Association for Behavior Analysis International

Successfully "training" a new dog is a function of mindfulness of their own behaviors by the dog's "people," and their ability to manage those behaviors in the context of the interactions with the dog, and in their interactions with other humans regarding the dog's behavior. Multiple behaviors, overt and private, must be emitted in the process of adopting a dog. Once adopted, the rituals begin of training the dog to emit or not emit targeted behaviors. Interactions with other humans can be a threat to consistency needed in the early phases of treatment Once the owner(s) has developed a postion regarding a behavior in various situations, it behooves the training process consistency to have a concise and clear plan to comminucate the desired behavior plan to those who might interact with the dog, and teach it to those humans. For example, if the owner prefers that the dog not be allowed to jump up onto a person when greeting, or not be given table food, those predeeences should be made clear to any human interacting with the dog. Other domains of human behaviors include interactions of persons with the dog regarding tricks, treats, greeting and petting, preferences for walking or holding the dog, and the essentials of communication between humans regarding dog behaviors. Interactions with other animals, and with owners of other animals, as well as the intersection of the dog and the enviormment...either at home or out in the world encountered when going for a walk become the real world of maintanance, generalization, and discrimintation of dog behavior, such as the interaction of the new dog with other dogs, other house pets, other humans, and wild animals. It is the owner to other human behaviors that lay the foundation of the dog's behavior. If the "owner" is a couple, there is an expotential inceease in behaviors human behaviors emitted, including "private" behaviors such as attitudes toward and understanding of basic behavior principles such as reinforcement and punishment, all of which which need to be defined and shaped. To the extent the owner understands principles of behavior, and can explain them to others in the context of increasing or decreasing specific dog behaviors, such as barking, chasing, marking, etc., it can help make for more consistent training for the dog, and less arguments for the people. This presentation will highlight domains of human behaviors which need to be shaped when adopting and training a new dog.

The WSD increases risk of developing chronic disorders including obesity and its associated metabolic diseases, and global consumption is increasing. This is particularly concerning in the context of early brain development as preclinical studies are accumulating evidence that maternal WSD (mWSD) perturbs fetal neurodevelopment. Using the Japanese macaque (n=36), we introduce a novel computational approach to assess temperament at three years of age in offspring exposed to a mWSD compared to controls. First, we clustered 37 individual measures of behavior using community detection. From the five communities (or groups) of behavior that were formed, temperament composite scores were created by summating individual behaviors within each community. Scores were used to investigate differences in temperament between offspring diet groups. These temperament composites encompassed individual behavioral profiles such as anxious, obsessive, and balanced and represent distinct temperamental characteristics. The anxious temperament composite was expressed highest in the HFD offspring, and also was significantly different between diet groups (p = .029). Results are consistent with the literature, showing that mWSD programs perturbations in fetal neurodevelopment resulting in offspring displaying increased anxiety-like behavior. This novel approach toward behavioral clustering provides a unique and empirical method for identifying behavioral classifications in high dimensional data.

Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAI) have been shown to increase social behavior in people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The purpose of this project has been to identify the mechanisms involved in the social-enhancing effect of dogs on adolescents with ASD. Participants are part of small groups in which either (a) the first 5 weeks will involve a therapy dog, (b) the last 5 weeks will involve the therapy dog, or (c) the class will not involve a therapy dog. We hypothesized (1) an integration of therapy dogs into group social skills instruction will result in reduced stress and improved social behavior compare to traditional group instruction; and (2) therapists will experience less stress, engage in more social and affiliative behavior towards the children, and deliver higher quality instruction during sessions that include dogs. Social behavior, stress behavior, heart rate, electrodermal activity, and salivary cortisol concentrations of adolescents and therapists have been assessed and compared across conditions. Preliminary data has shown a decrease in the student’s cortisol levels during classes when the therapy dog is present, and a maintenance in cortisol levels for the teachers, regardless of if the therapy dog is present.

We will present data pertaining to the properties of ethanol and with a purported “binge-mitigating agent” that being the compound known as MEAI, or more properly, 5-methoxy-2-aminoindane, using the invertebrate planaria as an animal model. The reinforcement and or aversive effects will be assessed using the environmental place conditioning procedure. Since planaria typically show behavior described as being light phobic, the ability to reverse this light-avoidance behavior after an illuminated environment is paired with a reinforcer makes environmental place conditioning fairly straightforward using this animal model. While ethanol has been shown, in one study to reverse light phobic behavior in planaria, MEAI has never been assessed for its behavioral effects in any animal model. There are only two peer-reviewed papers on the effects of MEAI, assessing it for toxicological effects, using a rodent model. These publications both refer to the anecdotal effects that MEAI consumption results in human’s reporting euphoric effects similar to ethanol but without the typical desire to continue consumption, hence, MEAI is a purported binge- mitigating agent.

Impulsive behavior has been understood in two distinct ways: impulsive action and impulsive choice. Beyond their conceptual differentiation, several studies have shown a differential role of endogenous variables on this kind of behavior, corroborating its distinction. Among such variables one which stand out is the influence of sexual hormones. Several studies point to direct association between testosterone levels and impulsive action, but not impulsive choice. The influence of gonadectomy procedure on impulsive action has been analyzed in 8 wistar rats in comparison to 8 non-gonadectomized rats. Impulsive action was evaluated through a differential reinforcement of low rates schedule (DRL- 72s). Initially, subjects were submitted to DRL 18s for 10 sessions of 40 minutes, after that, the interval was increased to 72s, until 40th session or stability achievement. Response rate, reinforcement density and frequency of inter-response times distribution between groups were analysed. Preliminary data, first half of the sample, until the 20th session of DRL 72S suggests that gonadectomized rats responded less (Mean=42,0; SE=8,22 X Mean=95,0; SE=22,92) and had a higher reinforcement density (Mean=0,37; SE= 0,008 X Mean=0,15; SE: 0,002). Together data implicate testosterone hormone on the modulation of impulsive action.

Relative to non-drug reinforcers, illicit drugs may be more uncertain in terms of their availability, quality, and time and effort to obtain, and this may be an important component of drug taking that occurs at the expense of engaging in nondrug-related activities. We have shown that variable cocaine is chosen over fixed cocaine. However, drug vs. nondrug choice is more translational. Adult male and female rhesus monkeys chose between cocaine (0.01-0.1 mg/kg/injection) and food (4 pellets/delivery). In control conditions, both schedules were predictable, fixed ratios (FR). In variable cocaine or food conditions, the schedule on the cocaine or food lever was a mixed ratio (MR), respectively, while the other lever remained fixed. Thus far, at relatively large requirements, cocaine choice is greater under an MR than under an FR, resulting in a leftward shift in the cocaine dose-response function. With food, results have been somewhat mixed. On average, cocaine choice is reduced when food is available under an MR, and average cocaine dose-response functions are shifted to the right. Our findings suggest that variable cost could contribute to excessive allocation of behavior toward procuring drugs at the expense of more predictable, nondrug alternatives. In addition, variable nondrug availability may more effectively compete with cocaine compared with fixed nondrug availability, perhaps having implications for contingency management.

Wu et al. (2016) described an intertemporal choice (delay discounting) task employed to investigate the relation between procrastination, impulsivity, and brain activity. The current study was designed to provide a replication of Wu et al.’s experiment, to investigate the relation between performance in this task and other measures of impulsivity, and to extend this investigation to probability discounting. Forty university students completed the Irrational Procrastination Scale, Barratt’s Impulsiveness Scale, the delay discounting task, and a probability discounting task modelled closely on this. Electro-encephalographic recordings were made during the course of the discounting tasks, and event related potentials (ERPs) were extracted. Procrastination correlated positively with impulsiveness and negatively with the effect of delayed reward magnitude. No other correlations were found between procrastination, impulsivity, and delay or probability discounting. There were no differences in the ERPs recorded during delay and probability discounting tasks, and level of procrastination was not correlated with the amplitude of relevant components of the ERPs (P2 and P3). Although the intertemporal choice task employed here appears to hold promise for the examination of behaviour-brain relations, its implementation across different cultural and economic environments may present some difficulties for comparison of outcomes.

When faced with solving a complex, novel problem, understanding how the process works and being able to emit the skill of deconstructing it into components that can be adjusted allows one to solve such problems that others lacking such insight are not able to do. (Think of the person in the group who happens to know the basics of how some car systems work when yours wont start, or knows the basics of a computer app and answers your question, or how to figure out how many devices can be safely hooked up on one outlet. If you are old enough, think of "Maguiver." ) Many of the fundemental behavioral concepts and terms were derived from the natural sciences of biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics. (Think "reinFORCEment, behavioral MOMENTUM). Think about resistance at synapses in a neural network. Understanding them in the context of their native disciplines affords those attempting to understand and adjust behavior a more complete tool box. The same natural science roots from which applied behavior analysis evolved have also lead to the disciplne of neuroscience, which is exponentially unlocking the "mysteries" of how the principles of behavior are manifest in the workings inside the brain which until recently, we could not observe directly, just as predicted by Skinner himself. Clinicians, and bench researchers, in "non psychology" disciplines such as radiology, biochemistry, neurology, and economics among others understanding snd applying neuroscience are already today solving complex, and basic, behavioral issues in recovery from addiction, developmental delay, stroke rehabilitaion, language aquisition, cognitive imparment and other areas in which the applied behavior analyst has, and still can, and shoud have an active participatory role, to the extent that the behavior analyst can understand and apply some of the old natural science concepts and their new neuroscience applications. Take the basic physics and biology courses. Classes teaching the fundemental natural science principles give those attempting solve issues in behavior additional tools with which to deconstuct the situation into components which can be adjusted to solve them. They can be the fodder for that "Ah hal!" moment, that epiphany! They can let those who understand the principles be the clinician who "fixes it," who sees the basic issue, can perform the needed adjustment, and makes that part of life a little bit better for the patient.

Novel object recognition (NOR) tasks are commonly used with rodents to assess aspects of learning and memory, and these tasks involve measuring the cumulative amount of time a rodent interacts with two presented objects. Many researchers use digital timers to score the total duration of interactions from recorded videos, but such an approach requires an assessment of reliability to determine the accuracy with which these data are collected, and reliability scores have rarely been reported. In the current study, we evaluated the accuracy, reliability, and efficiency of total duration when used by five human observers to score object interactions using a repeated-measures design. During each session, participants watched a recorded NOR task and scored the cumulative amount of time a rodent interacted with two objects using two digital timers. We compared the exact number of seconds scored to criterion records and measured the total duration of scoring time to determine the participants’ accuracy and efficiency, respectively. Interobserver agreement was also calculated across all permutations of participants. Results supported the efficiency of total duration measures, but total duration measures produced low accuracy (M = 60%, range, 6%-100%) and reliability (M = 38%; range, 11%-82%) scores across participants.

The episodes that in ordinary language practices are identified as "comprehension" constitute functional contacts in which the person uses psychological reactive systems of a linguistic type, such as observing, listening or reading, and afterward acts in functional correspondence with what he has observed, listened or read. When these types of episodes are part of an educational practice, they are called habilitation. The analysis of the didactic discourse in its textual modality is related to what is traditionally known as “learning strategies” for reading comprehension. The purpose of this study was to identify the differential effect on learning that could be exerted by the use and variation of active linguistic modes such as student performance against textual study material. Eight randomly selected university students participated in fourth pairs. A design between subjects with three phases was used: pre-test, intervention and post-test. The results suggest that the active speaking mode acquires functional relevance when it constitutes a complex response pattern that includes the production of an educational discourse from contact with the text.

Effective quantification of behavioral data has been a goal of behavior analysts for decades. Carlin and Costello (2018) proposed a statistical effect size (RD) for single case designs that is similar to effect sizes used in between group research. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which RD’s proposed critical value (1.2) agrees with visual analysis from experts regarding a pairwise comparison. Visual analysis is the primary method of analysis in SCEDs, and quantitative analysis is a useful complement. Similar studies have been undertaken with overlap measures and found useful information regarding the limits of such measures.

In special education settings, prompts are often used in discrete trial (DT) programs. The efficacy of a card-sorting procedure to teach prompt definitions for 3 DT programs (receptive labeling, social questions, and motor imitation) was tested. Stimuli were cards with correct and incorrect definitions and graphics of prompts from the DT programs. Examples included more and less restrictive examples of gestural, vocal, and motor prompts for both initial trials and correction trials. In a pretest, undergraduate participants sorted cards from all programs based on examples of correct versus incorrect definitions for both trial types. Then, they studied a handout containing correct definitions from one program, followed by repeated card sorts for that program to 90% accuracy. A posttest with all the cards, training on second program, and a final posttest followed. Figure 1 depicts results from 8 participants, including 4 who did not complete the entire sequence. The number of training/sort cycles to reach criterion ranged from 1–6. Generalization to untrained programs in the posttest was variable, but suggests positive transfer. Although this procedure may effectively teach prompt definitions, refinements are needed to reduce training time and increase posttest accuracy. Maintenance of learning over time should also be assessed.

Understanding and following verbal commands or instructions is an important and adaptive behavioral function. Comprehension is related to the ability to arbitrarily group stimuli in classes, a prominent feature of symbolic behavior. The stimulus equivalence paradigm, as a model of symbolic behavior, may explain the origins of the comprehension of instructions. The present research aimed to evaluate whether vocal English instructions (verb and object) included as members of a class of equivalent stimuli acquire the same meaning as the other stimuli in the class (videos and abstract pictures), and whether participants would follow instructions using the same sentences and recombined sentences. The procedure, conducted with three children, included: 1) teaching conditional discriminations between dictated English phrases and actions filmed on videotape; and teaching conditional discriminations between spoken sentences and abstract pictures, 2) probing for class formation, and 3) testing for instructional control. All children comprehended the English phrases, relating, through equivalence, the actions and abstract pictures. Two children followed the spoken instructions, but none did so for the abstract pictures and neither followed new instructions (spoken or pictorial). Results replicated previous findings indicating that class formation could promote instruction-following behavior, but that recombinative performances may depend on other teaching conditions.

Experiments have shown that equivalence-based instructions may be used to teach academic skills. Fienup et al. (2010) exposed university students to 16 conditional discriminations with stimuli showing different areas of the brain, its function and the effect a damage to the respective area would have. Then, they tested for emergence of four 5-member stimulus classes. Training of the baseline relations took only about 15 minutes and all participants formed the experimenter-defined classes. Current study replicates the procedure by Fienup et al. Furthermore, two sets of stimuli were used to study the effect of the complexity of the stimuli on class formation. The results from the first 10 participants showed rapid acquisition of the baseline conditional discrimination with seven participants responding in accordance with equivalence. The preliminary results showed minimal effect of the different stimulus sets on stimulus equivalence class formation.

The nodal distance hypothesis suggests that responding in accordance with emergent conditional discrimination decreases as a function of an increasing nodal number. This present study investigated (a) the nodal number effect as a function of a simultaneous matching-to-sample (MTS) protocol or a simple-to-complex protocol, (b) the concordance of the nodal number effect during MTS tests and responses in accordance with nodal structure during a sorting test, and (c) the concordance of the nodal number effect during a post-class equivalence test and responses during sorting tests. Twenty participants were exposed for an MTS procedure to establish 3-class 5-member stimulus equivalence classes. Ten participants were assigned to an MTS simultaneous protocol, a sorting test, a post-class equivalence test, and a second sorting test. Ten other participants were assigned to an MTS simple-to-complex protocol, a sorting test, a post-class equivalence test, and a second sorting test. The results show that more individuals which were exposed for the simple-to-complex protocol produced the nodal number effect. However, the results show a greater nodal number effect for participants which were exposed for the simultaneous condition, when that the sum of participants responding which were exposed for the same sequence of conditions was measured.

Attention has been used as a sort-of “catch-all” term often in behavior-analytic research to describe social interactions between two individuals (Allen, Hart, Buell, Harris & Wolf, 1964; Barton, 1981; DiCarlo & Reid, 2004; Duffy & Nietupski, 1985; Gable & Shores, 1980; McLaughlin, 1982; Poulson, 1983; Rheingold, 1956; Schutte & Hopkins, 1970; Thomas et al, 1968). When authors write about “attention,” they may be referencing vocal-verbal interactions (e.g., praise, conversations, reprimands), physical contact between two individuals (e.g., hugs, pats on the back), or even changes in facial expressions (e.g., smiles, winks, frowns). There has been much previous research demonstrating the reinforcing effects of attention for increasing desirable behavior (e.g., Gable & Shores, 1980; McLaughlin, 1982), as well as undesirable behavior (e.g., Fisher, Ninness, Piazza, Owen-DeSchryver, 1996; Kodak, Northup, & Kelly, 2007; Lovaas & Simmons, 1969; Iwata, Dorsey, Slifer, Bauman, & Richman, 1982/1994) in many populations across settings. Previous researchers have also demonstrated that different topographies of attention (i.e., eye contact, praise, physical, conversation, and reprimands) affect an individual's responding differentially (e.g., Fisher et al., 1996; Kodak et al., 2007), and some types of attention (i.e., praise, physical attention, and conversation) are more preferred and/or reinforcing than other types of attention (e.g., Clay, Samaha, Bloom, Bogoev, & Boyle, 2013; Harper, 2014; Nuernberger, Smith, Czapar, and Klatt, 2012). However, in the current literature, the therapist or researcher has remained constant, and it is possible that the different ways in which attention is delivered may affect preference hierarchies and reinforcing efficacies. Therefore, the purpose of the current study is to determine if different types of attention are consistently preferred across different adults and if those preferences are consistent with the reinforcing efficacies both within and across adults.

The ability to make choices between various items throughout a session may allow children to access items based on moment-to-moment – or trial-to-trial – changes in motivating operations (MO), particularly when edible reinforcers are being used. Changes in MOs have been shown to affect the amount of responding allocated to reinforcer (Vollmer & Iwata, 1991); therefore, preferences for choice opportunities may be the result of participants accessing reinforcers based on momentary fluctuations in preference (i.e., momentary fluctuations in satiation and deprivation; Ackerlund Brandt et al., 2015). Therefore, it is possible that choice may be less preferred in situations in which immediate access to reinforcers is not available (e.g., token economies) and therefore, changes in MOs based on satiation and deprivation would be less likely to occur. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to evaluate whether children’s preference for choice-making opportunities would be affected by the immediate provision of edible reinforcers vs. token reinforcers during a session.

In order to examine flexible decision making, operant manipulations of reinforcer amount, delay, and probability have been used for animals such as rodents. Zebrafish are becoming a popular vertebrate animal model for many biomedical and behavioral investigations. However, equivalent procedures have not been developed for zebrafish. We have developed a procedure capable of measuring behavioral sensitivity to reinforcer amount in adult zebrafish, based on an appetitive automated Go / No-Go task. The test session consisted of 16 forced-choice trials and 16 free-choice trials. In the forced-choice trials, a trial was initiated when fish passed through an observing gate and only one of two choice windows was illuminated. If fish entered through the illuminated window, either a large or small amount of reinforcer was presented based on the assignment; otherwise timeout was implemented. In free-choice trials, both windows were illuminated, and entering the first side of the windows was reinforced by either a large or small amount of reinforcer assigned to the window. Choice rate to a window increased when the reinforcer amount increased (p < .04). The present result indicates that zebrafish are sensitive to reinforcer amount.

Anxiety disorders represent the most frequently diagnosed mental health problem among American college students. Impulsivity has been linked with an anxiety as a potential risk factor. Impulsivity is defined as choosing smaller, sooner rewards, over larger, later rewards and is commonly measured with delay discounting tasks. It has been suggested that the delay discounting e?ect, i.e., the tendency to value less delayed rewards, in anxious individuals is driven by their intolerance of uncertainty. Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) is defined as how acceptable uncertain situations are. In the current study, it is hypothesized that those with higher levels of anxiety will exhibit more delay discounting and higher intolerance of uncertainty than those with lower levels of anxiety. Preliminary analyses of 29 participants currently reveals no significant relationships between anxiety, intolerance of uncertainty and impulsivity measures (i.e.. computerized delay discounting and impulsivity tasks). Data collection is ongoing. This study will increase our understanding of anxiety which could lead to an improvement in the treatment and prevention of anxiety.

The effects of varying the probability of reinforcement of reversion responses on choices in a delay-discounting and in a delay-of-gratification procedures were assessed. Reversion responses were defined as the first response to the smaller immediate reinforcer during the delay period to obtain the larger later one. Both procedures consisted of series of choices between the delivery of a relatively large amount of water after a delay or a smaller amount of water delivered immediately; the delay of delivery of the larger reinforcer varied between 0 and 32 s. In Experi-ment 1, five rats were exposed to each of the procedures in three blocks of 25 ses-sions each. In Experiment 2, ten rats were exposed to six consecutive experimental conditions, in which the probability of reinforcement of a reversion response varied from 0.00 to 1.00. In all delays tested, the proportion of reversion responses decreased as the probability of reinforcement of these responses increased. This finding suggests that delay-discounting and delay-of-gratification procedures are part of a continuum of the probability of reinforcement of reversion responses.

The present study investigated the self-control and impulsiveness in elementary school children with the delay discounting and self-control tasks. In the delay discounting task, children were presented with a series of choices between an immediate smaller reward and a delayed larger reward in a booklet. The immediate smaller reward was consistently “200 yen now”. The delay time to the larger reward was different ranging from 30 minutes to one year in each question, but the amount of reward was consistently “500 yen”. In the self-control task, each participant was presented with a comic illustrating a parent and child’ conversation regarding children’s self-control in daily life. Participants were presented with a choice between one toy now and two toys ten months later. Choosing the one toy now is regarded as impulsiveness, whereas choosing the two toys later is regarded as self-control. Preliminary analysis of 647 children, ages 6-12 years, suggests that children’s impulsiveness in the delay discounting task decreased as a function of age. In the self-control task children’s impulsiveness decreased from 6 to 7 years-old, but increased from 7 to 12 years-old. The relationship between children's choice and their teachers’ ratings will be also discussed.

A recurring issue in the literature on resurgence of operant responding in humans is lack of sensitivity to reinforcement contingencies and extinction. In the 1950s, Holland demonstrated that vigilance tasks could be useful to show systematic effects of reinforcement schedules on human operant responding. Participants pressed a button to observe the state of a pointer on a dial (vigilance response). The pointer deflected on a variable interval (VI) schedule and served as reinforcement for the vigilance response. When a deflection was detected, pressing another button produced points exchangeable for money. In the present experiment, Holland’s procedure was used in a resurgence three-phase procedure using a console with four buttons. During Phase 1, presses on a target vigilance button were reinforced. During Phase 2, presses on an alternative vigilance button were reinforced and presses on the target button were extinguished. In Phase 3, presses on both buttons were extinguished. During all phases presses on a control button showed the state of the pointer but were not reinforced. Resurgence of the target-vigilance response was observed in the four participants. Additionally, responses apparently induced by responding on the target button were observed on the control button only during the resurgence phase.

Automatically-maintained self-injurious behavior (SIB) is often difficult to assess and treat due to several variables. Two of these evaluated in past research include difficulties associated with SIB that is multiply maintained by both automatic and social reinforcement and SIB that is associated with self-restraint. In the current study, we evaluated these variables with a child with autism spectrum disorder who was exhibiting severe automatically-maintained SIB. First, we present data on multiple functional analyses conducted to determine the relationship between self-restraint and self-injury. We found evidence of no functional relationship between self-restraint and SIB (i.e., self-restraint was not negatively reinforced by the removal of SIB, self-restraint was not maintained by access to SIB, and SIB was not maintained by access to self-restraint). Next, SIB was further evaluated to determine if social reinforcers also played a role in maintaining the behavior. Through a series of functional analyses including conditions with and without sensory extinction, we identified that SIB was multiply maintained by attention in addition to automatic reinforcement. The results from this participant are discussed in relation to the past research on these topics and recommendations for clinicians.

Token reinforcement procedures are robust interventions for producing positive behavior change. Token reinforcement is especially amenable to investigating the conditions under which an organism will accumulate reinforcers prior to using them. The purpose of this experiment was to examine the effects of the token production schedule, exchange production schedule, and token generality, on accumulation. Five participants completed up to nine experimental conditions over approximately 30 days. Participants worked on a computerized paint by number task and earned one token for between 100 and 300 responses and could exchange their tokens at any time during the experiment. The travel distance required to make the exchange, effort required to earn a token, and the generality of the token was manipulated across conditions. The primary dependent variable in this study was the number of tokens accumulated at each exchange period. Overall, as the token production schedule increased, accumulation decreased, and as the exchange production schedule increased, accumulation increased. Both findings were consistent with previous research. For three of the five participants, accumulation increased as generality increased. Future research should investigate the extent that token generality disrupts the relationship between token production, exchange production, and accumulation.

Previous research indicates cockroaches will press a lever to access reinforcement; however, laboratory observations suggested the reinforcer is not always consumed, bringing into question the function of such lever-pressing behavior. Subjects in this study were male Madagascar hissing cockroaches (MHC). Methods were based on a reinforcer assessment by Dixon et al. (2016). Frequency of lever-pressing, and consuming sucrose solution were recorded. During the experimental phase, two MHC received access to sucrose solution contingent on lever-pressing on a fixed ratio one (FR1) schedule. An ABAB withdrawal design was used for two MHC, with A being baseline, and B being FR1 schedule. Another subject’s access to sucrose solution was yoked to a different subject’s sucrose consumption. That subject was then placed on an FR1 schedule. Data on cumulative records indicate MHC increased lever-pressing during the FR1 schedule, but consumed solution less than half of the times it was presented. Responding ceased after an extinction burst during the return to baseline conditions. Responding ceased completely on the FR1 schedule when directly following the yoking procedure. These results not likely explainable via place preference, higher ground preference, or satiation accounts of responding. Observing response, foraging, sign tracking, and induction are discussed as possible explanations.

The literature pertaining to the Madagascar Hissing Cockroach is lacking in several areas. One such area fit for study involves the conditioned place preference regarding floor texture and preferred versus nonpreferred solutions. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between these stimuli to determine if a conditioned place preference should occur when a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach is in a state of deprivation. Four male cockroaches were used to investigate this association. Cockroaches experiencing exposure to the solutions displayed an inclination towards inactivity. Preferences shifted from one of the available floor textures to the center area in which the cockroaches were initially placed, the preference change displayed through their lack of movement. Although this inactivity provided a change in place preference, data were inconclusive as to why this change occurred. Potential factors leading to this change are discussed. Future research has many areas that could provide evidence as to which components may be more important the change displayed.

Conditioned Place Preference (CPP) or Aversion (CPA) were assessed in the Madagascar Hissing Cockroach (Gromphadorhina portentosa). The scent of .1 ml of 91% Isopropyl Alcohol was paired twice with 60 grit sandpaper or AstroTurf after texture preference and smell preference were determined. Single trial learning was potentially demonstrated, although evidence does not support CPP or CPA taking place under these specific conditions.

Baer, Wolf, and Risley (1968) identified and described seven dimensions of applied behavior analysis (ABA): applied, behavioral, analytic, technological, conceptual systems, effective, and generality. These dimensions are what separates applied behavior analysis from the experimental analysis of behavior, and provides practitioners with the information necessary to deliver effective and ethical treatments and services to their clients. Using specific definitions of the seven dimensions and a coding tool, we evaluated and assessed various elements of these seven dimensions across 47 volumes of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (JABA), from 1968 to 2014. The data suggest that research articles generally satisfy the requirements for being behavioral, analytic, and conceptually systematic. In recent years, research in JABA has been gradually improving in the technological dimension. The data also suggest that the research articles in JABA could improve in the applied, effective, and generality dimensions. The trends in the use of the seven dimensions of ABA should be taken into consideration when planning future applied research and future directions in the field. Are the seven dimensions still current and relevant to applied research? If so, researchers would benefit from building their research methodologies with generalization, technology, and efficacy in mind.

The guiding principle of inclusive education is all children, regardless of perceived differences, have equal opportunities to quality education. Closing the gap between the guiding principle and practices at school has been widely researched and still no optimal inclusive approach has been found to address diversities. While studies on inclusive education indicating that successful inclusive practice must consider personal traits of both students and teachers, there is a dire need to equip mainstream classroom teachers with the knowledge and skills in developing personalized inclusive education practice that cater the needs of both teacher and students in their classrooms. This study presented a A-B single subject design study to investigate 1) how would applied behavior analysis (ABA) and differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) contributes to professional development in mainstream teacher in developing effective inclusive practices, and 2) the conducive factors in facilitating the emergence of personalized inclusive practices in a mainstream classroom. The findings revealed that ABA and DRO training in teachers that enable them to identify and manipulate IV are needed in developing effective inclusive practices. Support by professionals leads to empowerment in teachers in integrating the newly constructed knowledge and skills into existing repertoire into a cohesive whole.

Previous Studies examined factors that lead to division among minority college students that resulted in bias and discrimination in the acceptance and retention of students of color. Hagedorn et.al (1996) looked at achievement outcome among diverse demographics of students at a four year university. Furthermore, dropout behavior in minority students was largely attributed to lack of social interactions and mentoring opportunities. In the current study we examine the enrollment of students at Indiana University-South Bend is 72.8% White, 9.73% Hispanic or Latino, 6.68% Black or African American, 3.02% two or more races. There is a decreasing trend over the last 5 years in the enrollment and graduation of African American students. The total degrees awarded recently White Female 470 degrees awarded, White Male, 243 degrees awarded, Black or African American Female 41 degrees awarded and 31 degrees African American males. There is a need to increase the enrollment of minority students across regional colleges as they struggle with outreach to underrepresented students, retention and graduation efforts. Cipani (2017) offers behavior analytic methods to examine problems and present them in a scientific way that can then be utilized to offer real life applications.

Many individuals with developmental disabilities (DD) fail to acquire manding repertoires sufficient for success in a range of environments. Further, those without this essential repertoire may exhibit increased levels of problem behaviors to access reinforcers or escape aversive stimuli. Since school plays a critical role in the lives of most children with DD, educators are responsible for ensuring all students receive adequate instruction in the effective use of mands. Unfortunately, many educators may be unfamiliar with procedures for implementing mand training and may not see themselves as responsible for communication instruction. To more strongly advocate for the inclusion of mand training procedures in schools and in teacher preparation programs it is important to better understand the literature related to mand training in schools. In the current poster, the presenters will provide data related to mand training for students with DD in school settings across a range of variables including school demographics, change agent characteristics, staff training procedures, intervention procedures, technology, dosage, and range of instructional targets. The presenters will discuss implications for research and practice.

The typical elementary schooldays are filled with examples of behavioral concepts, terminology, and phenomena. Students, teachers, and parents (indeed, all of us) are constantly living a breath and depth of behavior more robust than any textbook can capture, but rarely are those experiences captured, labeled, defined, or described in behavioral terms. This presentation highlights various domains in which one could classify these behavioral phenomena and terms. These categories overlap and include but are not limited to those involving interactions between students and staff, students and other students, and students and other aspects of their antecedent state milieu. Among them are behavioral momentum, successive approximations, shaping, chains of behaviors, reinforcement, things that decrease likelihood of future behavior emission (punishment), token economies, latency, and over correction, among many others. Elementary school students and staff engage in behaviors throughout the day but are unlikely to capture them, label them, or understand them in behavioral terms. Yet any time behavior changes, by definition, those involved have followed the principles of behavior even without realizing it. Particularly with terms and concepts deemed to be societally sensitive, such as punishment, the greater exposure, done well, might lead to less misunderstanding, and greater acceptance of behaviorally based approaches. Highlighting the most clear cut examples of such could be used to help understand and modify behavior, and done well, could serve to increase awareness of Applied Behavior Analytic practices, and perhaps contribute to a greater acceptance of, and less resistance to, the discipline and its approaches.

Applied behavior analytic methods have been used to effectively train individuals to utilize a variety of individualized instructional approaches (e.g., Discrete Trial Training) with learners with developmental disabilities. However, limited research exists that has evaluated the effectiveness of training methods for use with special educators to utilize complex instructional practices aligned to grade level content for learners pursuing a diploma in a small group instructional setting. The current study included an evaluation of various training components (e.g., bug in the ear, guided lesson planning, behavioral skills training) to increase the curricular treatment integrity across two curricula as delivered by career English/Language Arts teachers. Curricular treatment integrity included a complex instructional repertoire that included components such as teacher think alouds, use of explicit instruction model, use of scaffolds during independent practice opportunities. Results will be evaluated at the conclusion of the studies. Early findings highlight the need for additional research for this population of students pursuing a diploma in a group instructional environment.

Despite the need for effective approaches to training new teachers given the current teacher shortages, few researchers have evaluated training approaches for instructional practices to be used in a small group instructional setting for learners pursuing a diploma. The current study included an evaluation of a training package to increase the complexity of instructional demands delivered by early career teachers during small group science instruction. Instructional demands were evaluated across the following domains: demand complexity (e.g., know vs. application), type of response (e.g., recall, fill in the blank, open ended), and active student method (e.g., choral, Turn and Talk). Training included pre-requisite instruction on the domains described above, supported lesson planning, development of scripts to be used during instruction, and en vivo coaching. Results will be evaluated via single subject design at the conclusion of the study. Expected findings highlight the need for ongoing research in this area to inform efficient training practices for early career teachers who will be delivering group instruction to learners with developmental disabilities.

Effectively using data to guide decision making has been identified as the most powerful educational strategy at educators' disposal (Hattie, 2008). Recent data from large scale studies and program evaluations reveals three key findings about the state of data within K-12 education: 1) educators have access to more data now than ever before, 2) effective decision-making models exist to guide educators' use of these data, and 3) data are not typically being used effectively in schools. This study experimentally tests the effects of a newly developed professional development package targeting Academic Team-initiated Problem Solving (AcTIPS), on the decision making process used by the reading supports team (consisting of 5 members) in one elementary school. The primary dependent variables were the team’s use of effective problem solving procedures as indicated by the percent of points earned on subscales of the Decision, Observation, Recording and Analysis (DORA-II) tool. Data from a concurrent multiple baseline across skills design indicate that the professional development package was successful in changing the decision making behavior of data team members across the three fundamental domains of team-initiated problem solving performance: Meeting Foundations, Problem Solving, and Implementation & Adaptation. At each stage of the multiple baseline design the team documented immediate and sustained improvement in functioning following delivery of the AcTIPS package. Data were analyzed using visual analysis and non-overlap of all pairs (NAP). Both analyses indicated clear and compelling effects of the training package on team members' decision-making behavior.

Social-communication skills impact academic achievement, social-emotional development, and relationships with others. Therefore, early interventions that support and promote the development of these skills are needed for young children with disabilities who have delays or deficits in their communication skills. To date, in Israel, there are limited training materials in the native language for caregivers related to practices that support social-communication skills of young children with disabilities. Access to quality training is very restricted due to a shortage in native-speaking qualified experts in this area and the cost of such training. Online self-paced, self-directed training modules, developed in the US, which include information on evidence-based behavioral practices for promoting children's' social-communication skills were translated and culturally adapted to address the needs of caregivers in Israel. The purpose of this project was to assess the feasibility and acceptability of the online training modules, based on the ecological validity framework. Satisfaction questionnaires and focus groups with caregivers and professionals were conducted and are currently being analyzed using qualitative methodology. The poster will include a description of the process and framework used to inform the ecological validity of the culturally and linguistically adapted modules and the data collected from different stakeholders during the process.

Although the number of Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA) is increasing, there is still a critical shortage of BCBAs in many areas. As a result, individuals may be employed as behavior therapists despite a lack of training in applied behavior analysis (ABA). Without additional training, the services provided by these therapists might not be ideal. This presentation reports the results of a study conducted with behavior therapists enrolled in a Master of Special Education program in the southern United States. The course was part of a Verified Course Sequence, and all participants provided ABA services to clients with autism. The purpose of this research was to improve the skills of the behavior therapists through video analysis, an intervention which requires the participants to record and view videos of themselves delivering ABA services to clients for the purpose of self-improvement. To improve the social validity and generalizability of the study, the participants self-selected target behaviors to improve and implemented all steps of the single-case study independently. The results of the study were positive and indicated that all participants were not only able to improve their skills in ABA but also maintain these skills and generalize them to a second target behavior.

To the extent possible, research results should be clear and free from bias. Bias is introduced when superfluous wording exaggerates anticipated or attractive results and hides or minimizes unanticipated or unattractive results. This study was conducted in two phases. In Phase 1, pilot work was conducted to determine 19 superfluous words suspected to be common in overselling results. In Phase 2, we analyzed the results reporting practices of every experimental article in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis for 2018. The analysis was conducted by 3 behavior analysts (one BCBA-D, two master’s-level students) and agreements are reported. Our results suggest that superfluous results reporting occurs in JABA.

The Online and Applied System for Intervention Skills (OASIS) Training is a manualized training program using a combination of web-based instructional tutorials and live coaching. Previous studies (e.g., Heitzman-Powell, Buzhardt, Rusinko, & Miller, 2013) from the authors have demonstrated the effectiveness of the OASIS program in teaching skills and strategies based on applied behavior analysis to parents of children with autism. An effort has been made to increase the availability of certified OASIS coaches while ensuring their training fidelity. The current study seeks to describe the criterion-referenced OASIS coach training conducted both through in-person and via telehealth and the coach training evaluation. OASIS coach trainees are required to meet the criteria for both knowledge on ABA and coaching skills, and to provide OASIS training to a family. Five cohorts composed of 17 people completed the OASIS coach training, 13 (76%) of which were master-level therapists. Results indicated that all coach trainees were able to demonstrate a high level of coaching competency and implementation fidelity.

Staff performance on safety habits have been studied in an organizational manner for many years. When working with individuals who exhibit challenging or dangerous behavior, including specialists who work with individuals diagnosed with autism, training must be provided to ensure safety for all involved. Amongst the variations of this type of training Safety-Care ™ training has been one that focuses on prevention and evidence-based intervention when disruptive or dangerous behavior arises (QBS, Inc). In order to train the staff on these procedures Behavioral Skills Training (BST) is presented as a technique to introduce new skills. These techniques used in BST have been studied and have found to improve staff performance. The procedures consist of instruction, model, practice, and feedback till mastery (Parsons, Rollyson, & Reid, 2012; Nigro-Bruzzi & Sturmey, 2010; Sarokoff & Sturmey, 2004). Even though BST is the primary way to teach when introducing new skills, it is not the only option. Clicker training is another form of feedback that has been presented when teaching novel responses. This type of training provides an auditory feedback as a conditioned reinforcer to determine a targeted goal when learning a new skill. This was first introduced to train new responses with porpoises (Pryor, Haag, & O’Reilly, 1969). Since then, more researched has surfaced using clicker training on a variety of animals like goats, horses, and dogs (Ferguson & Rosales-Ruiz, 2001; Langbein et al., 2007; Pryor, 1999); it has been used to facilitate physical performance in sports like golf, football, and track (Fogel et al, 2010; Harrison & Pyles, 2013; Scott et al., 1997); also has been used in reducing toe-walking in a child diagnosed with autism (Persicke et al., 2014; Hodges et al., 2019); and has been used to improve performance on using surgical techniques for medical students (Levy, Pryor, & McKeon, 2016). Types of clicker training have evolved to introduce a curriculum. For example, TAGteach uses the WOOF criteria (what you want, one thing, observable, five words or less) to establish an auditory stimulus known as a “Tag” to reinforce the targeted behavior (TAGteach International, 2004). This auditory feedback is used as a conditioned reinforcer to establish when a correct response was emitted. It has been shown to improve golf swings (Fogel et al., 2010) dance movements (Quin et al., 2015) and beginner yoga poses (Ennett, Zonneveld, Thomson, Vause, & Ditor, 2019). One study showed the use of clicker training to improve behavior-skills change in practitioners who work with children diagnosed with autism (Herron, Lotfizadeh, & Poling 2018). These results indicated that the clicker training showed an increase in opportunities in which practitioners correctly engaged in selected ABA strategies used in the study. Even though there are many published articles on using clicker training to improve sports performance and animal training, not much has been studied on human services. The purpose of the study is to utilize clicker training during Safety Care ™ to gather a percentage of correct responding for movements utilized during the training. If practitioners on average are mastering the skill at a faster rate and obtain fluency by the end of the training, then they are more likely to utilize these skills with their clients during a crisis situation.

Defining features of evidence-based practices (EBPs) include using the best available evidence and designing a system that allows practitioners to collect their own data on procedure efficacy and efficiency in their own contexts. Among the features that might contribute to EBPs are interobserver agreement (IOA) and treatment fidelity (TF), since they increase data reliability. This study analyzed the presence of IOA and TF in studies published in behavior analytic Brazilian journals and was conducted in two phases. In Phase 1, 290 studies were analyzed according to 6 categories (i.e., published between 2013 and 2017, accessible online, written in Portuguese, human beings were the only participants in the study, the study was experimental, and there were pre-intervention measures). Thirty-five articles were approved for Phase 2, which analyzed the presence of IOA and TF. Among these 35 articles, 10 described IOA and 2, TF measures. We discuss possible implications of these results for practitioners looking for EBPs and how they might, on their own, start using IOA and FT measures to start transforming their practice into a data-based process.

Cultural competency and diversity are topics within the field of Applied Behavior Analysis that are actively being built upon due to the current state or lack thereof, in the science. African Americans are by far underrepresented within the ranks of Board Certified Behavior Analysts and to effectively address this problem we must first identify potential causes across all settings of the field. The purpose of this poster will be to extend the conversations started from the author of a recent blog post, who directly spoke to the issues with respect to cultural competency. This poster will present a critical analysis of the current status of African Americans within the field of Applied Behavior Analysis and identify solutions to address areas of concern. This may serve as a foundation for a new approach to handling issues of diversity within the promotion, dissemination and advancement of the science of Applied Behavior Analysis specific to African American populations.

Disparities in health care have received much national attention recently, but few studies have focused on disparities among young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Early interventions in children with ASD improve outcomes. Although all young children with ASD are eligible to receive early intervention (EI) services, 51-60% do not. Study goals were to determine which demographic and psychosocial characteristics are associated with early diagnosis and utilization of services. Data was sourced from The National Survey of Children’s Health (2018) and then Survey of Pathways to Diagnosis (2011) and Services. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed to examine racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in age at diagnosis and utilization of early intervention services. Significant racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities exist in the recognition and diagnosis of ASD. The analyses suggest that children of low SES face considerable challenges in receiving early intervention services. Eliminating disparities requires systemic efforts to promote health equity, social planning, and policy change.

Industrial/Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior Management study many of the same phenomena despite developing from disparate scientific paradigms. Industrial/Organizational Psychology relies on cognitive and social psychology to understand and predict organizational phenomena using statistical analyses, while Organizational Behavior Management contextualizes behavior into contingencies to design interventions on these same phenomena (Bucklin, Alvero, Dickinson, Austin & Jackson, 2000). Successful post-intervention behavior change validates behavioral analysis. This study proposes a framework for translating eleven conventional I/O Psychology constructs, ranging from diversity & inclusion (West, Tjosvold, & Smith, 2003) to self-efficacy (Bandura, 1977), into effective behavioral interventions. The framework consists of several steps: (1) identify a construct of business relevance, (2) pinpoint behaviors that capture the essence of the construct, (3) analyze related contingencies, and (4) develop a contingency design for intervention. Practitioners of both fields can benefit from this translational process to implement more effective interventions: Industrial/Organizational Psychologists benefit by applying behavior analysis and Organizational Behavior Management practitioners benefit by leveraging covert psychological processes. The researchers offer a scientific critique of this translational process to encourage continuous improvement of knowledge sharing between the fields of Industrial/Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior Management.

Performance feedback consists of providing information about past performance and indicating how to improve future performance. Feedback is one of the most frequently used procedures for changing behavior within organizational settings. However, despite its successful application across a variety of organizational settings, much remains unknown about how it acts to change behavior and increase performance. Previous research involving computerized work tasks has shown that inaccurate feedback can delay or impede skill acquisition. Such studies typically only assess the detrimental effects of inaccurate feedback when acquiring new skills; very little is known about how inaccurate feedback affects skills that have been mastered. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine the effects of varying feedback accuracies following skill mastery in undergraduate students when completing a computerized match-to-sample task. Participants initially completed 250 trials with 100% accurate feedback before completing an additional 250 trials with varying levels of feedback accuracy (i.e., 100%, 80%, 60%, 40%, and 20%). Data show that the mean number of correct responses per condition during the additional 250 trials decrease as the proportion of trials with inaccurate feedback increases.

This study examined the effects of feedback accuracy on performance under two different work conditions. Under one work condition, participants could clearly see the outcome of their performance (i.e., visible condition). Under the other condition, they could not clearly see the outcome of their performance (i.e., non-visible condition). The independent variable consisted of three feedback conditions: accurate feedback, tripled inaccurate feedback, and one-third inaccurate feedback. Both the tripled and one-third inaccurate feedback were generated based on the actual performance from the previous sessions (i.e., inaccurate but partially contingent) and delivered at the beginning of the next sessions. One hundred sixty-three participants were randomly assigned to the six experimental conditions and asked to perform a simulated work task. The effects of the accurate and tripled feedback on performance were comparable but they were higher than the effect of the one-third inaccurate feedback under the visible work condition. Under the invisible work condition, however, the three feedback conditions did not produce differential impacts on performance.

This study compared the effects of accurate feedback, non-contingent exaggerated feedback, and no feedback conditions on performance under two different work conditions. Participants under on work condition could clearly see the outcome of their performance (i.e., visible condition), but those under the other work condition could not clearly see the outcome of their performance (i.e., invisible condition). The non-contingent exaggerated feedback was generated by (1) yoking the feedback to the performance of the participants in the accurate feedback conditions and (2) multiplying the yoked feedback by two. One hundred sixty-nine participants were randomly assigned to the six experimental conditions and asked to perform a simulated work task. The accurate and exaggerated feedback conditions produced higher levels of performance than the no feedback condition under both work conditions. The exaggerated and accurate feedback produced similar levels of performance under the invisible work condition. Under the visible work condition, however, the exaggerated feedback was less effective than the accurate feedback.

Staff working in residential treatment programs are often assigned trainings to complete to help them perform their jobs more effectively. When staff do not complete trainings employers frequently provide corrective feedback to them. However, such feedback may not have the desired effect of increasing staff participation. In the current study, staff were provided verbal and written feedback during baseline if they did not complete their assigned trainings by agency due dates. During the intervention phase, staff were offered incentives for completing quarterly trainings before a specified deadline. Once staff completed the assigned training, they were entered into a randomized drawing for gift cards to popular locations. Staff could earn more entries into the drawing for completing training earlier in the quarter. The results indicated that incentives increased the number of staff that completed the quarterly trainings. The implications of using incentives in a human service organization is discussed.

As a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, I know simple additions to our environment can encourage follow through of intended behavior change. The more apparent something is and the easier it is to access the information, the more likely someone is to retain the information. Additionally, I know there are simple and effective behaviors one can implement daily to reduce the effects and injuries caused by stress and trauma. We have the information; we just need to get it to the right professionals. This is where I can assist… As a Fire Wife, I know the importance of providing this information to first responders, law enforcement, military and hospital staff. I also know that while resources are becoming readily available, not all will feel comfortable seeking help or voicing that they are struggling with their mental health. This is why I feel an alternative is needed. An alternative that individuals can implement on their own without asking for help, as asking for the help is often the barrier to receiving help. It is imperative and as they say in the field, we cannot leave anyone behind. I have created simple “Stress Sheets” that will be available to departments, hospitals and agencies so their employees can retain the information and practice on their own, as needed. I am excited to have found a simple way to disseminate the information and help those that spend their lives helping others. To do this, I teach the use of self management strategies to meet an overall goal of identifying and making environmental changes to best support the needs of a first responder, law enforcement or hospital staff. During the initial assessment and interview with the department, hospital team, agency, etc. I will make recommendations regarding behaviors that must be established, maintained, increased or decreased based on the current needs, call volume, requirements of the job, etc. Additionally, I program for maintenance so learned behaviors are maintained. The intervention strategies are based on client preferences, client’s current repertoire, supporting environments and best scientific evidence. Most importantly, Professionals can benefit from the tools outlined without reaching out to anyone else. I feel peer support is the best support and want to teach these strategies in new hire trainings as additional support.

While music is integrated into almost all facets of life (e.g., adults soothe infants with song and teach children nursery rhymes as a mechanism to learn simple tasks and facts, jingles help transfer positive emotional effects to businesses and products, and a single melody may evoke powerful memories), there is little behavior analytic research exploring music as a behavior change mechanism or its effects on operant and respondent conditioning or derived responding. This review summarizes 21 studies published in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (JABA) from 1968 to 2019 in which music is part of the independent or dependent variable. We further classified music within the four-term contingency: motivating operation (MO), antecedent, behavior, and consequence. The number of articles with music in the title, abstract, and/or keywords has increased in the past decade, indicating an acceleration of interest in this area. We suggest that music merits further attention by behavior analysts and that the JABA might appropriate outlet for this line of work.

It’s widely known that humans can learn through verbal behavior. Since the first Skinner’s conceptualization of verbal behavior, great number of studies had been conducted to analyze it in experimental settings. However, efforts still need to be made to fully understand how verbal behavior works in natural settings. This study tries to make a little step in that direction. Our purpose is to analyze verbal interaction patterns between client and clinician during psychological treatment. Thus, 16 sessions of psychological treatment were recorded. The client was an adult diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder; the clinician was a psychologist trained in behavior therapy. A coding system based on functional properties of verbal stimuli was used. Two trained observers coded the verbal behavior independently (k= 0.71-0.86). Using descriptive statistics of the data, we found that the frequency per hour of generalized discriminative stimuli (e.g. how are you feeling today?) diminished trough the treatment; or that instructions’ frequency increased after the fourth session. Sequential analysis allowed us to find positive correlations between client’s pro-therapeutic verbalizations (e.g. achievement or wellbeing verbalizations) and clinician’s reinforcement of this verbalizations. These results are useful to analyze the behavioral change processes that are set up during psychological treatment.

Crack use has become a severe health problem in Brazil, the country being reported among the largest crack markets in the world. Located in downtown São Paulo (Brazil most populated city) Crackland emerges as a public space where thousands of crack users living under extremely vulnerable conditions gather to consume crack openly in the streets. In this pilot study we evaluated the feasibility of incorporating Contingency Management (CM) to a public ambulatory treatment located in the heart of crackland to treat currently homeless crack users. Methods: After up to 6-month of inpatient treatment a total of eight participants received 12 weeks of housing, food and ambulatory treatment (control condition) and 12 participants received 12 weeks of housing, food, ambulatory treatment and vouchers contingent to cocaine abstinence (experimental condition). All treatment procedures were conducted by treatment staff. Results: Treatment staff found CM easy to understand, easy to apply and found that CM helped patients maintain abstinence. All participants found CM easy to understand, liked receiving CM and believed it helped them during treatment. Preliminary findings are also presented. Conclusion: CM was well assimilated by treatment staff and participants suggesting the feasibility of incorporating CM in public treatments for crack use disorders.

Youth soccer players are at higher risk of suffering from concussions. One cause of concussions in soccer are incorrectly performed headers. Quintero et al. (2019) reported about a study that used a task analysis of correctly executed headers and behavioral skills training as an intervention to improve the headers of 3 female youth soccer players practicing soccer in a school setting. The current study is a systematic replication of Quintero et al. with youth soccer players in Germany. The task analysis had to be adapted to the German settings. Subjects were three youth soccer players (1 female, 2 male) practicing in a soccer club. All subjects mastered the correct heading technique, although additional video feedback was necessary to reach the mastery criterion. Limitations of the study as well as differences between the original study and the replication study are discussed. Further research should focus on the practicability of the intervention in typical training situations.

Caregivers of people with neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDDs) may experience greater psychological distress than other caregivers. Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) has been shown to increase psychological flexibility and decrease psychological distress for these caregivers. Limited research has measured a core component of ACT (committed actions; CAs), which could be crucial in understanding how ACT can improve life satisfaction. We asked caregivers (N=11) to self-monitor their frequency of CAs (related to their values) and send their weekly results one week before and four weeks after a group-based ACT-workshop (Lunsky et al., 2018). Caregivers also completed standard psychological measures of depression, anxiety, general stress, parenting stress, and values and CAs measures. Post-ACT, 10 of 11 caregivers demonstrated increases in CAs and the group average increased from 0 in baseline to 3.4 CAs per week. All self-report data indicated therapeutic trends, with scores on parenting stress general stress, and depression approaching statistical significance. One-month follow-up data is currently being analyzed. Additional workshops will be conducted to increase statistical power. Results may help inform how self-monitoring CAs impacts the frequency of CAs in relation to measures of psychological distress, CAs, and values.

Research shows that restricting/ denying access to items/activities often trigger disruptive behaviors for children with low frustration tolerance (Mace et al., 2011). Teaching tolerance to access restrictions requires time and resources that may not be available to all clinics and families, reflecting a significant need for briefer treatments. Delay and denial (DnD) tolerance training involving functional communication training (FCT) has been found to be effective in reducing disruptive behaviors in children with developmental disabilities. Research on the effectiveness of this treatment in outpatient clinics with typically developing children is limited. The current study utilized a brief (8 session) DnD tolerance treatment protocol with a typically developing child (4 yrs) in an outpatient clinic. Results revealed a significant reduction in disruptive behaviors and an increase in appropriate requesting and wait time. The current study extended the literature by demonstrating that the procedures utilized in previous studies can be modified to be more feasible for use in an outpatient clinic that serves an underrepresented population. Future research should focus on integrating formal preference assessments and developing relapse prevention plans that include other important settings of the child.

Historically, consultation training has emphasized acceptance of the consultee's belief system. In fact, consultees often have beliefs based on disproven or unproven information and ultimately cannot be providing best practices for the client. Rather than accepting their perspective, this presentation proposes that, in order to provide evidence-based-services for the client, we must correct misinformation and and bring the consultee to an awareness of best practices. Communication methods that emphasize nonconfrontational and respectful strategies will be presented.

Promoting physical activity is a crucial public health priority. Interventions that use applied behavior analytic procedures (ABA) such as contingency management and self-management have shown promise for facilitating physical activity. However, additional research is needed to advance innovation, particularly with respect to interventions that work through indirect-acting contingencies. Among these innovative models of behavior intervention, Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) has received increased attention and empirical support. Previous research has provided evidence that ACT can increase exercise but previous ACT studies have generally used group designs, which makes it difficult to carefully consider the effects of the intervention at the level of the individual participant, the level at which ACT trainers and therapists work. The present study evaluated a bilingual, five-week, one-on-one ACT-based coaching program for increasing exercise in bilingual international university students. After receiving the ACT intervention, all four participants increased their average daily steps, frequency of gym visits, and duration of gym visits significantly and gains maintained after intervention was terminated. The results of this study suggest that an ACT-based bilingual coaching program of moderate duration may be effective for increasing exercise in bilingual university students.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is commonly used at the individual level to treat anxiety disorders, depression, and other common psychopathology. An emerging application of ACT is at the larger group, even entire community level. This is a promising extension of ACT work because it has the potential to affect change at a larger level than psychologists or behavior analysts can do when working with only one person at a time. Promising applications have included sheltering women from violence, slowing the spread of the Ebola virus, and preventing gang violence in the country of Sierra Leone. At a broader scale, the Prosocial movement has attempted to combine ACT with principles form cultural anthropology to effect change across the globe. This poster will review such large-scale applications of ACT and make practical suggestions for how behavior analysts can make their own service delivery organizations more compassionate and values-oriented.

The current study employed two experiments to examine the effects of pyramidal training on implementation of paired choice preference assessments with training as normal and Behavioral Skills Training (BST) by RBT-level staff in a clinic setting. The first experiment utilized an AB design to examine the use of BST as an intervention for training a Registered Behavior Technician, as the Tier 1 participant, to implement BST to train Tier 2 participants. In the first experiment, the Tier 1 participant was provided written instructions on a paired choice preference assessment and BST. In the baseline phase the Tier 1 participant trained the experimenter to the “best of their ability” on implementation of a paired choice preference assessment with the written information alone. After the baseline phase, the Tier 1 participant received training on BST and the paired choice preference assessment from the experimenter. In the second phase, the Tier 1 participant was again provided the instructions for the paired choice preference assessment and BST, and then was prompted to again train the experimenter to the “best of their ability”. The second experiment used a multiple baseline probe design to examine the effect of training, provided by the Tier 1 participant, on the accuracy of implementation of the paired choice preference assessments by Tier 2 participants when compared to written instructions alone (baseline), training as normal (phase 2) and BST (phase 3). The design consisted of three phases. In the baseline phase, the Tier 2 participants were provided with written instructions for a paired choice preference assessment, 1 minute to review the instructions, and then instructed to implement the preference assessment to the “best of their ability”. Data was collected on accuracy of implementation. After the baseline phase, the Tier 1 participant was instructed to train the Tier 2 participants as usual with the written instructions provided to all participants and data sheet. After training, Phase 1 started. Data was collected on Tier 2 participants accuracy of implementation after receiving “training as normal” from the Tier 1 participant. For the final phase, phase 3, the Tier 1 participant had received training on BST from the experimenter. The Tier 1 participant trained the Tier 2 participants on a paired stimulus preference assessment using BST. Data was collected on accuracy of implementation of the preference assessment. Results indicated that pyramidal training was effective in increasing accuracy scores when compared to the baseline phase. The results also indicated that training using BST resulted in a more accurate implementation of the paired choice preference assessments by Tier 2 participants, when compared to training as usual.

Teaching with acoustical guidance is a teaching procedure that uses an acoustical stimulus to provide immediate feedback to a learner (Quinn, et al., 2017) and has been used to increase a variety of skills, such as football skills (Harrison & Pyles, 2013; Stokes et al., 2010), precision shooting (Konttinen et al., 2004), dance movements (Carrion et al., 2019) and appropriate walking (Hodges et al., 2019). TAGteach also uses an acoustical stimulus to provide immediate feedback to learner, but also includes several other components (TAGteach International, 2004) and has been used to increase a variety of similar skills such as appropriate walking (Persicke, et al 2014), dance movements (Arnall, et al., 2019; Quinn, et al., 2015), rugby skills (Elmore, et al., 2018) and a golf swing (Fogel, et al., 2010). Given the similarities between these procedures, there seems to be some ambiguity regarding these terms in the literature. Therefore, this poster will examine the current literature on teaching with acoustical guidance and TAGTeach, discuss the procedural differences between these procedures, and provide directions for future research.

People with intellectual disabilities/developmental disabilities in the United States are living longer in recent decades. People 65 and older are in better health than previous decades due to more awareness of the beneficial effects of a healthy diet, preventative medical care, and physical exercise. Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities are living longer as well. However, this presents challenges in meeting the needs of this population. This paper details the results of a survey developed to assess several areas of services, including social engagement, health-related services, group home environment, and staff training and development, were evaluated to identify areas in need of improvement. Participants consisted of 95 direct care staff working for a not-for-profit agency providing residential services to adults with intellectual disabilities/developmental disabilities. The results of the survey indicate that need for improving social engagement opportunities for older adults residing in the community and more training on working with older adults with intellectual disabilities/developmental disabilities for direct care staff in a residential setting.

Gendered behaviors can be expressed as verbal behavior. Having access to self-editing behaviors can provide additional information about a verbal episode. A software that is an experimental analogue of social media model represents a promising avenue for studying verbal behavior. A multielement design was employed to investigate the effects of female and male audiences (i.e., independent variables) on gender biased verbal behavior and self-editing using an analogue online chat. Dependent variables included self-editing, disagreeing, interrupting, and pressuring. A software program was developed. Participants were 28 typically developing adults. They were instructed to interact with confederates by playing cooperative games. Differentiated responding across genders for disagreeing, interrupting, and pressuring was observed for 19, 14, and 13 participants, respectively. Covert disagreeing was emitted more frequently in the presence of male confederates. Covert pressuring was emitted more frequently in the presence of female confederates.

There is limited research on teaching individuals how to actively listen and then use this information in subsequent conversations. Listeners must discriminate topics the conversation partner is interested in and enjoys discussing, and to avoid topics that elicit or evoke emotional responses or may otherwise be aversive. First, we conducted a descriptive assessment of conversations among 16 neuro-typical individuals across 1:1 conversations with a friend and 1:1 conversations with a novel conversation partner. Topics most commonly discussed were work and movies. We also conducted a structured-descriptive assessment to identify how individuals respond to their conversation partner when they initiate conversation on topics with preferred or aversive properties. Data from the structured-descriptive assessment suggest that individuals make less comments related to a topic they find aversive. Individuals make more comments, smile more frequently and lean in toward their conversation partner when preferred topics are discussed. These data may inform research and practice for teaching individuals complex social skills that contribute to an established speaker and listener repertoire that may impact their overall interactions and quality of life.

Children with cochlear implants (CIs) who are readers usually produce more accurate speech when textual behavior than tacts. Equivalence based instruction (EBI) and matrix training can promote auditory comprehension, speech accuracy in tacts and verbal productivity, from a minimum set of sentences taught. The present study evaluated the effects of an EBI module on equivalence relations (between pictures, and dictated and printed sentences), accuracy in tacts, and recombinative performances, in six children with CI, readers and who had inaccurate tacts. Three sets of sentences were phonetically-balanced, arranged into subject-verb-object matrices and planned in progressive difficulty (regular and irregular words, and pseudo-sentences); nine sentences in the diagonal were taught, and 25 were evaluated in recombinative probes. The teaching module was organized into three steps and multiple probes evaluated all relations in EBI-network. In each step, were directly taught matching pictures to dictated sentences (AB) by MTS and by exclusion teaching; and construction of sentences under dictation (AE) by CRMTS. According to multiple baseline between sets, all participants learned the taught relations (AB-AE), increased the accurate tacts (BD), and produced both equivalence and syntactic (intra-intersets) relations. The results subsidies a broader curriculum of sentences for the rehabilitation of children with CI.

During study 1 we taught an adolescent with ASD to pass a “false belief” task using multiple-exemplar training (MET) and prompting and fading. During baseline we presented three different role playing scenarios (RPS) adherent to the “Sally and Ann” test but using preferred characters; the student failed to provide the correct perspective-taking (PT) response. During the training phase we presented novel RPS interspersing oral scenarios (OS), teaching the student to tact the controlling variables of his own behavior and the behavior of the character before providing the PT response. During post training the student correctly provided PT responses for the same scenarios presented in baseline, for three novel OS and for a novel “false belief” task (unexpected contents). During study 2 we probed a problem solving response that implied an applied PT response in the natural environment in a social situation. Consistently with previous researches the student failed to generalize the PT response in an applied setting. Then we taught, using MET and prompting and fading, the problem solving response in the natural environment chaining the PT response to the problem solving response. During post-training the student provided the problem solving response without engaging overtly in the PT response.

We evaluated procedures for teaching one student with ASD a component of perspective-taking: identifying their own knowledge based on sensory information, using prompting, fading and reinforcement. During the intervention we taught him to tact the verbal or non-verbal stimuli that evoked his response and to discriminate between known or unknown information based on the verbal statement provided by the experimenter. Specifically, after presenting a verbal statement with or without salient stimuli to the student, we taught an autoclitic frame (e.g. “because I see/hear/touch” or “because I don’t see/hear/touch”) in response to the question “why do/don’t you know?” We evaluated the clinical efficacy of the teaching procedures using a multiple baseline across test conditions design. After no response in baseline for the three test conditions, we used a different set of stimuli during the teaching phase. After reaching mastery criteria we presented again, as post training, the same set of stimuli used in baseline. The student reached mastery criteria for the untaught sets in each test condition. We discuss how this skill may be related to more advanced perspective taking skills, based on Skinner’s analysis of verbal behavior.

Following instructions is an important tool that children need in their repertoire to be able to participate in their community. However, many children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum disorder have difficulty following instructions involving multiple steps. Joint control training is an effective way of teaching children to follow complex instructions and has been shown to generalize across instructions (Causin, Albert, Carbone, & Sweeny-Kerwin, 2013). Joint control occurs when a response is emitted from the control of two separate, but simultaneously available, stimuli. When an instruction is given, the individual engages in a rehearsal response while simultaneously tacting stimuli in the environment. Once the rehearsal and the tact have point-to-point correspondence, a selection is made (Lowenkron, 1998). Joint control training with 3-step instructions was evaluated with a 5-year-old with autism. The participant was taught to rehearse the instruction prior to responding. Following training, novel instructions were given. Results confidently demonstrate that upon implementation of joint control training, the participant was able to accurately follow trained instructions and novel instructions. Joint control training has the potential to add a skillset into a child’s repertoire that can be used daily in the community. Keywords: Joint Control, listener responding, direction following, self-echoic

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of requiring echoic responses during an auditory visual discrimination training on the emergence of tacts in a five years-old boy diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), using an adapted alternating treatment design with pretest and posttest probes. In the auditory-visual discrimination training, the first set with three stimuli (set A), echoic responses were not required during the auditory visual discrimination training, while for the second three stimuli set (set B), echoic responses were required during the auditory visual discrimination training. After meeting mastery criteria on the auditory-visual discrimination training, tact responses were assessed for the six stimuli. The results showed full emergence of tacts in both conditions, although the participant needed less training sessions to master criteria on the condition in which echoic responses were required. The procedure is currently being applied to another children in order to verify generality.

Previous research has found correlations between wound surface area (WSA, cm2) and rates of self-injurious behavior (SIB; Wilson, Iwata, & Bloom, 2012). Rooker et al. (2019) found a negative correlation between differentiation in the FA and a different injury characteristic (number of injuries). The purpose of this study was to replicate and extend both studies, and investigate whether response rate in, or percent differentiation based on, relevant FA conditions correlated with WSA across seven individuals with automatically maintained SIB (ASIB). That is, we investigated the generality of the finding from Wilson et al., using a combination of methods from both studies. Results suggest that percent differentiation in the FA tends to predict total WSA for ASIB; that is, lower differentiation in the FA predicts more total WSA. Further, when tested independently, rate of SIB in the play and rate of SIB in the test condition of the FA had a weaker correlation with total WSA. These findings are similar to those described by Rooker et al. in that the number of contexts in which an individual engages in SIB appears to be more predictive of injury characteristics than the rate of SIB in any given condition for individuals with ASIB.

Geophagia is the intentional consumption of dirt, soil, or clay. Dangerous health risks of geophagia include parasitic infections, metal poisoning, and gastrointestinal problems. In the current study, geophagia was assessed and treated in a 5-year-old male preschooler with developmental delays who was referred for outpatient behavioral treatment of pica. Primary items consumed were dirt, soil, and sand. Functional analyses results suggested geophagia was maintained by automatic reinforcement due to responses occurring almost exclusively in alone conditions, in the absence of social consequences. Additionally, preference and treatment analyses were conducted to identify stimuli that would compete with geophagia. Matched and unmatched stimuli were presented during baseline conditions to determine the role of oral stimulation in geophagia responses. Stimuli that best competed and yielded the lowest rates of geophagia were then provided noncontingently during treatment sessions, which has resulted in decreases in rates of geophagia.

A 12-year-old male was referred to a severe behavior applied behavior analysis (ABA) clinic for the assessment and treatment of self-injurious behavior (SIB). The client has a rare diagnosis, Bainbridge-Ropers Syndrome (BRPS). BRPS was first described in 2013, and has only been identified in approximately 30 individuals in the literature (Koboldt et al., 2018). BRPS is due to changes in function of the gene additional sex combs-like 3, ASXL3. This gene instructs cells in various organs at different stages of development (Bainbridge et al., 2013), and this mutation is problematic for growth and functioning. Due to the limited amount of individuals currently diagnosed with BRPS, there is a need for increased evidence to support appropriate and efficient assessment and intervention strategies. The client seen in the severe behavior clinic was considered an early learner and due to difficulties related to his diagnosis of BRPS, assessment and treatment of his SIB was challenging. Through various functional assessments tailored specifically to the client, the treatment team was able to identify an appropriate function of his SIB and behavioral interventions were found to be effective for the client based on visual analysis of the data.

Functional analysis (FA) is the most widely researched method for assessing problem behavior of individuals with developmental disabilities and is a vital component in developing treatments for these individuals (Beavers, Iwata, & Lerman, 2013; Hanley, Iwata, & McCord, 2003). This study compared results of two functional analyses, testing synthesized and single contingencies. Familiar staff members who worked with the participants completed the Open- Ended Functional Assessment Interview (Hanley, 2009). Both participants’ behavior was hypothesized to engage in challenging behaviors maintained by escape from demand and access to preferred tangible items. Test conditions for both participants included the following: control, escape, tangible and synthesized escape/tangible. Results of this study indicate that challenging behavior may at times be maintained by more than one single contingency without also occurring under synthesized contingencies while at other times may be maintained by both single and synthesized contingencies.

Disrobing is a socially stigmatizing behavior impacting people with developmental disabilities. It can be a difficult problem to manage in community settings which may lead to social isolation, poor integration with peers, or placement in restrictive settings (Carlson et al., 2011). Traditional functional analysis (FA) procedures rely on measuring repeatability of a behavior while testing isolated functions (Iwata et al., 1994). Disrobing poses a challenge for this methodology since repeated occurrence would require a therapist redressing the client, potentially providing additional attention, which may serve as a confounding variable (Thomason-Sassi et al., 2011). For disrobing, and other behaviors that cannot be repeated due to practical or ethical concerns (e.g.: elopement, vomiting, severe SIB), latency-based functional analyses can be used to identify function. However, latency-based FAs may take time for the participant to detect the contingencies, which uses additional time and resources and may fail to adequately identify automatically maintained behavior. The present study examined the use of an extended latency-based FA on disrobing for an adult in a residential setting. In test conditions, the participant was instructed to put on clothing. Following the initial disrobing, the participant contacted the contingency and was redressed. Latency to disrobing was measured for before and after the contingency. Results indicated that behavior is likely automatically maintained because behavior was evoked at approximately the same latency throughout all conditions, irrespective of the presence of the potentially reinforcing contingency.

Results of recent research identified subtypes of automatically reinforced self-injurious behavior (ASIB) that vary greatly in terms of their responsiveness to treatment. Subtype-2 ASIB has been shown to be one of the most treatment-resistant forms of behavior. As such, protective procedures (blocking and protective equipment) are sometimes used to treat this behavior. However, the collateral effects of these procedures on other forms of self-injurious behavior are unclear. We document the effects of these two procedures on the automatically reinforced self-injurious behavior of an individual who experienced theses protective procedures. Results provide preliminary evidence of response variation in automatically reinforced self-injurious behavior as a function of blocking and protective equipment. Potential implication of the current results will be discussed.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of pseudo self-monitoring on rule infraction behavior in a child with ADHD who showed rule infraction behavior in a teaching situation using a card game. Pseudo-self-monitoring is a procedure in which a participant monitors the behavior of another person imitating the participant (Wada and Takeuchi, 2019). The participant was a child with ADHD, 16 years old. As a method of this research, we created a video of the behavior of others imitating the participation behavior in a teaching situation using a card game. Several scenes in the video were presented to the participant in random order for evaluation. The frequency of rule infraction behavior was averaged 66.4% during the baseline, averaged 20% during the intervention phase, and averaged 24.8% during the probe phase. In other words, it was shown that pseudo self-monitoring was effective in reducing the rule infraction behavior of children with ADHD, and that the effect was maintained.

Self-injurious behavior (SIB) is a common topography among individuals diagnosed with developmental disabilities. Head directed self-injurious behavior can lead to significant and long-lasting injury and will typically require some form of intervention. Due to the dangerous nature of head directed self-injury, standard forms of assessment can put the individual at increased risk if allowed to engage in repeated instances of the behavior. In this study, a non-concurrent multiple baseline design across functions with latency as the dependent measure was utilized in order to establish experimental control. This approach limited repeated instances of SIB during baseline and eliminating the need for a return to baseline during treatment. Results indicated that latency to SIB increased when the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) was introduced across three identified functions: escape from demands, social avoidance, and access to tangible items. This study indicates that the use of latency as a dependent measure in combination with a multiple baseline design may offer clinicians an alternative to more traditional designs to decrease the risk of injury when SIB is the targeted behavior.

Pica, or the persistent ingestion of non-edible objects, is dangerous and may lead to various health implications such as gastrointestinal complications, lead poisoning, infections, and other dental health problems. Pica is challenging to treat, and is maintained in the absence of social consequences (Piazza, et. al. 1998). The identification and use of items that compete effectively with pica to reduce ingestion of inedible items has shown to work under very controlled conditions. However, the noncontingent delivery of items on a schedule rich enough to compete with pica may be difficult or even unethical to utilize over long periods of time. There is a small body of research has shown that utilizing differential reinforcement of an alternative behavior, i.e., the exchange of an inedible item, may reduce rates of pica, e.g., Kern, Starosta and Adelman, 2006, while circumventing some of these concerns. The current study demonstrates the efficacy of differentially reinforcing the exchange of edible items that had previously been identified to effectively compete with pica with the inedible items the individual encountered across sessions.

To better understand parent trainings on challenging behavior interventions for parents that speak a language other than English, we conducted a review of the existing literature. We conducted a database search and ancillary searches. Six studies evaluating parent training in challenging behavior interventions in a language other than English were identified. The articles identified were analyzed to determine the types of trainings that had been used and to determine the impact that these trainings had on the child’s challenging behaviors. Across the articles, there were 151 parent participants and 151 child participants. The most common language of parent training was Chinese. The existing literature shows that weekly group parent trainings were most commonly used. The scarcity of articles highlights the need for more research in this area. Specifically, future research should evaluate the efficacy and social validity of research supported challenging behavior interventions with parents who speak languages other than English. Implications and directions for future research will be discussed.

Leisure activities have been linked in providing an opportunity for individuals with developmental disabilities to acquire adaptive skills which are necessary for successful inclusion in the general public. Teaching individuals with developmental disabilities to engage in leisure activities is widely acknowledged in improving communication skills, social interaction skills and also providing an opportunity for behaving appropriately in society. Studies involving individuals with developmental disabilities have mainly focused on interventions on feeding and self-care and leisure activities have been somewhat an afterthought. Leisure activities for individuals with disabilities are often selected by their caregivers. This literature review analyzed studies that used video modeling, a non-intrusive behavioral antecedent intervention, to teach individuals with developmental disabilities to engage in leisure activities. Participants in the study were individuals 3 years and above with varying diagnosis that fell under the generic term developmental disabilities. The studies used single-case designs that were evaluated using guidelines of the What Works Clearing House (2017). Studies published from 2001 to 2018 (n =10) were identified. For individuals with severe developmental disabilities, preference assessments should be conducted to identify their preferred leisure activities so that they may engage in leisure activities of their choices.

Antecedent choice-making interventions involve offering an individual a choice in how to complete a task prior to the onset of that task. In order to better understand the possible relationship between antecedent choice making and challenging behavior, a review of the existing literature on the use of antecedent choice-making interventions to reduce challenging behavior was conducted. A systematic review of the literature identified 30 articles in which antecedent choice was implemented to reduce problem behavior. The studies were summarized according to characteristics of the participant, antecedent choice intervention, problem behavior, and other dependent variables such as task completion. In addition, the included studies were analyzed according to the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC; 2017) Single Case Research Design Standards. The literature indicate that antecedent choice-making interventions involve both within-activity choices such as choice of activity materials or setting as well as across-activity choices, such as the order of activities. Initial results indicate the effectiveness of choice-making interventions to reduce challenging behavior. Results will be further analyzed and discussed.

Current research has identified poor post-school outcomes for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities; in fact, poorer than any other disability group. Employment support such as vocational skill training can improve outcomes and increase opportunities for paid employment. With recent advances in technology, a myriad of technology devices and programs offer relatively inexpensive and portable forms of support to vocational training programs. Moreover, today’s ubiquitous use of technology allows for the use of technology supports in a way that may not be as stigmatizing in the work setting relative to more traditional forms of support. The purpose of this review is to summarize the literature regarding the use of technology in vocational skills training programs. Articles identified via a systematic search of the literature are summarized according to (a) participant characteristics, (b) vocational skills targeted, and (c) technology device characteristics. In addition, the included studies are analyzed according to the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC; 2017) Single Case Research Design Standards. Results will be further analyzed and discussed.

Functional Communication Training (FCT) is a well-known and often recommended intervention to treat problem behavior among individuals with developmental disabilities. FCT consists of teaching a functional, alternative communicative response to replace problem behavior in the individual’s repertoire to allow them to obtain functional reinforcers that previously maintained problem behavior. Despite a number of literature reviews on FCT, to date, no literature review has examined studies that have evaluated FCT as a treatment for negatively reinforced problem behavior. It may be beneficial to explore treatment related factors to inform practitioners and researchers on how to increase the social validity and generalization of FCT outcomes for negatively reinforced problem behavior(s). The primary purpose of this literature review was to evaluate factors that impact the effectiveness of FCT alone and/or in conjunction with other interventions to treat negatively reinforced problem behaviors. Results across 47 empirical studies supported and extended prior literature review findings. Some novel identified findings on factors that can affect FCT efficiency and generalizability were quality of reinforcement, variability of mands, and the exposure of problem behavior to establishing operations. Recommendations for clinicians and potential avenues for future research will be discussed.

Practitioners commonly test for generality of treatment effects during the end of patient admissions (Stokes & Baer, 1977). Tests may include conditions such as conducting treatment with a novel implementer, in a novel setting, or large decreases in reinforcement. Research suggests that tests for treatment generality often produce treatment relapse (Pritchard, Hoerger, & Mace, 2014). Treatment relapse is generally defined as the reemergence of undesirable behavior following successful treatment (Wathen & Podlesnik, 2018). The current study quantified the prevalence of treatment relapse during these common generality tests for 12 participants enrolled in an outpatient treatment program for severe destructive behavior. We retrieved information on the (a) child's age, (b) referral concerns, (c) diagnoses, (d) level of intellectual disability, (e) treatment duration, (f) undesirable behavior targeted, (g) function of behavior, (h) rates of behavior during assessments and treatment, (i) rates of behavior during tests for generality, and (j) generality test type. We compared mean rates of undesirable behavior during treatment to mean rates of undesirable behavior during tests for generality. Destructive behavior resurged in 18 of 24 applications and renewed in 9 of 14 applications. These findings are discussed in terms of clinical application for the treatment of destructive behavior.

Play is critical for a healthy cognitive, social and emotional development of children (Lifter, Foster-Sanda, Arzmarski, Briesch, & McClure, 2011). Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often do not engage in appropriate play and tend to display stereotypic behaviors (Cunningham & Schreibman, 2008; Lang et al., 2009). In this study, we examined the effects of lag schedules of reinforcement on play and stereotypy of three children with ASD (ages 9 to 12 years old) on a playground during recess in a summer camp. During intervention, children were reminded to engage in a variety of play behaviors and received praise that emphasized change in play behavior. All children remained in a Lag 1 schedule throughout intervention. Using a multiple baseline across participants design, the results indicated an increase of the frequency and variability of appropriate play using the playground equipment and a concurrent decrease of stereotypy of all three children. However, no increases of opportunities for social interaction between the participants and their peers were observed which warrants further research. We will discuss the results and provide recommendations for future research and practice.

In this study, we examine the effects of video modeling to teach complex emotions across seven children diagnosed with autism. Each participant was shown five short video clips and identified characteristics such as, body language, facial expression, voice, and volume. The results suggest that video modeling can quickly promote skill acquisition in identifying complex emotions across all participants.

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often show motor stereotypies that could represent barriers to learn functional behaviours. Some studies showed that antecedent exercise (AE), a procedure based on physical activity, can effectively decrease the rate of motor stereotypies. One study in particular applied AE through an indoor elliptical bike in a home setting. The aim of the present study is to replicate this finding on AE in a center-based intervention. One 6 years old child with ASD, male, participated in the study. The procedures involved fading of the prompt for the correct jogging position and movements, shaping of the jogging sessions duration and positive reinforcement available at the end of a correct jogging session. The jogging sessions were performed as an AE in order to reduce motor stereotypies. Collected data indicate that AE is successful in decreasing the target behaviours in a center-based intervention. The findings could have important implications for the treatment of motor stereotypies in people with ASD.

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and co-occurring moderate intellectual disability (ID) have deficits in conversations because of challenges in interpreting vocal and nonvocal responses and in identifying appropriate moments to initiate, maintain, or terminate conversations. Our purpose in this study was to increase conversations in three young adults with ASD and co-occurring moderate ID. First, we used an intervention package consisting of Behavior Skills Training (BST) and Covert Audio Coaching (CAC) to promote acquisition and maintenance of conversations with coworkers. Second, we implemented CAC during naturally-occurring opportunities at an internship site. Third, we examined if initiations with coworkers increased during and after participants learned to initiate, maintain, and terminate conversations. We used a concurrent multiple-baseline design across participants with continuous acquisition probes to evaluate the effects of the intervention in producing acquisition and maintenance of conversations and increasing the frequency of initiations. Results demonstrate that the intervention was effective in producing acquisition and maintenance of the target skills in all three young adults. Data also indicate that participants initiated more interactions with coworkers as conversational competence increased.

Deficits in social communication and social interaction are key elements of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Video modeling (VM) has been successful in teaching new skills, particularly social communication skills, through short, targeted videos. However, prior research in VM has heavily focused on academic settings with elementary school age children. There is a gap in the literature on teaching social skills in natural settings to adolescents with ASD. This research used a single- subject, multiple-baseline design to examine the impact of VM on the social behaviors of adolescent males (n=3), diagnosed with ASD, in natural social settings. The dependent variable was scored for responses based on scripted verbalizations included in the video treatment, scripted social actions, and spontaneous reciprocal verbal interactions chains. Visual analysis, percentage of nonoverlapping data points, and effect size were used to evaluate data. In addition, social validity data on acceptability and satisfaction of the intervention were collected. Results indicated large effects for the adolescent participants when interacting socially in community settings and the treatment was found to be socially acceptable by adolescents and by habilitative intervention professionals.

This systematic review summarizes and analyze the literature on sportsmanship interventions for individuals with autism. Sportsmanship skills are necessary for children to engage in game play with peers, cooperate in team sports, and participate in community leisure activities. Twenty-eight studies were included in this study that used experimental designs (single-case design and group design) that targeted sportsmanship behaviors. The results were summarized across participants, targeted behaviors, settings, interventions, and methodological rigor of the included studies. Different types of outcomes, such as play skills, social skills, and specific sportsmanship skills were targeted in the studies. Various types of behavioral interventions and strategies including group instruction, BST, video modeling, and token economies were implemented to improve sportsmanship behaviors for individuals with autism. Although most studies reported positive outcomes on the targeted social-communication behaviors, methodological limitations should be considered when interpreting the results as 64% of the studies included were of weak methodological rigor. Limitations of this review and implications for future research are discussed.

Writing skills are necessary in several circumstances: in school, writing is an indication of content learning; upon graduation people are expected to write in several contexts, from formal office tasks to text messaging on Instagram or Facebook. Besides the difficulties that are reported when teaching writing to any children (e.g., picture-spoken word - written word relations; letter shape discrimination), characteristics linked to Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) seem to increase the likelihood of learning issues, such as use of language structure, initiation and termination of discourse, and perseverative comments. There is a scarcity of procedures for teaching writing to children with ASD. The purpose of this study was to systematically review intervention studies, published in peer review journals, that versed on teaching writing to children with ASD. We analyzed previous reviews on the topic and reviewed empirical studies from 2008 through 2018, according to several criteria. Five articles met all criteria, in all four phases, among 393 found. Three writing behaviors, subdivided into several dependent variables, have been targeted for intervention, which always included more than one procedure. Research is still needed to establish best practices for teaching writing to children with ASD.

Animal-assisted interventions (AAI) have become increasingly popular, especially within the field of autism (ASD). Unfortunately, there exists little empirical data on intervention prevalence or its effectiveness. To date, there exists no empirical data examining the use of AAI as an adjunct to ABA services. This study explored animal incorporation practices, perceived intervention desirability/feasibility, level of AAI knowledge and awareness, and perceptions/attitudes concerning AAI among active BACB certificants (RBT, BCaBA, BCBA, and BCBA-D certificants) working within the United States (including Puerto Rico). Participants, recruited via the BACB mass email service, were asked to complete a comprehensive, cross-sectional web-based survey developed with the input of 25 expert reviewers. This poster presents data from the Animal Incorporation Practices portion of the survey. A total of 544 BACB certificants participated in this survey study, of which roughly 20% (n=107) reported physically incorporating animal(s) into ABA services with their clients. Analysis of incorporation practices (e.g., intervention format, purpose of animal incorporation, and data collection procedures), individual animal characteristics (e.g., animal species and level of training), and perceived effectiveness of their practices was conducted. Discussion of these findings and how they relate to the Professional & Ethical Compliance Code and animal welfare considerations were presented.

Social skill deficits are common in individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD); such deficits include failure to make appropriate eye contact, discussion of conversation topics limited to personal interests, and the inability to determine whether a conversational partner is interested in continuing the conversation (Hood, Luczynski & Mitteer, 2017; Kisamore et al., 2018; Peters & Thompson, 2015). Social skill deficits may reduce opportunities for reinforcement obtained from social interaction, limit employment opportunities, and even result in social environments becoming conditioned punishers (Hendricks, 2010; Kross, Berman, Mischel, Smith, & Wager, 2011; Stussi, Pourtois, & Sander, 2018). The purpose of the current study was to develop a brief assessment to determine participant sensitivity to various social cues indicating uninterest in continuing a conversation. Results demonstrate that the assessment was successful in identifying specific social cue deficits related to conversation termination and that individuals demonstrated greater sensitivity to those cues following behavior skills training (BST). Furthermore, the assessment fit within an appointment-style meeting appropriate for high functioning individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Challenging behaviours among children with developmental disorders have been commonly reported. In addressing challenging behaviours, the use of Structural Analysis (SA) to investigate the influence of antecedent variables to develop antecedent-based interventions had garnered promising outcomes in recent decades. In this study, a single-subject multi-element experimental design was employed to evaluate effectiveness of using antecedent-based interventions to reduce challenging behaviours (vocalisations, self-injurious behaviours and hand-flapping behaviours) of three Singaporean young children between ages five and seven with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Three phases were conducted. In the first two phases, assessments in the form of Antecedent Analysis (baseline) and SA respectively. In phase three, parents implemented the intervention and data on treatment fidelity and social validity were collected. Results found a reduction in challenging behaviours across all participants during intervention compared to baseline. High social validity was reported based on parents’ rating on the Treatment Acceptability Rating Form.

Past research has shown that response interruption and redirection (RIRD) decreases automatically maintained behaviors such as vocal stereotypy (VS) and in some cases increases appropriate vocalizations. For example, Ahearn et al. (2007) used RIRD to effectively treat vocal stereotypy by presenting vocal demands contingent upon VS. In addition, Ahrens et al. (2011) found that motor demands contingent upon VS were also effective in decreasing VS. The purpose of the current study was to compare the effects of motor RIRD versus vocal RIRD in relation to VS, appropriate vocalizations, compliance with each procedure and social validity measures with children diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. Participant 1 had a limited vocal repertoire consisting of sounds and short word utterances. Participant 2 and 3 had established mand and tact repertoires. A reversal design was used to compare the effects of motor and vocal RIRD. During motor RIRD, VS was redirected to motor compliances (e.g. touch your nose, clap your hands). During vocal RIRD, VS was redirected to vocal compliances (e.g., tacting or vocal imitation). IOA was calculate din 33% of all sessions across all participants and averaged 95% overall. Results indicated that both motor RIRD and vocal RIRD produced lower levels of VS for all participants and increased appropriate vocalizations for one participant that had a vocal verbal repertoire. Although the vocal RIRD procedure increased appropriate vocals, the motor RIRD procedure demonstrates the utility of RIRD with individuals who have limited vocal verbal repertoires. In addition, compliance was higher during the motor RIRD condition for all participants. Clinical considerations regarding the effectiveness, preference, and social validity of the two procedures are also discussed.

Following multiple instructions is an essential skill for every individual. Our target goal for teaching autistic children is to see them integrated to the mainstream and community at large, which involves following instructions. There has been limited research in this area especially with non-verbal students; the current one done by Vincent J. Carbon et al. If successfully done, this can do away with shadow teachers for students on the spectrum since their presence has often led to prompt dependency, a cultural obstacle Kenyans face. The Carbone et al (2004) study was replicated with a four-year-old child with autism spectrum disorder at Kaizora Centre for Neurodevelopmental therapies. A Discrete Trial Training program Plan was designed with 4 steps: Listener Response (identifying one single object from an array of 5 items); Listener Response (identify two objects in order of the SD). The student was required to echo the two items in that order three times; Listener Response (identifying three objects in order of the SD). The student was required to echo the three items in that order three items; Listener Response (multiple instructions for different directions). The echo was then faded out. The student was able to follow multiple instructions in different directions independently. Future research should be done to assess the efficacy with non-verbal students on the spectrum. Research could also be done where students can read procedures themselves and follow them, for example following a recipe.

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience impairments across a wide range of skill domains, including self-care skills. The ratio of 1:59 children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) all around the world, according to the Centre of Autism Disease Control and Prevention Survey. This makes it a demanding problem to be addressed. Nearly 28 percent of 8-year-olds with ASD have self-injurious behaviors. The childcare and diagnosis available today are very few and generalized that makes the life of an autistic child very difficult. Auticare is an Assistive Technology that gives standard ABA therapy and treatment for high functioning autism and related neurodevelopmental disabilities. The therapy platform in Virtual Reality includes different training scenarios solely based on applied behavior analysis that encourage to develop cognitive, social, self-care skills. Not only does this platform provides therapy but it also helps doctors to diagnose the present condition and judge the progress of autistic children through progressive data stored in the cloud. The product is launched and currently being used for therapy in government hospitals and special education centers. The objectives of the current study were to determine the efficacy of the product Auticare among high functioning autism in improving cognitive, social and self-care skills in centers that have already installed the product. The findings of the product revealed that immersive VR training may be a safe and viable method of teaching basic self-care skills using behaviour analysis. Using a forum for virtual reality provides an effective treatment alternative to enhance commonly found cognitive and social impairments in Autism Spectrum Disorder by providing children more immersive, efficient, safe and engaging experience based on applied behaviour analysis technique.

Children with high functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often engage in repetitive behaviors topographically similar to those seen in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. A Randomized Controlled Trial (Vause et al., 2018) used a manualized Functional Behavior-based Cognitive Behavior Therapy (Fb-CBT) with 37 children (n = 19 in experimental and n = 18 in Treatment As Usual), and demonstrated significant differences in Obsessive Compulsive Behaviours (OCBs) between groups from pre to post-test, with large effect sizes. Considering the importance of behavioral maintenance, the present study evaluated the long-term treatment outcomes of 13 children, 5 to 7 years following Fb-CBT. The Repetitive Behavior Scale–Revised (Compulsive, Ritualistic, and Sameness subscales; Bodfish et al., 1999) and parent report questionnaires evaluated OCBs from post-treatment to 5-7 year follow-up. Across participants, there were no significant changes in OCBs between post-test and 5 to 7 year follow-up. However, there was some variability in maintenance of treatment gains. A matched-comparison qualitative case study identified factors that may have contributed to the variance across outcomes. Five semi-structured interviews were conducted with 5 parent and 4 child participants whose quantitative results reflected this variance. Thematic analysis identified common themes across and within cases (Braun and Clarke, 2006). Results from the qualitative analysis support the current ABA and CBT literature—that is—parents whose children were more successful in maintaining treatment gains stressed the importance of parent training and support received during Fb-CBT, and continued work on generalization and practice of coping strategies during exposures post-treatment.

Self-advocacy is an important life skill. Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may have difficulty self-advocating due to socio-communicative deficits. Other factors related to ASD, such as social anxiety and a dependent lifestyle, may further restrict familiarity with self-advocacy and the ability to self-advocate. Therefore, instruction is often necessary to establish self-advocacy skills to individuals with ASD. Unfortunately, several different definitions of “self-advocacy” exist within self-advocacy literature. Studies have also used different methods to teach self-advocacy and have focused on different target behaviors. Our project aims to propose a comprehensive definition for “self-advocacy” based on commonalities in definitions proposed by previous research and to describe empirically supported methods for teaching self-advocacy to adults with ASD. We collected literature using a set of criteria based on self-advocacy and related terms. Sources were sorted based on whether they defined self-advocacy or sought to teach it, with membership in both groups possible. Ongoing analysis suggests that definitions including self-knowledge, problem recognition, ability to articulate need, and taking initiative are most common, and that behavioral instruction is consistently associated with successful learning of self-advocacy. Areas for future research by applied behavior analysts working with this population are discussed.

As one of the diagnostic criteria from DSM-IV, individuals on the Autism Disorder Spectrum (ASD) may exhibit repetitive, restricted and stereotypical behaviours. These individuals may spend a large portion of their day fixated on straightening, organizing or arranging different objects. Severe problem behaviours might emerge when individual's ritualistic behaviours get disrupted by caregivers and teachers. This research attempted on assessing the function of the problem behaviours caused by interruption of ritualistic behaviour of a teenager with autism. A teenager engaged in hand flapping behaviour when playing the game of UNO with his teacher. A latency functional analysis was used to determine if the function of hand flapping was maintained by the interruption of ritualistic behaviour. Results from the functional analysis suggested the function of hand flapping has been maintained by the function of access to tangible, not by the interruption of ritualistic behaviours. As a result, the treatment of Functional Communication Training (FCT) was implemented to teach appropriate request for the UNO cards. The treatment of FCT was evident to successfully reduce the rate of problem behaviour.

B.F. Skinner posited in 1981 that culture is one of the three types of selection impacting human behavior, yet Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) has often overlooked it. As the reach of ABA grows and the recipients of behavior-analytic services become more diverse, it is imperative that the participants in research studies reflect that diversity. Evidence-based practices for autism intervention are being identified by The National Clearinghouse on Autism & Evidence Practice (NCAEP) in their systematic review of the intervention literature published from 2012-2017. The data presented in this poster intends to answer an important follow-up question: For whom are these interventions evidence-based? The single subject design research articles (n=597) identified by NCAEP were reviewed for descriptions of participant race and gender in accordance with the procedure and reliability protocol described by West et al. (2016). The findings indicate that 24.28% (n=145) of the studies report on race. The majority representation was white participants at 55%. Black participants were represented at 16% and Hispanic/Latino participants comprised 12%. The gender composition was 83% male and 17% female with no reports of gender non-binary participants. This indicates that the field needs more reporting on participant demographics and greater diversity in participant ascertainment.

This poster presents a service delivery model for using video modeling to teach typically developing siblings social interaction opportunities with their sibling with autism using iPads. Siblings of children with autism often serve as peer models in instances such as teaching play and social interaction skills (e.g. Özen, 2015). Furthermore, siblings are often eager to participate in the assistance of learning new skills within their brother’s or sister’s therapeutic sessions. Video modeling consisting of the sibling observing another child engaging in the desired behaviors is a method that can be used to assist with training siblings to become peer models while also incorporating siblings into training sessions. This session will guide the audience through procedures used to teach siblings of children with autism the proper use of prompting and reinforcement for play and social interaction through video modeling with an iPad. Specific procedures include siblings reviewing modeled videos prior to play opportunities then demonstrating observed skills with their siblings. Video modeling sessions are eventually faded out. Preliminary results indicate video modeling is an effective way to train siblings as peer models while increasing social interaction durations between siblings. Data will be shared if available by conference date.

With the increase in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) prevalence, the number of adolescents and adults with ASD is also rapidly increasing, which increases the number of adults with disabilities seeking services. As individuals with ASD grow up, their social-communication issues seem to increase and required in more complex skills. There are critical needs for evaluating the efficacy of communication interventions on more complex language use for this adolescents and adults age ranges to address the most effective and suitable interventions for this population across implementers variables, communicative function variables, and setting variables.The purpose of this meta-analysis is to determine effectiveness of social and communication intervention for adolescents and adults with ASD, primarily discriminated by these variables: interventionists, communicative functions, and setting. We will investigate the social-communication outcomes on each intervention category. The author will include single-case experimental designs (SCEDs) in this meta-analysis.

Reviews of the literature indicate that interventions based in applied behavior analysis (ABA) are highly effective approaches to treat the symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), although under-utilization of services remains a significant problem. Potential barriers to utilizing services for families include an insufficient number of trained providers, distance to access services, and the time commitment required for comprehensive services. There is thus a need to provide evidence-based services without these barriers. Parent training, such as the Research Unit on Behavioral Interventions (RUBI) Autism Network’s parent training program, has proven efficacious in empowering caregivers and improving the behavior of children with ASD (Scahill et al., 2016), but is typically provided in clinical settings. A telehealth version of RUBI could eliminate impediments to utilization of ABA services. The purpose of the current study is to evaluate the feasibility of adapting RUBI parent training to be delivered to caregivers via telehealth, directly in their homes. We will report the current results of this intervention using the RE-AIM framework (i.e., reach, efficacy, adoption, implementation, and maintenance) and discuss implications for future research and clinical practice.

BACKGROUND: Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) is a comprehensive service delivery model that uses both a developmental approach and ABA procedures that aim to provide opportunities for learning within the context of the child’s natural environments (Koegel, Koegel, Harrower & Carter, 1999; Koegel, Koegel, Shoshan & McNerney, 1999). Many recent RCT studies have reported its efficacy in improving children’s social communications (Gengoux, et al., 2019). OBJECTIVES: Our aim was to conduct a randomized controlled trial to evaluate a pivotal response treatment package (PRT-P) on the communication skills of children with autism spectrum disorder. METHODS: Twenty children with autism spectrum disorder and significant language delay between 2 and 5 years old were randomly assigned to PRT-P (n = 20) or the delayed treatment group (n = 20) for 12 weeks. Autism Diagnosis Observation Scale (ADOS), Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) and Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) were used evaluate social communication skills before and after 12 weeks of treatment. RESULTS: Analysis of child utterances during the structured laboratory observation revealed that, compared with the delayed treatment group, children in PRT-P demonstrated greater improvement in frequency of functional utterances. The PRT-P group had significant reductions in the total score and the scores on social communication in ADOS after 12 weeks of treatment (P<0.05) as well as a significant reduction in the total score of the SCQ and CARS (P<0.05). The PRT-P group had a significantly greater reduction in the score on social interaction subscale than the delayed group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This is a 12-week randomized controlled trial in which community treatment is delivered. PRT-P was effective for improving child social communication skills. Additional research will be needed to understand the best combination of treatment settings, intensity, and duration.

The researchers conducted the current project within the scope of a larger project (Project PLAAY) investigating pre-emptive interventions to mitigate the symptomology of autism for at-risk infants and toddlers. The presented project aimed to teach communication to infants and toddlers who were engaging in emerging dangerous behavior (e.g., head banging) or interfering behavior (e.g., screaming). A total of 37 at-risk infants and toddlers (aged 9-36 months) have participated in the project to date. A sample of six were randomized to a non-concurrent multiple baseline. Researchers initiated five of the six participants. Researchers randomized baseline sessions for the participants to three, four, or five baseline sessions (participant one only had two baseline sessions). Researchers first conducted a functional analysis. Researchers also conducted communication modality assessments for all participants. Researchers then implemented functional communication training with the participant and their caregiver. Visual analysis of the intervention results indicated immediate and large improvements from baseline to intervention phase for functional communication. The graphs also indicated a large and immediate decrease in dangerous behaviors. Resulting Tau-U effect sizes ranged from 0.85 to 1.0 suggesting large effects across all dependent variables. Preliminary results support the use of the PLAAY intervention to teach functional communication.

One of the core features of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is restrictive and repetitive behavior. It is also common for individuals with ASD to engage in problem behavior. The Behavioral Flexibility Rating Scale - Revised (BFRS-R), is structured rating scale that may be used to identify the severity of problem behavior that occurs when restrictive and repetitive behavior is somehow disrupted (i.e., demonstrating a lack of flexibility). Previous research suggests the BFRS-R may be used to inform the functional behavioral assessment process (Liddon et al., 2016). The present series of clinical data evaluates the use of the BFRS-R to inform a trial-based functional analysis and systematic treatment evaluation for severe aggression in a young man with ASD. Preliminary results demonstrate that that BFRS-R can be used to identify specific functional analysis conditions, yielding conclusive results (i.e., problem behavior occurrence during near 0% of control segments and 80-100% of test segments) and subsequent, function-based treatment evaluation conditions. That is, the BFRS-R may be informative in the assessment and treatment process of severe aggression with idiosyncratic functions of problem behavior related to behavioral inflexibility.

According to existing literature, the incidence of persistent toe walking is greater in children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis than in children without a diagnosis. Approximately 20% of children with an ASD diagnosis engage in this motor behavior, often associated with tight heel cords, which can lead to the need for more intrusive medical or even surgical intervention if left untreated. Current literature suggests the use of auditory feedback devices (e.g., GaitSpot™) attached to participants’ feet and differential reinforcement are effective treatments for toe walking; however, additional research should replicate these findings and control for the presence of the auditory feedback devices. In the current study, researchers evaluated multiple components of a toe walking treatment package across two participants with ASD. Components included auditory feedback devices, differential reinforcement for appropriate steps, and a mild physical prompt to place heels on the ground, as needed for each participant. Researchers faded and thinned procedure schedules according to each participants’ performance in order to assess maintenance and improve social validity.

Matrix training is a form of generative instruction that allows the clinician to teach a limited number of targets and obtain the emergence of responding across untaught targets, resulting in faster skill acquisition. Matrix training has been used to teach a range of skills to individuals of varying abilities. Recently, work from our laboratory explored the use of matrix training to expand the verbal behavior repertoire of young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In the present study, the focus was to evaluate whether teaching one operant, motor imitation actions with toys, would result in emergence of untaught actions and untaught operants, tacting and listener responding. In addition, we evaluated whether instructive feedback would facilitate emergent learning. A 4-year old boy with ASD served as participant. Researchers taught motor imitation according to noun-verb combinations from two matrices, A and B, and only trials of matrix A were accompanied by instructive feedback. The diagonal targets of both matrices were readily acquired. Subsequently, researchers conducted probes for each untaught recombinative motor imitation targets and other operants. The effects of instructive feedback to promote emergent learning when using matrix training will be discussed.

The present study investigated the effects of learning from an iPad upon to typical, school based academic skills (name writing, color sorting, and reading) for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Research has demonstrated that for some children with ASD, electronic media such as an iPad is highly motivating, highly preferred, and increasing in popularity (Chen & Bernard-Opitz, 1993; Rideout, 2017; Shane & Albert, 2008). A multiple baseline design across 7 children (6 boys and 1 girl, ages 4-12) with ASD was used to assess the efficacy of an intervention using iPad apps upon academic skills and the generalization of these learned skills. Six out of the seven participants met mastery criterion of the academic task during the iPad intervention. Four participants generalized their skills to the typical school-based probes after iPad intervention, with a fifth child generalizing after a Booster iPad Intervention session. The results are discussed in terms of the pros and cons of using iPads apps as teaching protocols for typical school academic skills (e.g. name writing) for children with ASD.

Some individuals with ASD may be indifferent to, or avoidant of, social interaction. Evaluating methods of increasing social time allocation are important with this population. We assessed the extent to which three children with ASD would approach or avoid social interactions. During baseline, when subjects were on the same side of the room as a therapist the therapist delivered vocal interaction and when subjects were on the opposite side of the room no interactions were delivered. All three subjects were indifferent or avoidant of social interaction in baseline. During the intervention, the therapist began to initiate each subjects’ preferred interactions. During the intervention, all subjects allocated their time more socially and were more likely to follow the therapist to maintain access to social interaction.

Functional Communication Training (FCT) is an evidence-based intervention for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). FCT is used to teach students with ASD a functionally equivalent communicative response (FCR) to replace challenging behavior. While there is extensive research on FCT and some even measures generalization of the skills across settings, to date, there are no studies evaluating the effects of FCT implemented in a special education setting and generalization to the general education setting. This is critical, as most students with ASD spend part of their days in a special education setting. In the current poster, presenters will provide data related to FCT implemented in a special education setting and the effects on the generalization of the FCR and challenging behavior to the generalization setting with elementary students with ASD. The presenters will discuss implications for research and practice.

Iwata, Dorsey, Slifer, Bauman, and Richman (1982/1994) proposed an approach to behavioral assessment based on the experimental model that has been largely used in applied settings. In order to conduct a functional analysis of aggressive behavior of severely handicapped clients in an outpatient setting during a 90-min period Northup et al., (1991) proposed a brief functional assessment approach. In this article we compare the outcomes of both functional analysis methodologies to an autistic adolescent with severe aggressive behavior. Results suggested that Iwata, Dorsey, Slifer, Bauman, and Richman (1982/1994) approach was essential to design idiosyncratic conditions that were later confirmed in the brief functional assessment approach.

In the school setting, students have a finite amount of time to access services that are available to them (e.g., educational, home-based, etc.). In Massachusetts, students who turn 22 years old age out of the school system which often results in reduced state and insurance funding and therefore fewer available services. As students approach the transition into adulthood, caregivers, teachers, and other stakeholders need to prepare them with the skills needed to be successful. However, finding adult services and programs for students who engage in severe problem behavior may be a challenge. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to quickly implement a safe and effective assessment and treatment process to address the severe problem behavior of two 21-year-old participants. First, a single-session interview-informed contingency analysis (IISCA) was administered to determine if the participants’ problem behavior was sensitive to a synthesis of social reinforcers (Jessel, Hanley, Ghaemmaghami, & Metras, 2019). Then, a skill-based treatment process (SBT) was implemented to teach each participant to tolerate delays to access synthesized reinforcers and engage in contextually appropriate behavior during delays. The assessment and treatment process was effective in teaching contextually appropriate behavior while maintaining low rates of dangerous problem behavior for both participants.

Roughly 80% of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) present with feeding challenges, including food refusal and food selectivity (Schreck, Williams, & Smith, 2004). Food refusal is defined as failure to meet caloric requirements as a result of refusal to consume all or most foods whereas food selectivity involves an individual restricting the foods they will consume to a limited selection (Ledforda, Whitesideb, & Severinia, 2018). Feeding challenges can present a risk of medical complications including chronic vitamin and mineral deficiencies, poor bone growth, and obesity (Sharp, Burrell, & Jaquess, 2014). Escape extinction is effective in treating feeding challenges with the ASD population but is not well documented in school settings (Volkert & Piazza, 2012). One specific escape extinction procedure is non-removal of the spoon, in which positive reinforcement is delivered contingent upon consumption of food presented on a spoon held by an adult (Ahearn et al., 1996; Kitfield & Masalsky, 2000). In the current study, non-removal of the spoon was utilized in a school setting for two participants diagnosed with ASD who presented with food selectivity. Results suggest non-removal of the spoon is effective in introducing novel foods to individuals with ASD and food selectivity in a school setting.