Association for Behavior Analysis International

SABA Award for Distinguished Service to Behavior Analysis: Kurt Salzinger: The Consummate Behaviorist in the Lab and at Home

This award will be accepted by Dr. Salzinger's wife, Deanna Chitayat.

The health problems that result from our own behavior will increasingly become among the most important challenges to health. For example, alarming increases are already being observed in addiction, obesity, and medication non-adherence. However, efforts to improve these conditions and disorders are hindered by the poor efficacy of most of our treatments. This lack of efficacy, I would argue, results from insufficient understanding of the controlling variables. This is a unique opportunity for those interested in basic science and the underlying theory to make important contributions as translational researchers. I will illustrate these unique opportunities with the application of behavioral economics to important health behaviors.

Dr. Warren Bickel joined the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute in 2011 and serves as Director of the Addiction Recovery Research Center and Co-Director of the Center for Transformative Research on Health Behaviors. In recognition of his extraordinary contributions to research and scholarship achievements, Dr. Bickel was recently awarded the Virginia Tech Carilion Behavioral Health Research Endowed Professorship. He has taught and led research programs at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, the University of Vermont, and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.  NIH has funded Dr. Bickel’s work continuously since 1987. Dr. Bickel is an accomplished scholar and researcher whose accolades include receipt of the 2011 APA International Don Hake Translational Research Distinguished Contributions to Basic Research Award and the 2012 Brady-Schuster Award for Outstanding Behavioral Science Research in Psychopharmacology and Substance Abuse, Division 28 of the American Psychological Association.  Dr. Bickel was honored to be the recipient of the 2016 Nathan B. Eddy Award from the College on Problems of Drug Dependence. Dr. Bickel was Editor of the journal, Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, has co-edited five books, and has published over 400 papers and chapters. Dr. Bickel’s work is frequently cited and receives national and international recognition.

To make the exhortation "change the world with behavior analysis" a concrete reality, we need the behavior analyst figure to be known, well-estimated and respected by civil society and governmental institutions. At the beginning, we tried to get this approaching the insiders (especially psychologists and educators) to convince them of the goodness of our scientific and evidence-based approach, in order to increase the number of professionals.

Past failures. Unfortunately, to achieve this result we chose to act mainly in universities and public schools, through the publication and spread of experimental research articles and books addressed to psychologists and educators, not to mention all the presentations in congresses and conferences. In time this strategy turned out to be ineffective. In fact, in many countries still nowadays, despite thousands of debates and explanations, only few patients with special needs benefit from ABA treatments, as well as only few companies benefit from performance management, as well as only few hospitals benefit from behavior-based safety, and so on. To demonstrate this, in several countries still there is no law about, or in favor of, behavioral technologies.

A new successful strategy. Starting from the late ‘90s, a small group of ABA practitioners and scientists changed approach in order to get better results in the spread of behavior analysis. They chose to teach ABA to final users rather than to intermediaries (psychologists and educators) and so they started introducing ABA to new categories of professionals as dentists, managers, engineers, medical doctors and industrial safety consultants. The principles and methods of marketing were used to involve new professional categories and, in this way, always more users started to ask to the politicians for more behavior analysis.This unusual strategy demonstrated to be astonishingly better than the previous one. In recent years, in fact, politicians that used to be deaf to the effectiveness proofs brought about by behavior analysts started to care and to pay attention to the demands of professional categories (made by citizens and then voters). Many final users are now demanding for more ABA in their work environment. About this, a list of the actions required to replicate our experience will be presented.

The “ultimate strategy”. Even if the aforementioned marketing-of-a-science tactics are powerful, a faster and more comprehensive strategy it’s in place currently. Our present aim is to influence the state laws writing process in order to change the behaviors of all the stakeholders at the same time. State laws are in fact nothing but conditional statements that, specifying an antecedent, a behavior to be performed, and a consequence (usually a punishment for non-compliance), with the help of prominent judges and politicians could boost a national-level ABA capillary dissemination. Results of this last strategy application will be presented too.

Fabio Tosolin is the behavior analyst and consultant that since the ‘80s has been introducing, spreading and applying Behavior Analysis and Organizational Behavior Management (OBM) principles both in Italy and Europe. In 1985, he founded his own consulting company, FT&A, that is specialized in Performance Management, Learning Technologies and Behavior-Based Safety (B-BS), for the last of which he’s also a referent of European level. His company counts hundreds of PM and B-BS processes implemented in plants and construction sites in Italy and around the world. He is currently professor of Human Factor in HSEQ Management at the Safety Engineering Master’s Degree course, Faculty of Industrial Processes, at Polytechnic of Milano and president of the Italian Associate Chapter of ABAI, made of both the oldest and largest Italian Behavior Analysis Scientific Societies (AARBA and AIAMC). Since 2003 he’s also chair of the European Scientific Conference on OBM, PM & B-BS, held by AARBA.

Founded in 1960, Oregon Research Institute (ORI) is a non-profit, independent, behavioral sciences research center with an international reputation as a leader in research to help people lead healthier lives. ORI scientists embody the belief that the solutions to many of society’s most pressing health and social issues lie in our ability to understand and influence human behavior. ORI researchers apply fundamental behavior analysis and behavior change principles to develop and scientifically evaluate evidence-based interventions to promote health and wellbeing and to prevent and/or treat important behavioral health problems. ORI’s research focuses on (a) promoting healthy child development through interventions to improve parenting skills in at-risk families, improve school environments and instructional practices, and improve peer environments in and outside of school; (b) promoting psychological health through interventions to prevent and treat depression and eating disorders; (c) promoting physical health through interventions to improve diet and exercise throughout the lifespan and to reduce obesity; (d) preventing and treating substance abuse, through interventions focused on nicotine, alcohol, opioids, marijuana, and other drugs, and (e) implementing and disseminating evidence-based behavioral interventions into real-world settings, such as schools, healthcare settings, service agencies, whole communities, and public policy. ORI is funded by research grants from the National Institutes of Health and Institute on Education Sciences, and has 43 scientists and 50 active research projects. ORI is committed to scientific freedom and scientific excellence and provides a collegial and supportive research community for early career scientists and seasoned researchers alike.

Carol Metzler, Ph.D., received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Oregon. Dr. Metzler is a Senior Scientist and the Science Director at Oregon Research Institute in Eugene, Oregon. As a scientist at ORI, she conducts research on parenting practices and child development, and evaluates the efficacy of family interventions for reducing or preventing behavior problems in children. She is particularly interested in research on promoting a public health framework for improving parenting practices and in evaluating the effects of delivering parenting information through non-clinical technology-based approaches. She is currently involved in projects to develop and evaluate technology-based approaches to providing parents of young children with parenting education and support, through video and the internet, and to integrate these parenting programs into pediatric primary care. In addition, Dr. Metzler is also engaged in efforts to summarize what is known about evidence-based programs for children and families and to investigate how these programs can be effectively moved into practice through better integration of science, practice, and policy. As Science Director at ORI, Dr. Metzler works to build awareness of the research done at ORI, build collaborative partnerships between ORI and other research and practice entities, recruit new scientists to ORI, and ensure that ORI continues to provide an optimally supportive environment for world-class behavioral research.

In cognitive and developmental psychology, executive function refers to repertoires related to goal-directed behavior such as attention, inhibition, working memory, flexibility, emotional self-regulation, problem solving, organization, planning, and time management; and skills deficits in these areas have been attributed to the frontal cortex of the brain. From a behavioral perspective, all executive functions involve behaviors which should be able to be strengthened using behavioral principles of learning. For example, according to Skinner, self-control involves two repertoires of behavior: (a) the controlled self, involving normal, ongoing behavior and (b) the controlling self, involving behavior one has learned to control normal behavior. Children with autism have been documented to display deficits in executive function skills. This symposium presents recent research related to teaching executive function skills to children and adolescents with autism. The first paper presents the effects of a treatment package on teaching planning skills. The second paper evaluates procedures for teaching adolescents with beginning time management skills, such as making, following, and adjusting their personal schedules. The final paper presents data investigating the effects of procedures for teaching problem-solving skills.

BCBAs and other certified or licensed professionals

It has been demonstrated that many individuals with autism present with significant deficits as it relates to various executive functioning skills. Difficulties with planning in particular have been well documented in the literature; however, little research exists seeking to remedy such deficits in the behavioral repertoire of learners with autism. With the use of a nonconcurrent multiple baseline across participants design, the current paper examines the acquisition of planning skills with adolescents with autism. Participants with little to no planning abilities were taught to identify a desired outcome in relation to a given activity, the steps and materials needed to complete the given activity, his or her progress toward completion of the plan, and to subsequently complete the plan and specified activity across multiple exemplars. Results indicate the acquisition of planning skills by the participants and will be discussed in terms of the utility of the present procedures within research-practitioner settings. Suggestions for future research and interventions for individuals with autism will be provided.

A dearth of research exists for teaching adolescents with autism to engage in beginning time management skills. This study used a nonconcurrent multiple baseline across participants design to evaluate the effects of a treatment package consisting of multiple exemplar training, error correction, self-monitoring, and reinforcement for teaching adolescents with autism to make and follow schedules. Results from the first two participants demonstrated that they learned to make, adjust, and follow schedules. During posttraining, performance levels remained high even when various components of the treatment package were removed.

This study evaluated the effect of the “Bump Inspector” Treatment Package on conflict resolution skills in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Three children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, ages 6 and 7, were selected for this study due to prior reports of conflict resolution difficulty and deficits involving flexibility. For this study, a multiple baseline design across participants was used to determine if the intervention increased conflict resolution skills and corresponding actions. Results from the one participant showed completed thus far show that the “Bump Inspector” Treatment Package increased conflict resolution skills in the participant. Findings from the social validity questionnaire revealed that parents of this participant saw clear increases in conflict resolution skills and corresponding action behaviors and that the child seemed to have more courage and independence in the scenarios requiring flexibility.

The high-probability (high-p) instructional sequence involves the presentation of high-p instructions followed by the presentation of a low-probability (low-p) instruction. Researchers have used this procedure to increase compliance across a variety of behaviours, including academic skills, social skills, medical tasks, and food acceptance. Given the broad applicability of this procedure, it is important to identify the procedural variables within the high-p instructional sequence that produce the most meaningful outcomes. The first presentation will compare 2 iterations of the high-p instructional sequence, high-p with a preferred food on a spoon and high-p with an empty spoon, to increase food consumption. The second presentation will (a) compare the effectiveness ofpraise versus edibles as the consequence for compliance with high-p instructions and (b) determine if the number of high-p instructions can be faded from 3 to fewer instructions. Both papers will be discussed within the context of clinical implications and suggestions for future research.

Graduate students

Teachers and coaches

Behavior Analysts

1. Describe the variables of the high-probability instructional sequence that influence the effectiveness.
2. Describe the application of the high-probability instructional sequence to increase food consumption
3. Describe the application of the high-probability instructional sequence within a multicomponent treatment package.

Food selectivity is defined as a child or youth refusing to eat a sufficient variety of foods based on type, texture, or other dimensions (e.g., colour, packaging). It can have a substantial negative impact on family stress, child nutrition and health, and can lead to inappropriate mealtime behaviours. The high-probability (high-p) instructional sequence is a non-intrusive procedure that involves the presentation of three high-p instructions followed by the presentation of one low-probability instruction. To date, only eight studies – with mixed findings – have examined the effectiveness of the high-p instructional sequence to increase young children's consumption of food. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness and efficiency of two iterations of the high-p instructional sequence, high-p with a preferred food on a spoon and high-p with an empty spoon, to increase food consumption in two children with autism spectrum disorder and food selectivity using a multielement design within a reversal design.

To replicate and extend previous research on the high probability request sequence, the first research question was: What are the effects of praise versus edibles as the consequence for responses to high-p requests? In a reversal design with a child with CHARGE Syndrome, there was initial but not sustained experimental control demonstrating higher responding with edibles compared to praise. The second research question was: To what extent can high-p requests be faded from 3 to fewer per low-p request? After demonstrating experimental control with 3 high-p requests, an attempt to fade to 2 high-p requests failed. In a final analysis, experimental control was demonstrated by providing varied reinforcement in the form of videos identified in presession preference assessments. In 20% of sessions, IOA was a mean of 99.1% for high-p requests (range, 93.3% to 100%) and 100% for low-p requests. Results are discussed in terms of continually assessing motivating operations.

This symposium presents recent research related to teaching perspective-taking skills to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The first paper analyzes the effects of in-vivo teaching procedures, multiple exemplar training, and a visual perspective teaching procedure in a multiple-probe across participants design to teach children with ASD, with limited language repertoires, to view the visual perspective of others. The second paper presents data on teaching children with ASD the perspective-taking skill of identifying what they and others know and do not know, and to explain how their knowledge was obtained or why it was not obtained via sensory perspective-taking (i.e., seeing, hearing, feeling, tasting, smelling, etc.), within a multiple baseline across participants design. The final paper evaluates the effects of video-based instruction on teaching a generalized problem solving strategy within and across false-belief categories for shared and differing perspective-taking with individuals with ASD in a multiple-probe across participants design.

BCBAs and other certified or licensed professionals.

A prerequisite skill related to the development of perspective taking skills is recognizing that others may have access to different visual information, which is known as visual perspective taking (Howlin, Baron-Cohen, & Hadwin, 1999). There is limited behavior analytic research on methods to teach children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) visual perspective taking. The purpose of the present study was to analyze the effects of in-vivo teaching procedures, multiple exemplar training, and a visual perspective teaching procedure in a multiple-probe across participants design to teach children with ASD to view the perspective of others. Four experimenter-defined categories (i.e., line of sight, item appearance, array appearance, and item rotation) were used to teach perspective taking skills. The results demonstrated low levels of visual perspective taking in the baseline conditions with participants quickly demonstrating mastery criterion after intervention was introduced. Interobserver-agreement and procedure integrity data were taken on at least 50% of the sessions across all conditions and were 90% or better. This study contributed to the existing literature by providing more information on procedures for teaching visual perspective taking to children with ASD that have limited language repertoires.

Perspective-taking skills such as predicting the future behavior of others based upon their beliefs and creating false beliefs in others for the purpose of adaptive deceptive behaviors such as keeping secrets and surprises and bluffing during games requires one to be able to identify what information others know and do not know (e.g., she does not know we are having a surprise birthday party for her, so she thinks nobody remembers her birthday). The current study evaluated the effects of a multiple exemplar training package that included rules, error correction, and reinforcement on teaching children with autism to identify and explain information that is known and unknown to themselves and others based on each individual’s perspective across the five senses (i.e., she knows or does not know because she can or cannot see, taste, feel, hear, or smell the relevant stimulus). Results of this study thus far indicate that the treatment package was effective in teaching the first of three participants to identify known and unknown information of self and others, as well as how such knowledge was obtained or why it was not obtained. Furthermore, generalization across untrained stimuli and people was observed during posttraining.

The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of using video-based instruction to teach a generalized problem-solving strategy for perspective taking. Specifically, four participants with autism spectrum disorder were taught (a) a rule and when to use it to assist in the identification of shared or differing information and (b) to use that information to respond to perspective taking questions embedded in videos. Multiple exemplars of shared and differing perspective scenarios were used to promote differential responding to shared and differing perspective tasks, and generalized problem solving within and across false-belief categories (i.e., false identity, unexpected location, misidentified object). Responses were assessed during in-vivo probes of false-belief and shared-belief tasks. After learning the problem-solving strategy, all four participants responded correctly to trained and novel shared- and false-belief tasks. Strategy used generalized to within and across category video and in-vivo probes. Generalization was also observed in everyday contexts.

Instructive feedback (IF) is an effective strategy for increasing the efficiency of instruction. When presented within a discrete trial format, prompting and reinforcement are provided based on the learner’s response to primary targets, and no programmed consequences are provided based on the learner’s response to secondary targets. Several variations of IF have been evaluated in the literature and the effectiveness of these variations may relate to the underlying behavioral mechanisms that contribute to the effectiveness of IF. The studies in this symposium will examine the effectiveness of variations of IF and discuss how variations may relate to the mechanisms underlying the acquisition of targets exposed to IF. In the first study, Tullis and colleagues evaluated two arrangements of IF – one in which secondary targets were presented before a praise statement and one in which secondary targets were presented after a praise statement. Kopchak and colleagues examined two forms of IF. In one form, secondary targets and probes shared similar words. In the other form, secondary targets and probe questions did not share similar words. Zemantic and colleagues examined the effect of context by comparing the presentation of secondary targets in an instructional setting and a novel setting.

The content would be appropriate for practitioners to apply to clinical practice and graduate students.

Although typical discrete trial instruction procedures are effective for teaching tacts to children with autism, they are often time consuming. Using a secondary targets procedure can help increase instructional efficiency. The purpose of the current study was to compare the effects of two variations of a secondary targets procedure on the acquisition of auditory tacts by children with autism. In one variation of the procedure, the secondary target expansion phrase and the probe question contained shared features (i.e., similar words). In the other variation, the secondary target expansion phrase and the probe question did not contain shared features (i.e., no similar words). In addition, the emergence of listener and speaker categorization were evaluated. All three participants learned to correctly tact the auditory stimuli (i.e., the primary targets). Participant 1 responded correctly to probe questions for only the shared features condition. Participant 2 responded correctly to probe questions for both the shared features and no shared features conditions. Participant 3 did not respond correctly to probe questions for either of the conditions. Listener categorization scores were higher than baseline levels for all participants following tact training. Speaker categorization scores were higher than baseline levels for Participants 1 and 2.

Instructive feedback involves including extra stimuli (i.e., secondary targets) within instructional trials in order to increase the efficiency of instruction. No programmed consequences are provided based on the learners’ response to secondary targets. A number of behavioral mechanisms may play a role in the effectiveness and efficiency of instructive feedback, including the context. The current study evaluated the effect of context on the acquisition of secondary targets taught through instructive feedback in an instructional (high demand) and novel (low demand) context for two children with autism spectrum disorder. Both participants acquired secondary targets when presented in a high demand context when presented with primary targets. However, in the absence of primary targets, the low demand context was more effective and efficient for one participant, whereas the high demand context was more effective and efficient for the other participant. Both participants demonstrated generalized responding to novel therapists and untrained Wh-questions. Responding also maintained during probes conducted 2- and 4- weeks post mastery. Future directions for research and clinical applications of instructive feedback procedures are discussed.

Elif Tekin Iftar, Ph.D, is a professor in Special Education at Anadolu University in Turkey. Dr. Tekin-Iftar received her Ph.D. degree in 1999 from Anadolu University. During her doctorate studies she received a scholarship from Turkish Academy of Sciences and pursued part of her doctoral education at University of Kentucky. Dr. Tekin-Iftar received her full professorship in 2009. She served as a director of Research Institute for the Handicapped in Anadolu University between 2007-2014. Her current research and clinical interest include the behavioral treatment of children with autism spectrum disorder and developmental disabilities, single case experimental research methods, and professional development. Dr. Tekin-Iftar received Distinguished Young Scientist Award and Scholarship from Turkish Academy of Sciences in 2003. Dr. Tekin-Iftar has published over 25 international peer-reviewed journal articles, over 20 book chapters, coauthored a book, and served as editors in three books named as Single Case Research Methods in Educational and Behavioral Sciences, Applied Behavior Analysis, and Educating Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Her research has been published in Exceptional Children, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disabilities, Journal of Special Education, Research in Developmental Disabilities, and Autism. Dr. Tekin-Iftar currently serves on the editorial board for Exceptional Children. Dr. Tekin-Iftar teaches research methods in education, applied behavior analysis and single case experimental designs at graduate levels. She served as supervisors for many doctoral students in Turkey. She founded Association for Behavior Analysis Turkey (ABATurkey) Chapter as an affiliation of Association for the Behavior Analysis International and she serves as president of ABA Turkey. She founded a graduate program entitled as “Applied Behavior Analysis in Autism” which is the first and only program in its kind in Turkey. She received a postdoctoral scholarship from The Scientific and Research Council of Turkey and visited University of North Caroline in Charlotte for a year. She is the mother of two daughters.

“Safety skills” is an umbrella term consisting of a wide variety of skills. Research has shown that all children have the risk of being injured perhaps fatally because of the intentional and unintentional accidents. Children with autism spectrum disorder face two or three times the risk of injury or abuse compared with those of their same age peers. Ensuring children’s safety is, and should always be, a concern for parents, teachers, and society. However, it is well-documented that teaching safety skills to children with autism spectrum disorder is often neglected both clinically and experimentally. In a relatively new study, it is indicated that (a) although parents and teachers found safety skills instruction important and necessary, they use natural occurrences as teaching opportunities and prevention behaviors rather than providing systematic instruction and (b) neither parents nor teachers have enough knowledge and experience for teaching safety skills (Sirin & Tekin-Iftar, 2016). However, research has shown that when taught systematically, children with autism spectrum disorder could acquire safety skills and perform them over time and across persons and settings. During the presentation, Turkish parents and teachers’ opinions about teaching safety skills to children with autism spectrum disorder and a series of research studies investigating the effectiveness of prompting strategies, videomodelling, and Social Stories in teaching safety skills will be shared with the audience. Implications of these research studies will be discussed.

Behavior analysts; Psychologists; Special education teachers; Graduate students.

Behavioral treatments for chronic pain have amassed an impressive and progressive record of success. As with any area of clinical science, challenges and shortcomings have also been identified. These include difficulties in maintaining clinical effectiveness from clinical trials into large scale implementation efforts, unclear identification of specific intervention components that are clearly linked to improved adaptive outcomes, and lack of clarity with regard to the necessary and active ingredients of effective treatment. Overall, these problems highlight the practical difficulty of translating research into practice. They also helpfully illuminate several potential avenues for improvement, including the need for: (1) a precise delineation of what constitutes treatment success and differentiates it from treatment failure, (2) lucidity in the specification of processes by which treatment is hypothesized to work followed by explicit tests of these hypotheses, and (3) methods to promote the generalization and continuance of within-treatment adaptive behavioral changes to the non-treatment environment. This presentation will describe Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) as one potential model that can aid in helpfully progressing down these avenues. In particular, the potential for augmenting patient behavior that displays an open, accepting, and non-struggling response to pain will be highlighted, as this area perhaps differs most markedly from other approaches where a primary focus may be on better management of pain and distress. Furthermore, the importance of identifying important and meaningful areas of living to pursue with pain present will be evaluated, as this has the potential to naturally promote generalization and longevity of treatment gains. Based on the data presented, it seems feasible for individuals with complex and potentially disabling pain to respond to that pain with acceptance and willingness, choose important areas of living that are of personal relevance, and take effective action to improve quality of life. Importantly, these responses are possible when pain is low, but crucially also when pain is elevated or even at its maximum.

Clinicians and researchers working with chronic physical health conditions or who are interested in such conditions.

Physical activity is a key factor in numerous important health outcomes; however, research reveals a concerning worldwide trend of physical inactivity (Guthold, Stevens, Riley & Bull, 2018). The World Health Organization (WHO; 2018) estimates that physical inactivity contributes to 3.2 million deaths per year, making it the fourth leading risk factor for mortality. Despite well-publicized recommendations from health organizations (e.g., WHO, Centers for Disease Control) and an increase in access to fitness-related technology (e.g., fitness trackers), these trends of sedentary behavior have not improved since 2001, and more than one in four adults worldwide fail to meet recommended levels of activity (Guthold et al., 2018). On a positive note, advances in technology present an opportunity for behavior analysts to extend behavior-change techniques to an important health-related behavior. Presenters from three different research labs will share outcomes from behavioral interventions employing goal-setting, incentives, and technology for increasing physical activity in adults.

The target audience for this symposium is behavior analysts who are researchers or practitioners and are interested in using technology to facilitate interventions with health-related target behavior and/or are interested in using incentive-based interventions for increasing physical activity.

Globally, only 25% of adults engage in enough regular physical activity (PA) for overall wellness (World Health Organization, 2018). Despite the substantial health benefits of PA, populations with intellectual disabilities (ID) are substantially inactive, even more so than their typically-developing peers. Recent research suggests approximately 90% of adults with disabilities are not active enough (Oviedo et. al, 2017; Ptomey et al., 2017). In consideration of these findings, the goal of the current study was to use a treatment package to increase the daily PA of adults with ID living in community-based settings. The treatment package included a Fitbit® to measure and monitor overall PA, goal-setting, one-on-one “coaching” sessions, and incentives contingent on meeting a pre-established physical activity goal. Due to the extreme sedentary nature of adults with ID, physical health benefits (e.g., weight loss, decreased blood pressure, lower heart rate) from increased PA may take an extended period of time to manifest. As such, any potential increases in quality of life (e.g., affect, mood, preference) that may occur in the meantime will also be measured. Findings of this study, recommendations for ongoing interventions, applications to other settings, and limitations will be discussed.

Physically inactive adults are at a greater risk of developing noncommunicable diseases (e.g., stroke, cancer, coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes) and premature death compared to their physically active peers. Consequently, physical inactivity is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Previous research has investigated the use of contingency management interventions (e.g., contracts, lotteries) to increase physical activity in adults. In the current study, we randomly assigned participants to one of three groups (i.e., contingency management, noncontingent reinforcement, or self-monitoring). Participants wore Fitbit® Alta HR fitness trackers, which provided data on various indicators of increased physical activity, such as calorie burn, steps, and active minutes. The goal of the current study was to further investigate the use of contingency management interventions to increase physical activity in adults.

Gamification is the application of game elements, such as points and competitions, to real life - and behavior analysts did it for years without thinking of it in this manner. When video games became immensely popular, gamification reached whole new scholarly levels as well. Some behavior analysis principles have long been incorporated, and that continues to be the case. Compared to health and education, sustainability gamification is more recent, but just as critical. What can behavior analysts working in sustainability learn from the current state of the field of gamification? What can we contribute? In this symposium, we survey the field, examine some sustainability examples, offer suggestions, and provide perspective on gamification in the context of other sustainability/climate change initiatives.

Behavior analysts at all levels

Competing Stimulus Assessments (CSA) have been used across a number of client populations, behavioral functions, and topographies of problem behavior. The growing body of research, however, has localized most applications and demonstrations of related treatment effectiveness to intensive service delivery settings. As is the case with other behavioral technologies, CSAs should be further examined in settings such homes, community venues, and schools. Such demonstrations may be useful in enhancing the external validity of the CSA and ensuring they can be carried out accurately and efficiently. Utilizing established methodology, we carried out CSAs with multiple adolescents with development disabilities attending a private school for individuals with specialized education needs. Across participants, target behaviors encompassed multiple functions and topographies. CSA procedures were successfully implemented in the educational setting and within the confines of the students’ daily school schedule. Results also included successful identification of competing stimuli for the participants; furthermore, decreased rates of problem behavior followed treatment. Procedures and results will be further discussed in the context of CSA innovations and behavioral assessment treatment transportability.

The target audiences for this talk include practitioners who serve individuals with developmental disabilities in home, community, or school settings; and researchers who are focused on or who are interested in focusing on examining assessment and treatment procedures outside of intensive, more controlled settings.

Many individuals with developmental disabilities experience deficits with communication and social function to such an extent that treatment and services focus heavily communication training. Individuals with developmental disabilities also often experience greater behavioral dysfunction than other populations, which can produce behavior that interferes with skills training, home life, and school activities (Gurney, McPheeters, & Davis, 2006; Dekker, Koot, Ende, & Verhulst, 2002). Due to the extent it interfered with skills training and posed health complications, problem behavior (mouthing, rumination, pica, and motor stereotypy) maintained by automatic reinforcement was assessed for 4 individuals with autism and intellectual disabilities. Competing stimulus assessments were conducted and revealed multiple stimuli that competed with problem behavior, after which related treatment was devised and carried out by educational staff (teachers and teacher assistants) during each participant’s school day. The training of educational staff on assessment and intervention rationale, treatment implementation, and data collection are also discussed.

As schools witness what behavior analysts are capable of doing, they are hiring behavior analysts in increasing numbers to help develop and evaluation interventions with students experiencing behavior and academic problems. In some cases, behavior analysts are delivering direct services, a professional role for which they are well prepared. In a lot of cases, however, schools are calling on behavior analysts to serve as consultants, which is a new role for many of us. A consultant serves in an indirect role by trying to help someone else (e.g., a teacher) help a third party (the student). A consultant typically has no authority over the consultee, but must engage the consultee in such a way that their combined efforts empower the teacher to improve students’ academic achievement and behavioral self-control. The purpose of this presentation will be to help behavior analysts adapt their assessment and instruction/intervention skills to a school-based consultative role. I will present research-based strategies for (a) how to efficiently embed functional assessment principles and practices in the consultation process, and (b) manage the contingencies under which teachers are operating to maximize effectiveness.

Behavior analysts practicing in schools

Behavior analysis is on the cusp of a major change in the way we think about our most fundamental process: Reinforcement. Whereas the law of effect stipulates that reinforcers control behavior because of their special function in increasing a behavior’s strength, an alternative approach casts reinforcers as stimuli with current value to the organism, but no unique function in changing behavior. Under this approach, behavior is controlled by relations between stimuli, depending on the affordances and dispositions of the organism. This tutorial explores some of the data that has led us to change the way we understand control by current environmental conditions. First, the tutorial examines some of the evidence for prospective control, when reinforcers are absent, or temporally distant, or when reinforcer effects are inconsistent with strengthening. Next, I explore how quantitative models can provide a testable explanation of control by the likely future, as extrapolated from the past. Finally, the tutorial considers the implications of a shift from understanding control in terms of retrospective response-reinforcer pairings to prospection on the basis of the perceived structure of the environment, and argues that in conjunction with quantitative models, prospective control need not invoke an inner organism.

This talk is aimed at behavior analysts interested in new ways to measure and describe apparently changes in behavior, and/or in new approaches to understanding how reinforcers affect behavior.

Sarah Cowie obtained her Ph.D. in 2014 at the University of Auckland, under the supervision of Professor Michael Davison and Dr. Douglas Elliffe. Since graduating with her Ph.D., Sarah’s research has explored how past experience translates into control by the present and the likely future.

The papers in this symposium are about teaching complex verbal behavior to individuals with various ability levels. The first paper presents an instructional program aimed at teaching children with autism to understand metaphors. The second paper describes teaching children to mand for information via observational learning. The third paper involves teaching applied behavior analysis to non-ABA professionals.

ABA practitioners, graduate students, non-ABA professionals, academic researchers (applied researchers)

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of an instruction on the acquisition and generalization of metaphor understanding for children with autism spectrum disorder. Three students (two boys, one girl, 5 to 8 years old) participated in this study. A combination of a multiple probe design across two behaviors and three participants was used. The metaphors were categorized by topography: the metaphors involving physical features and the metaphors involving abstract properties. The instruction consisted of intraverbal training with picture prompts. The results indicated that the instruction was effective to establish the acquisition and generalization of metaphor understanding for the two students who completed the entire study. They also maintained the acquired metaphors up to 2 months following the completion of the instruction.

The PEAK-DT curriculum utilizes discrete trial teaching methods to establish a wide variety of basic and verbal skills, but these methods may not be required to teach skills with more advanced learners or to target sporadic missing skills. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of a behavioral skills training procedure on extended social interactions which combined skill targets across six PEAK-DT programs.During baseline, a 14 year old boy diagnosed with autism attempted to start a conversation (1), tell a joke (2), and engage in conversations to get to know someone better (3) and talk about what he and a partner were doing (4), completing few steps in each interaction type.Administered sequentially across interaction types, a behavioral skills training intervention consisting of instructions, video modeling, feedback, and rehearsal produced steady acquisition, mastery, and maintenance of all four interaction types.The results demonstrated mastery of responses in PEAK-DT programs 1A- Eye Contact, 6B- Greetings and Farewells, 13O- Intermediate Intraverbals, 14M- Advanced Intraverbals, 14T- Verbal Report: Tacting Behavior, and 14Y- Telling a Joke, suggesting that behavioral skills training may be useful in training sporadic missing skills.

Nearly a quarter of individuals with a diagnosis of autism, remain non vocal-verbal even after 8 years of age (Lord, Risi, & Pickles, 2004; Wodka, Mathy & Kalb, 2013) and those with speech impairments and minimal verbal skills have less favorable outcomes in life (Anderson,2007). A 6-year 8 months study (2010-2016) with children with autism (n=126) was successful in inducing 7 first instances of speech in 105 (83%) of the participants, Awasthi (2017), using Mand and Intraverbal Training procedures. Drawn from this large cohort study, the first 3 studies in this symposium offer newer perspectives on the technologies that minimize the number of children remaining non-vocal, and reviews its effect on older non-vocal children. Details on the form of 734 first speech instances as words and syllables are also discussed. The fourth study, building upon previous research from behavioral sciences and Speech Language Pathology literature Presents video self-monitoring to improve procedural integrity in speech production training.

Behavior Analysts and Speech Language Pathologists

The current study spanning 6 years and 8 months, reviews the technologies developed for the emergence of speech in non-vocal children with autism and examines the effectiveness of sign mand training and intraverbal training and the role of stimulus stimulus pairing and motivating operations in inducing first instances of speech in non-vocal children on the autism spectrum. A total of 126 non-vocal children between the ages 1.4 years to 13.5 years participated in 4 experiments that used delayed non-concurrent multiple baseline design across subjects. The technologies were effective in inducing first instances of speech in 83% participants. The time to vocalization, vocals across operants, type of vocal emergence, age of vocalization and the relative successes of the technologies used are explored.

A 6-year 8 months study (2010-2016) with children with autism (n=126) was successful in inducing 7 first instances of speech in 105 (83%) of the participants (Awasthi, 2017). This retrospective study examines a) the form of speech emergence (syllables, word approximations, words) in this large cohort and b) the form of emergence under different stimulus conditions. A total 735 first instances of speech were recorded (first 7 vocals of each participant). Of these, initial vocals emerged as words in 341 instances (46%) and as word approximations or syllables in 394 (54%). When speech emerged as mands, 66% were words and only 34% were word approximations or syllables. The percentages were 57% and 43% respectively for intraverbal fill ins. With part echoic-part mands, only 19% were words and 81% were word approximations or syllables. Sounds that started with /b/, /m/, /p/, /c / /k/ and /o/ accounted for 54% of the first instances of speech. These results suggest a pattern of speech emergence in children with a diagnosis of autism undergoing behavioral interventions for speech emergence. Identifying, recording and classifying the type of emergence could help with clinical decision making for further interventions and serve as a starting point for new lines of research.

Non-vocal-verbal children with Autism, aged between 1.8 years to 13.5 years participated in a large cohort study (n=126) spanning 6 years and 8 months, that was successful in inducing first instances of speech using mand and intraverbal training procedures in 105 (83%) participants, Awasthi (2017). Of these, 7 were older children with autism (8y 2m to 13y 5m). Of these 6 acquired first instances of speech while 1 left the study thirty weeks into intervention. Vocals emerged for 3 with mand training alone, 2 with delayed addition of intraverbal training and for 1 with simultaneous introduction of both. Of the 6 who were successful, the first speech instance emerged within 30 days of intervention with 4 but took more than 150 days with 2 others. The mean days to acquisition of all 7 instances of speech was 181 days (range 58 days to 359 days) taking an average of 25 days/ vocal. A recast of their data in 2 non-concurrent, delayed, MBL graph format confirms the effectiveness of these interventions in inducing first instances of speech in older non-vocal children with autism.

Contingency management (CM) promotes drug abstinence using monetary incentives contingent upon drug negative urine samples, but only about half or fewer of substance users exposed to CM respond by initiating abstinence. Thus, there is a need to understand individual differences in abstinence initiation. We are conducting a randomized, placebo-controlled trial evaluating whether the medication bupropion (Wellbutrin®) enhances response to CM for cocaine abstinence among methadone patients with cocaine use disorders. Data collection for the effects of medication is ongoing, but we have conducted preliminary analyses to determine whether individuals who initiate early abstinence differ systematically from individuals who fail to initiate early abstinence. Thus far, 25% of the sample achieved six consecutive cocaine-negative urines within the first six weeks of CM (i.e., prior to randomization; early abstainers). Early abstainers were not distinguishable from other participants according to cocaine use disorder severity, demographics, or performance on neurocognitive assessments. Early abstainers showed significantly greater proportion of cocaine-negative urine samples post-randomization relative to those who did not initiate early abstinence. These data emphasize that considerable and persistent differences exist in response to CM. In addition, cocaine use disorder severity, demographics, and other baseline characteristics may be insufficient to predict early abstinence during CM.

Attendance at cardiac rehabilitation significantly reduces the risk of morbidity and mortality following a cardiac event. However, certain populations of patients, such as lower-socioeconomic status patients, are unlikely to attend or complete the recommended course of rehabilitation. In a clinical trial, 130 participants were randomized to either usual care control or to earn incentives on an escalating schedule for completing up to 36 outpatient rehabilitation sessions. Incentivized participants completed significantly more sessions of cardiac rehabilitation and were twice as likely to complete the program. In this secondary analysis of the trial, we estimated the impact of the intervention on ED, Inpatient and Outpatient expenditures, number of visits and length of stay (LOS). Group differences were evaluated 12 months after patients’ qualifying event. Expenditures were modeled using a two-part model (TPM), since we expected that the probability of incurring any expenditure was independent of the amount of expenditure; number of visits and LOS were modeled by using negative binomial regressions. Models controlled for sociodemographic factors, smoking status, and severity of illness. Preliminary results indicate that the intervention group had, compared to the control group, lower mean expenditures for ED and outpatient, but not inpatient services.

Children with feeding disorders may pack or expel food when they lack the oral-motor skills, the motivation, or both to swallow. Utensil manipulation such as presenting bites on the tongue with a Nuk or flipped spoon is a treatment that researchers generally implement after these behaviors emerge. One exception is Wilkins et al., (2014) because they implemented utensil manipulation during initial treatment of pediatric feeding disorders. In the current study, we extended previous utensil-manipulation studies by comparing the effects of (a) upright-spoon presentation; (b) Nuk presentation; and (c) flipped-spoon presentation on 2 product measures of swallowing, 15- and 30-s mouth clean, and expulsion during the initial treatment of feeding disorders with 5 children. We also monitored lip closure during upright-spoon presentation and following bite deposit in all conditions to evaluate whether utensil manipulation corresponded with improvements in this oral-motor skill. Nuk presentation produced the highest levels of 15-s mouth clean and the lowest rates of expels relative to upright-spoon presentation and flipped-spoon presentation across children. We discuss the data in terms of potential reasons why utensil manipulation improved feeding behavior and how measures of oral-motor skills might predict the necessity of utensil manipulation during initial treatment.

Previous literature supports the use of demand fading in conjunction with differential reinforcement of alternative behavior to increase food consumption and mitigate potential emotional responding often observed in escape extinction of inappropriate mealtime behavior (Dolezal, 2006). However, demand fading can occur across many dimensions (e.g., bite placement, bolus size, bite quantity; Kerwin Ahearn, Eicher, & Burd, 1995; Knox, Rue, Wildenger, Lamb, & Luiselli, 2012; Penrod, Gardella, & Fernand, 2012). It is unclear which dimension is the most effective and efficient to fade along to increase consumption and decrease inappropriate mealtime behavior. We used a combined multielement and reversal design to assess the effects of demand fading across bite placement and bolus size plus differential reinforcement of alternative behavior, with and without escape extinction, on compliance and inappropriate mealtime behavior. So far, results indicated that compliance increased across both demand fading dimensions only after we added escape extinction. Initial rates of inappropriate mealtime behavior were lower across both demand fading dimensions with escape extinction compared to escape extinction alone, suggesting that demand fading can help attenuate some potential side effects of escape extinction. Implications of incorporating demand fading into escape extinction are discussed.

The clinical significance of lip closure as it relates to pediatric feeding disorders has not yet been empirically evaluated. From an oral motor perspective, in typically developing infants, lip closure helps to keep food within the mouth, and the skill becomes more efficient as the child develops (Carruth & Skinner, 2002). Unfortunately, this behavior does not always emerge in children with feeding disorders, as they do not follow an age-typical eating progression. This may result in an “open mouth posture” when depositing food. It is unclear whether this behavior is actually an avoidance response or a result of limited oral motor skills. For children with limited oral motor capabilities, this may also result in higher levels of expulsion and/or packing (Wilkins et al., 2014; Sharp, Harker, & Jaquess, 2010). Previous researchers have demonstrated that antecedent manipulations such as an alternative bite placement on the middle of the tongue may compensate for these deficits (Girolami, Boscoe, & Roscoe, 2007). However, bite placement alone does not necessarily address the issue of poor lip closure. Therefore, increasing lip closure may be an alternative antecedent manipulation that may also compensate for a lack of oral motor capabilities. In the current study, we successfully increased lip closure and decreased biting on the spoon in a 6-year old boy with a feeding disorder using physical guidance and fading. As a result of this manipulation, we were able to increase oral intake and decrease tube feedings.

This symposium will address advanced topics in the stimulus control of behavior in the experimental and applied domains. All presentations, two experimental and two applied, investigated how a variety of stimulus conditions impacted the formation of stimulus classes under. The first presentation manipulated the physical properties of stimuli to form generalized equivalence classes (money equivalences) to induce new applied repertoires (purchasing skills) that emerged in novel settings. The second presentation compared contingent and non-contingent reinforcement during errorless instruction and determined that the influence of a “hidden contingency” accounted for errorless learning in the absence of contingent reinforcement. The third presentation evaluated different training modalities on the subsequent formation of equivalence classes. The results suggested that stimulus control topography coherence theory may require revision. Finally, the fourth presentation investigated whether or not prompts used during training entered into equivalence classes and expanded those classes. The results indicated that class-specific prompts became members of relevant classes and could be used to efficiently expand those classes. The outcomes of these studies are discussed in terms of the development of novel forms of stimulus control and improving the efficacy of instruction of complex behavior.

Graduate students conducting research in the areas of complex stimulus control and derived relational responding; Individuals designing instruction for children with and without autism and developmental disabilities,

This experiment explored how training influenced the formation of 3-node 5-member equivalence classes during the simultaneous protocol. The baseline relations were established concurrently (CONC) or serially (SER) on a trial and error basis, or serially and “errorlessly” with a constructed response matching to sample procedure (CRMTS). After training, test blocks were administered to measure class formation. Test blocks trials contained all baseline relations and probes for symmetry, transitivity, and equivalence. The error percentages while acquiring the baseline relations were highest during concurrent training, lower during serial training, and lowest during constructed response training. Yet, similar percentages of participants formed classes in each training condition. Thus, the likelihood of equivalence class formation under the simultaneous protocol was not influenced by training modality or prevalence of errors during baseline acquisition. In addition, transient stimulus control topographies that emerged during training did not subsequently resurge during testing, thus, their resurgence did not account for failed class formation. Because the error and resurgence findings were not consistent with stimulus control topography coherence theory, it might have to be revised to accommodate to the data reported in this experiment.

Delay and probability discounting refer to the devaluation of an outcome as a function of the delay or probability with which the outcome occurs. Discounting rates inform researchers how people make decisions and have been shown to differ between individuals with unhealthy patterns of behavior and control groups. But, everyday choices are not devoid of context and many questions remain about what choice is sensitive to across contexts. This series of talks examines how discounting can be influenced by one’s previous history and current state of access to the commodity under consideration. In addition, these talks highlight novel discounting methodology and data analytic approaches that may allow researchers to better understand what discounting looks like across different groups. Populations discussed will be women with food insecurities, MTurk participants, and the classic undergraduate student. Topics discussed will be amount/delay sensitivity to alcohol; how the size of one’s bank account and intermixing gains and losses influences discounting; and classic population comparisons in discounting rates. Together, the talks that comprise this symposium highlight advances in: methods for measuring discounting, group differences in discounting, and analytic techniques to understand discounting.

Graduate students in behavior analysis; Behavior analysts working in feeding; behavior analysts working with substance abuse populations

Food insecurity, or inconsistent access to foods that meet nutritional needs, has been linked to delay discounting for money, a behavioral measure of impulsivity. The purpose of the present study was to examine differences in delay and probability discounting for food and money outcomes in women with varying levels of food insecurity. Ninety-two women were recruited from a community sample. Participants completed delay and probability discounting tasks for food and money, food security measures, and measures of demographic and health-related variables. Results revealed that food insecure individuals showed significantly higher rates of delay discounting for both food and money compared to food secure individuals. No significant differences were found with probability discounting. These results indicate food insecure individuals are relatively more impulsive for food and money than those of food secure status but not necessarily different in risk-taking. In addition, impulsive behavior may be an underlying mechanism of obesity-related health outcomes in food insecure populations.

Heavy alcohol use on college campuses is a major concern, as it can result in academic problems, assault, alcohol use disorders, and death. One hallmark of excessive drinking is elevated discounting rates of alcohol compared to money. Differences in discounting rates could be due to differences in sensitivity to magnitude of rewards and/or delay. Recent analytic techniques may provide a better understanding of these behavioral mechanisms, and their effects on choice. We used the multilevel modeling technique to evaluate discounting of alcohol and money with undergraduate college students. This approach examines group and individual discounting rates simultaneously using a multilevel logistic regression and nonlinear models. It has been recommended for use, as it is sensitive to magnitudes of reward and relative delay, which are considered separate contributors to choice. We found subjects had differential sensitivity to reward magnitude and delay when discounting of alcohol compared to money. Findings suggest these analytic techniques may lead to the enhanced understanding of these behavioral processes needed to successfully target and decrease alcohol consumption on college campuses.

Previous studies have investigated how drastic changes to income influence delay discounting (e.g. Bickel et al., 2016). Additionally, while researchers have investigated how choices change as a function of the absolute magnitude of an outcome (e.g. Green et al., 1999), no studies have investigated how choices change as a function of magnitude relative to the amount in a participant’s bank. We investigated how endowing participants with a bank of varying amounts influenced choice within delay discounting tasks. 60 undergraduate psychology students completed 4 delay discounting tasks. Each task presented one of two different amounts for the delayed choice alternative (i.e., $3000 and $500,000). In addition, each task presented one of two relative bank amounts (i.e., 1/4 or 4 times the delayed amount). Discounting of the delayed amount was significantly greater when the bank amount was smaller than the delayed amount (e.g. $750 bank; $3,000 delayed amount) only in the small delayed amount ($3,000) condition. When the delayed outcome magnitude was large ($500,000), the bank amount did not have a statistically significant effect on discounting. Our results suggest contrived economic context influences participants’ choices under conditions in which an outcome is delayed.

Children with autism have deficits in language, communication, social interaction, and perspective taking skills. Storytelling integrates this cluster of skills as it requires an understanding of narrative structure, the use of complex sentences, and it naturally occurs in social contexts. For example, narratives have been used to teach children with autism to tell personal experience narratives (Favot et al., 2018), increase the complexity of the sentences used to tell stories (Petersen et al., 2016), and to take another’s perspective (Gillam et al., 2015). We will present a summary of the currently available data-based research that used storytelling activities to teach various skills to children with autism, many of which are published in non-behavior analytic journals. The results of the systematic review will be discussed while giving special attention to the specific teaching procedures used to promote storytelling, the dependable variables (e.g., social skills, academic skills, perspective taking, and communication skills), and the methodological rigor used to investigate the effect of the intervention. Implications will be discussed as they pertain to academic and social programming for children with autism and directions for future behavior analytic research.

Applied behavior analysis is concerned with improving or solving socially relevant problems (Baer, Wolf, & Risley, 1968; Fisher, Groff, & Roane, 2011). A socially relevant problem for service organizations and training institutions is ensuring employees and trainees acquire minimum competency to meet job expectations and to be eligible for employment. The purpose of this symposium is to provide examples of behavior analytic training applications in applied and university settings. The first paper provides an example of how behavior analytic training strategies were incorporated into a state mandated medication administration training. The number of organizational medication errors, number of opportunities to pass a written exam, and number of opportunities to pass a competency exam were examined to determine training outcomes. The second paper provides an example of an organizational training to improve outcomes of a functional behavior assessment. The third paper provides an example of university supported training for special educators to conduct trial-based functional analyses and develop function-based supports. The fourth paper provides an example of training for university students learning to conduct functional analyses.

Practitioners, educators, and administrators who design and implement employee and university training programs specific to behavior analysis.

Melmark is a multi-state human service provider with premier private special education schools, professional development, training, and research centers. Training at Melmark is designed to increase the professional skills of employees, which in turn increases life outcomes for the individuals we support. Melmark trains based upon the principles of competency based instruction, performance-based instruction (Brethower & Smalley, 1998) and behavioral skills training (BST; Reid, Rollyson & Parsons, 2012). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of added material (i.e., 8-hours of video-based instruction), increased opportunities to respond during the training (i.e., fluency-timings, guided notes), and behavior skills training. Additionally, employees observing competency of the medication administration process were retrained using principles of fluency-based methods, active student responding, and behavior skills training. The outcomes of the trainings are discussed in light of medication errors, testing, as well as initial and maintenance observations. Impact on the organization will also be discussed.

This study explored methods for training behavior analysis students to conduct functional analyses. Students (n=5) in a behavior analysis graduate program were first taught to conduct one condition of a trial-based latency functional analysis using three 30-minute sessions including instruction, modeling, rehearsal, and feedback. Performance following training was significantly better than baseline measures, however the criterion for competency was not met for all participants. Students (n=3) that did not demonstrate competency with the behavioral skills training alone were then provided 3 additional 10 minute training sessions using TAGTeach methodology. This additional training was sufficient for all students to attain competency. The same treatment integrity checklist used during training was then used to check for generalization in the students’ applied settings. All students (n=5) performed at mastery criterion under applied settings. Results indicate that behavioral skills training combined with TAGTeach training may be an effective way of training graduate students to conduct complex behavior analytic analyses.

Physical activity is one of the most critical actions Americans can take to improve overall health. Despite the wide range of health benefits physical activity can provide, it is estimated that more than 60% of U.S. adults do not reach the recommended amount of weekly physical activity and 25% do not engage in any physical activity. Effective intervention is needed to increase physical activity in U.S. adults. This study examines the effects of self-monitoring, peer-monitoring, and peer yoked contingency on physical activity in adults. The study is currently in progress and results have not been determined at this time.

There has been growing interest in the representation of women and other minorities in the field of behavior analysis given the inception of the Women in Behavior Analysis conference and the special issue on Women in Behavior Analysis published in Behavior Analysis in Practice, an ABAI-affiliated journal. This symposium reports data regarding representation of women in academia within behavior analysis by examining research productivity and publicly available salaries. The first paper entitled, “Participation of Women in Behavior Analysis Research: Some Recent and Relevant Data,” reports an increasing trend of women publishing in major behavior analytic journals compared to historical data. The second paper, “The Gender Pay Gap for Behavior Analysis Faculty: It’s Big and Bad,” reports a shocking discrepancy amongst female and male professors employed at ABAI-accredited universities based in the United States relative to other disciplines. We discuss implications of these findings for women in academia and in the field of behavior analysis.

Professors, graduate students, instructors of behavior analysis, and supervisors of individuals pursuing behavior analytic certification

Pain is a classic or, perhaps, rather a modern scientific conundrum. It is, by definition, a subjective experience. One of the confusing or difficult problems comes about by reducing the experience to a singular objective entity that can be quantified. How and why this is done will be discussed in two ways. One in relation to contemporary accounts of basic pain research agendas and what seems like the (re)discovery of the brain and conditioning (respondent, operant) mechanisms. The other by placing the issue in the applied context of trying to reliably and validity measure pain experience in individuals with communicative difficulties associated with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Behavioral scientists; practitioners providing services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Application of basic statistical measures (e.g., t-tests, ANOVA) to single-subject designs have been a source of conflict in Behavior Analysis because, in part, these tests aggregate behavioral variability across subjects and time, eliminating much of the data that behavior analysts find important. Multilevel modeling (MLM) is a statistical technique that addresses these concerns and is commonly used when data are naturally clustered (e.g., student clusters in classrooms, which are also clustered in various schools across a district). With MLM, the value of a statistical parameter for a specific case depends on the levels of the each cluster for that case. A single subject can serve as a cluster of data and, therefore, MLM can provide subject-by-subject predictions. In a single-subject or small-n design, statistical comparisons based on the IVs of interest are enhanced when the models have already accounted for intrasubject variability. In theoretical modeling of behavior, subject-by-subject model parameters can be obtained while simultaneously accounting for group-level patterns in the data. This tutorial will demonstrate using MLM to analyze experimental data from a single subject design and also to conduct subject level model fitting. The analyses will be conducted in R, a popular, free software package for statistical analyses.

Researchers, research-practitioners, students

Dr. DeHart received his B.A. and Ph.D. from Utah State University under the mentorship of Dr. Amy Odum. In July of 2017, he began his current position as a post-doctoral fellow with Dr. Warren Bickel at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC. Dr. DeHart’s primary research interests include the behavioral economics of addiction and other health behaviors including cigarette smoking and obesity as well as the application of advanced statistical methods to behavioral data. His early research investigated novel methods of reducing impulsive choice using framing and financial education and his dissertation applied structural equation modeling to better understand the effects of delay length and outcome magnitude on delay discounting. His current research interests are twofold. First, he is interested in measuring the abuse liability of different risky products including tobacco cigarettes and e-cigarettes and how demand for those products can be changed using public-health narratives. Second, he is interested in understanding the relationship of delay discounting to various health behaviors. In this line, he has applied advanced statistical methods including structural equation modeling, machine learning algorithms, and mixed-effects modeling. Dr. DeHart’s work has been recognized by various popular media outlets including the Wall Street Journal and he currently serves on the editorial board for the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

Jonathan E. Friedel is a research psychologist in the Bioanalytics Branch at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. As part of the Organizational and Behavioral Research Team, he works on several grant funded projects focused on worker safety in laboratory workers, distracted driving, and data analytics for organizations using behavior based safety. He is currently the primary investigator for a grant funded project designed to use behavioral economics to quantify the factors that affect safety-related decision making in small businesses. He obtained his PhD in experimental psychology from Utah State University where he focused on delay discounting and behavioral economics. He obtained a MS in Behavior Analysis from University of North Texas.  

Skinner (1957) defined the tact as a verbal response under the functional control of a nonverbal antecedent stimulus due to a history of generalized conditioned reinforcement. However, control by nonverbal stimuli over vocal verbal responses often emerges in the apparent absence of prior reinforcement. This phenomenon has been documented, for example, in research on on receptive-to-expressive generalization, stimulus pairing observation procedures, and instructive feedback, and it requires explanation in an operant account of language. It is commonly proposed that undocumented reinforcement of overt or covert echoic responses in the presence of the nonverbal stimulus plays a role in emergent tact control. In this presentation I will review research from my own lab and others that has addressed this hypothesis by measuring or manipulating the occurrence of echoic responses during learning trials. I will evaluate the extent to which the results support a functional role of echoic responding in emergent tact control and discuss alternative explanations of the phenomenon, including relational operants and stimulus correlation effects.

Behavior analysts; scientists

Research and practice related to function-based interventions for problem behavior have evolved significantly since behavior analysts began working with children with problem behavior. One example is the synthesis of establishing operations and reinforcers in both functional and treatment analyses. The current symposium will focus on examples of the effects of synthesized reinforcement contingencies, and will present data related to (a) efficient analysis and treatment processes conducted in a school setting, (b) the application of a skills-based treatment package without extinction to reduce severe problem behavior, (c) a treatment model in which children and/or parents are continuously provided the choice of participating in treatment or leaving the therapeutic context, and (d) training parents to teach their children functional life skills in an effort to minimize emerging problem behavior and prevent severe problem behavior.

Behavior analysis practitioners, researchers, and educators.

Many individuals diagnosed with autism demonstrate deficits in verbal, academic, and imitation skills. Various programs have been developed to improve these skills; however, it is important to ensure that these programs are effective, socially valid, and produce generalizable repertoires. Study 1 reviewed the literature on teaching imitation in 20 studies with a total of 166 participants with autism. The authors found that contingent imitation may improve skills adjacent to imitation including language, play, and joint attention. Study 2 addressed the adaptive skill of using a debit card with adolescents. After using multiple exemplars, the participants generalized the skill to the community over a four week period. Study 3 evaluated a recently developed error correction program for discrete trial instruction that involved losing opportunities to earn more-preferred items following a mistake. Not only was the program found to efficiently improve mastery of targeted tasks, it was also preferred by participants and caregivers. Instructor error during discrete trial instruction, such as delays to reinforcer delivery, can also impact skill acquisition of the student. In Study 4, the authors systematically manipulated different delays to reinforcement across multiple reinforcer classes to evaluate the effects of programmed treatment integrity failure. These studies provide evidence for multiple programs that can be used to build skills for those diagnosed with autism.

BCBAs, BCBA-Ds, BCaBAs, licensed psychologists, and other behavior analytic providers who need to learn different techniques for skill-building with clients diagnosed with autism.

Imitation training is a critical component of early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) programs for children with autism. While extensive research has informed procedures for teaching imitation under tight instructional control, there are not comparable empirically-derived procedures for teaching imitation in the natural environment. Contingent imitation (i.e., the instructor imitating the child’s behavior) is a naturalistic strategy incorporated in reciprocal imitation training (RIT). The present review evaluated the literature using contingent imitation to teach imitation in children with autism across 20 studies, published across 14 journals, with a total of 166 participants with autism. Effects reported include increases to imitation (i.e., vocal, motor, object), language, play behaviors, and joint attention. A nonoverlapping points (NAP) treatment analysis indicated this research has produced variable effect sizes. However, more research is warranted, and directions for future research on contingent imitation are discussed. This review will apply a conceptual analysis of generalized imitative repertoires to its discussion of whether contingent imitation may facilitate skill acquisition and influence motivating variables.

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) demonstrate deficits in performing generalized responses that occur in natural environments. Previous research has discussed the importance of teaching adaptive skills to adolescents with ASD that generalize to the natural environment to increase independence throughout adulthood. To address such deficits, Horner and colleagues (1982) recommended using general-case analysis strategies to identify the full range of stimulus variations and required responses; then creating multiple teaching exemplars that facilitate for generalization of the target skill. To date, general-case analysis and multiple exemplar training have not been used to teach individuals with ASD to use a chip debit card. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to address limitations of previous studies that did not implement generalization strategies to teach adolescents with ASD adaptive skills. A multiple-probe design was used to demonstrate skill acquisition across teaching and generalization probe exemplars for three adolescents with ASD. Pre- and posttest probes were conducted at stores in the natural environment to assess generalized responding. All participants acquired the target skill following video modeling and multiple exemplar training, generalized their responding to the natural environment and maintained their responding during a four-week posttest probe.

Being able to do the right thing in the right context is an essential skill for every species. A fundamental learning process related to behaving appropriately is the capacity to engage in conditional discriminations. As with all forms of learning, many factors can influence conditional-discrimination performance. In this symposium, we will consider several variables influencing conditional-discrimination performance in pigeons and humans across both simple and conditional discriminations. The first presentation examined discrimination of the presence versus absence of prior reinforcement on the development of variable-response sequences in pigeons. The second presentation examined the effects of static versus dynamic samples during simple and conditional discriminations with humans. The third presentation examined the effects of comparison-set size on performance during auditory-visual conditional discriminations in children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The final presentation examined the use of quantitative analyses to characterize error patterns during conditional discriminations in children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Practitioners, teachers, applied researchers, translational researchers, and basic researchers

When teaching auditory-visual conditional discriminations, some of the available teaching strategies (e.g., blocked-trials procedures, conditional-only method) vary by number of comparison stimuli present during training. Sidman (1987) argued that instructors should include more than two comparison stimuli during training to reduce the likelihood of false positive or false negative results. However, researchers have yet to evaluate the effects of comparison size on acquisition of auditory-visual conditional discriminations. This study compared the effectiveness and efficiency of teaching using sets of two, three, and four stimulus pairs, using an adapted alternating treatments design. Three children aged 3- and 6-years old, diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, participated in the study. Experimenters taught 12 relations in each experimental condition. For one participant, the 3-array presentation was most efficient, and for the other participant, the 2-array presentation was most efficient. The results will be discussed in terms of clinical implications and directions for future research.

Effective training procedures for caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are essential for effective treatment. Additionally, improving efficiency and ease of access to this training through technological advancements will lead to quicker access to effective treatment. This symposium includes applied research on training technologies involving telehealth and virtual reality to increase access to effective assessment and intervention for children with ASD. The first two studies involve the use of telehealth in behavior skills training (BST) with real-time instruction and feedback. The first study focuses on training preference assessment methodology for staff working with children with ASD. The second study focuses on training intervention to decrease disruptive sleep behavior skills in parents of children with ASD. The second two studies involve the use of virtual reality in training skill acquisition (i.e., discrete trial training) and behavior reduction (i.e., functional communication training) procedures to pre-service and in-service teachers working with children with ASD. Discussion of results from both telehealth and virtual reality training studies will follow.

Target audience includes practitioners, researchers, and graduate students working with children with autism spectrum disorders interested in understanding advancements in technology related to training.

Many children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) engage in sleep disruptive behavior (SDB). Previous studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of treatments for SDB, including positive bedtime routines, bedtime passes, faded bedtime, and extinction (Freeman, 2006; Vriend, Corkum, Moon, & Smith, 2011). When training parents to manage SDB, it may be important for the therapist to coach parents and provide feedback on their use of the procedures immediately prior to, during, and following the child’s bedtime. Having a therapist in the home at night may be intrusive for the family and impracticable for the therapist. Telehealth technologies would allow therapists to provide immediate coaching and feedback to parents and to collect procedural integrity data without having to be physically present in the home. In this study, therapists remotely delivered components of behavior skills training to teach parents to implement individualized, function-based treatments for three children with autism who engaged in SDB. All of the children engaged in less SDB and slept longer after the parents implemented the treatment with high integrity. Parents indicated that they were satisfied with the telehealth treatment services. These findings replicate and extend the literature on the efficacy of telehealth technologies to train parents.

Effective, efficient, and accessible staff training procedures are needed to meet the service delivery demand for treating individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Previous research using behavioral skills training (BST) to remotely train staff to conduct preference assessments has been found to be effective, but required up to 6-hours of trainer time per trainee (Higgins, Luczynski, Carroll, Fisher, & Mudford (2017). The purpose of the present study looked to evaluate the effectiveness of delivering a single component of BST, real-time feedback, via telehealth to train newly hired early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) staff to conduct multiple stimulus without replacement (MSWO) preference assessments. A nonconcurrent multiple-baseline- across-participants design showed that remote real-time feedback was associated with short training time and minimal sessions to achieve mastery. Generalization and maintenance probes indicated these skills were transferable to other preference assessment stimuli and learners diagnosed with ASD. Social validity ratings indicated that this was a socially acceptable training procedure.

Effective training procedures include Behavioral Skills Training (BST) involving written and verbal instructions, modeling of the skill, rehearsal of the skill, and feedback on the performance. This training typically involves hours of in vivo experience in which trainees and students with ASD are exposed to risk (e.g., behavioral issues such as aggression, errors in teaching performance). Including BST in a virtual reality (VR) context involving virtual individuals with ASD characteristics and behaviors, may be an effective training method that reduces risk. The purpose of this study was to examine if training students to do functional communication training (FCT) in a VR environment is effective. We trained 13 college students to implement FCT for attention and escape functions using a virtual reality environment. Preliminary results show that VR BST was effective at increasing correct steps performed of FCT to mastery criterion levels with all participants. Future researchers should examine generalization and maintenance of these procedures.

Pediatric feeding disorders range in severity from mild selectivity to complete refusal. If left untreated, pediatric feeding disorders can result in serious health ramifications including malnutrition, growth delays, and developmental delays. In this symposium, we will describe treatments for disordered feeding that involve differential reinforcement, simultaneous presentation plus nonremoval of the spoon (NRS), synthesized reinforcement, and a variation of the finger prompt. Harrison and colleagues will present a study on the evaluation of how to best select an effective reinforcer for the treatment of food selectivity. McHugh and colleagues will present a study comparing a commonly used occupational therapy treatment (food chaining) to an empirically supported behavioral treatment (simultaneous presentation plus NRS) for the treatment of food selectivity in children with autism spectrum disorder. Gover and colleagues will present an extension of the use of shaping with synthesized reinforcers and partial extinction in treatment of pediatric food selectivity. Rubio and colleagues will present a study evaluating the efficacy and acceptability of a variation of the finger prompt to food refusal in children with feeding disorders.

Researchers and practitioners.

Differential reinforcement of alternative behavior is a widely used procedure to increase consumption of nonpreferred foods in children with food selectivity (e.g., Allison et al., 2012; Anderson & McMillan, 2001; Kern & Marder, 1996; Najdowski, Wallace, Doney, & Ghezzi, 2003). However, the types of reinforcing stimuli used varies across studies, including edibles, tangibles, attention, or a combination of edibles, tangibles, and attention. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the use of a progressive ratio reinforcer assessment to identify a reinforcer that will most effectively increase the acceptance of nonpreferred foods. First, we conducted a progressive ratio reinforcer assessment using an arbitrary task. Then, we evaluated the effects of differential reinforcement using an edible, a tangible, a type of attention, or a combination of the stimuli as the reinforcer. We compared the effects of each reinforcer to the outcome of the progressive ratio reinforcer assessment to determine if this assessment accurately predicts the most effective reinforcer to be used during treatment for individuals with food selectivity. Preliminary results suggest the progressive ratio reinforcer assessment predicted the most effective reinforcer to be used during differential reinforcement with food selectivity for one participant.

Feeding disorders can range from mild (e.g., food selectivity by taste or texture) to severe (e.g., total food refusal). If left untreated, feeding disorders can result in serious health ramifications, including malnutrition, growth delays, and developmental delays. Recent studies comparing commonly used occupational therapy (OT) treatments and empirically supported applied behavior analysis (ABA) treatments found that the ABA treatments were effective for all participants while the OT treatments were ineffective for all participants. We used a multielement design to compare a modified version of commonly used OT treatment, Food Chaining, and an empirically validated ABA treatment, simultaneous presentation plus nonremoval of the spoon, to treat the food selectivity of 2 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). For both participants, consumption of the target foods only increased during the ABA-treatment condition. We subsequently faded the size of the preferred food within the simultaneous-presentation arrangement, moved to a sequential-presentation arrangement, and then thinned the schedule of reinforcement. We will discuss the results within the context of treatment implications, limitations, and suggestions for future research.

Gover, Hanley, Marcus, Ruppel, and Landa (in prep) described an assessment and treatment process addressing the food selectivity of five children with and without developmental disabilities. The process involved (a) indirectly and directly assessing food preference and problem behavior associated with mealtimes and (b) incorporating assessment results into a treatment process that relied on differential and synthesized reinforcement of successive approximates to eating. This paper extends that research by evaluating the process across novel populations including a group of three typically developing siblings using a group contingency and a young boy with autism who engaged in total food refusal and relied on a g-tube. Implications for practitioners and areas for future research will be discussed.

Driving gasoline powered cars contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and pollutants. This study used an ABAB reversal design to examine the effects of immediate feedback on non-ecofriendly driving behavior (i.e., hard braking, hard accelerating). An “Automatic” device was installed in each participant’s car to measure specific parameters of driving, including accelerating, braking, and fuel consumption. During the baseline condition participants received feedback after driving by logging in to the Automatic application on their smartphone. During the immediate condition participants received feedback from the “Automatic” device while driving. All three participants had an overall decrease in episodes of hard accelerations/hard brakes during the immediate feedback condition compared to the delayed feedback baseline condition.

Idling vehicles pollute the air around the vehicle and the exhaust can enter school buildings through air intakes, doors, and open windows. Children are especially vulnerable to vehicle emissions because of their developing lungs, smaller lung surface area, and higher inhalation rate. Emissions can lead to serious health conditions like asthma and allergies (US Environmental Protection Agency, 2003). Along with health conditions, idling vehicles also cause wasted fuel, wear and tear, and wasted money. Given these factors, we designed a study to decrease vehicle idling during school dismissal. We conducted a non-current multiple baseline design across three schools to evaluate the effects of a treatment package on the percentage of 10-s intervals during which vehicles were idling 15 minutes prior to dismissal. The treatment package consisted of providing drivers with a written policy and rationale along with verbal instructions as well as stimulus prompts in the form of “No Idling” signs placed on school grounds. Idling decreased across the three schools with the implementation of the treatment package, however data remained variable. The mean percentage of intervals scored with idling decreased from baseline to treatment. The importance of implementing behavior change for a sustainable world programs within schools will be discussed, as well as the challenges of such programs.

Coral bleaching negatively impacts the biodiversity and functioning of reef systems and has become a worldwide phenomenon. Benzophenone-3 (BP-3; oxybenzone) contributes to coral bleaching, decline of coral growth and death (Downs et al., 2015). Oxybenzone is also harmful algae, fish and mammals. Oxybenzone is commonly found in sunscreen lotions to protect against the harmful effects of ultraviolet light. Danovaro et al. (2008) reports that 6-000-14,000 tons of sunscreen is discharged into the coral reefs each year. The level of oxybenzone concentration deemed toxic to Hawai?I’s coral reefs is 62 parts per trillion (PPT). Downs et al (2015) tested levels of 700+ PPT. Hawai?i has banned the use of sunscreens containing oxybenzone effective 2021. This presentation will describe a project with dual goals of educating people and getting them to switch to mineral-based, oxybenzone-free sunscreen. Because there were not enough brands that communicated or connected with Hawai?ian culture, I decided to develop my own mineral sunscreen. After two years I successfully obtained FDA approval for Ko?a (Hawai’ian word for coral) sunscreen. To date, I have traded more than 80 free 2-oz. samples of Ko?a sunscreen for more than 150 bottles of reef killing sunscreen. I also organize sunscreen drop offs to ensure the reef killing sunscreen goes to the state-run incinerator and never make its way to the ocean and landfills.

Functional-analysis methodology allows researchers and clinicians to identify the functional variables maintaining severe destructive behavior (e.g.., self-injurious behavior). Several researchers have expanded upon Iwata et al.’s (1982/1994) initial functional-analysis paper to improve the efficacy and efficiency of functional-analysis procedures, including combining individual consequences (e.g., escape to attention) within test and control conditions (i.e., synthesized contingency analysis) as opposed to the traditional approach of evaluating individual contingencies (e.g., escape alone, attention alone). Recently, Hanley et al. (2014) detailed an approach to developing and assessing destructive behavior known as interview-informed synthesized contingency analysis, which uses caregiver or other stakeholder report and observation to inform the test and control conditions within the synthesized contingency analysis. Though several studies have shown that such an approach can result in brief assessments and clinically significant treatment effects (e.g., Jessel et al. 2018; Rose & Beaulieu, 2018), other studies have highlighted possible limitations to the methodology, such as including potentially irrelevant reinforcers during assessment and treatment (Fisher et al., 2016; Greer et al., in press). This symposium collects applied and translational comparisons of individual and synthesized contingencies from different research groups to further evaluate the correspondence between the approaches, including the benefits and limitations of each strategy.

The target audience for this symposium is comprised of researchers and clinicians who conduct functional analyses within their research and practice, or other behavior analysts who wish to learn about the potential benefits and and limitations of individual and synthesized contingency analyses.

Recent research on the interview informed synthesized contingency analysis (IISCA) has extolled its benefits relative to traditional functional analysis (FA; e.g., efficiency; Slaton, Hanley, & Raftery, 2017) while other research has focused on its shortcomings (e.g., false-positive outcomes; Fisher, Greer, Romani, Zangrillo, & Owen, 2016). One limitation of prior comparisons is investigators could not ascertain with surety the true function(s) of the participants’ problem behavior for use as the criterion variable. We conducted a translational study to circumvent this limitation by training a specific function for a surrogate destructive behavior prior to conducting an FA and synthesized contingency analysis (SCA) of this response. The FA correctly identified the function of the target response in all six cases and produced no iatrogenic effects. The SCA produced differentiated results in all cases, and produced iatrogenic effects in three of six cases. We discuss these finding in terms the mechanisms that may promote iatrogenic effects.

As a sub-discipline of ABA Organizational Behavior Management (OBM) relies on applied research to drive new procedures and refine existing techniques. This symposium features data from four applied studies across a number of domains. Two presentations focus on different aspects of feedback: temporal location and building rapport. Another presentation will focus on a variation of token economies where guests provide tokens to employees. The last study examines a method using the principles of gamification to encourage professional development in line-level employees. Attendees of this symposium will be able to use the information presented to refine practice and generate new lines of research in OBM.

Practicing behavior analysts, researchers, and graduate students in OBM.

Most pediatric feeding problems are maintained by negative reinforcement in the form of bite or meal termination. Nevertheless, escape extinction-based interventions have undesirable side effects (e.g., extinction-burst) which have motivated researchers to further develop and evaluate interventions that do not rely on escape extinction. The studies herein examined the evidence for the effects of the high-probability instructional sequence on feeding in children, and evaluated the effects of a full, hierarchically organized instructional sequence on generalized food consumption in a typically developing boy with food selectivity. In a final clinical case study, clinicians evaluated the effects of differential reinforcement of acceptance using high preferred foods on acceptance, gagging, and expulsion in both restricted- and free-operant arrangements for a boy with developmental delays. The evidence base for the high-probability instructional sequence suggests the intervention can improve feeding, but the authors call for further research to clarify when and for whom the intervention is effective. Delivering an instructional sequence in which the final step was consumption of a nonpreferred food, consumption of nonpreferred foods increased and the researchers observed generalization. In the clinical case study, differential reinforcement of acceptance with high preferred foods increased self-fed acceptance of nonpreferred foods and this improvement coincided with reductions in gagging and expulsion. These data will be discussed in the context of apparent trends in research on behavioral interventions for feeding problems over the last decade.

Researchers and practitioners focused on feeding interventions

The high-probability (high-p) instructional sequence is an intervention commonly used to increase compliance. It involves delivering a series of requests with a high probability of compliance prior to the delivery of a request with a low probability of compliance. Researchers have evaluated whether the high-p sequence can increase compliance with low probability (low-p) mealtime demands to consume nonpreferred foods in children with pediatric feeding disorders, for example, by delivering multiple high-p mealtime demands to consume a preferred food prior to the delivery of a low-p mealtime demand (e.g., to consume a bite of a nonpreferred food). The effects of the high-p sequence have varied across studies, and a systematic synthesis of the literature to guide practice and further research is lacking. We conducted a systematic multistep search and identified seven studies that met inclusion criteria. We then extracted data on participant and study characteristics and compared the literature to the 2014 Council for Exceptional Children (CEC): Standards for Evidence-Based Practices in Special Education. Preliminary results suggest that (a) the high-probability instructional sequence can improve compliance with low-p mealtime demands in young children with feeding disorders but more research is needed to clarify when and for whom the intervention is likely to be effective, (b) additional research should examine the effects of the high-p on feeding in older children or adults with disabilities as more intrusive procedure such as escape extinction-based procedures become inappropriate, and (c) the evidence does not meet the CEC’s standards for an evidence-based practice.

Differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA) with high-preferred food can improve feeding problems in children with autism and food selectivity. However, clinical case studies of the effects of DRA in the absence of escape extinction-based procedures such as the nonremoval of the spoon are limited, especially for free-operant feeding arrangements. The current clinical case study evaluated the effects of a Fixed-Ratio 1 schedule of DRA on acceptance of nonpreferred foods in a boy with developmental delays and food selectivity in clinic and home settings. We conducted the first treatment evaluation in a restricted operant arrangement targeting feeder-fed bites. We then incorporated mastered foods from the restricted operant arrangement into an evaluation of DRA for self-feeding in a free-operant arrangement. The results suggest that (a) DRA using high-preferred foods increased self-feeding of nonpreferred foods in a free-operant arrangement without escape extinction, (b) the effects generalized across foods, and (c) increased self-fed acceptance coincided with a reduction in expulsion and gagging.

Obesity rates in children who live in the United States have increased 17% in the past few decades and affects approximately 1/3 of U.S. children (Ogden, Carroll, Kit, & Flegal, 2012). Occurrence of obesity in children with disabilities, including Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), were found to be 40% higher than for children without disabilities (CDC, 2014; Hinckson et al. 2013; Curtin et al. 2010). Regular moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) is likely to reduce many risks associated with obesity in children (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2012). The Observational System for Recording Physical Activity codes (OSRAC; Brown et al., 2009) was used to determine the lowest percent of MVPA across five different contexts (i.e., control, outdoor toys, indoor toys, empty field, fixed equipment) for three preschool children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Photographic activity schedules were used to increase the number of different activities completed and percent of MVPA in the two lowest responding contexts for all participants.

Missouri Division of Developmental Disabilities is addressing the shortage qualified behavior analysts, increasingly challenging behaviors and continued emphasis on positive, person-centered supports that improve quality of life through an organizational behavior management approach. Three systemic level interventions applying behavioral principles on a meta-level to a state system of services for intellectual disabilities will be discussed. These systemic interventions involve data, systems and practices to improve outcomes for individuals and services, especially Applied Behavior Analysis services across multiple providers, regions and situations. Thinking and applying behavior analysis on a meta-level is sometimes confusing and difficult, these projects utilize a public health, three tiered prevention model, and are demonstrating significant results. The projects involve prevention of crisis and problem behaviors through increasing implementation of strategies aimed at improving quality of life by service agencies, state level interventions that maximize limited skilled resources and evaluate easily available population data and variables, and the use of peer review to improve behavioral services at an individual level.

Intermediate and Advanced behavior analysts involved in administration or management or who are interested in working at a governmental level.

The public health model that emphasizes prevention and the overall health of a public rather than emphasizing the poor health of one, or poor health issues specifically. In contrast, traditional healthcare focuses on the health of one individual. The model addresses strategies and practices that maintain the health of the public and works to increase these as a primary prevention effort. We suggest that ABA tends to align with traditional healthcare in that a large effort in training new practitioners and in the provision of services focuses on deviant or problem behaviors rather than conditions necessary for healthy and desirable behaviors. The Missouri Division of Developmental Disabilities has adopted the public health model to focus on practices or services that result in higher quality of life for individuals and developing state level systems to promote and maintain these. Implementation science informs us as to the necessary efforts and conditions that change momentary interventions to “a way we do business”. Data for agencies adopting the process at a high degree of fidelity suggests that broad scope strategies can reduce behavior problems in the agency to a significant degree.

State systems such as Developmental Disabilities and Intellectual Disabilities spend a significant portion of the allotted funding on relatively few individuals who have significant challenges and needs. Approaching this issue with the public health model is helpful in moving efforts towards large-scale interventions maximizing limited resources. These include efforts such as implementing systemic changes like improved data collection and analysis, sharing data strategically, targeted training, intensive review of restrictive strategies and peer review committees. Missouri’s process of behavioral system analysis and systemic interventions will be discussed and the data for the past two years will be shared.

Peer review committees can effectively provide consultative feedback that both improves the behavior support for the person and quality of services in general. Missouri Division of Developmental Disabilities has a voluntary peer review committee. This process involves community behavior analysts reviewing plans and data using a standard checklist for individuals in high-risk categories. Data from this process includes the items on the checklist missed and post review changes in high-risk outcomes. Data for the checklist and commonly missing elements will be reviewed. The checklist items will be demonstrated as best practice standards referenced to ABA literature and BACB and state funding agency requirements. The data suggest that peer review improves both the plans and reduces the likelihood of an individual continuing to experience high-risk outcomes.

Bi-directional naming (BiN) is a verbal behavior cusp. Initially, listener and speaker behavior are acquired independently and BiN represents the joining of listener and speaker repertoires. In this symposium, three papers will discuss the sources and outcomes of BiN. The first two papers describe experiences that induce BiN. Hotchkiss, Karanian, and Fienup analyzed two intensities of a tact protocol and the effects on inducing BiN. Hawkins, Gautreaux, and Chiesa examined the effects of a history of multiple exemplar instruction on joint incidental BiN. The third paper examined the outcomes of a BiN repertoire. Longano, Harms, Wilczewski, and Ishikawa examined the acquisition of novel tacts under direct instruction and incidental learning conditions and found faster acquisition during incidental learning opportunities.

participants interested in learning about the sources and outcomes of bi-directional naming, or the joining of speaker and listener repertoires

Joint Incidental Bidirectional Naming (Hawkins, Gautreaux, & Chiesa, 2018) is a subtype of Common Bidirectional Naming (Miguel, 2016). Joint Incidental Bidirectional Naming is defined as the emergence of both untaught listener behaviour and untaught speaker behaviour following an incidental language experience providing the names of novel items. No direct teaching is involved in the acquisition of the names of these novel items. We evaluated the effectiveness of Multiple Exemplar Instruction (MEI) on the induction of Joint Incidental Bidirectional Naming with a group of ten older children and young adults, aged 6-18 years, diagnosed with autism and a learning disability. A multiple probe design was used to test for the acquisition of Joint Incidental Bidirectional Naming. One participant acquired Joint Incidental Bidirectional Naming following the MEI procedure. Four participants met the criteria for Joint Incidental Bidirectional Naming prior to the MEI procedure being implemented. Five participants did not meet the criteria for Joint Incidental Bidirectional Naming post-MEI intervention. The potential of tests producing false negative scores and the effects of multiple testing were discussed. It was also suggested that additional prerequisite behavioural cusps may need to be present prior to implementing procedures to induce Joint Incidental Bidirectional Naming.

We investigated the rate of tact acquisition under two experimental conditions, direct tact instruction and the presentation of Naming experiences. Two experiments were conducted using ABAB design counterbalanced across nine participants. Under the direct tact instruction condition, instructors presented a picture, without a verbal antecedent, and delivered social praise contingent on correct responses and a correction procedure (prompting the correct response and representing the picture) contingent on incorrection response. During the naming experiences phases, the instructors presented the picture and said the name of the picture while the participants were attending to the picture. After, we conducted probes to determine if the participants acquired the tacts presented during the naming experiences. Results from both Experiments showed faster rates of acquisition under the naming experience conditions. Participants with Unilateral naming and/or Bidirectional Naming acquired language in the form of tacts at higher rates incidental, whereas, the participants who did not demonstrate Unilateral naming did not.

The three talks in this symposium describe studies in which equivalence-based instruction (EBI) was used to teach classes of animal features, food portion estimation, and verbal operant academic content. The first study was a replication and extension of O’Neill, Rehfeldt, Ninness, Muñoz, & Mellor (2015). Computer EBI was compared to studying from flash cards to teach Skinner’s verbal operants to college students. In the second study, which was an extension of prior studies in which EBI was used to teach portion estimation of food items, non-food items were used during training to increase portion-size estimation accuracy. Preferred and non-preferred foods were used to assess generalization of portion-size estimation accuracy. In the third study, which was a replication of Keintz, Miguel, Kao, and Finn (2011), EBI was used to teach three classes of animal features and to evaluate the emergence of visual-visual and auditory-visual relations and speaker behavior by children with autism spectrum disorder. Together, the three studies in this symposium extend the content domains and procedures that can be used to establish equivalence classes of relevant content.

The target audience is practitioners who work with children with autism, and those who use equivalence-based instruction to teach socially relevant content.

The present study compared the effects of computer-based stimulus equivalence-based instruction (EBI) to that of studying from flash cards to teach Skinner’s verbal operants. Ten undergraduate or graduate students enrolled in an introductory course in Applied Behavior Analysis served as participants. One group was exposed to EBI and a comparison group studied a set of flash cards with all the stimuli presorted into correct groups. Four classes of verbal operants (mand, tact, intraverbal, and echoic) were taught. Each class consisted of 4 stimulus members (name of the term, a colloquial definition, formal definition, and vignettes). Generalization of class-consistent responding was assessed for participants in both groups via a series of sorting tasks, written tests, and computer-based matching tests. Both IOA and treatment integrity data were at least 99%. The results of this study showed that participants of both the EBI group and the flash cards group formed classes across all testing formats. The results of this study did not align with past research in showing efficiency of EBI compared to studying pre-sorted flash cards in establishing academic skills with advanced learners. Overall the EBI group performed at a level that was 10-15% above that of the control group.

Researchers have previously taught individuals how to more accurately estimate portion-sizes of foods using equivalence-based instruction (EBI). The purpose of the current study was to evaluate whether non-food items could be used during training to increase portion-size estimation accuracy. Preferred and non-preferred foods were used to assess generalization of portion-size estimation accuracy. Foods were identified through an assessment and varied per participant. Two non-food items were used for training and one novel non-food item was used to assess for generalization of portion-size accuracy. Three classes of stimuli were taught using EBI (i.e., ¼ cup, ½ cup, and 1 cup). The members of each class were represented by portion-size measurement aids, amounts on paper plates, and measuring cups. All participants more accurately estimated each portion-size of non-food items after training sessions. Accurate estimation also generalized to preferred and non-preferred foods for all participants. IOA and procedural data were at least 99%.

The purpose of this study was to replicate Keintz, Miguel, Kao, and Finn (2011) by evaluating the effects of EBI on emergence of visual-visual and auditory-visual relations and speaker behavior by children with autism spectrum disorder. We extended Keintz et al. by evaluating a many-to-one training structure, evaluating the emergence of auditory-auditory relations, and teaching language skills commonly targeted in early intensive behavioral intervention with early learners. Specifically, we taught three 4-member classes of stimuli: donkey (Class 1), seal (Class 2), and cricket (Class 3). Members of each class were the pictures of the creature (Stimulus A), creature’s spoken name (Stimulus B), sounds made by the creature (Stimulus C) and pictures of the creature’s habitats (Stimulus D). Results for all participants increased from low levels during baseline sessions to 86% or higher following EBI. Emergence of speaker behavior was also observed for all participants (i.e., tacts of pictures, tacts of sounds, intraverbals related to sounds and habitats, intraverbal fill-ins, echoics). Interobserver agreement for listener and speaker pretests across all three participants ranged from 94%-100%. Interobserver agreement for teaching relations and listener/speaker post-tests across all three participants was 100%. Percentage of correct implementation of the teaching/training procedures was 100%.

This symposium includes three data-based presentations focused on applying behavior-analytic procedures in higher education settings. All presentations will focus on improving student performance in the classroom through the use of active teaching strategies and creative assignments. In the first presentation, Daniel Wagner will present a comparison of a novel assignment and a traditional assignment to increase undergraduate behavior analysis students’ performance on quizzes and their dissemination skills. Next, Christopher Le will present a comparison of preprinted and write-on response cards in an undergraduate applied behavior analysis course on exam scores, learning gains, and participation. Finally, Kendra Guinness will present an evaluation of the effects of a personalized system of instruction including self-paced tutorials comprised of instructions, video models, practice, and feedback on students’ accuracy in APA formatting. Each presentation will address implications for the behavior analytic teaching strategies in the classroom.

BCBAs, Faculty, Educators

Though many have argued that behavior analysts should be trained as behavioral translators, translating our science and technology to others in a way that disseminates what our field has to offer (Foxx, 1985, 1996; Lindsley, 1991; Morris, 1985; Reed, 2014; Schlinger, 2014), little research identifying how to teach such repertoires exists. In this study, we designed the Giving ABA Away assignment to begin to teach this dissemination repertoire to undergraduate students in behavior analysis. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of this dissemination assignment, in which students were asked to describe a behavioral concept to a layperson audience, in comparison to a more traditional assignment. This study utilized a counterbalanced within groups design with pre- and post-assignment evaluations to assess student comprehension of the concepts and dissemination skills. Results showed positive effects of the dissemination assignment on student learning outcomes as compared to the traditional assignment. Implications for educators will be discussed.

Formatting documents according the American Psychological Association (APA) guidelines is an essential but difficult skill for undergraduate psychology students. Undergraduate faculty report that their students make frequent APA formatting errors in a variety of domains including citations, quotations, and headers (Mandernach, Zafonte, & Taylor, 2016). The current study evaluated the effects of a personalized system of instruction (PSI) on the accuracy of APA formatting with undergraduate students using a multiple probe design across four units (title page, abstract, body, and references). Participants completed self-paced tutorials comprised of textual instructions, a video model, multiple practice opportunities, and immediate feedback. Results thus far indicate that after low to moderate levels of accuracy in baseline, accuracy rose to high levels immediately following training. Generalization was also measured by evaluating the APA formatting accuracy of actual lab reports the participants submitted in an introductory psychology class. Interobserver agreement was recorded for 33% of sessions (M = 89%; range, 73%-100%). Social validity with students and faculty will be discussed.

This panel will be a discussion of Dr. Jonathan Friedel and Dr. Brady DeHart’s SQAB Tutorial on the utility of statistics in behavior analysis.

Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students.

Behavioral interventions for pain typically target individuals and when loved ones are involved, their roles are often conceptualized as information providers or reinforcers of pain behaviors. At the same time, a growing literature on supportive behaviors such as partner responsiveness, emotional validation, and empathy has suggested that interventions may be more effective if these types of behaviors are incorporated into treatment. Dr. Cano will provide an overview of correlational and experimental research on empathic behaviors in pain and describe a new intervention for couples that is based on this research. Evidence of intervention feasibility and acceptability will also be presented to describe the challenges of intervention development. Finally, Dr. Cano will share a set of lessons learned to inform work aimed at bridging the gap between basic behavioral and clinical intervention research.

Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students.

The number of certified behavior analysts in mainland China is increasing at a drastic pace every year. Despite this growth, its nature of service delivery, the focus of target service recipients, and the presence of a comprehensive professional standards make behavior analysis a developing profession that is unlike others in China. In this critical phase of development, practitioners’ adherence to ethical and professional standards becomes an even more critical key for its future success. While it is important to understand the Professional and Ethical Compliance Code for Behavior Analysts, one must demonstrate the interpretation of this Code through everyday practice. In a country with a vast diversity in beliefs, customs, and other cultural variables, this interpretation may not be apparent at times. The central theme for this symposium is working with practitioners in mainland, China. From a theoretical perspective, the presenters will first illustrate the ethical challenges that behavior analysts may face while providing services in a variety of settings in China. The audience will then learn about two empirical studies that demonstrate the use of data-based decision making to guide practitioners’ service delivery in the context of direct teaching and supervision in mainland, China.

Undergraduate, graduate, or practitioners in the field of behavior analysis

Over the past decade, educational and therapeutic services driven by Applied Behavior Analysis has gained more and more attention in mainland, China, particularly in the area of treatment for autism. Despite this increase in recognition and acceptance, the quality of service for students with special needs varies drastically across settings. This variation is caused by a need for more quality training courses, current misunderstanding toward students with special needs and their educators, and the availability of alternative, and often nonscientific treatment options. Behavior analysts provide services under clear and comprehensive professional and ethical guidelines. However, when cultural variations come into play, practitioners may require additional guidance with decision making during service delivery. From a conceptual analysis of behavioral perspective, this presentation will focus on the ethical challenges that behavior analysts may encounter while working in different educational and therapeutic setting in China. Potential directions and recommendations for future research and practice will also be discussed.

The emerging Western model of professional training and service delivery in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) leads to a continuous debate between universal designs and localized decisions in China, a country with over 75,000 preschools with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (Sun & Allison, 2010; Zhang & Ji, 2005), who receive alarmingly uneven service quality given the high demand of treatment (Xu, Yang, Ji, Xu, & Wang, 2014). Even for those who claim the use of ABA procedures in teaching receptive labeling, one of the fundamental skills for preschoolers, the decision-making process is not typically based on data, but is rather on routines or personal preferences. In this study, two discrimination methods were compared in teaching students with autism. The first method is simple conditional discrimination (SCD), which involves a total of nine steps to gradually increase task difficulty over time. The second method is conditional only discrimination method (COD), which includes presenting the target task from the onset of the intervention (Grow, Carr, Kodak, Jostad, & Kisamore 2011). The data suggested COD resulted in more efficient acquisition while SCD fostered gradual improvement. The results provide data driven guidance for Chinese ABA practitioners in the decision making process of ASD program design.

We present the effects of behavior analytic interventions that resulted in increased supervisor and technician expertise and an analysis of organizational intervention components. The data show that the implementation of a rule governed organizational system to train clinicians supports increases in academic literacy, communication and social skills for pre-school and elementary age clients diagnosed with autism and related communication disabilities in 1:1 settings. In this model, the data generated through measurement of each individual’s responses drive the system. Clinicians are trained through modules that provide in situ opportunities specifically related to the accurate implementation of clients’ programs, choice of strategies and tactics, materials and selection of new objectives. Supervisors collaborate across clinics to improve the accuracy of the feedback delivered during Teacher Performance Rate and Accuracy (TPRA) observations for verbal development protocols. Researchers report more complex data analyses, improved verbal behavior about the science, and increases in rate of learning for the clients taught using a Rule Governed Algorithm which included a Verbal Behavior about the Science Protocol package. We analyze organizational components, discuss relevant measures to consider within the organization, and present meaningful client and staff outcomes when considering a systems approach using data-driven procedures and interlocking contingencies.

BCBAs and Program Supervisors

ABA service providers recognize the need for effective operating procedures and supervision practices that produce quality outcomes. Complex interactions between supervisors and supervisees should result in effective treatment through accurate instruction and delivery of behavioral interventions. The CABAS® model is a data-driven, research-based system that takes into account the interdependent relationship between teachers, students and their parents, and school supervisory personnel, whose primary function is to train and mentor teachers to continually apply the principles and tactics of the science of behavior to ensure student success (Singer-Dudek, Speckman, & Nuzzolo, 2010). We sought to develop a standardized system of individualized instruction for administrators, students and clinicians utilizing components of the CABAS® model in a private ABA clinic and develop a measurement system to develop the quality of the product. We implemented Learn Units, TPRAs, a Decision protocol, the VBDR assessment, developmental protocols and performance-based modules. This data collection describes the components implemented, a procedural analysis of systems implemented, data analysis for staff and clients and future considerations regarding data driven operating procedures.

Skinner remarked that verbal responses are “true” or “objective” when the correspondence with a stimulating situation is sharply maintained. Lanza, Starr, & Skinner (1982) developed an “animal model” for the study of variables involved in correspondence: a pigeon “reported” to another about the color of a hidden disc, by pecking a specific key. Having access to the color, the experimenter could investigate contingencies leading to distorted reports. This presentation will address a series of studies with human participants recently conducted in our lab, with variations in this method. Participants reported about previous behavior or played card games in which they reported the value of their cards. A recent study developed a videogame with different audiences asking about the participant’s previous behavior. Several independent variables have been investigated. Correspondence was enhanced by reinforcement of corresponding responses, punishment of non-corresponding responses, probability of response checking, and modelling of corresponding reports by confederates. Non-corresponding reports increased with reinforcement for specific reports (reinforcing reports of correct responses regardless of correspondence), punitive audiences, and modelling of non-corresponding responses by confederates. This series of studies has progressively refined experimental methods and increased the range of variables investigated, contributing to clarify the determinants of correspondence.

Researchers or students interested in basic and translational research on verbal behavior.

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is used to teach individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in a variety of settings. While there are many benefits for clients receiving sessions in a clinic-based setting, one area that deserves attention from clinicians is generalization. The gains made by clients have a significantly greater impact when their skills are demonstrated in situations in which training did not occur. Assessing and planning for the occurrence of generalization are key components of quality programming for individuals with ASD. Clinician cannot “train and hope” that skills will generalize to other locations, parents, etc. In this symposium, research on generalization from three different perspectives will be discussed to provide more information to clinicians programming for generalization. In the first talk, a literature review on the amount and type of generalization measured in research studies on individuals with ASD will be shared, along with a discussion of the factors leading to successful generalization. Following this discussion, the effects of a parent training program on parent-child interactions and parental self-efficacy will be reviewed. Lastly, data will be presented on the generalization of treatment gains made in the clinic setting, to parents in the home.

Board Certified Behavior Analysts, Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analysts