior and an alternative response. The second presentation presents a functional analysis of immediate echolalia. The third presentation is on training parents to conduct trial-based functional analyses. The fourth presentation is an examination of the role of language (Spanish vs. English) in functional analysis of problem behavior. Dr. Brian Iwata will serve as a discussant for this symposium.

Treatment integrity refers to the extent to which a procedure is implemented as it was designed. Recent research about treatment integrity has evaluated the extent to which variations of measurement procedures affect obtained integrity values, and the extent to which reduced integrity affects treatment outcomes. In this symposium, we will describe recent studies that have further advanced these two areas of enquiry. Our studies include both aspects of contemporary integrity research. Halbur et al. describe the extent to which variations in measurement systems may lead to different perceived levels of integrity in published studies. This line of research is furthered by Smothermon et al., who show that similar variations can over- or underestimate the performance of staff. Because integrity levels are often low without ongoing feedback, our final two studies evaluate the impact of reduced integrity on intervention outcomes. Brand et al. review the published literature in which treatment integrity was experimentally manipulated, and Mesches et al. describe a study in which integrity was manipulated during differential reinforcement of other behavior. Results across all studies continue to suggest that treatment integrity should be an important consideration for applied researchers and practitioners.

Collecting data on the integrity with which staff and caregivers implement prescribed treatments is a critical component of program evaluation. However, it can be challenging to collect data accurately on multiple procedural components in fast-paced instructional contexts. One possible approach is to evaluate performance across an entire session (e.g., whether the individual delivers prompts correctly during all trials of an observation) versus on a trial-by-trial basis (e.g., whether the individual delivers prompts correctly on each trial). In this study, we examined the sensitivity of data collected in this manner by comparing whole-session data to trial-by-trial data on the procedural integrity of 16 paraprofessionals who received training on how to implement discrete-trial teaching (DTT). We also compared the outcomes when data were collapsed across all procedural components versus individual components. Results suggested that whole-session data had adequate sensitivity but, in general, underestimated the performance of the individual implementing DTT. At the same time, trial-by-trial data were more likely to overestimate performance unless we examined the integrity of individual DTT components. Findings have important implications for assessing procedural integrity and selecting an appropriate mastery criterion during caregiver training.

Treatment integrity refers to the extent to which a treatment is accurately implemented according to the treatment plan (Gresham, 1989). There are multiple methods for collecting and calculating treatment integrity data. For example, experimenters may collect data on the trainees implementation of each step of intervention and calculate treatment integrity by dividing the number of correctly implemented treatment steps by a total number of steps per session. The present study describes variations in treatment integrity calculations and the implications of using each method of calculation. We will review trends in treatment integrity calculations used in staff/caregiver training studies and compare those methods to studies in which treatment integrity errors are evaluated. Raw data from staff/caregiver training studies published in the past seven years will be obtained and re-calculated using different criteria, and aggregated outcomes of these re-calculations will be presented and discussed. Clinical implications of the recalculations, suggestions for integrity calculations, and future research will be discussed.

Treatment integrity refers to the degree to which a treatment is implemented as it was designed. Treatment integrity failures are known negatively affect differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA) and response cost, but little is known about effects of integrity failures on differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO). We assessed the efficacy of a DRO procedure when implemented perfectly and when implemented with varying degrees of treatment integrity failures using a human-operant preparation with students from a university (Experiment 1) and with a child who engaged in socially significant challenging behavior (Experiment 2). The DRO was effective at all levels for 3 human operant participants, but lost efficacy when implemented with 60% or lower treatment integrity for the remaining 3 participants. We also obtained a loss of treatment effects at around 60% integrity with the clinical replication. These data suggest that DRO interventions may be effective with some level of failure in treatment integrity, but there may be a critical integrity level around 60% at which the intervention breaks down.

Timeout from positive reinforcement is a procedure in which reinforcement is withheld for a period of time following a target response. Timeout is a common component of behavioral interventions, where it is intended to punish undesired or challenging behavior. The present symposium brings together investigations of timeout from both basic and applied research. The combined research explores experimental parameters, treatment integrity, and release contingencies using a variety of subjects including rats, pigeons, and children. This translational approach to timeout aims to advance the understanding and the application of timeout from positive reinforcement that will ultimately lead to an improved technology of behavior change.

Timeout from positive reinforcement, a common component of behavioral treatments, is used to reduce or eliminate problematic behaviors. We are studying the conditions under which timeout is an effective punisher. Rats lever pressing is maintained on variable-interval schedules arranging reinforcement rates from 0.5 pellets per min to 3 pellets per min. On a conjoint variable-ratio schedule, some presses are followed by a 30-s timeout during which the lever is retracted, a tone sounded, and the food schedule suspended. Under the richest schedule (3 pellets per min) the timeouts do not consistently suppress responding. At leaner schedules, however, timeout does suppress responding. We are continuing to lean the schedules to assess the limits of this effect. These outcomes will help to inform the procedures used in applied settings by clarifying the conditions under which timeout from positive reinforcement functions as an aversive event.

Little is known about how errors when implementing timeout impact timeouts effectiveness. Our experiments address two specific aims: (1) how well do teachers implement timeout with their students, and (2) what are the effects of inconsistent timeout implementation on student behavior. In Experiment 1, we observed teachers ongoing implementation of timeout with students during play. We collected data on the frequency of timeout following targeted problem behavior and non-targeted behavior. Experiment 1 suggested that teachers rarely implement timeout, and when they do, they often do not closely follow their specified procedure. In Experiment 2, we experimentally evaluated the effects of timeout intermittency with the students from Experiment 1. We compared the rates of problem behavior across three integrity conditions: 0%, 100%, and reduced integrity (based on timeout frequency from Experiment 1). So far, Experiment 2 suggests that reduced integrity is about as effective as 100% integrity. These data suggest that teachers may be implementing timeout inconsistently, but as often as needed to suppress target behavior.

Time-out is a commonly used intervention to reduce problematic behavior in young children. Sometimes children engage in problematic behavior during time-out. One suggestion to reduce problematic behavior during time-out is to include a release contingency or require that the child is calm prior to leaving time-out. Previous research has found that adding time to the end of the time-out interval contingent on problematic behavior at the end of time-out is not an effective procedure to reduce problematic behavior during time-out (Donaldson & Vollmer, 2011; Mace et al., 1986). The purpose of the current study is to examine the effects of a release contingency procedure embedded in a 3-min time-out in which each problematic response during time-out results in 15 s of additional time and the absence of problematic behavior for 30 s results in 30 s subtracted from the time-out interval. Thus far, two 4-year-old children, one diagnosed with fetal alcohol syndrome and one with no diagnoses, have participated in the evaluation. Time-out was effective at reducing problematic behavior during enriched time-in contexts (e.g., free play) for both participants. The release contingency reduced or eliminated problematic behavior during time-out for both participants, compared with a fixed duration 3-min time-out.

Continuity theory is the simple assertion that behavior is behaviorthat is, if the theories and laws of behaviorism are correct, any organism should be able to acquire any type of response, given adequate training. This has been one of the underpinnings of the experimental branch of behaviorism since the sciences inception, yet modern data seems divergent on the issue; some data indicate that certain repertoires (under the umbrella of complex verbal behavior) are only attainable by human beings. Other data indicate that several higher species (e.g. humans, primates) are capable of developing complex repertoires, while smaller factions of data support that even lower species (e.g. honeybees) are capable of acquiring complex response repertoires. The study of continuity is further muddled by conflicting paradigms of anthropomorphism and anthropocentrism, each of which presents many similarities, but also some crucial differences in operational, behavioral definitions. The current paper seeks to investigate these divergent interpretations of continuity, and proposes several potentialities for continuing research in the direction of continuity.

Both Eastern and Western ancient philosophers and modern scientists have debated whether time exists as an absolute entity or it is only an illusion. Among physicists, two main theories are prominent: the Einsteinian theory that there is no absolute time, TimeSpace being a single entity. Non-Einsteinian theory that time is real and all experiences are measured in terms of time. Some psychologists have asserted that felt time or experienced time is real. This position is closer to the physicists' non-Einsteinian theory of time. There is no comparable behavioral analysis of time. A temporal arrangement is inherent to contingencies of behavior; but does a dependency among stimulus-response-consequent events confirm the existence of time? Is 'time' just a form of verbal behavior from which it is unwise to infer the existence or nonexistence of time, absolute or relative? Does learning require time or only certain events? Do behavioral events occur in a temporal medium or do they just occur in succession? Do we need the concept of time to analyze 'succession of events' or are there alternatives? What is a behavioral account of such statements as the following: 'both the past and the future are in the present'; 'future is predictable or that it is not'; 'there is no future without a past'; 'the past is past, the future is not here, and therefore, only the present is real.' 'I told you yesterday.' 'I will see you tomorrow.' 'This is taking too long.' 'That was too short.' 'Time is not passing.' 'Time passed quickly.' Ultimately, would a behavioral analysis support an existing philosophical or physical explanation of time? Or, will it offer a unique explanation? These are among the several questions one needs to consider in making a behavioral analysis of time as potential reality (or an illusion) and as a form of verbal behavior. This presentation is an attempt to draw the behavioral scientists' attention to the concept of time and encourage discussion and possible research. Some tentative behavioral answers will be offered for discussion.

When an organism is seen to behave in one way in the presence of one stimulus, and not in the presence of others, stimulus control is said to have taken place. To teach stimulus control, many trials of discrimination training must occur, and outcomes must be reliably measured. When humans are teaching these skills to animals, humans may not be able to themselves experience what the discriminative stimulus may actually be; humans cannot see scent, they cannot smell it at the same level as their subject, and they may not be able to tell when the animal is under the control of a particular odor. Testing these contingencies is a challenge when resources are slim, however, benefit exists for humans and non-human animals alike when these missions are undertaken.

Unlike light or sound, scent is a chemical, not a physical, phenomenon. Therefore research with this stimulus modality represents additional difficulties. APOPO, an NGO based in east Africa, has been training giant rats to sniff out landmines, TB and other scents of humanitarian interest for over a decade. Their TB operations have markedly increased case findings in collaborating clinics, but issues around stimuli confirmation render tightly controlled research difficult. Using a library of scents common in the fragrance industry, research was planned to replicate the TB-detecting training process, but with stimuli whose properties and status was known and could be manipulated to a high degree of accuracy. After successfully training 9 rats to indicate a target scent from 9 controls, the next step was to reduce accuracy to approximately 75%. This would mimic current TB-rat accuracy and allow measurement of the effect on accuracy of manipulating parameters such as reinforcement rate and target prevalence. After performance was still suspiciously (=98%) accurate with dilutions as low as 0.0000001%, this seemingly simple step evolved into a series of manipulations of sample preparation and session procedure in an attempt to demonstrate stimulus control. This presentation will detail these manipulations and the challenges, pitfalls and successes that can be encountered when conducting research in resource-poor areas.

The exquisite abilities of the dog's nose have been exploited by humans for centuries. From tracking prey with hominids thousands of years ago to tracking cancer cells and endangered species, the noses of dogs have served us well. However, since their sense of smell outdistances ours by many, many zeros, we often do not know exactly what we are teaching them when scent discrimination is the lesson. For homeless dogs in a shelter environment, the opportunity to learn scent discrimination can illuminate science and enrich an institutional environment. In this experiment, we compared two methods of teaching discrimination: in one group, the S+, sweet birch (betula lenta) was paired with food and hidden in 5" x5" x 2" cardboard boxes. The dog's indication was simply to paw at or try to get into the box; the food was then faded and pawing at a box with only birch in it was reinforced. In the other group, large amounts of the same odor were hidden in a box, and any interaction with that box was reinforced with food. Latency to interacting with a box for 5 seconds was measured and compared across conditions.

As students approach adulthood and age out of the school system, the resources available to them for support are often limited. These challenges are heightened for individuals who require more supports (e.g., severe intellectual disability, the presence of maladaptive behavior). Limited funding and few available service providers further restrict the opportunities available to this population. The purpose of the current symposium is to share and identify some of the barriers to positive employment outcomes and highlight strategies for increasing the integration of older individuals in vocational/community settings. The first presentation will explore issues ranging from addressing interfering behavior (vocal and/or motor stereotypy) interfering with integration at community job sites. The second talk will outline vocational assessment strategies for improving job outcomes for individuals with ASD. The symposium will conclude with a discussion about short and long term goals for improving the available employment resources for individuals with developmental disabilities and autism spectrum disorders.

While not a defining characteristic for individuals autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), challenging behavior is a common concern for this population. As individuals with ASD mature, challenging behavior becomes increasingly difficult to mediate due to the learners physical characteristics (e.g. height, weight, strength) and a longer history of reinforcement as compared to their younger counterparts. With regular, gainful employment as a terminal goal for many families and individuals with ASDs, it is important for practitioners to focus on improving socially stigmatizing and/or dangerous challenging behaviors emitted by individuals with ASD in the workplace. The purpose of the current investigation is to evaluate the implementation of response interruption and redirection (RIRD) on automatically-maintained vocal and motor stereotypy for an adult diagnosed with ASD. Preliminary results of this intervention suggest RIRD to be an effective strategy for reducing the frequency and duration of this socially-stigmatizing challenging behavior, across center-based and community-based vocational placements.

The primary purpose of a public education is to prepare individuals to function as independently as possible while being prepared for integration into the workforce after graduation. This responsibility becomes more challenging when programming for individuals with special needs as they age out of the public school system. These challenges are heightened for individuals who require more supports (e.g., severe intellectual disability, the presence of maladaptive behavior). Limited funding and relatively few available service providers further restrict the opportunities available to this population. As students with special needs reach adolescence, academic targets often shift to more functional forms of programming (e.g., vocational goals). While most stakeholders acknowledge that the development of vocational skills is critical, relatively few procedures have been developed to assess vocational aptitude and integrate client preference into goal selection. The purpose of the current investigation was to design and implement an assessment to identifying vocational strengths for individuals with ASD. In addition, we sought to evaluate preferences for different forms of vocational tasks to integrate choice into programming.

Several advantages are afforded when practitioners use technology to deliver behavior analytic interventions to individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The symposium will present three papers that successfully embedded portable and commonly available technology to address socially significant behaviors amongst individuals with ASD. The first paper will discuss the use of Siri to increase the conversation skills of two children with ASD. Specifically, the authors measured appropriate conversation behaviors, defined as articulated sentences (proper syntax and grammar) and contextually relevant statements (subjects and predicates related to the current topic). The second paper will discuss the use of a video-enhanced fitness schedule on exercise behavior with three adolescences with ASD. The video-enhanced fitness schedule delivered on an iPad was effective in establishing exercise behaviors, skills generalized across a novel environment and stimuli, and maintained across two-and three-weeks across participants. The final paper will discuss a paraprofessional-implemented video prompting to teach vocational skills to students with ASD. Implications and areas of future research will be discussed.

Communicative difficulties are a core deficit for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Challenges in forming appropriate sentences and staying on topic can reduce their effectiveness in communicating with peers, and also make them less desirable playmates. In the present study, we used a multiple-baseline-across-participants design to assess the effects of communicating with Siri on an iPad, on the conversation skills of two children with ASD. Specifically, we measured appropriate conversation behaviors, defined as articulate sentences (proper syntax and grammar) and contextually relevant statements (subjects and predicates relate to the current topic). Measurements occurred with peers during baseline and training, and with Siri during training. During all conversation session probes, the children were instructed to talk to their partner (peer or Siri) for 5 minutes. Following conversations with Siri, improvements in some appropriate conversation behaviors were noted, although differences were observed between peers and Siri. Data from additional participants will be included during the presentation.

The utility of the empirically validated treatment practice of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) in the treatment of children with autism has led to funding for such treatment by health insurance carriers in many states. The current paper will provide a refined analysis of particular learner outcome data. Specifically, outcome data for a representative sample of different learners enrolled in either a focused or comprehensive ABA insurance-funded treatment program will be presented and discussed in relation to learner specific variables. An analysis of skill acquisition data in relation to variables such as age, duration enrolled in the ABA program, proportion of recommended treatment hours received, standardized assessment and reassessment results, and treatment goals met will be presented across multiple participants. Results are discussed in terms of the potential relationship between the proportion of recommended treatment hours received and reassessment results, continued support for insurance funded ABA treatment, and difficulties and potential solutions for conflicts between the scientist-practitioner model and funding source support. The need for additional outcome analyses and future research will also be discussed.

Time-out and compliance training procedures have been cornerstones of behavioral parent training programs addressing childrens problem behavior for decades, yet resistance to treatment has been reported, and it remains important to identify refinements to these procedures that are effective and feasible to implement. This symposium presents recent research examining procedures for time-out and compliance training for childrens problem behavior. First, we present a comparison of the effect of time-out with and without warnings on childrens compliance with instructions. Results suggest that both procedures produced an increase in compliance, however, all participants experienced fewer time-outs when warnings preceded time-out. In an effort to identify compliance training procedures that reduce resistance to instructions, we present on a modified incidental teaching procedure, incidental compliance training (ICT), which produced robust increases in childrens compliance. Finally, we will present a review of non-exclusion time-out (NETO) procedures, which discusses the frequency of important procedural parameters, its general effectiveness as a treatment for childrens problem behavior, and the spectrum of intrusiveness occurring across NETO procedures. These results contribute to the identification of effective time-out and compliance training procedures that are less-restrictive, and which reduce childrens contact with time-out and resistance to instructions.

Researchers have applied non-exclusion time-out (NETO) as a method for reducing childrens problem behavior for over four decades. Four types of NETO have been evaluated: contingent observation, time-out ribbon, planned ignoring, and withdrawal of a specific reinforcing stimulus. NETO has been described as the least restrictive type of time-out, however, no prior review had reported findings regarding NETO specifically and as such, it remains unknown how procedural parameters have been applied during NETO procedures. In this paper, 44 studies encompassing 83 NETO procedures identified through an applied literature search are reviewed regarding participant and behavioral variables, procedural parameters, and NETOs general effect on problem behavior. Results support prior conclusions that NETO is the least intrusive type of time-out, but indicate that the intrusiveness of NETO methods varies considerably across types of NETO. Future areas of research and implications for clinical applications are discussed.

Arguably one of the most important applications of behavior analysis is its contribution to helping humans live more meaningfully and effectively under a variety of challenging conditions. For example, a focus on teaching humans to be free from aversive control, even when conditions are unpleasant or painful, has been adopted from clinical behavior analysis into much of mainstream psychological intervention. Thus, there is a growing emphasis on valuing and valued living as important repertoires in human well-being. This symposium will seek to review current thought and applications of behavior anlaysis to personal and organizational values. The first paper is a conceptual piece that will unpack a behavior analytic definition of values based in derived relational responding. The second paper will describe a study in which transformation of functions of stimuli associated with university values was observed in students. Clinical and conceptual implications of both papers will be discussed, followed by a general discussion.

Verbal behavior has long been of interest to behavior analysis via Skinners taxonomy, rule governance, and more recently, derived stimulus relations. An interesting aspect of language is how incredibly pervasive this repertoire istruly, humans language near constantly, however behavior analysis has long held to the belief that languaging offers little more than connection to our external experience via labeling, requesting, recording, and extending. With the development of RFT and an understanding of the impact of derived stimulus relations, the focus on languaging as a behavioral event that may alter other behavioral events has improved our understanding of human behavior. In this, it is observed that verbal behavior may function both as appetitive and aversive stimulation. One area of particular interest is in the capacity of language to direct behavior sans experiencing direct contingencies as is seen in the area of Values. Values, as per an ACT account are verbally constructed consequences of ongoing and evolving patterns of activity that establish (verbal) reinforcers which are intrinsic to the behavior itself. Given the potential for both reinforcing and aversive functions to exist with those we work, it is imperative that behavior analysts come to better understand the motivative functions inherent in languaging. This paper will unpack languaging in the context of values and how a focus on relational responding may improve our ability to affect positive change with those we serve.

The reasons university students report for committing to a college education vary widely among individuals, and often overlap only slightly with the purposes the university has established for itself. The three-component model of organizational commitment suggests an organization and its members will thrive when they engage their jobs in order to serve personal and organizational values simultaneously. Applied to universities, this suggests that students will be most successful when they are able to relate their own values and goals to the universitys mission. Relational frame theory offers a theory of how it is that 1) values can come to exert influence on behaviour, and 2) values functions can be transferred to events that were previously neutral or aversive. This paper will present data from a series of exploring the transfer of organizational values functions to arbitrary stimuli through hierarchical relational networks of arbitrary stimuli. The data support transfer of function in most subjects, and highlight several boundary conditions governing such transfer. Implications for values interventions with students will be discussed.

Since 2009, behavior analysts around the world have, at an increasing rate, applied our science to the problem of sustainability. This work includes the efforts of the Fresno State Sustainability Project, an interdisciplinary attempt to coordinate all such activity on campus. We have had a number of positive outcomes, including the newly-formed Institute of Water and Sustainability. The focus of this talk is student activity that has grown out of the Project. Over the past four years, more than 400 students have had experiences in academic, research, and applied activities related to sustainability. One of these endeavors is the Fresno State Sustainability Club which has hosted four Earth Days, set up multiple talks by experts at Green Bag Lunches, coordinated with other campus clubs, and planted a water-wise garden and hundreds of trees in collaboration with Plant Operations. The College of Science and Math has offered the First Year Experience the past two years, in which freshman in the College take multiple sustainability courses in both basic science and applications. Graduate students do everything from building tiny houses to collecting data on practices. The Psychology and the Environment course has just been reestablished and the development of a minor is underway. Students lives have been substantially changed. The future generation is on its way to making a major positive impact on the health and welfare of the planet.

Academic behavior analysts and graduate students

Studies comparing hypothetical vs. real monetary outcomes have repeatedly demonstrated that they are discounted similarly; however, one study has documented that cigarette smokers discount potentially real cigarettes steeper than hypothetical cigarettes. This finding raises the possibility that delay discounting tasks for consumable items may differ as a function of hypothetical and potentially real outcome type. This study tested the extent to which delay discounting differed for potentially real food outcomes vs. hypothetical food outcomes. We recruited 119 undergraduates and used a within-subjects design in which individuals completed one delay discounting task for hypothetical food outcomes and one for potentially real food outcomes. A dependent samples t-test revealed no significant difference. More importantly, potentially real and hypothetical outcomes were significantly correlated. These results offer evidence that outcome type (i.e. potentially real vs. hypothetical) may not play a strong role in the results of delay discounting tasks using food-related outcomes.

Every species possesses abilities for successfully interacting with its environment. These result from phylogeny. In the laboratory, one may arrange artificial conditions that thwart an organisms abilities. The result may be a phenomenon. With sufficient training, however, the phenomenon may prove to be ephemeral, as the organisms basic abilities reassert themselves. A common ability among animal species is the ability to respond to differences and non-differences in rate of obtaining food. This ability may be thwarted in a variety of ways, but the results tend to be ephemeral. A clear example appears in an experiment that pitted pigeons preference for unimpeded responding against their ability to respond to food rate. In a concurrent-chains procedure, the terminal links were identical variable-interval schedules, but in one terminal link, every response produced a timeout. The duration of the timeout varied, and preference varied with it, but the relation vanished with training, in keeping with the equality of food rate across the two terminal links. Some other examples of phenomena that tend to disappear with sufficient training are behavioral contrast, conditioned reinforcement, and resistance to extinction. These appear to be behavioral ephemera.

Graduate Students and Researchers in Behavior Analysis

Schoolwide Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (SWPBIS) is an approach designed to improve the correct implementation, consistent use, and maintenance of evidence-based practices related to behavior, classroom management and school discipline systems. Check-in/Check-out (CICO) is often recognized as a successful intervention in SWPBIS. However, most of the research on the use of CICO has focused on the school setting. This study provided an extension to the literature by examining the effects of the CICO program with homeless children attending an afterschool program. A non-concurrent multiple baseline across participants design was used to evaluate the CICO program effects. Students were exposed to a CICO intervention in which problem behaviors were targeted for reduction and task engagement was targeted for acquisition. Of the five participants selected for the study four participants were exposed to a CICO intervention. Results demonstrated a decrease in problem behaviors and an increase in task engagement for all four participants.

Current research shows that schools behavior intervention plans are lacking in key components, indicating a need for a standardized model of assessment that sustains teacher adherence, acceptance, and feasibility. Prevent-Teach-Reinforce (PTR) is a model that combines the principles of applied behavior analysis and positive behavior support to provide a standardized approach to conducting a functional assessment and creating a behavior plan. Studies have indicated that PTR is effective in improving student behavior and academic engagement. The current study evaluated the use of PTR for three high school students classified as emotional behavioral disorder (EBD). Results indicated that teacher-implemented functional assessment and intervention planning through the use of PTR was effective at creating substantial reductions in problem behaviors and improvements in replacement behaviors for all three students. In addition, teachers were able to implement the interventions with high levels of fidelity, and social validity scores obtained from both the teachers and students indicated that the acceptability of the PTR procedures and results was relatively high.

Feedback is one of the widely used and studied interventions in Organizational Behavior Management. It has been shown to be even more effective, in increasing performance, when accompanied with performance-contingent rewards (Johnson, Dickinson, & Huitema, 2008). The purpose of the current study is to assess the cumulative effect of incentives, feedback, and coaching. Johnson (2013) pointed out that the effectiveness of feedback often depends on how it is implemented. Research studies have shown some of the attributes of a good feedback system. It must contain some element of evaluation and must be individualized whenever possible (Johnson, Rocheleau, & Tilka, 2015). What is missing from the literature are the social components involved in effective delivery of feedback, and coaching on those components. The phases of the study include baseline, incentive, incentive and feedback, and incentive and coached feedback. The incentive component of the research involves rewarding employees with $4 for every additional product made above a target number, in addition to their hourly pay. The two other phases are yet to be implemented. Feedback will be given by the supervisor in the incentive and feedback phase. In the final phase, the supervisor will receive coaching on the proper delivery of feedback.

This panel is a continuation of previous presentations at ABAI on Behavior Analysts Behaving Badly. An ethicist is one who is sought after for ethical advice and counsel; For this panel we have brought together three such behavior analysis ethicists who are regularly consulted on a wide variety of complex cases concerning the practice of behavior analysis. Difficult cases covering: the use of evidence-based treatments, boundaries of competence, conflicts of interest, terminating behavioral services, conceptual consistency, gifting, supervisory competence and testimonials that have come through the ABAI Hotline as well as other sources will be discussed. To demonstrate the range of approaches used and opinions offered, recent cases will be tendered and each panelist will offer their guidance, we will then debate the merits of our various approaches. Toward the end of the session we will open the floor to questions from the audience and again each ethicist will respond so that the range of tactics and strategies will be apparent.

Prolonged occupational sitting is a risk factor for several negative health outcomes (e.g., coronary artery disease, Type 2 diabetes, obesity, metabolic disease, musculoskeletal injuries), and increasing computer-based work increases health risks associated with inactivity. Research suggests that supplementary work breaks reliably minimize discomfort and eye strain without impairing productivity (Galinsky, Swanson, Sauter, Dunkin, Hurrell, & Schleifer, 2007). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2014), the suggested activity standard for adults is 150 minutes per week; this can be broken down into increments as little as 10 minutes. Given these standards, research may evaluate the impact of short, strategically placed exercise breaks throughout workday. The current symposium brings together studies that explore potential techniques for strategically increasing physical movement in the workplace to evaluate the effects of physical movement, both during work tasks and while on breaks, on worker performance and wellbeing. The first study investigated the effects of physical movement and positioning on task performance, satisfaction, stress, and preference. The second study explored the effectiveness of quantitative feedback to reduce workplace physical inactivity and improve physical activity for university and healthcare office workers. The premise for the third study was based on the contention that some have suggested that extrinsic rewards, and simply measurement of human behavior itself, has a detrimental effect on intrinsic motivation. In this symposium, the authors discuss how measuring physical activity/inactivity can influences individual behavior and whether and how personal quantification devices affect perceived enjoyment and interest in engaging in physical movement.

This two-part study consisted of two related experiments to examine the effects of physical movement on both wellbeing and work performance using a computer-based medical transcription data entry task. In both experiments, 36 participants (college students) were assigned to one of three of possible movement or positioning conditions (e.g., sitting, standing, moving) while taking a break from the work task (experiment 1) or while engaged in the work task (experiment 2). The effects of movement or positioning on measures of satisfaction, stress, preference, and computer task performance were examined. Initial analysis of the results of both experiments suggest that physical movement during work breaks or positioning while engaged in the work task neither improves nor hinders work performance. However, when performance in the sitting and standing conditions were combined into a single “non-movement / stationary” condition to compare performance between “stationary” and “movement” conditions, results revealed higher performance in the movement conditions. Implications, future research, and recommendations are discussed.

Excessive sitting, or too much physical inactivity, is a known health risk to the modern office worker. This study evaluated the effectiveness of quantitative feedback with university and healthcare office workers on workplace physical inactivity. A multiple baseline across participants design was used to evaluate various phases of education, feedback, and modified feedback. The delivery of daily feedback improved physical activity for 4/9 participants. These results suggest that the consequence-based procedures are necessary to affect this target behavior. Future research and recommendations are discussed.

It is not uncommon for individuals with developmental disabilities to present challenging food-related behaviors that can lead to social isolation and may pose long-term health risks. For example, the excessive consumption of calories following food stealing poses health risks such as obesity and diabetes. By contrast, vomiting responses under operant control that frequently occur can include malnutrition, weight loss, dehydration, and tooth decay (Lang et. al., 2011). During this symposium, each talk will provide insight on effective interventions identified in previous literature and then applied in practice to address clinically significant food-related problem behaviors. The first presenter will discuss challenges associated with addressing the food stealing of a child diagnosed with Prader-Willi Syndrome and will highlight a function-based approach to intervention that incorporated differential reinforcement and schedule leaning. The second presenter will describe an iterative approach to intervention for projective vomiting when functional analysis results were inconclusive. Effective intervention ultimately consisted of a reprimand and positive practice and generalized across multiple staff throughout the school setting.

Given unrestricted access to food, individuals with Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) may consume as much as three times more calories than that of individuals matched on age and body mass index. When food is unavailable, it is not uncommon for individuals with PWS to engage in problematic food seeking behavior such as food-stealing or pica. Because food-related challenging behavior is not uncommon for individuals with PWS and can lead to obesity and other long-term health complications, intervention is often warranted. However, efforts to decrease these behaviors, such as isolation during meals and strict monitoring of food consumption, can be socially stigmatizing. Ideally, effective intervention would decrease problematic food-seeking behavior without isolating the child or restricting access to socially important events; such as eating dinner at the dinner table with family members. Our participant was a 7-year-old girl with PWS that engaged in mealtime food-stealing behavior that precluded her participation in traditional familial mealtime routines. We conducted a latency-based functional analysis of food stealing in a clinic setting and then implemented an intervention that included a token board, function-based differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO), and schedule thinning. The intervention generalized to the home setting across food preferences, therapists, and family members.

Vomiting is a common symptom of many illnesses and disorders. Typically vomiting requires minimal intervention and is resolved once the offending agent has been resolved (Scorza et al., 2007). However, chronic vomiting can be associated with a variety of conditions. In order to get a better understanding of vomiting a thorough evaluation should be conducted. Through the evaluation, signs and symptoms should be identified along with the underlying etiology of nausea and vomiting (Scorza et al., 2007) Vomiting may lead to an increase in medical complications/concerns and social isolation. Azarin & Wezolowski (1975) utilized positive practice and self-correction to address habitual vomiting in two individuals and saw a reduction in vomiting across both participants. A similar treatment was developed to treat projectile vomiting in a 16 year old male. Ten minute trials were conducted across the day and percent of opportunities for each trial was collected. A multiple baseline across staff members was used to demonstrate experimental control. The treatment was effective in decreasing the overall frequency of vomiting. In addition, most of the vomiting that continued to occur occurred in the practiced location (i.e. toilet).

The main purpose of this panel is to disseminate information and share our experience related to the development and implementation of collaborative and distance programs intended to prepare future behavior analysts. We will discuss the importance of creating programs that reach underserved areas and the critical aspects related to the implementation, organization, and development of collaborative behavior analytic preparation programs. We will also highlight the importance of reaching out to a variety of students including those in underserved areas. Benefits and challenges related to creating collaborative and distance arrangements will be presented. The interactive format of the panel will provide the opportunity for an in-depth analysis of the evolution and organization of existing collaborative and distance-education partnerships offering behavior-analytic preparation programs that will lead to creative ideas and practical solutions for the advancement of such programs.

We describe a model used to teach the principles of behavior analysis and their application in the human services to students and practitioners over the past five decades. Materials for the book were developed in the late 1960’s at the University of Michigan School of Social Work, where the first presenter began his teaching career in 1968. The second presenter supervised the administration and testing of the materials. The course content and testing materials were continuously revised and updated over the following years by both presenters, based on data related to student mastery of the content. The teaching model was influenced by the prominent educational technology at the time, including: (1) the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching at the University of Michigan; (2) the programmed instructional format of Skinner and Holland, and that of Geis, Stebbins, and Lundin; (3) Fred Keller’s Personal System of Instruction (PSI); and (4) Robert Mager’s influential publication on preparing instructional objectives. The first presenter will describe the methodology used to develop the materials and how they provided the basis for a textbook that has been revised over six editions. The second presenter will describe how the materials and resulting textbook were used in undergraduate, graduate and professional courses and seminars. Together, the two presenters will provide examples of their experiences using the textbook to teach behavior analysis. They will present the rationale for the organization and structure of the text and course, along with reasons for including and excluding specific content. The two presenters identify historical, methodological, and conceptual issues that formed the underpinnings of their unique approach to teaching behavior analysis, as well as how the model has evolved. The two presenters, one from a primarily academic perspective and the other from a primarily applied perspective, provide complementary viewpoints on this topic.

Individuals teaching behavior analysis or those training students and practitioners in behavior analysis.

Stimulus preference assessments are used to assess preference for stimuli and determine potential reinforcers. The current study investigates if Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches develop a preference for a food stimulus, and what factors influence that preference, such as exposure to the stimuli and its location. Four female Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches were used in a single subject analysis of food preference through a multiple stimulus without replacement preference assessment. Only Roach One had a consistent preference for a stimulus throughout the study. The other three roaches frequently switched between stimuli, and had highly variable results. The current study also evaluated if the cockroaches display a place preference for any one location in the apparatus. These results may indicate that Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches require specific environmental conditions to develop a steady preference. Future research could better evaluate if cockroaches develop a place preference or not. The results may also indicate that methodological changes could be made to better determine preference.

The current study was designed to investigate generalization of the activity anorexia model to different subjects and variables, as few studies have explored generalization in this area. This study was used to determine if deprivation of water affects animals activity similarly to deprivation of food as seen in the activity anorexia model. The effects of water deprivation on the physical activity in four adult female Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches was examined using an ABC single case experimental design. The three phases included a baseline phase with free access to food and water, an experimental phase with no access to water in their individual containers but access during sessions, and lastly an altered experimental phase with access to water every three days. Two subjects went through phases A, B, and C and two subjects went through an extended A phase leading into the C phase. Data showed minimal differences between activity level in water deprived subjects and subjects in the baseline phase. Altering levels of water deprivation in the C phase showed more variety in subjects responses. The results of this study are inconclusive and do not support the activity anorexia hypothesis.

Researchers have indicated that eye contact is important for typically developing infants. A lack of, or an avoidance of eye contact in infants can indicate developmental problems; one disorder particularly noted for this lack of eye contact is Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Infant eye contact is examined in an effective manner, in the context of the duration of the behavior and what stimulation is best for maintaining the behavior. Motherese speech and touch as well as motherese speech alone were used at the onset and off set of eye engagement and continued with the most effective stimulation. This study demonstrated how typically developing infants effectively engage in prolonged eye contact in contingency of motherese speech alone.