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| Opening Remarks |
| Tuesday, May 29, 2018 |
| 8:50 AM–9:00 AM |
| Manchester Grand Hyatt, Harbor Ballroom ABC |
| Chair: Jonathan J. Tarbox (University of Southern California; FirstSteps for Kids) |
Opening remarks from Program Chair Jonathan Tarbox. |
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Integrating ACT and its Underlying Model into Mainstream Behavior Analysis |
| Tuesday, May 29, 2018 |
| 9:00 AM–10:40 AM |
| Manchester Grand Hyatt, Harbor Ballroom ABC |
| Domain: Service Delivery |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
| CE Instructor: Steven C. Hayes, Ph.D. |
| Chair: Jonathan J. Tarbox (University of Southern California; FirstSteps for Kids) |
| STEVEN C. HAYES (University of Nevada, Reno) |
 Dr. Hayes received his Ph.D. from West Virginia University and currently serves as professor in the behavior analysis program in the Department of Psychology at the University of Nevada, Reno. Dr. Hayes has a record of voluminous research and substantial impact, within behavior analysis and beyond, with 43 books and more than 600 publications. He is one of only three behavior analysts in the world with an h-index above 100 in Google Scholar (www.webometrics.info/en/node/58). He is the principal developer of relational frame theory and acceptance and commitment therapy, highly influential behavior analytic approaches to language and cognition, and evidence-based intervention, respectively, that have generated considerable research and achieved widespread adoption. Dr. Hayes’s contributions to teaching and service have also been exemplary. He served as department chair at UNR, and with Linda Hayes launched the behavior analysis program there. Dr. Hayes has held many influential service (e.g., president of Division 25, the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science [ACBS], and the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies [ABCT]) and editorial (e.g., AE of JABA) positions, and has received numerous awards for his work (e.g., the SABA Awards for International Dissemination of Behavior Analysis and the Impact of Science on Application, the APA Don Hake Award, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from ABCT). His contributions span philosophical, methodological, basic, and applied domains with remarkable breadth and depth. |
| Abstract: Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) is a training-based version of a psychotherapeutic approach with the same acronym that is based on the assumptions, models, and principles of a contemporary off-shoot of mainstream behavior analysis: Contextual Behavioral Science (CBS). CBS can best be thought of as behavior analysis as it appears following the full integrations of Relational Frame Theory (RFT) into the set of behavioral principles used by behavior analysts to conduct functional analyses and to extend those into analytic-abstractive theories within a domain. The present talk will briefly describe the history of ACT and its underlying applied and basic model. It is my general argument that literally everything in CBS is a direct extension of behavior analysis viewed as the scientific and professional tradition established by B. F. Skinner, that is, as a field that is functional and contextual in its assumptions, embracing evolution science as the umbrella covering the life sciences, and that is anti-mechanistic and reductionistic. Not everyone views behavior analysis in a way that is consistent with these Skinnerian ideas, but for those who do, I argue that there is no reason not to use ACT, RFT, and the underlying applied model of human behavioral functioning, the Psychological Flexibility Model, as a basis for behavior analytic research and practice. In this talk I will give a sense of the findings from the now vast set of studies on these topics (the number likely exceeds 2,000, depending on how the line is drawn). I will show that ACT and its underlying basic and applied model is already known to impact many of the key concerns faced by practicing behavior analysts, and I will argue that it allows behavior analysts to address the role of private events and verbal relations in ways that are non-mentalistic, understandable to others, helpful to outcomes, and within the scope of practice of BCBAa. |
| Target Audience: Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students. |
| Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the presentation, participants will be able to: (1) specify the six key elements of the Psychological Flexibility Model; (2) describe how the behavior analytic research on rule-governed behavior relates to acceptance and defusion; (3) give at least one example of a specific intervention technique that might readily be used by BCBAs in the areas of acceptance, defusion, and values; (4) describe the state of evidence on ACT and its underlying components as broadly applicable intervention methods; (5) describe at least one applied study on ACT done in a traditional area of intervention for BCBAs. |
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| On the Role of Acceptance and Commitment Training for Adolescents and Adults With Developmental Disorders |
| Tuesday, May 29, 2018 |
| 11:00 AM–11:50 AM |
| Manchester Grand Hyatt, Harbor Ballroom ABC |
| Domain: Service Delivery |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
| CE Instructor: Ruth Anne Rehfeldt, Ph.D. |
| Chair: Thomas G. Szabo (Florida Institute of Technology) |
| RUTH ANNE REHFELDT (Southern Illinois University) |
 Dr. Rehfeldt holds a BA in psychology from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA (1993), and masters and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Nevada (1998 graduation), where she was a student of Dr. Linda J. Hayes. Dr. Rehfeldt has published approximately 100 articles and book chapters in behavior analysis. Her expertise focuses specifically upon basic and applied investigations of verbal behavior, Relational Frame Theory, and Acceptance and Commitment Training. She co-edited a book with Yvonne Barnes-Holmes entitled “Derived Stimulus Relations Applications for Learners with Autism and other Developmental Disorders: A Progressive Guide for Change, and is currently co-editing a text on applied behavior analysis of language and cognition with Johnathan Tarbox, Mitch Fryling, and Linda Hayes. Dr. Rehfeldt served as the editor and business manager for The Psychological Record for 12 years. She is or has been an editorial board member for a number of behavior analytic journals, and has been awarded several awards at Southern Illinois University for her research and teaching. She is currently the director of SIU’s Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders, where her and her students’ research focuses on Acceptance and Commitment Training and social skills instruction for adolescents and young adults with autism spectrum disorders. She is a peer reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission and the coordinator of university accreditation at SIU. |
| Abstract: Behavior analysts receive little formal training for intervening with their clients’ private, internal experiences, yet because many behavior analysts work with highly verbal clinical populations as well as parents and staff, there are good reasons that a technology for addressing internal experiences by these professionals is in order. This presentation will provide a justification for the implementation of Acceptance and Commitment Training with individuals with mild developmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability. This justification will extend to direct-care staff providing direct services to these populations. Highlighted will be recent research on the use of ACT in conjunction with interventions based on applied behavior analysis. Studies using components of ACT in conjunction with behavioral skills training will be discussed, as will studies that have evaluated the efficacy of components of ACT in increasing the engagement of direct care staff with their clients with severe developmental disorders. The presentation will underscore the importance of the discipline’s adoption of ACT as a technology for intervening on private events and enhancing committed actions. |
| Target Audience: Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students. |
| Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the presentation, participants will be able to: (1) articulate the rationale for addressing psychological flexibility in adolescents and adults with developmental disorders, as well agency staff-members working with such populations; (2) discuss the general procedures and results from studies exploring the use of ACT in conjunction with ABA; (3) recognize the theoretical constructs constituting the ACT hexaflex and their role as tools of behavior change. |
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| Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Obsessive Compulsive and Related Disorders |
| Tuesday, May 29, 2018 |
| 1:00 PM–1:50 PM |
| Manchester Grand Hyatt, Harbor Ballroom ABC |
| Domain: Service Delivery |
| Instruction Level: Basic |
| CE Instructor: Mike P. Twohig, Ph.D. |
| Chair: Emily Kennison Sandoz (University of Louisiana at Lafayette) |
| MIKE P. TWOHIG (Utah State University) |
 Michael P. Twohig, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist in the state of Utah and a Professor of Psychology at Utah State University. He received his B.A. and M.S. from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, his Ph.D. from the University of Nevada, Reno, and completed his clinical internship at the University of British Columbia Hospital. He is past-President of the Association of Contextual Behavioral Science, the organization most associated with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). His research focuses on the use of ACT across a variety of clinical presentations with an emphasis on obsessive compulsive and related disorders. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles and two books: An ACT-Enhanced Behavior Therapy approach to the Treatment of Trichotillomania (with Woods) and ACT Verbatim for Depression and Anxiety (with Hayes). His research has been funded through multiple sources including the National Institute of Mental Health. |
| Abstract: Effective treatments exist for obsessive compulsive and related disorders. Still, these interventions are not effective for all. A team of researchers has been looking at the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), alone or in conjunction with other traditional behavioral procedures, as a unified treatment for obsessive compulsive and related disorders. To date there have been multiple smaller studies and randomized clinical trials of ACT for obsessive compulsive disorder as well as excoriation disorder (skin picking), trichotillomania (hair pulling), and compulsive pornography viewing. This presentation will offer a specific conceptualization of obsessive compulsive and related disorders that focuses on their relationships to experiential avoidance and psychological inflexibility. The outcomes of pertinent studies will be covered. Finally, a few clinical examples of its use will be offered. |
| Target Audience: Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students. |
| Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the presentation, participants will be able to: (1) discuss the different obsessive compulsive and related disorders; (2) conceptualize these disorders from an ACT model; (3) discuss key assessment and treatment methods for obsessive compulsive and related disorders. |
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ACT for Children With Autism and the Caregivers That Support Them |
| Tuesday, May 29, 2018 |
| 2:00 PM–2:50 PM |
| Manchester Grand Hyatt, Harbor Ballroom ABC |
| Domain: Service Delivery |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
| CE Instructor: Mark R. Dixon, Ph.D. |
| Chair: John O'Neill (Contextual Behavioral Science Institute) |
| MARK R. DIXON (Southern Illinois University) |
 Dr. Mark R. Dixon, BCBA-D, is professor and coordinator of the Behavior Analysis and Therapy Program at Southern Illinois University. His interests include the study of complex verbal behavior, gambling addiction, and organizational behavior management. Mark has published 10 books and over 200 peer reviewed journal articles. He has served as Editor of Behavior Analysis in Practice and The Analysis of Verbal Behavior, associate editor for Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, and a reviewer for over 20 non-behavioral journals. Dr. Dixon has generated over 2.5 million dollars in funding to infuse behavior analysis within local schools and treatment facilities, and create a behavioral therapy clinic for persons suffering from autism and related conditions. Mark's research and/or expert opinions have been featured in Newsweek, Time, The New York Times, National Public Radio, This American Life, Bill Nye Saves the World, a New York Times best seller, and regional affiliates of ABC, CBS, and PBS. |
| Abstract: Mark Dixon will take the attendees on a journey into the fascinating world of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and how to apply it to children with autism as well as their caregivers. The presentation will showcase the data, treatments, and outcomes from a variety of research studies and trace the history of these data back to a tiny school in rural Illinois that did the unexpected rebuilt itself from the ground up with ACT serving as its foundational core. At this school, students and staff start each morning with group ACT activities and practice the therapeutic techniques throughout the entire school day. A growing number of replication sites have started, and the outcomes have been dramatic. Higher GPAs, better attendance, and a feeling of belonging in children that have struggled for years. Caregiver changes have included increased positive interactions with clients, improved accuracy in running ABA treatment programs, less reported work stress, and improved parental acceptance of their child's disability. Dr. Dixon will discuss all aspects of these amazingly novel applications for ACT, including parent, staff and administration buy-in, training for personnel, student progress monitoring, and clinical outcomes. |
| Target Audience: Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students. |
| Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the presentation, participants will be able to: (1) discuss the history of ACT and its empirical and conceptual foundations in Relational Frame Theory; (2) discuss the various elements of ACT, how to describe these separate processes, and awareness of how they interact together; (3) apply various ACT techniques to children across K-12 settings; (4) discuss ACT implementation and the scope of practice of a behavior analyst; (5) discuss how to apply ACT to parents and caregivers working with children with autism |
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| An Expansive View of Behavior Analysis |
| Tuesday, May 29, 2018 |
| 3:00 PM–3:50 PM |
| Manchester Grand Hyatt, Harbor Ballroom ABC |
| Domain: Service Delivery |
| Instruction Level: Basic |
| CE Instructor: Anthony Biglan, Ph.D. |
| Chair: Alyssa N. Wilson (Saint Louis University) |
| ANTHONY BIGLAN (Oregon Research Institute) |
 Anthony Biglan, Ph.D., is a Senior Scientist at Oregon Research Institute. He is the author of The Nurture Effect: How the Science of Human Behavior Can Improve our Lives and Our World.
Dr. Biglan has been conducting research on the development and prevention of child and adolescent problem behavior for the past 30 years. His work has included studies of the risk and protective factors associated with tobacco, alcohol, and other drug use; high-risk sexual behavior; and antisocial behavior. He has conducted numerous experimental evaluations of interventions to prevent tobacco use both through school-based programs and community-wide interventions. And, he has evaluated interventions to prevent high-risk sexual behavior, antisocial behavior, and reading failure.
In recent years, his work has shifted to more comprehensive interventions that have the potential to prevent the entire range of child and adolescent problems. He and colleagues at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences published a book summarizing the epidemiology, cost, etiology, prevention, and treatment of youth with multiple problems (Biglan et al., 2004). He is a former president of the Society for Prevention Research. He was a member of the Institute of Medicine Committee on Prevention, which released its report in 2009 documenting numerous evidence-based preventive interventions that can prevent multiple problems. As a member of Oregon’s Alcohol and Drug Policy Commission, he is helping to develop a strategic plan for implementing comprehensive evidence-based interventions throughout Oregon.
Information about Dr. Biglan’s publications can be found at http://www.ori.org/scientists/anthony_biglan. |
| Abstract: If our ultimate goal is contributing to the wellbeing of humans, we must achieve a behavioral science that is adequate to addressing the many important problems that threaten human wellbeing in the 21st Century. For this reason, we need a more expansive vision of behavior analysis. Skinner’s original vision argued that a science of human behavior could account for and indeed, enable us to influence every aspect of human behavior. However, to an extent, behavior analysts have tended to restrict their attention to theoretical and methodological principles that are clearly derived from behavior analysis. Research and practice that was not clearly labeled as “behavior analytic” has tended to be excluded from the repertoire of behavior analysts. Although behavior analysis has made great contributions in some areas, other areas have had little attention until recently. In this talk I will argue that the stance that would be most in keeping with Skinner’s vision of a science of human behavior that is adequate to addressing every aspect of human behavior, would be one in which behavior analysts embrace any empirical evidence about human behavior that is reliable and replicable, while at the same time focusing on how that evidence contributes to the goal of prediction and influence. Our question should be “Does it work?” not whether it is behavior analytic. This stance would bring into the purview of behavior analysts many areas of behavioral science that ironically would not exist without the seminal contribution of Skinner and other behavior analysts. Among these are clinical interventions, research on relational framing, behavioral medicine, and prevention science. |
| Target Audience: Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students. |
| Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the presentation, participants will be able to: (1) define coercion; (2) describe the Nurse Family Partnership. |
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| Panel Discussion on ACT Scope of Practice Within Mainstream Applied Behavior Analysis |
| Tuesday, May 29, 2018 |
| 4:00 PM–4:50 PM |
| Manchester Grand Hyatt, Harbor Ballroom ABC |
| Domain: Service Delivery |
| Chair: Evelyn R. Gould (FirstSteps for Kids, Inc.) |
| CE Instructor: Evelyn R. Gould, Ph.D. |
| Panelists: ANTHONY BIGLAN (Oregon Research Institute), MARK R. DIXON (Southern Illinois University), STEVEN C. HAYES (University of Nevada, Reno), RUTH ANNE REHFELDT (Southern Illinois University), MICHAEL P. TWOHIG (Utah State University) |
| Abstract: Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) was originally developed as a behavior analytic approach to psychotherapy, and is now supported by over 200 randomized controlled trials. However, over the last decade, interest in ACT has been spreading within mainstream applied behavior analysis (ABA). In addition, research on applications of ACT within ABA has been expanding dramatically in recent years, providing examples of how ACT can be practiced while also staying fully within the scope of practice of Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs). This panel discussion directly addresses the issue of scope of practice, with the aim of clarifying the boundaries of how ACT can be used within applied behavior analysis, as opposed to clinical psychology and other disciplines that require separate licensures to practice. The panel will be chaired by Dr. Evelyn Gould and the panelists include Drs. Tony Biglan, Mark Dixon, Steven Hayes, Ruth Anne Rehfeldt, and Michael Twohig. The panelists represent a wide range of past and current behavioral journal editors in chief, book authors, and leading researchers on ACT applications within ABA. |
| Instruction Level: Basic |
| Target Audience: Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students. |
| Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the presentation, participants will be able to: (1) provide examples of how ACT can be practiced while staying fully within the scope of practice of BCBAs; (2) discuss the boundaries of how ACT can be applied within ABA. |
| ANTHONY BIGLAN (Oregon Research Institute) |
 Anthony Biglan, Ph.D., is a Senior Scientist at Oregon Research Institute. He is the author of The Nurture Effect: How the Science of Human Behavior Can Improve our Lives and Our World. Dr. Biglan has been conducting research on the development and prevention of child and adolescent problem behavior for the past 30 years. His work has included studies of the risk and protective factors associated with tobacco, alcohol, and other drug use; high-risk sexual behavior; and antisocial behavior. He has conducted numerous experimental evaluations of interventions to prevent tobacco use both through school-based programs and community-wide interventions. And, he has evaluated interventions to prevent high-risk sexual behavior, antisocial behavior, and reading failure. In recent years, his work has shifted to more comprehensive interventions that have the potential to prevent the entire range of child and adolescent problems. He and colleagues at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences published a book summarizing the epidemiology, cost, etiology, prevention, and treatment of youth with multiple problems (Biglan et al., 2004). He is a former president of the Society for Prevention Research. He was a member of the Institute of Medicine Committee on Prevention, which released its report in 2009 documenting numerous evidence-based preventive interventions that can prevent multiple problems. As a member of Oregon�s Alcohol and Drug Policy Commission, he is helping to develop a strategic plan for implementing comprehensive evidence-based interventions throughout Oregon. Information about Dr. Biglan�s publications can be found at http://www.ori.org/scientists/anthony_biglan. |
| MARK R. DIXON (Southern Illinois University) |
 Dr. Mark R. Dixon, BCBA-D, is professor and coordinator of the Behavior Analysis and Therapy Program at Southern Illinois University. His interests include the study of complex operant behavior, gambling behavior, and organizational behavior. Mark has published 3 books and over 100 peer reviewed journal articles. He has served as associate editor for Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, the editor for the Analysis of Gambling Behavior, and a reviewer for over 20 nonbehavioral journals. Dr. Dixon has generated over 1.5 million dollars in funding to infuse behavior analysis within local schools and treatment facilities, and create a behavioral therapy clinic for persons suffering from problem gambling or obesity. Mark's research and/or expert opinions have been featured in Newsweek, Time, The New York Times, National Public Radio, This American Life, a New York Times best seller, and regional affiliates of ABC, CBS, and PBS. |
| STEVEN C. HAYES (University of Nevada, Reno) |
 Dr. Steven C. Hayes received his Ph.D. from West Virginia University and currently serves as professor in the behavior analysis program in the Department of Psychology at the University of Nevada, Reno. Dr. Hayes has a record of voluminous research and substantial impact, within behavior analysis and beyond, with 43 books and more than 600 publications. He is one of only three behavior analysts in the world with an h-index above 100 in Google Scholar (www.webometrics.info/en/node/58). He is the principal developer of relational frame theory and acceptance and commitment therapy, highly influential behavior analytic approaches to language and cognition, and evidence-based intervention, respectively, that have generated considerable research and achieved widespread adoption. Dr. Hayes�s contributions to teaching and service have also been exemplary. He served as department chair at UNR, and with Linda Hayes launched the behavior analysis program there. Dr. Hayes has held many influential service (e.g., president of Division 25, the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science [ACBS], and the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies [ABCT]) and editorial (e.g., AE of JABA) positions, and has received numerous awards for his work (e.g., the SABA Awards for International Dissemination of Behavior Analysis and the Impact of Science on Application, the APA Don Hake Award, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from ABCT). His contributions span philosophical, methodological, basic, and applied domains with remarkable breadth and depth. |
| RUTH ANNE REHFELDT (Southern Illinois University) |
 Dr. Ruth Anne Rehfeldt holds a BA in psychology from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA (1993), and masters and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Nevada (1998 graduation), where she was a student of Dr. Linda J. Hayes. Dr. Rehfeldt has published approximately 100 articles and book chapters in behavior analysis. Her expertise focuses specifically upon basic and applied investigations of verbal behavior, Relational Frame Theory, and Acceptance and Commitment Training. She co-edited a book with Yvonne Barnes-Holmes entitled “Derived Stimulus Relations Applications for Learners with Autism and other Developmental Disorders: A Progressive Guide for Change, and is currently co-editing a text on applied behavior analysis of language and cognition with Johnathan Tarbox, Mitch Fryling, and Linda Hayes. Dr. Rehfeldt served as the editor and business manager for The Psychological Record for 12 years. She is or has been an editorial board member for a number of behavior analytic journals, and has been awarded several awards at Southern Illinois University for her research and teaching. She is currently the director of SIU’s Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders, where her and her students’ research focuses on Acceptance and Commitment Training and social skills instruction for adolescents and young adults with autism spectrum disorders. She is a peer reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission and the coordinator of university accreditation at SIU. |
| MICHAEL P. TWOHIG (Utah State University) |
 Michael P. Twohig, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist in the state of Utah and a Professor of Psychology at Utah State University. He received his B.A. and M.S. from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, his Ph.D. from the University of Nevada, Reno, and completed his clinical internship at the University of British Columbia Hospital. He is past-President of the Association of Contextual Behavioral Science, the organization most associated with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). His research focuses on the use of ACT across a variety of clinical presentations with an emphasis on obsessive compulsive and related disorders. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles and two books: An ACT-Enhanced Behavior Therapy approach to the Treatment of Trichotillomania (with Woods) and ACT Verbatim for Depression and Anxiety (with Hayes). His research has been funded through multiple sources including the National Institute of Mental Health. |
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| Closing Remarks |
| Tuesday, May 29, 2018 |
| 4:50 PM–5:00 PM |
| Manchester Grand Hyatt, Harbor Ballroom ABC |
| Chair: Jonathan J. Tarbox (University of Southern California; FirstSteps for Kids) |
Closing remarks from Program Chair Jonathan Tarbox. |
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