Association for Behavior Analysis International

Although scientific endeavors strive to be objective, they are the work of individuals whose unique perspectives and experiences impact their research and interpretations of the world and data. Institutionalized discrimination – based on race, gender, national origin, disability, and socioeconomic position, among others – persists in academic and scientific institutions. Further, such discrimination has created barriers for individuals from minoritized groups to participate in building and adding their perspectives to our science. For the field of behavior analysis to truly “diversify,” we must actively engage in behaviors that foster inclusive and safe learning environments for students, engage in collaborative work, and incorporate culturally responsive research and mentorship practices. This talk will review where we are as a field, showcase exemplars of culturally responsive practices, and propose steps for moving forward.

Students, Researchers, BCBAs

As the science of behavior advances, we seek new ways to understand the dynamic variables that influence behavior. With the advancement of technology, behavior analysts are better able to look "under the skin," and understand how a variety of physiological variables interact with other behavior-environment relations. In this symposium, researchers will present three recent advancements in the investigation of the interaction between physiology and behavior, including a method for identifying trauma-related stimuli in the everyday environment, an investigation of the relationship between heart rate and severe problem behavior, and a demonstration of the utility of measuring heart rate in the treatment of phobias. Each study will present unique insights into these dynamics and include practical strategies for including these measures to enhance more precise, wholistic interventions.

Intermediate to advanced; Attendees should have experience in the assessment and treatment of either severe behavior disorders or other psychological conditions (e.g., phobia).

Traumatic events can result in persistent, undesirable behavior changes, detrimental to one’s quality of life. Some "triggers,” stimuli related to traumatic events, may be difficult or impossible to avoid. People with intellectual disabilities (ID) are often unable to tact their “triggers”. Objective procedures to identify “triggers,” not requiring advanced verbal behavior, represent an opportunity for effective and compassionate care. In this study, we evaluated a method to assess the effects of trauma-related stimuli on behavior of adults with ID. We measured heartrate, freezing, scanning, choice latency, and selection order during preference assessments in the presence and absence of trauma-related stimuli. Our results suggest these additional measures used during preference assessments could be useful in identifying “triggers” for people with limited verbal communication skills. Objective procedures that can be used to identify “triggers” could improve compassionate care for people with ID and a history of exposure to traumatic events.

The PEAK Relational Training System is a standardized behavior-analytic comprehensive treatment model that has been supported by over 70 published peer-reviewed studies. This symposium will present three papers extending previous work on PEAK by examining the impact of treatment dosage, exploring a play-based assessment for early-childhood learners, and evaluating its assessment tool in classifying autism symptom severity. Specifically, the first paper will present the outcome of a systematic literature review on using play-based unstructured assessment in early-childhood intervention and preliminary results on a new play-based assessment. The second paper will focus on parameters, such as dosage, that predicted the treatment outcome of PEAK-based intervention. The third paper will examine convergent validity on the PEAK Comprehensive Assessment’s (PCA) ability in classifying autism symptom severity. Implication on the assessment and treatment delivery of PEAK will be discussed.

It would be helpful for audience members to have a basic understanding of complex language and cognition from a behavior-analytic perspective (e.g., derived relational responding, equivalence, relational frame theory, PEAK).

This presentation seeks to examine the efficacy of play-based assessments as compared to highly structured skill-based assessments when identifying treatment areas for learners enrolled in early childhood ABA programs. In order to provide the most effective treatment, it is essential that providers accurately identify the skill repertoire of their learners to include foundational skills such as early communication and learner readiness, as well as more advanced social communicative repertoires that include derived relational responding. Young learners enrolled in early intervention programs may lack necessary prerequisite skills to engage in highly structured assessments and may be more appropriately assessed in a play based format. As such, it is essential that an assessment of skills is not only robust, but adequately engages the learner. Through a systematic literature review, the current paper argues that there is a lack of empirically validated play-based assessment tools available to behavior analysts. In addition to reviewing current research surrounding play-based behavior-analytic assessments, this presentation will also provide data supporting the use of play-based assessment according to learner repertoires and provide evidence that a new play-based behavior analytic tool is both effective and utilitarian to practitioners of early childhood behavior analytic programming.

Psychotropic medications are commonly prescribed for individuals who exhibit severe and challenging behavior, but their effects on challenging behaviors are seldom evaluated with empirical data at the individual level and usually assessed with indirect methods (e.g., rating scales and interviews) at the group level. Although behavior analysts rarely receive training concerning medication and rarely take part in monitoring the effects of psychotropic medications, given their focus on data collection and behavioral monitoring, behavior analysts are well-suited to study the effects of psychotropic medications on challenging behavior. This symposium brings together four studies interested in the relationship between psychotropic medication and challenging behavior. Across these studies, individual (studies 1 and 2) and group (studies 3 and 4) analyses are conducted to demonstrate how the initiation of medication and/or changes in medication effect the behavior of individuals with intellectual and neurodevelopmental disabilities from childhood to adulthood. These studies highlight the interaction of psychotropic medications and environmental context on the occurrence of challenging behavior and subsequently the importance of collecting data and monitoring medication for individuals with challenging behavior. Dr. Christopher Newland will provide a discussion on these talks.

Audience should have a basic understanding of psychopharmacology and behavioral assessment and treatment.

This presentation will describe results from a multidisciplinary model for treating youth diagnosed with psychotic disorders. We will highlight results from a 17-year-old patient diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia admitted to a psychiatric inpatient unit. Behavior analysts coordinated closely with psychiatrists to evaluate the function of responding to internal stimuli and corresponding behavioral treatment approaches following different dosages of antipsychotic medications. A functional analysis of responding to internal stimuli showed maintenance by automatic reinforcement. Within a reversal design, we evaluated the effect of response-independent delivery of competing stimuli as Zyprexa and Clozapine titrated to therapeutic doses. During medication-only conditions, psychotic symptoms occurred during approximately 200 s of a 300-s session. The addition of the competing stimuli along with Zyprexa decreased levels of responding to internal stimuli. Unfortunately, this behavior continued to be impairing and occurred variably during sessions. The addition of Clozapine plus competing stimuli produced the best treatment outcome with zero or near-zero levels of responses to internal stimuli occurring with this treatment package in place. In addition to discussing the role of behavioral strategies when evaluating medication-behavior relations, we will also discuss ways to engage with a multidisciplinary team when treating serious psychopathology.

Many children and adolescents diagnosed with ADHD also display disruptive behavior, such as aggression and destruction (Strine et al., 2006) and even though stimulant medication is a first line treatment for ADHD symptoms, it has not been indicated to treat disruptive behaviors. Several large studies have suggested that stimulant medication may reduce disruptive behavior (e.g., Pringsheim et al., 2015) and single case studies have shown that stimulant medication may differentially effect disruptive behavior across functions (e.g., Torelli et al., 2019). Additionally, LaRue et al. (2008) demonstrated differential effects on social behavior and choice making for children taking stimulant medications. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of stimulant medication on (a) disruptive behavior, (b) social behaviors, and (c) delay discounting for children and adolescents diagnosed with ADHD. Using a reversal design, functional analyses, preference assessments, and a test of delay discounting were conducted on and off medication. The results will be discussed in terms of implications for behavioral intervention planning for children and adolescents who display disruptive behavior and take stimulant medication.

Challenging behavior is common for individuals with intellectual disabilities, and psychotropic medications are prescribed as treatment (Cox, et al., 2022; Matson & Neal, 2009). However, little is known about the influence that psychotropic medication has on the presentation of challenging behavior and environmental events that occasion it (Cox & Virues-Ortega, 2021; Falligant & Bednar, 2021). The current study examines conditional, and background, probabilities of challenging behavior across psychotropic medication changes. Weekly one-hour observation sessions were conducted (and video recorded) for seven participants (range of 25-90 observations conducted with each). The observations were coded for antecedents (e.g., demands, restricted access, no attention), challenging behavior (e.g., problem vocalizations, physical aggression, self-injurious behavior), and consequences (e.g., attention, access to items, escape from demand). We used a parametric design to evaluate changes in probabilities following psychotropic medication alterations. Preliminary results revealed that the presentation of demands and delivery of attention (physical and verbal) were associated with higher conditional probability values than other variables coded. Following psychotropic medication changes, slight changes in these values were observed. These calculated probabilities give insight into the potential interaction between environmental events, challenging behavior, and changes in psychotropic medication regimen.

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) has encountered several challenges which have negatively impacted the application of behavior analysis and importantly, public trust in ABA. Community-Informed Practice (CIP) – developed by TRIAD, the autism institute at Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (VKC) – is a model for developing partnerships and seeking regular input and feedback from communities served by practitioners in human services fields to ensure those services reflect socially valid best-practice. CIP began as a conceptual model focused on understanding and categorizing common and increasing objections to ABA. Through substantive engagement with existing advocacy groups such as VKC’s Community Advisory Committee and The Arc Tennessee, as well as TRIAD’s Autistic Advisory Committee, we developed a set of guiding principles for a CIP-based implementation of ABA across various TRIAD service lines. In this way, CIP honors societal concerns about ABA and the ethics of its providers, as well as the professional expertise and judgement of behavior analysts. This balance can be elusive without direct and ongoing community engagement by a team devoted to reflecting the appropriate implementation of behavior analysis in their work and discussion of that work. This presentation will focus primarily on the work of TRIAD’s behavior analysts across Tennessee schools supporting students with intellectual and development disabilities who engage in complex and dangerous behavior; however, the processes of development and implementation of CIP will be discussed in a manner that will be applicable across different types of service models. The development of a strong CIP approach to ABA (or any other human services) can be challenging, resource-intensive, and time consuming, making it impractical for most, so additional discussion within this presentation will focus on considerations for taking CIP to scale at the state level and beyond. Finally, Community-Assessed Practice – a process by which a diverse advisory group provides ongoing feedback on service delivery, will be briefly highlighted.

Practitioners, Organizational Leadership, Public Policy

This symposium will span multiple novel and innovative areas in the delivery of relational training (RT) procedures. The presentations will include 1) basic research that compares fixed and mixed presentation during relational training and their efficacy in promoting the emergence of derived relational responding (DRR); 2) an applied study comparing traditional table-top RT and computer-assisted RT in learner engagement and robustness in DRR; 3) applied study using alternating treatment design comparing learner outcomes between table-top pen-and-paper RT and computer-assisted RT which involves a custom-built electronic data collection (EDC) system and computer-assisted RT instructions; and finally 4) an exploratory randomized controlled trial evaluating the effect of the same custom-built system on learner and staff outcomes among eight students receiving RT as part of their Individualized Education Programs (IEP) in a public school setting. Implications for improving and optimizing the delivery of RT procedures will be discussed. In sum, presentations 1-3 seek to expand research in parameters optimizing RT procedures through basic and applied research, while presentation 4 seeks to investigate the real-world impact of the above findings.

Behavior analysts, students, and faculty

There has been an increasing presence using electronic data collection (EDC) among applied behavior analysis (ABA) services. Studies show that both generic and custom-built proprietary software can effectively and accurately collect behavior data similar to traditional pen-and-paper data collection. The current study extended previous findings in evaluating the efficacy of a custom-built EDC during relational frame training based on the PEAK curriculum, given its unique procedures (e.g., scoring, relational training procedures, etc.). Eight participants were randomly assigned to two groups (Experiment VS Control), and over the course of three weeks, participants received PEAK-based relational training as part of their Individualized Education Program (IEP). After week 1, participants in the Experiment Group transitioned to the EDC, where teachers and staff used the custom-built EDC in delivering ABA services. Results show a significant interaction between group assignment and time (p < .006). The total duration needed to complete all assigned programs for participants in the Experiment Group significantly decreased after the transition to EDC (p = .003) and maintained at the reduced level in week 3 (p = .862). No significant changes were observed for participants in the Control Group (p = .676). Implications for using EDC to assist relational training were discussed.

There is increasing evidence that fluency building and precision teaching can increase academic skills with school aged children which improves retention, endurance and generalization of skills (Gist & Bulla, 2022). In this symposium, we present the use of PT interventions to improve reading, math and writing skills of school going children in India who are diagnosed with autism. The first presentation illustrates the use of within stimulus prompts to help a student achieve discrimination in reading words with the letters ‘b’ and ‘d’, overcoming problems with spontaneous mirror invariance (Pegado et al., 2011). Fluency building exercises there after improved reading rates with an investment of less than 20 minutes. The second presentation addresses specific techniques used to improve component skills in ‘addition’ for three students and ‘multiplication’ in two students. The third presentation examines improvement in writing speeds and the fourth presentation demonstrates the effectiveness of joint control procedures in remediating discrimination errors while writing words with ‘b’ and ‘d’ and frequency building to improve rates of response. The effect of fluency building on composite skills are discussed

Certified Behavior Analysts with knowledge of fluency training and celeration charts

Primary school children with reading difficulties are prone to continue struggling with reading. Hence, new methodologies and interventions are required to help struggling readers (Forne et al., 2022). A 9-year-old girl in grade 3, diagnosed with mild autism, in a mainstream school participated in this study. An assessment showed that she had difficulties reading words with ‘b’ and ‘d,’ in three letter words. In phase 1, we used an intervention of presenting the letters ‘b’ and ‘d’ with within stimulus prompts, echoic prompts and periodic probes with three-letter words to monitor progress. After 630 trials the participant met the mastery criteria of reading 3 letter words with ‘b’ and ‘d’ in both positions. The skill generalized to novel three and four-letter words. In phase 2, we used precision teaching to increase the response rates. In 12 sessions, with 30s timed practices, her reading speed of three-letter words with ‘b’ and ‘d’ improved from 58 per minute to 76 per minute with no errors. The effect on performance of composite skill of reading passages will be discussed.

Precision Teaching has been used successfully to teach math skills to school going children who were at risk of being left behind ( Stormgren et al., 2020; Vostanis et al., 2020). In the current study, five students aged 6 to 11 years with diagnoses of ASD participated. They were studying in kidergarten to fifth grade in mainstream schools. Three participants had only counting in their repertoire. As such their initial targets for the composite skill of addition operations were component skills such as add by one, add by two, addition of pairs of numbers and numbers that add to 10.One student, MR improved his performance in hear-say add 1 skill from zero corrects and 10 errors in baseline to 38 correct and 2 errors per minute in 23 sessions. A student AA also showed similar progress and a third is in baseline condition. Two other participants in grades 3 and 5 had difficulties with multiplication. With pre-session priming, reading aloud the tables from 1 to 15, they achieved a rate of 20 corrects per minute with no errors in completing hear-say simple multiplication sums (0-15). The effect of training component skills on composite skills, retention, endurance, and application are discussed.

There are several examples within precision teaching (PT) literature where students at risk being left behind in class can be trained to perform academic skills either by addressing component skill deficits or by building frequencies to the level of competent peer performers (Kubina, Morrison, & Lee, 2002; Kubina & Wolfe, 2005;White & Neely, 2012) . In the current study, 4 students with ASD, aged 9 to 11 years with low rates of writing participated. The intervention started by improving the speed of copying words from the board and writing words heard (dictation) with daily timed practice. The first participant, MA, showed improvement in copying words from the board from 8 letters /min to 20 letters / min over 35 timed sessions and in writing down heard words from 9 letters per min to 18 letters per min in 36 sessions. Intervention has commenced on 2 other students with similar difficulties. Social validity in the form of feedback from school on these interventions helping the students cope better with class are discussed.

Challenging behaviors emitted by individuals with autism and developmental disabilities can have detrimental consequences on quality of life for themselves and their caretakers. Although much is known regarding practices to create function-based interventions, many challenges in the treatment of challenging behavior remain. Therefore, it is imperative researchers continue to assess interventions to reduce challenging behavior, improve methods of analysis, and consider the social validity of interventions. This symposium consists of three presentations. Tiago and colleagues will demonstrate advancements in assessment and treatment of stereotypy and an extension of the subtyping model proposed by Hagopian et al. (2015) to stereotypic behavior. Bauer and colleagues will discuss challenges encountered with delay-tolerance training procedures and demonstrate a novel exchange program used to treat challenging behavior related to relinquishing items. Last, Sheppard and colleagues will present a comparison of the efficacy of momentary DRO and fixed-momentary DRO to reduce challenging behavior. Further, they will discuss caregiver preference and feasibility of the procedures.

Audience members would benefit from prior experience implementing behavioral interventions for individuals with autism and/or developmental disabilities. Audience members would benefit from having prior competency in basic principles of applied behavior analysis and common assessments for assessing problem behavior.

Previous studies, typically with children, have used delay-tolerance training to treat problem behavior maintained by access to tangibles. This often involves physical prompting and waiting rather than exchanging, two practices that may not be possible or relevant to adults with intellectual disabilities (ID). For many adults with ID in residential settings, exchanging items, rather than waiting per se, may be evocative for problem behavior. In the current study, we evaluated an exchange program to treat problem behavior maintained by access to tangibles for adults diagnosed with ID at a residential facility. We measured the latency to exchange low- and high-preference items following a request for the item and the individual’s problem behaviors. Results demonstrated that the exchange program increased relinquishing of an item while decreasing the rate of problem behavior. This analysis provides another method to treat problem behavior maintained by access to tangibles for adults without using physical prompting.

The applications of applied behavior analysis for the intervention of people with developmental disabilities have received recognition across the United States of America and Canada. Nonetheless, many other countries across the globe still have limited availability in terms of country-specific research, the presence of advanced education, and access to specialized services. This situation is even more prevalent in developing countries where financial barriers and public health policies might impede the dissemination of behavior analysis as a science and evidence-based intervention. This symposium will provide an overview of behavior analytic research, education, and service delivery in developing countries worldwide. First, Carlos Santos will present a literature review of applied studies conducted with participants with autism in Brazil. Next, Meral Koldas will provide an overview of the dissemination efforts in education and service delivery in Turkiye. In the third presentation, Dr. Zhichun Zhou Ostlund will describe the service delivery model in China and discuss the cultural barriers commonly encountered by practitioners. Finally, Dr. Daniella Pizzella will review the applications of behavior interventions in South Africa and Sub-Saharan schools. Dr. Caio Miguel will serve as the discussant for this symposium.

The audience should understand research methods, credentialing requirements, and behavior interventions in different contexts.

The vast majority of research providing empirical support for the effectiveness of interventions based on applied behavior analysis (ABA) for people with autism has been conducted in the United States and Canada. The lack of diverse representation in ABA-based research can compromise the external validity of outcomes and the extent to which these intervention procedures are culturally sensitive to and equally effective for communities of diverse cultural backgrounds. Brazil is a country with a long tradition in the study of behavior analysis and basic research and currently has a large demand countrywide for behavior analytic interventions for children with autism. This literature review aimed to identify and analyze ABA-based research for people with autism in Brazil. We conducted a search in international and national databases using English and Portuguese keywords. We conducted reference and citation checks to identify additional articles that might not have appeared in the original search. Studies identified and included in the review were published in Brazilian and foreign peer-reviewed journals. We will present the findings in terms of journal language, participants' demographics, target behaviors and procedures, outcomes, and study quality. The implications for service delivery and policy change will be discussed.

The Republic of Turkiye has a unique geographic position as a transcontinental country in Asia and Europe on the Balkan Peninsula. About 6.9% of the total population in Turkiye, ages 3 years and older, have some type of disability, including autism (TUIK, 2021). Policies related to the intervention for individuals with disabilities typically involve meeting that population’s free health care in state hospitals and basic educational needs, such as 2-hour one-to-one therapeutic intervention weekly at rehabilitation centers. Evidence-based interventions based on applied behaviour analysis (ABA; Leaf et al., 2021) for children with disabilities are an emerging field in Turkiye. Currently, there are both institutional and clinical efforts to disseminate ABA-based technologies in agencies and schools across the country. However, considering the total number of individuals with developmental disabilities, including autism, the dissemination of ABA-based interventions nationwide is far behind the ideal level. This presentation will discuss the historical development of behavior analysis in Turkiye from an educational and service-delivery perspective.

Applied behavior analysis (ABA) has been recognized as an evidence-based practice for people with autism and related developmental disabilities nationally and internationally. As a result, behavior analytic services and credentials have rapidly increased in the USA, and behavior analytic techniques have been translated from English to at least twelve languages, including Chinese. This presentation will delve into the practice of ABA in China, one of the non-English speaking countries. We will provide an overview of (a) the current number of ABA training programs and agencies offering ABA services in the country; and (b) the cost and duration of obtaining a Chinese version of behavior analyst credentials (undergraduate and graduate level). We then will look into the quality of ABA services and the ethical implications of ABA practice in China in general. We will end the presentation with a question: While we can translate the techniques and strategies of ABA to the Chinese language, can we truly implement the practice of ABA in the current social and cultural context in China?

The world saw a spike in available technology during the global pandemic of 2020 and schools led the charge to provide continued access to education from beyond the classroom walls. Teachers learned new ways of fostering engagement and students learned all kinds of new skills. Professionals found new ways of working together as colleagues who used to be down the hall - and found new colleagues across the country and the globe while battling unfathomable personal and societal adversity. The mantra of lifelong learning was on full display in education! Leveraging this increased openness and comfort with collaborating in virtual spaces, this diverse panel of colleagues and friends continues to work together remotely to serve communities with a wide range of social and ethnic backgrounds. These school-based BCBAs will share their experiences consulting with schools as they answer your questions. Join them to explore how they have met organizational and individual needs by expanding their use of virtual school-based consulting.

This session is appropriate for professionals who interface directly with the highly applied school setting. Basic understandings of behavior analysis and varied applications of principles will be assumed as part of this conversation.

It has been decades since the debut of contextual behavior science. During this time a small proportion of behavior analysts have shifted their world view from a predominate Skinnerian science to a broader definition of what behavior analysis could be. Additionally, many outside the field have also embraced this modified version of behaviorism and by doing so have made significant progress in understanding the human condition. This symposium will describe the various similarities and differences in contextual and radical behaviorism and suggest that our path to a more successful future of saving the world will require movement from our past traditions.

Behavior analysts, students, and faculty

Skinnerian Behavior Analysis has had a major and positive impact on the world. Skinner's Radical Behaviorism got many things right, including a naturalistic approach, a focus on the importance of the individual organism, a focus on processes, the contingency as an integrated unit of analysis, insistence that behavioral development was an evolutionary process and thus that behavior analysis belonged as a part of evolutionary science, a pragmatic truth criterion, and the willingness to apply behavioral principles to scientists themselves. These positive steps were undermined, however, by a failure to appreciate what was truly new about verbal behavior, and a resulting excessive reliance on principles derived solely from non-human animals. These mistakes were amplified by a lack of clarity about the role of theory, an excessive reliance on interpretation, methodological rigidity, disconnections with evolutionary science and mainstream psychological science, and professionalization driven by principles and methods that fail to respond in a timely way to advancements within the field. The result has been increasing intellectual isolation, the practical narrowing applied behavior analysis, and a crisis of sustainability within the field. This paper will argue that these problems are self-inflicted and are unnecessary given the state of the evidence. Contextual behaviorism is a proven and robust offshoot of classical radical behaviorism and BA / ABA with a body of empirical and practical products that prove that a bright future awaits behavior analysis if it can overcome the limitation of Skinner's approach to verbal behavior, and return to its rightful role as a driving force in the development of principles that help in modification of human behavior, including with those who are highly verbally competent, and doing so with high precision, scope, and depth.

After 25 years in the field of behavior analysis, it is now time to redefine what I believe is a successful and acceptable form of behaviorism. Movement beyond the ideas of “radical” behaviorism towards a contextual world view of “contextual“ behaviorism will be necessary in order to expand the impact of this approach to human behavior in any meaningful way. All sciences progress, adapt, or die. Our field is currently at a crossroads of holding onto antiquated traditions that risk the very elimination of our field. New discoveries and robust outcomes are occurring in contextual behavior science, and it is time for the current and future generations of behaviorists to adopt a contextual behaviorism, and leave behind radical behaviorism just as we have done before with methodological behaviorism.

Providing quality therapy rooted in the principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA) to individuals with autism needs to be a multi-layered approach. While a trained behavior therapist (i.e., board certified behavior analyst, qualified behavior analyst) can develop an evidence-based program to help individuals with autism develop positive skills and extinguish problem behaviors, without: (1) parent-education, (2) sibling involvement, (3) school collaboration, and (4) proper on-going supervision, it will be difficult for the client to make meaningful progress. In this symposium, we will cover original research and published materials. Dr. Dimitriou will present key findings across his 13 published books on effective parent education support embedding elements of the eco-cultural theory. Incorporating key elements from each presentation will be pivotal in ensuring a well-rounded quality program for individuals with autism. Dr. Glugatch will review her research on providing a novel training program to siblings in order to help improve play strategies for children with autism. Dr. Kim will present her original research on how to support and train school personnel to facilitate social interactions between children with autism and their peers. Lastly, Dr. Ford will review her findings from a cross-sectional survey regarding supervision practices and satisfaction.

Professionals, practicing behavior analysts, teachers, parents, caregivers, graduate students, and undergraduate students.

Sibling relationships are a unique and special bond throughout the life span. Having a sibling with autism may present extra difficulties to form a close and meaningful relationship. While siblings play an important role in the child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) life, there is no consistent method for involving siblings in treatment for individuals with ASD. This current study evaluated a novel treatment package including training siblings on play strategies (called play tips when communicating with the participants) in combination with a sibling support group to increase positive sibling play and perceived relationship quality. Using two concurrent multiple baseline designs, nine sibling dyads participated in the online STEPS program. Specifically, the intervention package included an online implementation of behavior skills training on simple play strategies and participation in a sibling support group. The intervention package improved quality of sibling play and increased the perceived quality of the sibling relationship.

Although the literature suggests that it is feasible to train paraprofessionals to effectively implement social interventions for students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), there is a paucity of research that addresses the social validity of these programs. The present study replicated and extended previous research on paraprofessional training, as well as assessed social validity. Our results suggest that (a) paraprofessionals can be trained to fidelity using a package consisting of lecture and performance feedback, (b) there are collateral gains for paraprofessionals following the training, (c) the social interactions between students with ASD and typically developing peers improve following paraprofessional training, and (d) there is strong social validity in regard to acceptability of the training program. Limitations and future directions are discussed.

Despite increasing empirical support for applied behavior analysis over several decades, little attention has been paid to the ways in which supervision is implemented among service providers for individuals with autism. In this study, a cross-sectional survey was designed based on the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) supervision guidelines and research literature. 125 clinicians from California service agencies completed a survey inquiring about supervision practices and satisfaction with (1) “typical” sessions and (2) sessions delivered through videoconferencing (VC) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Exploratory factor analyses were conducted to examine factor structure of supervision practice and satisfaction resulting in a three-factor model for supervision practice (i.e., supervision activities, supervisor proficiency, and clinician evaluation processes) and supervision satisfaction (i.e., satisfaction with supervision content, satisfaction with perceived level of support, and dissatisfaction with supervisory relationship). Supervision hours and individual and group meeting frequency were significant predictors of supervision practice, while supervision practice significantly predicted supervision satisfaction. Open-ended comments provided suggestions for improving supervision sessions and supervisor behavior in each delivery format. These findings provide a preliminary foundation of correlational evidence supporting the importance of specific supervision practices and how they predict clinician satisfaction, which can help prevent burnout and turnover.

The legitimacy of science is based on an unbiased, disinterested research and peer review system. Scientists are expected to pursue their research and publish their findings without regard to personal gain. Journal reviewers and editors are expected to perform their duties without bias due to personal gain and relationships. Conflicts of Interest (COI) arise in situations in which a person is in a position to derive personal benefit from actions or decisions made in their official capacity. COI is a critical ethical issue in scientific publications. This PDS introduces and defines COI, the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines regarding COI, provides some general guidelines for identifying and avoiding COI in scientific publication, and delves further into the complexities of COI for reviewers and COI for practitioners who seek to publish their work. Calling ABAI members, and especially student members, to a thoughtful conversation about COI in scientific publications, especially ABAI publications is a central theme of this PDS. Ample time for questions and answers is provided.

Students, and professionals