Association for Behavior Analysis International

Any member with Masters-level training in behavioral science.

This workshop is designed for those who are new to Precision Teaching and want to learn how to use it to improve their learning and teaching practice, or for those who already have a good working knowledge but who want to refresh their skills. We will take you through the underpinning science behind the approach and teach participants how to design instruction and practice opportunities that allow learners of all levels to build key skills to fluency. A combination of slides and hands-on practical activities will be utilized throughout the workshop

Individuals new to Precision Teaching

For many years authority figures in the science of behaviour analysis have attempted to place a spotlight on the conspicuous factors that have acted as impediments to the dissemination and utility of the strategies and interventions drawn from basic and applied science findings in this field. A number of these impediments have been empirically investigated and some have been described in relation to a misrepresentation of the science to the general public. Ongoing research shows that these impediments continue to present a significant challenge to researchers and practitioners specifically in the application of behaviour change procedures to those with developmental and intellectual disabilities. More importantly, ongoing impediments to dissemination and implementation of effective practices may prevent numerous individuals who may truly benefit from science-based behavioural methods to improve in many areas of their lives. This presentation addresses why behaviour analysis may still be considered a generic science and provides an analytical framework of science communication to bridge the gap between behaviour analysis findings and the public including education, health and social care sectors as well as stakeholders themselves. It will be argued that one of the most important elements of such a framework should ensure that a diversity of perspectives about the applications of behaviour analysis held by different groups are considered when solutions to the dissemination of behaviour analytic strategies are pursued.

Students of Behaviour Analysis, practitioners in the field of Behaviour Analysis, professionals interested in behavior change, researchers within the field of developmental disabilities and behavior change.

This symposium will look at the potential for improving societal problems using applied behavior analysis across the globe. First, the two papers examine contextual and cultural concerns that should be pertinent to behavior analysts. Secondly, how do we use our technology and ethical values to improve society? Finally, both papers will review how our ethics code should influence this work. The first paper (Smilak & Putnam, under review) examines the colonization of African nations from a Skinnerian perspective and its impact on the current functioning of African populations. Next, a brief review of the research will be presented. Finally, suggestions will be outlined for behavior analysts interested in international dissemination, specifically looking at the role of participatory community development in alleviating colonial relations between these regions. The second paper will use a multi-tiered data-based decision-making framework to address community issues using applied behavior analytic principles. This type of framework has been used extensively in schools. A brief review of the literature will be presented of its use in community settings. Finally, suggestions will be outlined for behavior analysts interested in using this framework in addressing social problems.

Knowledge of cultural applied behavior analysis, multitiered system of support organizational behavior management

The multi-tiered framework is derived from behavior analytic theory. It is employed as a system-wide intervention system to effectively remediate behavioral, academic, and organizational problems on a large scale. With the advent of legislative reform in federal education policy in 1997, schools were required to ensure a continuance of evidence-based practices (EBP), firmly grounded on the principles of applied behavior analysis, to remediate school-related issues (Horner & Sugai, 2015). With this come challenges, such as employing a systematic framework that could adapt to each unique school culture. However, after 20 years of research and development, most schools today utilize MTSS, mainly because it aligns EBP standards with respect to each unique school environment (Hollenback, 2007). Similarly, public policy implementation has recently entered the same predicament with the advent of the Evidence-Based Policy Act of 2018 (Kane, 2019). Public policy implementation is now grappling with the conundrum of finding a universal fit for contextually diverse populations (Oliver et al., 2014). This paper describes the implication of the Evidence-Based Policy Act of 2018 on public policy implementation, the current need for universal applications of EPB, and how the multi-tiered framework can address these standards while simultaneously adapting to diverse community circles that are inherent in policy implementation.

The Early Learner Curriculum Achievement Record (ELCAR; Greer, Speckman, Dudek, Cahill, Weber, Du, & Longano, 2020) is a comprehensive criterion-referenced assessment and curriculum used to determine the presence or absence of repertoires and response classes across self-management, verbal foundations, listener, speaker, academic, and physical (fine/gross motor) domains, allowing for development of an individualized curriculum. The ELCAR also includes screenings for preferences/reinforcers, observing responses, verbal operants, and instructional readiness. Screenings can be used to guide instructional practices, determine when and if protocols to induce early learner cusps and capabilities are needed, whether cusps/capabilities have been acquired, and to measure progress and learning. Early foundational protocols have been found to condition: three-dimensional and/or two-dimensional stimuli, faces, and voices, resulting in increases in observing responses, instructional readiness repertoires, and newly learned operants. The ELCAR provides a means for an ongoing assessment of all repertoires, cusps, and capabilities. As the child continues to learn and acquire new reinforcers, teachers may also need to adjust and analyze the curricular objectives, method of instructional delivery, and graphic displays to provide the most effective and efficient instruction for each student. A curriculum analysis, which consists of a series of questions, can be conducted if the instructional programs being presented are aligned with what the child needs and are appropriate for that child.

Basic

This presentation will provide an overview of the elaborated account of metacontingency with the primary focus on ways this perspective offers points of entry to alter contextual factors influencing cultural practices. The elaborated account of culturo-behavior analytic concepts of metacontingency and macrocontingency will be discussed in the context of value-based approach toward the analysis of cultural change. Moreover, the role of cultural milieu as a mediating factor in this interaction will be highlighted. The discussion of cultural phenomena also acknowledges the behaviors of verbally sophisticated consumers interacting with the many aggregate products of cultural entities as well as the verbal contexts within which members of organized groups operate. The presentation will also highlight the recent experimental and conceptual analyses associated with the role of context in the selection of cooperation and resilience.

General

It is the responsibility of every ABA supervisor to provide efficacious supervision to current and prospective certificants (BACB, 2014). The ABA Supervision Handbook offers a systematic method for assessing and training professional behavior analysts to acquire clinical competency. Additionally, it allows for the identification of supervisees’ skills and needs, helps to structure the supervision experience, operationalizes the practice of supervision, provides competency-based measures, and helps fulfill the supervisor's duty to develop ethical decision-making systems. As a result, organizations will benefit from improved supervisory practices and competent staff.

Prerequisite include BCBA practicing for 1+ years with completion of 8-hour Supervision Course.

Risk management planning is essential to identifying potential problems before they occur that can have a negative impact on your clinical programs and/or business. Risks can include those impacting billing and collections, finance, the health and safety of staff and participants, clinical outcomes, and the reputation of your organization. This session will discuss important procedures that are vital for an organization to develop a risk management program. This panel of experts will include leaders from adult day programs, residential programs, and pediatric autism service providers who will review case studies that help identify key components of risk identification, analysis and intervention. Strategies, procedures and data collection tools will be reviewed that can help inform stakeholders of potential risks to your organization.

Autism Provider Leadership

This international panel will describe how a group of colleagues maintained and strengthened relationships, sustained mental health, and perpetuated optimism via scheduled zoom meetings during the pandemic. The panel will describe the specific strategies used, including the use of behavior analytic themed assignments, the discussion of empowering stories (incorporating the inclusion of current events), the establishment of systems supports, and the sharing of the individual impacts of the pandemic. Regular meetings were structured around affirming principles and positive supports related to the pandemic, with meetings scheduled to best accommodate the timetables of those participating. Among the assignments were discussions of seminal presentations and personally relevant articles that each participant felt were meaningful in shaping their careers, including stories of how important factors and/or mentors impacted lives and practices. Participants discussed how they coped with the of challenges posed by the restrictive isolation, significant and stressful changes in working conditions, as well as new requirements that dramatically altered the practice of behavior analysis during the Covid-19 crisis. The importance of collaborative self-care and relationship maintenance will be emphasized, along with the focus on the other ethical requirements related to one’s responsibility as a general professional, practitioner, supervisor, researcher, colleague etc.

All behavior analysts particularly those who provide or will be providing supervision.

The use of functional analysis and function-based interventions are considered best practice when treating challenging behavior exhibited by individuals with developmental disabilities. We have arranged a panel of top researchers, all of whom have experience conducting and evaluating different functional analysis methods. The panelists will discuss the evolution of these practices over time and provide commentary on future directions in this area of research. In addition, the panelists will frame the advancement of assessment and treatment in the historical context of these practices. Issues such as ethics and social validity will be discussed along with more recent considerations such as trauma-informed care and pragmatism. The panelists will also highlight research foundations and practical advancements in treating challenging behavior. Multiple perspectives on the treatment of challenging behavior will be presented including research and practice guidelines from various sources. The panel intends to provide a lively discussion that will motivate interests of clinicians and researchers to consider assessment and treatment procedures in light of a growing and changing field.

Audience should be interested in learning about functional analysis that includes both current practices and future directions.

Implicit testing within behavior analysis has been a rather radical development over the past 15 years. Much of the early work was theoretically informed by Relational Frame Theory and progressed using a mixture of top-down and hypothetico-deductive approaches. Many test features and behavioral quantification methods were borrowed directly from the eponymous Implicit Association Test, and involved questionable social cognitive stimulus presentation and scoring methods. The Function Acquisition Speed Test (FAST), in contrast, was designed from the ground up in a painstaking research programme intended to expunge all mentalism from implicit testing, draw on well understood behavioral phenomena such as resistance to change, and use learning rates, rather than response time measures as a key dependent measure. It aims to enhance stimulus control in implicit testing, and clarify behavioral process. The FAST has uses in the analysis of stimulus relatedness in both social research and education settings, and might be used as a proxy for social attitudes, if attitudes are understood fully in functional terms. This talk will outline the behavior-analytic development of the FAST method for quantifying the relatedness of stimuli and “class strength,” and illustrate how the method can be used in a variety of novel social research contexts.

Postgraduate students and early career researchers

This symposium includes one empirical evaluation and two review papers that explore real-world applications of the behavioral science of language among diverse populations. First, Goodwyn, DeBar, Kisamore, Reeve, and Deshais will present a two-part study assessing blocking and overshadowing during the acquisition of compound auditory stimuli with typically developing adults. Next, Rasuratnam and Zonneveld will present a literature review examining the current status of the literature as it pertains to behavioral interventions (e.g., contingency management, systematic prompt fading) for the treatment of selective mutism. Finally, Vance, Kisamore, Bartasheva, Schnell, and Reeve will present a literature review of strategies to teach speaker and listener gestures to individuals with autism spectrum disorder. In doing so, the authors will propose a novel definition of gestures that is consistent with Skinner’s analysis of verbal behavior. The results of each will be discussed within the context of limitations and implications for future research and clinical applications.

Behavior Analysts

Blocking and overshadowing may have implications on the development of stimulus control when teaching language, specifically intraverbals. Blocking and overshadowing were assessed during acquisition of compound auditory stimuli with typically developing adults across two studies. Study one evaluated whether trained components blocked stimulus control of untrained components and whether component length (i.e., 1-syllable, 5-syllable) affected the development of overshadowing. During the blocking evaluation, participants responded more accurately to trained components than untrained components, suggesting blocking occurred. During the overshadowing evaluation, participants responded more accurately to 1-syllable compared to 5-syllable components, suggesting overshadowing occurred. Study two evaluated whether component position (i.e., first, second) affected the development of overshadowing and whether history (i.e., prior-exposure components) with components blocked stimulus control of untrained components. During Study two, participants responded accurately to components depending on their position within the compound, but no consistent patterns were observed. In addition, some participants responded more accurately to prior-exposure components while others responded more accurately to untrained components. Overall, both studies demonstrated the development of restricted stimulus control while training intraverbals. Implications on how different component variables impact the development of blocking and overshadowing are discussed along with areas of future research.

Although gestures are essential in effective verbal behavior, they have received little attention in behavior-analytic research; specifically in interventions targeting acquisition of gestures by individuals with autism spectrum disorder. One likely reason for this is that there does not appear to be a clear behavior analytic conceptualization of gestures that is consistent with a behavior analytic account. To address this limitation, we propose a definition of gestures that is consistent with the science of behavior analysis. Using Skinner’s conceptual paradigm of verbal behavior, we also propose a definition of gestures as forms of non-vocal verbal behavior that are effective in (a) altering the behavior of and reinforced through the mediation of the listener, (b) culturally determined and indispensable for effective communication in a given verbal community, and (c) that can perform some of the same functions as vocal verbal operants (i.e., can serve as tacts, mands, intraverbals, and autoclitics). We further distinguish between speaker and listener gestures. Using these proposed definitions, we present an overview of research on teaching speaker and listener gestures to individuals with ASD with an emphasis on the methods used to teach these skills, procedures used to program for an assess generalization and maintenance, and strategies for assessing social validity of these interventions. We also suggest areas for future research.

We have initiated, replicated, and extended a programmatic line of behavior-analytic research to establish early pivotal social skills (e.g., visual regard, eye contact, vocalizations, echoics, joint attention, and social referencing). The first presenter will share results on the use of shaping technology to establish direct line of sight (i.e., visual regard) among three young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The second presenter will describe the behavioral indicators of at-risk infants, overview the infant eye contact research, and the application of a synchronized reinforcement procedures to establish eye contact with typically developing infants and infants at-risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The third presenter will discuss the applications of a brief ABA-based parent treatment model for promoting early infant vocalizations and emerging echoic responses using contingent reinforcement in both single and dual-language speaking families. The fourth presenter will examine the acquisition of joint attention and social referencing repertoires via an operant-learning paradigm among infants and young children at-risk of ASD and Fragile X syndrome. The discussant will comment on these ongoing behavior-analytic programs of research on early social skills, highlight methodological challenges for basic and applied research, and suggest future directions and implications of this research.

It is recommended that audience members will at minimum have: (1) completed a Bachelor's Degree in Applied Behavior Analysis, Psychology, Speech and Language Pathology, Occupational Therapy, Special Education, or another relevant social science focusing on applications to neurotypical and neurodiverse infants and children, OR (2) currently work and practice in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis, Psychology, Speech and Language Pathology, Occupational Therapy, Special Education, or another field with applications to neurotypical and neurodiverse infants and children.

The purpose of the study was to demonstrate the application of shaping technology to establish direct line of sight, “visual regard,” of others and objects as a propaedeutic participant in the non-linear development of attending/observational cusps. The participants were three boys classified with autism with ages ranging between three and five years old. All three learners attended an ABA-based special needs school for children with autism. A multiple probe design across participants was used to document the impact efficacy of the procedure, which consisted of several systematically applied steps, with some variations, per learner. Visual regard was observed in different settings and at different times to determine maintenance and generalization of the skill.

Deficits in social engagement are among the main developmental problems observed among children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) Joint attention and social referencing skills are critical for the development of more complex communication and social interactions (Pelaez & Monlux, 2018) . The use of behavioral techniques and brief parent-infant or teacher-child engagement training has shown to be successful in promoting these social skills. We have explored different operant methodologies to teach joint attention and social referencing with particular attention to the contingent consequences maintaining the early learning of these skills (Monlux, et al., 2019). The current presentation reviews and extends previously published procedures for the training of joint attention and social referencing modeled after Pelaez and colleagues’ (2012) operant learning paradigm. Two different applications of the protocol are described, one in the natural environment using caregivers as therapists for children at risk of developing ASD and another using teachers and children with ASD in a classroom setting.

Visual schedules (e.g., picture activity books) have been widely used to teach individuals with autism how to independently engage in activities. However, few demonstrations exist involving visual schedules in treatment of challenging behavior, and to our knowledge, no examples exist in involving visual schedules in function-based reduction of challenging behavior. In this study researchers combined functional communication training (FCT) with visual activity schedules to reduce challenging behavior for two individuals with autism. For one participant, researchers used a visual schedule combined with FCT to address social-negatively maintained challenging behavior and, furthermore, trained his caregiver to also implement the intervention. For another participant, researchers conducted FCT to reduce social-positive maintained challenging behavior and used a picture activity schedule during tolerance training for periods when the functional communication response (FCR) was not available. For both participants, researchers found challenging behavior was reduced and acquisition of an FCR occurred at high levels.

We face many societal challenges that require a group level response. Education and insight alone do not motivate behaviour change for individuals to support the group. Integrating techniques from Behaviour Analysis and Behavioural Economics has a lot to offer in terms of enhancing motivation towards behaviour for societal good. Behavioural Economics tells us that messages framed in terms of losses are more motivationally impactful than the equivalent messages framed in terms of gains. Adherence to guidelines that would be beneficial at the individual level (e.g., medication adherence) or societal level (e.g., climate change) can be low when people perceive the messaging as coercive, irrelevant or unfair resulting in counterproductive resistance. This is a common response to warning messages framed in terms of potential risks and costs. Fortunately, a wide range of evidence-based behavioural techniques are specifically designed to reduce counterproductive resistance. These techniques are designed to help individuals clarify their own motivators for behavioural change; and to teach psychological skills that can motivationally enhance messages. The current talk will provide insight into how to adopt behaviour analytic principles to support the development of more effective messaging to motivate effective behaviour change that will support individuals and groups.

Academics and practitioners interested in effective messaging to change behavior at individual or group levels.

This interactive symposium will provide an opportunity for the audience to explore peer-reviewed research that supports the implementation of self-monitoring systems to develop a variety of skills. A discussion of self-monitoring procedures incorporating a "match/accountability” component will be presented, with specific focus on the Self & Match System, a user-friendly, easy to implement, empirically-supported system. The Self & Match System has been used internationally. Self and Match can be incorporated into individualized behavior systems, class-wide, and school-wide management procedures as a part of SWPBIS and has been successfully implemented in a variety of settings. Next, a discussion of the development and implementation of self-monitoring as a tier 1, tier 2, and tier 3 intervention within the schools will be explored, and also explore how self-monitoring with an accountability check can be an effective tool in teacher professional development implementation. Additionally, a review of a modified Self and Match, developed as part of The Framework for Learning Implementation & Professional Development (FLIPD) to support classroom based implementation of PBIS practices will be presented. Together, we will unpack the Who, What, When, Why, Where and How of effective self-management interventions in the schools.

Participants will engage in active learning to increase their knowledge of implementing self-monitoring tools within the educational setting. Symposium attendees will learn about the evidence-based benefits of self-monitoring interventions, learn about self-monitoring as a tier 1, tier 2, and tier 3 intervention within the schools, and also explore how self-monitoring with an accountability check can be an effective tool in teacher professional development. This workshop is designed for behavior analysts, consultants, school psychologists, autism specialists, special educators, teachers, administrators, parents, and/or others who support individuals from pre-K to 21 in school settings. Great workshop for individuals and/or teams!

By systematically teaching individuals how to engage in more pro-social behaviors they are able to better access their learning, their communities, and develop stronger relationships with family, friends, and colleagues -ultimately leading to a better quality of life. The National Autism Centers’ National Standards Project, The National Clearinghouse on Autism Evidence and Practice, Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College: IRIS Center and the University of South Florida’s Center for Evidence-Based Practice: Young Children with Challenging Behavior have all identified evidenced based-treatments; one of which is self-monitoring. This symposium will explore peer-reviewed research that supports the implementation and development of self-monitoring systems to increase academic, behavioral, and social skills in a variety of settings for groups and individuals of various ages and developmental abilities. A detailed discussion of self-monitoring procedures incorporating a ”match” component will be presented, including information on the Self & Match System, a user-friendly, easy to implement, empirically-supported system.

One of many benefits of self-management/self-monitoring interventions is that evidence supports these tools being implemented as Tier 1 through 3 interventions in the educational setting. This presentation will take a deep-dive visual walk through the steps employed throughout the first 18 months of the virtual development and in-person implementation of a school-wide self-monitoring procedure incorporating The Self and Match System. This presentation will guide the audience through the process of: 1) Relationship development with stakeholders and learning of current school-wide values, systems and tools. 2) Understanding of current practices and school culture to ensure continued implementation of successful practices; 3) Systematic planning to ensure integrity and validity of implementation of self-monitoring interventions,; 4) Development and enhancement of school-wide expectations to align with PBIS team’s visions; 5) Data-based decision making in initial implementation and progress monitoring; 6) Building capacity of on-site staff and systematic fading of consultative support; 7) Ongoing consideration of long-term scaling-up opportunities, coaching around tier 3 implementation of the intervention. Practical tips & tools to scale-up school-wide self-monitoring interventions & research supporting its implementation will be discussed.

Past research has shown that individuals with autism and other diagnoses could benefit from ABA intervention. Although ABA services are often provided in the individual’s home, individuals with profound autism and other diagnoses might require more than traditional in-home ABA intervention. Profound autism is a relatively new term not yet adopted by most clinicians and researchers nor defined by diagnostic manuals or tools; however, it is a term that is being used to describe individuals with autism who require 24-hour support throughout their lives. The current presentation includes three participants with various referral concerns, such as, self-injurious behavior, property destruction, aggression, and encopresis. Prior to starting treatment, an intensive case management team collaborated with other professionals to address barriers to access ABA treatment (e.g., housing, transportation, legal matters, and access to other health professionals). These results highlight the importance of intensive case management as a vessel to address environmental and ecological barriers for ABA treatment.

Intermediate. Participants should have prior experience with experimental analysis of behavior and conducting functional analysis assessments.

In this currently presentation, a 20-year-old participant diagnosed with Encopresis, Autism, and five other diagnoses received 10 hours per week of in-home ABA treatment. However, the treatment was not successful for three main reasons: first, treatment goals were focused on following instructions and communication only. Second, the home environment did not support ABA treatment, and third, the participant was not legally conserved and refused treatment on the daily basis. A different clinical team conducted a functional behavior assessment which identify the legal, housing, medical needs of the participant. The clinical team spent three months addressing these needs prior to the re-initiation of ABA treatment in a group home setting. The result showed that ABA treatment is successful in addressing chronic encopresis only when issues relating to legal, housing, and medical needs were addressed.

Individualized assessment and treatment is a hallmark of applied behavior analysis. In this presentation, we conducted functional analyses (Iwata et al., 1994/1982) of severe problem behavior displayed by two participants with profound autism. Few more subsequent analyses were added to guide focused in-clinic ABA treatments for these participants. However, other factors such as transportation had prohibited in-clinic ABA treatments. Additional functional analyses were conducted with the participant in the family's car. The result showed that in-clinic ABA treatment was necessary to decrease severe problem behaviors. Furthermore, the result of the functional analyses in the car allowed the clinical team to address problem behaviors prior and post in-clinic ABA treatment, and generalized the effect of the treatment across settings.

Documenting treatment outcomes in health care professions has become increasingly critical to both patients and stakeholders (e.g., third-party payors). With an everchanging landscape, a shortage of qualified practitioners, and varying viewspoints, we are in danger of having our practice defined for us. Specifically, practitioners must demonstrate that their treatments are effective and weigh adverse effects to outcomes. Practitioners and stakeholders, such as third-party payors, agree that accountability is important, but the challenge lies in agreeing how to achieve this. Over the past year, there have been meaningful progressions in tackling this topic for our field. Most recently BHCOE released their ABA Outcomes Framework and ICHOM released their ASD Standard Set. This panel will discuss the development, methodology and implementation of these two approaches to measuring ABA/(ASD?) treatment outcomes and provide practical considerations about integrating these resources into daily behavioral practice.

this presentation targets clinicians and practitioners working with individuals with ASD and looking to aggregate big data to determine impact at the individual and systems level

Automatically reinforced behavior presents substantial challenges to clinicians when developing behavioral interventions. This presentation will examine that questions of how, when, and whether automatically reinforced behavior should be treated. Self-injury is problem behavior that is sometimes maintained by automatic reinforcement and can pose the risk of significant and, in some cases, life threatening harm. On the other hand, stereotypy is nearly always automatically maintained but rarely leads to injury. Ethical considerations for clinicians will be discussed and the risks and benefits of both treating and not treating self-injury and stereotypy be explored. Some applied research on evaluating and treating stereotypic behavior will be reviewed with a focus on effective interventions for building core adaptive living and social skills.

Applied Behavior Analysts

This presentation provides insight into the recent movement in opposition of Applied Behavior Analysis treatment, especially for individuals with autism and related disorders and their caregivers. Common arguments that oppose Applied Behavior Analysis service delivery, including the assertion that Applied Behavior Analysis is abusive to its recipients, are presented (Leaf et al., 2021). Examples of ineffective responses to concerns about Applied Behavior Analysis, which are often delivered by behavior-analytic professionals (e.g., Registered Behavior Technicians®, Board Certified Behavior Analysts®), are evaluated according to their functions. Additionally, examples of effective, functional responses to common concerns about Applied Behavior Analysis are presented along with important considerations to respond effectively. The implications of non-exemplar responses to concerns about Applied Behavior Analysis (e.g., poor public perception) are presented with regard for the future, macro-level social validity of behavior-analytic practice. Finally, critical strategies in practice, including strategies related to consent and assent, are discussed to improve the perception of Applied Behavior Analysis, especially from consumers of behavior-analytic services and their caregivers.

Recent developments in the application and philosophy of behavior analysis have emphasized compassionate care (LeBlanc, Taylor, & Marchese, 2020; Rohrer et al., 2021; Taylor, LeBlanc, & Nosik, 2019; ). The implications of such a service delivery have broader implications for not only client outcome, but also with respect to public perception and criticism. In light of these criticisms of behavior analytic practices in clinical treatment, the purpose of this presentation is to review shortcomings in the traditional delivery of behavior analytic services and to identify future directions for our science to pursue. We begin with a discussion of ableism and provide arguments as to how to avoid implementing ableist programs or language into behavior analytic plans. From there, a review will be provided of recent advancements in compassionate behavior analysis to emphasize important developments in our science. We will then conclude with a broader discussion about why making some of these changes needs to be a priority for both the application and training of future behavior analysts.

When developing interventions for children with autism spectrum disorders, skill transference to the natural environment is a key component to ensure continued success. Parent training interventions are a key process in transferring learned skills to a child's natural environment. The current symposium explores four applied parent training studies across a variety of topics. Presentation 1 describes findings of a general-case parent training study for infants at risk for autism spectrum disorder via telehealth. Two concurrent multiple baseline designs were implemented to assess parent teaching accuracy and child performance accuracy. Presentation 2 describes the results of a telehealth program designed to train parents to implement their child’s behaviour-analytic sleep intervention. A concurrent multiple baseline design was used to evaluate whether parents could accurately implement their child’s behavior-analytic sleep intervention. Presentation 3 describes the results of a brief, telehealth Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS®; Bondy & Frost, 1994) parent training. A multi-baseline design across behaviors was used to explore the impact of the training on parents’ PECS teaching accuracy. Presentation 4 describes a telehealth/in-person hybrid training model teaching parents to implement PECS with their children. A repeated measures design was used to evaluate parent PECS implementation accuracy at five different time points.

The attendees must have completed or be in completion of a master's degree in or related to the field of applied behaviour analysis.

Many children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience sleep problems (e.g., delayed sleep onset, frequent night wakings). Research supports parent-implemented, behaviour-analytic sleep interventions to address sleep problems in children with ASD (e.g., Jin et al., 2013; Linnehan et al., 2021). However, more research is needed to determine how accurately parents implement behavioural sleep interventions and the effectiveness of parent training delivered via telehealth. The current study used a concurrent multiple baseline across participants design to evaluate parents’ ability to implement their child’s behavior-analytic sleep intervention. Child sleep-related outcomes were also monitored. Four parents and their children with ASD participated. The parent training program included behavior skills training and nighttime coaching. Secure text chat software (VSee Messenger) was used to provide nightly coaching. D-Link® sound and motion detection cameras were placed in each child’s bedroom to enable data collection on parent behavior (i.e., treatment fidelity) and child behavior (i.e., sleep onset delay, sleep-interfering behaviour, total sleep duration). Parent treatment fidelity increased for all participants. Preliminary analyses of child outcomes indicate that total sleep duration increased for the majority of participants; however, sleep onset delay and occurrences of sleep-interfering behaviours remained variable. Implications for practice will be discussed.

The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS®; Bondy & Frost, 1994) is an augmentative and alternative communication system designed to teach functional communication. Research indicates that PECS is an evidence-based communication approach for children and youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Despite substantial PECS research, little is known about how to train natural mediators such as parents, to teach and support their child’s PECS use. Without parental involvement, system abandonment is likely; reducing the opportunity for socially valid child communication outcomes. This study explored the results of a brief (i.e., two week) telehealth PECS parent training involving group didactic training (i.e., PECS Level 1 Training) and individual behavioral skills training (BST) sessions. Six parents of children with ASD participated. A multi-baseline design across behaviors was used to explore the impact of BST on parents’ PECS teaching accuracy for Phases 1, 2, 3a, and 3b. Results indicate that all parents’ PECS teaching accuracy improved, and outcomes generally maintained at follow-up. Overall, results indicate that a relatively brief telehealth training, using BST, may enhance parent PECS teaching skills. An analysis of common errors, phase accuracy, and rate of mastery will be presented. Limitations, future research directions, and clinical implications will be shared.

Targeting change in proximal dependent measures is necessary but insufficient for the greater goal of promoting successful outcomes for people with disabilities. Arguably, distal variables including autonomy and self-determination should also be aims for behavior analysts who provide supports for people with disabilities. From a behavior analytic perspective, self-determination can be operationally defined as responses related to choice, self-control, and self-management. Thus, by using these measurable responses, behavior analysts can develop services for persons with disabilities to teach self-determination skills. This symposium will explore these concepts and illustrate how behavior analysts can align behavior-change objectives, like mand training and skill acquisition, with essential outcomes such as autonomy and self-determination. Presenters will discuss their single-case design data on proximal dependent measures in the context of autonomy and self-determination and the discussant will elaborate on these concepts and this direction for researchers and practitioners.

Intermediate. Should have basic understanding of behavior principles and familiarity with behavior interventions and supports.

Choice is an essential element for one’s autonomy. In this investigation, we conducted a mand modality preference assessment with three individuals who have Rett syndrome. Three females, ages 4-21, who were non-vocal and who had motor impairments consistent with Rett syndrome participated. Prior to this investigation, we taught all three female participants to use both low- and high-tech augmentative alternative communication (AAC). Then we assessed whether each demonstrated a preference for one or the other communication modality. During the mand modality preference assessment, both low-tech and high-tech AAC systems were presented simultaneously and the coach instructed the participant to “tell me what you want to do.” Sessions were comprised of five trials each. The AAC system the participant used to request a preferred activity was recorded during each of the five trials. At least five sessions were conducted with each participant. Results indicated that all three participants chose the high-tech modality to the near exclusion of the low-tech modality in the training setting (in the family home). We will discuss results in the context of autonomous communication and considerations for future directions for research and instructional support.

The treatment of escape-maintained interfering behavior is important given it interferes with crucial skill development that impacts an individual with disabilities’ long-term autonomy. Although there are many evidence-based treatments available, many of them have limitations when used in applied settings (Geiger, et al. 2010). One limitation is the use of extinction, which may be difficult to implement. In these situations, there are competing reinforcement schedules available for different responses—or concurrent operants. Interventions using concurrent operants have a developing literature base supporting their use in applied settings (e.g., Davis et al. 2018). However, these studies have often used progressive schedules of reinforcement. The current study evaluated the utility of random schedules of reinforcement within concurrent operant treatments in applied settings for children with developmental disabilities who displayed interfering behavior maintained by negative reinforcement. Treatments involved either two concurrent operants (interfering behavior and task completion) or three concurrent operants (interfering behavior, break requests, and task completion). For two participants, treatment that included break requests was more effective and for two, both were equally effective. The results suggest random schedules within concurrent operants treatment may be an effective alternative that increases task engagement and reduces interfering behavior without use of extinction.  

Across subgroups of individuals with disabilities, studies on preference have shown that choice presentations result in more robust identification of preference than single-item presentations. As we transition our research to other subgroups and target behaviors, demonstrations of how to best assess preference is warranted. In this presentation, we discuss one approach for evaluating the preferences, across academic tasks, of an 8-year-old boy with learning disabilities who displayed frustration and task disengagement when instructed to read. The goal of this evaluation was to identify the conditions under which this child’s choices shifted; that is, how and what choices were made, as well as why those choices were selected. A three-phase analysis was conducted within a combination multielement and reversal design. Phase 1 evaluated the effects of contingent positive reinforcement. Phase 2 evaluated the combined effects of positive reinforcement and instructional strategies. Phase 3 evaluated the preference for the arrangement of academic strategies. Results showed that task engagement shifted towards reading with contingent positive reinforcement, frustration reduced with instructional strategies, and the combination of positive reinforcement and instructional strategies was most preferred. However, choices for the academic strategy arrangement were variable, suggesting that preferences for academic behavior may be highly individualistic.

Meaningful skill development is expected to be a central goal for behavior analysts working with individuals with diverse abilities and challenges. Yet, for the most part, behavior analysts have little, if any, training in how to actually do this. This symposium will focus on ways to identify meaningful skills across domains and populations (i.e., ASD, ID, ABI). This includes the presentation of the results of a treatment package designed to teach practitioners and students of behavior analysis how to write meaningful goals to improve outcomes in adulthood; a sample of the current state of sex education, including what skills are being taught and in what settings; the results of a comprehensive set of interviews with safety experts to better identify priorities instructional priorities; and finally, the role of ABA in reducing bullying in school settings.Throughout the symposium, the themes of social validity and meaningful curriculum will be highlighted. Recommendations for future research will be provided.

Intermediate - This presentation is intended for behavior analysts and related professionals with experience and/or interest in programming and intervention in support of improved outcomes for adults with ASD and ID.

While the field of applied behavior analysis is in a position to affect meaningful change in the outcomes of clients on the autism spectrum, it is currently coming short of doing so. This presentation will provide a brief overview of currently available tools that may be used to guide the development of skill acquisition goals and curricula and a discussion on why these tools alone are insufficient. Initial data will be presented from a treatment package aimed at guiding the goal writing of practitioners and students of behavior analysis to help increase the inclusion of goals that are meaningful, socially valid, and highly individualized in order to positively impact the trajectory of a client with autism.

Sexuality is an important part of all education and comprehensive sex education is especially important for individuals on the autism spectrum. This presentation will provide a sample of the current state of sex education by reviewing survey results from questions regarding how often sex education is taught in both school and Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) settings, what types of sex education goals are targeted, and from what curricula these goals are drawn. The second part of this study analyzed data provided by educators and behaviour analysts, for inclusion of sex ed goals in teaching plans for students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Finally, existing curricula for sex education for persons with autism are analyzed and reviewed for representation of comprehensive domains. Recommendations for clinicians, researchers, and families are included.

Behavior Skills Training (BST) is an efficacious training methodology that has been used to teach a variety of skills from safety skills (e.g., Johnson et al., 2013) to interviewing skills (e.g., Stocco et al., 2017) to animal training (e.g., Lewon et al., 2019). The current symposium shares applications of BST to teach meaningful skills to caregivers and professionals across several settings and contexts. The first presentation (Wahdain et al.) will detail a study that evaluated the effects using of BST via telehealth to teach six caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to implement discrete trial training. The second presentation (Sweetman et al.) will describe an application of BST to teach safety intervention skills, found to contribute to staff-related injuries, to twelve staff members working at a school for children with ASD. Finally, the third presentation (Cervantes et al.) will describe an application of BST to train four staff members working in a residential facility for individuals with high behavioral support needs; staff members were taught how to correctly select and implement behavioral interventions. The current symposium provides further evidence of the effectiveness and generality of BST.

Intermediate – Given that this symposium will cover effective methods for training caregivers to implement skills and procedures, attendees should have mastered the skills and procedures themselves prior to training others.

To maximize the efficacy of behavioral interventions for consumers of clinical behavior analytic services, the interventions must be implemented with a decent degree of procedural fidelity (Fryling et al., 2012). Numerous studies have demonstrated that behavioral skills training (BST) is an effective method for training staff and caregivers to implement such interventions (Maffei-Almodovar & Sturmey, 2018). However, what is less certain is whether trained caregivers can also select the correct intervention to implement under the correct circumstances (e.g., Van Camp et al., 2008). For example, should attention be delivered or withheld after the occurrence of a specific behavior? The present study was conducted at a residential facility for individuals with high behavioral support needs. The procedures evaluated the effects of BST on four direct support professionals' correct selection and implementation of indicated interventions via a multiple baseline design. Skills were assessed using varied role-play scenarios. BST effectively increased correct selection and implementation to a mastery level for three participants and increased correct responding above baseline levels for a fourth participant.

The rapid transition from in-person instruction to virtual classrooms and the abrupt pivot to working remotely has resulted in challenges for provider agencies, teachers, students, and families and communities all around the world. The unique language, learning, and behavioral characteristics of individuals with autism has taken these challenges to a whole new level. This panel will outline best practices in the elements of effective instruction in remote and hybrid environments. The role of employer and community partners will be described. Specifically, creating balance between corporate entities and non-profit provider agencies. The collaboration between and across agencies was critical in developing safety protocols, curriculum and training that impacted internal and external stakeholder groups. Panelists will share strategies that helped their agencies cope with pandemic fatigue, physical illness and loss in the workplace. Lessons learned about being more efficient and productive will be highlighted in the context of planning for the future health of our communities, our organizations, our staff, families and the people we serve.

Basic

Hospital visits can be challenging for some autistic patients due to unmet communication, sensory, and behavioral needs. We launched three studies to analyze the healthcare experiences of autistic individuals and to the efficacy of a new hospital-wide intervention for autistic patients. First, a Delphi study involving three rounds of survey was conducted to identify components of an Autism Friendly healthcare practice according to autistic individuals, family members, and professionals in the field. Themes that emerged from highly ranked survey items include environmental/operational modifications and autism-focused staff training. Following the Delphi study, we conducted focus groups with seven autistic youth to gather in-depth qualitative details of their healthcare experiences. Findings aligned with the initial Delphi study, whereby the type and level of specific support that autistic patients need vary across individuals. To provide individualized support, our program launched a behavioral support service for autistic patients during medical encounters. We are in the process of conducting single subject research across participants using a multiple baseline design to evaluate the efficacy of evidence-based behavioral interventions to decrease challenging behaviors and increase compliance during medical appointments. Findings will inform the barriers and facilitators to implementation of behavior analytic interventions in an applied medical setting.

Behavior analysts, medical providers/medical staff, practitioners

One of the most complicated and worrisome issues facing families and service providers of individuals with autism is securing long-term living opportunities. While it’s difficult to determine the exact numbers of individuals nationally and internationally that will need some form of residential services each year, based on the prevalence of autism (1 in 54), we can predict the number will be in the tens of thousands. Developing strategies for assuring the quality of these programs presents a unique set of challenges. Issues related to evidence-based treatment practices as well as staff recruitment, training and retention combined with insufficient funding sources takes these challenges to a whole new level. This panel will discuss person centered and community focused strategies that have been used to promote positive quality of life in residential settings. Objective data and social validity measures used to evaluate the effectiveness of evidence-based practices will be described.

Autism Providers, BCBAs

Behavior analysts seek to identify factors that influence behavior, which enables them to predict future responses and develop therapeutic plans by which maladaptive behaviors can change. Usually behavioral science concentrates on environmental factors, but with the implicit understanding that the biology of the organism is critical for determining an individual’s responses to environmental events and the efficacy of consequences to reinforce or punish those responses. This presentation will provide an overview and examples of how genotype influences brain structure and function, thereby providing the canvas on which environmental conditions and outcomes can yield general behavioral effects, as well as providing the source of individual differences. Correlational and experimental techniques by which conclusions linking genes to behavior will be described and critically evaluated.

Behavior Analysts

Over the past few decades, there has been dramatic changes in work and educational systems. More and more companies are allowing employees to work remotely, schools are providing remote learning options, and learners enrolled in homeschool has increased substantially in the recent years. Although these changes often come with benefits, they also come with many challenges. One such challenge t is designing and delivering instruction to ensure individuals are learning, retaining, and effectively using necessary knowledge to succeed. This purpose of this panel is to discuss how to overcome common obstacles in teaching in current work and educational environments, how to effectively design instruction to meet the needs of your learners, and to discuss current obstacles that the audience are facing throughout the learning process.

This panel is for those who have a strong understanding of basic processes of learning and behavior. It will be helpful for the audience to understand basics of instructional design.

The use of Applied Behaviour Analysis within education systems varies drastically on an international scale. While some countries or regions within them have been successful on achieving a level of integration and funding, most are at an earlier stage in this process. This symposium will provide an overview of a specialized day treatment program in Ontario Canada. This program constitutes a short term (1-2 years) educational placement with the goal to provide behavioural treatment and transition to a less restrictive educational placement. Specifics of the service delivery model and commonly utilized methodologies within this setting will be provided.

Intermediate Should not require specific prerequisites

This presentation will provide an overview of an Education and Community Partnership Program (ECPP) that is a partnership between Surrey Place and local school boards. This program supports students identified with autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability who exhibit challenging behaviours (e.g., aggression, self-injury, property destruction) at a rate and/or intensity that puts in their current school placement at risk. The presentation will review the program's interdisciplinary service model, service flow into and through the program, and the relationship between school board and treatment staff working in partnership to support students. Student examples of services received and outcomes leading to transition from this ECPP program back to a community school will be outlined.

The presentation will focus on the importance of the application and divulgation of Behavior Based Safety processes, underlining the essential elements of the science of Behavior Analysis. There are various barriers in such divulgation for a number of reasons. Through the use of detailed examples, these will be presented and exposed, demonstrating the gaps that must filled in order to move on to the following steps. One of the common difficulties all behavior analysts encounter, is illustrating, to individuals and society how B-BS is used and the efficiency of such process. Nationally, one of the main challenges that all behavior analysts are needing to face, in relation to the divulgation of such science, are individuals’ beliefs, spanning credential, cultural and religious points of view. When specifically talking about B-BS, we are explaining a scientific method that involves making significant changes in the usual activities and routines of all the individuals that are adopting it. Such change is of great impact, requiring dedication and will, needing to be adopted and viewed as a new ‘lifestyle’ inside the firm, hospital, school and etc. Laws are another aspect that nations should widely take into consideration. Laws have the aim to clearly state and describe what behaviors should be adopted by all individuals, in a specific situation. Analyzing it under a behavioral perspective, laws should describe, under the three-contingency models (Antecedents, Behavior, Consequences) what are the behaviors that society needs to follow or base themselves on. However, when reading laws (in Italy in particular), everything is defined under the use of punishment, a consequence that has clearly demonstrated its inefficiency in relation to the adoption or changing of behaviors.

The points discussed above expose the main aspects that need to be addressed when developing, at a national and international level, the B-BS process, specifically when adopting the scientific application of Behavior Analysis. In order to continue with the divulgation of the use of B-BS process it's essential to make use of marketing tools. A possible technique that could be adopted, to convince individuals to adopt a B-BS process, is the use of negative reinforcement. Demonstrating, through clear evidence the effectiveness and efficiency of B-BS, through the support of higher hierarchy levels, can definitely be a strong method for individuals to start identifying the importance of the use of such process.

Various solutions and developments in the field of behavior analysis can be adopted, in order to promote and continue with the growth of such field and science. The change and modification of laws could be one, focusing on determining and describing how behaviors can be obtained, rather than just saying what the behaviors are that individuals should follow. All behavior analysists should work in collaboration to continue with the growth and divulgation of the science of behavior analysis, not only through a national point of view but rather under an international one. The help and support through the different International Chapters, should be the starting point.

Throughout the presentation, a clear example of the application of a B-BS process, in the industrial or social field, will be presented and described. This will allow the audience to have a better understanding on how such a method is applied and the change it can bring in relation to individuals behaviors and lives.

The primary audience consists of OBM’ers, Behavior Analysts, Chapter Leaders and individuals signed at the ABAI special interest groups (for example: Behavior Development, Dissemination of Behavior Analysis, Ethics and Behavior Analysis, Organizational Behavioral Network, Practitioner Issues in Behavior Analysis).

For the most part, supervision has primarily focused on teaching skills from the task list. However, as supervisors, we often receive feedback regarding supervisee acquisition and mastery of “soft skills”. Also known as “common skills” or “core skills”, these may include critical thinking, problem solving, public speaking, professional writing, teamwork, leadership, professional attitude, work ethic, career management, and cultural humility among others. Additionally, supervisors are often at a loss regarding how to systematically fade their supervisory support. Until now, there has not been a sequential means for supervisors to accomplish this, leaving students ready to pass the exam, but unprepared to effectively work as BCBAs or supervisors themselves. This panel will highlight a competency-based approach to guiding and measuring soft skills. This includes how to systematically supervise, manage cases, build skills to demonstrate professionalism, as well as how to fade supervision ethically; thus ensuring supervisees demonstrate competency, readiness, and independence.

Supervising BCaBAs, BCBAs, and BCBA-D. New supervisors and those taking the 8 -hour supervision course.

Although the science of behavior can apply to all human behavior, children are the most common recipients of applied behavior analysis (ABA) interventions and services. To that end, parents of children that receive ABA services are also critical stakeholders because they are typically responsible for (a) initiating services, (b) serving as change agents throughout and following the intervention, and (c) paying for services. In this symposium, we will take a behavioral approach to understanding parent behavior in ABA service delivery. First, we conducted a scoping review of parent involvement in ABA research. Second, we evaluated parent preference for graphs displaying assessment and treatment results for their child. Third, we compared a function-based parent training treatment for child problem behavior delivered in a standard outpatient to an intensive format. Fourth, we taught parents safe-sleep practices for infants using a behavioral skills training approach. Together, these studies model how to incorporate parents in ABA service delivery.

Researchers and practitioners in applied behavior analysis; Most appropriate for BCBA or BCBA-D

Behavioral Parent Training (BPT) programs are effective interventions to address early childhood behavior problems, but face criticism due to high attrition and their reliance on parent report measures as their primary dependent variables. Study 1 examines the outcome of an intensive behavior treatment program (120 minute sessions for 5 days/week over the course of 2 weeks) designed to teach caregivers to increase children’s frustration tolerance via a function-based intervention procedure. Using the same treatment procedure, Study 2 compares outcomes between families who received the intensive service (n=25) vs. more traditional outpatient treatment dosage (n=25; occurring biweekly for 50 minutes per appointment). Both studies used a changing criterion single case experimental design to demonstrate functional control of the intervention over target behavior. Using both direct observation and standardized measures, early results indicate that while both treatment dosages were effective in reducing childhood behavior problems, the treatment as usual dosage resulted in higher rates of attrition and lower reports of between-session practice. Overall, preliminary evidence suggests that a condensed treatment package designed to train caregivers in function-based intervention may be preferable to reduce barriers associated with Behavioral Parent Training programs.

The abrupt threat of the disruption of services and the health risks of in-person contact during the COVID-19 pandemic created the need, and the opportunity, to explore and evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of telehealth treatment services delivered directly to caregivers and individuals with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities (Pollard et al., 2021). This symposium includes three diverse empirical papers that explore the application of behaviour analysis through telehealth. Keith and Luke will present a study examining the effectiveness of virtual caregiver-implemented behavioural teaching strategies to teach joint attention to children dual-diagnosed with cortical visual impairment and other co-occurring disorders. Bajcar and Zonneveld will present a study evaluating the effectiveness of a modified TAGteach intervention package to improve the accurate and fluent performance of gymnastics skills to children via synchronous videoconferencing. Finally, Sureshkumar and Zonneveld will present a study evaluating the effectiveness of video prompting procedures conducted via telehealth to teach children with intellectual and developmental disabilities to perform first aid on themselves for common childhood injuries under simulated conditions. The results of each will be discussed within the context of limitations and implications for future research.

Immediate – Researchers and practitioners who (a) work with individuals with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities and (b) use behaviour analytic strategies to teach skills to these individuals or their caregivers.

Joint attention (JA) is an essential skill in children’s later social and language development. Previous studies have demonstrated the efficacy of various behavioural teaching strategies in increasing children’s joint attention skills. However, research has predominantly relied on gaze alternation to evaluate the attainment of joint attention. This is problematic as gaze alternation is not the only method of demonstrating the skill; other sensory modalities can serve the same function. Although research in joint attention attainment is scarce among the child population with cortical visual impairment (CVI), theories suggest children with visual impairment can learn joint attention through enriching social experiences and with the support of a competent caregiver. We examined the effectiveness of a virtual caregiver-implemented behavioural teaching strategy to teach joint attention to children dual-diagnosed with CVI and other co-occurring disorders. A multiple baseline design across subjects was used with three children between 3-4 years with CVI. In addition, pre to post changes in children’s joint attention engagement were monitored. The caregiver-implemented intervention was highly effective in increasing target JA behaviours for one of three participants. Further, the study also offers preliminary evidence that JA performance can generalize to a novel caregiver.

Unintentional injuries are one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality among children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). First aid training involves teaching critical first aid skills, some of which are designed to treat unintentional injuries. To date, no study has (a) evaluated the effects of video prompting procedures to teach first aid skills to children with IDD or (b) attempted to teach these skills to children using a telehealth delivery format. We used a concurrent multiple baseline across skills design to evaluate the effectiveness of video prompting procedures via telehealth to teach five children with IDD to perform first aid on themselves for insect stings, minor cuts, and minor burns under simulated conditions. For all participants, training resulted in large improvements, which maintained for a minimum of 4 weeks. Further, effects of the training generalized to novel confederates for all participants, and these effects maintained for a minimum of 4 weeks. In addition, participants and their caregivers expressed high satisfaction with the video prompting procedures and telehealth experience.

In recent years, technology has proven to be more helpful than ever when it comes to the assessment and treatment of problem behavior (Schieltz & Wacker, 2020). This symposium highlights the use of technology to minimize time spent in analysis, train practitioners to implement skill-based treatment, and provide consultation at a distance. The first presentation will share the emerging technology of the Problem Behavior Multilevel Interpreter (PB.MI), a computer programed designed to provide real time visual displays of functional analysis data. The PB.MI allows practitioners to efficiently make decisions about when the exact moment functional control is achieved to minimize exposure to potentially unsafe situations. The second presentation will describe the effects of a computer-based instruction (CBI) program designed to teach practitioners to implement skill-based treatment with integrity. The third presentation will describe Balance, a parent-implemented problem behavior prevention program delivered entirely through telehealth and an online platform. Finally, the last presentation will provide a behavior-analytic conceptualization of safety and trust. The presenter will describe how the commitments of trauma-informed care can be applied to the treatment of problem behavior in a telehealth service delivery model.

n/a

Asynchronous skill training programs can produce results comparable to those of in-person behavioral skills training (Geiger et al., 2018), yet have many practical advantages, including on-demand accessibility and independence from a live trainer. When complex skills are addressed asynchronously, computer-based instruction (CBI) including multiple components (e.g., instruction, video models, interactive activities, feedback) may be most likely to support mastery (Gerencser et al., 2021). We conducted an underpowered randomized control trial to evaluate the effects of CBI on Board Certified Behavior Analysts’ mastery of and adherence to a skill-based treatment protocol adapted from Rajaraman and colleagues (2021). We measured treatment integrity at two time points for 17 participants, eight of whom were randomly selected to complete the CBI. The CBI had a significant and strong effect on level of mastery attained (p = .002, Cohen’s d = 2.08). Mean improvement in treatment integrity was greater in the training versus control group on all five domain scores and a composite variable, though between-group differences were not significant at an alpha value of p = .01. Limitations and future directions relate to assessing generalization and maintenance of skills, effect of trainee characteristics on response to CBI, and training component analysis.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (2014) recommends individuals with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) receive applied behavior analysis (ABA) services as soon as they are diagnosed. Ruppel et al. (2021) demonstrated that a parent-implemented problem behavior prevention program, Balance, was effective in reducing problem behavior and increasing social, communication, and cooperation skills in all four participants under the age of six. Access to effective intervention, like Balance, is critical, but waitlists for early intervention services can be long or the individual may reside in an area where ABA services are not readily available (Antezana et al., 2017). In these instances, the use of telehealth may be useful for supporting caregivers as they implement behavior-change programs. This study evaluated the effects of Balance implemented via telehealth using a multiple baseline design nested within a randomized control trial with children aged three and six years. Preliminary results indicate that emerging problem behavior remined high and skills were not acquired for the children randomly assigned to the control group (i.e., delayed intervention). By contrast, children in the test group who received immediate intervention engaged in zero to low levels of problem behavior and social and communication skills were high. Strategies for supporting caregivers attempting to prevent the development of problem behavior via telehealth will be discussed.

Ensuring safety and trust when providing therapeutic services is a core commitment of trauma-informed care. This commitment has implications for the assessment and treatment of dangerous behavior in that different approaches to intervening upon problem behavior may be associated with differential levels of experienced safety and perceived trust. One example of a potential violation of perceived trust pertains to the physical management of individuals exhibiting dangerous behavior, and these concerns are ostensibly exacerbated when services are delivered remotely via telehealth. During this presentation, after providing a behavior-analytic conceptualization of the constructs of safety and trust, we share findings from a survey regarding practitioner experiences and opinions on the use of physical management procedures in ABA practice. Findings suggest that there are varied opinions regarding the safety and feasibility of such procedures, with a majority advocating for reduced use in everyday practice. We connect these findings to an evaluation of a systematic replication of the enhanced choice model of skill-based treatment—initially described by Rajaraman et al. (2021)—that importantly avoids the use of physical management, and that was delivered via telehealth consultation. Survey and single-subject data are discussed in the context of exploring trauma-informed approaches to addressing dangerous behavior.

To close the learning gap between most children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their neurotypical peers, it is essential to develop procedures that support emergent responding and observational learning. The first talk consists of a systematic literature review of studies that used equivalence-based instruction (EBI) to teach children various behaviors. The main focus was to identify the procedural parameters that yielded the best emergent behavior outcomes. The second talk describes a study that used EBI to teach children categories. The authors also taught the functions of one stimulus in each category, and children demonstrated transfer of function to untrained members of each category. The third talk describes a study that compared the simultaneous and sequential acquisition of tacts in two languages. In addition to evaluating the optimal order of learning tacts, the authors evaluated the emergence of bidirectional intraverbals and listener responses in two languages. The fourth talk describes two procedures to teach mands for information: one through direct instruction, and the other through observational learning. In this series of talks, the authors will focus on outlining the optimal procedures to promote emergent behavior when designing curricula for children with ASD. We will also outline recommendations for future research.

Individuals who have completed the Master's coursework in behavior analysis.

Equivalence-based instruction (EBI) has been an efficient and effective teaching methodology to establish equivalence class responding across a variety of academic skills in neurotypical adults. Although previous reviews confirmed the utility of EBI with participants with developmental disabilities, it is still unclear whether certain procedural parameters are associated with positive equivalence outcomes. We extend previous EBI reviews by categorizing studies that utilized EBI with individuals diagnosed with autism and assessed any correlations between procedural parameters and equivalence responding. A total of 29 studies with 91 participants met our inclusion criteria. The current results corroborate previous findings on the utility of EBI. Additionally, the training structure and the number of members per class achieved statistical significance. However, due to inconsistencies across studies employing different combinations of procedural parameters, it is difficult to determine which arrangement of training variables would yield the most successful equivalence outcomes. Recommendations for future research and directions will be discussed.

Previous research has confirmed the effectiveness of equivalence-based instruction (EBI), however, most studies have been conducted with adult participants teaching arbitrary stimulus classes. More research is needed to confirm the external validity of EBI with younger participants, teaching clinically significant skills in applied settings. The current study bridges those gaps. Specifically, our aims were 1) to use EBI procedures to teach preschool children with autism to form stimulus classes consisting of age-appropriate categories, and 2) to evaluate the effectiveness of transfer of function within these classes, and 3) to implement these procedures using easily accessible table-top procedures. This study is ongoing, and we expect it to confirm the efficacy of EBI with clinical populations in applied settings. The procedures are easily transportable to clinical settings given their practicality and accessibility. Finally, creating derived relations between stimuli and demonstrating transfer of function are important outcomes considering that the instruction most children with autism require can be time-consuming and costly. We will discuss implications for clinical practice and directions for future research.

This talk will discuss the optimal procedures to teach two languages for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) from bilingual households. We compared the acquisition of tacts when (a) teaching two languages simultaneously, (b) teaching two languages sequentially, and (c) teaching one language only (control). We also evaluated the effects of the aforementioned teaching conditions on the maintenance of tacts. Finally, we evaluated the emergence of bidirectional intraverbals and listener responses following the acquisition of tacts. Overall, children learned tacts in the two languages simultaneously better than sequentially. Further, the longer the duration of the training, the better the maintenance. Finally, children demonstrated better bidirectional intraverbals when learning two languages simultaneously. These findings have direct implications for clinical practice. We will also discuss outline directions for future research.

The aim of behavior analytic practice and interdisciplinary collaboration is to use the least restrictive and most effective programming. At times, the least restrictive and effective option will involve restrictive procedures such as protective equipment, medication, and physical restraint to ensure the safety and well-being of the individuals receiving services. Restrictive procedures require both data-driven implementation following unsuccessful alternatives and systematic fading and modifications, with the consistent objective of utilizing the least restrictive procedures that promote best outcomes. This symposium will address this topic from various angles. The first presentation will provide an overview of an organizational clinical system on restrictive programming across state divisions. The second presentation will provide examples of fading restrictive programming related to behavioral-pharmacological interventions including (1) an interdisciplinary review team (IRT) approach to medication management and (2) a behavioral-pharmacological intervention corresponding with an increase in successful transitions and decrease in aggression-contingent restraints. The symposium will end with a discussion of how approaches to fading restrictive programming align at both the individual and organizational levels.

Behavior analyst with a foundational understanding of the use of restrictive procedures including ethical considerations. Behavior analysts working with individuals who engage in severe behaviors such as aggression and self-injurious behavior.

Autism is prevalent in all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups, with 1 in 44 children aged 8 years or older receiving an autism diagnosis, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC)’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network. However, minority groups are less likely than their white counterparts to be diagnosed with autism or as having speech delays. There are also disparities in the age that some minority children are diagnosed with autism, as well as the reported quality of care received. Studies found inequalities specific to autism diagnosis and treatment due to race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status that limit accessibility of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) interventions for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and low-income families (Lauer, 2013; Magaña, et al. 2012; Smith et al., 2020). The panel discussion will start with an overview of disparities in access to healthcare, funding, and access to services and three organizations will discuss initiatives aimed at reducing disparities in service access. The panelists will then answer questions discussing organizational resources for building a DEI department, staff and client resources aimed at increasing service access, and recruitment strategies aimed at increasing the diversity of service providers.

BCBAs, BCBA-Ds, and Professional Psychologists should have experience in implementing programs in their own organizations, engaging with their communities, and using measurement tools to indicate organizational outcomes.

Behavior Analysts are key members in public education settings in the United States. National differences exist in how public schools incorporate Behavior Analysts into educational services for students ages 3-21. Behavior Analysts employed by school systems are faced with various challenges (e.g., limited time, untrained staff) that may stifle the positive impact their work can have on students. When employed by the family or as contractors, Behavior Analysts may face barriers to partnering with school personnel, which may negatively impact student outcomes. Panelists will share experiences and research in implementing ABA interventions in various school settings and training school personnel to incorporate ABA interventions in schools setting before and during the pandemic. Panelists will discuss how legislation impacts resources and implementation of ABA in schools including how parents and school personnel can only advocate on behalf of the student only to the extent the law allows. Lastly, lessons learned and considerations will be shared. Panelists’ experiences include being employed as a Behavior Analyst within private and public school systems, teacher employed by public and private schools, education consultant, autism specialist for the regional service center, supervisor, researchers, and higher education professor.

Behavior Analysts Assistant Behavior Analysts Master Teachers

Hanley et al. (2014) introduced a comprehensive model for assessing and treating problem behavior. The model begins with a functional analysis incorporating a single test condition evaluating an ecologically relevant contingency. The results inform the subsequent treatment teaching increasingly complex communication skills. Finally, denials are introduced and the individual is taught how to cooperate with adult instruction. The process in its entirety has been termed the practical functional assessment and skill-based treatment model. Since the seminal publication, modifications to the procedures have been introduced to reduce barriers of clinical concern. The first speaker will briefly introduce multiple adaptions to the practical functional assessment focusing on procedures designed to improve efficiency and safety. The second speaker will provide a detailed account of a procedural modification using latency as a measure of problem behavior across a collection of 20 applications. The third speaker replicates the entire comprehensive model using a novel practical functional assessment format that is dependent on achieving calm behavior to reduce unmanageable escalation. The fourth speaker adapts the model for the group setting, where one-to-one implementation is unfeasible. The collection of studies outline multiple modifications designed to help inform effective assessment and treatment of problem behavior under varied circumstances.

The audience should have a master's degree in ABA/related field or have taken coursework/training specifically in the functional assessment and treatment of problem behavior.

Using latency as a measure of response strength during a functional analysis can improve efficiency and safety of the process by reducing overall exposure to problem behavior. We conducted this two-part study to determine if latency could be integrated into the recently developed functional analysis format termed the interview-informed, synthesized contingency analysis (IISCA). The IISCA was originally designed to measure rate of problem behavior. In Study 1, the results of 11 IISCAs, using rate as a measure of problem behavior, were reanalyzed to evaluate correspondence with the latency to the first instance in each session. Both measurement variations (rate and latency) of the IISCA were likely to produce strong levels of control over problem behavior and these outcomes were verified in the collection of nine latency-based IISCAs in Study 2. Clinicians may be able to avoid repeated instances of problem behavior during a functional analysis using the latency-based IISCA when safety or time is of concern.

The interview-informed synthesized contingency analysis (IISCA) is a functional analysis methodology that has proven to be an efficient and reliable method for designing and implementing function based treatments. Metras and Jessel (2021) summarized the various methodological iterations of the IISCA since its introduction by Hanley and colleagues in 2014. In the discussion, Metras and Jessel suggested an adaptation for future research that they called the performance-based IISCA. This adaptation is similar to the single-session IISCA with three modifications: (a) time requirements removed from reinforcement intervals and instead are based on the behavior of the individual, (b) behavior is recorded as count instead of rate, and (c) indices of happiness are recorded during reinforcement intervals. We discuss the utility and feasibility of this adaptation with children who engaged in challenging behavior in a classroom setting, as well as how this adaptation may promote safety through increased functional control. The performance-based IISCA successfully identified the function of problem behavior and informed an effective treatment for our participants.

Behavior analysts have historically been trained as scientists, often with backgrounds in psychology, education, or a related field. However, with the adoption of insurance funding in the United States, behavior analysts are now expected to operate as medical professionals. While the original Lovaas study, and later replications, have evaluated the effects of focused (15-25) and comprehensive (25-40+) treatment models, making medical necessity determinations is not often taught or discussed in many University programs. This presents numerous challenges and places the responsibility of teaching how to make clinically sound, medically necessary treatment recommendations on ABA organizations and agencies who employ behavior analysts. This presentation will include a brief literature review on the topic of medical necessity as well as a brief history of autism insurance reform in the US. Additionally, the presenters will discuss how medical necessity is conceptualized at their organization, including specific tools developed for supporting analysts who are tasked with making medical necessity determinations.

Behavior analysts who have practiced in the field.

Behavior Analysts

In our ever changing world, technology is rapidly defining our work and how we implement Applied Behavior Analysis. Within this symposium we explore how Applied Behavior Analysis was embedded in the development of Virtual Reality applications to optimise learning. The symposium will outline how Applied Behaviour Analysis was rooted in the creation of education materials for adolescent and young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Virtual Reality applications were used to teach social skills and leisure activities, in order to enhance social skills for employment and increase physical activity for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Technology has many advantages, but in order to maximise the use of such technologies, it is vital to educate staff who support people with disabilities about the range of technologies available to them (i.e. Robotics, Smart Homes, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality). Training also needs to outline the scope for their application, how to use the equipment, considerations when using technology with individuals with developmental disabilities and ethical challenges and issues.

Participants should have a basic understanding of the principles of applied behavior analysis and their application.

Working Through is a European research project that combines Virtual Reality and the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) to teach social skills for employment to individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Partners from Ireland, Greece, Denmark and Cyprus collaborated across two years to design, pilot and assess the virtual reality program. Working Through presents a social skills curriculum which focuses on six core skills: emotional recognition, initiating a conversation with a colleague, meeting a stranger, negotiating with a salesperson, a job interview, and working with co-workers and managing conflicts. The curriculum is developed through a pedological framework which is grounded in ABA and delivered within a virtual reality. Teaching sessions provided individuals with opportunities to practice and master skills prior to advancement to the next skill in the curriculum. Individuals were presented with variations of each scenario in order to promote generalisation of each skill. Data were gathered on knowledge and performance of each skill at baseline and post training, as well as the number of sessions required to complete each skill, across participating countries. Results showed that following completion of the curriculum, all participants increased their knowledge and performance of the skill.

The current project involved a multi-disciplinary approach to sport education for adolescent with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The aim of the project is to promote social inclusion, equal opportunities in sport and access to table tennis for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder in mainstream activities. The curriculum was designed to provide coaches with: (i) the knowledge of how to teach table tennis to individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder and (ii) to provide them with a greater understanding of Autism Spectrum Disorder and in Virtual Reality in order to enable them to order to deliver the Virtual Reality training to individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder to support them to increase physical activity through playing table tennis. The application of Applied Behaviour Analysis was core to the develop of the curriculum through the inclusion of task analysis for teaching the skills of table tennis (i.e., Serve, Drive, Push, Block, Smash, Basic sequence of a table tennis rally), as well as the use of prompts, prompt fading, and reinforcement. Partners across Europe, including Ireland, Spain, Greece, Cyprus and Turkey will pilot this training with sports coaches and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

DDSKILLS is an innovative research project which aims to teach healthcare professionals digital skills to support the implementation of digital healthcare and eHealth for persons with complex needs. In striving to empower people to become more autonomous and to manage their own health and independent living, healthcare professionals have a key role to play in assisting with and explaining the use of digital solutions. Researchers have an important role in communicating the evidence base for such technologies to healthcare professionals. DDSkills aims to develop a digital skills training curriculum for healthcare professionals in Assistive Technologies for individuals with disabilities, including; Robotic Devices, SmartHome, Virtual Reality, and Brain Computer Interfaces. This presentation will discuss the development of the curriculum content on Virtual Reality, including; an introduction to these technologies, potential applications in supporting people with developmental and intellectual disabilities, advantages, considerations, and troubleshooting. Dissemination and training will also be discussed within the context of the DDSkills project.

ABA has been demonstrated as an effective intervention for individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities for decades. Nonetheless, neurodiversity activists continue to raise concerns over the use of ABA (e.g., Latimer, 2019, Sequenzia, 2016). This panel will discuss approaches for addressing raised concerns, the need to continuously analyze our own research for ways to improve our practices, and the importance of innovative research in the field.

Research on empirically supported university teaching practices has generally focused on the broad categories of active student responding (e.g., response cards, guided notes) and inter-teaching. Other areas of practice in need of more study include SAFMEDS (Say All Fast Minute Every Day Shuffled), components of PSI, and behavior skills training. In this panel we will discuss how active student responding using open-education resources and open pedagogy, variations on inter-teaching, and SAFMEDS are used in a variety of courses across campuses at Oregon Institute of Technology. Additionally, panelists will present data on the use of self-instruction manuals in training of student workers at our university-based clinic. Panelists will describe methods for including these practices in in-person, online and hybrid teaching formats and discuss limitations of these methods and potential solutions. Data will be presented on performance within classes and comparatively across courses. Panelists will suggest new directions for research in each of these areas.

Faculty (BCBAs) who are teaching undergraduate or graduate students in ABA, psychology or related fields. Attendees should have been the instructor of record for at least one year.

Navigating graduate school and academic life, and meeting the diverse needs of the families and individuals we serve requires more than the technical skills emphasized in most training programs. This symposium presents four papers exploring novel and efficient ways to support students and practitioners in navigating common challenges, such as public speaking, addressing burnout, communicating with caregivers, and ethically expanding their scope of competence and practice to new areas. The first paper explores the effects of values clarification, acceptance, and awareness training on speech disfluencies in college students. The second explores the effects of Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) on values-directed and supervisory behaviors in BCBAs, with a specific focus on reducing burnout and stress. The third paper presents a novel procedure for establishing relationship-building skills in ABA practitioners. The final paper presents key challenges and considerations for applied behavior analysts attempting to ethically and effectively integrate ACT into their practice.

The topics extend beyond the foundations of ABA. Recommended for advanced graduate students and BCBA's. Topics include teaching and supervising non-clinical adult population; and advanced functional assessment.

Avoidance of public speaking opportunities impedes success across work, education, and social contexts (e.g., Bördlein & Sander, 2019). Addressing speech disfluencies and public speaking anxiety is thus an important area of intervention. A randomized crossover design was used to assess the effects of awareness training (AT), values clarification (VC), and acceptance-based (AB) procedures (delivered via a digital meeting platform) on speech disfluencies in college students. Participants' performance during three short speeches (e.g., 3-5 min) was assessed at baseline and post-intervention by confederate audience members. Participants also rated their own anxiety and speaking behaviors. Results suggested decreased speech disfluencies for all participants, regardless of treatment sequence. However, the AT-VC-AB group demonstrated more rapid decreases across speech disfluencies, while the VC-AB-AT group demonstrated greater psychological flexibility and reduced distress post-intervention. Future implications and recommendations for future research are also discussed.

The current COVID-19 pandemic has led to an interest in the potential mitigating effects of psychological flexibility on stress and burnout in practitioners (Fiebig, Gould, Ming, & Watson, 2020). Acceptance and commitment training (ACT) is one approach that has used to promote psychological flexibility in the workplace, including within ABA settings (Pingo, Dixon, & Paliliunas, 2019).This study utilized a multiple baseline design across participants to examine the effects of a two-day ACT workshop on values-directed behaviors in BCBAs, specifically engagement in self-care and self-compassion. Measures included self-monitoring data with respect to values-directed actions, pre-and post- measures of psychological flexibility (AAQ, CAQ-8) and stress (Burnout Questionnaire; Perceived Stress Scale), and performance on a 10-item checklist designed to assess supervisory behaviors. Results indicate that, in addition to reduced stress, burnout, and psychological inflexibility, ACT may have a positive impact on valuing and supervisory performance in BCBAs. Future implications and recommendations are also discussed.

Skillfully and ethically delivered ACT-based interventions have the potential to produce powerful, socially significant outcomes within ABA settings (e.g., Castro et al., 2016; Gould et al., 2017). This paper examines the use of ACT and language as intervention within ABA contexts and raises important conceptual, ethical and practical concerns for practitioners. In particular, we emphasize that the explicit use of functional assessment (FA) is necessary for any intervention said to be behavior analytic, and to ensure the design and implementation of effective, context-sensitive interventions (Sandoz et al., 2021). We argue that the apparent omission of explicit FA within the ACT literature is concerning and that while BCBAs may be well-positioned to integrate ACT into their practice, they must ensure this is done in a way that is consistent with their specific scope of competence and practice as behavior analysts.

Behavior analysis has a long tradition of applying behavior interventions for people with autism and other developmental disabilities. According to the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB, 2022), most certified behavior analysts focus primarily on the delivery of services to this population. We recognize the vast specializations in our science that are known and are yet to be identified. This symposium aims to discuss behavior-analytic applications in other fields and with different populations. In the first talk, Dr. Abigail Kennedy will discuss behavioral pediatrics in an integrated primary care setting. The second presentation will feature Dr. Andresa De Souza, who will present the applications of the science of human behavior in higher education and college training. Next, Nicole Pfaller-Sadovsky will review the use of behavior-analytic principles to help change undesired canine behavior by simultaneously improving human-dog interactions and welfare. Finally, Dr. Maegan Pisman will introduce the key concepts from the user-experience (UX) research industry and describe how they do or do not align with behavior-analytic research. Dr. Darlene Crone-Todd will serve as the discussant.

No prerequisite skills are necessary.

The contributions of behavior analysis to education were potentially one of its first applications toward socially-significant issues. Skinner laid out the foundation for the behavioral conceptualization of learning and effective teaching with the knowledge prevenient from the experimental analysis of behavior. Two important technologies of teaching product of the experimental analysis of behavior and Skinner’s approach to teaching were the teaching machine and programmed instruction (PI; Skinner, 1965). Skinner’s work set the stage for other “big ideas” in the field of higher education and teaching technologies, including Keller’s Personalized System of Instruction (PSI), precision teaching, interteaching, and computer-aided personalized system of instruction (CAPSI). Collectively, these teaching approaches represent a landmark for the contributions of behavior analysis in higher education. This talk will start with a historical account of the creation of Skinner’s teaching machines and the development of PI as a foundation for effective teaching technologies. It will present the main components of PI and the available empirical support for its applications in higher education instruction. Finally, it will describe the main characteristics of behavior-analytical approaches in education and discuss future directions for the field.

Intermittent schedules of reinforcement are frequently used in dog training. In the present study, additional to a 15-s fixed-time schedule (FT 15s), six dogs were exposed to fixed-interval 15s (FI 15s), a combination of FT 15s and FI 15s, and an extinction-only condition (no reinforcement was delivered). While the effectiveness of these interventions has been shown with human and animal learners, little is known about the emotional behavior that is related to these contingencies. We found that rates of emotional responses (e.g., lip/nose licking, vocalizing) varied in prevalence across dogs and phases. Although lip/nose licking was displayed in high rates across all dogs and phases, it was generally lower in baseline and extinction phases; this suggests that frustration was lower in these phases. The effect size calculations for dogs engaging in pacing, sneezing, and vocalizing, underscored the varied prevalence of the behaviors across phases and dogs, and yielded mostly small- to medium-size effects. These results are especially relevant for the training of companion and working dogs and their well-being during training sessions. Future research should continue investigating emotional behavior in dogs across various schedules of reinforcement (e.g., variable schedules).

Youth with disabilities often present with challenging behaviors and variable skill performance during instructional programming. Such challenges can directly affect their ability to achieve desired school outcomes related to their academic, behavioral, and/or social domains – all influenced by their engagement in the instructional task. In this symposium, we will integrate the findings of four single-case design studies rooted in applied behavior analysis principles which exemplify positive improvements in youth engagement through a) a variety of intervention instructional approaches (i.e., literacy strategies, behavioral strategies, self-regulatory skills) to address such challenges, and with such approaches applied b) across disability populations (i.e., ADHD, autism, emotional and behavioral disorder, learning disability, intellectual disability), c) ages (i.e., kindergarten through adolescence), d) settings (i.e., traditional classroom, alternative residential summer program, residential treatment center), and e) interventionist (i.e., peers, teachers, researchers). The collective findings of these studies highlight the utility and flexibility of engagement and outcome focused instructional approaches applied to school-age disability populations. Discussion on the connections across these studies as related to applied research and feasibility aspects of each approach will occur with attention to future research directions, practitioner implementation, and social validity.

Practitioners in schools and alternative settings

Assessing a student's acquisition rates (ARs) is a reliable way to determine how many new words should be taught in one lesson without reducing retention. Exceeding a student's AR can result in frustration and problem behaviors. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of AR on the off-task behavior of kindergarten students while participating in a commonly used sight-word instruction video. Participants included 39 kindergarten students whose ARs were assessed before showing the sight-word video. Behavior was measured as on- and off-task using momentary time-sampling with 10-s intervals. Results indicated that students' time off task increased after exceeding their ARs, with a noticeable immediate increase. The implications and limitations of these results are discussed.

Teachers are required to use evidence-based practices to improve outcomes for students with autism, and there is a substantial body of work concerning evidence-based practices for these students (e.g., Hume et al., 2021). Yet there is comparatively less research focusing on feasible approaches to train teachers to implement these strategies with fidelity in the typical classroom setting without the assistance of the researcher (Watkins et al., 2019). The purpose of this study was to train a teacher to train peers to deliver a peer-mediated intervention and to assess the effects of the intervention on the social interaction skills of three elementary school students with autism and intellectual disability. We used a behavioral skills training and task analysis package to teach the teacher to train peers to use support strategies and monitor intervention fidelity. Results of a multiple probe design across three participant peer dyads indicate that the teacher was able to train peers to implement strategies with fidelity, and increases in social initiations, responses, and cooperative play across all dyads were observed. Generalization of skills and high levels of social validity were also noted. Recommendations for practitioners and researchers conducting work in classroom settings will be provided.

Practitioners have a range of technologies available to them when tasked with conducting a functional behavior assessment. Functional analysis is considered the most rigorous form of problem behavior assessment and can lead to efficacious, function-based treatments. However, practitioners often report an exclusive reliance on indirect or descriptive assessments despite several studies describing methodologies for training clinicians to conduct functional analyses. The purpose of the current review is to (a) identify articles that describe methods of training practitioners to conduct functional analyses; (b) describe their unique contributions and their limits; and (c) discuss recommendations for future research.

This presentation will include a short introduction to each of the journals edited by the panelists (Behavior and Social Issues, Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, and Behavior Analysis in Practice). Following this introduction, the panelists will respond to questions from the chair and audience regarding journal-specific details (e.g., submission and acceptance statistics, downloads, top citing sources), issues facing the journals (e.g., self-citations, impact factors, open access, participant descriptions, diversity and inclusion), and current issues in the field’s verbal behavior and the variety of audiences for behavior analytic publications. Finally, panelists will describe strategies researchers and practitioners in behavior analysis can use to become more involved with behavior analytic journals related to their work.

Behavior analytic researchers and practitioners

Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and professionals in applied behavior analysis (ABA) participate as members of support teams for children with autism. Collaboration between these professionals can enhance the team’s work, since each professional brings valuable resources to the table. However, overlapping areas of expertise, different terms used for similar instructional elements, and variations in addressing the same problems may complicate the collaborative process. This gap between ABA professionals and SLPs appears to be growing even wider and if not addressed, can begin to have negative consequences for individuals on the spectrum. This panel will discuss the differences and issues that complicate collaboration. Examples of the widening gap will be provided from the field. Potential strategies to overcome these challenges and foster collaboration will be discussed.

BCBAs, SLPs, and clinical disciplines who have provided direct support to autistic children or adults.

Many applied behavior analytic service providers for autistics/individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have had to transition from in-person service delivery to providing services through telehealth – directly or otherwise. Much of the telehealth research in the field of applied behavior analysis (ABA) has focused on training other individuals through telehealth to implement in-person ABA-based procedures. More research is needed to guide best practices for behavioral interventions delivered via direct telehealth. This symposium includes three studies that evaluated behavioral interventions (i.e., the Cool versus Not Cool™ Procedure, instructive feedback within a dyad arrangement, and discrete trial teaching) for autistics/individuals diagnosed with ASD delivered via direct telehealth.

Practicing behavior analysts, researchers, and anyone interested in the application go ABA-based interventions delivered directly via telehealth.

Autistics/individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) commonly display qualitative impairments in social behavior that commonly result in the use of interventions directly targeting the development of social skills. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for effective social skills interventions that can be delivered via telehealth. The Cool versus Not Cool™ procedure has continually been documented as effective within the literature. However, its reported use has been limited to in-person delivery. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Cool versus Not Cool™ procedure conducted via telehealth to teach three children diagnosed with ASD to change the conversation when someone is bored. The results of a nonconcurrent multiple baseline across participants demonstrated that all three participants reached the mastery criterion in four to eight sessions. Responding generalized to another adult for two of the three participants and all three participants maintained correct responding. Social validity measures indicated the skill was important to teach, the intervention was acceptable and effective, and the telehealth format was an acceptable replacement for in-person intervention for these three participants.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many applied behavior analytic service providers have had to quickly change how they provide services for individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and transition away from in-person service delivery. One way in which behavior analysts have adapted is to provide services directly through telehealth. This study sought to evaluate the effects of instructive feedback in a dyad arrangement during discrete trial teaching delivered via telehealth to teach tact relations to six children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. During all sessions all participants and the experimenter were located in different physical locations. Results of a nonconcurrent multiple baseline design demonstrated that all participants learned their primary and secondary targets. Five of the participants acquired the observational primary and secondary targets without direct teaching. Areas of future research and clinical implications are discussed in the context of telehealth service delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic and in general.

Recent behavior analytic research has demonstrated that the provision of applied behavior analytic services via direct telehealth can be an effective teaching modality for some learners with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Historically, teaching procedures based on applied behavior analysis, including discrete trial teaching (DTT) have been provided and evaluated via in-person delivery. This study sought to compare the implementation of DTT via direct telehealth to DTT implemented in-person within and across participants. Specifically, this study evaluated the two delivery modalities in terms of skill acquisition, maintenance, efficiency, and learner responding during teaching sessions. Results of an adapted alternating treatments design nested into a multiple baseline design demonstrated that all three participants diagnosed with ASD met the mastery criteria for the expressive labels taught. Areas of future research, participant prerequisite skills, and clinical implications will be discussed in the context of these results.

Behavior Analysts who work in schools

Dr. Millie Blandford-Elliott, BCBA is a lecturer in the School of Educational Sciences at Bangor University, Wales. Her doctoral research involved the implementation of School Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS) in Welsh primary schools, and the application of ABA in an early years emotional, social, and behavioural (ESB) setting. Millie’s research and practice interests include SWPBS in the UK, classroom behaviour management, and collaborating with teachers to meet the needs of pupils with ESB difficulties and attachment disorders in mainstream classrooms.

Schools are increasingly challenged to improve the functioning of their school populations, particularly in a pandemic world. Multi-tiered systems of support encompassing applied behavior analytical practices and data-based decision-making have improved overall school functioning. This symposium will highlight the efforts of one school district to implement this framework to achieve student behavior outcomes and classroom academic engagement. The first paper will review the research on applied behavior analytical practices in classwide behavior support. The presentation will go over the use of classwide functional assessment to systematically evaluate the classroom environment to design and implement effective classroom-wide behavioral support practices. A brief case study of a classroom behavior system utilized will be reviewed. Improved student outcomes were observed in reduced reactive discipline practices The second paper will review a multi-tiered system of support in an elementary school over two years was implemented. Data on reduced office disciplinary referrals comparing a similar school period on a year-over-year basis. Additionally, data will be presented on the effectiveness of Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions.

Understanding of an MTSS approach Evidenced-based school-wide interventions

This paper will review implementing a multi-tiered system of support in an elementary school in a small, diverse, high-needs school district in Massachusetts, USA, over two years. First, the presentation will outline how buy-in was obtained from school staff. Secondly, how data-based teams were developed across all three tiers. Thirdly, what easily accessible and available meaningful disaggregated data in a graphical form was used to help teams improve their decision-making. This was particularly useful in selecting and implementing of applied behavior analysis practices across all tiers. This also helped these data-based decision-making teams monitor their interventions' effectiveness to attain meaningful outcomes. Reductions were seen in their Office Discipline Referrals across the school over a two-year comparison period. Secondarily, there was a gain in the amount of student instructional minutes and a reduction of time administrators used to process these Office Discipline Referrals. Additionally, data will be presented on the effectiveness of Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions implemented with these selected students.

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is a commonly used term in the field of applied behavior analysis (ABA); however, disagreement or misunderstanding regarding what EBP is and how to engage in evidence-based decision making persist. In this symposium, we will attempt to clarify the definition of EBP in ABA and we will discuss the role that EBP plays in different domains of ABA. First, Dr. Bethany Contreras will discuss the definition of EBP and will offer specific suggestions on how practitioners can use EBP to guide ethical decision making. Next, Dr. Audrey Hoffmann will discuss how EBP provides a framework for embedding evidence-based decision-making in coursework and supervision in order to improve ethical decision-making in novice behavior analysts. Finally, Dr. Jennifer Ledford will discuss and expand upon the two presentations, identifying limitations and areas for future work.

Practicing behavior analysts, behavior analytic higher education professionals, supervising behavior analysts

Evidence Based Practice (EBP) provides a useful framework for teaching decision-making skills and ethical practice to novice behavior analysts. This presentation will provide a brief introduction to EBP and go over the importance of including EBP within training programs for behavior analysts (both in higher education and in supervised practice). Suggestions for embedding EBP into course sequences and supervision practices will be provided as well as discussing potential barriers to training a complex behavioral repertoire such as evidence-based decision-making. The presentation will highlight the importance of novice behavior analysts basing decisions on the best available research evidence, considering the client values and context, and improving and appropriately utilizing their clinical expertise as ethical behavior analysts.

As data analytic techniques have advanced within social sciences, behavior analysts have begun examining larger data sets, large-scale research designs, and quantitative methods to assess variables that drive programmatic outcomes. These speakers will illustrate the application of such processes across a range of clinical problems and research questions. Both Scheithauer et al. and Lomas Mevers et al. employ randomized clinical trials (RCTs) to evaluate interventions for childhood behavior problems. Scheithauer et al. conducted an RCT of a function-based treatment for decreasing elopement across a sample of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) assigned to either the treatment condition or a control condition. Lomas Mevers et al. employed a similar methodology to examine a behavioral intervention for encopresis among 20 individuals with ASD. Using an alternative evaluative method, Cengher et al. conducted a controlled case series analysis across 29 individuals with ASD and related disorders who displayed challenging behavior maintained by escape from social attention. In the final talk, Borrero will describe two years of programmatic outcomes from an inpatient unit specializing in the treatment of pediatric feeding disorders. To summarize these findings within the larger framework of behavior analytic practice and research, Dr. Cynthia Anderson will provide a discussion.

basic

A large percentage of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are delayed in achieving bowel continence or never achieve it at all. This problem has tremendous ramifications for these individuals and their families (can limit access to educational opportunities, and carries significant social stigma). Previous interventions for encopresis have either been unsuccessful or required implementation over very long periods. The current study is a small randomized clinical trial (RCT) evaluating an interdisciplinary approach to treatment. The study uses over-the-counter medications to elicit predictable bowel movements, which are then reinforced. Independence is increased by fading out medications and training caregivers to implement all procedures. This study demonstrated the efficacy of this approach with 20 individuals with ASD and encopresis within a RCT using a waitlist control. We found children that were randomized to the treatment group achieved significant increases in continence when compared to children randomized to the waitlist control group.

The purpose of this controlled consecutive case series analysis was to evaluate outcomes of functional analysis and treatment procedures for problem behavior maintained by escape from attention. Twenty nine individuals who had received inpatient or outpatient services for severe problem behavior and whose functional analyses included an escape-from-attention test condition participated. An escape-from-attention function was identified for 24 of the 29 participants. Aggression, followed by self-injurious behavior, were the most prevalent forms of problem behavior demonstrated by participants with an escape-from-attention function. We analyzed the initial multielement functional analyses that did not include an escape-from-attention condition in participants for whom this function was subsequently identified, in order to establish predictive markers for escape from attention. The following predictive markers were identified: high rates of problem behavior in the escape from demands condition and low rates of problem behavior in the attention condition. Finally, function-based treatments were implemented for 13 participants with an escape-from-attention function; 84% of cases demonstrated a reduction of problem behavior of 80% or more relative to baseline. The most effective interventions included extinction and reinforcement-based procedures. Implications for research and clinical practice are discussed.

Severe food refusal, food selectivity, and liquid dependence can be a relatively common concern for parents with young children, particularly those diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). It has been reported that as high as 90% of children with ASD have some form of food refusal or selectivity (Kodak & Piazza, 2008). Food refusal and selectivity are associated with a child experiencing severe difficulties consuming adequate nutrition by mouth and can often be a significant source for stress in the home. Intensive hospital-based programs have been successful in offering an interdisciplinary approach to the assessment and treatment of food refusal and selectivity. After consultation with the family, individual goals are set for admission, such as: increasing food consumption, reducing inappropriate mealtime behavior, increasing variety of foods (i.e., introducing new foods), and caregiver training. An overview of an intensive interdisciplinary approach to assessment and treatment will be discussed along with outcome data.

In a career spanning 60+ years, Murray Sidman’s work has had immeasurable impact on the conceptual, methodological, and empirical make-up of behavior analysis, from its early beginnings and continuing to this day. The papers in this symposium will provide insightful reflections on Sidman’s influence as experienced first-hand by three individuals whose own work and perspectives were shaped directly by his input. Dr. Julio de Rose will address the unequaled role played by Sidman’s Tactics of Scientific Research as foundation for the training and research practices of behavior analysts around the world, and as inspiration for the vibrant status of our science in Brazil. Dr. Paula Braga-Kenyon will speak on Sidman’s landmark experimental and conceptual developments related to stimulus equivalence, with emphasis on the important but thorny implications of his later theoretical treatments. Dr. Bill McIlvane will review Sidman’s comprehensive approach to the study of stimulus control, with particular attention to its many implications and opportunities for research directions yet to be explored. Our discussant, Dr. Per Holth, will offer commentary on the papers in the context of his own career-long relationship with Sidman.

Behavior Analysts

Professor Carolina Bori used to teach a course on Tactics at Universidade de São Paulo (USP), in the seventies. I took the Tactics course in my first year as graduate student, in 1973. Students had to read Sidman’s book and participate in discussions about every chapter. USP was, at that time, the major influence on behavior analysis in Brazil, and virtually all students interested in behavior analysis took the Tactics course. Therefore, Tactics became central in the training of Brazilian behavior analysts. Students learned to ask questions to nature, seeking experimental control to reduce variability and find order in their data. In my graduate research, with rats and pigeons, I tried to apply the lessons of Tactics, as many other colleagues did. I met Professor Sidman after my PhD and, at his advice, took a post-doctoral position in the lab he had established at the Shriver Center, near Boston. Sidman no longer had an official position there, but participated in most lab meetings. He then made his first visit to Brazil, for a celebration of the 25th anniversary of Tactics. He returned there several other times, now following the steps of Fred Keller and influencing personally the development of Brazilian behavior analysis. Considering Sidman’s deep influence, initially by his book and later in person, it is not surprising that in the recent special issue of the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior dedicated to Sidman, eight articles had at least one Brazilian author.

How children acquire the stimulus control to learn the names of things as listener and speaker without caretaker reinforcement is the Incidental Bidirectional Naming (Inc-BiN) verbal developmental cusp. This is the mechanism for how children learn most English words. This addresses what Chomsky called this “the missing stimulus” in Skinner’s verbal behavior in his infamous review. U. T. Place, a renowned supporter of Skinner’s work show, was also a linguist and stated that Chomsky was correct in this regard, although incorrect in most regards. Subsequent research found that the stimulus control for the Cusp is a chain of embedded learned reinforcers for correspondence between observing responses and production of language, showing how exposure alone leads to learning names. Growing evidence shows it is a continuum of stimulus control within and between various levels of complexity, ranging from learning nonarbitrary word/object relations graduating to more complex symbolic and AARR building a bridge between Verbal Behavior Developmental Research and Theory and Relational Frame Research and Theory and other derived relations research. Here we present new findings on the strength of stimulus control for Inc-BiN as a predictor of learning mastery as well as new levels of complexity.

Practitioners, researchers, and theorists

Derived relational responding in traditional match-to-sample (MTS) tasks has a rich history, but less is known regarding derived rule-following and corresponding transformations of stimulus function. The present evaluation includes two experiments conducted with young children (i.e., 5-8 years old) within the context of a common board game (i.e., Candyland). In Experiment 1, a multiple probe across participants design was used to evaluate the effects of MTS training on (a) derived responding (i.e., C-A relations) and (b) transformation of stimulus function (i.e., correct responses in game play). In Experiment 2, frames of opposition were trained and subsequently, a participant’s ability to relate relations and engage in transformation of stimulus function (i.e., respond correctly in game play) was evaluated. Results from both experiments demonstrate that instruction can be arranged to promote derived rule following in young children. These results expand upon existing literature by (a) demonstrating derived responding through rigorous experimental design, (b) evaluating transformation of stimulus function for complex relations (e.g., relating relations) and (c) involving frames other than coordination (e.g., opposition).

Since its earliest days, behavior analysis has been envisioned as a science uniquely well suited to the study and enhancement of the broadest possible range of human endeavors and behavioral phenomena, all with a consistent conceptualization and a common methodological approach. It is arguably still the case, however, that the lion’s share of work within our field falls within a limited number of spheres. The three panelists here each provide exemplary exceptions to this pattern. All three have braved the challenges of working outside the typical boundaries of our field, translating our approach to those who speak different scientific languages, and in doing so have fostered increased recognition and appreciation for behavior-analytic approaches from other disciplines. Dr. Pauline Horne is known for her pioneering work in synthesizing behavior analysis and more traditional approaches from human development, with attendant benefits to targets ranging from imitation to early verbal behavior to children’s diet and health. Dr. Suzanne Mitchell’s influential work on impulsivity, discounting, and behavioral pharmacology spans multiple disciplines and has been tremendously impactful in representing to them the strengths of a behavior-analytic approach. Dr. Ramona Houmanfar represents an internationally recognized and prize-winning career in guiding improvements at the group level in businesses and organizations with respect tobehavioral systems analysis, leadership, communication networks, and instructional design, among other critical operational targets.

Behavior Analysts