Association for Behavior Analysis International

Implementation of evidence-based practices can be conceptualized as not only a set of practices, but also as a decision-making process. This process identifies multiple variables that affect sustainability of interventions. Further, when creating behavior intervention plans for all students, including those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), it is important that teachers, practitioners, and other interventionists evaluate and consider contextual variables that affect sustainability and overall acceptability of interventions as a whole. Sustainability and acceptability of intervention are two of the most important factors when evaluating the effectiveness of interventions, however, emphasis is not always placed on these two factors in practice. This panel presentation examines these variables and provides recommendations to increase overall effectiveness of interventions as a whole. This presentation is meaningful for all practitioners in roles that require development, implementation, and analysis of behavior interventions in school settings, as positive outcomes rely heavily on these critical factors.

This presentation is targeted towards practicing BCBAs working to develop interventions with strong contextual fit to ensure prolonged sustainability of intervention.

Qualitative research is often undertaken to understand and improve practices within a particular discipline. Qualitative researchers are interested in understanding how people perceive or interpret their lived experiences rather than working to find and prove a hypothesis or discover a cause and effect. For example, understanding others’ theoretical ways of seeing the application of behavior principles to challenging behavior is a possible objective for the coding and thematic analysis that is typical of qualitative research. This symposium will address the process of qualitative research including the use of coding, memos, nodes, and themes. The presenters will address the research process of coding, categorization of codes and subsequent generation of themes. Qualitative research requires additional methods of triangulation of data (e.g., member checking, auditor, critical friend) and these methods will also be discussed , as will the iterative nature of the analysis of data in qualitative research.

This symposium is appropriate for researchers and practitioners who are interested in the perspectives of consumers of ABA services. The presenters will provide information about qualitative research and the insights that the iterative nature of qualitative data analysis provides when investigating the perspectives of consumers served by ABA researchers and practitioners.

For this qualitative research nine caregivers were interviewed and recorded. Recordings were transcribed. Transcriptions were systematically coded and analyzed for the lived experiences of caregivers around mealtimes/feeding and difficult behavior. Three qualitative researchers coded each interview separately and a list of codes, nodes and themes was generated and shared following each meeting. Additional codes and nodes were generated as the interview coding proceeded and each code was accepted as long as 2/3 of the researchers agreed to its inclusion. Codes will be condensed into themes and a minimum of three main themes will be generated through the reiterative process of qualitative data analysis; these themes will be discussed in detail. The contribution of the understanding achieved (i.e., of parents’ perceptions of interventions around feeding and mealtimes) qualitative analysis and results will be discussed, as well as the process of qualitative research itself. Member checking and an audit is planned upon completion of coding and thematic analysis (data analysis is ongoing at the time of this submission).

The benefits of Applied Behavior Analyst for International School Students has been on the increase. In this symposium, three papers will illustrate these benefits for a range of primary and middle school learners. The first paper will report on how our science can be used to gather social validity measures to benefit inclusion of students with special education needs and their peers. The second paper will show how techniques from our science can improve and replace stereotypy and the third paper will show how video modelling can be used to teach drawing in middle school students with autism spectrum disorder.

Supervisors, Behavior Analysts, and Special Educators

Applied Behavior Analysis is increasingly effective at improving the inclusion of students with special education needs. Techniques from our science have been used to successfully include students and benefit all students in the primary school classroom. Using direct observation techniques and social validity measures we have discovered how well typical students attend to the teacher in group instruction in a variety of conditions and primary age ranges. This information can be used to develop criteria for inclusion of students with special education needs successfully.

The present study used functional behavior assessment and a treatment package including conditioning of toy play with a student with autism in an international primary school. The functional behavior assessment confirmed that the behaviors were being maintained through automatic reinforcement. The procedure was a partial replication from research conducted with adults and preschool students. Our student was 11 years old and had a long history of stereotypy behaviors and a limited community of reinforcers. This study tested for the external validity of the treatment package.

Video Modelling has been found to be effective to teach a wide range of b behaviors with greater efficiency than direct instruction. Using this antecedent based strategy, we taught drawing to two students with autism in an international school classroom setting. Both the middle school and high school student improved their drawing based on the video modelling treatment package.

Typically, speech-generating device interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder have often involved discrete-trial approaches. Recently, there has been a trend towards using naturalistic developmental behavioral approaches for children with autism spectrum disorder. These approaches embed behavioral principles within natural contexts, routines, and social interactions. Natural communication partners (e.g., parents, peers) are also often involved in such approaches. There is a need for speech-generating device research that explores the utility of these more naturalistic approaches across a variety of device display formats. This symposium will explore how different speech-generating device display formats (including simple grid-based formats, dynamic navigational grids, and visual scene displays) can be incorporated into different natural routines (e.g., play, art activity, meal time, conversation) with natural communication partners (parents and peers). All three studies embedded a variety of behavioral techniques (e.g., prompting, time delay) into natural routines in order to encourage the use of speech-generating devices for communicative purposes. Results indicate that naturalistic interventions with behavioral components can be effective for teaching communication responses to individuals with ASD across a range of display formats.

The target audience for this event would be BCBAs and related practitioners with interests in behavioral approaches to speech-generating device interventions (e.g., special education teachers, speech-language pathologists).

This study evaluated the effectiveness of embedded naturalistic instruction for teaching multi-step speech-generating device (SGD) responses to three preschool-aged males with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Parents were taught to embed opportunities to request objects, request help, reject items, and make comments during every-day routines (e.g., play, meal time). During intervention, parents used time delay, prompting, reinforcement, and device proximity to encourage the use of two-step SGD responses on a grid-based display with category folders (e.g., vehicles, animals). The display format was selected based upon prior dynamic assessment to determine appropriate formats. Effects of intervention were evaluated using a multiple-probes across participants design. For object requesting, all three participants showed an immediate increase in responding that maintained at high levels. Other pragmatic functions also increased, but at a more gradual pace. All three participants showed generalized responding when new items were introduced, and when display pages with a larger array of folders and vocabulary items were assessed.

Social interactions are a critical component of quality of life. These interactions are often complicated for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), as they experience difficulty in participating in social interactions with their peers. The challenges of social interactions are further intensified for those adolescents with ASD who have difficulty with speech. Speech-generating device (SGD) interventions designed to support communication during social interactions with peers in natural environments are needed for these individuals. Video visual scene displays (video VSDs) capture dynamic routines that support communication. This study used a multiple-probe across participants design to assess the impact of an intervention using videos with integrated visual scene displays (video VSDs), presented on a tablet-based app, on the communication of four adolescents with ASD and complex communication needs and their peer partners. The automatic pausing of a video at key points served as a prompt for communication opportunities and provided the necessary vocabulary within the VSD. Following intervention, all four participants demonstrated an increase in communicative turns and in modes of communication used (including speech), suggesting that video VSDs may be an effective tool for supporting social communication.

The evaluation of treatment outcomes is key to a wider adoption of behavioral treatments by key players in health and education including health insurance providers, advocacy groups, and government agencies. As part of this symposium we will present a series of pioneering studies in the area of treatment evaluation and outcome research in behavioral services for people with autism and fragile X syndrome. Study 1 from Scott Hall's group at Standford University presents a randomized controlled trial of function-driven interventions for problem behavior provided via telehealth. Study 2 from Svein Eldevik's group at Oslo Metropolitan University presents a 10-year follow up of treatment outcomes for adolescents and adults that have received early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) during childhood. Study 3 by Bill Ahearn's group at the New England Center for Children presents an evaluation of an early detection and treatment protocol. The study hopes to demonstrate that early detection followed by early treatment can result in optimal outcomes for young children with autism. Finally, Study 4 by Javier Virues-Ortega's group at The University of Auckland and Universidad Autónoma de Madrid presents the results of a case-control study aimed at identifying neural biomarkers of treatment outcomes. The study compared a range of neural pathways in two groups of children with autism who had or had not received parent-managed behavioral intervention. Together these studies feature a variety of emerging approaches to evaluate behavioral services. Dr. Brian Reichow author of several high-impact Cochrane reviews of EIBI will discuss the session.

Practitioners, researchers, advocates and policy decision-makers.

Introduction:Early Interventions for children with developmental disabilities are increasingly being delivered via telehealth to reduce health access disparities. In this paper, we describe the outcomes of a study designed to evaluate behavior analytic treatments for problem behaviors exhibited by young children with fragile X syndrome (FXS), the most common known inherited cause of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Methods:Participants were 61 boys with FXS, aged 3 to 10 years, who exhibited problem behavior on a daily basis. Following a functional analysis, participants were randomized to receive function-based behavioral treatment over 12 weeks (n=26) or treatment as usual (n= 25). The primary outcome measures were scores obtained on the Aberrant Behavior Checklist- Community (ABC-C) and the Treatment Acceptability Rating Form - Revised (TARF-R). Results:Children who received function-based behavioral treatment via telehealth evidenced significant decreases in problem behavior compared to those who received treatment as usual (Cohen’s d = 0.65, p<.001). Scores obtained on the TARF-R indicated that treatment acceptability remained high at 4-week follow-up. Discussion:These data provide initial evidence to support the efficacy of delivering function-based behavioral treatments via telehealth for this population. The advantages and disadvantages of using RCT designs to evaluate treatment effects will be discussed.

This presentation reports the current outcomes of adolescents and adults with autism who received Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention (EIBI) in their childhood. Nineteen children (16 boys and three girls) who had received two years of EIBI starting at a mean age of 2.9 years took part in an extended follow up 12 years later. Results showed that participants had significantly increased their cognitive and adaptive standardized scores during the two years of EIBI, and that these gains were maintained 10 years after EIBI had ended. Participants also showed a significant reduction in autism symptoms between intake and follow-up. Participants had not received any additional psychiatric diagnoses and were not taking psychotropic medication at the 10-year follow up. Results indicate that treatment gains achieved in EIBI are maintained into adolescence. Treatment outcomes during adulthood are reported for eight children from Eikeseth, Smith, Jahr and Eldevik (2002, 2007) who received either three years of EIBI (n = 4) or three years of eclectic special education (n = 4). Preliminary results suggest that children who had received EIBI made larger gains and maintained their progress to a greater extent than those who received eclectic treatment. Overall, our results indicate that gains made after EIBI may persist into adolescence and adulthood.

In the last decade, the applications of acceptance and commitment training (ACT) has exploded within behavior analysis practice. The scope of ACT investigations, however, has been somewhat limited to efforts within the autism spectrum disorder (ASD) population. To that end, the present symposium seeks to expand the empirical reach of ACT to populations outside that of ASD, and discuss the overarching implications of using ACT as a viable, behavior-analytically-rooted approach in a thoroughgoing fashion.

intermediate

Few studies have examined the effects of contextual behavior science interventions for adult athletes with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Those few, reviewed herein, show preliminary empirical support for treating behavioral deficits exhibited by young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder engaged in competitive sports. In the current study, we evaluated a novel iteration of Acceptance and Commitment Training called Watch Me Try and compared it to direct contingency management to facilitate athletic performance of young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder using a concurrent multiple baseline across participants design. The title and language used in establishing the intervention were geared specifically to the social development of the participants. All three athletes increased their attendance, heart rate, and length of falls during training to simulate desired performance during competitions and subsequently, their competition performances improved. One improved with direct contingency management alone; the other two required the Watch Me Try approach to bolster their performance.

Applied behavior analysis (ABA) has long been recognized as effective treatment for child problem behavior. Indeed, hundreds of studies demonstrate that ABA is highly effective in reducing aberrant behavior. Often such studies give little consideration to caregiver behavior, despite the fact that caregivers often (a) initiate the process that results in treatment and (b) are responsible for implementing treatment recommendations. In this symposium, we explore aspects of ABA related to clinical outcomes and caregiver behavior. In the first presentation, we will discuss the changing landscape of service delivery for child problem behavior and contingencies that necessitate an emphasis on caregivers. Second, we will present data on caregivers’ goals for treatment as a way to identify barriers to effective treatment outcomes. The third presentation will explore the validity of caregiver ratings for treatment effects. Finally, the fourth presentation will focus on caregiver treatment fidelity, treatment acceptability, and choice of treatment. Together, these presentations will highlight the role caregivers do (and should) play in behavioral treatment.

practicing behavior analysts, behavior analysis researchers, parents of children receiving behavior analysis treatment

Caregivers have a large impact on the long-term effectiveness of any Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) treatment plan designed for their child’s needs. There is a call-to-action to develop more effective training procedures and implement strategies to gain buy-in up front to maintain caregiver adherence. The purposes of this current study were to (1) further evaluate the effectiveness of nontechnical instructions on fidelity in a Behavioral Skills Training component analysis for caregivers with previous exposure to behavior analytic procedures, (2) evaluate whether caregiver choice is impacted by treatment effectiveness alone, or if graphic feedback is needed, and (3) evaluate the preference for and effects of providing choices to caregivers via social validity data. Three caregivers requesting Applied Behavior Analysis services for their child were involved in treatment planning and implementation of protocols in an alternating treatment with initial baseline and final best practice design. Results indicated (1) nontechnical protocols alone were not sufficient in training any of the caregivers to fidelity, despite previous exposure to behavior analytic procedures, (2) treatment effectiveness impacted 2/3 caregivers’ choices of implementation whereas graphic feedback was necessary for 1/3 caregivers, and (3) overall, the study processes were deemed socially valid for all caregivers.

Interteaching is a behavioral teaching method with growing empirical evidence supporting its efficacy. Over 30 published empirical studies have examined the effectiveness of interteaching in higher education. However, more research is still needed to examine the influence of different interteaching components and the methods used for instructional delivery. The first presenter will acquaint the audience with interteaching and describe results of a study which compared interteaching to standard lecture centered teaching with and without prep guides in an online asynchronous format. The second presenter will share results of a classroom study which compared two different methods of running the discussion component of interteaching. The third presenter will highlight the findings of a series of studies in which interteaching was first compared to another active learning strategy known as the Learning Pathway (LP), and then the addition of Say All Fast Everyday Shuffle (SAFMEDS) to interteaching was evaluated. The final presenter will discuss results of a meta-analytic review on the effectiveness of interteaching. Together, these four presentations illustrate current interteaching research in higher education.

Academics, supervisors, and teachers.

Interteaching is an evidence-based learning strategy that shifts the focus away from a passive learning model found in lecturing to a more active, student-centered learning methodology. It utilizes prep guides, small group discussions, clarifying lectures, and frequent testing. Several classroom studies have demonstrated that interteaching leads to better student comprehension and higher test scores. However, the specific strategy used in these studies vary slightly. The current study used a group design in one undergraduate course over two semesters to investigate how the removal of completed prep guides during the group discussion affected academic success. One group experienced the standard interteaching method, where students completed the prep guide prior to class and referred to their prep guide answers during the group discussion. The second group completed the prep guide prior to class, but then were asked to not refer to their answers during the in-class group discussion. Those in the second group had exam scores that were consistently lower and rated interteaching as less preferable than those who experienced standard interteaching. Results from this study should allow for more effective implementation of interteaching.

Functional communication training (FCT) is a common treatment that clinicians often use with individuals who engage in severe problem behavior. Many studies have shown that treatment relapse may occur following successful treatment with FCT when disruptions to treatment occur (e.g., during periods when reinforcement is unavailable). To improve the durability and generality of FCT, it is important for basic, translational, and applied researchers to evaluate procedures to decrease relapse of problem behavior and increase the persistence of appropriate alternative responses. The three presentations in this symposium will discuss recent research on treatment relapse. First, Ashley Fuhrman will present on a translational study evaluating the effects of training one alternative response versus multiple alternative responses on the resurgence of target behavior. Next, Courtney Mauzy will present on the effects of alternative response preference on resistance to change during functional communication training (FCT). Finally, Dan Mitteer will discuss the effects of the combination of contextual changes and procedural integrity errors on target behavior and alternative behavior during a test for relapse.

Practitioners, faculty, graduate students, and professionals

Functional communication training (FCT; Carr & Durand, 1985) is the most frequently used reinforcement-based treatment to reduce problem behavior exhibited by individuals with developmental disabilities (Tiger, Hanley, & Bruzek, 2008). However, less is understood regarding long-term maintenance of FCT effects when treatment disruptions are encountered. Nevin and Wacker (2013) suggested that maintenance might be best defined, based on Behavioral Momentum Theory (BMT), as the persistence of adaptive behavior and the lack of resurgence of problem behavior when challenges to treatment occur. Ringdahl and colleagues (2018) utilized this conceptual framework to evaluate the impact of variables related to response topography, specifically preference for mand modality, on the persistence of appropriate behavior. Results suggested using high-preferred mand modalities identified through a concurrent-operant preference assessment increased appropriate behavior persistence. However, the high-preferred mand contacted more overall reinforcement pairings as a by-product of the procedures used to identify preference. In the current study, we addressed this potential confound by equating the number of response-reinforcer pairings across response alternatives during the preference assessment. Current results indicate high-preferred mands were more persistent than low-preferred mands, replicating the findings of Ringdahl et al., 2018, while controlling for response-reinforcer pairings.

Experiential avoidance (EA), or attempts to escape unwanted internal experiences (e.g., thoughts, feelings) at the expense of long-term commitment to personal values, has wide-reaching effects for a variety of socially important problems. This symposium will explore EA in both its existing and potential forms of measurement. The first presentation will cover an analogue study which measures levels of EA by exposing adult participants to aversive sounds in the context of delayed reinforcement. The second presenter will discuss how an existing measure, the Avoidance and Fusion Questionnaire, was used to investigate avoidance as a moderation of sexual prejudice and political affiliation among a college student sample. Both studies found that EA could be measured reliably. The results of the first study prove useful to an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy model, as choices changed from smaller, sooner reinforcement to larger, later reinforcement - mapping on to valuing. The hypothesized moderating role of EA in the relationship between political affiliation and sexual prejudice investigated in the second study was found to be insignificant, and the authors will discuss potential reasons for this finding. Measurement limitations and future directions will be covered.

BCBA, Scientist-Practitioners, participants interested in Clinical Behavior Analysis

Experiential avoidance, which can be functionally defined as choosing short-term negative reinforcement over long-term values-oriented positive reinforcement, has been argued to be at the core of a large variety of socially important problems. Relatively little previous laboratory research has studied these functional relations and this study attempted to develop a laboratory preparation that pits shorter-term avoidance over longer-term positive reinforcement. Participants were exposed to choices between avoidance of an aversive sound (i.e., immediate, smaller negative reinforcement) or listening to an aversive sound for a period of time and accumulating money (i.e., delayed, larger positive reinforcement). Three experiments were conducted that evaluated varying magnitudes of delays to and the value of the positive reinforcer, in order to identify the point at which individual participants’ choices changed from the smaller, sooner reinforcer to the larger later reinforcer and vice versa. The potential applicability of this model is discussed as it relates to behavior problems that appear to involve experiential avoidance at their core. In addition, the implications for evaluating components of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) are discussed.

Delay discounting, a behavioral measure of impulsive choice, is the decrease in subjective value of a reward as delay to its receipt increases. Steeper delay discounting has been associated with various health outcomes such as substance use, obesity, problematic gambling, risky sex, etc., and may be an underlying mechanism in the development and maintenance of these maladaptive health behaviors. The discounting literature has as abundance of evidence suggesting that an individual’s sensitivity to delayed outcomes is related to both state and trait properties. The purpose of this symposium is to present new data detailing effects of state and trait properties on delay discounting across rats and humans. The speakers will present data revealing the cross-species trait-like behaviors in the discounting of differing outcomes, the changes in discounting that can be observed across the lifespan and pubertal development, and the role verbal stimuli play in influencing discounting states. These results highlight the similarities and differences in trait and state like factors between non-humans and human subjects.

Physical activity is topography of behavior that has numerous demonstrated benefits contributing to overall health and wellbeing for individuals of all ages. However, problematic trends with respect to physical activity have recently been reported on a worldwide scale (Guthold, Stevens, Riley, & Bull, 2018). Given the readily apparent social significance of this behavior, it is perhaps unsurprising that a variety of behavior-analytic techniques have been explored for understanding, and promoting, physical activity. This symposium includes recent investigations in physical activity assessment and intervention. Studies include applications of behavior analysis to a variety of physical activity topographies (running, swimming, and playground time) and populations (children and adults). Three studies are aimed at identifying variables that contribute to, or maintain, physical activity by using surveys, functional analysis (FA), and literature review. Two studies evaluated interventions to increase physical activity, including differential reinforcement (DR) based on the results of an FA, and behavioral skills training (BST).

Practicing behavior analysts, applied behavior analysis researchers or students with an interest in health or physical activity.

In Iceland, teachers have had a strong preference for teaching methods based on construcitivist beliefs, over methods based on direct transmission beliefs (e.g. OECD, 2009). Also, Icelandic teachers consider discipline and students with behavior problems to be one of the most challenging aspect of their jobs. In this symposium we will present recent research regarding the implementation of evidence-based practices to improve the behavior and academic functioning of students in Iceland. Harpa Oskarsdottir and Zuilma Gabriela Sigurdardottir will present a group comparison study assessing the effects of Direct Instruction and fluency building on the reading performance of students in special education. Gudrun Björg Ragnarsdottir will discuss 25 case studies conducted by graduate students receiving training in implementing explicit instruction and fluency building to improve the reading performance of their elementary students. Anna-Lind Petursdottir and Margret Sigmarsdottir will end the symposium by presenting data on changes in students persistent behavior problems and academic engagement following function-based interventions implemented by graduate students as part of training in an university course. Each presentation will include a discussion of the implications of the data and considerations for implementation of evidence-based strategies in collaboration with teachers who have limited knowledge in the area.

Preparing a manuscript for publication starts before you have actually engaged in the behavior of writing. You must determine whether your research has contributed something new and interesting as well as what audience might be interested in learning about it. Putting our hypotheses, methodology, and results on paper in a carefully constructed way is not an easy task and requires adequate training. Those who are new to this process—and anyone else for that matter—often find publishing to be an intimidating and daunting task. Thus, the publication process is approached with apprehension and wariness. Our goal is to reduce apprehension and build confidence by providing tips and advice on how to write and submit a manuscript for publication. A panel of experts will cover topics that range from the type of manuscript to submit and how to structure that manuscript to preparing a cover sheet for submission. Topics and questions will be solicited from ABAI members in advance, and time will be allocated for in-person questions.

There has recently been an increased interest in research on complex behavior such as imagining and problem solving. Problem solving is relevant to a variety of social, academic, and employment tasks, but we have little research to guide practices in these areas. In addition, behavior analytic researchers have only recently begun to evaluate the effects of prompting private events, such as imagining, on subsequent overt responding. The three papers in this symposium provide examples of how behavior analysts are pushing the boundaries in research on complex behavior. The authors of the first paper evaluated the effects of teaching skills to solve common social problems, the second sought to teach children with ASD how to imagine to answer complex questions, and the purpose of the third was to determine if there were any effects of instructing imagining on emergent relations.

Behavior analytic researchers or clinicians interested in learning more about recent advances in our understanding of private events and problem solving.

Intraverbals that children learn early in development (e.g., song fill-ins, chains) are often the result of simple stimulus control. As the intraverbal repertoire becomes more complex, it is rare that these responses are controlled by a single discriminative stimulus; rather they are under the control of multiple stimuli. The purpose of this study was to systematically replicate and extend the work of Kisamore, Carr, and LeBlanc (2011) by evaluating the effects of visual imagining training on multiply controlled intraverbals in children with ASD. We programmed for generalization by using multiple exemplars of stimuli and assessed across novel responses and a novel category. We included measures of external validity by including participant scores on several language assessments and we included measures of social validity of our stimuli, procedures, and outcomes. We predicted that there would be an increase in responding to the complex intraverbals following visual imagining training and that responding would generalize both within and across categories. Preliminary data suggest an increase in responding following training and some generalization across categories. However, generalization within categories is not as robust. Additional data collection is ongoing.

Practitioners serving individuals who have interfering behaviors that impact learning and quality of life have an ethical and a legal obligation to assess maintaining variables and to develop a function-based intervention. Conducting a functional analysis has long been considered the gold standard in assessment and treatment of problem behavior. This symposium will present four papers addressing procedural variations of the traditional functional analysis or evaluations of staff training procedures. The first paper will examine the correlation between trial-based and traditional models of functional analysis for adults with autism in community settings. The second paper will present upon the comparative outcomes and social validity measures of trial-based functional analyses (TBFA) to a descriptive data collection method. The third paper will discuss training functional analysis skills with video modeling and video self-monitoring. The final paper evaluated the efficacy of computer-based instruction (CBI) on teaching how to conduct a TBFA with practitioners and evaluated the effects on implementing a TBFA with a confederate. Results are promising that CBI can lead to effective staff training. Collectively, these studies highlight advances in both procedural variations or staff training procedures of functional analyses.

BCBA

Challenging behavior is an often-cited barrier to long-term employment and community-based opportunities for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). While functional analysis (FA) procedures are essential for developing treatment plans to address challenging behaviors, FAs are typically conducted under controlled environmental conditions which do not closely resemble the natural environment. Further, it is possible the function of challenging behavior in controlled environments are different from more naturalistic settings, thus emphasizing the importance of assessing challenging behaviors in the natural environment. Trial-based functional analysis (TBFA) procedures (Sigafoos & Saggers, 1995) may be a more viable method for assessing challenging behaviors in more naturalistic settings where more traditional FA methods may not be feasible. For the present study, TBFAs were conducted for three adults diagnosed with ASD who engage in challenging behaviors (e.g. self-injury, aggression) at their community work and exercise sites. The results from the TBFAs were compared to results of brief (5-minute) FA sessions to determine if the TBFA results align with the more traditional FA methodologies. Further, latency to respond data were collected during TBFAs to further discern behavioral function for unclear results. Results of the TBFAs were then utilized to develop function-based treatments for addressing the challenging behaviors presented by the participants.

Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) displaying problem behavior face the additional challenges of limited funding and access to effective treatment, along with increased severity of problem behavior, when compared to children. Consequently, questionably effective descriptive assessment methods, such as ABC data, are frequently used. In a broader study evaluating effective treatment of severe problem behavior displayed by adults with ASD, trial-based functional analyses (TBFAs) were conducted to identify the reinforcing variables of problem behavior and guided effective functional communication treatments. Results and social validity of the TBFA were compared to the more common assessment approach used in settings providing treatment to adults engaging in problem behavior, ABC data collection, which many presume to be as effective and efficient, or more, than functional analyses. The two assessment approaches yielded inconsistent functions. Social validity questionnaires resulted in mixed overall preference; however, ABC data scored higher in ease/practicality and TBFA scored higher in objectivity/ effectiveness. These results support the use of TBFA, compared to ABC data, to effectively and efficiently assess problem behavior in adult settings.

Board Certified Behavior Analysts have an ethical obligation to first conduct a functional assessment (PECC, 2014, 3.01a) to identify the controlling variables for reducing challenging behaviors. The Functional Analysis (FA) yields more accurate results than other types of functional assessment (Iwata & Dozier, 2008), making this type of assessment an important practitioner skill to acquire. Despite being considered a gold standard for training a variety of skills, behavioral skills training (BST) is often very time intensive on the part of the trainer (Iwata et al., 2000). Video self-monitoring (VSMN) may be an alternative, effective way to train students to implement FAs (Field et al., 2015). This study evaluated the efficacy of several training strategies on student implementation of FA skills, including interventions featuring instruction plus video modeling (IVM), and VSMN, with and without feedback. Results revealed that IVM produced a notable, but insufficient, improvement in performance. All participants showed further performance improvement with the addition of VSMN and VSMN plus feedback.

Although behavior-analytic treatments are often effective in achieving initial reductions in a target behavior, target behavior may relapse due to changes in reinforcement or stimulus conditions. Renewal occurs when changes in the stimulus context following treatment produce relapse of extinguished behavior. Researchers typically examine renewal using a three-phase arrangement. After reinforcement of target behavior in Context A followed by extinction in Context B, the organism transitions to Context A (ABA renewal) or a new context (ABC renewal), and extinction continues. This symposium presents four basic and translational renewal studies that demonstrate the varied applications of the renewal paradigm. Our first presenter will present a study conducted with rats that compared ABA renewal after extinction or omission training in Phase B. The second presenter will describe two studies conducted with rats: the first using an ABC renewal preparation, and the second examining the effects of discriminative training on ABC renewal. The third presentation details a series of translational studies modeling renewal of problem behavior in dual-language homes and by multilingual individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities. The final presenter will speak about a translational renewal study conducted in an analog organizational setting.

Researchers interested in the experimental analysis of behavior, translational research, and relapse research will be an appropriate target audience. Practitioners interested in understanding the behavioral mechanisms of relapse of undesirable behavior may also be appropriate.

Insights from extinction research have been useful to researchers and clinicians in the domain of Applied Behavior Analysis. Behavioral treatments are effective for producing initial reductions in problem behavior; however, relapse after treatment is common and a major barrier to treatment efficacy. It is possible that relapse might be influenced by the specific response elimination technique and that different treatments for problem behavior might be differentially susceptible to relapse. The present study compared ABA renewal after responding was eliminated by extinction or omission training in rats. In this experiment, lever pressing was reinforced with food pellets in Context A and then eliminated with either extinction or omission training in Context B. The response was then tested in Contexts A and B in either the presence or absence of free food pellets delivered on a random time schedule. All rats showed higher responding when tested in Context A than Context B, and there was little evidence that omission training attenuated this ABA renewal effect. Also, noncontingent pellets increased responding after extinction but not after omission training. The results provide new information about factors creating relapse after omission training.

Clinical behavior analysis is amongst the only approaches to understanding talk therapy that has direct implications for understanding and intervening on in-session behavior in such a way as to change behavior out of session. How it is that this occurs has been discussed in terms of nonlinear contingencies, verbal behavior, rule governed behavior, derived relational responding, and other conceptualizations of complex human behavior. The development of clinical behavior analysis as a subdiscipline, however, has been limited by the branding of specific treatment packages that move away from common behavioral terms. This panel will include clinical behavior analysts with expertise in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP, Interpersonal Behavior Therapy (IBT), and Nonlinear Contingency Analysis (NCA). Panelists will analyze sample video recordings of a talk therapy session in terms of behavioral principles that comprise a common ground for clinical behavior analytic approaches. Implications for comparing and contrasting clinical behavior analytic interventions will be discussed, along with questions from the audience.

Behavior analysts, clinicians, higher education instructors, service providers

The climate crisis challenges all of us to step up our sustainability efforts as soon as possible: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change urges that global greenhouse gas emissions be cut by nearly 50% by 2030. How can we best accomplish change using behavior-analytic principles? High-profile studies by the American Psychological Association have found that two of the major behavioral barriers to more individual climate action are the motivation challenge of futility, and the transition challenge from old wasteful habits to green ones (e.g., the influential 2009 report from the Task Force on the Interface Between Psychology and Global Climate Change). Both of these are areas where behavior analysis can provide major contributions. How can we build on what we have already accomplished in climate action, and transfer what has worked in our related areas of strength? Each of the panelists is experienced in behavioral sustainability, and will offer a few suggestions. Opening the floor to the audience, we will attempt to put together a plan of action.

All

Training caregivers to apply evidence-based Applied Behavior Analysis is an essential component of professional work and a key component of effective services. Research over the last 30 years has demonstrated the effectiveness, efficiency and acceptability of Behavioral Skills Training (BST) to teach skills, promote generalization of teaching skills and sometimes produce important changes in child behavior. As research in this area becomes more differentiated, one important aspect has been the application of BST to young children, including training family members and staff in integrated settings. This workshop will present three papers on applying BST to train parents of a child at risk for Autism Spectrum Disorders via telehealth, training parents to teach joint attention skills to their children, and training special education teachers to improve the integrity of function-based interventions to increase child classroom engagement. These studies demonstrate that BST can readily be extended to working with caregivers of young children with disabilities, improve caregiver behavior and produce socially important changes in child behavior.

Masters and doctoral level practitioners; advanced graduate students; psychologists; service supervisors;

Children with developmental disabilities are at increased risk for social communication deficits, including early and pivotal social communication skills. One such skill, response to joint attention, is a behavioral cusp for later developing social communication and play. Joint attention is coordinated shared attention between two individuals and an object or event. The current study investigated the effects of a train-the-trainer approach where parents were trained to teach siblings to be proficient interventionists on the response to joint attention behavior of their siblings with developmental disabilities. Results indicate an increase in parent task fidelity following a modified behavior skills training procedure during home visits, as well as an increase in sibling task fidelity following parent training using a social narrative and prompting procedure. Target child data indicate an increase in level of response to joint attention behavior following parent training and parent training of sibling. Limitations and future directions are discussed.

Special education teachers are often implementers of behavior intervention plans; however, a shortage of teachers in any field is only magnified in special education. Studies have looked at the use of behavior skills training (BST) in training teachers and caregivers in the intervention techniques prescribed for individuals and groups. This study extends research on teacher training using the BST model. This study was also designed to evaluate the relation between teacher integrity to a functional assessment-based interventions (FABI) suite of strategies and the effect on student on-task performance. The participants were a special education teacher and two elementary-aged students, each classified with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The students engaged in off-task, often disruptive behavior while receiving special education services in a general education classroom. This study was conducted in three phases. Each phase consisted of BST to teach a subset of interventions. A single-subject changing criterion design was used to evaluate the effect of BST on teacher integrity and student performance. Results showed that BST improved teacher integrity through each phase and teacher integrity improved student on-task behavior. Limitations to this study will be discussed as well as directions for future research.

Alarmingly, nearly half of children with autism elope or bolt, and more than half of these children go missing for a concerning duration of time and/or enter into dangerous situations. Caregivers often do not feel prepared to address these serious concerns. This study evaluated the effectiveness of behavioural skills training (BST) for teaching caregivers how to also use BST in conjunction with a tactile prompt to teach their children with autism help-seeking behaviour. Participants included a total of six dyads, caregivers and their children with autism ages 5-10. We used a concurrent multiple baseline design across two dyads with three replications. The children’s safety responses were measured using a point system: (1) calling out for their caregiver in a louder than conversational voice, (2) locating a store employee, and (3) informing the employee that he/she was lost. Results indicate that four children met mastery criteria (a safety score of 3 across two consecutive trials), and the caregivers were able to successfully fade the tactile prompting device. Data collection with the final two dyads is currently in progress. This study contributes to the limited empirical research on caregiver training using BST to teach help-seeking behaviour to children with autism.

Humans are a eusocial species, especially sensitive to social contingencies. This sensitivity is observed at the earliest stages of development and persists throughout the lifespan, even in the presence of late-life neurodegenerative impairments. While social reinforcers are the most common reinforcers utilized in clinical applications, the behavior analytic literature is relatively sparse in its analysis of the quality of these reinforcers as they naturally occur and vary in a wide variety of interactions. This symposium will address social reinforcers from multiple vantage points: a review of the experimental analysis of social behavior, thought-provoking observations of parent-child interactions during acquisition of verbal skills, social histories as confounds within applied work in behavioral gerontology, and the challenge to measure interpersonal repertoires and the effects of social contingencies in clinical behavior analysis. The goal of the symposium is to draw attention to the ubiquitous nature of social reinforcers and social histories, identify gaps in knowledge, and discuss areas of future exploration for experimental, applied, and clinical research.

Scientist practitioners, BCBA-Ds, BCBAs, BCaBAs

The current symposium addresses procedural variables that may produce generative responding. The first study assessed the effects of varying non-critical features of stimuli during auditory-visual matching with adult participants to reduce variability and increase the likelihood of correct responding to untrained exemplars. The second study utilized instructive feedback, lag schedules, and naturalistic behavioral interventions to promote emergent language in children. The third study assessed the different outcomes associated with multiple exemplar instruction, namely, the interdependence between speaker and listener repertoires, and stimulus generalization across exemplars. Finally, the fourth study utilized a joint control intervention to establish bidirectional naming in children with autism. Taken together, these studies have important implications for those teaching language to individuals with disabilities.

practitioners, verbal behavior researchers

Technology has been used to facilitate the education and treatment of people with developmental and intellectual disabilities for many years. As technology continues to improve (e.g., reduced cost, increased portability and more versatile software), assistive technology-based interventions become more accessible, adaptable and potentially more impactful. This symposium will present two intervention studies that used assistive technology in innovative ways to improve academic performance, decrease challenging behavior and increase spoken communication. In study 1, Ledbetter-Cho et al evaluated the effects of a teacher-implemented video-schedule intervention on academic skills and challenging behaviors of five elementary-school students with autism. In study 2, Muharib used a speech generating device to increase the spoken (non-SGD) functional communication of three children with autism. Together, these two studies highlight recent advances in technology and demonstrate the utility of these devices on socially valid dependent variables.

Board Certified Behavior Analysts working in school and/or clinical settings with children with developmental and intellectual disabilities

Behavioral intervention packages in combination with speech output technologies have been used to increase communication skills of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other developmental disabilities. This study extended previous research (Gevarter et al., 2016; Gevarter & Horan, 2018) by examining the effects of backward chaining in combination with least-to-most prompting and differential reinforcement on the acquisition of functional communication skills in a multiple probe across participants design. Three male children (ages 4 to 8 years) with ASD or developmental disabilities and minimal vocal communication skills participated. Children were taught to mand for preferred items in three categories (edibles, videos, and videogames) and discriminate between icons on each page. The first page showed “I want to” and a distractor”, the second showed “play,” “eat,” and “watch,” and the third page showed 10 icons of different items within each of the three categories. The results indicated that the intervention was effective in increasing both three-step iPad-based manding and three-component vocal manding (e.g., “I want to eat raisins”) of all participants, two of whom were able to maintain vocal manding after the termination of the intervention. All three children showed some generalized responding across classroom teachers.

Many students with autism display deficits in academic performance and often receive interventions that include one-to-one prompting in the classroom. This study evaluated the effects of a teacher-implemented video-schedule intervention on the academic skills and untargeted challenging behaviors of elementary-school students with autism. Results from a multiple baseline across participants indicated that the intervention was effective in improving participants’ academic performance. A decrease in challenging behaviors and stereotypy was also observed for participants following the introduction of intervention. Additionally, participants demonstrated generalization across academic problems and to a small group setting, suggesting that this technology-based intervention may be efficient and aid teachers in maximizing instructional time. Future research examining a variety of academic skills and intervention implementation by additional practitioners (e.g., teaching assistants) is warranted.

Applied Behaviour Analysis is rapidly gaining recognition in Australia as a result of new university training programs and the increased demand for behavioural supports in the context of the National Disability Insurance Scheme. A transdisciplinary approach is central to contemporary disability services, healthcare and educational policy in Australia, and there is an increased national movement towards the delivery of services for people with disability through transdisciplinary teams. For behaviour analysts to effectively disseminate applied behaviour analysis in Australia, they must learn to work effectively with team members from allied health and education disciplines. However, integrated and collaborative work across disciplines may be challenging, particularly when team members possess different knowledge and technical skills. This may result in ethically complex situations. In this session, a clinical psychologist, speech and language pathologist, and board certified behaviour analyst will discuss how they work as members of transdisciplinary teams when delivering applied behaviour analysis services in Australia. Each will present an ethically complex situation that they have encountered, and how they resolved it. Throughout the discussion, we will highlight how the inter-professional aspects of ethical decision-making may lead to both better teamwork and potentially improved client outcomes in diverse settings.

BCBAs, BCaBAs, Allied Health Professionals, Teachers, School Leaders

Children with intellectual and developmental disabilities often engage in challenging (e.g., self-injury, aggression, disruption) and repetitive behaviors. For a subset of these individuals, the behavior is maintained by automatic reinforcement. Behavior maintained by automatic reinforcement presents several challenges in assessment and treatment. The current symposium includes three studies that address some of these challenges. The first study presents data from assessments and treatments of repetitive behaviors maintained by automatic reinforcement, with an emphasis on predictions made by classification following assessment based on the three subtypes of automatically maintained behavior that have been previously studied with self-injury. Second, we will present outcomes from extended alone and ignore assessments, a common evaluation conducted to determine whether behavior is automatically-maintained. Specifically, this study will present on differences in the rate and variability of behavior when conducting alone compared to ignore assessments and differences across topography of behavior. The last study highlights potential safety concerns associated with the assessment of automatically maintained self-injury. An evaluation of solutions to decrease safety risks associated with assessing these behaviors is discussed.

Target audience includes practitioners and applied researchers with a BCBA or BCBA-D. It is also appropriate for psychologists who conduct behavioral assessments and treatments. This should also qualify as psychology CEUs, but I did not see this option listed above.

Hagopian and colleagues (2015/2017) have suggested that self-injurious behavior (SIB) that is automatically reinforced presents as three subtypes. Subtype 1 consists of differentiation between the alone/no interaction and the play control conditions. This form of SIB is generally responsive to alternative reinforcement alone. Subtype 2 SIB consists of a lack of differentiation between those FA conditions and is not generally responsive to alternative reinforcement. Subtype 3 is Subtype 2 SIB that presents with self-restraint. This study aimed to prospectively identify, from standard functional analyses (FA), whether similar subtypes present with stereotypic behavior. Two types of treatment evaluations followed the FAs of stereotypy. In one, an Augmented Competing Stimulus Assessment (A-CSA), which assessed competing stimuli to stereotypy. In the other, the effects of prompting and reinforcement for appropriate behavior was examined in four classroom contexts where stereotypy was observed to occur. There are currently 12 participants across the two experiments. Subtypes have emerged and treatment effects have and have not been obtained with alternative reinforcement. Treatment results will be discussed with the Subtyping obtained in the FA as context. Interobserver agreement data were collected in all experimental conditions and mean IOA was consistently above 85% for all dependent measures.

Extended alone or ignore assessments are often conducted to determine whether challenging behavior is maintained by automatic reinforcement. The current study conducted a consecutive case series analysis of over 60 children and young adults who completed extended alone or ignore assessments as part of their admission to an intensive treatment center for challenging behavior. We evaluated the variability and average level of targeted behavior across topographies of challenging behavior and assessment types (alone or ignore). Minimal differences were identified when comparing variability in alone vs. ignore assessments. Across topographies, some behaviors were associated with less variability across sessions compared to others (e.g., pica was generally exhibited with very little variability across sessions). Results are presented in the context of guidelines for what clinicians should expect when conducting extended alone or ignore assessments as well as future research directions for identifying aspects of reinforcement history that might contribute to differing patterns of responding in these types of assessments.

This panel will present a model for conducting functional analysis of proximal direct-acting and generative effects of taught and emergent operant and higher-order operant competencies and capabilities extending over developmental and habilitative timeframes.

Practitioners and researchers interested in the design and management of complex curriculum based paths of treatment for the verbal behavior/cognitive habilitation or advancement of individuals presenting with learning challenges and deficits

This symposium involves three presentations, each of which pertain to Kantor’s interbehavioral field construct and its relevance to behavior analysis. The first of these presentations pertains to the field construct itself. The presentation will describe the fundamental features of the field construct and address potential misunderstandings related to various aspects of it. The second presentation builds upon the first, and focuses on the implications of the field construct for both research and application. Indeed, the implications of the field construct for the research and practice areas of behavior analysis are often less clear, and therefore specific attention is given to these areas. Examples of contemporary research and popular areas of practice are provided and considered in field perspective, and implications for future field-based research and practice are provided. Finally, the third presentation focuses on Relational Frame Theory, and especially on recent conceptual developments within this area of research. Current models of conceptualizing derived relational responding are described, and the relationship between these models and the interbehavioral field construct are highlighted. Taken together, these presentations build upon each other and highlight how the field construct may be relevant to the ongoing development of behavior analysis.

This presentation is an intermediate/advanced level and appropriate for BCBA's interested in learning about conceptual advances/development in the field - including both researchers and clinicians. Graduate students may also be interested in the presentation as it pertains to their educational development, research interests, etc.

With the current high demand for BCBAs, we have also seen an increase in university programs offering applied behavior analysis (ABA) programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels. To ensure quality education and preparation for clinical services, program curriculums should be aligned with the theoretical background of ABA as well as best practices for training essential skills. This symposium will explore important aspects that should be considered when teaching and supervising undergraduate- and graduate-level students in ABA programs. First, Isvânia Alves will present the conclusions of a project that identified controversies and disagreements related to basic principles and concepts among behavior analytical textbooks and field experts. In addition, Isvânia a will present a decision-making model to assist in selecting objectives when teaching and providing supervision to undergraduate students. Next, Maegan Pisman will discuss potential strategies and guidelines for effective and ethical remote supervision for students in university practicum courses. Maegan will conclude with possible areas for research related to online teaching and supervision. Darlene Crone-Todd will serve as the discussant.

Instructors, BCBAs providing remote supervision, VCS of ABA programs

One of the roles a supervisor might have within applied behavior analysis regards the assurance that the decision-making process for interventions is conceptually sound. In the past few years our group has developed, implemented, evaluated, analyzed and redesigned a decision-making model aimed at content and behavioral objectives selection for teaching undergraduate students. In our last analysis-redesign iteration, we found inconsistencies, controversies or disagreements in regard to what defines some basic behavioral concepts and principles, such as environment, behavior, operant behavior, respondent behavior, antecedent, among others. Additionally, when we submitted these concepts and principles analysis to be reviewed by behavior analysts (i.e., content experts), the conceptual controversies appeared in some of the suggestions they made. The purpose of this paper is to present our decision-making model in its latest form, present and discuss a few of the controversies we found during our analysis, and highlight the importance of performing a concept or principle analysis when selecting content in areas in which conceptual disagreements might hinder or decelerate student learning and affect the decision-making process for interventions, if these disagreements are not explicit or discussed.

Too many students graduate without being fully prepared to handle their professional responsibilities. Instead of focusing on meaningful and transcendent topics (i.e., archetypal themes, conflicts, and resolutions), we tend to focus on immediate requirements and measurements (i.e., rubrics, grade points, credits, etc.). We read our books, write our papers, and take our tests to satisfy rubric requirements, pass our classes, and ultimately graduate; but we don’t normally transcend the material and focus on the conflicts we will face in the future. This Professional Development Series asks those questions, engages these topics, and focuses on the most important conflicts within the field of ABA from three professional perspectives – an ABA practitioner, researcher, and professor – to better prepare students for professional responsibilities. Please, join the conversation!

Different models of intervention and their effectiveness and efficacy have been studied a lot in USA. Most of them focused on the intensity measured by the numbers of hours of service children with disabilities received. In this symposium we will look at several different packages and intensity of ABA interventions across different settings and countries. Europe has different systems of health, education and social care compared to USA so in some countries the systems and services like early intervention may be completely missing for children with ASD and other developmental disorders. In addition to those differences, even when existent, eclectic models compared to evidence-based and specifically ABA programs, are prevalent. These papers will talk about evidence-based possible models, comparing different intensity and application across various settings. In addition, we will talk about the process and the time a child with developmental disorder needs to go from detection to reach intervention, and provide some research- based insight on how to improve that and then, what type of intervention is the most effective.

Service providers, supervisors, academics

Obtaining a reliable and timely diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a large problem in most Low-and-Mid Income Countries (LMIC). The problem lies mostly in the lack of trained professionals and access to reliable screening/diagnostic tools which are often to expensive and culturally inappropriate for those countries. Bosnia and Hercegovina (B&H) is such a county, where children with ASD often stay undetected and without appropriate intervention. We analyzed medical documentation and tested 126 children ages 23 to 94 months, with detected severe developmental delays. Although parents reported developmental problems in their children on average at the age of 17 months, it took 812 visits to professionals (>6 per child) over several months (mean 16.8, range 2-52) to get the diagnosis. Only 8 children (6.3%) of our sample received a diagnosis referring to autism. However, when these children were tested with the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (Second Edition), 68 of them (54%) were rated in the severe autistic range. In order to solve such high rates of undetected and undiagnosed children with ASD in B&H we developed the EDUS Protocol for Autism Screening which is a functional behavioral screening tool created by following the DSM-V diagnostic criteria and aimed to help professionals in diagnosing autism in B&H. We will discuss the barriers to an early childhood diagnosis of ASD in B&H and the development of the EDUS Protocol for Autism Screening as the first step forward to an early diagnosis of ASD enabling access to early intervention programs.

For the past thirty years Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention (EIBI) has been implemented in Norway and other European countries. In most countries it has been a challenge to deliver EIBI according to suggested minimum standards. The most common challenges have been to have properly trained staff implement the intervention, to get parents involved, and to provide intensive intervention (a minimum of 20 hours per week). As a result of this, outcomes have generally been moderate. However, outcomes of EIBI have been much better than “treatment as usual”. We will present two-year outcome data from a group of 30 children that were provided 10 hours a week and a group of 30 children that were provided 20 hours a week. We will also present data from another site were user satisfaction was evaluated in a reversal design across seven cases that received video-based supervision.

BCBAs, supervisors in EIBI programs.

We have developed a quality standard based on the logic of the Periodic Service Review to evaluate and improve quality of individual EIBI programs. The programs are provided through in the two largest cities in Norway, Bergen and Oslo. Based on the core elements of EIBI we have made a 36-item checklist that we consider to represent an optimal EIBI program. Some of the items are given a higher weight (such as intensity of intervention and therapist training). The standards have measurable targets (done/not done) for all involved parties (supervisors, therapists, parents, community staff). We report quality data from 60 individual programs collected over a two year period and discuss what we have found to be the most common challenges we face in providing EIBI of high quality.

We compared the use videoconference with on site supervision of EIBI cases in a reversal design. Supervision was provided either on site or using video conference every second week. Questionnaires were developed to evaluate to what degree videoconference influenced the perceived quality of supervision. The questionnaires consisted of 12 items that were scored on Likert scales and measured program supervision, registrations/data collection, preparedness, and technical quality. Both the supervisor and the supervisees evaluated their experiences across the supervision modes. We discuss our findings in terms of the perceived quality of supervision, potential for saving travel time saved and implications for caseload capacity.

All psychoactive drugs have multiple effects. They are prescribed in the hopes of benefits such as pain relief, reduction of problem behavior or enhancement of learning and memory. However, in addition to potential benefits, these same drugs may also produce a variety of less desirable effects. In this symposium, three different behavior analytic baselines are used to assess both positive and negative effects of a range of widely-prescribed drugs. Soto will present data on the effects of antipsychotic drugs on progressive-ratio responding and body weight in mice. Galizio will show impairment (ketamine) and enhancement (methylphenidate, memantine) or remembering in novel incrementing matching- and non-matching to-samples tasks in rats. Finally, Pitts focuses on the effects of prescription opiate drugs and sensitivity to reinforcer magnitude in rats. Overall, this symposium will illustrate the value of behavior analytic techniques in the assessment of a range of drug effects of relevance to contemporary prescription practices.

Second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) are increasingly prescribed in children and adolescents. SGA medication use is associated with adverse metabolic changes and weight gain, which may predispose individuals to adverse outcomes in adulthood. Studies in rodents have demonstrated that early-life exposure to SGA medications can alter brain structure and function in adulthood. The current study is evaluating the long-term behavioral and metabolic effects of early-life SGA exposure in C57BL6/J mice. In one experiment, female C57BL6/J mice orally self-administered plain (vehicle) or risperidone-adulterated cookie dough from postnatal day (PND) 37-66. Mice treated with risperidone gained more weight during the treatment period. The difference in weights between the groups diminished with time following the treatment but was never fully eliminated. Following initial training to nose-poke for access to a 15% sucrose solution, mice were exposed to a progressive ratio schedule of sucrose reinforcement. Risperidone-treated mice completed more ratios than vehicle-treated mice. On PND 196, mice were switched from rodent chow to a high-fat diet. Mice in the risperidone group gained weight more rapidly and to a greater extent than mice in the vehicle group. In an ongoing experiment, young female mice were treated with olanzapine and metabolic and behavioral assessments are underway. Initial results indicate a long-term increased reinforcing effectiveness of sucrose and susceptibility to diet-induced weight gain. Together these experiments indicate that early-life SGA medication exposure can produce long-lasting behavioral and metabolic changes.

The Morningside Model of Generative Instruction is based on five pillars: Assessment, Curriculum, Instruction, Precision Teaching, and Generative Responding. This session will focus on how three different schools - Morningside Academy, Haugland Learning Center, and the Judge Rotenberg Center - have designed classroom management strategies, that when combined with effective coaching and Precision Teaching practices, produce significant learner outcomes. First, Hannah Jenkins, an elementary teacher at Morningside Academy, will describe how she modified elements of the evidence-based Good Behavior Game to promote positive reinforcement and teach cooperation and community building. Then, Pat Billman will detail how coaches at Haugland Learner Center have developed a school-wide, systematic modification of the Good Behavior Game to improve student academic and social-emotional behavior outcomes. Lastly, Jill Webber will describe how the Judge Rotenberg Center has worked with coaches from Morningside Teachers' Academy to develop a staff coaching model that focuses on effective classroom management and Precision Teaching procedures to improve student outcomes and shift the educational culture.

Teachers, Behavior Analysts, Psychologists

Good classroom management is a key factor in student success in all settings but can be especially important in classrooms that serve students with special needs. The Good Behavior Game is widely recognized as an evidence- based classroom management strategy. Haugland Learning Center(HLC), based in Columbus, Ohio, serves students with autism and other disabilities and uses variations of the Good Behavior Game to set students in a variety of classroom settings up for behavioral and academic success. This presentation will discuss how the use of the Good Behavior Game affects progress and outcomes, how HLC trains and coaches staff to implement effective classroom management strategies using the Good Behavior Game and how data are monitored to ensure continuous progress for individual students, classroom groups, and teachers. Our data indicate that students and staff perform better and reach more optimal academic and behavior outcomes when the Good Behavior Game is used consistently and reliably. Specific examples of student, classroom, staff and school academic and behavior data will be analyzed and discussed.

The Judge Rotenberg Education Center(JRC) is a residential school for students with severe disabilities. For the last two and a half years, JRC has had the privilege of learning from Morningside Teachers Academy(MTA) via onsite vists from MTA consultants. Work with MTA has focused on the Morningside Math Facts program, classroom management, and staff coaching. After the introduction of the Morningside Math Facts program, data demonstrated grade level equivalency gains of 1.8 years growth during the first 8 months. Additionally, staff coaching data show improved classroom management and increased student participation in the Morningside Math Facts program. Data collected during coaching sessions in the classroom have shown an increase in the amount of group responses and teacher praise statements and many staff and students report a pleasant change in the classroom environment. This presentation aims to discuss how the use of well- sequenced learning materials combined with application of good classroom management strategies inspired change in our educational department and continues to lead to better outcomes for our students and the lessons we've learned along the way.

Private events and behavior-analytic perspectives concerning them has been in discord with traditional psychological accounts for decades. Interestingly, however, behavior analysis hasn't wavered much in its conceptualization of them as predominantly verbal in nature. To that end, the present symposium takes a unique look into the interestingly-sparse empirical literature relative to private events and subsequently posits progressive approaches to changing our relation to private events given a delay discounting empirical investigation. Findings are discussed and a trajectory of ABA relative to private events is provided.

beginner-intermediate

Previous research has suggested that impulsivity is character trait and thus, cannot be changed. However, recent research has demonstrated that Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) can change how people make choices when given selections between smaller-immediate vs. larger-delayed rewards. No research to date has evaluated the effect of ACT interventions on choice making when given a choice between avoidance vs. engaging in an aversive activity to access a reward. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effects of defusion exercises on participants’ choice making on a computer task which presented choices between a negative reinforcer (i.e., avoidance of an aversive sound) or a positive reinforcer following the presentation of an aversive stimulus (e.g., access to money following the presentation of an aversive sound). Defusion is a behavior analytic procedure that trains participants in how to respond in more flexible ways to aversive private events, rather than engaging immediately in previously negatively reinforced behavior. In this study, a multiple baseline design across participants was used to measure change in discounting before and after a brief ACT session (data in this submission is presented as discounting curves but will be presented as both curves and as a multiple baseline in the conference presentation). In general, participants discounted less steeply (i.e., selected to listen to the sound in order to earn money more often) following defusion training when compared to baseline.

According to the World Health Organization, translational research is the process of applying ideas, insights, and discoveries generated through basic scientific inquiry to the treatment or prevention of human disease (WHO, 2004). As Dube (2013) has noted, this process sounds very familiar to most behavior analysts, as the discipline has sought not only to make behavior the subject matter of a natural science, but also to “apply [the methods of science] to human affairs” (Skinner, 1953, p. 5). Translational studies may also involve the systematic replication of known operant processes in new populations and settings. This symposium focuses on advances on translational research on the clinical and applied animal behavior domains. The first presentation describes the implementation of shaping procedures to modify complex verbal units in clients with symptoms of anxiety and depression. The therapist reinforced either approximations to a terminal class of verbal responses (shaping condition) or exemplars of the terminal class of verbal responses (terminal condition). The results showed a faster progression towards the terminal class of verbal responses exposed to the shaping condition. In the second study, the authors used differential reinforcement of incompatible behavior to reduce separation-induced challenging behavior in four horses. Horses underwent separation trials while being required to touch a target upon receiving a verbal command. Compliance was reinforced with edible reinforcers. An owner uptake phase ensured that treatment gains would be generalized. These two diverse studies feature two examples of translational research with several key aspects in common: both evaluate variations of differential reinforcement to reduce problem behaviors and both feature treatment models for populations typically underserved by behavior analysts.

Practitioners and researchers interested in advances on translational behavior analysis. Also, clinical behavior analysts and those interested in applied animal behavior.

Shaping has been used as a means to modify relatively simple verbal units. In a clinical context, it has been suggested that Socratic questioning could be, from a process perspective, a form of verbal shaping involving complex verbal units. The ability to demonstrate verbal shaping of complex verbal units in socially significant settings is challenging. First, behavioral observation methods for complex topographical units are not well developed. Second, in spite of numerous conceptual analyses, there are no socially valid experimental models for evaluating operant processes in psychotherapy. In the current study, we used a previously validated behavioral observation system for categorizing clients' approximations to a terminal class of verbal responses. We also used existing preference assessment methods to identify preferred topographical classes of verbal responses to be used by the therapist as conditioned reinforcers. Therapist were trained to reinforce either approximations to a terminal class of verbal responses (shaping condition) or just exemplars of the terminal class of verbal responses (terminal condition). We used a multielement design with a no-intervention baseline preceding the treatment comparison phase. In order to prevent multiple-treatment interference, different terminal classes of verbal responses were assigned to each experimental condition. The first terminal class of verbal responses to reach mastery marked the inception of a final phase where the two classes were exposed to shaping. Three consecutively-admitted clients with symptoms of anxiety and depression took part in the study. The results showed a faster progression towards the terminal class of verbal responses exposed to the shaping condition. We discuss the conceptual, methodological, and clinical implications of these findings.

Little research has been done with culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Indeed researchers and practioner's have only recently began to identify participants and cases with their ethnicity and few have taken diversity into account when designing and delivering treatment. Yet recent research has found that inclusion of variables or a child’s culture or heritage language may be advantageous in their treatment (e.g. Lim & Charlop, 2018). The present symposium focuses on four studies that include CLD children with ASD and also choose CLD variables when designing and implementing treatment. In Study 1, CLD children with ASD are taught a labeling task through an echoic procedure that uses both English and Heritage language. In Study 2, CLD children with ASD participate in a parent implemented comparison study of an imitation protocol in both English and Heritage languages. In Study 3, CLD children with ASD are taught to verbally initiate play bids to their CLD peers and to their siblings, and finally, in Study 4, CLD children with ASD are assessed to determine their preference for English or Heritage language. The symposium is wrapped up by the Discussant who relates the current findings of these studies to the treatment of CLD children with ASD and the direction the field is going.

practitioners and researchers

Few studies have examined how the use of heritage language impacts receptive language skills of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD; Charlop & Lim, 2016; Lang et al., 2011). Charlop’s (1983) echo procedure is one method by which receptive language skills have been taught to echolalic CLD children in both English and heritage language (Leung & Wu,1997). Toward this end, incorporating both echolalia and heritage language in treatment may provide a natural and contextually relevant strategy to address receptive language skills of echolalic CLD children with ASD. Therefore, using Charlop’s (1983) echo prompting procedure, the present study used a multi-elemental design to assess the differential effects of language (English versus heritage language) on receptive labeling performance of four echolalic CLD children with ASD. Following baseline measurement of receptive labeling skills involving known and unknown items, Charlop’s (1983) echo prompting procedure was implemented in both English and heritage language. Preliminary results suggest that receptive labeling performance increased during treatment in both language conditions. Findings may yield implications for future language interventions for echolalic CLD children with ASD.

Little research has been done with culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in their heritage language. Practioners and parents fear that exposing a child with ASD to more than one language will cause further delays in language development and other core deficit areas (Kremer-Sadlik, 2005). Yet recent research has found that exposure to and the use of heritage languages can be advantageous (Lim & Charlop, 2018). However, research has yet to explore how exposure to both one’s heritage language and English can impact a child with ASD’s language abilities and verbal behavior. The present study used a multiple baseline design across four parent-child dyads to assess language acquisition using the Natural Language Paradigm (NLP; Laski, Charlop & Schreibman, 1987; Spector & Charlop, 2018). Following free-play baseline sessions, four caregivers were taught to implement NLP in both their heritage language (i.e., Spanish, Korean) and English. To control for treatment effects, NLP was counter-balanced across the four dyads. Upon the implementation of NLP, regardless of language condition, each child’s appropriate verbalizations increased during NLP treatment sessions and in free-play probe sessions. Findings from the current study may yield implications for language interventions for CLD children with ASD.

Ethnicity of participants’ is an important variable when designing interventions in evidence based research (Fannin, 2017). Specifically, when including culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in research it is important to consider community values, practices, and culture. For example, a strong familial unit, especially in terms of sibling relationships, is an important value held by both Hispanic (Updegraff, McHale, Whiteman, Thayer & Delgado, 2005) and Asian cultures (Ho, 1994). In the current study, social verbal initiations were taught to six CLD children and adolescents with ASD (67% Korean-American and 33% Mexican-American). In baseline, all six children did not consistently verbally initiate to their siblings and peers of mixed ethnicities. During intervention, using a verbal social initiation program, all of the children learned quickly to initiate. Five of the six children also generalized the skill to a new setting and across play partners. Maintenance of this skill was also seen at 6-months. Future research can expand on this study by also teaching the initiation in the child’s heritage language.

Previous research has demonstrated that individuals with ASD who have been exposed to more than one language do not experience any additional language delays compared to their monolingual peers (Hambly and Fombonne, 2011). In addition, research has not noted any indication of negative outcomes associated with language abilities among bilingual/multilingual children with ASD (Drysdale et al., 2015). The majority of the research surrounding bilingual or multilingual individuals diagnosed with autism or other developmental disabilities has focused on conducting communication assessments to assess participants’ psychometric performance. Research related to language preferences exhibited by these individuals is scarce. The purpose of the current study was to assess language preference among individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) or other developmental disorders who have been exposed to more than one language. The research study consisted of two parts: Study 1 evaluated language preference during play contexts and Study 2 evaluated language preference and compliance with instructions within instructional contexts.

Delivering effective ABA services requires caregivers to deliver interventions with sufficient integrity to result in socially meaningful changes in client behavior. Yet, many services often struggle to maintain the integrity of applied behavior analytic interventions in applied settings. Thus, practitioners must have behavioral technologies available to them to assess, and increase treatment integrity and evaluate interventions to do so. This symposium presents three papers addressing this important issue. These papers include a systematic review of training natural change agents implementing functional analytic procedures, a telehealth intervention error analysis and identify to remedy the implementation errors and an intervention study to improve treatment integrity during functional communication training

Advanced graduate students, Masters and Doctoral practitioners, research students, instructors and professors teaching ABA classes, and psychologists including school psychologists.

Procedures used to assess and treat challenging behavior in research do not always translate to practice because they do not address the idiosyncratic variables typically found in applied settings. This symposium reviews variables related to assessment and treatment of challenging behavior as well as byproducts that result from these challenges. The first study describes an evaluation of data collection integrity of caregivers who were tasked with collecting data for assessment purposes and provides recommendations for behavior analysts relying on others to collect data. The second study describes an evaluation of a method for assessing elopement during transitions. The third study describes an evaluation of alternative treatments, specifically programs based on concurrent operants, for escape-maintained challenging behavior in applied settings. Finally, the last presentation focuses on issues related to the use of restrictive procedures and describes a method for evaluating and reducing their use in applied settings. Taken together, the information provided in these presentations will give practitioners of behavior analysis tools to increase the ecological validity of their practice.

Practitioners of behavior analysis who work in applied settings.

The purpose of the present symposium is to present research which is going enlighten about emergent relations and equivalence classes in particular. In the first paper by Arntzen and Mensah present an experiment on observing matching-to-sample performance and stimulus sorting. The authors present two experiments to study how observing an MTS task performance will influence the formation of experimenter-defined classes in sorting tests, as well as the formation of equivalence classes in an MTS-based test for emergent relations. In the second paper, Aggio, Kruger, Nunes, and de Rose present an experiment on punishment of incorrect recognitions increased equivalence-based false memories. Aggio et al. have studied the effect of programmed consequences for incorrect responses in memory tests. The third paper by Vaidya presents on the relation between the definition and measurement of equivalence. The paper will discuss how the phenomenon of equivalence is defined influence a change in the way the phenomenon is measured. The last paper by Fields presents an experiment on how the neural correlates of decision making by various relations in equivalence classes. The paper shows that event related potentials recorded during the comparison stimuli measured neural correlates of decision making for each type of relation.

Graduate, researchers, etc,

Recent experimental studies attempted to provide an equivalence-based account of the phenomenon of false memories. In all these studies participants studied a list of stimuli. A later memory test later memory test presented stimuli from the list (targets), stimuli equivalent to targets (critical distracters) or unrelated to them (non-related distracters). Higher recall and/or recognition of critical than unrelated distracters documented equivalence-related false memories. The present study investigated the effect of feedback for incorrect responses in memory tests. In Phase 1 participants studied three patterns, each comprising two geometrical forms within a larger one. In Phase 2 one of the small geometric shapes and the larger form became equivalent to other shapes. The memory test (Phase 3) presented, for recognition, the patterns previously studied in Phase 1 (targets), patterns formed by some of the geometric shapes from targets and other shapes equivalent to them (critical distracters) and new patterns (unrelated distracters). The No Feedback Group had no differential consequences for responses in the test whereas the Feedback Group had a presumably aversive sound following errors. Both groups recognized significantly more critical than unrelated distractors, attesting equivalence-based false memories. Surprisingly, the Feedback Group showed significantly more equivalence-related false memories, insofar as this group recognized critical distractors nearly as frequently as targets.

Sidman and colleagues’ originally defined equivalence relations as the emergent interchangeability of conditional and discriminative stimulus functions. This definition was well aligned with the matrix of tasks and outcomes that defined stimulus equivalence classes. Tests for symmetry, transitivity, and equivalence, for example, were perfect and complete assays of this interchangeability. Sidman’s new formulation of equivalence relations, however, involves the inclusion of responses and the stimuli serving as reinforcers in the emergent relations. This new formulation also offers an expanded view of the kinds of contingencies that can produce emergent equivalence relations. This presentation will argue that the change in how the phenomenon of equivalence is defined also requires a change in the way the phenomenon is measured. The presentation will review data from non-typical preparations asking questions about equivalence relations in an effort to frame a discussion about the ways in which we measure and describe equivalence relations. The presentation will suggest an expansion of the tasks that measure equivalence and end with some directions for future research.

Equivalence classes were formed using a trace stimulus pairing paradigm that isolated the presentation of the sample and comparison stimuli, and restricted responding to a separate time window presented after the comparison. Event related potentials recorded during the comparison stimuli measured neural correlates of decision making for each type of relation. xxx analysis was used to identify deep sources of neural activation that accounted the patterns of surface activation produced by baseline, symmetrical, transitive, and equivalence relations. The deep sources of activation were correlated closely with known cognitive processes

Developments in complexity science have highlighted the importance of social structures in explaining behavior. In network science, structures are understood as emergent webs of interactions within organizations and social groups. Different conceptual perspectives such as behavioral systems analysis and metacontingencies have attempted to bring a system perspective to behavior analysis. Although Skinner and Catania (in Catania & Harnad, 1988) recognized the value of considering structure when explaining behavior in the context of complex social interactions, such analysis is not often adopted in behavioral analysis. Understanding social structures opens for a behavior analytic investigation of variety of phenomena studied by complexity sciences (i.e., social contagion; how behavior spread in social groups as functions of webs of social reinforcement). On the other hand, complexity scientists may benefit from a better understanding of the behavioral processes taking place during social interactions (i.e., mutual reinforcement; contingencies in which two or more individuals behavior produce reinforces to each other). The present symposium invites for a reflection about conceptual models, experimental opportunities and applied interventions in network structures from a behavior analytic perspective.

A behavioral approach to large scale behaviors must be compatible with other scientific efforts to describe and explain behavioral phenomena. Behavior analysis is about the functional relation between behaviors and the environment. When focusing on how large- scale behaviors are established, maintained or get extinct, the concept of metacontingencies (Glenn and Mallott) add value to operant behavior analysis. The behavioral processes, (interlocking behavioral contingencies IBCs), maintain the functional relation to the environment. The result of the joint effort may be called an aggregate product which may or may not be selected by the environment. Hence, we have a parallel to a generic systems approach with the exception of the evolving structure. To capture the lineage in a metacontingency we will add structure, or the way the IBCs are nested together; the nIBCs. The way IBCs are nested together may give important information about the position and hence the contingencies responsible for establishing, maintaining or extinct interaction among members of the system.

The rapidly growing field of ABA offers a wide range of occupational opportunities for behavior analysts. One potential opportunity is operating a business that provides ABA services. In this panel discussion, three successful business owners who provide behavioral services will share their experiences and advice for starting and running a business that delivers ABA-based services. The three panelists are Dr. Mary Sawyer, Co-owner and Director of Fit Learning Atlanta and Founding Director of TEAM Coaching, LLC; Dr. Megan Miller, Co-Founder of Navigation Behavioral Consulting, former CEO of PEAK ABA Solutions, and Founder of the Do Better Professional Development Movement; and Dr. David Bicard, CEO of Great Leaps Learning Center. The three panelists will be address topics such as starting and maintaining a business, training and coaching staff, overcoming obstacles, and dealing with potential ethical issues. This is a 50 minutes Q&A panel discussion, in which you'll have the opportunity to ask any questions about the three different types of business in our ABA world.

The target audience will be behavior analysts, undergraduates, and parents who want to know more about how to start and operating business that provides ABA services.

Several years of research in the Accelerated Independent Learner Model (AIL) have resulted in the identification of key verbal behavior development cusps that are critical for success in the inclusive educational setting. The first paper addresses Bidirectional Naming (BiN), or the joining of the listener and speaker across students in grades K-5 with and without disabilities. In the second paper, the authors outline different assessment procedures associated with best practice to determine the presence of observational learning. In the final paper, the authors present research on both the assessment and corresponding protocol to induce joint stimulus control across saying and writing. Collectively, the authors will address the importance of the establishment of theses cusps in the general education setting and how it relates to effective teaching practices and student outcomes.

Teachers and professionals

The Morningside Model of Generative Instruction is based on five pillars: Assessment, Curriculum, Instruction, Precision Teaching, and Generative Responding. This symposium will focus on the development of assessment systems of different scales and how they inform instruction and Precision Teaching approaches. First, Austin Siebert will describe a one-year project to design a centralized, school-wide system that incorporates each level of Morningside Academy’s three-tiered assessment system to obtain better validity, improve the frequency and administration of progress monitoring assessments, and enhance teacher decision making. Second, Nicole Erickson will detail how a teacher, working within a homogeneously achievement grouped classroom, uses a package of instruction strategies, Precision Teaching practices, and further assessment, to continuously evaluate and refine the homogeneity. Lastly, Dr. Andrew Bulla will present a study focused on effective practices in instruction and Precision Teaching, specifically a comparison of free operant acquisition and frequency building procedures versus restricted operant procedures, such as discrete trial training (DTT).

Behavior Analysts, Teachers, Psychologists

One of the five pillars of the Morningside Model of Generative Instruction is homogeneous achievement grouping, wherein students with similar academic repertoires are placed together to foster the most effective instruction. While students complete a wide range of macro assessments – standardized, norm-referenced achievement tests – those assessments are designed to show growth over the course of year, not for use in homogeneous achievement grouping. Instead, results from a battery of curriculum placement tests are used to create the most homogeneous instructional groups. However, while students are placed homogeneously according to their overall average strengths and weaknesses, they do not show up in the classroom as homogeneous in each specific area of strength and weakness related to curricula. Within a given classroom, several areas of variance are evident, such as specific learning and organizational skills. As effective instructional practices turn student weaknesses into strengths, the teacher must continuously reassess and regroup students to maintain homogeneity. The never-ending job of the classroom teacher is to analyze multiple levels of assessment data to accommodate the different types of deficits that learners present with, and to effectively differentiate instruction and practice opportunities to an ever-changing diverse set of homogeneous learners. Data will be presented that demonstrate how this differentiation is done to produce successful learner outcomes.

The first presentation will give an integrated analysis of behavioral science research on climate change and greenhouse gas emissions. The second presentation will provide an overview of the research programs, organizations providing funding, and community interventions that have been compiled by the Coalition of Behavioral Science Organizations Climate Change Task Force. The third presentation will provide an overview of the resources required to accomplish the goals of the task force and how to expand the efforts.

Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students.

Holly Seniuk, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LBA is the Ethics Disciplinary Manager at the Behavior Analyst Certification Board. Dr. Seniuk graduated with her doctorate from the University of Nevada, Reno in 2013 under the mentorship of Dr. Larry Williams and has been a Board Certified Behavior Analyst since 2010. Dr. Seniuk has previously worked as an Assistant Professor at the University of New Brunswick, Fredericton where she developed an undergraduate level behavior analysis program and as the Project Coordinator for the Nevada PBIS Technical Assistance Center, working on the Facility-Wide PBIS Project providing behavioral systems support to residential juvenile corrections and youth mental health facilities as well as youth parole. She has over 13 years of experience working in a variety of clinical settings including early intervention, schools, mental health, and intellectual disabilities. Dr. Seniuk has served on numerous boards and committees including the Nevada Association for Behavior Analysis, Atlantic Provinces Association for Behavior Analysis, Behaviorists for Social Responsibility, and the Coalition of Behavioral Science Organizations Climate Change Task Force.

Andrew is a doctoral student in behavior analysis at the University of Florida. He is also a member of the Behavior Sciences Coalition Climate Change Task Force. His primary research interests are in the areas of developing community interventions to reduce greenhouse gas emission. To that end, he evaluates the determinants for pro-environmental behavior at the individual level, develops interventions, and then evaluates their effects always with an eye toward scalability and widespread adoption.

Behavioral economics is a field that integrates economic principles with behavioral concepts and provides greater understanding of complex phenomenon like obesity and eating disorders. Two procedures used in behavioral economics, delay discounting and demand, have been used to characterize how valued an outcome is in terms of its availability with particular patterns being conceptualized as markers of problematic behavior. This symposium will present new data on the demand and delay discounting of food choices across rats and human subjects. The speakers will present on effects of diet in influencing delay discounting in both rats and humans, how food cue exposure can influence demand and discounting of food outcomes, limitations of current behavioral economic tasks in measure food choice, and effects of a mindful eating training on food choice among a food insecure population. These results highlight the role of behavioral economics in our understanding of eating behavior and the use of mindful eating as a potential form of intervention for aberrant eating patterns.

This symposium will present a variety of applied behavioural analytic assessment and intervention strategies for practitioners and educators. Students and staff at the University of Auckland, New Zealand and Bangor University, Wales work across a range of diverse settings including residential care for people with dementia, residential rehabilitation for people with acquired brain injuries and developmental disabilities, and in graduate teaching programs. The aim of this symposium is to showcase the diversity of applied behavior analysis in practical settings.

We are wanting to inspire BCBAs who are already qualified to work with populations outside of Autism. We are also wanting to provide tools for BCBAs who are training the next generation to ensure that the students of today are trained using behaviour analytic techniques, so they come out with all the skills needed to be well rounded practitioners.

Engagement in leisure activities is considered an important contributing factor to a person’s quality of life. Many adults with disease, injury and disability show a low level of engagement in leisure activities. There exists a limited amount of research regarding interventions that specifically target increased engagement in leisure activities. Caregivers are often busy with the day to day tasks of caring and require a straightforward intervention that is not time consuming to improve the quality of life of their clients. The check-in procedure has previously shown success with increasing engagement in adults with dementia. We were able to replicate and generalize these findings. This collection of studies applied the check-in procedure with adults with dementia, acquired brain injury and developmental disabilities. Results showed increased levels of engagement for all participants, suggesting that the check-in procedure is an effective intervention for multiple populations. As a further extension we trained staff of a day programme for adults with intellectual disabilities to implement the check in procedure across all clients. Results of this study were mixed as some staff resisted implementing the procedure.

Learning is viewed by behavioural psychologists as an addition of new behaviour. From this perspective the traditional format for university courses in both assessment and teaching provides weak contingencies for the facilitation of learning and places students in a passive as opposed to active role. Interteach and equivalence-based instruction (EBI) are alternative methods of teaching that have been shown to result in greater marks in quiz scores, assignment and exam grades, and retention tests when compared to traditional lecture styles. Research was conducted on Postgraduate students of the Applied Behavioural Analysis Programme at the University of Auckland. Comparisons were made between interteach lectures and traditional lectures or traditional lectures with a choral response element. Active and passive on task and off task behaviour was measured, along with self-reported student satisfaction and preparation time. In addition, EBI was compared with traditional lectures. Learning and student preference was assessed in addition to generalisation of concepts. This presentation will demonstrate the use of Interteach and EBI and provide a summary of the background research, methods used, and results.

The Applied Behavior Analysis programme within the University of Auckland provides independent fieldwork supervision to trainees pursuing certification as behavior analysts. As part of their course the trainees are required to complete their 1500 hours across two placements within a calendar year. During 2019, we wanted to support the development of the required skills (BACB Task list 4) as well as the development of the critical soft skills, that would support the trainees in becoming more compassionate and more effective clinicians upon graduation. A list of critical softs skills was developed that the programme staff agreed to be relevant to support the trainees in their interactions with stakeholders. The trainees were asked to self- evaluate their competence for each task at the start of their supervised fieldwork experience and during each quarterly review. The trainees’ supervisors were also asked to evaluate the trainees soft skills and the results were compared and discussed during their progress review meetings. This process allowed the students and their supervisors to identify skills that needed specific skills based training at the start of, and throughout, their supervised field work experience. A social validity questionnaire was given to the trainees at the end of their supervised fieldwork experience. Future directions will look at developing these processes further and aligning them with the supervision guidelines that are emerging in the literature.

Much research has been conducted on increasing verbal behavior of individuals with and without developmental disabilities; however, there remains several unaddressed empirical questions. For instance, there is a paucity of literature on pre-requisite skills needed to increase the effectiveness of procedures, the efficacy of automatic reinforcement to increase infant vocalizations, if pairing procedures can increase textual behavior, and whether particular procedures are more effective to increase intraverbals. The current symposium will attempt to narrow these gaps in research. The first presentation will discuss findings on which skills may enhance the effectiveness of a Stimulus Pairing Observation Procedure in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Following, the second presentation will present results on the effects of a Stimulus-Stimulus Pairing procedure on the rate of vocalizations of a typically developing infant. Next, the third presentation will review outcomes of a word-picture pairing procedure to produce emergent textual behavior in children with reading deficits. Finally, the fourth presentation will discuss the effects of an echoic prompt plus error correction procedure and a Differential Observing Response procedure on the acquisition of convergent intraverbals in children with ASD. A discussion highlighting and integrating the aforementioned presentations will then be conducted by Dr. Ruth Anne Rehfeldt.

Behavior analysts

Answering social questions (i.e., intraverbals) is a skill that is commonly taught to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) because it is a common deficit in this population (Aguirre et al., 2019). Some intraverbals have multiple components that an individual must attend to in order to give an appropriate response. Some children with ASD commonly do not recognize these multiple components in order to emit a correct intraverbal response and may give the same answer from previous intraverbals learned (Aguirre et al., 2019). An echoic prompt plus error correction is a typical procedure for teaching children with ASD to emit appropriate answers to these complex intraverbals. Another teaching procedure that has been used is called the differential observing response (DOR), in which the child must repeat certain parts of the intraverbal question before giving an answer (Kisamore, Karsten, & Mann, 2016). There is currently limited literature on which of these procedures are more effective. The purpose of the current study was to examine the effects of the echoic prompt plus error correction procedure and a DOR procedure on the acquisition of convergent intraverbals with three children with autism. An adaptive alternating-treatment design was used to determine the acquisition of two sets of intraverbal questions with each participant. Results and implications will be discussed.

Textual behavior requires learning relations between dictated and printed words. Teaching printed words and pictures relations to individuals that already relates dictated words and pictures can establish equivalence classes that characterize reading with comprehension. We verified whether word-picture pairings produce emergent textual behavior (reading). Participants were three children (6-7 years) with reading deficits. Stimuli were printed words and their corresponding pictures, divided in three sets of three pairs. Pairing trials started with the presentation of a fixation cross in one corner of the screen. Clicking on the cross produced the presentation of a word followed by its corresponding picture. Three sessions were conducted for each stimulus set, and each word-picture pair was presented 12 times per session. Multiple probes evaluated the reading of all nine target words before and after teaching each set. Within sessions, pre- and post-tests assessed the reading of the three words. The probes showed emergence of reading after each set. Post-tests revealed an increase in reading within sessions. Participants did not read non-target words used only in probes. This study replicated, with a more rigorous experimental control, previous findings of our laboratory. We will discuss implications of these results for establishing reading with larger stimulus sets.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in social communication and repetitive behaviors [American Psychiatric Association (APA) 2013], and rates of ASD have risen exponentially in recent years currently impacting approximately 1 out of 59 children in the United States [Centers for Disease Control (CDC) 2018]. Several behavior analytic interventions have been established as effective with a focus on early delivery and high intensity for ameliorating symptoms of ASD and increasing meaningful skills. Even with this growth in practice, there remains inadequate access to services for families across the country. This symposium will include three presentations focused on development and implementation of parent training models to address: 1) lag between diagnosis and start of intervention, 2) service options for families living in remote and rural areas and/or with school-age children, and 3) evaluating the effect of naturalistic parent-mediated interventions. Together, results indicate that 1) parents were successful at implementing naturalistic interventions, 2) interventions met parent expectations, 3) parents reported positive response to intervention and format, and 4) children demonstrated positive gains during parent participation in the programs. Results from these models continue to inform research and community-based practice to address the needs of the community.

Behavior Analysts

Parent-mediated interventions can lead to significant gains in social, communicative, and adaptive skills for children with autism spectrum disorder (Meadan et al., 2009). Although there is consensus about the benefits of evidence-based parent-delivered intervention, many barriers exist for families seeking training on effective teaching practices. Geographical distance from treatment centers and the high cost of high-quality services are two variables that often contribute to inequity in behavior analytic treatment. The current investigation sought to examine the impact of a short-term intensive parent training program on parent fidelity of implementation of Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) and child communication. Twenty-four families living in remote or rural communities in Arizona participated in 25 hours of in-vivo parent coaching through a grant-funded, clinic-based program. Across all participants, the average fidelity score increased from 30% at baseline to 82% post-training and child responsivity increased from 22% to 67%. Additionally, families rated the program favorably and reported comfort using the strategies in their home environment. Results indicate that the one-week intensive program may offer a solution in addressing ongoing disparities in autism treatment.

Brief parent education programs for parents of young children has shown to be effective at increasing parent use of teaching strategies and having positive effects on child social communication skills (Vismara, Colombi, Rogers, 2009). However, few studies have examined the impact of parent-education models for parents with school-aged children. In this study we utilized the same format (Rogers et al., 2012) and evaluated the impact on parent delivery of Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) with school-aged children. This study reviewed the outcome data of the first four parent-child dyads to participate in the pilot and suggests that parents of school-age children may benefit from a short-term low-intensity model similarly to parents of young children. Following participation all participants agreed that they felt comfortable implementing the motivational procedures of pivotal response treatment. In addition, all parent-child dyads demonstrated gains in verbal responsivity and achieved an acceptable level of fidelity. Results suggested a 12-week education model can be an effective modality to increase fidelity of implementation of pivotal response treatment for caregivers of school-aged children.

Behavior Analysts face numerous challenges with respect to managing time in an effective and efficient manner. Some of the greatest challenges are faced when considering conducting assessments within the time constraints of insurance companies and providing training and ongoing supervision to Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs). In this symposium, data will be presented on an evaluation of indirect and direct assessment methods designed to increase the time efficiency of conducting comprehensive assessments. In addition, data will be presented on an evaluation of training methods designed to increase the time efficiency of training staff and ensuring effective ongoing supervision in clinical settings.

BCBAs and BCBA-Ds who provide direct supervision to RBTs and trainees

This panel will serve as a follow-up to the previous events on “A Strategic Plan for Expanding Behavioral Science Research on Climate Change”. It is the first of a two panel discussion on coordinating efforts of the behavior science community to increase research and community intervention to reduce carbon emissions. This panel includes experts from the fields of prevention science, clinical psychology, environmental education, and behavior analysis. The panelists will discuss coordinating efforts of individuals with diverse expertise in the development, execution, and data analysis of interdisciplinary sustainability research and make suggestions for immediate and pragmatic actions at the individual, community and societal levels. Audience members will have the opportunity to participate in real-time work to expand and scale up research and application needed in this area. We invite participants to dialogue and identify the opportunities and barriers to doing this work and commit to taking actions to increase the contributions of the behavior analysis community toward mitigating the effects of climate change.

Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students.

Jessica Ghai, M.Ed. BCBA, LABA(MA) is a doctoral candidate at the Boston University: Wheelock College of Education and Human Development (anticipated completion: Spring 2020) and a Volunteer Coordinator for the Behavioral Science Coalition: Climate Change Task Force. In additional to extensive teaching experience and animal-related dissertation research, Jessica’s academic background includes a B.S. in Natural Resources from The Ohio State University: College of Food, Agriculture, and Environment Sciences. Following completion of her doctoral program, she hopes to pursue a career in research. Research interests include: human-animal interactions through a behavior analytic lens, animal well-being and management of maladaptive behaviors in zoological settings, visitation behaviors of patrons at zoological facilities, and the effectiveness of behavior change interventions related to species biodiversity and conservation of natural resources. Jessica also volunteers as a keeper’s aide at a zoological facility and is a member of ABAI’s Applied Animal Behavior SIG. 

Market data forecasts up to 4% average yearly growth of ABA treatment programs up to $2.23 billion by 2022. The Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB®) has reported annual demand for individuals credentialed clinicians holding (i.e., BCBA/BCBA-D) certification has to have increased each yearly since 2010, with a 1,942% increase from 2010 to 2018 (2019). Accordingly, business owners and senior-level management need must to be equipped with appropriate tools to make organization-wide decisions. This ‘how-to’ symposium will describe available technology to analyze ABA business data. This includes but is not limited to running queries within data and reports and developing dashboards and other visualizations. This session will also describe how data reporting may be used to create usable dashboards to guide behavior analysts in providing appropriate dosing of therapy to clients, ensuring authorizations are utilized appropriately, and analyzing data regarding therapy cancellations. Finally, this session will also review one organization’s process of completing a business intelligence assessment and utilizing financial data to meet business initiatives for best practice. In the end, data analyzed in these ways may be used to develop business insights that may lead to increased productivity, revenues, and growth for ABA companies.

Senior level behavior analysts ABA Business Management

In this session, the authors will present sample dashboard data created from reporting within ABA practice management software. The authors will demonstrate how behavior analyst productivity may be tracked as well as how analyses may be conducted related to contract utilization, session cancellation, and human resource management. The authors will describe how data visualization led to agency-wide policy and procedural changes to improve business and client outcomes.

For over four decades, the Kennedy Krieger Institute has provided significant advances to the field of Behavior Analysis (e.g., through continuous NIH research support exceeding $126 mil., 900+ research studies, 800+ trainees, 9 of the last 13 editors of JABA, clinical services to some 94,000 families, and over $900 mil. in revenue). This symposium will supplement previous reports to the ABAI community. In lieu of reporting individual studies, this update will describe current and developing innovative programs, their rationale, critical components, research challenges, and funding opportunities. Specifically, Presentation 1 will describe the strategic approach at KKI for addressing the most difficult problems, which has resulted in such advances as Functional Analysis, Preference Assessment, and now success with Treatment Resistant cases; Presentation 2 will provide methods for the integration of the ABA research and practice communities, and treatment accountability through the use of consumer data; Presentation 3 will describe our Tele-Behavioral Health Program in terms of preparation of practitioners, privacy safeguards, research designs to justify support (the comparison of clinic based vs. tele-behavioral health), and the current opportunity for worldwide implementation; and Presentation 4 will provide programmatic details and data on addressing Pediatric Pain and the implication for the opioid crisis.

BCBAs, practitioners, clinical researchers

Vital to the continued viability of behavior analysis are the linkages between theory, research, and clinical application. This presentation will report on efforts over the past five years at the Kennedy Krieger Institute Department of Behavioral Psychology to develop methods for creating linkages between the research and practice segments of Behavior Analysis. These efforts focus on the use of parent-collected data as the functional bridge between these two important groups. We evaluated the reliability and affordability of various methods of data collection. In addition, we have begun to establish the validity of parent data by comparing it to trained observers. We will present data on efficient methods for acquisition, analysis, and use in clinical treatment. These activities have culminated in a department-wide initiative to collect treatment outcome data from parents via text messages prior to, during, and after treatment. We will demonstrate our approach to clinical accountability within and across clinics, discuss challenges of implementing this system, and make recommendations for service providers.

The opioid crisis in the United States is a serious health problem with complex causes. One factor related to opiate addiction, and the crisis, is treating chronic pain with opiates. Child and adolescent chronic pain is a growing problem, often misdiagnosed and improperly treated with opiates. Among the essential treatment modalities for pediatric chronic pain is a Behavior Analytic approach. This presentation will review pediatric chronic pain, treatment modalities, the role of Behavior Analysis, and implications for the opioid crisis. It will describe the Pediatric Pain Program at Kennedy Krieger led by the Behavior Analysis group, including specific Behavior Analysis procedures and outcome data. The data indicate the program avoided prescribing opiates, and patients using opiates prescribed elsewhere, had their medication weaned. For the inpatient program, child ratings of functional disability, depression, anxiety, pain catastrophizing and intensity significantly decreased, as did parent ratings of functional disability and depression. Staff ratings of functional ability significantly increased. For the day treatment program, child and parent ratings of functional disability significantly decreased along with child ratings of depression and pain catastrophizing. Follow-up data show increased school attendance and participation in community activities at 3 and 12 months and was at 100% by 24 months.

If you design, select, modify, or deliver instruction, this session is for you! Direct Instruction (DI) programs are highly effective, with design and delivery based on the content’s “Big Idea” and application of three powerhouse components: content analysis, instructional sequencing, and clear communication. Content analysis is an active and creative part of instructional design that ensures concepts are learned and readied for teaching generalization. Thoughtful sequencing and example juxtaposition improve efficiency. Clear communication reduces ambiguity and errors—for both the teacher and the learner—and influences DI’s presentation features (e.g., scripting, active student responding, pacing, progress monitoring). The program elements of true DI move the instructional design process beyond simply selecting multiple exemplars, the prevailing method in much of behavior analytic teaching. This session will apply and extend these core features to real-world contexts for any and all teaching, content, and circumstances. Our goal? You’ll learn to infuse these critical components of DI into your own instructional design and delivery.

Behavior analysts (certified), educators, instructional designers

How do you take a concept/content analysis and figure out the sequence of what to teach when? Even after performing the necessary analytical components for teaching a concept we still have to figure out how to best teach it. The sequence in which skills are taught is instrumental for success. Learning new concepts can be made easier or more difficult depending on the order in which stimuli are introduced. Critical design aspects of how to teach include the sequence and arrangement of examples and non-examples (juxtaposition), the use of clear instructions (faultless communication), the judicious presentation of “interruptions,” and the selection of teaching routines based on the learner's current repertoire (response teaching strategies). This presentation will outline five Direct Instruction (DI) principles for sequencing and ordering examples to maximize learning, and it will consider their ties to behavior analysis.

Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities often face complex issues when addressing their mental and behavioral health needs. Frequently, co-occurring issues within mental health diagnosis and Intellectual Disabilities/Developmental Disabilities (ID/DD), go over looked and are underserved. Examples include clients with co-occurring diagnoses such as Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorders, Anxiety, Depression, and Substance use Issues in conjunction with an ID/DD diagnosis. This panel will present a collaborative treatment approach for adults with ID/DD and a mental health diagnosis. The focus is on bridging the gap between mental health issues and behavioral health issues. The panel will identify signs that the client may need mental health and possibly substance use treatment, in addition to Applied Behavior Analysis services. The treatment team includes mental health, behavioral health, substance use treatment, and nursing providers. The model being presented incorporates mental health treatment approaches such as Dialectical Behavioral Therapy special skills, Cognitive Behavior Therapy, and Motivational Interviewing, in conjunction with ABA services. They will address how an interdisciplinary team can work with a client and other supporting providers to treat the whole person. This presentation can provide a model for an underserved adult population with co-occurring disorders.

Individuals interested in working with adults with co-occurring ID/DD, mental health diagnosis, and possible substance use issues are encouraged to attend. Crisis intervention with the most challenging clients who are at risk for losing their housing (e.g. group home, ILF, B&C), transiting from Developmental Institutions, frequently hospitalized, or frequent police interactions. A pilot program and treatment will be presented.

Higher education in behavior analysis is in high demand, especially online learning options. Any modality of education must use current evidence-based teaching methods, however, little to no empirical research has been conducted on online learning methodologies. The following studies were all conducted in behavior analysis Master-level courses. The studies evaluated various aspects of those courses including with and without access to online forums (asynchronous discussion), with and without instructor involvement on forums, point contingencies on forums, access to synchronous and asynchronous discussion, participation in synchronous or asynchronous discussion sessions, and grading criteria (credit/no credit vs accuracy).

Those interested in higher education, especially online learning.

An extension of the panel on “Coordinating Interdisciplinary Sustainability Research”, this panel is composed of experts in behavior analysis who will share perspectives on coordination and outreach, research institutions and foundations, and collaboration with others to design community-level interventions to curb the effects of greenhouse gases. This panel aims to foster an open dialogue on how the behavioral community can move this work forward through addressing complex questions, sharing new ideas, and collaborative problem-solving. Audience members will have the opportunity to ask questions of the panelists and offer ideas for collaboration and expansion of the work of the task force. We invite participants to lean in to the complex nature of behavioral science work on climate change and explore new relationships and collaborations that build a community of researchers, practitioners, and activists that are committed to the health and long term survival of our planet and the important role that behavior science plays in making that happen.

Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students.

Behavior analysts have the potential to encounter ethical challenges on a daily basis. While the Professional and Ethical Compliance Code for Behavior Analysts (Behavior Analyst Certification Board; BACB, 2014), includes clear and concise guidance and direction, many behavior analysts find there is significant ambiguity, misunderstanding, and interpretation when applying the Code to real-life professional circumstances. Practitioners may find themselves in an uncomfortable conflict between adhering to the Code and integrating their own appraisal and perspective of challenging scenarios. Fortunately, behavior analysts are adept at assessment of the events surrounding targeted behavior and can directly apply this skillset toward understanding behaviors associated with ethically difficult situations. The panelists will discuss ethical decision-making models for incorporating and analyzing the function of ethically precarious behavior within context while remaining consistent with ethical standards of the field and ensuring quality care for clientele.

The target audience for this presentation is anyone interested in the study or practice of applied behavior analysis including Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs), Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analysts (BCaBAs), Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs), psychologists, psychiatrists, clinicians, graduate students, professors, teachers, and parents. The primary audience will be those practicing, teaching or studying in applied behavior analysis.

Quality supervision is imperative to ensure consistent improvement in the services we provide, as well as guiding the development of the next generation of behavior analysts (BCBAs). The manner in which BCBAs provide supervision, to both students and technicians, is thought to be partly molded by their own experiences with their personal supervisors. As such, supervision styles are likely to be passed down to future generations of BCBAs. Being such a critical feature in one’s development as a BCBA, supervisors should be sensitive to the various contingencies surrounding their responsibilities. While there are an increasing number of resources available for supervisors, an often overlooked source of feedback is directly from those who BCBAs supervise. The purpose of this panel discussion is to review and respond to submissions provided by students, behavior technicians, and BCaBAs regarding their experiences with supervision. Furthermore, the panelists will discuss, as a group, potential solutions and/or changes that might improve the nature of supervision by BCBAs to further encourage the quality of this essential feature of our development as professionals and scientists.

Those who provide supervision to RBTs and BCaBAs.