Association for Behavior Analysis International

Dr. Hanley has been applying the principles of learning to improve socially important behaviors of children and adults with and without disabilities just under 30 years. He worked and trained at the Kennedy Krieger Institute, was degreed at the University of Florida, was tenured at the University of Kansas, and directed the Behavior Analysis Doctoral Program and Life Skills Clinic at Western New England University (WNEU).

Dr. Hanley has published over 100 book chapters and articles in peer-reviewed journals in areas such as the assessment and prevention of problem behavior, teaching tactics for young children, and evidence-based values. Dr. Hanley is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (Div. 25), past Associate Editor of The Behavior Analyst, and past Editor of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and of Behavior Analysis in Practice.

He currently serves as a Research Professor at WNEU, an Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and CEO of FTF Behavioral, an international training and consulting group based in Worcester Massachusetts. This group of researcher-practitioners supports professionals attempting to create meaningful outcomes with practical functional assessment processes and skill-based treatments for addressing emerging and severe problem behavior, intractable stereotypy, food selectivity and mealtime problem behavior, and sleep problems.

For three decades after Leo Kanner’s first clinical description, research progress in understanding and treating autism was minimal. Since the late 1960s autism discoveries have been exponential. The impetus for this explosion of empirical research was the discovery that something could be done to prevent the inevitable downward spiral of autism using Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention. Two other important factors were widely accepted as clinical tests for autism: the Autism Diagnostic Observational Schedule and the proliferation of magnetic tesonant imaging technologies (especially functional brain imaging) leading to localizing brain areas most involved in autism deficits overcome by EIBI. Naturalistic and discrete trial methods are now integrated, with emphasis depending on degree of disability. As we approach 2020, autism has begun to be an eminently treatable condition for many affected children.

Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students.

I am a Professor of Hearing & Speech Sciences at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine with joint appointments in Psychiatry, Neuroscience, and Special Education. I have devoted my career exclusively to research, teaching, and clinical activities in the field of autism and developmental disabilities. My research has focused on the pathogenesis and treatment of autism and related conditions with a particular focus on repetitive and inflexible patterns of behavior. Research in these areas from our group has been published in a variety of journals including The New England Journal of Medicine, Science, PLoS One, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, Autism Research, the American Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities, the Journal of Pediatrics, Brain Behavior Research, and Social Cognitive Affective Neuroscience. My research has been continuously funded by NIH since 1992. My service activities have included: standing member of the NIH Childhood Psychopathology and Developmental Disabilities Study Section; Editor of Autism: The International Journal of Research & Practice; Associate Editor of the American Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities, Co-Chair of the Institute of Medicine Developmental Disabilities Task Force, Governor-appointed member of the Council on Developmental Disabilities; Senate Appointee of the Legislative Study Commission on Autism Spectrum Disorders; expert consultant for the US Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, and faculty member of the International Congress on Movement Disorders.

Repetitive patterns of behavior are a hallmark of autism. However, both the research literature and common practices related to this form of behavior are mixed on a key issue: Should repetitive behavior be seen as an adaptive response and encouraged, or a challenging behavior to be treated? Many people with autism report that their repetitive behaviors are useful for them and even an important source of their identity. But, for others, more severe forms of repetitive behavior may limit opportunities for development and may cause stress for families, teachers, and care providers due to the behavior and mood problems that are associated with inflexibility. What assessments are useful for identifying the instances where repetitive behaviors are impeding development and thus are reasonable targets for intervention? And, what intervention approaches are practical and effective when this is the case? When a child with autism has trouble with communication or socialization we intuitively know what to teach to address these deficits, and a considerable amount of research and good practice provide us with guides on how to do this effectively. But, how do you “teach to” the issue of repetitive, rigid and inflexible behavior? Without this notion of how to best address this behaviorally, poor outcomes are a possibility, and non-evidenced based approaches may be considered and applied. In this talk, I’ll review research that has examined the underlying biological and behavioral mechanisms that appear to drive repetitive patterns of behavior and how this information can inform behavioral intervention practices. Key aspects of this work are informed from work in the experimental analysis of behavior on behavioral variability, and work on the behavioral neuroscience of choice, reward and reinforcement. In addition, I’ll describe work we are doing on clinical applications of this research program in clinics, homes, and schools.

Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students.

There is considerable empirical evidence that shows assessment-based instruction can improve the efficacy and efficiency of skill acquisition for individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Nevertheless, assessment-based instruction is not yet widely used by practitioners. One variable that may contribute to this research-to-practice gap is lack of familiarity with how to design and conduct these assessments. Dr. Kodak will present a step-by-step guide to designing and using assessment-based instruction to inform selection of skill-acquisition methods for clients with ASD. Descriptions, examples, and relevant data sheets and graphical displays will be provided to teach attendees how to design skill acquisition assessments.

Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students.

Dr. Lewis completed his undergraduate education at Bowdoin College after which he worked in the area of developmental disabilities, and completed a Master’s degree from Western Michigan University. His interest in developmental disabilities continued during his Ph.D. studies at the Kennedy Center at Vanderbilt University, where he focused on repetitive behavior in individuals with intellectual disability. Interest in the neurobiological basis of these behaviors led him to pursue post-doctoral training at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Lewis has held faculty positions at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Florida, where he is currently Professor, Co-Vice Chair for Research, and Executive Director, Center for Autism and Related Disabilities. His research has employed both clinical studies and animal models to understand the phenomenology, etiology, pathophysiology and treatment of repetitive behaviors. His work with animal models has helped elucidate the neural circuitry involved in the development and expression of these behaviors and has pointed to potential novel treatments. Dr. Lewis has been the recipient of a number of NIH grant awards, has been a member and chaired numerous NIH grant review panels, has published over 125 papers in refereed journals, and has served as reviewer and editorial board member for a number of scientific journals.

Restricted repetitive behavior (e.g., stereotypies, compulsions, rituals) is diagnostic for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and frequently observed in related neurodevelopmental disorders. Despite this, relatively little is known about the neurobiological mechanisms that mediate the development and expression of these repetitive behaviors. This lack of knowledge precludes effective early intervention and prevention strategies. Clinical studies have provided limited findings based on a small number of neuroimaging and genetic studies. Moreover, there is little evidence for the efficacy of pharmacotherapy for restricted repetitive behavior in individuals with ASD. Valid animal models can aid substantially in identifying pathophysiological factors mediating aberrant repetitive behavior and aid in treatment development. We will review relevant clinical neuroscience as well as our findings from animal models, highlighting the role of altered cortical-basal ganglia circuitry in the development and expression of these behaviors. We will also review our pharmacological studies in animal models that have identified novel potential therapeutic targets for clinical drug development.

Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students.

Dr. Coyne is the Founder and Senior Clinical Consultant of the McLean OCD Institute for Children and Adolescents at McLean Hospital, and is an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School. She is the Founder and Director of the New England Center for OCD and Anxiety (NECOA), and is on the Faculty of the Behavior Therapy Training Institute (BTTI) of the International OCD Foundation.  She is also a licensed psychologist and a peer-reviewed ACT trainer. She has authored multiple articles and chapters on ACT with children and adolescents, and is a co-author of the books Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: The Clinician’s Guide for Supporting Parents (Elsevier), and The Joy of Parenting (New Harbinger).  Her new books, The ACT Guide to Teen Anxiety and OCD, Guilford Press, and Stuff That’s Loud: A Teen’s Guide to Unspiralling When OCD Gets Noisy (New Harbinger & Little Brown), are expected in 2020.

Contemporary approaches to anxiety and fear in children and adolescents employ exposure-based treatments and experiential learning. New research on how exposure works has suggested specific guidelines we can use to enhance these approaches. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a behavioral evidence-based intervention that can be used to support inhibitory learning in exposure-based treatment. Thus, this talk will discuss how applied behavior analysts may incorporate ACT into exposure-based treatment; namely, through shaping curiosity, willingness, and flexibility in the presence of fear and anxiety. Specifically, the speaker will discuss data on inhibitory learning processes in exposure, and how to incorporate specific ACT interventions into exposure to strengthen and contextualize this type of learning.

Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students.

Section 1.05 of the BACB Compliance Code focuses on professional relationships between people of differing ages, genders, races, ethnicities, national origins, religions, sexual orientations, disabilities, languages, and socioeconomic status. Ideally, behavior analysts in clinical practice should be non-discriminatory and be developing increasingly more cultural responsiveness when working with people of differing backgrounds, life experiences and preferences. Cultural responsiveness is closely yoked with experience, ethical perspectives and social justice. This presentation will review behavior analytic conceptualizations of culture and cultural responsiveness, coloniality and the WEIRDness of our discipline, ethical perspectives, and some inherent barriers and possibilities within our discipline. The presentation will close with a summary of suggested pathways leading to cultural responsiveness and social justice.

Board certified behavior analysts; graduate students.

What a difference a decade makes! Only 10 years ago, very few families had access to health insurance coverage for ABA. Today, ABA coverage is expected. But significant gaps in coverage still exist, and significant restrictions sometimes discourage or block providers from recommending and delivering needed intensity. Join Lorri Unumb, Esq., as she shares strategies for addressing or overcoming the coverage gaps and caps. Lorri will also discuss general insurance trends, including the recent proliferation of products that masquerade as insurance but don’t include ABA coverage.

Board certified behavior analysts.

The terms stimulus, response, and stimulus control are derived from the experimental literature. The term "prompt" arose within the applied field. There are many conceptual and logical errors in how trainers use these terms that often lead to ineffectual lessons. Similar problems can be found regarding error correction strategies and those that are described as "errorless." We will review many popular teaching strategies, including fading, most-to-least, least-to-most, etc., several error-correction strategies and a host of strategies described as "errorless teaching." The goal is to shake up many long-held and cherished beliefs about common teaching strategies.

Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students.

Applied behavior analytic research has traditionally focused on tightly controlled within-subject manipulations that focus on maximizing internal validity. Although this approach is well suited for addressing many important research questions, the influence of this work will continue to be limited without extending it to include questions related to external validity. Thus, clinical research is best served by a comprehensive approach that acknowledges which types of research questions are best addressed by each research approach. Achieving this balance requires flexibility that many disciplines are traditionally averse to, but has tremendous potential to maximize the impact of clinical research on practitioners and thereby the patients and clients who could benefit from its findings.

Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students.

Anna Ingeborg Petursdottir received her Ph.D. from Western Michigan University. She is currently an associate professor of psychology and chair of the psychology department at Texas Christian University (TCU), where she teaches courses and supervises doctoral students in Experimental Psychology. She also holds an appointment as a part-time lecturer at Reykjavik University. Anna is a previous editor of The Analysis of Verbal Behavior, a previous associate editor of JABA and a current associate editor of JEAB. She is president-elect of Division 25 of the American Psychological Association, a board member of the Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, a member of the ABAI science board, and a past president of the Texas Association for Behavior Analysis. Anna’s research encompasses both basic and applied interests and focuses primarily on verbal behavior acquisition and the relationship between verbal behavior and derived stimulus relations.

Language and communication skills are a major focus of early intervention programs for young children diagnosed with ASD who present with language delays. Based on typical developmental sequences, early curricula emphasized establishing language comprehension before moving to production; operationalized as completing receptive programs prior to the corresponding expressive programs. By contrast, more recent approaches that are rooted in behavioral accounts of language are more likely to recommend mixing receptive and expressive instruction. In this presentation, I will review old and new evidence suggesting that for many learners, the most efficient way to establish both comprehension and production is to focus on expressive instruction, particularly on the verbal operant termed the tact. This may be the case even when the primary goal is to establish another verbal operant, such as the intraverbal. I will present some hypotheses as to why the empirical evidence seems to favor this approach, along with relevant data. Likewise, I will review what is known about potential prerequisites for tact instruction to result in the establishment of additional speaker and listener behavior, and which questions remain unanswered.

Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students.

Dr. Shillingsburg currently serves as Sr. Vice President of Children’s Services and Training at May Institute. She received her PhD in clinical psychology from Auburn University and completed her predoctoral internship and post-doctoral fellowship at the Marcus Institute. She previously served as the Director of the Language and Learning Clinic at the Marcus Autism Center and held an appointment of Associate Professor at Emory University in the Division of Autism and Related Developmental Disabilities. Dr. Shillingsburg is a licensed psychologist and Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA-D). Her clinical expertise includes the development of language and behavioral programming to address a variety of behavioral difficulties and social communication deficits associated with autism and other developmental disabilities. She has published over 50 empirical papers and book chapters on interventions for children with autism and related developmental disabilities. She is currently an associate editor for the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and Operants, editorial board member of Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, and is past associate editor for The Analysis of Verbal Behavior.

Impairments in social communication and interaction are identified as hallmark characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Depending on the severity of these challenges, some individuals with ASD may experience difficulties in the development of relationships and positive social interactions. Procedures that promote the development of social interest, social initiations, engagement and play are particularly useful for practitioners designing treatment programs for children with ASD. In this presentation I will provide an overview of the social deficits associated with ASD and present a variety of evidence-based procedures to promote social interactions and social communication with adults and peers. Procedures to enhance motivation for social engagement as well as strategies to teach children to initiate and respond to social partners will be presented.

Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students.

In the year since the 2019 CPT® I billing codes for ABA took effect, behavior analysts have encountered a wide array of issues, including contradictory interpretations of the codes, arbitrary hour limits, claims denials, and even accusations of fraud. The ABA Billing Codes Commission was established to work collaboratively and transparently to preserve and expand access to ABA that reflects best practices by identifying and resolving issues arising from the adoption of the CPT I codes. In this presentation, we will review the most common concerns, including concurrent billing, hour limits associated with Medically Unlikely Edits (MUEs), direction of the behavior technician, clinical documentation, and valuation, and provide guidance and resources to support the effort of behavior analysts to implement evidence-based ABA. Finally, we will discuss what comes next and how we can work together to promote positive changes in the interpretation and valuation of the billing codes.

Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students.