Association for Behavior Analysis International

Psychopharmacological interventions are widely prescribed to address severe self-injurious and aggressive behaviors. One tacit assumption regarding ongoing psychopharmacological treatment for patients with severe behaviors is that such interventions are reducing or have reduced the frequency and/or intensity of the problem behaviors. Such assumptions are supported, in many cases, by randomized controlled trials for specific indications and decades of use. However, there are reasons to doubt psychopharmacological intervention efficacy for severe destructive behaviors. First, the dependent variables utilized to assess drug efficacy are often non-specific and do not directly assess problem behaviors frequency or intensity. Second, people with severe problem behaviors are often exposed to polypharmacy obscuring individual drug effects. Third, people with severe behaviors often have fragmented treatment records complicating assessment. Finally, patients with severe behaviors often receive continuous psychopharmacological intervention. On the other hand, systematic tapering and discontinuation of all medications rarely occurs. Here, we summarize real-world effects of psychopharmacological medication tapering on problem behavior frequency of over 750 patients with severe problem behaviors across 24 years. Our data suggest that in a comprehensive behavioral treatment program, approximately 70% of individuals demonstrated a decreasing trend in aggressive and self-injurious behaviors during and after psychotropic medication tapering.

Basic understanding of between group and single subject research designs.

Psychotropic medications are assumed to generally reduce the frequency and/or intensity of severe aggression and self-injury. The Judge Rotenberg Center employs an approach to psychopharmacological treatment where psychotropic medications are gradually tapered (often eliminated) in the context of comprehensive behavioral treatment. We believe this approach is atypical and most patients with severe behaviors receive continuous psychopharmacological intervention. Medication increases (dose and number) and cross tapering are commonplace. Systematic tapering and discontinuation of all medications is rare. Anecdotally as an organization, we have observed rates of problem behaviors often decelerate amidst and after the discontinuation of psychotropic medications. However, the effect has never been assessed through large scale analysis. Here, we present data spanning 24 years summarizing the general effects of medication tapering on over 750 patients with severe aggression and self-injury. We summarize basic demographic information associated with the patients and describe behavior frequency and trend before, during, and after psychotropic drug discontinuation. The results suggest that in 70% of cases, the frequency of aggressive and self-injurious behaviors decreased during and after psychotropic medication tapering.

Clonidine is frequently prescribed to reduce aggressive and self-injurious behavior in people with various mental disorders. An anecdotal observation by a psychiatrist noting clonidine discontinuation often led to improvements in self-injury, aggression, and other destructive behaviors inspired a literature review and retrospective analysis of clonidine tapering. The basic literature review revealed that high doses of clonidine were historically used to evoke self-injury and aggression in basic studies with mammals. Studies showing clonidine efficacy for problem behaviors utilized subjective dependent variables with diverse and numerous line items. Finally, a retrospective analysis of clonidine discontinuation was conducted using frequency of aggressive and self-injurious behavior frequency as a dependent variable. A molar analysis with 89 participants showed that across three time points (e.g. clonidine, clonidine taper, and post clonidine), the mean rates of problem behavior decreased as the drug was discontinued. A repeated measures statistical analysis will be presented. Individual celeration charts showed individual differences with clonidine discontinuation resulting in low rates with some exceptions. In addition, some patients showed temporary increases in problem behaviors following clonidine reductions.

Families with one or more children diagnosed with autism tend to experience higher levels of stress as compared to families with neurotypical children. It is widely believed that access to services, particularly applied behavior analysis (ABA) caregiver training, aids in decreasing stressors. In fact, caregivers who are highly stressed are less likely to seek services, less able to engage in learning behavioral strategies and, instead, research indicates stress often increases as a result of caregiver training alone. Additionally, this familial stress is not limited to parents and caregivers, but siblings of diagnosed individuals also tend to report decreased life satisfaction and increased likelihood of experiencing feelings of anxiety and engaging aggressive behaviors. Throughout this symposium the presenters will demonstrate the efficacy of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT), two behaviorally based therapeutic strategies, targeting parent engagement and sibling relationships. Results from these studies indicate these interventions may benefit overall family well-being, increase access to services, and improve fidelity with behavioral interventions.

This presentation is appropriate for graduate students or BCBAs with an interest in expanding their skillsets. ACT and PCIT are reliant on in the moment modifications to practice and, ACT in particular, is most effective when clinicians have a grasp of functional analysis of verbal behavior. Individuals with emerging to fluent skills in these are most likely to benefit from this presentation.

A growing body of literature demonstrates the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for improving parent stress and parent-child relationships. One potential use of ACT is through telehealth groups as a means to build support networks and increase accessibility. While curriculum has been developed and demonstrated effectiveness for individual intervention, in current practice we aim to determine if the same curriculum may also be effective in group intervention meeting via telehealth. To date, participants include 12 parents of neurodiverse children who participated in a 6-week virtual series to increase individually identified value-based behaviors. Outcomes measured include parent stress, mindful engagement, social validity of the intervention, and subsequent access to other evidence-based interventions and supports. Initial findings indicate an overall improvement in stress and mindfulness for most participants. Modifications to the curriculum based on social validity feedback and observed outcomes will be discussed. These results are encouraging that such interventions may aid in decreasing parent stress and ultimately increasing engagement in evidence-based practices to support the needs of themselves and their children.

One of the most important predictors of success for a child with a Neurodevelopmental Disorder (NDD) is the support from the family system. Siblings of a child with an NDD are often neglected from the conversation of support and treatment; however, challenging behaviors often associated with NDDs can have a significant impact on the sibling relationship, which could result in a compromised quality of life for all siblings. Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) have both shown to be efficacious in producing positive outcomes for children with NDDs and their families.The current study expanded PCIT and ABA research to the NDD population, by documenting how siblings can effectively learn and utilize the Child-Directed Interaction (CDI) skills of PCIT to help strengthen the sibling relationship with a child with an NDD. Participants included two sibling dyads in which one sibling was Autistic, and their older sibling was neurotypical. Outcomes include neurotypical sibling’s correct implementation of CDI skills during ten-minute play sessions, and parent and sibling reports of feasibility and relevance of the sibling intervention. Findings suggest that sibling’s participation in treatment, and the impact on the relationship, can inform future sibling interventions for children with NDDs.

While the parallels between the science of life and the science of behavior are abundant, each field has developed unique systems for observing and recording data. Whereas ecologists focus on the richness and evenness of taxonomic relations, behavior analysts examine the frequency and duration of functional relations. Yet the scientific underpinnings and similarity in subject matter may allow for metrics to be applied across fields. Here we utilize common measures from the field of community ecology for the analysis of human behavior. Different environments support a range of distinct biological communities, and quantifying such biodiversity provides an understanding of how and why different biological communities are distributed. Ecologists define beta diversity as a measure of the degree of community differentiation in relation to environment gradients. The ratio between gamma and alpha diversities, beta diversity quantifies the effective number of distinct ecological communities within a region. In this symposium, we extend the concept of beta diversity to the field of behavior-analytic intervention for individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Across three papers, we show how beta diversity can be used to sample the frequency and variety of destructive behavior, stimulus preference, and verbal behavior. We demonstrate the utility of beta diversity for measuring behavior change over time, and discuss the implications of calculating beta diversity as a measure of efficacy.

Board Certified Behavior Analysts (Doctoral) and researchers who are interested in studying complex behavior-environment interactions. Attendees should have working knowledge of different types of functional analyses and stimulus preference assessments.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and epilepsy are both neurological conditions that can significantly impact a child's development and overall well-being. While they may appear to be independent diagnoses, there is a higher co-occurrence rate than chance would predict. This presentation will explore the complex relationship between ASD and epilepsy, equipping therapists with the knowledge and tools to better support their clients who experience both conditions. The presentation will delve into the following key areas: • Prevalence and Risk Factors: We will examine the co-occurrence rates of ASD and epilepsy, exploring potential risk factors and underlying biological mechanisms. • Clinical Presentations: We will discuss the diverse ways in which epilepsy can manifest, including potential challenges in identifying and diagnosing epilepsy in individuals with ASD. • Treatment Considerations: We will explore the evidence-based practices for treating epilepsy to address the unique needs of this population. Here, we will also discuss potential side effects of anti-seizure medications and how they may impact behavior or learning, equipping ABA therapists to collaborate with the medical team for optimal treatment. • Emerging Technologies: We will explore the potential of using new technologies including AI analysis of EEG (electroencephalogram) data for early detection of ASD. This discussion will highlight the promise and limitations of new technologies, emphasizing their role as potential tools to support informed clinical decision-making. • Collaborative Care: We will emphasize the importance of collaboration between ABA therapists, neurologists, and other healthcare professionals in developing comprehensive treatment plans.

Therapists and physicians taking care of individuals with ASD.

Past experiences shape behaviour and future actions are often based on current behavioural patterns. This research introduces an innovative tool to retrodict unknown learning histories from limited behavioural datasets extracted from binary choices made by laboratory pigeons. We extracted a snapshot of choice behaviour, including a 5-second post-reinforcer-delivery observation window. A Spiking Neural Network (SNN) was designed to generate retrodictions of learning histories. In Experiment 1, retrodictions were achieved, indicating that pigeons' binary choice snapshots contained sufficient information for the SNN model. Experiment 2 compared the SNN with other deep neural network models, with the SNN demonstrating superior retrodiction performance based on additional metrics. Experiment 3 illustrated the SNN's adaptability to novel, small-sized datasets of varying learning histories; personalised modelling further improved retrodictive performance. Experiment 4 validated the method's reliability through transfer learning techniques, highlighting the SNN's robust retrodiction capabilities. The SNN demonstrates proof of concept by discerning individual differences in learning patterns and the relationship between behaviour and learning history. The SNN's adaptability to small datasets makes it economical and easy to test in real-world conditions. Implications for both clinical and basic research will be discussed, including research in the use of SNN with human behaviour datasets.

As autism prevalence continues to increase the average age of diagnosis is decreasing. A significant benefit of early diagnosis is access to early intervention, however, families caring for young autistic children, especially those in under-resourced communities, often experience barriers to accessing evidence-based services, such as applied behavior analysis (ABA). Under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) law families can access Part-C early intervention services, but providers within that system often lack specific training in autism or ABA. Working with our state’s Part C system, we developed a partnership providing brief (six sessions) caregiver coaching sessions via tele-health following an autism evaluation. These sessions focus on introducing caregivers to the basic principles of ABA and coaching them to apply these strategies throughout daily routines. Data (n= 234 families) show that caregivers gained skills, children improved their social communication, and provider (n=80) and caregiver satisfaction was high. Group comparisons show that outcomes are consistent across groups (e.g., race/ethnicity, rural/urban location) with some outcomes significantly better for families from historically under-served groups. This community-based program demonstrates the possibility of a brief, sustainable model to increase caregiver skill and improve child outcomes when access to ABA services is delayed or not available.

7% of US adults, and 1 in 5 members of Gen Z, identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer (LGBTQ, Gallup, 2022). These population data imply the presence of a large, and likely growing, number of LGBTQ+ behavior analysts. These individuals have much to offer our field, including a particular promise to address the clear need for LGBTQ+ affirming approaches to clinical service delivery. At the same time, LGBTQ+ trainees in allied health and science fields often report experiencing discrimination, non-acceptance, and/or non-inclusion in professional settings, which can decrease both professional engagement and personal wellbeing (Boustaini & Taylor, 2020; Hsueh et al., 2021). The goal of this panel is to catalyze behavior analysts’ thinking on how they can move toward more effective and culturally-responsive approaches to mentoring LGBTQ+ behavior analysts. Panelists from a range of career stages will speak to their lived experiences navigating mentor-mentee relationships in academic and clinical service settings. Both facilitators of and barriers to effective training will be discussed. Ample time will be devoted to audience Q&A, with an explicit invitation for LGBTQ+ mentees in attendance to pose questions that speak to their lived experiences.

Behavior analysts who serve as mentors or supervisors at any level of behavior-analytic practice, research, or training.

Despite having a 1 mm3 brain, honey bees exhibit a sophisticated behavioral repertoire. Bees learn and memorize multiple sensory cues related to flowers. Yet, besides being useful models for the study of simple forms of associative learning, they have emerged as attractive organisms for the study of higher-order forms of learning, both in the visual and in the olfactory domains. In the last two decades, our work has indeed revealed that these insects possess unsuspected cognitive capacities, which include category and concept learning, numerosity and the solving of non-linear discriminations, among others. All these phenomena are experimentally accessible via controlled laboratory protocols, which, in some cases, allow uncovering the underlying neural circuits Here I will discuss some of these findings and provide insights into their mechanistic bases, whenever this turned to be possible. In doing this, I will highlight experimental challenges and suggest future directions for investigating the neurobiology of higher-order learning in insects, with the goal of uncovering basic neural architectures underlying cognitive processing.

The talk will be accessible to undergraduate and graduate students, as well as to established scientists.

Allen and Warzak (2000) articulated the importance of analyzing contingencies that control parental adherence to produce durable behavioral treatment plans implemented by caregivers over time. Further, they highlighted that operationalizing and measuring adherence poses distinct challenges for the clinician and applied researcher since, by definition, adherence involves independent implementation of a treatment plan in the absence of direct oversight by the clinician. Over 20 years later, adherence is still reported infrequently in the behavior analytic literature despite growing evidence of the gap between observed integrity and adherence in natural environments. This panel discussion will raise awareness of the problem of nonadherence in our field, and the continued need for establishing an empirically based process to increase and sustain adherence. Primary aims of the panel include a discussion between panel members and the audience around a) the importance of adherence, and the distinction between treatment adherence and treatment integrity; b) caregiver barriers and considerations for developing interventions in a manner that will occasion adherence; and c) leveraging behavioral models of adherence to create treatment plans contextualized in the preferences, values, and capacities that will sustain ongoing treatment implementation.

Experience in the development, and supervising the development, of function-based behavioral treatment plans, conducting treatment evaluations with caregiver involvement, and modifying treatments to create feasible terminal treatments. Additionally, audience members should have experience in caregiver consultation after behavioral treatment plans are transferred from clinical environments to naturalistic settings.

Racial microaggressions are chronic insults and slurs committed against non-White individuals based on their race/ethnicity. This study aimed to expand this literature by interviewing Black Brazilian women living in Australia. Eight participants were interviewed three times each. The prompts inquired about their experiences of racial microaggressions, the contexts they occurred, and how they reacted and dealt with them. All participants declared having experienced racial microaggressions by White Australians on multiple occasions. The most common categories found were "not being a real citizen", "assumptions about intelligence, competency, or status", "second-class citizen/ignored and invisible", "avoiding and distancing", and “environmental exclusion”. Most microaggressions happened in the work environment, followed by daily interactions with strangers, acquaintances, and/or friends. All participants tended to respond to those in a non-confrontational manner (refraining from replying or pointing out that the person was being racist) to avoid conflict, especially in the work environment. Two participants also responded in a confrontational manner at times by telling the perpetrator that their behavior was racist. To deal with the situation, participants: a) do not share those experiences with anyone to avoid making them worry about them, b) share those occurrences with their family and some Black friends, and/or c) avoid going out with people who are perpetrators.

Junior BCBAs, and behavior analysts within their first 5 years of practice, including practitioners, supervisors, etc., individuals currently enrolled in or recently completed graduate-level work interested in race relations and prejudice.

For thousands of years philosophers and scientists have debated whether humans have free will – are the genuine authors of their actions – or whether their actions are determined by environmental factors (Kane, 2002). Both philosophers and scientists fall into one of three categories in these debates: hard determinists (incompatibalists, like Skinner [e.g., 1971]), soft determinists (compatibilists, who try to combine agency and determinism), and libertarian free willers (cf., Rakos, 2004). This debate has great social and cultural importance when we recognize that a libertarian notion of human agency is the “Core Conception” (Smilansky, 2002) – the underlying philosophical, religious, and legal tenet – upon which Western society rests (Kane, 2002). The case for determinism gained strength from the classic Libet et al. (1983) study that found the neurological onset of a motor response preceded conscious intention to act. Over the past 40 years, scientific investigation of this debate has continued with increased sophistication. Now, two hot-off-the press books by eminent scientists arrive at different conclusions: “Determined: A Science of Life without Free Will” by Robert M. Sapolsky and “Free Agents: How Evolution Gave Us Free Will” by Kevin J. Mitchell. The arguments and conclusions advanced in the two books will be summarized, critiqued, compared, and discussed by the panelists and then the audience. The discussion will relate the two books to contemporary behavior analytic concepts like relational frame theory and contextual behavioral science (Fryling et al., 2020) and raise pressing social and cultural implications (e.g., artificial intelligence, promoting an equitable and sustainable world; cf., MacAskill, 2022). References Fryling, M., Rehfeldt, R. A., Tarbox, J., & Hayes, L. J. (Eds.). (2020). Applied behavior analysis of language and cognition: Core concepts and principles for practitioners. New Harbinger Publications. Kane, R. (Ed.) (2002). Free will. Oxford. Libet, B., Gleason, C. A., Wright, E. E., & Pearl, D. (1983). Time of conscious intention to actin relation to onset of cerebral activity [readiness potential]: The unconscious initiation of a freely voluntary act. Brain, 102(3), 192-224. https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/106.3.623 MacAskill, W. (2022). What we owe the future. Basic Books. Mitchell, K. J. (2023). Free agents: How evolution gave us free will. Princeton University Press. Rakos, R. F. (2004). The belief in free will as a biological adaptation: Thinking inside and outside the behavior analytic box. European Journal of Behavior Analysis, 2004(5), 95-103. Skinner, B. F. (1971). Beyond freedom and dignity. Bantam. Sapolsky, R. M. (2023). Determined: A science of life without free will. Penguin Press. Smilansky, S. (2002). Free will and illusion. Oxford University Press.

Basic

Verbal behavior extends the speaker’s ability to operate on the environment by transcending the boundaries of mechanical reinforcement across time and space. Moreover, a fluent speaking repertoire presupposes the establishment of one’s own self identity. The use of modern technology has led to various judgmental aids that may facilitate behavior-analytic intervention for individuals with autism and related disorders, for whom verbal behavior is a core deficit. This symposium focuses on the future of verbal behavior research and intervention through the use of: (1) Telehealth technologies to enhance the outreach and dissemination of behavior-analytic intervention, (2) Novel ways of producing stimuli for the visual analysis of developing verbal behavior repertories, and (3) Artificial intelligence to facilitate discrimination training between children with autism who will and will not develop verbal behavior. Across three papers, we describe a series of technological innovations along with their implications for enhancing behavior-analytic intervention for individuals with autism.

Participants should already be familiar with the elementary verbal operants described by Skinner (1957).

Among the heterogeneous population of individuals with autism, as many as ? are functionally nonverbal. The failure to develop functional language has been attributed to a paucity of resources for families combined with a lack of direct services, and a dearth of research on individuals with profound autism. However, even with early intensive behavioral intervention some children with autism will continue to present with significant language deficits. The ability to develop phrase speech - consisting of non-echoed, spontaneous utterances of three or more words - is a critical milestone of language development. For children with autism, who do not show typical language development, a growing body of literature supports the use of echoic prompts toward the development of other verbal operants. Consequently, the ability to discriminate between individuals that will and will not develop an echoic repertoire would be helpful for behavior analysts and other service providers. With the help of a deep neural network, we created a machine learning model to predict the extent to which children with autism will echo the verbal behavior of others. Here we present the results of our predictive model, implications for treatment, and questions about how artificial intelligence may shape the future of behavior-analytic intervention.

The threat posed by climate change can be addressed by human behavior. In this symposium, organized in response to the Presidential Scholar Address by Bill McKibben, presenters will examine real and potential contributions from behavior science. Implicit cost-effect calculations and attempts to balance large future benefits and less desirable but more immediate outcomes have climate implications. Brett Gelino will examine how excessive reinforcer valuations and delayed outcomes muddy sustainable preference. Transitioning to climate-friendly policies presents significant challenges to communities with stretched budgets and immediate needs. Tony Biglan will describe the need for more research funding on helping communities address climate change and what such research might look like. Climate change is, of course, both a local and global issue. Susan Schneider will describe small-scale success stories developed from the application of behavior principles while addressing the barriers to scaling these up to larger-scale solutions. Behavior science contributed to the reduction of environmental contaminants like lead and methylmercury. Chris Newland will examine side effects of environmental regulations and show that a cleaner environment is climate-friendly. Finally, Bill McKibben, as discussant, will comment on these developments and offer additional thoughts about where we stand with respect to climate change.

All behavior analysts

One of the challenges of the climate crisis is the epic range of behavior changes needed. On the community level, school districts, businesses, neighborhoods, health care systems, and local governments all need to move faster toward sustainable practices. While there’s plenty of well-documented success stories, these projects often fail to scale, limiting their impact. This talk covers the range of sustainable behavior change interventions - most of them interdisciplinary - then examines barriers to larger-scale adoption. The field of implementation science focuses on this challenge, and analysis of the contingencies and meta-contingencies is an essential part of such efforts. Having a successful intervention is only the beginning of a lengthy implementation process leading to meaningful large-scale change. Given the IPCC goals for climate action, we are rapidly running out of time to scale up.

Within the field of applied behavior analysis (ABA), the analysis and treatment of mental health-related symptoms and behaviors is becoming an increasingly more prominent topic. Clinical Behavior Analysis is an area of ABA that applies functional behavioral principles to these clinically relevant behaviors (Dougher, 2000). Applications of clinical behavior analysis have been noted in past research and papers that demonstrate the importance of consideration of private events when treating socially significant behaviors (Luciano, Torneke, & Ruiz, 2022). For instance, clinician behaviors should also be considered when analyzing the context of a private behavior within sessions. Though the topic has been conceptualized and defined in other sources, there are still practical considerations needed when applying strategies within a clinical setting. Additionally, there is still a need for growing research within clinical behavior analysis. This panel aims to discuss definitions, applications, and considerations for the future of the field, as well as other questions from the audience.

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