Association for Behavior Analysis International

Tai Chi Chuan is a slow-moving, meditative exercise good for health, relaxation, and self-defense. Tai chi is known primarily for its health benefits and promote longevity. Participants will be introduced to tai chi postures and principles of the Yang Tai Chi form, meditation in movement and postures to enhance internal energy (qi) flow in the body. For a weekend full of sedentary activities and intellectual challenges, Tai Chi can assist with relaxation of the mind and body. Please wear loose and comfortable clothes.

This is an annual ABAI business meeting where the leadership of the association will provide an update of ongoing activities and major developments. Attendees will learn from ABAI's president the direction of the ABAI council and from ABAI's CEO the status of finances and administration. Attendees will also hear from the board coordinators including Science, Education, Practice, Program, Membership, Affiliated Chapters, and Publications.

Two components of discrete trial teaching (DTT) that have garnered attention of researchers and practitioners alike are prompting strategies and stimulus order and placement of stimuli. This attention has resulted in recommendations for best practice and comparative research. Despite the increase in research and publication of best practice recommendations, numerous questions still require empirical research. This symposium includes two papers which examine the conditions under which DTT is most effective and efficient to teach receptive and expressive language skills. The first presentation discusses the comparison of two different prompting procedures to teach expressive labels for individuals diagnosed with ASD. The second presentation explores effects of stimulus order and placement as it relates to the acquisition of receptive labels for individuals diagnosed with ASD. Practical implications and future research will be discussed. The discussant will provide further considerations on how this research can be used in clinical settings and what is needed in future research.

Multiple prompting systems are available to the practitioner to teach expressive labels. Comparative studies provide the practitioner with information about the strengths and weaknesses of different prompting systems. This information can be invaluable when selecting a system that may work the best for each learner. This study compared the relative effectiveness and efficiency of no-no prompting to flexible prompt fading (FPF) for teaching expressive labels for children diagnosed with ASD. An adapted alternating treatment design was used to compare the two procedures and a concurrent chains schedule was used to assess the participants preference for the two procedures. The results are discussed in the context of practice and future research directions.

Some have recommended counterbalancing the array of stimuli (i.e., target and non-target stimuli) and the order of targets when using discrete trial teaching to teach receptive labels (e.g., Grow & LeBlanc, 2013). Although this method of counterbalancing has been referred to as best practice (Grow & LeBlanc, 2013, p. 58), it remains unclear if counterbalancing leads to improved learning, maintenance, and/or generalization. The present study compared the acquisition of receptive labels across three teaching conditions (i.e., counterbalance, fixed, and teachers choice). The counterbalanced condition consisted of arranging the stimuli based on best practice recommendations (Grow & LeBlanc, 2013, p. 58). The fixed condition consisted of leaving the stimuli stationary throughout each teaching session. The teachers choice condition consisted of arranging the stimuli however the teacher chose. An alternating treatment design was used to evaluate the effects of each teaching condition across five children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. The results are discussed in the context of practice and future research directions.

Aversive control has been implicated in clinical behavior analytic conceptualizations of psychopathology in a number of different forms. Aversive control involves both avoidance and conditioned suppression. Conditioned suppression is when a repertoire narrows under aversive control, such that avoidant behaviors dominate and an organisms positively reinforced behaviors decrease. Likewise, psychopathology is characterized by not only a range of avoidant behaviors, but also a disruption of goal-directed behavior, such that clinical behavior analysis tends to focus on shifting control from aversive to appetitive conditions. Conditioned suppression literature, however, has been directly examined primarily in animal behavior, and has not considered how derived relational responding might allow for transfer of suppression functions. The current paper will present data from a series of studies examining conditioned suppression in humans. Data supports both direct and derived conditioned suppression effects associated with aversive control with humans. Implications for assessment and treatment of psychopathology will be discussed.

Fear and avoidance characterize psychopathology in a number of different forms. This is purportedly attributable to how readily fear and avoidance functions are arbitrarily transferred to neutral or novel stimuli. In fact, several models within clinical behavior analysis emphasize aversive control through derived relational responding as pivotal in the development and maintenance of problematic behaviors. The clinical assumption that this is readily demonstrated by humans in therapy rooms does not mean, however, that it is easily reproduced in the lab. Multiple studies have demonstrated the transfer of avoidance functions across relational networks. The conditions under which transfer of avoidance functions does and does not occur, however, are not well understood. This paper will describe a series of studies which explore, in an iterative fashion, the boundary conditions of derived transfer of avoidance functions, along with a final successful demonstration of derivation of avoidance functions with apparent experimental control. Implications for continued scientific progress in understanding avoidance-based psychopathology are discussed.

Recent commentary at ABAI Conventions and in behaviorally-based popular media publications has highlighted the focus of applications of behavior analysis in developmental disabilities, particularly autism. While there is much to be said about the large-scale potential of our science and the value in diversification of our field, there is also much to be gained from the strong footing that we currently hold in organizations serving individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities. Within these organizations we may be likely to find real-life laboratory settings in which we can begin to conduct research in other areas of social interest including but not limited to environmental sustainability, leader-employee engagement, influence of values on behavior, factors impacting unemployment rates and social justice, and the expansion and development of educational technology that utilizes our science to improve the learning of individuals with and without autism. This symposium will provide 3 data-based presentations outlining work that has been done within such a setting- a public charter school serving individuals with autism in Toledo, OH.

The importance of effective leadership practices in context of anthropogenic climate change is well established by policy negotiators and there has been an increasing trend of organizations creating leadership roles to address environmental issues (Karlsson et al., 2011). Organizational change efforts focused on corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives often generate significant costs for organizations without contributing to desired results, and messages from leaders to stakeholders in organizations do not frequently align with performance related to those messages (Peloza et al., 2012). There has been limited research that systematically addresses how leader communication influences employee performance related to CSR goals (Brammer, Millington, & Rayton, 2007). Relational frame theory, a behavior analytic account of language, allows for analysis of verbal stimuli as motivating operations in context of leader antecedent communication to employee behavior. This study examined the relationship between a leaders verbal behavior and employee performance as related to individual employee values. In an analysis of employee reported values as related to human-caused climate change and effects of leader email communication on energy consumption based on those individual values, results provided compelling information about the potential utility of tailoring leader communication to employee values and provided findings that informed future research directions.

Professionals working on the Behavior Analysis field in Latin America come together to share their experience and objetives for the future.

Alcanzando is a not for profit organization that provides educational services based on the principles of applied behavior analysis to children with autism around the Spanish speaking world. This presentation is meant to share the data from their services over the last 8 years, to discuss ethical and cultural issues that had been encountered, as well as the solutions that have been and continue to be implemented. Data regarding acquisition of skills by students as well as staff will be shared.

Manos Unidas Peru is a registered Peruvian non-profit organization founded in 2008 as the first and only private/non-for-profit school for special education in Cusco, Peru. Today Manos Unidas Peru consists of three programs: ?Camino Nuevo? el Centro de Educacion Basica Especial Particular (est. 2009), The Inclusion Project for children in traditional classrooms (est. 2011), ?Phawarispa? vocational training program (est. 2014). This presentation is meant to share data regarding the obstacles encountered as well as roads to success built in these 8 years. Pre and post data of our students will be shared.

Centro Enigma is the first educational center founded in Ecuador to provide behavior analytic services to children in the Autism Spectrum. This presentation will discuss the Ethical and Cultural considerations as well as barriers we have encountered when providing services en Ecuador. Data from the programs for our students as well as staff will be shared.

Positive reinforcers such as social attention and tangible items are often included in preference and reinforcer assessments to identify effective reinforcers to be used in the treatment of problem behavior. It is also important for clinicians to evaluate the role of negative reinforcers during the assessment process, particularly for individuals with escape-maintained problem behavior. This study summarizes data collected from an indirect assessment about potential negative reinforcers, known as the Questionnaire of nonpreferred Events, Stimuli, and Tasks (QUEST), from twenty-five caregivers of children with severe problem behavior. The results of the assessment were then compared with the outcome of the childs functional analyses. Results indicated that 60% of the time, parents either identified items/events that consistently evoked problem behavior during an escape condition or reported demands were not a concern which was later confirmed during the childs functional analysis. Furthermore, 42.86 % of parents provided information idiosyncratic to their child that informed clinicians on how to design conditions for separate analyses which most reliably evoked problem behavior, such as specific Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), medical procedures, or receiving corrective feedback. The QUEST may be most beneficial to clinicians in identifying these idiosyncrasies prior to beginning the initial functional analysis.

A Norwegian national implementation strategy aimed to test and conduct a large-scale implementation of The Oregon model of Parent Management Training (PMTO) based on Gerald Patterson's Social Interaction and Learning theory. The program targets children with antisocial behavior and co-occurring problems and their families. A randomized trial demonstrated the effectiveness of the program, and identified central moderators, mediators and predictors. Fidelity to the PMTO model was found to predict child behavioral outcomes better than parent-reported treatment alliance. Several parents seemed to manage with shorter interventions, and the "Early Interventions for Children at Risk" program was designed for implementation in the municipalities. In line with findings from a study of the normative development of aggression, this adapted program targets children from the age of 3 years on. In sum, findings confirmed that PMTO principles and components could be successfully transported from US to real-world settings in Norway with sustained positive outcomes and maintenance of competent adherence. PMTO has been tested with positive outcomes in both individual and group trainings and in high and low dosages of treatment. The Norwegian project may serve as an inspiration for the testing and scaling up of evidence-based parenting programs in other countries, particularly in Europe.

Professionals interested in the effectiveness, implementation, and scaling up of parenting interventions for families with children with antisocial behaviour and co-occurring problem.

In 2013, Saville and colleagues examined whether group size affected course performance in an interteaching based classroom, and found there was no significant difference in course performance between the different sizes of groups. In this replication and extension, we increased the larger interteaching group size from four to six, maintained the small group size at two, and included additional measures of social validity. The students rated their groups each class as a group and individually. Additionally, teaching assistants rated their perception of group effectiveness based on responses to end-of-class questions by individual students. The current study used an alternating treatments design to compared weekly test performance and discussion quality between the small and large interteaching groups. The weekly quiz scores do not show a difference between the two group sizes; however, clear preferences for group size emerged. This paper will discuss the findings and implications of the social validity data.

In this study, the researchers contrasted the impact of interteaching with a traditional lecture on quiz grades and social validity metrics. The participants were two sections of students in a hybrid graduate experimental analysis of behavior course. Using an alternating design between each type of instructional technology and a split approach in which the two instructors were yoked in content and instructional technology for the first half of the semester and then had opposing technologies for the second half. The data demonstrate that the two sections performed near-identically when yoked on technology, and the divergence in the second half suggest that at the least, Interteaching is equivalent to the traditional lecture and that students tend to prefer it. This study demonstrates that Interteaching can be done in a fully remote or hybrid setup (students in class and remotely joined).

Despite the popularity of online coursework, little research exists to directly compare pedagogical strategies in the online higher education setting. In this symposium, two studies that investigated the effects of various online pedagogies are presented. In the first study, the authors examined the pair discussion component of interteaching in an online graduate rehabilitation course. The first condition included all key components of interteaching, whereas the second condition involved all components of interteaching, with the exception of pair discussion. The pair discussion condition resulted in higher student quiz scores, and social validity findings indicated the majority of students reported preference for interteaching with the inclusion of the pair discussion component than without. In the second study, a Psychology course was enhanced with elements of gamification (e.g., narrative, badges, goals, feedback). The authors compared the effects of the gamified online instruction to traditional online instruction. Results included mixed findings of effectiveness of the components of gamification compared to traditional online instruction. The implications of these two investigations to online teaching pedagogy will be discussed.

This symposium on “‘Talent’ Management in organizations and academia using behavioral assessments”, will include empirical reports of research in Organizational Behavior. The scope of the presentations spans across behavioral aspects of individuals, groups and organizations. The first presentation presents three different instruments that can be used to appropriately match employees to jobs including the decision-making instrument, perspective-taking instrument, and occupational interest scale. Thereby, improving the hiring, employee development, performance management processes. The second presentation explores how understanding the inherent interest required to be successful in academia can help aspiring academics make better career choices. The paper compares the interests of academics with those of aspiring academics- graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. The paper also discusses the possible approach to alleviate the problem of low supply of open academic positions and a large demand for it. Both presentations present ways to successfully match candidates to jobs using assessments. The basis for this work is derived from understanding the inherent characteristics of the jobs and people who are successfully performing them.

One of the main problems that most academics face is the classic economic problem of supply and demand: the disproportionate number of Ph.D candidates and Postdocs seeking permanent academic positions (supply), the available academic positions (demand). This has created competition amongst aspiring graduates as they scramble to advance in academia. While other studies examine external factors that give these graduates a competitive edge, they fail to identify whether the candidates actually have the right interests to thrive in academia. Using the Core Complexity Solutions (CCS) Holland Interest Scale, this study identifies that academics are high in Social (S), Artistic (A) and Investigative (I) interests. The frequency of the SAI trend is 56% in group 1 (professors) and only 36% in group 2 (Ph.D., Postdocs). Of the six interests, the highest interests of group 1 (professors) members were never Enterprising or Conventional. However, highest interests of group 2 members ranged across all six interests.Understanding this information would also help students understand if academia is the correct career choice for them even before pursuing a doctoral degree. This only leaves a limited number of aspiring graduates to pursue academia, thus alleviating the supply side of the problem.

Visual analysis is a cornerstone of single-case research, which is the primary methodology used in applied behavior analysis. The three data-based papers in this symposium will explore various issues related to the visual analysis of single-case data. The first paper will examine how authors have described visual analysis procedures and how visual analysis compares selected to non-overlap indices using the literature on parent-implemented function-based interventions. The second paper will evaluate the interrater agreement among experts and between experts and the conservative dual-criterion method (CDC; Fisher, Kelley, & Lomas, 2003) on published multiple baseline designs. The third paper will describe the development of a systematic protocol for the visual analysis and a group design study to evaluate the effects of the protocol on interrater agreement in visual analysis.

Single case research (SCR) has a long history of being used to evaluate behavioral interventions and identify evidence-based practices. Visual analysis is the gold standard for the evaluation of single case data. However, visual analysis might limit the ability of researchers to quantitatively aggregate and compare the magnitude of findings across studies to evaluate evidence-based practices. Further, although multiple protocols for visual analysis exist, the procedures are not standardized, which might lead to differences in conclusions about functional relations. Several computational methods have been developed and are increasingly being applied to SCR to provide a quantitative summary of the effects. Criticisms of these methods point to their inability to account for replication or magnitude, likely disagreement with visual analysis, failure to correct or account for typical data patterns (e.g., trend) or serial dependency. The purpose of the current presentation is to summarize the literature and evaluate the visual analysis procedures used across the literature on parent implemented functional assessment (FA) based interventions. Results indicated that visual analysis terms were inconsistently used across studies. Further, visual analysis procedures were described inconsistently and with few details. The non-overlap indices were unlikely to agree with the authors independent visual analysis of the results.

Several studies have reported poor agreement among visual analysts. One way to improve reliability may be to standardize the process of visual analysis. To that end, we developed a systematic protocol that consists of a series of questions, and that calculates a score from 0 (no functional relation) to 5 (strong functional relation) based on the analysts responses. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the protocol improves reliability compared with a rating scale. To date, 16 students and faculty who have taken a course on single-case research have participated (data collection is ongoing). We randomly assigned participants to the control group (n=9) or the protocol group (n=7). All participants rated 8 single-case graphs using the rating scale (pretest), and then rated the same graphs again using the rating scale or the protocol (posttest). We calculated the intraclass correlation coefficient for each group at each time point. At pretest, agreement was much higher in the control group compared to the protocol group. Both groups reliability improved at posttest, but the change for the protocol group was much larger, indicating that the protocol may improve reliability. Full results will be discussed along with implications for training and future research.

Persistent problem behavior with a propensity to relapse poses challenges to behavioral practitioners to develop more effective and durable treatments. Designing better treatments is difficult because a wide range of events contribute to behavioral persistence and relapse. Translational research offers a wide range of tools for isolating the processes involved in recurrent problem behavior and exploiting those processes when developing treatments. Basic research geared toward understanding problems of practical significance offers well-controlled conditions from which to assess systematically and thoroughly the learning and behavioral processes underlying treatment failures and successes. I will discuss how my colleagues and I have used basic research to understand the processes involved in the challenges of treating clinically relevant behavior.

Masters and Doctoral level BCBAs

This study investigated the perceptions of program coordinators of Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) approved course sequences. A survey about the content of these training programs was distributed via a BACB listserv, and 49 program directors responded. They reported on the coverage of an array of behavior-analytic content and the sources of their course readings. These participants also indicated whether content area coverage was sufficient, too little, or too much. There were many program directors who reported that particular areas do not have sufficient coverage (e.g., Behavioral Pharmacology, Biological Bases of Behavior, Organizational Behavior Management). Furthermore, several program directors reported that their course sequence does not adequately prepare students in basic research. These results suggest that the evaluation of behavior-analytic training content may be warranted to train well-rounded behavior-analytic professionals.

Skinner's (1957) analysis of language has much to offer clinicians interested in teaching verbal behavior to persons with autism. Much of the research in this area has emphasized the teaching of speaker behavior with less work dedicated to a thorough analysis of the contingencies operating on the behavior of the listener. Possibly due to this lack of attention, cognitive explanations of comprehension, understanding, and word recognition have persisted. A special form of multiple control called joint stimulus control may provide an alternative and cogent behavioral analysis of complex listener behavior. The purpose of this presentation is to provide an overview of the conceptual analysis of joint control and the basic and applied research that has followed. Video demonstrations of the teaching of joint control with participants from a recently published study and additional clinical applications will be presented to illustrate the implementation of joint control procedures in applied settings.

Behavior Analysts, Educators, Psychologists, Speech-Language Pathologists

Children with autism spectrum disorder characteristically have difficulties with generalizing acquired skills across contexts. Therefore, instructional practices often require explicit generalization programming strategies (e.g., incidental teaching, training natural behavior change agents, teaching multiple exemplars, programming common stimuli) to promote meaningful behavior change in children with autism. This symposium includes four data-based presentations and an overall discussion on creating natural learning opportunities for children with autism. Two of the presentations in this symposium, a single-case research study and a correlational study, primarily have implications for training parents and other natural change agents to use behavior analytic strategies. Data on parent and corresponding child outcomes are included. The other two presentations in this symposium, a single-case research study and a systematic review of the literature, primarily have implications for using naturalistic teaching and other generalization strategies alongside instructor-led teaching with massed discrete trials to promote learning. Data on skill acquisition and generalization are included. These presentations address teaching various skills to children including expressive language (e.g., tacting), receptive language (e.g., receptive identification), and adaptive skills (e.g., brushing teeth). This symposium will be useful for attendees with an interest in promoting early skill development and generalization for young learners with autism and other developmental disabilities.

Child reciprocal vocal contingency (CRVC) refers to the childs participation in reciprocal vocal interactions, which might aid speech and language development in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Applied to CRVC, a positive operant contingency occurs when the probability of child vocalization after adult vocal responses is greater than the probability of child vocalizations after other antecedent events. In this study, we propose a novel measure of vocal reciprocity that provides an index for the contingency of child vocalizations on adult response to the immediately preceding child vocalization. We used automated vocal analysis and 3-event (child vocalization -> adult vocalization -> child vocalization) sequential analysis to measure CRVC from 2 naturalistic, daylong vocal samples from 21 low-verbal toddlers and preschoolers with ASD and nearby adults. These long vocal samples produced statistically significant (p < .001) average CRVC scores with a large effect size relative to zero (Cohens d = 2.8) that were stable across 2 days (ICC = .78), and concurrently correlated with consonant inventory in communication acts, even when chance sequencing of vocalizations was controlled (partial r = .59). Diverse consonant use in vocal communication is a vital part of a versatile expressive vocabulary. More research on CRVC is warranted.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate a clinic based training package on parent generalization of applied behavior analytic (ABA) interventions to their home. Three parents of children with autism were taught to implement an ABA intervention using behavioral skills training plus video-based performance feedback. A multiple-probe across participants design was used to evaluate the effects of the parent training on the parents� implementation fidelity, as measured by the percentage of accurately completed items within a procedural fidelity checklist. Distal effects on child completion of target adaptive skill independence was evaluated. Results demonstrated that all parents met the pre-set performance criterion of 90% implementation fidelity within five sessions. Parent fidelity maintained at levels above baseline during follow-up phase. Preliminary child data indicates increased independence in completion of the adaptive skill. These results suggest that parent training using behavior skills training plus video-based feedback may be an effective method of promoting adaptive skill development in natural settings for children with autism spectrum disorder.

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder characteristically demonstrate interest in a restricted range of activities and often fail to respond to alternative environmental stimuli. These characteristics act as a barrier to learning important life skills. Strategies that motivate learners with autism to engage in alternative activities warrant development and exploration. One such strategy is incorporating interests into the learning environment to establish motivation and promote participation. The purpose of this single-case research study was to evaluate the use of interests as receptive identification targets for children with autism in the context of an intervention with added components. Overall outcomes demonstrate added effects of the embedded interest condition that correspond to increases in various indicators of engagement and generalization for two participants, while a third participants data is inconclusive. The outcomes of this study have implications for sequencing educational objectives and adding naturalistic intervention components to promote skill acquisition and generalization in early language learning programs for children with autism.

Discrete-Trial Training (DTT) is an applied behavior analysis application for teaching new skills to young children with autism. It is one of the first behavioral and data-based approaches that has been described in the literature as highly successful for children with autism. A concern frequently cited in the literature on DTT, however, is that the isolated and repetitive structure of DTT results in skill acquisition without generalization. This presentation will describe the current research-base of DTT studies that have incorporated generalization strategies, including multiple exemplar training; introduce to natural maintaining contingencies; NET/incidental and milieu teaching; mediate generalization; program common stimuli; and general case instruction. We will also illustrate modifications to DTT interventions derived from the research literature. These illustrations will be supported by child data on skill acquisition and generalization. We will conclude with a discussion of challenges and recommendations for addressing generalization on a regular basis for children receiving DTT.

Healthcare visits and routines often evoke anxiety or avoidance responses by children and adolescents with autism. These responses interfere with the provision of medical or hygiene care and might result in the use of restrictive procedures or medications. Research on treatments for problem behavior that occurs during healthcare visits and routines is limited. The current symposium includes four papers directed toward filling this gap in the literature. In the first paper, the authors developed and evaluated procedures for identifying and treating anxiety across a variety of health-related contexts. In the second paper, the authors treated phobia of physical examinations with a simulated physician and observed generalization to the childs pediatrician. In the third paper, the authors assessed the function of problem behavior and evaluated the effects of a dentist-implemented intervention on problem behavior during routine dental exams. In the fourth paper, the authors evaluated procedures to increase cooperation with routine fingernail grooming and observed generalization to the adolescents father.

Many individuals diagnosed with autism also are reported to have anxiety. From a behavior analytic perspective, anxiety is an emotion (part of which is a private event) consisting of a group of responses emitted and/or elicited in the presence of a specific stimulus that signals an upcoming aversive event. Treatment of anxiety often consists of procedures such as exposure, modeling, and differential reinforcement. The purpose of the current study was to develop a method for identifying and treating anxiety in children with autism. Three individuals with autism were asked to complete a behavioral chain which historically evoked anxious responding to identify whether or not it was likely that anxious responding reliably occurred. Subsequently, anxious responses were treated via prompting and reinforcing incompatible responding (i.e., relaxation) using shaping and gradually exposing the participant to anxiety-evoking stimuli while prompting the incompatible responding. A multiple baseline across contexts design was used. Results of the research showed that individuals tolerated anxiety evoking contexts with minimal to no problem behavior after intervention. Interobserver data were collected in a minimum of 33% of all conditions and mean total agreement was always above 85%.

Phobias involve both elements of respondent conditioning (elicitation of emotional behavior) and operant conditioning (avoidance behavior) and successful treatment should involve addressing both elements. In the current study we were referred a young child with autism who engaged in severe problem behavior associated with physician visits. We addressed both operant and respondent components of this behavior problem by (a) conducting a task analysis of a physician visit with physical, (b) differentially reinforcing compliance with each step of the task analysis, and (c) gradually increasing the task requirement to obtain reinforcement within a simulated physicians office environment. Following mastery level compliance with simulated physical examinations with multiple-exemplar physicians, we observed successful generalization to the childs pediatrician conducting a physical in their office.

Oral healthcare is essential for the maintenance of healthy teeth throughout an individual�s lifespan. For most individuals, complex dental procedures such as fillings and root canals can be challenging events. For children with autism, even a simple dental procedure, such as an exam, can be difficult and might result in problem behavior that interferes with the delivery of dental treatment. Although problem behavior exhibited during complex dental procedures may serve an escape function, assuming escape as the sole function for problem behavior during routine dental cleanings might result in less than adequate interventions. The purpose of this study was to (a) identify putative functions of problem behavior exhibited by three children with autism during a routine dental exam in a dental setting; (b) evaluate the efficacy of having a pediatric dentist and trained dental office staff conduct a trial-based functional analysis; and (c) evaluate the effects of an intervention package on problem behavior and successful completion of a routine dental exam. Results of the study indicated that problem behavior was maintained by social negative reinforcement (escape) for all participants and that problem behavior for two participants might have been maintained by escape to attention. Compliance for all participants increased and dental exams were successfully completed with the introduction of an intervention package that addressed putative functions.

Many children with disabilities engage in uncooperative behavior (e.g., noncompliance, problem behavior) during routine hygiene and healthcare procedures (Collado, Faulks, & Hennequin, 2008; Ellis, Alai-Rosales, Glenn, Rosales-Ruiz, J., & Greenspoon, 2006; Schumacher & Rapp, 2011). Uncooperative behavior and avoidance responses during these procedures might have detrimental implications for the childs health (Collado et al., 2008) and might result in the use of restrictive procedures or medication (Shabani & Fisher, 2006). Caregivers of children with disabilities frequently report difficulty grooming their childrens fingernails. The purpose of the current study was to replicate and extend the procedures of Shabani and Fisher (2006) to routine fingernail grooming with an adolescent diagnosed with autism. Our results indicated that differential reinforcement alone was insufficient to reduce avoidance behavior during fingernail grooming. Differential reinforcement plus stimulus fading produced low to zero levels of avoidance responses, problem behavior, and negative vocalizations during fingernail grooming. These findings are consistent with those reported by Shabani and Fisher (2006). Additionally, behavioral skills training (based on Marcus, Swanson, & Vollmer, 2001) was used to teach the participants father to implement the treatment procedures. Implications for clinical practice will be discussed.

Play is one of the core deficits of children with autism. Impairments in play impact communication and language, cognition, and social and emotional interactions. Appropriate independent and sociodramatic play skills are critical to the development of social skills. Children who do not learn to play may miss out on opportunities for social interactions due to observable differences in their play. Increasing appropriate play has been shown to increase language skills while decreasing stereotopy and other problem behaviors. Play is an integral part of the development of typically developing children and should be an emphasis in behavioral intervention for children with autism. The ACI Play Protocol incorporates a systematic approach to teaching preschool-aged children appropriate play skills and language. Play components, which include appropriate play with figures (dolls/stuffed animals), adults, and peers are taught using individualized treatment packages. Specific skills included abstract play with and without objects, rotating between play schemes, combining items from 2 or more play schemes, initiating, responding and expanding on current play targets.

There is a connection between high quality play and cognitive competence, language acquisition, and proficiencies in social abilities for individuals with autism. Wolery, 2002, states more appropriate intervention strategies are identified through assessment of play. Interventions to increase one aspect of play for children with autism have been the focus in the field of behavior analysis. Studies have utilized a variety of interventions (antecedent manipulations, system of least prompts, video modeling) to increase the complexity of functional play, decrease stereotopy, or engage in pretend play schemes. Play should be a separate domain and used as the primary emphasis in assessing and program development for children with autism (Lifter, K. 2011). Learning the play activities and corresponding vocalizations of typical peers identifies developmentally appropriate programming for individuals with autism. The purpose of this study was to assess the pretend play skills of typically developing preschool-age children, ages 2 -5. Typically developing boys and girls were video-taped playing in a designated play room with 15 play schemes (e.g. ice cream shop, camping) engaging in independent and sociodramatic play opportunities. Researchers coded the play using a specified developmental play sequence to identify the play actions and vocalizations across the age spans.

Research identifies a number of complex stages in the typical developmental sequence of play (e.g. pretend-self, single scheme sequences). Teaching children diagnosed with autism appropriate play skills requires isolating the individual components within each stage of play to acquire, maintain and generalize the target skill. Deficits in play are linked to poor social relationships, limited expressive language and high rates of stereotypic behavior. The purpose of this study was to utilize the developmental sequence of play and evaluate the effectiveness of teaching a series of 9 components encompassing the first developmental stage of play. Least-to-most prompting was used to teach single play actions and vocalizations to 3 male children diagnosed with autism, ages 3-5. All 3 children were taught play actions to self, to figures, and acting as the figures across 3 categories; familiar (e.g. brush hair), observed (e.g. hold phone to ear), and community (e.g. give baby a shot). Abstract play, responding and initiating exchanges with peers were also targeted throughout the 9 components. A multiple baseline across participants was conducted. The outcome of this study demonstrated the efficacy of the 9 teaching components as steps to teach all 3 children single play actions with corresponding vocalizations.

Children with autism are often able to emit functional play skills under contrived circumstances, supporting that the deficit in spontaneous play is due to the acquisition, rather than the production of play. Individuals diagnosed with autism commonly engage in perseverative and stereotypic play. The purpose of this study was to utilize the developmental sequence of play and evaluate the effectiveness of using a systematic approach delineated into 9 teachable components. Individualized treatment packages incorporated the use of behavioral interventions including priming, script fading, or video modeling. Each participant was taught 7 play actions and corresponding vocalizations including responding, initiating, and expanding play while rotating and combining play schemes. A multiple baseline across participants study was conducted with 3 males diagnosed with autism, ages 5, 5 and 6. The outcome of this study demonstrated the efficacy of the 9 teachable components (independent play, active figure play and play with peers) from the developmental sequence of play to teach a chain of 7 actions and corresponding vocalizations to all 3 participants.

Study #1: Teaching a basic skill such as matching can be very challenging for children with severe developmental delays. However, teaching basic skills such as matching and sorting can be beneficial to the childs educational foundation. This current study examined the effectiveness of a visual modification when teaching basic matching skills to a 3.1 yoa child with severe developmental delays including autism and other genetic diagnoses. The visual modification consisted of blank pieces of 8x11 paper, dark-lined boxes drawn on 8x11 paper, lighter versions of the same box on the paper, and a blank tabletop. The visual modifications were systematically faded by lightening the boarders of the boxes on the sheets of paper and then in order to ensure correct responding with gradually more and more independence. The results showed that the child learned to match up to 32 different identical items using the visual modifications. The visual modifications were able to be successfully faded out within 30 training sessions. Following discrete training, this child was also able to match in an increased field (FO2 to FO3), match novel items, and match 2D to 3D and 3D to 2D items after the visual modification was successfully faded. Study #2: The second study conducted was to evaluate how basic matching skills taught in study #1 can generalize to receptive language skills. After the matching targets were mastered, receptive skills were targeted such as Give me (item). Specifically, we were interested in evaluating if we could teach basic language skills using receptive programs for the same child with severe delays using the same items from the previous matching program. The receptive programs included the SD Give me (item) all in a field of 2 stimuli Step 1: SD with visual item available in RBT possession Step 2: SD with a visual flash of the item requested (3-5 seconds) Step 3: SD with out visual present Thus far, the data show receptive language skills were acquired for 1 of 5 items introduced. The child is able to give the correct item when given the SD Give me (item) with out a visual present. Data collection is ongoing as we increase the number of items for receptive identification. Limitations include a possibility of item memorization, and high sessions to acquisition, FO2 not FO3.

Behavior-Analytic intervention is difficult to disseminate among the population affected by autism, in developing countries such as Brazil, due to its high cost. Because of that, Behavior-Analytic intervention is still not accessible to a large portion of the affected population. Previous research has shown that parent-implemented intervention may be one effective alternative format of intervention for a considerable number of families. In the current research, we search for experimental data comparing efficiency of parent-implemented intervention to intervention implemented by professionals. Two children diagnosed with autism (Luke and Lucelle) participated, as well as their caregivers, and three professionals. The professionals were psychologists who were engaged in the Graduate Program on Theory and Research of Behavior, at the Federal University of Par (UFPA). All caregivers participated in an instructional videomodeling training program to implement DTT. The independent variable was the implementation of intervention programs by caregivers versus by professionals. The dependent variable was the child's performance accuracy. Each child was given training with both parent and professional implementation for different targets of all intervention programs. For example, for Program A, target A1 and A2 were taught by professionals and A3 and A4 by parents. For Program B, targets B1 and B2 were taught by parents and B3 and B4 by professionals. A multiple probe experimental design (with alternation of treatment) was used. For Luke, no difference of acquisition was observed between targets taught by parents versus by professionals. For Lucelle, when some difference was found, it was based on the fact that she mastered some of targets more quickly with parental implementation than with professional implementation. One possible explanation is that the social pairing between this child and her parents is stronger than with professionals. The overall data confirm that parent-implemented intervention is as an alternative to disseminate Behavior-Analytic intervention to autism. Future research will investigate the profile of families suitable for this intervention format.

Recent research has pointed out that caregiver-implemented teaching is a promising tool to disseminate behavior-analytic intervention in developing countries such as Brazil (with little governmental support for that issue). Parent-implemented intervention may make high quality intervention more accessible to the affected population. This paper presents data from a study using an online-based learning system and evaluating its efficacy on teaching one parent of a child with autism (Vanessa) and an undergraduate student (Sandra) to implement discrete trials. The dependent variable was the implementation accuracy of teaching programs. The independent variable was the exposition to an online-based system, comprising instructional videos about 1. Discrete trials; 2. Prompting Procedures; and 3. Correction Procedures, and questionnaires about them. Once a final questionnaire about all modules was answered correctly, the participants implemented the programs with a confederate (intervention), and after achieving at least 85% of accuracy in two consecutive sessions, programs were implemented with children with autism (generalization phase). Vanessas performance increased from 60% in the baseline phase to 98,5% in the last intervention session. Sandras performance increased from 63% in the last baseline session to 98% in the last intervention session. By this research, we can develop a promising procedure to reduce the presence-based workload throughout this process, in order to make possible for the behavior analysts to disseminate this type of intervention a wider portion of the population, in developing countries, where there is little availability of qualified professionals for that purpose.

We describe two experiments evaluating the impact of different reinforcer rates for alternative behavior (DRA) on the suppression and post-intervention relapse of target behavior, and on the persistence of alternative behavior. Both experiments arranged baseline, intervention with extinction of target behavior concurrently with DRA delivered according to signaled VI schedules, and post-intervention tests of resurgence or reinstatement, in two- or three-component multiple schedules. The first experiment, with children exhibiting problem behaviors, arranged an intermediate baseline reinforcer rate and rich or lean signaled DRA in two components with different therapists. During treatment, both rich and lean DRA rapidly reduced problem behavior to low levels, but post-treatment relapse was generally greater in the DRA-rich than the DRA-lean component. The second experiment, with pigeons, repeated the signaled DRA conditions after baseline training. Target behavior decreased to low/intermediate levels in both DRA-rich and DRA-lean components. Post-treatment relapse was directly related to DRA reinforcer rate as in the preceding study with children. In both experiments, the persistence of alternative behavior was either the same or greater in the component with the leaner signaled DRA schedule. Thus, the findings of clinical application with children and the reverse translation to pigeons converge to suggest that infrequent signaled DRA may be optimal for effective clinical treatment, and raise questions for basic research about the role of the signals in diminishing the effects of alternative reinforcement on target behavior.

Trial-based functional analyses (FA) are highly pragmatic assessments because programmed trials are brief and experimental control can be established following minimal problem behavior. Given these advantages, trial-based FAs appear to be particularly well suited for teachers confronted with persistent challenging behavior in schools. Notwithstanding, relatively few studies have highlighted practical applications of trial-based FAs and little is known about how best to use this technology to generate optimal outcomes in applied settings. The first presenter will highlight a streamlined approach to data analysis that allows a single practitioner to serve as both therapist and data collector while using latency-based FA data as baseline for a systematic and comprehensive treatment validation process. The second presenter will highlight data extending this intervention model to a two-component compound-schedules trial-based FA conducted in a public classroom with other children present. The third presenter will discuss recent advances in synthesized contingency analyses, will highlight advantages of these analyses in school settings, and will present data demonstrating how these analyses might be conducted within a trial-based framework. The final presenter will highlight ways to triangulate the results of indirect, descriptive, and experimental analyses (including trial-based FAs) during the functional behavior assessment process in school settings.

Trial-based functional analysis (FA) procedures are a promising alternative to standard FA procedures when concerns about safety and/or sustained control over environmental variables are raised. However, research on teacher implemented trial-based FAs is limited and it is unclear how to use trial-based FA results as baseline for subsequent treatment evaluations; especially when challenging behavior is multiply controlled. The purpose of the current study was to train a public school teacher to conduct a trial-based FA while tracking latency to first response during each segment of each trial. During intervention, we used latencies to desired, and challenging, behavior from the onset of relevant establishing operations (EO; collected during the trial-based FA) as baseline for subsequent treatment validation procedures in which we systematically synthesized treatment components for each verified function into a single intervention. The teacher conducted 30 trial-based FA trials (10 trials per condition) with fidelity, and intervention was effective at reducing problem behavior and increasing replacement behaviors for our participant. Additionally, teacher report suggested that the results and procedures were socially valid.

Recent research has begun to explore variations in functional analysis methodologies including the use of trial-based models and more recently the use of synthesized contingencies in functional analysis of challenging behavior. In a synthesized contingency, multiple putative reinforcers are delivered simultaneously contingent upon challenging behavior. This is in contrast to more traditional functional analysis methodologies in which the each putative reinforce is delivered individually. Thus far, this research has produced mixed results regarding the validity of synthesized functional analyses with synthesized contingencies. The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate an efficient and sensitive functional analysis model which capitalizes on a trial-based format with both synthesized and individual contingency analyses. Functional analysis procedures and results for participants diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. The validity of the functional analysis results were assessed in a match-to-treatment fashion. Implications for future research and practice are presented.

Trial based functional analysis (TBFA) is a variation of functional analysis methods where brief trials across control and test conditions are interspersed within naturally occurring routines. This experimental analysis is particularly well suited for identifying the function of problem behavior in general education classrooms, and it can be implemented by teachers following minimal training. However, other functional assessment methods involving indirect and descriptive approaches are more common in educational settings, and there is not yet consensus about which assessment approach may be most appropriate in these contexts. We conducted functional assessment/analysis using four methods (indirect, descriptive, trial-based, and traditional functional analysis) with a 5-year-old female diagnosed with autism in an inclusive preschool classroom. Using the data from our four assessments, we (a) conducted a demand analysis of instruction and transitions within the TBFA to identify the function of the problem behavior and (b) implemented functional communication training within a reversal design to confirm the TBFA-identified function. Our results demonstrated a functional relation for a single behavior. These findings allow comparison of results across different methods of assessment, show how intervention can validate TBFA findings, and illustrate how follow-up analyses can improve the sensitivity of TBFA data in the classroom.

This paper is concerned with the analysis of contingencies controlling the behavior of two organisms simultaneously. In doing so we return to a problem of historic interest in behavior analysis, but on which there has been little recent experimentation. Two pigeons were trained to respond on a cooperation task. The task was to peck simultaneously on two metal disks located at either end of a rod which was attached to a wooden toy firetruck. These pecks moved the firetruck down a wooden track. In the terminal performance, reinforcement was delivered when the truck reached the end of the track. Beginning with adapting the pigeons to being in a social environment with one another, a variety of problems were encountered in shaping the cooperative behavior. One of the most difficult problems was coordinating the individual responses toward the common goal of moving the truck. This and other problems will be discussed and illustrated with video clips showing the problem behavior and its resolution. The final cooperative behavior was achieved after several months of training.

This symposium highlights three recent studies evaluating variables that affect the assessment and treatment of observational learning deficits by people with autism and developmental disabilities. In the first study, researchers compared the use of adult models versus peer models on the learning of long response chains via observational learning. All participants showed faster acquisition in the presence of peer models as opposed to adult models. In the second study, observational learning responses including attending, imitation, delayed imitation, and consequence discrimination were first assessed in all participants. A multiple baseline design across five tasks (i.e., hidden item, computer game, academic, construction toy, and building) was used to evaluate the effects of video modeling on the acquisition of observational learning responses. Post training measures showed that all participants learned to engage in observational learning responses across all five tasks with the implementation of the video model. In the final study, researchers incorporated known and unknown stimuli into observational learning training. When targets known to the participant were used, participants learned to continue to respond correctly despite correct and incorrect responses modeled by adults. When targets unknown to participants were used, participants learned to imitate modeled responses that were followed by reinforcement, and to say, I dont know when modeled responses were followed by punishment. All three studies demonstrate the importance of evaluating factors that contribute to observational learning and the value of incorporating observational learning protocols into instruction.

We compared the effectiveness of a peer and staff model on observational learning by four adults with developmental disabilities. An alternating treatment design was used to evaluate the effects of a staff-as-model and peer-as-model condition. Results indicated that all four participants acquired the skill at a faster rate in the peer-as-model condition. Generalization and maintenance of the skills acquired with both models was also evaluated. Implications of programming for observational learning in education and habilitation settings are discussed.

Observational learning is a critical repertoire that is likely necessary for the acquisition of certain social behavior and learning in educational settings. Catania (2013) defined observational learning (OL) as learning from observing anothers behavior and subsequently emitting behavior based upon the consequences that followed the models behavior. Although OL occurs early in typically developing children, research has found that OL may be limited in children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In MacDonald and Ahearn (2015) following an assessment of prerequisite skills for OL (attending, imitation, delayed imitation, and consequence discrimination), these skills were taught with prompting and reinforcement to children with an ASD who did not reliably demonstrate OL to produce OL across a variety of tasks. The purpose of this project is to replicate the assessment and treatment procedures in MacDonald and Ahearn and to examine whether OL can be assessed with video modeling. Following assessment of OL skills, three participants diagnosed with an ASD acquired OL with video modeling and demonstrated across- and within-task generalization. IOA was calculated in 33% of sessions across participants with a mean of 98%.

Although the number of behavior analysts is increasing in other countries, many families with a child with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) do not have access to high-quality service providers. However, increases in accessibility to and advances in technology provide a promising solution. This symposium includes three projects that evaluated the effects of training delivered by U.S.-based behavior analysts via telehealth on the accuracy and outcomes of adults implementing evidence-based treatments. Participants included parents and therapists of children with an ASD residing in various European countries. Adults were coached using components of behavioral skills training, including e-learning modules, in-vivo coaching, or a combination of these procedures. Direct-observation measures were used to determine the adults accuracy with implementing the target treatment and decreases in child problem behavior. Across the projects, successful outcomes were obtained. These studies provide evidence supporting the efficacy of behavioral skills training delivered via telehealth, regardless of adults native language and geographical location. These applications also serve as models for increasing access to certified behavior analysts in underserved areas of the world.

Even though evidence based Applied Behavior Analysis services are widespread in the United States of America, service delivery is still a challenge for some countries like Georgia-Sakartvelo in Eastern Europe. There is little appreciation that ABA can significantly contribute to childrens development, and there are very few trained specialists who can provide this service. One solution to the challenge of providing services to remote and underserved areas is to incorporate the communications technology of telehealth. This study is a demonstration that an intercontinental telehealth coaching improved the mastery of therapists intervention skills and increased targeted verbalizations by children with autism. Three therapists delivering and three children with autism receiving early-intervention services in Tbilisi participated. A bilingual consultant provided coaching to therapists in Georgia-Sakartvelo from Virginia, USA while observing home therapy sessions via communications technology. The multiple-baseline, across-participants design was used to evaluate the effects of the intervention. Therapists demonstrated improvements in two classes of behaviors: correct command sequences and positive consequences. The children demonstrated improvements in echoics and mands. Interobserver agreements for these results were 89%-99%. The study demonstrated that telehealth can be a good model for delivering early-intervention services to children with autism in underserved regions of the world.

A growing body of research demonstrates that medical and psychiatric concerns can affect the frequency and intensity of problem behavior for individuals with autism (May & Kennedy, 2010; Lowry & Sovner, 1992). This symposium will discuss how behavioral data collection and behavioral assessment may be beneficial in diagnosing and treating underlying conditions. Psychiatric disorders such as Panic Disorder, Anxiety, and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder can present behavioral symptoms, which can be measured to aid in diagnosis. It can be difficult to accurately diagnose psychiatric disorders in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) due to the challenges inherent with the developmental disability (e.g. communication impairment) and the overlapping clinical presentation of ASD and certain psychiatric conditions. If the behavioral changes caused by these underlying conditions are accurately measured, however, these data may improve clinicians diagnostic capabilities. Thus, analyzing the environmental variables related to the individual's problem behavior will lead to quicker access to correct medical treatment, more appropriate pharmacological interventions for psychiatric conditions, and more robust behavior analytic treatments.

A population based study found that 44% of individuals diagnosed with autism have also been diagnosed with a comorbid emotional disorder (Simonoff et al. 2008). Although more than 70% of individuals with ASD are diagnosed with intellectual disability, the majority of research on psychiatric comorbidities in the ASD population focuses on individuals with average intelligence quotients (Matson & Cervantes 2014). Since most diagnoses are based on structured interviews and self-report questionnaires, the nature of ASD symptoms makes it difficult to accurately diagnose comorbid psychiatric issues, especially when the individual also has an intellectual disability (Lecavalier et al. 2014; Mazefsky et al. 2011). In this study, a synthesized functional analysis (Hanley et al. 2014) involving one control condition and one test condition (i.e. blocking self-restraint plus escape from a disruptive environment) was used to identify the function of combined inappropriate behaviors and also led to a diagnosis of panic disorder in an individual with ASD. In a second participant, daily data collection on target problem behaviors, responding to social initiation, acceptance of food, and compliance led to a diagnosis of PMDD. Data from additional assessments of anxiety disorder and depression will also be presented.

The purpose of the paper is to examine the process of learning during the formation of stimulus equivalence and categorization. Categorization is a basic idea; Humans tend to categorize their ideas, perceptions, actions and language (Lakoff, 1987). Responses of similar events and objects are selected and reinforced in different ways. These ways are equivalent to prior learning and this learning can be attributed to similar future events. The responses mastered in different ways are assigned to a response class, which tends to hold many characteristics from prior events and tends to transfer them to future events which ultimately conform to the same class or category (Zentall, Galizio, & Critchfield 2002). Findings of Ackerman (2010) confirmed that learning trials of match to sample across all 5 senses for acquisition of sameness, ultimately led to capacity of sameness with novel stimuli thus demonstrating a process of categorization. Wilkinson and McIlvane (2001) intended to resolve formation of categorization through distinguishing between the symbolic linguistic and rote-learned relations. Hayes, Barnes-Holmes, and Roche (2001) findings also demonstrated a bias for individuals not met before, during the process of the formation of stimulus equivalence and categorization. Trends in behavior analysis have been set to empirically analyze to understand bias in human behavior and language. Will educational methods reduce prejudice once bias have been formed through formation of categorization? Has the constant reinforcement of stereotypes in culture strengthened bias derived relational responding? Is there a correlation between the suppression of prejudice and disturbing thoughts over a span of time?

Although standard functional analysis (FA) conditions are often sufficient for identifying behavioral function, procedures may need to be modified for individuals who have rapid and idiosyncratic requests for various reinforcers. Previous research has indicated that certain individuals with these characteristics may have an adult compliance with mands function (Bowman et al., 1997). Despite the clinical utility for identifying when assessment for this function may be warranted, there is a paucity of research in this area and few guidelines for clinicians. Seven participants with autism and histories of severe problem behavior were included in this study. FA results revealed that all participants problem behavior was maintained by adult compliance with mands; however, unique data patterns were observed in other test conditions. The effectiveness of treatments was evaluated using reversal designs. Treatment primarily emphasized stimulus control for mands through the use of multiple schedules that alternated between periods of differential reinforcement and extinction, but were embedded within multilayered treatment packages. Results will offer guidelines for the assessment and treatment of behavior maintained by adult compliance with mands, and how procedures may differ from when they are applied to other functions.

The brief experimental analysis (BEA) model has demonstrated efficiency in quickly comparing multiple interventions to determine effects on academic skills prior to extended evaluation (Wilber & Cushman, 2006). However, additional research is needed to determine whether the BEA is efficacious for empirically identifying interventions to treat severe problem behavior, and whether results accurately predict interventions associated with the largest and most sustained treatment gains over time. This study included 3 participants diagnosed with autism who were admitted to an inpatient unit for the treatment of severe problem behavior. A BEA was conducted to determine potential interventions for escape-maintained problem behavior. Four interventions were briefly compared: non-contingent reinforcement (NCR) with food, NCR with toys, differential reinforcement of other and alternative behaviors (DRO/DRA) with food, and DRO/DRA with toys. Conditions from the BEA associated with the lowest rates of problem behavior were further evaluated during demand fading. Results from a reversal design indicated that treatment interventions identified within the BEA were successful at maintaining low rates of problem behavior over time; however distinct patterns emerged during demand fading for some participants. Discussion will focus on how to further apply the model to use data to select treatment components prior to extended evaluations.

Experimental functional analysis (EFA) is considered the gold standard of assessment when evaluating the function of a challenging behavior. There are numerous peer-reviewed articles demonstrating the use of what many clinicians consider a traditional EFA and variations such as trial-based functional analysis (TBFA), latency to first response, or EFA of precursor behavior. This symposium will highlight procedural integrity as it relates to implementation of EFAs. During the first discussion, Ridgway and colleagues discuss the frequency with which authors report procedural integrity during EFAs. Additionally, data will be presented regarding the frequency with which authors report recording of inter-observer agreement on procedural integrity data collection. Rue and colleagues will follow with a review of training board certified behavior analysts (BCBAs) to implement an EFA. Specifically, the authors will present procedural fidelity data when novice BCBAs implement a traditional EFA and generalize to a TBFA. LoVullo and colleagues will present data demonstrating the impact of varying procedural integrity during a traditional EFA. The symposium will allow for a discussion of the importance of monitoring and reporting procedural integrity during EFAs and implications for practice.

The degree of procedural integrity of a functional analysis may impact the results obtained. As intervention procedures are designed based on the results of a functional analysis, the effectiveness of an intervention may be dependent on the degree to which the functional analysis was implemented with integrity. We reviewed studies on the functional analysis of problem behavior from 1961 to 2012 previously included in Beavers, Iwata, and Lerman (2013) and Hanley, Iwata, and McCord (2003) to identify the number of studies that include procedural integrity data and interobserver agreement data for procedural integrity data. Of the 110 studies reviewed thus far, 23 studies (21%) included procedural integrity data, 2 studies (2%) stated that procedural integrity data were collected, but were not reported in the article, and 2 studies (2%) reported that trainer behavior was monitored to ensure integrity, but no data were reported. Of the 23 studies that reported integrity data, eight (35%) included interobserver agreement data for integrity data. Eighteen (16%) of the 110 studies reported that the functional analysis was conducted by a trained individual, but only 8 of those studies included data on procedural integrity. Implications for practice and future research regarding procedural integrity will be discussed.

Results of a recent survey of over 600 behavior analysts indicated only 77% received formal training in the use of experimental functional analysis (EFA). Further, 63% of board certified behavior analysts (BCBAs) indicated they never or almost never used an EFA in practice. The objective of the current study was to determine if BCBAs could generalize the ability to implement a trial-based experimental functional analysis (TBFA) following training focused on traditional EFA methodology. Three BCBAs with no experience implementing EFAs acted as participants in the study. The independent variable included formal training in EFA methodology. The dependent variable was level of procedural integrity during implementation of a traditional EFA and a TBFA measured in a multiple baseline design. Participants implemented the traditional EFAs during a mock assessment. Participants implemented the TBFAs in an applied setting with clients diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Initial results indicate that participants can implement traditional EFA methodology with relatively high levels of integrity. Results suggest two participants demonstrated challenges maintaining levels of integrity above 80% during the demand and control conditions. Participants will likely require additional feedback to maintain procedural integrity above 80% accuracy during TBFAs. Implications for training and practice are discussed.

The generalized matching law (GML) provides a parsimonious account of choice during game-play in sports. The GML, when log transformed, suggests that selection amongst multiple alternatives is a linear function of the relative rate of reinforcement produced; research has demonstrated that the GML is predictive of behavior allocation across a variety of professional sports (e.g. baseball, basketball, football, and hockey). The current study made use of a data set of soccer penalty shootouts published by Chiappori, Levitt, and Groseclose (2002) and analyzed the data using the generalized matching equation. Analyses were conducted given a choice paradigm for both kickers and goalies, entailing three alternatives (e.g. kicking or blocking to the left, center, and right). Results indicate a bias away from kicking toward the center for kickers, and a similar bias in goalies responding, for staying out of the center. Additionally, goalies results suggest poor matching for single response alternatives, but a strong relationship when responses were aggregated. Implications of the results will be discussed related to the parameters of the use GML, the applied use of archival data, and the influence of rule-governed behavior on side selection in penalty shootouts.

An extensive body of literature exist promoting repeated readings as an effective practice for developing students reading fluency. Repeated reading (RR) procedures are consistent with the procedures recommended by Haring and Eatons (1978) Instructional Hierarchy for promoting students fluent responding to newly learned stimuli. An extensive body of literature also supports RR as an effective practice for promoting students reading fluency of practiced passages. Less clear is the extent to which RR allows students to read those same words presented in new passages. The current study employed a randomized-control design procedure in order to examine the maintenance and generalization effects of three interventions, each of which provided students with repeated opportunities to practice high and low frequency words. The condition differed in the extent to which words were practiced within the same versus different passages. Across the 130 students for whom data were analyzed, results indicated that increased opportunities to practices words lead to greater maintenance effects when passage were read 7 days later but minimal differences across conditions in students reading of target words presented within new passage.

We assessed childrens gains in oral reading fluency following intervention on 3 training passages that differed in word overlap (low, high, multiple exemplar) with an untrained generalization passage. We also calculated various classification accuracy statistics when predicting performance on the generalization passage from the training passages. Participants were 77 white third-grade students randomly assigned within classrooms to the three conditions. Results showed significantly larger gains on the training versus generalization passages with no significant differences between conditions. We also found a larger increase in the percentage of students who read the generalization passage with no errors after training on the multiple exemplar passage. Using cut scores of 100 words correct per minute at post-test, performance on the training passages had high specificity, positive predictive power, and negative predictive power in relation to performance on the untrained generalization passage. Sensitivity was low with more than half of the students who failed to achieve mastery on the generalization passage reaching criterion on the training passages. Implications for school-based intervention teams as well as future research are discussed.

Federal mandates require that teachers implement evidence-based practices (EBP) in their classrooms; however, these practices are inconsistently implemented in both general and special education settings. Although intended to address this research-to-practice gap, teacher professional development opportunities are typically delivered in ineffective, one-shot formats. To address the need for effective professional development targeting EBP implementation in schools, this study examined the effects of a treatment package on teacher use of behavior-specific praise statements (BSPS). Specifically, this study used a multiple baseline across participants design to determine whether a functional relation exists between a professional development package incorporating video modeling and teacher rate and integrity of BSPS in general education classrooms. Eight general education elementary teachers participated in a six-week training series consisting of watching video modeling clips, practicing BSPS, and receiving feedback on BSPS delivery. Data were collected on rate of BSPS and the integrity with which teachers delivered BSPS throughout typical classroom routines. Results indicated a functional relation between the training package and rate and integrity of BSPS. Implications related to effective educator professional development and video modeling as a facilitative tool for educator skill acquisition and treatment integrity are discussed.

Health Promotion (Wellness) clearly needs more Behavior Analysis and Behavior Analysts. Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is a highly-developed practice based on a significant body of scientific knowledge. It grew out of B.F. Skinners Radical Behaviorism. ABA is perfect for wellness work due to its willingness to deal with consciousness as it does any other behavior. ABAs goal? Improve socially meaningful behaviors to a useful extent. In health promotion, this practical approach applies to wellness programming using an Antecedent, Behavior, Consequent (ABC discriminated operant) model. The clear distinction between incentives and reinforcers lends additional strength to the ABA approach. As of today, ABA has been vastly underutilized within corporate wellness programs. This presentation will emphasize what Behavior Analysts can contribute to corporate wellness. Its specific emphasis is on program design, lifestyle coaching and cultures of health. It will incorporate many ABA concepts and tools and through them explain why current wellness and health promotion programs do not yet produce all of the results of which they are capable. The presentation demonstrates how ABA can develop and foster ongoing healthy behavior at both the individual and population levels.

At the ABA annual meeting in 1998 (Orlando, FL) a panel discussion asked, "Will the best in behavioral safety systems please step forward?" The panel discussed methods for detecting and shaping quality applications of behavior science to work safety. In subsequent years, the CCBS (Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies) developed and implemented a process to assess and accredit management systems resting on principles of behavior. Accreditation was earned by numerous sites demonstrating (1) a documented behavioral program with foundations in scientific work (2) achieving safety outcomes that are the best in the their industry and (3) sustained for at least three years. Over 20 sites in the US and UK have earned CCBS accreditation since 2003; some multiple times via re-accreditation. This session reviews the accreditation process, highlights the data from 43 site assessments and considers future directions to better shape quality via program review by a third-party, independent commission of behavior science experts.

In instructional texts, response differentiation and stimulus discrimination procedures are usually treated separately, but shaping inherently establishes discriminative control by proprioceptive and other stimuli automatically and differentially produced in the emission of effective and ineffective response forms; antecedent control by response-produced stimuli inheres in shaping. In many cases, effective shaping might not require a specification of the discrimination of response-produced stimuli generated under differential reinforcement; other problems might demand a more fine-grained analysis. One such problem might be that of altering the variability/stereotypy of a response form, in which differential reinforcement may be viewed as establishing the discriminative and conditional reinforcing potency of the stimuli produced in the inchoate emission of acts that are either similar to, or different from, those recently emitted. When control by such stimuli is weak, procedures specifically designed to enhance the SD and S? functions of stimuli produced by repetitive and non-repetitive acts might be of substantial utility. Recent experiments indicate that the differential reinforcement of repetition or non-repetition indeed generates discriminations of the criterion-defining dimensions of response-produced stimuli of effective and ineffective acts, not undifferentiated novelty, and that interventions designed to alter stereotypy/variability might be rendered more effective by the facilitation of such self-discrimination.

Researchers in basic behavioral processes, professional applied behavior analysts, advanced students

This presentation addresses some of the most common ethical issues behavioral practitioners encounter when providing home-based and school services. As the numbers of BCBAs have grown over the last few years and ABA services funding increased, behavior analysts are increasingly exposed to ethical dilemmas that may jeopardize their certification or license. The presenter shall complete a data based overview of some of the most common ethical complaints encountered by related human service professionals enforced by state regulatory boards. The presentation also highlights survey data based on ethical challenges experienced by practicing behavior analyst. The presenter will also provide analysis of state behavior analyst licensing regulations cross referenced to the BACB compliance code. Finally, the presenter shall provide strategies for dealing and responding to ethical issues commonly encounter by practicing behavioral professionals. This workshop addresses a variety of ethical and best practice issues: in-field supervision of paraprofessional staff, appropriate discharge/termination of cases, fraudulent billing, school consultation, documentation of services, informed consent, misrepresentation, punishment as intervention, and maintaining of clinical records.

Licensed BCBAs, graduate students.

Obtaining grant funding can provide opportunities to conduct meaningful research, facilitate collaborations with researchers in other fields, and may be pivotal for academic tenure. Due to the breadth of the areas in which behavior analysts conduct research, opportunities for funding abound. Behavior analytic training, however, may not include grant writing and development, and even behavior analysts who learn about such topics may have questions as they consider writing their first grant. This Professional Development Series panel will introduce attendees to the grant world and provide general recommendations for those interested in seeking grant funding. Three expert panelists will discuss how they have successfully navigated the grant world as behavior analysts. They will provide insight from their diverse perspectives across the basic to applied research continuum. These panelists will provide tips and recommendations from their unique experiences as behavior analysts in the grant world. The audience will then have an opportunity to ask their own questions and request advice from the panelists.

When stereotypic pacing occurs at high rates among carnivores in human care, it can replace other species-typical behaviors. Additive enrichment strategies have often been employed to mitigate this behavior. A multiple baseline across contexts design was used to evaluate the effects of additive enrichment strategies, as well as the opportunistic introduction of a social management strategy, on stereotypic pacing in a geriatric female African Lion. Caregiver-recorded rates of stereotypic pacing were reduced from 80-100% of point scans during baseline to 0-20% of point scans after introduction of the social management strategy. This study provides an example of caregiver-directed evaluation of behavior change in a zoological setting. The successful strategy occurred opportunistically and evaluation of its effect was only possible because caregivers were already evaluating other strategies. This study demonstrates the utility of data-based decision making for behavioral management of animals in human care. The study demonstrates the utility of single-case evaluation methods for answering questions about the application of environmental enrichment strategies to the behavior of individual animals.

The behavior of staff and the environmental conditions in which staff work impact the quality of services being delivered and, subsequently, client outcomes. Recent research has documented that pre-intervention assessment (e.g., Performance Diagnostic Checklist-Human Services; PDC-HS) can lead to improved outcomes regarding staff performance. This symposium includes recent studies that incorporate pre-intervention assessment activities to foster professional skills and service quality. Hodges et al. evaluate the psychometric properties of the PDC-HS and document its reliability and validity for assessing staff performance problems. Mueller et al. describe the Caseload Management Support System, a functional assessment and intervention guide, to help practitioners better manage their client caseloads. Grauerholz-Fisher et al. promote quality of care in an autism clinic by developing and implementing interventions based on several pre-intervention assessment activities. Finally, Merritt and DiGennaro Reed implement an intervention based on PDC-HS results to address staff tardiness in an autism school. The collective findings support the use of pre-intervention assessment to inform organization- and staff-level interventions.

The Performance Diagnostic Checklist Human Services (PDC-HS) is a 20-item questionnaire about possible antecedent and consequent variables that might be correlated with the occurrence of employee performance issues in human service settings. Items are organized into 4 domains based on contingencies that may maintain performance issues. We assessed the interrater reliability of the PDC-HS through independent administration to groups of raters with varying levels of behavior analytic competency (i.e., RBT, BCaBA, and BCBA) using video vignettes of potential employee performance issues in an autism therapy setting. Additionally, we assessed the test-retest reliability following a period of at least 2 weeks, along with the content and social validity of the video vignettes. Overall, the results suggest that the PDC-HS is a valid and reliable tool for personnel with varying levels of behavior analytic competency to assess performance problems. High content and social validity measures were obtained as well. Potential uses of the PDC-HS in various organizational settings are discussed, as well as limitations.

A nationwide survey conducted by CareerBuilder.com found that 20% of workers reported they arrive late to work at least once per week. Employee tardiness imposes financial costs on an employer and may have adverse effects on staff morale and the services the organization provides. To date only four published studies have addressed employee tardiness, and only one of these used a pre-intervention assessment to inform the intervention. The purpose of this study is to develop a performance management intervention to address staff tardiness based on the results of the Performance Diagnostic Checklist-Human Services (PDC-HS; Carr, Wilder, Majdalany, Mathisen, & Strain, 2013). Specifically, the study aims to reduce tardiness of teaching assistants employed at a school that provides educational services to children with autism. During baseline, the number of minutes that staff were late ranged from 0 to 222 (M = 17.53). Next, we will administer the PDC-HS to supervisors and participants (November 2016) and introduce a function-based intervention using a multiple baseline design across participants (December 2016). Results are anticipated to show that the PDC-HS is able to identify an effective intervention that maintains over time.

As behavior analysts it is our duty to provide quality care while following our ethical code, but there may be times where the environment makes this a difficult challenge. Our ethics state we must use language understandable by the recipients of our craft, however working in a border town often means providing services to families where English is a second language if even spoken at all. To overcome this challenge, we have implemented strategic staffing by having at least one team member who works with the family that can also speak the native language of the family, in addition to a lot of patience from all parties involved. The results fostered trust in our services and increased family participation in our programs. These results are likely able to be generalized, however providing services to a family that does not speak your same language should only be practiced when there is no better option.

Different cultural groups tend to have different ways of interpreting the world and the events that happen within it (Hill, Carjuzaa, Aramburo, & Baca, 1993; McIntyre & Silva, 1992). Verbal behavior is described as being being behavior which is reinforced through the mediation of the other people (Skinner, 1957). But what happens when the speaker and listener speak different languages, or have different cultural beliefs? What happens if the listener is unable to appropriate discriminate the speakers verbal stimuli in a way in which the speaker understands? Can the supervisor still reinforce the verbal behavior of the supervisee?As a Korean BCBA working primarily with Korean American families, I have experienced receiving supervision from a supervisor from an outside culture. Similarly, I have also provided supervision to supervisees who are from a different culture. From my experience, the literal language barrier is just one of the many considerations that must be given when attempted to bridge cultures and ensure a successful supervision experience.

Interteaching is a relatively new behavioral teaching method with a growing body of empirical evidence to support its efficacy. Interteaching promotes student preparation by requiring students to complete study questions which guide them through a unit of course materials prior to class. During class meetings, students are divided into small groups, and the majority of class time is dedicated to encouraging active student engagement via peer discussion of the study questions. Instructors facilitate discussions by moving among the groups and providing guidance and clarification on topics. Lectures are brief and focused on clarifying material reported as difficult by students following the discussion. The use of interteaching methods in higher education settings has resulted in higher exam scores, increased student participation in class, and more positive course evaluations. Students also report enjoying interteaching more than traditional lectures. This review will provide a summary of interteaching, a brief review of research in the area, and possible directions for future empirical inquiry.

Compared to lecture format, interteaching (Boyce & Hineline, 2002) typically results in higher-class attendance and student engagement (Saville, Zinn, Neef, Norman, & Ferreri, 2006). Interteaching encourages critical thinking, promotes better knowledge retention of course content, and stimulates higher student satisfaction and grades (Goto & Schneider, 2009; 2010). Still, this teaching format is novel and often uncomfortable for many university students and faculty when first implemented. This presentation will focus on a successful transition from traditional lecture format to interteaching in two classes: one section each of undergraduate and graduate level child psychopathology courses. Findings reveal a significant positive correlation between student grades on preparation guides and student ratings of the quality of their interteaching groups (r = .86, p < .001). Likewise, preparation guide grades are positively correlated with professor ratings of student activity within the groups (r = .49, p < .001). Results suggest students believe interteaching to be helpful to understanding lectures (74% say highly so), and they find clarifying lectures more beneficial when they are given the same day as the interteaching session on the topic. Additional data on pragmatic issues, along with study limitations and implications will be discussed.

Recent trends interrelating the global economy and socially significant practices pertaining to health, education, violence, immigration, and sustainability, highlight the role of behavioral variables as among the key factors influencing socio-cultural change. While behavior analysts have long held an interest in understanding and intervening on these complex socio-cultural phenomena, our ability to do so has progressed slowly, as we have attempted to analyze and assess the phenomena of interest. This symposium will provide a set of scholarly discussions and empirical demonstrations that are designed to aid our design of new models of stewardship and open opportunities for innovation while adjusting to growing social upheaval, and environmental crises.

Socially significant issues continue to gain attention on both the national and global stages, with recent trends associated with immigration, xenophobia, women’s rights, women’s pay, women’s general treatment, and sexual orientation/gay rights, among many others, capturing the spotlight, especially in political elections, both domestically and abroad. Other social issues have already been a part of the national conversation for decades, including obesity, poverty, and racism and discrimination, although the latter has reemerged as a critical example of social injustice. An important piece in the progression of our ability to address these issues is the assessment of implicit bias, which is now a common buzz word that can be heard daily on news radio (e.g., NPR) and in recent presidential debates. In addition to assessing and identifying implicit attitudes and bias, understanding some of the factors that contribute to the development of these implicit attitudes is also an important step toward ultimately developing interventions on the social issues of interest. This presentation offers empirical data on the assessment of various implicit attitudes among a large sample of medical students, and discusses ways by which these data may serve to inform eventual assessments and interventions pertaining to other socio-cultural issues.

In previous presentations, I have spoken about the actions of five individuals and the contextual variables that resulted in the creation of the Mexican Muralist movement—the largest movement of its type since the Renaissance. This revolutionary movement left an historic and public record of Mexico’s social and political circumstances in the first half of the twentieth century. In this presentation, I explain why the movement emerged in 1921 and declined by the mid-1950s. By drawing upon the behavior scientific perspective and associated units of analysis, I describe the murals and illustrate the contextual variables in the movement’s evolution. Many cultural phenomena present similar characteristics and this analysis might aid in understanding them.

Climate change is seen as an accelerating problem challenging the earths population with human behavior being a driver of change. Prevention of climate change fades as an objective not likely to be achieved before impacts soon affect millions of people. Attention turns to adaptation to new eco-systems as leaders seek policies that help populations respond to climate changes. Climate change is defined as a super wicked problem as (1) time is running out (2) those who cause the problem seek to solve it (3) there is no central global authority to manage solutions and (4) humans discount future consequences. This paper considers the behavioral dimensions of policies that might offer a step-wise, iterative approach to preparing communities for accelerating climate changes and enabling humans to adapt to what lies ahead. Policies that interlock behavior and constrain consumption of energy-demading resources are likely to transition populations from unsustainable lifestyles to more adaptive behavior. It is recommended that these policies originate within leading communities (early adopters), generate data allowing determination of benefit, are codified to permit replication, attract investors, and expand to mid and late stage adopters. This aligns with methodologies used in behavior analysis and offers a route towards globalization of effective behavior change technologies that constrain our path to an unsustainable future.

In this talk, we will discuss using a unique treatment package utilizing a Teaching with Acoustical Guidance (TAGTeach) procedure paired with a multiple reinforcement schedule to decrease motor stereotypy in a 15-year old boy diagnosed with autism. TAGTeach has been effective in both neurotypical and special needs populations. We will discuss the use of positive reinforcement upon specific occurrences of behavior using an acoustical aid. The acoustical aid was used to reinforce incompatible behavior, hands to side and hands together during transitions, which were chosen based on the operational definition of stereotypy. The acoustical aid was also used during transitions to decrease elopement, requiring the client to have shoulder alignment with the instructor. We used a multiple reinforcement schedule to signal a condition where stereotypy was a free operant as part of the client's treatment program. We will discuss our results, which showed decreased levels of stereotypy across multiple settings, as well as an increase in appropriate transitions. We will also discuss our implications of this study as it suggests new technology to use in treatment of specific behavior change in autistic populations. We will also discuss the limitations of our treatment regarding the types of problem behavior that can be treated with this technique as well issues regarding generalization.

The symposium includes three presentations on training staff to implement behavioral technologies for consumers with autism spectrum disorder. The first study evaluated the use of video modeling with voiceover instruction and on-screen text plus performance feedback to train implementation of stimulus preference assessments. All staff mastered the preference assessments and demonstrated high levels of generalized responding. The second study evaluated the use of enhanced data sheets to reduce teacher error patterns related to teaching auditory-visual conditional discriminations. The results indicated that the enhanced data sheets resulted in a decrease in error patterns. The third study trained teachers to implement discrete trial teaching using behavioral skills training. All teachers implemented discrete trial teaching with high integrity and adequately trained paraprofessionals to implement discrete trial teaching. Presenters will discuss findings in light of previous studies and provide avenues for future research.

Behavior analysts frequently use stimulus preference assessments to identify putative reinforcers for consumers with autism spectrum disorder. The current study evaluated the effect of video modeling with voiceover instruction and on-screen text (VMVOT) and performance feedback to train staff to implement the multiple-stimulus-without-replacement, paired-stimulus, and single-stimulus preference assessments. Generalization probes with a larger stimulus array and with an actual consumer were conducted. The results indicated that VMVOT may be a useful prelude to in-vivo training approaches, as all staff mastered the preference assessments and demonstrated high levels of generalized responding. This outcome is discussed in light of previous staff training studies and avenues for future research.

Teaching receptive identification to learners with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) requires careful consideration. Simple instructional errors, such as arrangement of materials, can slow skill acquisition and unintentionally result in a learner response bias to position or stimulus. In the context of teaching receptive identification, best practice recommendations suggest rotating the target stimulus across trials, conducting an equal number of trials with each stimulus as sample, and counterbalancing placement of comparison stimuli in the array across trials (Grow & LeBlanc, 2012). In the current study, we evaluated the use of enhanced data sheets to reduce teacher error patterns related to practice recommendations for teaching receptive identification of skills to students with ASD. Three teachers participated in an evaluation of traditional and enhanced data sheets utilizing a multiple baseline design. Results indicate that participants were not consistently counterbalancing placement of comparison stimuli across trials prior to the implementation of the enhanced datasheet. Following implementation of the enhanced data sheet, placement of target stimuli and comparison stimuli were counterbalanced with 100% accuracy. Implications for use within the classroom will be discussed.

Behavior analysis is first and foremost the study of reinforcement and not all reinforcement is equal. The effects of many reinforcers are determined by their physical properties but for humans with sophisticated verbal repertoires, the verbal behavior of the subject can have substantial effects on the potency of reinforcers. The topic of values is rarely addressed by behavior analysis and yet most every human identifies with values in some way. Furthermore, some effective behavior analytic interventions, such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, incorporate verbal behavior manipulations that directly target values, to significant effect. Despite the clear importance of addressing values, there is no consensus on what values are, if anything, in a science of behavior. This symposium brings together two papers that address this question, by analyzing values as verbal behavior that describes broad classes of potential future consequences and which has significant function-altering effects on later stimuli. Thus, values are conceptualized as verbal events that have motivating operation and rule functions. The symposium concludes with a discussion by Dr. Timothy Weil.

Contacting ones values and engaging in behavior consistent with those values has been associated with improved physical and mental health, increases in quality of life, and increases in overall well-being.?Values have long been implemented in psychological treatments, but there seems to be little known about valuing in terms of behavioral processes. For example, it is unclear how valuing affects behavioral variability and sensitivity to changing contingencies in one's environment.? Because valuing is a verbal process, it could function to dominate control of behavior, desensitizing individuals to potential contingencies that could support more effective action. On the other hand, appetitive control is traditionally with more broad and variable behavioral sensitivity across repertoires.? The purpose of this study was to examine the effects that derived values functions have on behavior in response to changing contingencies. Participants who underwent relational training to establish derived values functions for arbitrary cues performed better and showed more sensitivity to changing reinforcement than participants for whom cues were meaningless.

Children with developmental disabilities often emit avoidant behavior in the presence of stimuli associated with certain contexts and settings (Schumacher and Rapp, 2011). These conditioned aversive stimuli are often correlated with necessary medical procedures and personal hygiene routines, i.e., dental exams (Lee, Graham and Hughes, 2008); wearing of prescription prosthetics (Deleon et al., 2008; Richling, 2011); and haircuts (Schumaker and Rapp, 2011). Successful avoidance of these procedures can have deleterious effects on the health and well-being of the individuals emitting these avoidant behaviors. Missed or incomplete dental exams can lead to increased tooth decay and other related health concerns. Refusing to wear the prescribed prosthetics that would correct visual and hearing impairments for extended periods of time can delay development in various domains including motor and communication skills (Kiani & Miller, 2010). Refusing or receiving partial haircuts can lead to negative social stigmatization. This symposium summarizes the effects of treatment packages in increasing compliance with these necessary procedures.

Individuals diagnosed with intellectual disabilities often suffer from concomitant visual and hearing impairments (Nielsen, Skov, & Jensen, 2007; Kiani & Miller, 2010). This population often refuses to wear the prescribed prosthetics that would correct visual and hearing impairments for extended periods of time (Haugen, Aasved, & Bertelsen, 1995). These impairments can delay development in various domains including motor and communication skills (Rine et al., 2000, Kiani & Miller, 2010). This study investigates the effect of a treatment package on individuals compliance with the simultaneous wearing of eyeglasses and hearing aids. The treatment package consisted of noncontingent reinforcement, response cost and response blocking based upon the findings from the functional analysis. A component analysis was completed, which suggested that NCR was the necessary component to maintain wearing of both the hearing aid and eyeglasses for sufficient durations of time. The treatment package was then thinned from a continuous schedule to the terminal schedule which was based on an existing schedule within the participants 24 hr plan. These changes in behavior were generalized across environments and therapists.

Historically, children with autism spectrum disorder have difficulty with medical procedures including, but not limited to, routine dental exams. Lee, Graham, and Hughes (2008) found that more than half of the patients with autism exhibited uncooperative/negative behavior during dental exams. Research has shown that reinforcement schedules and shaping procedures can be effective in increasing positive behaviors and teaching skills. The current study examined the use of differential reinforcement during a dental desensitization program to increase compliance with dental cleanings across several students diagnosed with autism. Baseline was conducted for each individual to determine toleration of dental cleanings. Preference assessments were conducted to determine potential reinforcers. Differential reinforcement was implemented for completion of steps within a task analysis comprised of actions that are completed during a routine dental exam based on a set schedule of reinforcement. As progress was achieved, the schedule of reinforcement was thinned. Reinforcement has been thinned completely for one individual in the study. Differential reinforcement has proved to be effective within this desensitization program.

Minimal research has examined treatment effects for haircutting with individuals diagnosed with developmental disabilities. No research has examined treatment effects for individuals who engage in high intensity challenging behavior to escape the task of haircutting. This treatment package aimed to increase independence with the skill of haircutting while decreasing the overall duration of the haircut and rate of challenging behavior. Prior to assessment, the participant engaged in high rates of challenging behavior when haircuts were attempted and duration of haircuts could extend up to 8 hours before completion. Multiple interventions had been unsuccessful in increasing independence or decreasing challenging behavior prior to this presented treatment package. The treatment package consisted of avoidance from aversive stimuli, non-contingent reinforcement (NCR), and reinforcement for engaging in independent haircutting. Results showed that the treatment package reduced levels of challenging behavior during haircuts, decreased the overall duration of haircuts, and increased independence with haircutting behavior. The treatment was successfully generalized across environments and the primary caretakers were faded in as therapists. Follow-up probes showed that the participant had maintained low durations with haircutting and low levels of challenging behaviors associated with haircutting for over 2 months.

While sexual behavior is not inherently problematic, contextually inappropriate sexual behavior can be harmful to both clients and communities. The purpose of this symposium is to present perspectives of those who have worked in the areas harmful or problematic sexual behavior, and to examine data-based decision making and ethical considerations for the clients and communities they serve.

A multi-component behavioral intervention (MCBI) was associated with a reduction in severe problem behavior, including harmful sexual behavior in some young people attending a residential program in a rural area of the UK. Those young people who adhered to the program earned access to the internet and social media and also participated in staff supported community-based activities such as attending college and work experience. These young people were also allowed to travel further from the school to go to, for example, the cinema, sports events, and restaurants. Those young people who did not adhere to the program by not demonstrating consistent levels of safe and appropriate were denied access to some of these activities. The ethical considerations of denying young people access to age-appropriate activities will be discussed.

The technology of Behavior Analysis has yielded significant societal benefits through structured, systematic services in controlled settings. However, there is an increasing need for services in homes, schools, and community settings. Access to well-trained, experienced interventionists in these settings is less likely than in clinical settings. This symposium examines novel approaches to the training, coaching, and professional development of a variety of interventionists available in these settings. As the quality of services offered by these agents in more naturalistic settings increases, target behaviors are more likely to be generalized and maintained thereby increasing the quality of life and long-term outcomes for our clients.

Social skills training is critical to the success of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, many schools struggle to find the personnel with the expertise to be able to deliver effective social skills instruction. In this study we identified typical school personnel to deliver a social skills intervention. Researchers trained the school personnel to deliver the intervention and measure the effect of the intervention on the social interactions of the students with ASD. The social skills intervention included picking up students from lunch and beginning a lesson. Then continuing the lesson on the playground and giving the student a goal to work on during recess. Students were observed and their behavior recorded during recess. We also measured the fidelity of implementation of the intervention and report on the level of support required for the school personnel to implement with fidelity. We found that with minor support, school personnel successfully implemented the intervention and had a positive effect on students with ASD

Most behavior analysts would agree that new technologies can help advancing behavior analysis. It is certainly appealing to integrate new developments in electronics and manufacturing techniques, such as 3d printing, into the study of behavior. Taking the steps to actually do it, however, can be challenging. Selecting the right tools from the vast array of choices and learning how to use them, aside from consuming time and money, could take behavior analysts away from their main interest: the study of behavior. During the time that I have been working with 3D printing and electronics, I have identified inexpensive electronic devices and have encountered and created free-distribution software that are not only readily available but can also be used with minimum effort. In this talk I will describe such components and software and will show how electronics and 3D printing technologies can be combined in the design of simple inexpensive devices that can be used for recording and reinforcing responses in basic or applied settings. The rationale followed to assemble such devices could be extended to integrate other electronic components that could help behavior analysts identify responses and present stimuli in varied and innovative ways.

Students and scientists with a knowledge of the principles of behavior analysis

The current study evaluated the effects of staff training using a video model with voice over instruction plus feedback to implement multiple stimulus without replacement preference assessment and a behavior chain interruption strategy in a multiple-baseline design across participants. The dependent variable was the percentage of correct responses on undergraduate students implementation of a preference assessment and behavior chain interruption procedure. Procedural integrity, Interobserver agreement on procedural integrity and inter-observer agreement data were collected on 50% of sessions across all measures and ranged from 90-100%. The results demonstrated that in baseline there was low to no correct responses, baseline with written instruction demonstrated higher responding. Once the video model was implemented the participants reached mastery criterion on 100% correct steps within three sessions. A treatment extension was evaluated for skill acquisition of child participants diagnosed with autism from ages seven to nine. University undergraduate students scored 95% or higher for percentage of correct responses and both of the child participants met mastery criterion across two consecutive sessions within five sessions.

Discontinuous data collection procedures such as momentary time sampling (MTS) and partial interval recording (PIR) provide practitioners with an alternative to continuous data collection. However, many studies on the accuracy of MTS and PIR are not conducted in applied settings and do not consider human error. The present study compared the use of MTS and PIR in a classroom setting using three teacher-student dyads, aiming to identify the procedure that had the least methodological and human error when used by teachers collecting data on stereotypy. Methodological error was measured by comparing teacher-collected estimates to duration data coded from video. Human error was quantified by calculating teachers' treatment integrity (TI) of an instructional protocol and their interobserver agreement (IOA) for each discontinuous data collection method. This study also compared the social validity of these procedures by examining teacher perceptions and preference. Results indicated that PIR significantly overestimated the occurrence of stereotypy, while MTS yielded accurate estimates. All three teachers erroneously perceived PIR to be more accurate than MTS. Results for human error indicated that these teachers maintained high TI and IOA. Lastly, findings from the present study suggest that the factors that affect preference are complex and vary across individuals.

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) has been implemented most often in the field of developmental disabilities and autism spectrum disorders, but there are several other areas that would greatly benefit from research and practice in ABA. The purpose of this panel discussion is to provide insight into pioneering ABA outside of autism treatment and research. The speakers within this panel will provide information on the need for conceptual training in university programs, and how to venture into other fields and make a significant impact in new areas. The panel will conclude with an opportunity for audience members to ask questions regarding topics related to ABA outside of autism.

Usage-based theories see language as a complex adaptive system: the interaction between history the processes that shape how languages are passed from one generation to the next and human psychology the set of unique social and cognitive capacities that allow generations to learn a language in the first place. I will argue that findings from language acquisition research, typology, and psycholinguistics are converging on the idea that language is fundamentally built out of use and generalizations over those usage events. Interestingly, none of the fundamental mechanisms of the usage-based approach are required to be a language-specific adaptation. Language shows creativity, categories, and recursion because people think creatively, categorically, and recursively. I will discuss a range of experimental, corpus and observational work showing that understanding the developmental of language acquisition can benefit from integrating the developmental of non-linguistic faculties, such as executive control, categorization and social-reasoning.

Researchers and practitioners interested in theories of language

The current symposium will focus on extending previous research on the treatment of pediatric feeding problems. The first presentation provides an evaluation of treatment components designed to treat rapid eating. The second presentation focuses on extending reinforcement-based treatments for children of typical development who engage in selective eating habits. The third presentation provides an overview of reinforcement and extinction used to treat food selectivity in children with autism and provides data on changes in food preferences following those treatments. The final presentation also examines reinforcement and extinction in the treatment of food selectivity with a focus on changes in preference and generalization to untreated foods. Participants will obtain an overview of various treatments for feeding problems across different presenting problems and populations. Directions for extending prior literature and the current studies will be discussed.

Rapid eating is exhibited by both typically developing persons as well as individuals with developmental disabilities and is considered to be a potentially dangerous and socially inappropriate behavior (Favell, McGimsey, & Jones, 1980). The rather limited behavior analytic research on rapid eating has demonstrated that the use of prompts and vibrating pagers (MotivAider) may be an effective and unobtrusive intervention package to reduce the pace of eating (Anglesea, Hoch, Taylor, 2008; Echeverria & Miltenberger, 2013). This study evaluated the use of a vibrating pager combined with a rule for reducing the pace of eating in one adolescent female diagnosed with autism in a multiple probe design across two settings (clinic and home). The primary dependent variable was inter-response time (or time between bites). Results indicated that inter-response time did not increase from baseline levels until after a vocal prompt to wait was introduced. The participants eating pace quickly came under control of the vibrating pager and prompts were naturally faded in the clinic setting. Implications for promoting autonomy in individuals with developmental disabilities will be discussed.

This study extends the research on the effects of simultaneous and sequential food presentation methods with children who are picky eaters. The sequential presentation method examined in this study differs in portion size from previous examinations of this method. In this study, an age-appropriate sized portion of non-preferred food (NPF) is presented as an appetizer before the participants preferred food (PF) is presented. Participants were required to consume their NPF before gaining access to their PF (i.e., dinner). This Appetizer Presentation Method is compared to a simultaneous presentation method called, Total Meal Presentation. This presentation method closely resembles a typical meal in most households. In the Total Meal Presentation, a whole portion of both the PF and NPF were presented together on the same plate and the participants were allowed to eat what they choose. Two participants, Lars and Marshall are typically developing brothers, ages 6 and 3, participated in this study. The Appetizer Presentation Method, was effective in increasing consumption of NP foods for both participants. Data and participant characteristics will be discussed as they relate to the effectiveness of the Appetizer Presentation Method for varying levels of picky eating and food selectivity.

Food selectivity and refusal behavior remain a prevalent problem especially in children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. Differential reinforcement combined with escape extinction is often used to treat food selectivity (e.g., Piazza, Patel, Gulotta, Sevin, & Layer, 2003). Escape extinction is effective in treating pediatric feeding problems, yet is often implemented across several foods simultaneously. Thus, the purpose of the current project was to examine the generalization effects of a nonremoval of the spoon procedure on generalized consumption to nonpreferred foods with similar or dissimilar properties as the treatment food. The current study evaluated implementation across one food at a time for four separate subjects and measured pre- and post-treatment preference changes. Implications for research and clinical practice for long-term treatments will be discussed.

Prevalence of speech errors in the autism population is placed between 24 and 33% ( Rapin, Dunn, Allen, Stevens and Fein, 2009; Cleland, Gibbon, Pepp, OHare, and Rutherford, 2010; Shriberg, Paul, et al., 2001). While several Behavior Analytic studies address early vocalizations and communication in the autism population, very few such studies address the profound articulation problems faced by children in the spectrum. Speech Sound Disorders present a formidable barrier to further speech development. This Symposium presents successes in this clinically important area with 3 experimental papers on specific behavioral technologies covering Sufficient Response Exemplar Training, Phonetic hand prompting methods and Precision Teaching procedures. A conceptual paper introduces a behavioral perspective to interpretation of speech sound disorders, their classification and assessment challenges.

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at a higher risk of being affected by speech disorders and often require remedial intervention. SufficientResponse-Exemplar Training of vocal imitation was used to successfully teach two typically developing children to articulate several Norwegian words with blends (Eikeseth and Nesset, 2003). The present study extends and adapts these procedures to children with Autism. Participants were a 11-year-old boy and a 15-year-old girl, both with ASD and speech sound disorders. For each participant 3 sets of 10 words, with specific blends they had difficulties with in the initial position were targeted for training. Within stimulus prompts, shaping, chaining and supplementary prompts were added to the intervention. A multiple baseline across behaviors (word sets with target blends) demonstrated improvement in articulation of trained words and generalization of correct articulation to untrained words in both participants. This study provides support for the value of sufficient response exemplar training in addressing speech sound disorders in children with ASD.

Improving speech intelligibility in children with autism with limited vocal repertoires is the focus of many early intensive behavior programs. Phonetic hand cueing systems are commonly promoted in commercially available speech-language products (Carahaly, 2012; Kaufman, 2007; Strode, 1994), however; research on effectiveness is limited (Hall and Jordan, 1992, Jordan 1988, Klick, 1985, Stelton & Graves 1985). This study examines the effectiveness of phonetic hand cues as a stimulus control transfer procedure to improve articulatory precision in a six year old with autism and limited vocal behavior. Results revealed rapid acquisition of 20 hand cues, steady acquisition of 248 single word echoics when hand cues were used as an antecedent prompt, and an increase in words and phrases improved when hand cues were used as error correction during natural environment training. Results of formal assessment of speech production skills by an independent speech-language pathologist revealed a reduction in errors on the Hodson Assessment of Phonological Targets Third Edition from 194 to 57 errors over a 10 month period. Results confirm previous case study findings that phonetic hand cues may be an effective intervention in promoting speech production skills in children with autism with limited vocal repertoires.

Fluency Training emphasizes rate as a preferred response dimension (Binder,1996) with evidence that learning to perform a component skill accurately at high rates could lead to faster acquisition of composite skills (Binder 1996; Johnson and Layng,1994). KS a 17 year old girl with autism and profound speech sound disorder participated in this delayed multiple baseline across behaviors study. Single consonant- vowel sounds tu, and fu were targeted and trained using Precision Teaching procedures (Lindsley,1964) and Standard Celeration charting. Rate of correct responses accelerated from low levels in baseline to over 40 per minute with intervention. Errors decelerated to zero for tu and 8 per minute for fu. Non-timed assessments of articulation at the composite levels of words demonstrated improvement from 30% to 100% for words with tu and 0% to 47% for fu sounds. Intervention is scheduled to begin on ku sound with low baseline rates correct. Additional participants have been identified for replication. The role of cues within precision teaching sessions, setting a realistic aim, generalization to composite level or other untrained words will be discussed.

Articulation for better intelligibility in children with autism is a socially significant outcome for Behavior Analysts to target but has only a limited body of behavioral research. 24 to 33% of persons with ASD are likely to be affected by speech sound disorders (Rapin, Dunn, Allen, Stevens & Fein, 2009; Shriberg, Paul, Black and Santen, 2011). There have been clarion calls for Behavior Analysts to collaborate with Speech and Language pathologists given the unique expertise and insights each can bring to address the problem of profound articulation disorders in children with autism (Sundberg,2011; Hegde, 2010; Esch, B.E., La Londe and Esch, J. W, 2010). This paper will discuss the challenges Behavior Analysts face and offers insights from SLP literature on areas such as assessment of articulation disorders, transcription, data recording and development of task analyses to progress from sounds to words to intelligible phrase speech to sentence speech. A further examination of existing approaches to articulation problems and how they can be shaped for better client outcomes using behavioral principles and evidence based methods such as treating to optimal intensity, prompting, stimulus salience, shaping and chaining.

The Department of Behavior Analysis and Easter Seals North Texas have collaborated for almost ten years to provide high quality behavioral interventions to underserved children with autism and their families. The purpose of this symposium is to present an overview of the measurement practices of this intervention program at several different levels. The first presentation provides an overview of the treatment setting and current practices in data collection and analysis. These practices would be considered established and emerging procedures for measurement in autism treatment. The second presentation includes a methodological examination of moment-to-moment behaviors during therapeutic sessions. The third presentation involves a study of measurements to assess quality and progression during child and caregiver interactions. The final presentation includes a description of the development of a modified PLA-CHECK system for observation of groups of children and adults in the treatment centers. A senior researcher in behavior analysis, experienced in applied and translational research, discusses these data practices within the context of practice and research.

For almost ten years, Easter Seals North Texas Autism Treatment Program (ESNT-ATP) in partnership with the University of North Texas, has strived to find pathways to provide quality services to underserved families. In the State of Texas, funding options for ABA services are limited and fragmented. In 2008, ESNT-ATP was one recipient of a state grant to provide comprehensive, evidence-based services to underserved children and families; however, recent shifts in state funding for autism intervention have limited access to Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention (EIBI) for families living in poverty. This has lead ESNT-ATP to find new intervention pathways to effective interventions for traditionally underserved families. The determination of effectiveness lies in the efficiency, validity, and reliability of our measurement tools. An overview of each level of ESNT-ATP measurement is provided in this presentation: child progress, teacher performance, group engagement, and program outcomes. The measurement strategies are discussed in the context of providing effective and compassionate services under conditions of increasing resource restrictions.

This presentation will provide an overview of measures used to quantify the quality of adult-child interactions within the daily living activities of meal and play times. Specifically, this presentation will describe measures used within two daily living programs that focus on improving the overall social relationships and adaptive skills of children with autism. Yummy Starts is a focused program for children between the ages of two and nine that addresses positive behaviors related to food and the social milieu of mealtimes. Sunny Starts is a parent training program that focuses on enhancing the quality of family relationships for children ages three to five through play activities. In both contexts, learn units, child success in targeted goal areas, and synchronous engagement were measured. This combination of measures allows assessment of both progress and indicators of relationship happiness. Such measures may help behavior analysts better analyze the quality of life and social relationships for children with autism and their families across home and community settings.

Early screening and detection tools have allowed children as young as 12-18 months to receive an ASD diagnosis and thus begin treatment at or before their second birthday. It is well established that Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention (EIBI) programs can produce large gains in language, cognitive and social behavior resulting in remediation of the core deficits in children with autism. The purpose of this symposium is to present research and program models for early identification and treatment of ASD. In the first paper, Graupner and Sallow report progress data from infant siblings who began ABA treatment before 8 months. They discuss early symptomatology and patterns of learning for these infants. In the second paper, Chong and colleagues describe the Parent Observation of Early Markers Scale as a tool for early screening and they propose a model for selecting initial targets and training parents to deliver treatment. In the third paper, Brennan will describe services to infants with a diagnosis of ASD in Albania using case examples and illustrative video clips. Finally, MacDonald and Parry-Cruwys will describe differences in patterns of learning seen in children who begin treatment at 1 and 2 years old.

Early identification and treatment of children with ASD can impact outcomes for toddlers. The Early Skills Assessment Tool (ESAT) measures core symptomology of ASD, including imitation, language, joint attention, play, and stereotypic behavior (MacDonald et al., 2014). Data from their initial study revealed that greatest gains were seen in the children who entered treatment prior to their second birthday. In addition, these children were more likely to be performing at the level of their typical peers in joint attention and play after a year of intervention. The purpose of the current paper is to present the most recent data using the ESAT for children entering EIBI before age 3. Since the 2014 publication we have added data from an additional 31 children totaling; 23 1-year olds and 63 2-year olds again showing differential outcomes with the younger children again characterized by greater improvements on cognitive and joint attention measures than children who began treatment after their second birthday. IOA was collected in 75% of samples and averaged 98% (range, 90- 100%). These findings are discussed as they relate to the importance of early identification and treatment for children with an ASD diagnosis.

In addition to Applied Behavior Analysis Therapy, many parents explore complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) as treatment for Autism Spectrum Disorder. Often parents research consists of comparing notes with other parents or individuals, in person or on the internet. For some, it is hard to understand that a recounting of experience is not the same as evidence from a scientifically designed study. In such promotion, harmful effects are often ignored in favor of hopeful outcomes. Autism Speaks reports that between 30 and 95 percent of children with ASD have been provided with some CAM treatment. As ABA providers, we are often not consulted about CAM treatments, although they can have a profound effect on the efficacy and implementation of ABA Therapy.

This single case study explores the effects of an intensive prednisone therapy on the behavior of a child with ASD who is receiving ABA Therapy. Prednisone is a synthetic corticosteroid drug, with significant adverse side effects, that suppresses the adrenal glands. Some neurologists prescribe prednisone to treat Autism Spectrum Disorders, specifically for language recovery in children with signs of language regression. This application, and the speculation that it could develop into a treatment for ASD, is based on prednisones noted effects on speech recovery when used to treat seizures and its effectiveness as a treatment for neuroinflamation. After consulting with a neurologist, the clients parents decided to begin a three-month, intensive, Prednisone treatment, during the course of ABA Therapy, with a hope of faster language acquisition. Although the client had been receiving ABA Therapy for six months before the start of this treatment, the parents were advised not to consult with or inform their childs BCBA and/or therapists, so that the ABA providers would remain unbiased in noticing positive or negative effects during and after treatment. Data will be presented on receptive and expressive language and behaviors targeted for reduction, as well as narratives on the physical and other side-effects.

Conducting functional analyses is the gold standard in the assessment and treatment of problem behavior. Modifications to standard functional analysis conditions have proven to be beneficial and necessary to identify maintaining variables of problem behavior. This symposium will present four papers showcasing variations to functional analyses and include functional analyses implemented by parents, classroom teachers, procedural modifications that include trial-based functional analyses, and comparisons of outcomes when implemented with the native compared to a second language. The first paper compared outcomes of clinician- and parent- implemented functional analyses with learners with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other developmental disabilities. The second paper presents outcomes from parent-implemented trial-based functional analyses (TBFA). The third paper presents results from teacher-implemented brief functional analyses compared with teacher-implemented TBFA with students with an emotional behavior disorder. The final paper compares outcomes of functional analyses when implemented in the native compared to a second language with individuals with developmental disabilities. Implications and areas of future research will be discussed

Research supports that parent involvement is imperative, but literature is mixed about the best way to do this. Previous studies have identified different functions via functional analyses when parents have served as therapists in comparison to clinical or direct care staff. This study included clinician-implemented functional analyses and parent-implemented functional analyses across four participants. The functional analysis results across participants varied. For two of the participants, the same functions were identified across both functional analyses. With one participant, three functions were identified with the parents in comparison to one identified function with the clinician. The fourth participants analysis identified functions with the clinicians that were not evoked with the parent as therapist. Following functional analyses, two of the participants moved on to function-based treatment using both clinicians and parents as therapists. The variability in findings and suggestions on increasing parent involvement will also be discussed.

The application of traditional functional analysis (FA) to the problem behavior of those with emotional/behavioral disorders (EBD) has been limited. Trial-based functional analysis (TBFA) is an emerging methodology used to assess the function of problem behavior and offers several advantages over traditional FA methods. TBFA can be completed quickly, requires fewer resources than traditional FAs, can be conducted in the environment of interest during typically-scheduled activities, and involves less intense data collection methods. We attempted to address limitations of the existing literature base on TBFA by completing TBFA with students identified with EBD, modifying conditions to explore idiosyncratic variables, comparing the outcomes of TBFA and BFA, including classroom teachers during the TBFA, BFA, and intervention, assessing the efficiency of training teachers to conduct TBFA, and how often TBFA trials were abandoned. Results show that TBFA can be applied to those identified with EBD, conditions can be modified successfully, teachers can be trained to implement procedures across assessments with efficiency, and that few trials were abandoned. TBFA is a promising method for addressing the unique challenges of conducting FA to students identified with EBD.

Some Spanish-speaking students exhibit challenging behavior at home and in school settings. There are few studies that examine the impact of the language used during a functional analysis of challenging behavior. This study used a pairwise design to determine the effects of language on the outcomes of a functional analysis for two participants, both from Spanish-speaking families. Challenging behavior was assessed during 5-min sessions. A pairwise design was used, evaluating a control condition compared with a test condition. During each condition phase, the language used in the condition was alternated for each test/control pairing. For one participant, challenging behavior remained at near zero levels of responding during control conditions across languages, while challenging behavior was at a higher level during all test conditions across languages. For a second participant, challenging behavior was highest during both English and Spanish tangible conditions, and English control and escape from attention conditions. These results suggest that for one participant, the specific language used during a functional analysis may affect the outcomes, indicating that language should be considered when assessing the function of challenging behavior for dual language learners

Treatment relapse refers to the recurrence of previously extinguished behavior when changes to treatment occur. To date, behavior analytic research has provided an understanding of the basic behavioral processes that may predict treatment relapse; however, additional research is warranted regarding procedures for preventing relapse of targeted behavior. This symposium will present applications of translational and applied studies to the mitigation of treatment relapse. Andrew Craig and colleagues will present data on the evaluation of the influence of reinforcement of alternative behavior in the same and separate discriminative-stimulus situations on mitigating resurgence of targeted behavior in Pigeons. Valdeep Saini and colleagues will describe a human-laboratory preparation and clinical application of resurgence to demonstrate the relevance of including inactive control responses within a resurgence paradigm to differentiate between resurgence of targeted behavior and extinction-induced variability. The presentation by Henry Roane and colleagues will describe a reverse-translational evaluation of context renewal implemented first within a functional communication training intervention for individuals diagnosed with autism across home and clinic settings, and second within a human-operant arrangement. Michael Kelley and colleagues will present data on the demonstration of an ABA renewal paradigm with children diagnosed with autism followed by the implementation of a renewal mitigation procedure to reduce the recurrence of targeted behavior during the return to the A phase. Finally, Timothy Shahan will serve as the discussant to integrate the findings of these presentations into the broad theme of treatment relapse.

Basic and translational research on context renewal provides a model for studying treatment relapse following successful response to treatment in clinic settings. Two studies were conducted to evaluate context renewal under naturalistic conditions. In study one, context renewal using functional communication training was evaluated across home and clinic settings. The reemergence of destructive behavior, consistent with operant context renewal, was observed. A limitation was that during treatment at clinic, the children returned home before treatment was completed and taken into the home. To evaluate this limitation a reverse translational, human operant study was conducted. A concurrent-operant arrangement was used to simultaneously evaluate and compare ABA and ACA renewal, in which Context C consisted of Context B with brief returns to Context A. ABA renewal was observed, whereas under the ACA arrangement the target response persisted throughout the evaluation. The implications of these findings with respect to basic and translational studies of operant renewal and the treatment of severe destructive behavior will be discussed.

Renewal is a type of treatment relapse in which problem behavior reemerges after successful treatment. Renewal is characterized by the three-phase arrangement in which problem behavior is reinforced in Phase 1, extinguished in Phase 2, and extinction is continued in Phase 3. However, the contexts associated with Phases 1, 2, and 3 are manipulated to assess the extent to which stimulus condition affect responding, despite the continuation of extinction, in Phase 3. In the current study, 3 children diagnosed with Autism were exposed to ABA renewal, in which therapists exposed participants behavior to (1) reinforcement, extinction, and extinction and (2) contexts A, B, and a return to A. Results suggested that behavior reemerged in Phase 3, despite the continuation of the extinction procedure. Next, we assessed a renewal mitigation procedure to reduce the occurrence of problem behavior during reexposure to the A context.

Rather than refers merely to the exploration of different values of an independent variable, the parametric perspective alluded in the title of the present symposium refers to the integration of different experimental results on the basis of their quantitative and/or functional continuities. This theoretical strategy is based on the philosophy of temporally-defined schedules proposed by William Schoenfeld and his coworkers. Four experiments following such perspective will be described in the present symposium. Using a self-controlled eating behavior paradigm, vila and Ortega observed that responses that are incompatible with impulsive behavior can be trained as any other operant response. Flores, Mateos and Killen show that the typical decremental effect of delay of reinforcement depends on the value of the inter-reinforcement interval. Similarly, using temporally-defined schedules, Torres, Hernndez, and Silva observed that stimulus control increase or decreases as the length of the discriminative stimulus is shortened. Finally, Serrano and Blanco observed that inter-dimensional signals produced a higher percentage of correct responses than intra-dimensional signals under a limited-hold, two-choice conditional discrimination procedure.

Self-controlled eating behavior occurs when a subject does not eat food available until a pre-established criterion is reached. It was suggested that to emit a distracting activity while food is freely available could facilitate the occurrence of self-controlled eating behavior. This possibility was evaluated with twelve pigeons that were exposed to a 64 s time cycle (T) in which food was presented for 3 (SR1) and could be presented for other 3 s once the T cycle elapsed (SR2), according to the following contingency: trying to eat during SR1 interrupted it and cancelled SR2 presentation; otherwise, eating behavior during SR2 could occur. According to a factorial design the contribution of the following variables was explored: 1) Previous training or not training of key pecking. 2) An ABA or a BAB order of presentation of the following three conditions: A) SR1 presentation signaled by a 3 s change in the key color from red to green, B) SR1 presented without any signaling stimulus, A) SR1 presentation signaled again. Each condition was in effect for 20 sessions of 50 T cycles each. The previous key-pecking training resulted in a low or high level of the number of SR1 interruptions (A or B conditions) and a correspondingly high level of R>0 in the A conditions. Without previous key-pecking training there was no effect of signaling SR1 presentations, regardless of the ABA or BAB sequence. It was concluded that self-controlled eating behavior was facilitated by explicit training of a distracting activity that occurs concurrently with food availability.

In a variety of operant and classical procedures, the effects of delays between environmental stimuli are reduced when the overall time between reinforcers is longer. This modulation of delay effects by the inter-reinforcement interval was referred by Williams (1998) as the relative time effect. The present study was designed to explore the effects of different inter-reinforcement interval (IRI) duration on food accumulation. For four rats the IRI was 40 s, whereas for another four rats was 120 s. On successive phases (30 sessions each) the delay of reinforcement was lengthened (0, 2, and 8 s). For all rats the number of responses-obtained food pellets increased as the delay was lengthened. The number of responses was higher in the subjects with the long IRI (120 s) than the subjects with 40 s IRI. It was concluded that IRI duration controls the number of responses as relative time effect.

Six rats were exposed to a 60 s long temporally-defined schedule. Each T cycle was divided in two 30 s long sub-cycles: tD and t?. Reinforcement probability was 1.0 for the first response in tD and 0.0 for any response in t?. A visual stimulus (green light) was added to tD sub-cycle while no signal was added to t?. The length of the stimulus was varied between phases (30, 3, 0.3, 0 s) and the order of presentation of such values was inverse between triad of rats. At the end of the experiment each triad was exposed to a redetermination condition similar to the first phase in each case. Regardless of triad, response rate along t? was inversely related to the length of the stimulus in tD. A proportional relationship between the length of the stimulus and the post-reinforcement pause was also found. Results are discussed in terms of inhibitory effects of reinforcement and observing responses.

Triads of rats were exposed to a two-choice conditional discrimination procedure whose signals were visual, auditory or visual and auditory. Signals were differentially correlated with water and tapioca pellets for half of the rats, while pellets and water were randomly presented for remaining rats. Performance was higher under visual and auditory signals than under visual or auditory signals, in that order. The correlation between signals and reinforcers did not enhance performance but negatively affected the accuracy on water trials. Results are discussed in relation to previous findings under simple discrimination contingencies and the so called differential outcomes effect.

Experimental behavioral economics is a combination of behavioral analysis and economic concepts, principles, and measures to model choice behavior at the individual level. Of particular interest is the bias for individuals to favor more immediate, but smaller rewards over larger rewards that would come later (i.e. delay discounting). This work has resulted in a wealth of research showing that discounting tasks and predictive mathematical models can quantify sensitivity to delayed outcomes. The focus for this symposium will be translational in nature and discuss related research findings for: (a) foundations and methods for understanding mathematical modeling of choice behavior, (b) considerations when comparing measures of discounting across studies, (c) simulated parent and teacher discounting of delayed treatment effects for children with problem behavior, and (c) patterns of caregiver discounting of delayed treatment effects in an outpatient setting providing manualized caregiver training and individualized, behavioral-caregiver therapy for children with challenging behavior.

The Good Behavior Game (GBG) is an extensively studied classroom management procedure that utilizes interdependent group contingencies to minimize student disruptive behavior. In the GBG, a class is divided into teams and contingencies are placed on students rule-following. Previous research has indicated that the GBG is effective with high school students in mainstream classrooms. The following study extended previous research by implementing the GBG with older high school students who have emotional/behavioral disorders and/or histories of delinquency. Results indicate that the GBG is an effective classroom management strategy with older students in more restricted settings. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Behavior analysts who work along the continuum between basic and applied research may benefit from using modern technologies specifically designed to complement their research efforts. Modern technologies include software, hardware, and the integration of the two. Depending on the technology, there may be barriers to adoption including the time, effort, and monetary resources needed to devote to utilization. However, a number of existing technologies leverage the "open-source" framework. Speakers will discuss a range of technologies (software and hardware) that they have used in their own research and how other researchers can readily access and adopt these technologies. Additionally, speakers will discuss their experiences in overcoming common barriers to utilization and provide resources for others. Examples from the basic (e.g., cost-effective technologies to experimentally evaluate behaviors in the Madagascar Hissing Cockroach), translational (e.g., integrating R statistical software for human operant data), and applied (e.g., leveraging technologies in the areas of Autism Spectrum Disorders, communication disorders, and health behaviors) research sectors will be highlighted. Finally, the speakers will provide recommendations related to how researchers can access these resources and implement them into their existing workflows.

Since the resurgence of interest in dog behavior in 1998, many claims have been made for unique social-cognitive skills in dogs. I will briefly review available evidence that dogs are able to respond to human behavior in ways that are not available to other nonhuman species. I conclude there is no well-established finding regarding dog's social-cognitive behavior that cannot be accounted for with species-general learning mechanisms. Notwithstanding an absence of special social-cognitive skills, even the most informal interaction with dogs suggests that there is something remarkable about their motivation to interact with people. I review several lines of evidence that indicate that during domestication dogs became much more motivated to interact with members of other species and more reinforced by that interaction. This started with Pavlov who noted a "social reflex" in his dogs and continues to the present day in a range of studies. I will consider dogs' play behaviors, proximity seeking to a human, and even studies of what behaviors lead dogs to getting adopted. In conclusion, the notion of the dog as "man's best friend" may be a cliche, but it is a stereotype with some observable behavior behind it.

Graduate-level behavior analysts and psychologists

In this symposium, we will provide results from an experimental analysis of reinforcer choice, ratio requirements, and task difficulty on response rate, an experimental analysis of antecedent-based interventions on college students' snack selections, and an empirical evaluation of a robot-simulation and eLearning FA training.

Previously published functional analyses (FAs) trainings have focused primarily on teaching implementation of the conditions. Additionally, the few researchers that have focused on teaching other component skills necessary for conducting FAs have reported long training times and small trainer/trainee ratios. Therefore, in the current study we examined the effectiveness of a simulation-based FA training using a humanoid robot and instructional e-Learning modules. A total of 8 graduate students enrolled in an Applied Behavior Analysis program were trained on implementation, data collection, graphing, interpretation of results, and problem solving skills. We used a multiple baseline design across participants to evaluate the effects of the simulation-based training on implementation of FA conditions. We conducted a pre-posttest design to assess the effects of instructional e-Learning modules on data collection, graphing, graph interpretation and problem solving skills. Overall, we found that the simulation-based training and the eLearning modules were effective in increasing all participants skills. We will discuss the results in terms of individual differences between participants and the overall cost-effectiveness of the training.

Disruption is the act of changing cultural practices, and introducing new practices, that involve a greater emphasis on social responsibility and sustainability. I will discuss several facets of disruption as it pertains to entrepreneurship. First, I will provide an overview of disruption itself and why it matters, along with case studies from the entrepreneurial world. Secondly, I will address what many consider to be the primary obstacle to disruption, and to entrepreneurship, which is failure, or more precisely, the fear of failure, and strategies that others have used in the past to remove failure as an obstacle to success. I will also discuss how disruption can take place anywhere, and in any industry, toward the improvement of the human condition. Lastly, I will discuss characteristics that comprise the disruptive leader, along with common challenges such leaders face and the outcomes to which they strive.

Professionals, academics, and graduate students.

In many clinical setting, the success of ABA-based interventions requires interdisciplinary collaboration between professionals coming from a broad range of backgrounds. Notwithstanding, there sometimes is a clinical chasm between those responsible for the development of interventions and those who are responsible for their implementation. For example it is not unusual for direct support professional (DSPs) to be trained on interventions with very little information about the assessment and development process. In situations like these, DSPs may be difficult. This can impact social validity and treatment fidelity. The panel will discuss strategies they have used successfully to overcome such problems, and bridge the gap between staff responsible for developing and implementing ABA-based interventions. Experiences from interdisciplinary perspectives will be presented, including those of DSPs and Registered Behavior Technicians.

This symposium presents recent research related to teaching social and safety skills to individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities. The first paper presents data on teaching children with autism spectrum disorder to identify the sensory perspective of others, as in, what they can see, hear, taste, smell, and feel. The second paper presents data evaluating and identifying the dose of instruction necessary for the Preschool Life Skills program curriculum to be a successful and efficient teaching tool for children with developmental disabilities. The third paper evaluates the use of teaching children with autism spectrum disorder to use a safe word in the acquisition of stranger safety skills.

Children with autism spectrum disorder often have difficulty with inferring the private events of others, and in particular, they have been found to have difficulty with perspective taking (Baron-Cohen, Leslie, & Frith, 1985). This study is employing a nonconcurrent multiple baseline across participants design to investigate the use of a multiple exemplar-training package for teaching three children with autism to appropriately identify others sensory perspectives, that is detecting what others are experiencing through their five senses (i.e., touch, smell, taste, sight and hear). Data are currently being collected, and percentage correct responding to questions about what others can sense is being measured across sessions. Results thus far demonstrate that participants 1 and 2 responded at chance levels in baseline and participant 1 and 2 demonstrated an immediate increase in level and trend during training. Generalization to untrained stimuli and people is being programmed for and measured by saving exemplars and people used in baseline for retesting in posttraining and using multiple exemplar training during training. Participant 1 demonstrated generalization to untrained stimuli and people in posttraining.

The Preschool Life Skills (PLS) program was originally created to teach functional communication and social skills to typically developing children in an attempt to prevent the development of problem behavior. Children diagnosed with ASD and other developmental disabilities are also at risk for developing problem behaviors in daycare and school settings due to insufficient instruction and contingency management. Therefore, this population might benefit from PLS instruction. The current study aimed to evaluate and identify the dose of instruction necessary for PLS curriculum to be a successful and efficient teaching tool for children with developmental disabilities. We taught twelve preschool life skills to 9 participants across 4 instruction units. The units were instruction following, functional communication, tolerance of denial and delay, and friendship skills. Instruction was provided by means of a three-tiered instructional approach, which incorporated large group and class-wide instruction, followed by small group and individual instruction as necessary. Results indicated that intervention led to skill acquisition with all nine participants. The skills were also found to maintain four weeks after instruction ended.

This study addresses the statistic that most children are abducted by known individuals, not strangers, and examines the effects of a training package that employs the use of a safe-word. A safe-word is a tactic used to decrease the likelihood that a child will leave with a person not appointed by their parents. The study is being conducted in a lab room and various community settings (i.e., shopping mall, grocery store, parks, etc.) with five participants, ages 4-9 years old, diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A concurrent multiple baseline design across participants was used to measure participants responses to lures by way of a 5-point scoring system across conditions. Each participant was quasi-randomly exposed to a variety of different lures, each falling under one of the three different lure types: authoritative, assistance, and incentive. Intervention utilized a behavioral skills training to teach participants how to use the safe-word and to respond appropriately to a variety of known and unknown individuals who know and dont know the safe-word. Post-intervention probes suggest that this intervention was successful in teaching participants to respond differentially requests of adults who can provide the participant with the safe-word (trusted adults) compared to those who cannot provide the safe-word (familiar/unfamiliar adults). Follow-up probes will also be conducted to examine the maintenance of such an intervention.

Measurement of behavior is crucial to learning environments and serves as a reality check, it is viewed as the difference between opinion and actual change (Vargas, 2009). Due to the current legislation and reauthorization of the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) there is a focus for teachers to improve the quality of programs by increasing the accountability for results (Christle, & Yell, 2010). Evidence-based practices that have been shown to be effective in classroom environments and aid teachers in collecting data include the use of self-management procedures and peers in the classroom. When students self-manage, teachers are free to attend to other classroom needs and instruction (Webber, Scheuermann, McCall, & Colemen, 1993). Peers may be able to observe and deliver consequences for another students behavior more often than the teacher (Strain, Cooke, & Apollone, 1976). This symposium will highlight two separate investigations that included the use of self-management and peers as components of the intervention. Effects of self-management procedures in the classroom and the feasibility of using peers in class wide and individual contingencies will be discussed.

Despite the increased demand for data collection in the special education settings, an agreed upon method for collecting data has yet to be identified. Two procedures that have demonstrated robust outcomes for collecting academic data for individual students are self-monitoring and peer management. Self-monitoring involves the student collecting measures on his or her own behavior(s) (Ferretti, Murphy, & Murphy, 1993). Peer management includes a student presenting prompts and providing feedback to another paired student (Dart, Collins, Klingbeil & Mckinley, 2014). The current investigation combined self-monitoring and peer management into a treatment package which was delivered in a staggered fashion to three dyads of students with moderate cognitive impairments during their independent math work time. Math performance on worksheets, fidelity of feedback, and positive math comments were measured for each participant. Overall results from the intervention suggest that only introducing a peer feedback treatment package will not produce significant increases in student performance on math worksheets. This presentation will discuss the use of add-on interventions and the need for consistency in instructional delivery as well as evidence-based curricula.

The U.S. Department of Education (2015) indicates that about 95% of students with special education eligibility are receiving some form of education in the general education setting. Past research indicates that students with disabilities tend to engage in more disruptive behaviors than their non-disabled peers (e.g., Murphy, Beadle-Brown, Wing, Gould, Shah, & Homes, 2005). If teachers are spending more time managing disruptive behaviors, time allocated to instruction is lost. Self-management is one evidence-based intervention that has demonstrated consistent effects for increasing on-task behavior and decreasing disruptive behaviors. Although feasible at the individual level, previous research has identified that class wide self-management interventions may be efficacious but not feasible to implement (Chafouleas, Hagermoser Sanetti, Jaffery, & Fallon, 2011). The purpose of the current study was to synthesize the research findings on self-management and group contingencies to make interventions at the class-wide level both feasible and efficacious. More specifically, the current study sought to compare the Self & Match system (Salter & Croce, 2015), a self-management intervention with a teacher match component, embedded within an independent and dependent group contingency, and observe the effects of the interventions on disruptive and on-task behaviors.

The use of functional behavioral assessment (FBA) to address the problem behavior of students with emotional/behavioral disorders in schools is supported by an emerging evidence base. Few studies, however, have assessed the generality (i.e, the transfer of behavior change across settings, behaviors, or students) of function-based interventions. In this session, we review demonstrations of setting/situation generalization in the literature and present a series of cases specifically targeting the transfer of behavior change across settings for students with emotional/behavioral disorders.

Increasingly schools are using function-based assessment in the design of classroom interventions in both general education and special education settings. Research examining the use of function-based assessment is mixed when comparing interventions preceded by a functional behavior assessment (FBA) to those without an FBA. The purpose of this study was to provide a quantitative review of school-based behavior reduction interventions and some ancillary variables that may modulate the effectiveness of those interventions. Tau-U, an effect size statistic for single case designs that takes into account level and trend, was calculated across studies, allowing for examination of several moderator variables including type of FBA method used. Moderate intervention effects were found across all studies with a small yet insignificant difference between function and non-function based interventions. The largest difference in a moderator variable was intervention setting, with studies conducted in the natural environment producing larger effects than those in pull-out settings. Possible explanations for these findings, limitations of the study, and areas of future research are discussed.

Employees in human service organizations engage in complex behaviors like problem solving, decision making, and leadership skills, on a regular basis (e.g., dealing with difficult employees, managing time and work tasks, and choosing appropriate measurement systems). Despite increased requirements for supervision for BCaBAs and RBTs, the effects are only as good as the supervisors and the systems in which they work. It is the responsibility of supervisors to train, monitor, and manage those behaviors. Although complex behaviors are common and important in human service organizations, they have received little attention in the applied behavior analytic literature. In this panel, strategies for defining, assessing, and intervening on complex employee behaviors in human service organizations will be discussed. Specific examples from research and practice will be provided to illustrate these strategies and systems and processing for supporting them will be discussed. Practical applications and areas for further development and research will also be highlighted.

The philosophy of the science of behavior serves as the foundation for the technical and applied house of behavior analysis. As illustrated by B. F. Skinner, Radical Behaviorism offers an elegant account of both public and private behavior in terms of the functional relationship between environmental events and behavior. Radical Behaviorism offers a set of philosophical assumptions that help to guide the scientist and the applied work being used in the field. This PDS event will focus on three of the philosophical assumptions of Radical Behaviorism, and their importance for researchers and practitioners. The presenters for this panel will be Jay Moore, Mitch J. Fryling, and David C. Palmer. All three presenters have published research and essays that have contributed to the precision and scope of the core tenets of applied behavior analysis, offering invaluable insights into the relationship between philosophy and practice. As the field of applied behavior analysis disseminates into new avenues of research and practice, a continued dialogue on these theoretical underpinnings is important to help ensure consistency between science and practice.

Scientific research can be studied as investigative behavior. That involves inventing problems as well as solving them. It also involves finding better ways to do one's work. That activity has sometimes been called philosophy. Skinner himself said that behaviorism is a philosophy. I would add that the philosophy was part of a scientific research program. Skinner complained that his critics failed to understand his position, which was based on a hard analogy (not a metaphor) between the processes of learning and evolution by natural selection. Right thinking in the one provides clues to right thinking in the other. The advantage of getting rid of teleology in both is fairly straight-forward. Skinner paid less attention to the importance of getting rid of typological (essentialist) thinking about species and other groups of organisms. These have been treated as if they were abstract classes with essences rather than as concrete wholes. Variation has been screened out and persons have been treated as tokens of stereotypes. One result has been a misguided search for universals of human behavior.

Behavior analysts interested in the historical and conceptual foundations of B. F. Skinner's behaviorism, the relations between the behavioral and biological sciences, and analyses of the behavior of scientists.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than one third of US adults have obesity and obesity and related comorbid conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease cost the United States at least $147 billion dollars a year. Childhood/adolescent obesity rates have nearly tripled since 1980 and despite the CDCs recommendations less than one-third of the nations youth partakes in the recommended 60 min of daily exercise. The studies in this symposium examined the effects of choice in physical activity on the duration of physical exercise in children, the effects of a token system on daily physical activity, as measured by pedometers, with adults with co-occurring diagnosis of developmental disabilities and psychiatric and behavioral issues and the effects of observational learning as a low effort method to increase the physical activity of children with ASD. The results of the study show how the principles of behavior analysis can be used to increase physical activity, as well as reduce aberrant behaviors such as physical aggression, property destruction, and stereotypy.

Childhood/adolescent obesity rates have nearly tripled since 1980 (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011) and it is important to find practical interventions to increase physical activity in children when addressing this problem. In this study, we examined the effects of a choice in physical activity on the duration of physical exercise in four school-aged children. Baseline conditions assessed the duration of time spent in each type of physical activity in the absence of any programmed contingencies. An alternating treatments design was used to compare the effects of choice, and a reinforcement contingency, on the duration of physical exercise. The reinforcement contingency was arranged so participants could earn one minute of access to preferred leisure activities for each minute they engaged in physical activity. On average, the inclusion of the choice component resulted in a greater increase in the duration of physical exercise than the contingency alone, for most participants. Furthermore, durations of physical activity were longer during all sessions with a reinforcement contingency than in baseline sessions.

Less than one-third of the nations youth partakes in vigorous physical activity, despite the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) recommendation of at least 60 min of daily exercise for children (CDC, 2015). In addition to improved fitness levels, physical activity offers many other benefits to children, including but not limited to better overall cardio metabolic health, and decreased risks of mortality. These trends of sedentariness and little to no physical activity are more prominent in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) than in typically developing children. In addition, low levels of physical activity are correlated with higher levels of obesity. While only 13% of typically developing children fit the criteria for obesity, over 31% of children with autism are considered to be obese. A number of recent studies have demonstrated the importance of observational learning for children with ASD. This study utilized observational learning as a low effort method to increase the physical activity of children with ASD, in an outdoor structured playground. Six children, between 4 and 8 years old, with a diagnosis of ASD participated in this study, three were designated as peers (received direct reinforcement) and three were designated as participants (observed the delivery of reinforcement fro physical activity). All three participants demonstrated higher levels of physical activity in the presence of peer reinforcement and two out of three peers also demonstrated higher levels of activity with direct reinforcement. These data suggest that observational learning may be a viable intervention to increase physical activity in children with ASD.

Previous research has demonstrated that increasing exercise behaviors may be achieved through the use of self-monitoring, goal setting, and feedback. However, for many individuals these interventions may be insufficient or adherence may be challenging. No published studies have examined the use of the aforementioned procedures in combination with a token system in the developmentally disabled population for clients with severe aggressive behavior. The following paper will evaluate the effects of a token system on daily physical activity, as measured by pedometers, with adults with co-occurring diagnosis of developmental disabilities and psychiatric issues as well as significant behavioral challenges. All of the clients were residing in a community based residential setting. Prior behavioral successes of the clients on the token system will be reviewed as the foundation for the inclusion of exercise behavior in the token contingency. Concomitant effects on the frequency and duration of aggressive behavior will also be monitored throughout the course of the study. The success of the program will add to the body of research evaluating exercise as an antecedent intervention to reduce aberrant behaviors such as physical aggression, property destruction, and stereotypy.

Behavioral teleconsultation utilizes the procedures of behavioral consultation through the use of modern technologies (e.g., smartphones, tablets, laptops, smart watches) to conduct interviews, observe behavior and collect data, and coach parents and school staff. This occurs across different modalities including videoconferencing software, phone conversations, email, and text message, among others. Despite their availability, these technologies are not being utilized to their potential to reach underserved populations (Fischer, Clark, Asking, & Lehman, in press). The current study evaluated the procedural fidelity of telepresence robot behavioral teleconsultation with teachers in underserved areas of Utah. Through behavioral teleconsultation, teachers and parents (hereafter consultees) were instructed to implement compliance procedures under the supervision of a trained behavioral consultant; wherein data on client behavior and consultee procedural fidelity was collected. Consultees were evaluated on procedural fidelity, and received behavior specific feedback based on the data collected. Visual analysis of the data showed an increase in student compliance, with high levels of procedural fidelity across participants. Although feedback and further training may be necessary during the provision of behavioral teleconsultation services, it could also address shortages of behavior analysts in underserved areas, as well as increase access to services for students with disabilities.

Observing emotional responses is recognized as a valuable clinical skill in a variety of professions including applied behavior analysis. Emotional responses can flag possible contingencies thereby guiding a behavior analysts selection of measures, goals, and effective procedures. Noticing emotional responses during family interactions allows behavior analysts to identify potential interlocking contingencies and design effective interventions. Emotional responses are socially significant and behavior analysts are sometimes called upon to help increase desirable emotions or to teach clients to observe emotional responses. Two studies evaluated the effects of a workshop on the description of emotional responses by behavior analysts-in-training. Rather than teaching students to observe the topographies of emotional responses, the workshops focused on the creation of a verbal community in which descriptions of relations between emotional behaviors and environmental events were reinforced. The first study evaluated the effects of the workshop utilizing an A-B design. The second study utilized a multiple baseline design. Both studies used probe assessments in which participants watched short video clips of family interactions and wrote descriptive narratives creating a permanent record for quantitative evaluation and analysis. Results are discussed in the context of training applied behavior analysts and the role of emotions in clinical practice.

Effective supervision practices have been a concern for the behavior analytic community leading to new, more rigorous guidance regarding supervision regulations outlined by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB: BACB newsletter, Sept. 2011, p.1). Despite this discussion, there is limited research or guidance on best practice in supervision of behavior analysts. Lack of research and appropriate technologies for consistent, high quality supervision is a potential liability for the field as a whole since having advanced training asclinical personnel is no guarantee one is able to effectively transfer both knowledge and skill to those they are supervising (Martin & Cannon, 2010). This issue can be compounded in rural areas where individuals may engage in one of the many distance-based education programs in fulfillment of the educational requirements of certification, but lack high-quality training and supervision opportunities. This panel will explore the unique challenges of providing an evidence-based training experience from a distance, lessons learned, and future directions for the field from the viewpoints of the researcher, supervisor, and supervisee. An emphasis will be placed on the use of a structured supervision curriculum and measurement procedures.

While research has demonstrated the efficacy of errorless learning, there is often an overreliance on trial-and-error procedures which often result in an increased number of errors and reduction in reinforcement density. Two experiments evaluated the formation of equivalence classes following instruction of conditional discriminations via errorless instruction (delayed prompt) versus trial-and error training (differential reinforcement of correct responses). In both experiments, and across three participants with Autism Spectrum Disorders, the errorless protocol required fewer trials-to-criterion, produced fewer errors, and resulted in more stimulus classes being formed (e.g., Table 1 from Experiment One and Figure 1 from Experiment Two). Experiment Three was conducted to evaluate the formation of equivalence classes following training of the prerequisite relations trial-and-error and an errorless protocol while holding the density of reinforcement constant (e.g., the delivery of reinforcement consistent from one training to the other). The results showed the errorless protocol superior in terms of trials-to-criterion, errors committed and stimulus classes formed. The results are discussed in terms of the role of errors in instruction.

With the ongoing demand for ABA services across the country, the need for well-trained direct staff continues to increase. Employers are tasked with providing comprehensive trainings to a large number of staff with variable skill sets. Equivalence-based instruction is well-established as an efficient technology that results in the emergence of new stimulus-stimulus relations, many without direct training. The current study makes use of equivalence-based instruction to teach direct staff to form four, three-member stimulus classes specific to the basic schedules of reinforcement. The initial conditional discrimination training necessary for the subsequent stimulus class formation was conducted via a Learning Management System. The Learning Management System was an online platform which staff could navigate through independently, receiving programmed feedback. Pilot data for two typically developing adults indicated that the reflexive relations were present at baseline, while the potential symmetrical and transitive relations were not present. It is anticipated that the training of two stimulus-stimulus relations will result in the subsequent emergence of four stimulus-stimulus relations per class. Procedures will be extended to ten direct staff members and stimuli will be presented on an online learning platform. The majority of testing and training phases will be conducted through personalized system of instruction modules in order to minimize trainer time. Statistical analyses will be conducted to determine if a statistically significant increase in accuracy from pre-test to post-test will be demonstrated.

The Experimental Analysis of Human Behavior Special Interest Group invites you to formally recognize the contributions of Dr. Philip N. Hineline. Dr. Hineline's research interests have long focused on the Experimental Analysis of Behavior with extensions into Applied Behavior Analysis. Two former colleagues will review and reflect upon Dr. Hineline's career and his many contributions toward advancing our understanding of complex human behavior. Subsequently, Dr. Hineline will deliver comments reflecting upon his career, as well as his fifty years as participant-observer. Please join us to appreciate and celebrate the contributions of Dr. Philip Hineline.

The effect of food delivery according to Fixed-Ratio (FR) and Fixed-Interval (FI) schedules of reinforcement upon the spatial distribution of behavior was explored. The subjects were two groups of 4 rats. The apparatus was an enlarged experimental chamber of 92 cm x 92 cm with three levers. Responses on any lever produced food according to the current schedule. In the first phase, food was presented according to a FR1-schedule and both groups differed only in the locations of the levers: distributed among three panels or grouped in one panel. In the second phase, the location of levers was reversed between groups. In the third phase, the location of levers was kept constant but the schedule changed to FI 30s. In the last phase, the location of levers was reversed again between groups. The pattern of lever-pressing responses was characteristic of the ones obtained under FR and FI schedules of reinforcement. Distribution of responses in the three levers and location of the rats on the floor of the experimental chamber depended upon the current schedule and the spatial distribution of the levers. The importance of considering the spatial properties of behavior will be discussed.

Good spatiotemporal contiguity has long been suggested to be essential for associative learning to occur. But there are only a few demonstrations of this need in the spatial domain, and they all did so with one associate being biologically relevant phase (e.g., Rescorla & Cunningham, 1979). Here we report evidence of the benefit to associative learning of spatial contiguity between two neutral cues. We used a sensory preconditioning preparation with visual CSs in which CS2-CS1 trials during phase 1 were followed by CS1-US trials during phase 2, and then tested on CS2 as well as CS1. The CSs were colored squares and the US was an entertaining video clip. The conditioned response was the participants' looking at the location where the USs appeared. Critically, across groups (ns = 20), in phase 1 we varied the distance between CS2 and CS1. At test, greater conditioned responding to CS2 was observed when CS2 and CS1 were adjacent then when there was a small space between them. Within-subject control conditions assured that responding was due to Pavlovian conditioning of eye gaze direction. Thus, good spatial contiguity appears to enhance the formation of associations between neutral stimuli.

Wolf (1978) outlined the importance of social validity measures within applied behavior analytic research. Carr et al. (1999) provided an analysis of social validity trends within the first 31 years (1968-1998) of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (JABA). The purpose of the current study was to extend Carr and colleagues' analysis of social validity trends in JABA to include issues published since Carr et al., additional measures, and further analysis of social validity trends. Implications for the field of applied behavior analysis and future research are provided.

An increased focus on the use of electronic technology in mainstream classrooms has established a need for the evaluation of popular educational software. The Plickers tablet application utilizes high response rates, response cards, and immediate feedback. The present study evaluated the use of Plickers in a mainstream middle-school language arts classroom. In Condition A students read fictional stories and took exams on literary analysis. Between exams, the teacher delivered a Plickers lesson that focused on common errors. A control group read the same three stories, received call-and-answer instruction after the first two, and took an exam after the third. Exams scores were higher (t(67) = 4.58, p < 0.001) for students who received the Plickers lesson. In Condition B students read non-fiction texts. The teacher presented a Plickers lesson after the first text. No skill deficits were known. The teacher presented the second and third texts with exams. No statistical difference was shown within this condition. However, scores differed significantly (t(145) = 4.66, p < 0.0001) across conditions. This suggests the increase in exam scores in Condition A is not due to the presentation of a second exam, nor due to the use of Plickers alone. Plickers was most effective when used to increase responding and give immediate feedback on common errors.

Promoting college and career readiness is predicated on a strong foundation of literacy skills; students who lack decoding skills cannot navigate text and are hindered in their comprehension. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of the Direct Instruction program, Corrective Reading Decoding Level A. This case study involved a fourth-grade student diagnosed with a specific learning disability in reading. Over the course of 16 weeks, a graduate student in special education conducted one-on-one decoding-based lessons using the program; fidelity checks were completed every 10 lessons. Pre- and post-data were gathered using CORE Phonics Survey and Corrective Reading Decoding Placement Test along with in-program formative assessments. Anecdotal data on the student’s performance in school were provided by the student’s mother. Results revealed post-test improvements in decoding skills and positive academic performance changes in the classroom. Implications for both practice and future research will be addressed in relation to Corrective Reading.

The current study presents data from functional analyses of patients in an inpatient pediatric unit for children with developmental disabilities and severe behavior problems which support the existence of masked functions. Masked functions of SIB have previously been reported in select studies (McKerchar, Kahng, Casioppo, & Wilson, 2001; Contrucci Kuhn & Triggs, 2009), defined as multiply-maintained behavior with functions varying dependent on whether protective equipment is applied. Data are presented from retrospective chart reviews of children (n = 5) admitted to an inpatient pediatric hospital unit for the treatment of severe problem behavior. Functional analyses were conducted with each patient using either a multi-element or paired stimulus format to identify the function of SIB. For the majority of patients, SIB was automatically maintained with all equipment removed, but served primarily an attention function when protective equipment was applied. Functional analysis data and common effective treatment components written into treatment plans across patients will be presented to further inform understanding of effective assessment and intervention components for SIB with masked functions.