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Medication Reduction: An Organizational Approach to Psychopharmacology in a Behavior Analytic Residential Treatment Program |
Monday, May 25, 2020 |
8:00 AM–8:50 AM |
Marriott Marquis, Level M2, Marquis Ballroom 5 |
Area: BPN/DDA; Domain: Translational |
Chair: Dawn O'Neill (Judge Rotenberg Educational Center; Contextual Behavioral Science Institute) |
Discussant: R. Nicolle Nicolle Carr (The University of Oklahoma) |
CE Instructor: Dawn O'Neill, Ph.D. |
Abstract: An organizational approach to psychopharmacology in a behavior analytic residential treatment program is discussed. Our treatment teams and psychiatrist collaborate to reduce psychotropic medications, when clinically appropriate, for individuals with severe problem behavior. Our clients have typically attended previous residential treatment facilities, have been rejected from other placements, and are admitted to our program on a variety of psychotropic medications. We discuss changes in major problem behaviors following medication reduction and discontinuation. In many cases, we are able to successfully discontinue the use of psychotropic medications while concurrently implementing a comprehensive and intensive behavioral treatment program. Effective, program-wide behavioral interventions are reviewed. Several case studies highlight various level and trend changes observed when titrating psychotropic medications. Subsequently, a retrospective analysis examines the impact of clonidine withdrawal or discontinuation on the frequency of aggressive and self-injurious behavior. Aggressive and self-injurious behavior decelerates following clonidine discontinuation for the majority of the sample. Treatment providers should also be aware of temporary increases (i.e., agitation withdrawal) in problem behavior following medication reduction. Ethical considerations surrounding boundaries of competence, consultation, treatment efficacy, and least restrictive procedures are discussed. |
Instruction Level: Intermediate |
Keyword(s): inter-disciplinary collaboration, medication reduction, psychopharmacology, treatment efficacy |
Target Audience: behavior analysts, psychologists, behavioral scientists |
Learning Objectives: 1. Understand an organizational approach to medication reduction. 2. Understand the possible impact of psychotropic medication changes on overt problem behavior, including agitation withdrawal. 3. Be familiar with ethical considerations surrounding multiple treatments and inter-disciplinary collaboration in reaching treatment decisions. |
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Changes in Major Problem Behaviors following Psychotropic Medication Reduction |
KAREN STUFFLEBEAM (Judge Rotenberg Educational Center), Dawn O'Neill (Judge Rotenberg Educational Center; Contextual Behavioral Science Institute), Nathan Blenkush (Judge Rotenberg Educational Center), Anthony Joseph (McLean Hospital; Harvard Medical School) |
Abstract: An organizational approach to psychopharmacology within an intensive in-patient behavior analytic treatment facility is discussed. Medication changes are based on collaboration between psychiatry and clinical services. Several case studies are highlighted to demonstrate the impact of psychotropic medication reduction and discontinuation during intensive in-patient behavior analytic programming on aggressive, self-injurious, health dangerous, and major disruptive behavior. A variety of medications are titrated, including antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, and benzodiazepines. Generally, successful fading and discontinuation of psychotropic medications while concurrently implementing a comprehensive behavioral treatment program comprised of antecedent-based interventions, behavioral contracts and reminders, multiple schedules of reinforcement, differential reinforcement procedures, token systems and fines, and functional communication training is observed. Examples of various level and trend changes for major problem behaviors following psychotropic medication changes are explored. Examples of deceleration, temporary acceleration followed by deceleration (e.g., agitation withdrawal), and continued acceleration following medication changes are highlighted. The treatment utility of a clinical collaboration between psychiatry and behavior analysis is discussed. Ethical considerations for boundaries of competence, consultation, effective and least restrictive treatment are reviewed. |
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Retrospective Analysis of Clonidine Efficacy for Aggressive and Self-Injurious Behavior |
(Service Delivery) |
DAWN O'NEILL (Judge Rotenberg Educational Center; Contextual Behavioral Science Institute), Nathan Blenkush (Judge Rotenberg Educational Center), Anthony Joseph (McLean Hospital; Harvard Medical School) |
Abstract: Clonidine, an autonomically active drug, is frequently prescribed in an effort to reduce different forms of aggressive and self-injurious behavior in people with various psychiatric diagnoses including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, delirium, encephalopathy, mood disorders, and psychosis. Problematically, research cited to support the use of clonidine for aggressive behavior involves poor assessment methods (i.e., a line item for aggression on an indirect assessment). Furthermore, non-human animal research found that clonidine evokes aggressive and self-injurious behavior in mice. A retrospective analysis was conducted to examine the impact of clonidine withdrawal or discontinuation on the frequency of aggressive and self-injurious behavior for an intensive in-patient sample. Reduction of clonidine strongly correlated with clinically significant reductions of all forms of aggressive behavior in almost all patients. However, some patients temporarily engaged in an increase in aggressive behavior prior to maintaining lower levels of aggressive behavior. Clonidine discontinuation in patients with violent and self-injurious behavior may be an important approach to reducing such behavior, and treatment providers should be aware of the possibility of an initial increase in aggressive behavior while titrating medication. Effective, least restrictive, and multiple treatment ethical considerations are reviewed. |
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PDS: How to Approach Social and Systemic Change |
Monday, May 25, 2020 |
8:00 AM–8:50 AM |
Marriott Marquis, Level M4, Independence D |
Area: CSS/OBM; Domain: Translational |
Chair: Edward Brandon Amezquita (University of North Texas) |
TRACI M. CIHON (University of North Texas) |
RAMONA HOUMANFAR (University of Nevada, Reno) |
JOMELLA WATSON-THOMPSON (University of Kansas) |
Abstract: Behavior Analysis has enjoyed a long tradition of successful demonstrations of individual behavior change as evidenced by the now 50+ year history of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, the number of new publication outlets for applied research, and the demand for services (particularly for individuals with autism spectrum disorder). However, the individuals we support are also a part of a culture or social environment(e.g., families, schools, organizations, communities). Social environments serve as the networks of contingencies that maintain much of our individual behavior. Culturo-behavior science adds to our understanding of individual behavior change, explores the contingencies that arise when one or more individuals are engaging in behaviors dependent upon one another (e.g., interlocking behavioral contingencies or socio-interlocked behaviors), and seeks to understand how to bring about social and systemic change. The goal of this Professional Development Series Panel is to introduce attendees to the types of research and the range of applications - organizational, social, and community systems - representative of culturo-behavior science. |
Instruction Level: Basic |
Keyword(s): Community-based approach, Cultural analysis, Culturo-behavior science, Social issues |
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Can Behavioral and Developmental Science Live Happily Ever After? An Overview and Application of Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Intervention |
Monday, May 25, 2020 |
8:00 AM–9:50 AM |
Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Level 2, Room 206 |
Area: AUT/DDA; Domain: Translational |
Chair: Melanie Pellecchia (University of Pennsylvania) |
Discussant: Sophia R D'Agostino (Hope College) |
CE Instructor: Melanie Pellecchia, Ph.D. |
Abstract: Early intervention for young children with autism spectrum disorder has historically been rooted within two distinct theoretical foundations: behavioral and developmental sciences. Proponents of each discipline have traditionally held opposing views toward treatment, with little collaboration. A recent shift in autism intervention has led to the emergence of a group of interventions that incorporate elements from both developmental and behavioral science. These naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions (NDBI) have been used effectively in a variety of settings with improvements in child and family outcomes. This symposium includes a series of presentations describing the application of naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions across a range of settings, with a focus on describing the integration of developmental and behavioral science in each. The first presentation will provide a broad overview of naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions, including a description of its core components. The second presentation will describe the implementation of naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions in a hospital-based clinic setting, including data related to the characteristics of children enrolled in the program. The third will describe child outcomes from a group-based delivery of naturalistic developmental behavioral intervention for preschool-aged children. The final presentation will shed light on the actual use of naturalistic developmental behavioral intervention strategies within community settings by describing the self-reported utilization of developmental and behavioral strategies from a large sample of applied behavior analysis providers. |
Instruction Level: Basic |
Target Audience: Behavior analysts, behavior therapists, early intervention providers |
Learning Objectives: 1) Understand the theoretical background of naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions. 2) Discuss the application of NDBI across a range of service settings. 3) Discuss strategies for incorporating NDBI into ABA treatment programs. |
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Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Intervention: The next frontier for early autism treatment |
(Theory) |
MELANIE PELLECCHIA (University of Pennsylvania) |
Abstract: A recent trend in early intervention for young children with autism spectrum disorder is the development of interventions that bridge both developmental and behavioral sciences. This new breed of interventions, Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions (NDBI), merge best practices in these two previously opposing approaches to intervention. Naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions integrate behavioral learning theory and developmentally-focused strategies within natural environments. Several efficacious naturalistic developmental behavioral intervention treatment models have been successfully implemented across a variety of settings with improved child and family outcomes. Yet, this approach has yet to be disseminated widely among behavior analysts. This presentation will provide an in-depth overview of Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions, with an emphasis on how this approach can be incorporated into existing applied behavior analysis programs for young children with autism spectrum disorders. The presentation will include: a description of the theoretical background underlying the approach, the core components of naturalistic developmental behavioral intervention, and examples illustrating its application. A summary of the evidence supporting the effectiveness of naturalistic developmental behavioral intervention and recommendations for incorporating its strategies into existing programs will be provided. |
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The Application of Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions in a hospital-based autism center |
(Service Delivery) |
ASHLEY DUBIN (Nemours/AI duPont Hospital for Children), Emily Bernabe (Nemours/Alfred I duPont Hospital for Children), Meena Khowaja (Nemours/Alfred I Dupont Hospital for Children) |
Abstract: This presentation describes the clinical implementation of Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions (NDBIs; Schreibman et al., 2015) in a hospital-based autism center. Parents of young children recently diagnosed with autism are coached on strategies to promote social communication. Different service delivery models and the strategies comprising the parent-mediated naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions will be discussed. Data will be presented about characteristics of the parents and children referred for, enrolled in, and who have completed one of the center’s naturalistic developmental behavioral intervention programs. As enrollment in the program is ongoing, we anticipate including additional data related to systems-level processes (e.g., triage to different programs), child social communication and other behaviors over time, and other factors potentially related to enrollment and completion of naturalistic developmental behavioral intervention programs. Important considerations for implementation of parent-mediated naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions in a hospital-based clinic setting will be discussed, including advantages, possible barriers, need for modifications, and future directions for research and practice. |
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Follow the Children: A Group-Based Application of Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Intervention for Preschool Children With Autism |
(Service Delivery) |
MEGHAN KANE (University of Pennsylvania), Melanie Pellecchia (University of Pennsylvania), David Mandell (University of Pennsylvania) |
Abstract: Group-learning models for young children with autism provide environments rich with opportunities for teaching social communication and interaction skills. Comprehensive preschool programs that incorporate naturalistic developmental behavioral intervention (NDBI) strategies have produced improvements in children’s social communication skills, social engagement, and core ASD symptoms (Stahmer & Ingersoll, 2004; Strain & Bovey, 2011). This presentation will provide an overview of an NDBI treatment model delivered within a group program for preschool-aged children with autism. A description of the treatment model and subsequent changes in children’s social communication skills for 20 preschool-aged children enrolled in the program will be discussed. Staff fidelity was measured using a direct observation fidelity tool designed to measure the core components of a group-based NDBI model. Fidelity was high and averaged over 87% accuracy across all NDBI components. Changes in children’s social communication were measured at baseline and following six months of intervention using the Social Communication Checklist, a curriculum-based measure of social communication. Improvements were observed across all domains, with significant improvements in the group’s overall social communication score (p < .05), social engagement (p <.01), and play skills (p <.05). Implications for research and practice incorporating naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions into group-based treatment programs will be discussed. |
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Self-Reported Utilization of Developmental and Behavioral Intervention Techniques by Applied Behavior Analysis Providers |
(Service Delivery) |
KYLE M FROST (Michigan State University), Brooke Ingersoll (Michigan State University) |
Abstract: Naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions (NDBIs; Schreibman et al., 2015) are a class of early interventions for autism spectrum disorder with growing empirical support, however, their similarity to Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) as delivered in the community is unknown. This online survey-based study characterized the self-reported utilization of developmental and behavioral intervention techniques in a large sample of ABA providers (n=368) and explored what aspects of provider background predict utilization. Respondents rated the extent to which they used each of a number of intervention techniques in a recent session with a specific child. ABA providers self-reported less use of developmental techniques than behavioral techniques, t(356)=-26.35, p<0.001. Providers with greater self-reported competency in NDBIs reported more frequent use of developmental techniques (Table 1); NDBI competency was not related to use of behavioral techniques, which were reported at high levels across providers. Point-biserial correlations indicated some trending relationships with training background such that providers with a background in psychology reported greater use of developmental techniques and those with backgrounds in ABA and special education reported less use (Table 1). Results suggest that further research on the similarities and differences between NDBIs and ABA delivered in the community is warranted. |
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To Vary or not to Vary: Advances in Behavioral Variability Research |
Monday, May 25, 2020 |
8:00 AM–9:50 AM |
Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Level 1, Salon G |
Area: DDA/EAB; Domain: Translational |
Chair: Clodagh Mary Murray (Emirates College for Advanced Education) |
Discussant: Allen Neuringer (Reed College) |
CE Instructor: Clodagh Mary Murray, Ph.D. |
Abstract: This symposium presents some of the latest developments in behavioral variability research. The opening paper outlines a comparison of video-modelling (VM) and VM plus lag schedules to increase variability of intraverbal responses to social questions among adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Issues with generalization and maintenance of intervention outcomes and how to measure same will be discussed. The next study used lag schedules to increase variability in toy selections of children with ASD. There was an associated increase in appropriate play and decrease in stereotypy, while multiple generalization probes revealed generalization across people and settings but not stimuli. Next is a long-awaited investigation into the level of variability in activities of neurotypical preschoolers that details a novel measurement system. This study provides important information for those working on increasing variability in play and other activities in children with developmental disabilities; these are increasingly frequent topics of applied variability research. The final paper describes a basic study investigating generalization of reinforced variability in rats. In the applied field, researchers are striving to understand generalization effects of variation across multiple repertoires; this study adds to our understanding of these processes. This set of papers, together with our Discussant, the leading expert in this field, aims to address some of the many interesting questions that have been raised as more and more researchers identify behavioral variability as an important field of study. |
Instruction Level: Intermediate |
Keyword(s): Generalized Variability, Lag Schedules, Measuring Variability, Reinforced Variability |
Target Audience: BCBAs, BCBA-Ds, anyone interested in variability in basic or applied fields. |
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the symposium, attendees will be able to: 1. Explain the importance of variability as a dimension of behavior, particularly when working with people with developmental disabilities 2. Describe the factors associated with generalization of reinforced variability 3. Describe two different ways to measure behavioral variability |
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Increasing Variability of Intraverbal Responses to Social Questions in Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder |
(Applied Research) |
Aibhin O'Neill (National University of Ireland Galway), CLODAGH MARY MURRAY (Emirates College for Advanced Education) |
Abstract: This study investigated the effects of video modelling alone (VM) and video modelling plus a lag 2 schedule of reinforcement (VM + lag 2) on the variability of intraverbal responses to social questions for two adults with autism. It used an alternating treatments design with embedded multiple baseline. The questions ‘How are you?’, ‘What do you like to do?’, and ‘Can you tell me something about you?’ were targeted in this study, with different questions being randomly allocated to either VM, VM + lag or best treatment conditions. Variability in responding was measured by calculating, for each session, the mean number of responses from which each one differed. For both participants, variability was higher in the VM + lag 2 condition, hence, this was used in the best treatment condition. Novel responses emerged in both treatment conditions so, while variability did not increase in the VM alone condition, participants did learn new responses from the video models. A one-month maintenance check revealed that responses to questions targeted with VM+ lag 2 were more variable than those targeted by VM alone. During generalization sessions in novel settings, variability was concordant with that observed in the training location for all questions. |
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Using Lag Schedules to Increase Variability in Toy Selections of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder |
(Applied Research) |
Megan Davis (National University of Ireland Galway), KATHERINE MARISSA CLARKE (National University of Ireland Galway), Clodagh Mary Murray (Emirates College for Advanced Education) |
Abstract: Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have been shown to have lower variability in their play-related behaviors than their neurotypical peers and one way this is evident is in the limited number of toys they engage with. A multiple-baseline design across participants was used to examine the impact of lag 2 and lag 3 schedules on toy-selection variability and on stereotypical behaviors during play. Results showed that all three participants displayed an increase in toy-selection variability in addition to a decrease in stereotypical behaviors and an increase in appropriate play behaviors when interacting with the toys. Maintenance checks after 1-month showed that the increase in variability was maintained by all three participants while levels of stereotypical behaviors remained low. A series of generalization probes revealed that the skills generalized across settings and staff members and, to a far lesser extent, to novel toys, though this varied by session, according to the type of toys used. The impact of the type of toys introduced during generalization probes (preferred vs non-preferred) will be discussed along with the implications of this work for researchers and clinicians. |
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Examining Variability of Item Interaction and Activity Selection in Preschool Classrooms |
(Applied Research) |
JARED T ARMSHAW (University of North Texas), Joseph D. Dracobly (University of North Texas), Gabriela Arias (University of North Texas) |
Abstract: Creativity is a core skill that schools target beginning in early pre-school settings. To have different patterns of responding that represent different ideas, interests, fantasies, etc., one must first have a variety of ideas, interests, fantasies, etc. There is a growing body of research on methods to produce response variability. Despite this promising research, it is not clear, however, how much alternation is socially appropriate. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to develop, across a larger number of children, an understanding of the different ways children interact with activities commonly found in pre-school environments. We measured children’s repeat item interactions, novel item interactions, and allocation of time across five concurrently available activity centers. Both within and across children, there was diversity in the number of items with which children interacted and some interaction between levels of repeat item interaction and levels of novel item interaction. Although the relations were predominantly correlated with centers, there were some differences across children within some activities. We will discuss the implications for our understanding of variability and creativity within school environments, including how everyday arrangements of preschool environments may support or hinder variable responding. |
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Generalization of Variability Training Across Responses in Rats |
(Basic Research) |
KAILEY MORRISSEY (Utah State University), Annie Galizio (Utah State University), Jeremy Haynes (Utah State University), Diana Michelle Perez (Utah State University), Caroline Towse (Utah State University), Amy Odum (Utah State University) |
Abstract: Research has shown that variability is an operant. If so, reinforced variability should translate across contexts. This study was designed to see if variability training would generalize across response topographies. Phase 1 of this experiment included rats producing four-response patterns across two nosepokes (e.g.,LRLR, where L and R indicate left and right responses). Food was delivered probabilistically during this phase, so variability was not required, and low levels of variability were observed. In Phase 2, one group of rats earned food by producing varied response sequences. The control group was yoked, meaning these rats earned food at the same rate as the experimental rats but did not have to vary. This phase showed high levels of variability for Vary rats, and low levels for Yoke rats. Phase 3 included all rats pressing levers to earn probabilistic rewards, resulting in low levels of variability. In Phase 4, all rats earned food for variable lever pressing. If Vary rats acquire variable lever pressing more quickly than Yoke rats, it is possible that variability is generalized across topographies. If so, the hypothesis that behavioral variability is an operant is supported. The results suggest limited evidence of generalization of variability across responses in rats. |
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Ethics Under the Umbrella: Sexual Behavior Considerations for Client Intervention and Beyond |
Monday, May 25, 2020 |
8:00 AM–9:50 AM |
Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Level 1, Room 103 |
Area: DDA/AUT; Domain: Translational |
Chair: Barbara Gross (Empowered: A Center for Sexuality; Special School District of St Louis County) |
Discussant: Barbara Gross (Empowered: A Center for Sexuality; Special School District of St Louis County) |
CE Instructor: Robin Moyher, Ph.D. |
Abstract: Sexual behavior is a complex and wide-reaching topic. And though sexual stimulation is considered to be a primary reinforcer for most, there is frequently shame and stigma associated with sexual behavior, leaving it under-discussed within our field. This symposium examines an array of ethical considerations pertaining to sexual behavior, from direct client interventions and supports around assent and noncompliance, to scholarship and theory on sex and risk, to legal considerations in sex education and censorship, to dissemination of behavior analytic analysis as it benefits pleasure-based sex education at large. Presenters will discuss resulting data and their implications as applicable, and will discuss recommendations for future research, instruction, and applied projects. |
Instruction Level: Basic |
Keyword(s): ethics, sex education, sexual behavior, sexuality |
Target Audience: Practicing BCBAs and BCaBAs |
Learning Objectives: Not required for BACB |
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What Is Sexual Behavior Anyway: A Biopsychosocial Account of Conceptualizing Sex and Risk |
(Theory) |
BRYANT ANTOINE (Empowered: A Center for Sexuality; Special School District of St Louis County), Worner Leland (Empowered: A Center for Sexuality; Upswing Advocates) |
Abstract: Because of the complexity of potential sexual repertoires and beliefs about sex at both the ontogenic and cultural level, it can be difficult to tact what “counts” as sexual behavior. Additionally, multiple factors impact the labeling of sexual behavior as “high risk.” Relational Frame Theory (RFT) provides an account of language as operant behavior (Hayes, Barnes-Holmes, & Roche, 2001). This presentation will examine different possible response classes and consequences which may be labeled as “sex” and which may be described as “risky” and will examine both derived beliefs and transfer of stimulus function when considering potentially risky sexual behavior. Relying on scientific knowledge both within and outside the field (BACB, 2019, 1.01), sex and risk will be examined as a biopsychosocial phenomenon, and the acquisition of these labels will comparably be examined through a contextual examination of selectionism at the phylogenic, ontogenetic, and cultural levels (Skinner, 1953). Harm reduction modalities will be considered as the impact of this language is examined. |
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Censorship, the Right to Effective Treatment, and Avoiding Legal Risk |
(Service Delivery) |
ALEXANDRA ZHESTKOVA (Moscow Centre of Pedagogy and Psychology) |
Abstract: Behavior analysts must conform to the legal and ethical codes of their social and professional communities, and must resolve any conflict in their ethical obligations and legal obligations in accordance with the law (BACB, 2019, 1.04 d & e). When considering the law regarding sexuality and sexual behavior education, behavior analysts must be especially mindful of potential conflicts between the ethical code and the law. While behavior analysts must advocate for the most effective interventions - keeping in mind cultural differences, resources and practices - legal considerations must not be forgotten. While most countries have direct laws regarding censorship and/or sexuality, the writing of these laws often leave room for loopholes or ambiguity. One must often look to legal precedent to examine actual consequence of the law in addition to the law’s written intention. This presentation will provide examples of sexual behavior related treatments that can result in legal proceedings in different countries, highlighting legal ambiguity regarding sexual education and, finally, will offer some steps that could be taken to avoid or minimize risk of legal proceedings while pursuing ethical and effective intervention. |
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The Use of Preference Assessments in the Selection of Sex Toys in Adult Retail Environments |
(Service Delivery) |
LANDA L. FOX (Positive Connections) |
Abstract: The utility of preference assessments in the discovery of powerful reinforcers is a vitally important technology within the field of applied behavior analysis. While preference assessments have been researched and used extensively in the area of developmental disabilities and autism their application outside of this area is more limited (e.g., Organizational Behavior Management; Applied Animal Behavior). As ethical dissemination of our science to novel environments is of value (BACB, 2019, 6.02), this presentation will explore the potential for the use of preference assessments (free operant, paired-stimulus, multiple stimulus without replacement) in adult retail stores. We will review important considerations in the application of preference assessments in adult retail stores. Considerations include: determining the type or types of preference assessment that are most appropriate; the ethics of implementation of an assessment in this environment; barriers and ethics related to effectively identifying potential reinforcers when the items in arrays cannot be directly experienced; and the potential temporal stability or instability of preferences with reference to knowledge about shifting preferences in sexual stimulation across time. Effectively assisting customers in an adult retail store in the selection of sex toys/pleasure products that will ostensibly serve as a reinforcer after purchase is a novel application of this technology. |
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When Should or Shouldn’t an Individual be Compliant to an Instruction? |
(Basic Research) |
ROBIN MOYHER (George Mason University) |
Abstract: Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Delays (IDD) are victims, with alarmingly high rates, of sexual abuse and/or harassment (Sobsey & Varnhagen, 1989; Tyiska (1998). Compliance to instructions given to them from others, especially those in a position of authority, is often taught to individuals with IDD as part of their IEPs and home programming. However when considering our ethical obligation to our clients (BACB, 2019, 2.02, 2.05a) it is crucial to consider the benefit of direct noncompliance instruction, such in the case of a sexual harassment lure or sexual abuse lure. Presenting statistically significant data from a sexual harassment in the employment intervention to young adults with IDD (29 single subjects), the research will share data that demonstrates individuals are more likely to comply with instructions when presented from a person of authority versus a person of no authority. Data from this research study also shows that this population can be taught to recognize a sexual harassment lure, to respond appropriately, and report it accurately (Moyher, manuscript in progress). In the time of #metoo, it’s crucial to bring this topic to the IDD population. Instead of citing statistics of abuse that do not change decade after decade (Casteel, Martin, Smith, Gurka, and Kupper; 2008), this presentation will specifically discuss ways of teaching prevention skills to this population. |
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Functional Analysis of Problem Behavior: A Context for Assessment and Treatment Innovation |
Monday, May 25, 2020 |
8:00 AM–9:50 AM |
Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Level 1, Salon H |
Area: DDA/CBM; Domain: Translational |
Chair: Craig Strohmeier (Kennedy Krieger Institute) |
Discussant: John C. Borrero (University of Maryland, Baltimore County) |
CE Instructor: Craig Strohmeier, Psy.D. |
Abstract: Functional analyses (FAs) aim to identify reinforcers related to problem behavior and provide a baseline context for treatment evaluation. In this symposium, the first paper presents a review of the literature on compliance with mands, which is a behavior function sometimes demonstrated by individuals with moderate to advanced language repertoires. The second paper describes a controlled consecutive case series (CCCS) for the escape from attention function, which, while common as a possible behavioral phenotype in some genetic conditions, is not traditionally assessed in FAs. The third paper illuminates the heterogeneous nature of aggressive behavior (e.g. severity, topography, function), with an emphasis on response patterns that occur across FA test and control conditions. The final paper describes a CCCS analysis of two methods for thinning multiple schedules to derive more practical and efficient treatments. A terminal probe method, designed to minimize unnecessary steps in the schedule thinning process, is compared with the more traditional progressive thinning method. Across papers, we illustrate how FA provides context for innovation in the assessment and treatment of problem behavior. This context can inform a fined-tuned assessment approach that is generalizable across a wide range of populations and derives effective interventions. |
Instruction Level: Intermediate |
Keyword(s): Functional Analysis |
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Mand Compliance as a Contingency Controlling Problem Behavior |
(Applied Research) |
ADITHYAN RAJARAMAN (University of Maryland, Baltimore County), Gregory P. Hanley (Western New England University) |
Abstract: Bowman, Fisher, Thompson, and Piazza (1997) described a dynamic environment-behavior relation in which a child’s problem behavior was evoked by adult noncompliance with a variety of child mands, which occurred at high rates, and reinforced by adult compliance with subsequent mands. They discovered this phenomenon with two children with autism for whom traditional functional analyses involving generic reinforcement contingencies yielded inconclusive results. In recent years, similar dynamic contingencies have been shown to influence problem behavior, but the manner in which they have been arranged and described has varied across studies. The purpose of this review is to (a) describe the various contingencies involving compliance with mands and their prevalence in the literature, (b) summarize procedural variations, and (c) discuss what is known and yet to be discovered about the contingency as it relates to the analysis and treatment of problem behavior. Future research focused on improving technology for functionally analyzing and treating individuals who engage in severe problem behavior suspected to be sensitive to mand compliance will be discussed. |
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Assessment and Treatment of Problem Behavior Maintained by Escape from Attention: A Summary of 29 Cases |
(Applied Research) |
MIRELA CENGHER (University of Maryland, Baltimore County), Michelle D. Chin (The Kennedy Krieger Institute), Patricia F. Kurtz (Kennedy Krieger Institute) |
Abstract: The purpose of this controlled consecutive case series analysis was to evaluate outcomes of functional analysis (FA) and treatment procedures for problem behavior maintained by escape from attention (EA). Twenty nine individuals who had received inpatient or outpatient services for severe problem behavior and whose FAs included an EA test condition participated. An EA function was identified for 24 of the 29 participants. Aggression, followed by SIB, were the most prevalent forms of problem behavior demonstrated by participants with an EA function. We analyzed the initial multielement FAs that did not include an EA condition in participants for whom this function was subsequently identified, in order to establish predictive markers for EA. The following predictive markers were identified: high rates of problem behavior in the escape from demands condition and low rates of problem behavior in the attention condition. Finally, function-based treatments were implemented for 13 participants with an EA function; 84% of cases demonstrated a reduction of problem behavior of 80% or more relative to baseline. The most effective interventions included extinction and reinforcement-based procedures. Implications for research and clinical practice are discussed. |
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Aggressive Behavior: What do We Know and Where Should We Go? |
(Applied Research) |
NICOLE LYNN HAUSMAN (Kennedy Krieger Institute), Louis P. Hagopian (Kennedy Krieger Institute), Molly K Bednar (Kennedy Krieger Institute), Madeleine Guell (Kennedy Krieger Institute), Elissa Spinks (Kennedy Krieger Institute), John Falligant (Kennedy Krieger Institute/Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine), Michael P. Kranak (Kennedy Krieger Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine), Jasmeen Kaur (Kennedy Krieger institute ) |
Abstract: Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are at increased risk for displaying aggression (Allen, 2000; McClintock, et al., 2003). Aggression is associated with social isolation, increased use of restrictive treatments, and restrictive placements (e.g., Hodgetts et al., 2013). Previous research suggests that aggression is a heterogeneous phenomenon that may vary across multiple dimensions such as severity, topography, and behavioral function, the latter of which has been the primary focus of behavior analytic research (e.g., Beavers, et al., 2003; Fitzpatrick et al., 2016). The purpose of this presentation is to review the existing literature on aggressive behavior and describe an ongoing project aimed at better understanding variables that may differentially impact risks associated with this behavior (e.g., severity, topography, function, temporal patterning). Preliminary data outlining response patterns of aggression evident by rate of responding during EO present and EO absent phases of FA test conditions will be presented. |
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Effective, Efficient, and Practical Use of Multiple Schedules in the Treatment of Problem Behavior: A Comparison of Progressive Schedule Thinning and a Terminal Probe Method |
(Applied Research) |
CRAIG STROHMEIER (Kennedy Krieger Institute), Mirela Cengher (University of Maryland, Baltimore County), Michelle D. Chin (The Kennedy Krieger Institute) |
Abstract: Several studies describe the use of multiple schedules to thin reinforcement schedules during the treatment of problem behavior. An empirically derived approach for adjusting the multiple schedule (i.e. discriminative stimulus and S-Delta components) can inform an efficient process of schedule thinning that omits unnecessary steps. In the current study, we used a controlled consecutive case series analysis to compare two methods of schedule thinning: a terminal probe method (n = 34) and the more traditional progressive schedule thinning process (n=25). Participants included 59 children who received services at an outpatient clinic for the functional analysis and treatment of problem behavior. Preliminary findings indicated that in 22/34 applications, the terminal probe method yielded terminal S-Delta times that met or exceeded 80% of session time, in comparison to 2/25 applications in the progressive schedule thinning group. Additionally, in 30/34 applications, the terminal probe method produced terminal S-Delta times that exceeded five minutes, in comparison to 2/25 applications in the progressive schedule thinning group. We describe the terminal probe method, between and within subject analyses, implications of findings, and recommendations for practice. |
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Innovations in the Use Single-Case Methodology: Artificial Intelligence, Aids to Clinical Decision-Making, and Hybrid Designs |
Monday, May 25, 2020 |
8:00 AM–9:50 AM |
Marriott Marquis, Level M1, University of D.C. / Catholic University |
Area: PCH; Domain: Translational |
Chair: Marc J. Lanovaz (Université de Montréal) |
Discussant: David Richman (Texas Tech University) |
CE Instructor: Marc J. Lanovaz, Ph.D. |
Abstract: Single-case designs have been central to the development of a science of behavior analysis. However, other health and social sciences have not embraced their adoption as widely as behavior analysts. Potential explanations for this lack of adoption include the complexity of analyzing single-case data objectively as well as the limited consideration of group data. The purpose of our symposium is to present recent research that addresses the aforementioned limitations. The first presentation will describe a script designed to automatically analyze functional analysis data based on previously published rules. The second presentation will examine whether artificial intelligence can accurately make decisions using AB graphs. The third presentation will discuss the validity of using nonoverlap effect size measures to aid clinical decision-making. The final presentation will introduce hybrid designs, which involve a combination of single-case and group methodologies. As whole, the presentations will provide an overview of innovations in the use of single-case methodology for both practitioners and researchers. |
Instruction Level: Intermediate |
Keyword(s): Artificial intelligence, Clinical decision-making, Functional analysis, Single-case designs |
Target Audience: BCBAs BCBA-Ds |
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Automating Functional Analysis Interpretation |
(Applied Research) |
JONATHAN E. FRIEDEL (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health), Alison Cox (Brock University) |
Abstract: Functional analysis (FA) has been an important tool in behavior analysis. The goal of an FA is to determine problem behavior function (e.g., access to attention) so that treatments can be designed to target causal mechanisms (e.g., teaching a socially appropriate response for attention). Behavior analysts traditionally rely on visual inspection to interpret an FA. However, existing literature suggests interpretations can vary across clinicians (Danov & Symons, 2008). To increase objectivity and address interrater agreement across FA outcomes, Hagopian et al. (1997) created visual-inspection criteria to be used for FAs. Hagopian and colleagues reported improved agreement but limitations of the criteria were noted. Therefore, Roane, Fisher, Kelley, Mevers, and Bouxsein (2013) addressed these limitations when they created a modified version. Here, we describe a computer script designed to automatically interpret FAs based on the above-mentioned criteria. A computerized script may be beneficial because it requires objective criteria (e.g., 10% higher vs. ‘substantially’ higher) to make decisions and it is fully replicable (i.e., does not rely on interobserver agreement). We outline several areas where the published criteria required refinement for the script. We also identify some conditions in which the script provides interpretations that disagree with expert clinician interpretations. |
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Artificial Intelligence to Analyze Single-Case Data |
(Applied Research) |
MARC J. LANOVAZ (Université de Montréal), Antonia R. Giannakakos (Manhattanville College), Océane Destras (Polytechnique Montréal) |
Abstract: Visual analysis is the most commonly used method for interpreting data from single-case designs, but levels of interrater agreement remain a concern. Although structured aids to visual analysis such as the dual-criteria (DC) method may increase interrater agreement, the accuracy of the analyses may still benefit from improvements. Thus, the purpose of our study was to (a) examine correspondence between visual analysis and models derived from different machine learning algorithms, and (b) compare the accuracy, Type I error rate and power of each of our models with those produced by the DC method. We trained our models on a previously published dataset and then conducted analyses on both nonsimulated and simulated graphs. All our models derived from machine learning algorithms matched the interpretation of the visual analysts more frequently than the DC method. Furthermore, the machine learning algorithms outperformed the DC method on accuracy, Type I error rate, and power. Our results support the somewhat unorthodox proposition that behavior analysts may use machine learning algorithms to supplement their visual analysis of single-case data, but more research is needed to examine the potential benefits and drawbacks of such an approach. |
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Using AB Designs With Nonoverlap Effect Size Measures to Support Clinical Decision Making: A Monte Carlo Validation |
(Applied Research) |
ANTONIA R. GIANNAKAKOS (Manhattanville College), Marc J. Lanovaz (Université de Montréal) |
Abstract: Single-case experimental designs often require extended baselines or the withdrawal of treatment, which may not be feasible or ethical in some practical settings. The quasi-experimental AB design is a potential alternative, but more research is needed on its validity. The purpose of our study was to examine the validity of using nonoverlap measures of effect size to detect changes in AB designs using simulated data. In our analyses, we determined thresholds for three effect size measures beyond which the type I error rate would remain below .05, and then examined if using these thresholds would provide sufficient power. Overall, our analyses show that some effect size measures may provide adequate control over type I error rate and sufficient power when analyzing data from AB designs. In sum, our results suggest that practitioners may use quasi-experimental AB designs in combination with effect size to rigorously assess progress in practice. |
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Unique Applications of Single-Case Experimental Designs: “Hybrid Designs” in Research and Practice |
(Theory) |
ODESSA LUNA (St. Cloud State University), John T. Rapp (Auburn University) |
Abstract: The purpose of experimental designs is to determine the extent to which an independent variable is responsible for the observed changed in the dependent variable and to ensure the produced change is not due to extraneous variables. In behavior-analytic practice and research, we often use single-case experimental designs to evaluate the effect of a treatment with relatively few participants. As our field expands and extends beyond individualized assessment and treatment for individuals with disabilities, researchers and clinicians may need to consider alternative methods to evaluate functional control of the collective unit of behaving individuals. For example, behavior analysts may be tasked with changing a group of individuals’ behaviors in nontraditional settings such as detention centers or foster homes. Currently, the literature lacks any guidance in how we measure a group of behaving individuals within a single-subject framework. The purpose of this talk is to propose a term “hybrid designs” in which both modified single-case experimental and group designs are used to study group behavior. This talk will review different ways single-case experimental designs have been used in the literature when studying groups of individuals and applications for future research and practice. By proposing these hybrid designs, the talk aims to outline how we may (a) expand the range of experimental questions that behavior analysts can ask and (b) extend the utility of these designs to other disciplines with differing dependent variables. |
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Advancements in Instructional Strategies for Undergraduate and Graduate Students in Behavior Analysis |
Monday, May 25, 2020 |
8:00 AM–9:50 AM |
Marriott Marquis, Level M4, Capitol/Congress |
Area: TBA/EDC; Domain: Translational |
Chair: Rachel Scalzo (University of South Florida) |
Discussant: Spencer Gauert (University of South Florida) |
CE Instructor: Spencer Gauert, Ph.D. |
Abstract: Maximizing student learning outcomes is a goal at every level of instruction. For undergraduate and graduate students in behavior analysis, the stakes may be even higher given the clinical implications and leadership roles BCaBAs and BCBAs take on immediately following graduation and certification. Therefore, it is critical to identify evidence-based approaches to engage students with course content, not only to pass the certification exam, but also to enhance client outcomes. The four studies in this symposium describe ways in which to do just that. The first study evaluated the effects of active student responding and competition among on-campus undergraduate students. The remaining three studies were conducted with graduate students in a fully online asynchronous program. This included two intervention studies, one examining choice of practice activity and the second evaluating the effects of self-monitoring on quiz grades. The final study examined academic procrastination using a delay discounting task with the aim of identifying possible interventions to decrease procrastination. Taken together, these research findings expand the scope of effective instructional strategies in both the face-to-face and online classrooms. |
Instruction Level: Intermediate |
Keyword(s): higher education, teaching strategies |
Target Audience: Behavior analysts who teach undergraduate and graduate students |
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Evaluating the Effect of Active Student Responding and Competition on Student Academic Performance |
(Applied Research) |
Hannah Lynn MacNaul (University of South Florida), Catia Cividini-Motta Cividini (University of South Florida), KATHRYN WILLIAMS (University of South Florida) |
Abstract: Previous research has demonstrated a functional relation between high levels of active student responding (ASR) and acquisition of academic information (Bondy & Tincani, 2018). Furthermore, in-class competition among peers accelerates mastery of academic content (Chen, Law, & Wei-Yu Chen, 2018). Thus, the current study evaluated the effects of competition on student academic performance through an ASR modality, Kahoot. Kahoot is a free, online, game-like response application that can be accessed through any WiFi capable device, allowing students to respond to instructor-posed questions and immediately depicts aggregate class performance. Kahoot also includes a scoreboard component in which individual scores are ranked based on the accuracy and latency of responses. This feature can be activated (Kahoot + competition) and de-activated (Kahoot alone). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of Kahoot + competition, Kahoot alone, and a control condition on student academic performance based on student average exam scores across two sections of an undergraduate behavior analysis course. Results suggest that competition increases student academic outcomes compared to Kahoot alone and the control condition. Results will be discussed in relation to social validity. |
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Evaluating the Effect of Assignment Choice on Student Academic Performance in an Online Class |
(Applied Research) |
Hannah Lynn MacNaul (University of South Florida), Rachel Scalzo (University of South Florida), Catia Cividini-Motta Cividini (University of South Florida), SHANNON WILSON (University of South Florida) |
Abstract: Providing a choice between two activities may have advantageous effects such as improving on-task behavior (Bambara, Ager, & Koger, 1994) or reducing problem behavior (Vaughn & Horner, 1997). When evaluated in an academic context, choice may empower the learner, foster engagement, and promote an overall interest in the learning experience (Aiken et al., 2016). The current study evaluated the effect of a choice and no-choice condition compared to a control condition on student academic outcomes. Fifty graduate students in an online, asynchronous behavior analysis course completed modules in one of the three conditions across the semester. In the choice condition, students chose from two activities (i.e., flashcards, study guide) whereas in the no-choice condition, an activity was assigned by the instructor. The dependent variable was student academic outcomes as measured by scores on the end of module quiz. Student preference and duration of time spent in each activity was also measured. Results suggest an equal distribution across activities and higher performance in the choice condition. Tests of statistical significance across conditions will be discussed as well as implications for instructors. |
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Self-Monitoring in the Online Classroom: An Intervention to Increase Academic Performance |
(Applied Research) |
Rachel Scalzo (University of South Florida), Anthony Concepcion (University of South Florida), ZOE ISABELLA HAY (University of South Florida) |
Abstract: Self-monitoring is an evidence-based intervention that has been shown to be widely effective in addressing a range of target behaviors (Weston et al., 2019; Wills & Mason, 2014). In the academic context, it has demonstrated increases in the performance of elementary, middle, and high school students both with and without disabilities (Graham-Day, Gardner, & Hsin, 2010; Wolfe, Heron, & Goddard, 2000), but there is limited information available regarding use of self-monitoring among graduate students. Graduate students struggle with time management given the many competing contingencies they are faced with (Hanshaw, Mason, & Loh, 2019). This study evaluated the effect of self-monitoring on quiz grades among graduate students in a fully online, asynchronous behavior analysis course. There were three conditions that were evaluated including instructions only, instructions with self-monitoring, and control wherein there were no expectations stated for daily engagement with the course content. Students allocated more time across days during the self-monitoring condition and performed better on quizzes in comparison to the instruction only condition. Results will be discussed with regard to social validity and implications for instructors. |
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At Last: An Application of Delay Discounting on Academic Procrastination |
(Applied Research) |
ANTHONY CONCEPCION (University of South Florida), Kimberly Crosland (University of South Florida), Rachel Scalzo (University of South Florida) |
Abstract: Are you reading this the day of the conference trying to decide which presentations to attend? Why did you and I wait to do something we should have done yesterday? While everyone tends to procrastinate at some point, it usually is not detrimental. However, college student’s academic procrastination is correlated with many adverse health effects (e.g., anxiety, depression, sleep hygiene) and poor academic performance (Akinsola, Tella, & Tella, 2007; Ferrari, Johnson, & McCown, 1995). Furthermore, the prevalence of academic procrastination is high, with reports of up to 95% of college students engaging in detrimental amounts of procrastination (Hussain & Sultan, 2010), with distance-learners having greater associated risks (Elvers, Polzella, & Graetz, 2003). Previous studies on procrastination have focused on labeling students as having an impulsive personality trait. The present study took a behavioral approach to assessing impulsivity via a discounting task and analysis of observable measures of procrastination. Potential benefits to instructors and students as well as possible interventions to decrease academic procrastination are discussed. |
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Comparing Methods to Maximize Teaching: Equivalence Based Instruction, Progressive and Conventional Discrete Trial Teaching |
Monday, May 25, 2020 |
9:00 AM–9:50 AM |
Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Level 1, Room 102 |
Area: AUT/VRB; Domain: Translational |
Chair: Justin B. Leaf (Autism Partnership Foundation; Endicott College) |
Discussant: Mary Jane Weiss (Endicott College) |
CE Instructor: Mary Jane Weiss, Ph.D. |
Abstract: Discrete trial teaching (DTT) is a commonly used approach to teach a variety of skills for individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Two studies will be presented within this symposium that involve comparisons of different approaches to DTT. The first study compared equivalence based instruction (EBI) to DTT using an adapted alternating treatments design with typically developing adult participants and children diagnosed with ASD. The second study utilized a group design to compare the effectiveness of conventional and progressive approaches to DTT when teaching tact relations (sometimes referred to as expressive labels) to children diagnosed with ASD. Both studies will be discussed with respect to their strengths, limitations, and potential future directions by the discussant. |
Instruction Level: Intermediate |
Keyword(s): DTT, equivalence, progressive, verbal behavior |
Target Audience: This symposium will be beneficial to all behavior analysts especially those interested in maximizing teaching methodologies for individuals diagnosed with ASD. |
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Toward Efficiency and Effectiveness: Comparing Equivalence-Based Instruction to Discrete Trial Teaching |
(Applied Research) |
JULIA FERGUSON (Autism Partnership Foundation), Joseph H. Cihon (Autism Partnership Foundation; Endicott College), Justin B. Leaf (Autism Partnership Foundation; Endicott College), Christine Milne (Autism Partnership Foundation; Endicott College), Ronald Leaf (Autism Partnership), John James McEachin (Autism Partnership) |
Abstract: Research has continually found equivalence-based instruction (EBI) to be effective and efficient, with recent research extending these findings to individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). EBI has also been compared to more traditional approaches to teaching, such as traditional lectures, reading assignments, and video lectures. However, the authors are unaware of any comparisons of EBI to other similar, behavior analytic approaches such as discrete trial teaching (DTT). The purpose of this study was to compare EBI to DTT using an adapted alternating treatments design with typically developing adults and children diagnosed with ASD. The two teaching approaches were evaluated with respect to mastery of trained relations, emergence of untrained relations, and participant preferences. The results will be discussed with respect to their implications for practice and research. |
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Comparing Conventional and Progressive Approaches of Discrete Trial Teaching When Teaching Tact Relations to Children Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder |
(Applied Research) |
Christine Milne (Autism Partnership Foundation; Endicott College), Justin B. Leaf (Autism Partnership Foundation; Endicott College), Julia Ferguson (Autism Partnership Foundation), JOSEPH H. CIHON (Autism Partnership Foundation; Endicott College), Ronald Leaf (Autism Partnership), John James McEachin (Autism Partnership) |
Abstract: There are a variety of recommendations or guidelines for interventionists when implementing discrete trial teaching (DTT) for individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). These guidelines typically involve a protocol being the main source of control for the interventionist’s behavior that outlines what instruction to give, reinforcer to use, and when to use and fade prompting strategies. However, recent research has demonstrated strategies in which the main sources of control for the interventionist are relevant to the learner’s behavior and involves in-the-moment assessment, or clinical judgement, when making decisions to modify variables within intervention. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of conventional and progressive approaches to DTT when teaching tact relations (sometimes referred to as expressive labels) to children diagnosed with ASD. The effectiveness and efficiency of each approach was evaluated across several dependent variables. The results of a randomized clinical trial will be discussed with respect to implications for clinical practice and future research. |
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Evaluating the Effects of Cultural Awareness and Sensitivity Within the BCBA/RBT Supervision Model |
Monday, May 25, 2020 |
9:00 AM–9:50 AM |
Marriott Marquis, Level M4, Liberty M |
Area: CSS/TBA; Domain: Translational |
CE Instructor: Mawule A. Sevon, Other |
Chair: Shawn Capell (Covenant 15:16 LLC ) |
MAWULE A. SEVON (The Key Consulting Firm, LLC) |
KIMBERLY EDWARDS (SIQS Educational Consulting, LLC) |
SHANEERIA K PERSAUD (United Behavior Analysis Inc.) |
Abstract: The field of Applied Behavior Analysis has experienced tremendous growth since its inception. According to the Behavior Analyst Certification Board®, between the years 2016 and 2018, the total number of certified behavior analysts has increased by over 30%, and the total number of registered behavior technicians® has nearly doubled. An essential component for obtaining and maintaining these certifications include supervision hours. The Behavior Analyst Certification Board® has provided task lists regarding the items and topics required for adequate supervision; however, no components of cultural responsiveness and awareness are included. With the increase of behavior analysis within culturally diverse populations, it is imperative that our field develop new and innovative ways of including cultural competency into the Board Certified Behavior Analyst® and Registered Behavior Technician® supervision experience. Many behavior analysts have reported not receiving sufficient training within the areas of diversity and cultural responsiveness and feel unprepared to serve diverse clients and communities adequately. This workshop is designed to address the gap in formal training specific to the lack of diversity and cultural responsiveness across the supervision continuum. |
Instruction Level: Basic |
Target Audience: Registered Behavior Technicians; Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analysts; Board Certified Behavior Analysts |
Learning Objectives: 1. Define cultural responsive practice 2. Understand and apply the impact of cultural responsive practice on the supervision continuum 3. Apply cultural responsive practices to the BACB Professional and Ethical Compliance Code for Behavior Analysts and Task List |
Keyword(s): Certification, Cultural Awareness, Cultural Sensitivity, Supervision |
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Ethical Behavior Analysis: A Guide to Being an Evidence-Based Practitioner |
Monday, May 25, 2020 |
9:00 AM–9:50 AM |
Marriott Marquis, Level M4, Independence A-C |
Area: TBA/PCH; Domain: Translational |
Chair: Audrey N. Hoffmann (Northern Vermont University) |
CE Instructor: Audrey N. Hoffmann, Ph.D. |
Abstract: Evidence-based practice (EBP) is a commonly used term in the field of applied behavior analysis (ABA); however, disagreement or misunderstanding regarding what EBP is and how to engage in evidence-based decision making persist. In this symposium, we will attempt to clarify the definition of EBP in ABA and we will discuss the role that EBP plays in different domains of ABA and ethical practice. First, Dr. Bethany Contreras will discuss the definition of EBP and will offer specific suggestions on how practitioners can use EBP to guide their decision making. Next, Dr. Audrey Hoffmann will discuss how EBP may be embedded within coursework and supervision in order to improve ethical decision-making in novice behavior analysts. Finally, Dr. Shanun Kunnavatana will discuss challenges to EBP in clinical practice, and potential solutions to promote EBP. |
Instruction Level: Intermediate |
Target Audience: Practicing BCaBAs, BCBAs, supervising BCBAs, and behavior analysts involved in higher education and the training of BCBAs. |
Learning Objectives: Attendees will be able to: 1. Define Evidence Based Practice (EBP) of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and describe the three components comprising EBP of ABA. 2. Identify ethical codes aligned with the EBP of ABA 3. Identify general strategies for engaging in EBP as part of ethical behavior analytic practice 4. Identify strategies for including EBP in teaching and training of novice behavior analysts 5. Identify barriers and potential solutions for engaging in EBP in clinical practice. |
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An Introduction to Engaging in Evidence-Based Practice |
(Theory) |
BETHANY P. CONTRERAS YOUNG (Middle Tennessee State University ), Audrey N. Hoffmann (Northern Vermont University), Timothy A. Slocum (Utah State University) |
Abstract: Evidence-based practice of ABA has been defined as “…a decision-making process that integrates (a) the best available evidence with (b) clinical expertise and (c) client values and context” (Slocum et al, 2014; p. 44). While several articles and books discuss the importance of EBP for ABA, there is limited information on how a practicing behavior analyst can purposefully engage in EBP. In this presentation, we will discuss the definition of EBP for ABA and will offer suggestions as to behaviors practitioners can engage in to ensure that they are engaging in EBP. We will present specific suggestions for how behavior analysts can ensure that they are using the best available evidence to guide decisions, how to build and maintain clinical expertise, and how to incorporate client values and context into the ethical decision-making process that is EBP. |
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Evidence-Based Practice as a Framework for Training Novice Behavior Analysts |
(Theory) |
AUDREY N. HOFFMANN (Northern Vermont University) |
Abstract: EBP provides a useful framework for teaching decision-making skills and ethical practice to novice behavior analysts. This presentation will provide a brief introduction to EBP and go over the importance of including EBP within training programs for behavior analysts (both in higher education and in supervised practice). Suggestions for embedding EBP into course sequences and supervision practices will be provided as well as discussing potential barriers to training a complex behavioral repertoire such as ethical evidence-based decision-making. The presentation will highlight the importance of novice behavior analysts basing decisions on the best available research evidence, considering the client values and context, and improving and appropriately utilizing their clinical expertise as behavior analysts. |
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Challenges of Evidence-Based Practice in Clinical Practice |
(Service Delivery) |
S. SHANUN KUNNAVATANA (Easterseals UCP of NC & VA) |
Abstract: Ethical and effective practice requires behavior analysts to be able to make complex decisions that evaluate not only the evidence for certain interventions but also determine whether critical components of the intervention will be possible given an individual’s context and values, as well as those of other stakeholders involved. This approach requires behavior analysts to be both analytical and flexible in their decision making. Although, EBP provides a framework for navigating these decisions, the process is often perceived as daunting and not utilized to its full potential. This presentation discusses the potential reasons why EBP is not yet common in clinical practice and how individuals and organizations may overcome some of the challenges to move toward EBP and better clinical decision making. |
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Behavioral Economic Extensions to Assessments and Interventions for Individuals With Developmental Disabilities |
Monday, May 25, 2020 |
9:00 AM–10:50 AM |
Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Level 2, Room 201 |
Area: AUT/EAB; Domain: Translational |
Chair: Shawn Patrick Gilroy (Louisiana State University) |
Discussant: Christopher E. Bullock (Francis Marion University) |
CE Instructor: Shawn Patrick Gilroy, Ph.D. |
Abstract: Behavioral economic methods are increasingly applied in various disciplines and areas of human and non-human research. Although these approaches have good support across populations and disciplines, relatively few researchers have extended this approach and perspective to assessments and interventions for individuals with developmental disabilities (e.g., autism). Such extensions are both timely and warranted for Behavior Analysts, as behavioral economic approaches have been particularly suited to evaluating complex response-reinforcer relationships under complex, real-world conditions. The papers invited for this symposium have been selected to provide a broad, scoping review of the current state of applied behavioral economics in assessments and interventions developed for individuals with developmental disabilities. Particular emphasis is based on the behavioral economic concept of demand and novel extensions of token economy procedures. The behavioral economic concept of demand is presented here in the context of individualized reinforcer assessments and functional communication training undergoing schedule thinning. Novel extensions of the token economy are also reviewed, evaluating the effects of loss aversion on responding. |
Instruction Level: Basic |
Keyword(s): behavioral economics, developmental disabilities, operant demand, token economy |
Target Audience: Master's level behavior analysts |
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the presentation, participants will be able to: 1. Explain basic behavioral economic concepts. 2. Describe elements of Behavioral Economics relevant to applied practice. 3. Describe novel extensions of Token Economies relevant to applied practice. |
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Systematic Review of Applied Behavioral Economics With Individuals With Developmental Disabilities |
(Applied Research) |
BRENT KAPLAN (University of Kentucky), Shawn Patrick Gilroy (Louisiana State University) |
Abstract: Methods for evaluating individual preference and choice are regularly included in Behavior Analytic research and practice. A variety of methods have been put forward to evaluate preference though these methods rarely evaluate choices under effortful, treatment-like conditions. A fundamental disconnect between these contexts invites the possibility that stimuli identified may not be preferred in treatment-like conditions and this can jeopardize the effectiveness of otherwise appropriate treatment. Recent attempts to address this disconnect have incorporated elements of Behavioral Economics. In this study, we systematically review the scope and range of Behavioral Economic procedures that have been formally evaluated in the literature. Studies were included in the review if Behavioral Economic elements were incorporated into assessments and interventions designed for individuals with developmental disabilities. Results indicated that the level of support for assessments and interventions incorporating Behavioral Economic elements is still emerging and additional research continues to be necessary. |
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Handling Costs Affect Preference for Accumulated and Distributed Response-Reinforcer Arrangements |
(Applied Research) |
JENNIFER N. HADDOCK (Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Kennedy Krieger Institute ) |
Abstract: Handling costs have been implicated as a determinant of preference for accumulated/distributed response-reinforcer arrangements. We evaluated three participants’ pre-session choice of accumulated vs distributed response-reinforcer arrangements. When the reinforcement parameters differed only with respect to their distribution (at the end of or during the session), all participants exhibited exclusive preference for the distributed arrangement. When a quality manipulation, in which the handling costs of reinforcer consumption in the distributed arrangement were increased, participants exhibited exclusive preference for the accumulated arrangement. These results are preliminary but suggest that increasing the handling costs associated with reinforcer consumption can produce shifts in preference. |
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Asymmetry of Token Gain and Loss in Individuals Diagnosed With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities |
(Applied Research) |
ELISSA SPINKS (Maryland Applied Behavior Analysis), Griffin Rooker (Kennedy Krieger Institute), Michelle A. Frank-Crawford (Kennedy Krieger Institute), Michael Kranak (Kennedy Krieger Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine), Jennifer N. Haddock (Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Kennedy Krieger Institute ), Ashley Nicole Carver (Kennedy Krieger Institute) |
Abstract: Matching (Herrnstein, 1961) has been demonstrated with appetitive and aversive stimuli, including when appetitive and aversive stimuli are simultaneously presented (Farley & Fantino, 1978). Interestingly, in contexts where a single response produces both reinforcement and punishment, some research has demonstrated that a punisher subtracted more value than a reinforcer added (Rasmussen & Newland, 2008). We assessed the purported asymmetry of reinforcement and punishment for three individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID). We established tokens as reinforcers and evaluated the effects of simultaneous token gain and loss schedule in a progressive manner. Losses gradually became denser to identify a schedule at which the individual would not respond. Finally, we demonstrated that the loss contingency was directly responsible for the cessation of responding, as responding maintained when an equal density of reinforcement was available for gain without the loss contingency. Mixed findings were obtained; however, these results suggest that an asymmetry between punishment and reinforcement is present for some individuals with ID. Suggestions for future research and implications for practitioners will be discussed. |
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Operant Demand and Reinforcer Efficacy: Incorporating the Elasticity of Demand into Behavior Analytic Evaluations of Reinforcers |
(Applied Research) |
SHAWN PATRICK GILROY (Louisiana State University), Jodie Waits (Louisiana State University) |
Abstract: Assessments of stimulus preference are regularly used to identify potentially efficacious reinforcers. Although stimuli rated highly on these assessments often function as reinforcers, the relative ranking of these stimuli offers minimal information regarding how strongly, and under what conditions, these stimuli function as reinforcers. Without a priori knowledge regarding the performance of reinforcers under real-world conditions, treatments might unintentionally rely on reinforcers that are efficacious only within a narrow window of conditions (i.e., FR1). Reinforcers that are efficacious within a narrow range limit opportunities for thinning the schedule of reinforcement and can result in more burdensome treatment packages for caregivers and educators to implement. This paper reviews an approach for evaluating reinforcers using concepts derived from Behavioral Economics, namely elasticity. We provide a review of the methods available to index the elasticity of demand for reinforcers as well as provide examples of how this approach can be used to inform which schedules of reinforcement to use in treatments (e.g., functional communication training). |
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Putting the "ACT" in ACTion: Behavior-Analytic Efforts to Improve Applications of Acceptance and Commitment Training |
Monday, May 25, 2020 |
9:00 AM–10:50 AM |
Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Level 2, Room 207B |
Area: AUT/VRB; Domain: Translational |
Chair: Lindsey Dennis (Missouri State University) |
Discussant: Jordan Belisle (Missouri State University) |
CE Instructor: Jordan Belisle, Ph.D. |
Abstract: Recent behavior-analytic efforts to the competent dissemination of acceptance and commitment training (ACT) have dramatically increased. The current symposium seeks to add to the ways in which practicing behavior analysts may more confidently-equipped to use ACT within their practices. The first presentation investigates the extent to which coherence between values and self-management strategies may improve treatment outcomes in a college population.We then empirically explore practical applications of ACT within an ASD population. Finally, we introduce evidence of the success of ACT via the AIM curriculum with a rather unique population. Implications to the overall successes and utility of ACT in daily practices, as well as ways to increase positive outcomes, are discussed. |
Instruction Level: Intermediate |
Keyword(s): ACT, AIM, Values |
Target Audience: beginner-intermediate behavior analyst |
Learning Objectives: Attendees will be able to describe how to use ACT procedures to help children with autism engage in more adaptive behavior and less challenging behavior Attendees will be able to describe how to incorporate self-management and ACT techniques into interventions to increase values-consistent behavior. Attendees will be able to understand ACT procedures as they relate to basic behavior change interventions and how to incorporate them into regular ABA practice |
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Promoting Values-Behavior Coherence with Acceptance and Commitment Training and Self-Management Techniques |
(Applied Research) |
DANA PALILIUNAS (Missouri State University) |
Abstract: "Values" have been defined as "verbally construed global desired life consequences," meaning that they describe ways of behaving that increase the meaning, purpose, or overall quality of one's life. For this reason, values are a central component of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy/Training (ACT) (Hayes et al., 1999, p.206). Coherence between a person’s identified values (abstract categories of preferred reinforcers) and daily behavior may increase his or her contact with reinforcement, producing increases in socially important, adaptive behavior in various contexts. Methods that seek to quantify values-behavior coherence may be useful in both the design and evaluation of interventions. The development of a measure of values-behavior coherence will be described as will additional methods to assess such responding. Evaluation of behavior analytic literature suggests interventions that include various ACT and self-management techniques have demonstrated utility in increasing socially-meaningful behavior. A potential synthesis of these approaches could lead to immediately impactful interventions for improving values-consistent outcomes across populations, and the presentation will explore college students as a case example for the measurement and promotion of values-behavior coherence. |
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Acceptance and Commitment Training for Kids: Developing Practical Approaches to Implementing Acceptance and Commitment Training in Your Daily ABA Practice With Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder |
(Applied Research) |
ERIN SILVERMAN (FirstSteps for Kids), Jonathan J. Tarbox (University of Southern California; FirstSteps for Kids) |
Abstract: This presentation describes the development of a custom-made “ACT for Kids” workbook and the initial phases of testing its effectiveness for decreasing challenging behaviors and increasing self-management skills in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The study is still currently in the data collection phase and initial data suggest it is effective. In this presentation, we will describe in a practical manner the steps that were taken to transform the ACT Hexaflex and Matrix into stimuli that children with ASD would be able to consume and respond to independently. Results from the one participant completed thus far showed that the “ACT for Kids Workbook” decreased the participant’s maladaptive behaviors while consequently increasing his use of ACT-based self-management skills in his daily life. Findings from the social validity interview revealed that parents of this participant saw a significant increase in independent self-management skills across settings and environments, when ABA team members were not present. |
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AIMing to Scale Up: Efforts to Promote Psychological Flexibility and Decrease Maladaptive Behavior in a School Setting Impacts |
(Applied Research) |
MICHAEL DELAET (Arizona State University
Department of Psychology), Adam DeLine Hahs (Arizona State University) |
Abstract: The AIM curriculum (Dixon, 2017) was developed to facilitate social-emotional development in children. Given its novelty, little research of any scope has been conducted exploring the efficacy of the curriculum. To that end, the current study sought to explore the efficacy of the AIM program on student performance related to promoting psychological flexibility and increasing overall academic performance, while decreasing experiential avoidance and challenging behavior-related issues. All participants showed increased psychological flexibility, increased academic performance, and exhibited decreased maladaptive behaviors. |
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An Evaluation of Acceptance and Commitment Training on Changes in Psychological Flexibility and Language for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders |
(Applied Research) |
JESSICA M HINMAN (Southern Illinois University, Carbondale), Mark R. Dixon (Southern Illinois University) |
Abstract: Children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often struggle with language deficits and restricted or repetitive behaviors. Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) can prove to be a helpful intervention for children with ASD as it works to increase psychological and behavioral flexibility by promoting value-driven behaviors while working to reduce the unworkable control of language. The current aims to evaluate changes in measures of psychological flexibility as well as changes in derived relational responding for children with ASD after attending two, one-hour ACT sessions a week for 14-weeks. After 7 weeks of receiving ACT, preliminary data show that participants have reduced levels of self-reported fusion, higher levels of psychological flexibility, and parents of those children are reporting reduced levels of stress. Additionally, caregiver reports of the child’s psychological flexibility showed statistically significant increases from pre- to post-test (t(6) = 3.105, p = 0.0210) which suggests that participants are becoming more psychologically flexible as reported by their parents. Changes in post-treatment measures will provide implications for implementing ACT techniques with children with ASD to increase psychological flexibility. |
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Psychotropic Drug Use in Children: Prescribing and Deprescribing |
Monday, May 25, 2020 |
10:00 AM–10:50 AM |
Marriott Marquis, Level M2, Marquis Ballroom 5 |
Area: BPN/CBM; Domain: Translational |
Chair: M. Christopher Newland (Auburn University) |
CE Instructor: M. Christopher Newland, Ph.D. |
Abstract: Children receive psychotropic medications for many reasons, including the management of hyperactivity or attention deficits and the reduction of aggressive or destructive behavior. These problems are frequently amenable to behavioral interventions. Many children seen by applied behavior analysts are on psychotropic medications. Ideally, the behavior analyst can work closely with prescribers to balance behavioral and pharmacological interventions, to the child’s benefit, and terminate medications when they are no longer warranted. Often, however, psychotropics are overused and collaborations with prescribers are difficult to forge. In this symposium, we address psychotropic medication use for behavioral problems from three perspectives. Annette Griffith will discuss the ethical and practical considerations for behavior analysts who work with clients on psychotropic medication. Jennifer Zarcone will discuss the emergence of state and national policy surrounding the use of psychotropic medication. Chris Newland will examine the practice of “deprescribing,” namely, how long a prescription lasts once it is initiated. Together, these speakers will provide an in-depth view of psychotropic drug use in children that will be of value to the practitioner who works with individual clients as well as to the researcher interested in coupling behavioral and pharmacological interventions rationally. |
Instruction Level: Intermediate |
Keyword(s): Clinical psychopharmacology, Deprescribing, Medication policy, Psychotropic medication |
Target Audience: The target audience is applied researchers and practitioners who are interested in the relative contribution of behavioral and pharmacological approaches to managing clinical syndromes. Practitioners will learn practical guidelines when working with clients on medication, their ethical obligations, and the role of state policy guidelines. Applied researchers will learn about different kinds of psychotropic medications and how they might be used. All will learn about how long prescriptions can be active once they are initiated. |
Learning Objectives: Learn practical guidelines and ethical obligations when working with clients taking psychotropic medication. Learn about the policies of governmental agencies regarding the use of psychotropic medication. Learn about deprescribing practices with different classes of psychotropic medications. |
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Psychotropic Medication Management: Ethical and Practical Considerations for Behavior Analysts |
(Service Delivery) |
ANNETTE GRIFFITH (The Chicago School of Professional Psychology), Chrystal Jansz Rieken (The Chicago School of Professional Psychology) |
Abstract: In the management of psychotropic medications, behavior analysts can contribute a unique set of skills to assist in the definition and measurement of target behavior and adverse effects. Specifically, they can develop systems to ensure data are relevant and informative, and they can present that data to physicians in clear and easy-to-interpret displays; this allows for behavioral responses to medications to be more easily identified (Zarcone, Griffith, & Jansz Reiken, 2019). Understanding behavioral effects of psychotropic treatments may reduce the likelihood that clients continue with ineffective or harmful medications and may increase the likelihood that they benefit from the medications they do take. Considering that the majority of behavior analysts, at some point in their careers, will work with individuals likely to be prescribed psychotropic medications (Association of Professional Behavior Analysts; 2014; Li & Poling, 2018), it follows that there is a need to discuss the role and possible contributions of the behavior analyst when working with such clients and their treatment teams. The current presentation will review the ethical and practical considerations required for effective interdisciplinary collaboration, with specific attention on the importance of practicing within our bounds of competence. |
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Prescription Practices: The Impact of National and State Policies |
(Service Delivery) |
JENNIFER R. ZARCONE (The May Institute), Sarah Weddle (May Institute ) |
Abstract: There are many factors that influence policy at the state and national level when medication is prescribed for children and other vulnerable individuals. For these individuals, medications are often prescribed “off label” once approved by the FDA, before dosing and side effects profiles have been developed. Many professional groups have practice parameters that guide providers in their prescription practices as they relate to specific diagnoses and conditions (e.g., The Work Group on Quality Issues, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 1997). Many states have begun to enact policies and regulations around prescription practices that result from legal issues. For example, Massachusetts has a policy for adults who are unable to consent to treatment called the Rogers Guardianship. The guardian can authorize “extraordinary” medical treatment for the adult, usually related to the use of antipsychotic medication. While the policy has the best of intentions, there are many factors that limit how effectively it is implemented. In this review, state and national policies related to prescription practices will be reviewed and the positive and negative impact of these policies will be discussed. |
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Psychotropic Medications: When Does a Prescription End? |
(Applied Research) |
M. CHRISTOPHER NEWLAND (Auburn University), John T. Rapp (Auburn University) |
Abstract: A clear set of criteria for initiating and terminating drug use exists for many drugs, but for psychotropic medications the criteria for “deprescribing” is poorly defined, even in children. The scientific literature surrounding deprescribing is spotty, new, and largely qualitative. Using a database of about 10,000 children in the Alabama Foster Care system, we examined the determinants of prescription duration for drugs from different classes, including non-psychotropics. The median duration of a prescription was over one year longer for some psychotropics than nonpsychotropics and was especially long for drugs used to treat ADHD (stimulants and noradrenergic agonists) and problem behavior (second-generation antipsychotics). The median prescription duration differed across age group but even young children were prescribed some psychotropics for more than a year. Prescription duration tended to be longer for males and longer for children in urban settings, though these were also relatively weak influences. The ability to quantify prescription duration can help guide policy and raises the need to articulate criteria for terminating the use of powerful psychotropic medications. |
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Pushing Language Relations to the Edge: Advanced Investigations of Derived Relational Responding as a Generalized Operant |
Monday, May 25, 2020 |
10:00 AM–10:50 AM |
Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Level 1, Salon I |
Area: VRB/PCH; Domain: Translational |
Chair: Amanda Chastain (University of Southern California; FirstSteps for Kids) |
Discussant: Seth W. Whiting (Central Michigan University) |
CE Instructor: Ryan C. Speelman, Ph.D. |
Abstract: An overwhelming evidence base exists in support of derived relational responding as an overarching generalized operant. To date, however, fewer investigations of the extent to which frames of coordination serve as a foundation upon which other relational responding occurs has not been thoroughly explored. Further, the degree to which relational training approaches catalyze derived relational responding across sensory modalities, frame types, and non-linear training approaches has yet to be explored. To that end, the present symposium sought to expand the reach of derived relational responding as a generalized operant to more complex relational frames and investigates the ways in which we might both train and test for derived relational responding across sensory modalities and frame types. |
Instruction Level: Intermediate |
Keyword(s): DRR, PEAK, RFT |
Target Audience: intermediate-advanced |
Learning Objectives: Attendees will be able to describe and utilize different testing procedures within relational instruction. Define and provide examples of derived stimulus relations. Attendees will be able to better understand stimulus equivalence procedures as they relate to derived stimulus relations |
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PEAK Establishes Derived Relational Responding as an Overarching Operant |
(Applied Research) |
RYAN C. SPEELMAN (Pittsburg State University) |
Abstract: This talk explores the Promoting the Emergence of Advanced Knowledge (PEAK) curriculum’s capability in establishing derived relational responding as a generalized operant in young children. Training established frames of coordination, comparison, and distinction using non – arbitrary and arbitrary stimuli while emergent untrained mutual and combinatorial mutually entailed responses were observed within and across stimulus sets. Stimuli varied along both non-arbitrary (identity matching number of items/written numbers, identifying non-matching numbers of items/written numbers, sequencing amounts, identifying more/less given visual frequencies) and arbitrary (tacting written numbers/quantities, identifying non-matching written/spoken number combinations, matching quantities to written/spoken numbers, identifying more/less written/spoken numbers, sequencing written/spoken numbers) numerical quantitative dimensions. Preliminary results reveal acquisition of coordinated framing within a stimulus set facilitates coordinated framing in other unrelated arbitrary stimulus sets. Mastery of coordinated framing appeared to promote the emergence of more complex frames including distinction and comparison suggesting a commonality among relational frame families. The findings highlight the ubiquity of relational responding and broad potential application to math concepts and other general curriculum. |
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A Comparison of Embedded and Withheld Tests Derived Language Relations During the Acquisition Trained Relations in Children |
(Applied Research) |
CHANTAL RAINFORD (Autism Care West, LLC), Jordan Belisle (Missouri State University), Charles Marriott (Autism Care West, LLC) |
Abstract: This study sought to test the generality of previous findings that showed embedded entailed and transformation probes resulted in faster acquisition of train and test relations across a greater sample size, relational frames, sensory modalities, and a non-linear training approach. We compared the use of embedded and withheld test trials as methods of increasing relational responding in children with developmental disabilities using the PEAK-T curriculum across 16 participants. A first procedure presented test probes for combinatory entailment and transformation of function probes throughout the acquisition of directly trained relations. In the second procedure, test probes were withheld until the learner demonstrated the mastery criteria across all directly trained relations. The differential results across the participants can inform practitioners conducting PEAK or other programs emphasizing derived relational responding. Implication and results of this research are discussed specifically and broadly. |
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Automatic or Undifferentiated Functional Analysis Results for Individuals With Challenging Behavior: Digging Deeper |
Monday, May 25, 2020 |
10:00 AM–11:50 AM |
Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Level 1, Salon H |
Area: DDA/AUT; Domain: Translational |
Chair: David R Donnelly (In Private Practice; Webster University) |
Discussant: David R Donnelly (In Private Practice; Webster University) |
CE Instructor: David R Donnelly, Ph.D. |
Abstract: Abstract: Since first published (Iwata et al., 1982), the process of Functional Analysis (FA) has profoundly changed the process and effectiveness of Applied Behavior Analytical (ABA) treatment for individuals with challenging behaviors. Across ages and diagnoses, ABA has provided empirically validated evidence based treatment for behaviors maintained by attention, escape from demand, or tangibles. Yet in the years that have followed, the identification of automatic (assumed to be sensory) or undifferentiated findings has not kept pace, and this has left Behavior Analysts without a clear approach to treatment. This often results in needing to rely on default technologies that are often controversial, and less effective. In this symposium, we will discuss the potential significance of behavioral history on understanding the individual’s idiosyncratic function(s) of behavior; Looking at biological variables as potential motivating operations in further clarification of the function(s) of behavior; and working toward moving to more environmentally mediated variables informed by fine grained analysis of automatic reinforcement maintaining the behavior. Practical suggestions regarding more effective practice and research to address challenging behavior will be included. |
Instruction Level: Intermediate |
Target Audience: BCBAs and BCBA-Ds |
Learning Objectives: Participants will: 1) increase awareness of biological antecedents of challenging behavior; 2) explore the contribution biological and physiological data to functional analysis; 3) become familiar with the application of Matching Law to development of treatment strategies for challenging behavior |
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What Does Toward a Functional Analysis of Problem Behavior Look Like Today? |
(Service Delivery) |
ELIZABETH ANDRESEN (Autism Learning Partners), David R Donnelly (In Private Practice; Webster University) |
Abstract: The field of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) was dramatically influenced by Iwata and colleagues (1982/1994) when they established a systematic method to analyze and understand challenging behavior through standard functional analysis (FA). In the years that followed, the field of ABA has greatly progressed. With the hundreds of published studies demonstrating the value of FA in developing function-based treatment, has also come clarification of limitations and areas where the FA process as initially described was not as effective. Rather than an end in-and-of itself, FA as originally described was intended as a starting point. Dr. Michael Dorsey (2018) reminded us that the purpose of their seminal work was to go toward a functional analysis of self-injury, indicating that additional revision and contribution would be expected. Unfortunately, some behavior analysts have elevated the standard FA as the only and final method for assessing and treating challenging behaviors; the “gold standard”. As the field has progressed, FA results leading to inconclusive results, or not effectively conceptualizing establishing idiosyncratic evocative events in the individual’s natural environment have been identified. Additionally, despite a significant literature base supporting biological components of complex behaviors, little behavioral research has been done in this area in recent years, and little has been incorporated into functional analysis methodologies. This presentation will propose the synthesis of biological and environmental variables when analyzing function. Possible methods of incorporating diagnostic characteristics of developmental disorders and physiological correlates of problem behavior into the functional analysis process will be discussed. |
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Functional Analysis, Treatment Analysis, and Physiological Measures to Investigate the Role of Positive and Negative Automatic Reinforcement in the Treatment of Problem Behavior |
(Applied Research) |
NANCY I. SALINAS (Harmony Behavioral Health) |
Abstract: The diagnostic severity of ASD is partly based on restrictive and repetitive patterns of behaviors, interests, and activities (APA, 2013). Automatic reinforcement function accounts for 16.9% of restrictive and repetitive behaviors and 25% of self-injurious behaviors (SIB) based on functional analyses (Beavers, Iwata, and Lerman, 2013; Hagopian, 2015). The types of behaviors within this category include 1) stereotyped or restrictive motor movements or vocalizations, 2) insistence in sameness, inflexibilities with routines, ritualized vocal or non-vocal behavior, 3) highly restricted/fixated interests, and 4) hyper-/hypo-reactivity to sensory factors (APA, 2013; CDC, 2013). Due to the nature of automatically reinforced behaviors, it is recommended that physiological assessments be used to determine relationships between physiological events and behavior (Romanczyk and Gillis, 2006). Tools that are sensitive to biological activity may help to discern sources of automatic reinforcement. The current investigation is a continuation of the utilization of functional analysis, treatment analysis, and physiological measures to investigate the role that positive and negative automatic reinforcement play in the treatment of problem behaviors. The results show an association between non-socially mediated behaviors and physiological events and adds to the empirical basis for differentiating operant psychology principles for operant and respondent conditioning. |
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A Habituation Protocol for Increasing Tolerance for Measuring Physiological Responses |
(Applied Research) |
SHAWN E. HAPPE (Harmony Behavioral Health) |
Abstract: Some individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) manifest hyper- or hypo-reactivity to sensory input (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition [DSM-V], 2013). Due to this, physiological measures that require contact with the skin may present problems for individuals with atypical responses to tactile stimulation. In order to address this concern, a habituation protocol was used to assess participants’ tolerance to wearing a vest for the collection of physiological measures. Specifically, a repeated presentation procedure was conducted to decrease possible sensitivity to a vest (Thompson & Spencer, 1966). The results indicated that all six participants in this study successfully completed the habituation protocol and none required a lengthy fade in protocol for wearing the vest. Based on these results, apparatus using these types of physiological measures are feasible for conducting research. These findings should encourage other researchers interested in assessing physiological responses with individuals with possible sensory sensitivities. |
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Rethinking Automatic Reinforcement: Matching Law Contribution to Developing Effective Treatment |
(Service Delivery) |
ZHICHUN ZHOU (Webster University ) |
Abstract: The lack of immediate external socially-mediated consequences has led people to use cognitive structures or other mental processes in explaining complex behavior (e.g., self-injurious behavior, pica, rumination) observed in clinics, schools and/or homes. But how can behavior analysts not be compelled to accept hypothetical constructs as explanations? B.F. Skinner’s extensive use of automatic reinforcement and the perplexing undifferentiated result derived from functional analysis (FA) have provided good enough justifications for us to take a closer look at the concept of automatic reinforcement. Indeed, the concept of automatic reinforcement can provide us a parsimonious explanation to complex behavior. The current presentation discusses the parsimony featured in automatic reinforcement from an angle that has not yet been explored in the field of applied behavior analysis. That is, the matching law. More specifically, the presentation provides a nuanced understanding of the concept of matching law and explores how it can be integrated to the development of interventions for behavior that is maintained by automatic reinforcement. The presentation further examines how to program the schedule of socially-mediated reinforcement to compete and wane the effects of the schedule of automatic reinforcement produced by certain behavior. |
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Rethinking Reinforcement: Moving Beyond Response Strength |
Monday, May 25, 2020 |
10:00 AM–11:50 AM |
Marriott Marquis, Level M1, Georgetown |
Area: PCH/EAB; Domain: Translational |
Chair: Carsta Simon (University of Agder, Norway) |
Discussant: Timothy A. Shahan (Utah State University) |
Abstract: Behavior interacts with its environment both during an organism’s lifetime, through operant selection, and across generations, through natural selection. The radical behaviorist’s attempt to explain the former usually both depends upon and denies the implicit, hypothetical process of reinforcement by response strengthening. In this symposium, we discuss what is problematic about strengthening by reinforcement and suggest how the interaction between behavior and the environment is better described without this unfalsifiable concept. In our talks, we put forward an assembly of alternatives, all replacing response strengthening by approaches questioning the traditional distinction between consequences and antecedents. These alternative explanatory approaches, namely, induction, signaling, and selection, not only explain food-maintained behavior, but also shock-maintained behavior. They explicitly connect behavior analysis and evolutionary theory and do not rely on hypothetical constructs. We will show data supporting our conceptual arguments and indicating that our alternatives to strengthening by reinforcement might not only improve conceptual cohesiveness but might also benefit both our basic science and our technology of behavior. |
Instruction Level: Intermediate |
Keyword(s): avoidance, induction, response strength, signaling |
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Reconsidering Reinforcement: Was It Induction all along? |
(Theory) |
CARSTA SIMON (University of Agder, Norway) |
Abstract: Traditionally, behavior analysis accounts for behavior by identifying the three-term contingency consisting of an antecedent event, a response, and a consequence. In this talk, I discuss whether the distinction between antecedents and consequences is constructive in our attempt to understand the interaction between behavior and the environment. Dropping the distinction might imply a major change in the way we think about our most fundamental process: Reinforcement. As an example of antecedent control, I discuss so-called Nudging, a currently popular applied means of behavior change. The talk also examines some of the data that has led us to change the way we understand control by current and past environmental conditions. I examine some of the evidence where reinforcer effects are inconsistent with strengthening by reinforcement and present the alternative view, that behavior is guided by contingencies between behavior and important environmental events. The importance of events might be either phylogenetically selected or events become important when functioning as signals for guiding behavior to when and where currently relevant events might be avoided or contacted. |
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Control by Past, Present, and Potential Depends on Generalization Across Multiple Dimensions |
(Basic Research) |
SARAH COWIE (University of Auckland, New Zealand) |
Abstract: Research suggests that behavior depends on likely future environmental conditions, as generalized from past experience and present environment. We assessed how generalization across the various dimensions of important events – reinforcers – affects the degree to which behavior tracks changes in likely future reinforcer availability. Pigeons worked on a concurrent-choice task in which one response was more likely to produce a reinforcer before a stimulus change, and the other was more likely after the stimulus change. We manipulated the nature of the stimulus (time or number) and the nature of the response (e.g., to a location, color, or flash duration). Regardless of the nature of the stimulus and response, choice was well described by a model that assumes that control by the structure of the environment is weakened by generalization across the various dimensions of a reinforcer (or other important events). We suggest that generalization contributes substantially to the degree of control by likely future events. |
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Avoidance, Induction, and the Illusion of Reinforcement |
(Theory) |
WILLIAM M. BAUM (University of California, Davis) |
Abstract: Environmental events that impact reproductive success may be called phylogenetically important events (PIEs). Some promote reproductive success, like mates and food; others threaten reproductive success, like predators and injury. Beneficial PIEs induce activities that enhance them, and detrimental PIEs induce activities that mitigate or avoid them. Free-operant avoidance relies on electric shock as a proxy for injury, a PIE. A popular theory takes avoidance behavior to be reinforced by its reducing shock rate. An alternative explanation is that avoidance is induced by the PIEs it usually prevents. Four parametric data sets were analyzed to show that avoidance is maintained, not by shock-rate reduction, but by received shock rate. Avoidance is not reinforced at all; avoidance is induced by its failures. Induction explains not only avoidance itself, but also phenomena unique to avoidance, like warmup and unavoidable shock. The concept of induction explains behavior more generally than reinforcement, because induction explains not only food-maintained behavior, but also shock-maintained behavior. Received shocks induce operant avoidance, and received food induces operant activity producing food. Not only negative reinforcement, but reinforcement in general fails to explain behavior when reinforcement is defined as due to consequences. Induction erases the distinction between consequences and antecedents. |
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How the Conceptualization of Behavior-Environment Interaction as a
Selectionist System Relates to Material Reality |
(Theory) |
JACK J. MCDOWELL (Emory University) |
Abstract: Conceptualizations of behavior-environment interaction, and the theories that are developed from them, may be more or less readily related to material reality. To take examples from another discipline, the relation between Newtonian mechanics and the material world is readily apparent for the most part, whereas the relation between quantum mechanics and the material world is problematic. In this symposium presentation, behavior-environment interaction will be conceptualized as a selectionist system that consists of three processes: selection, reproduction, and mutation. A computational theory based on this conceptualization, and the evidence supporting it, are presented in detail in a SQAB tutorial at this conference. In the present symposium, this computational theory will be described briefly, but the focus will be on the theory’s material interpretation. It will be argued that the algorithmic operation of the theory’s three elements supervenes on, but is not necessarily identical to, material operations of the brain. In other words, if the theory agrees fully with experiment, then whatever the material operations of the brain may be, they must be functionally equivalent to selection, reproduction, and mutation. Other examples of this type of supervenient realism will be presented to support the plausibility of the argument. |
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Investigations of Higher Order Verbal Behavior: Modifications to Relational Training Procedures to Promote Derived Relational Responding |
Monday, May 25, 2020 |
11:00 AM–11:50 AM |
Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Level 2, Room 201 |
Area: AUT/PCH; Domain: Translational |
Chair: Daniel Howell (Arizona State University
Department of Psychology) |
CE Instructor: Becky Barron, M.S. |
Abstract: Derived relational responding (DRR) has a seat at the operant table. The present symposium seeks to extend the reach of DRR and relational training procedures to populations not often targeted using methods not often implemented. First, we explore relational training efforts within an elderly population and discuss implications of DRR as it relates to neuroplasticity. Second, we discuss the novel ocular observing responses and their relation to DRR. Finally, we take an inside look to PEAK-Life by exploring both basic and applied implications of its pending release. |
Instruction Level: Intermediate |
Keyword(s): DRR, Gerontology, PEAK, Relational Training |
Target Audience: intermediate-advanced |
Learning Objectives: -attendees will be able to explain derived relational responding as it relates to ocular responding -attendees will be able to explain derived relational responding in the context of gerontology and DRR implications to dementia -attendees will understand the overarching nature of derived relational responding across age ranges as evidenced by basic and applied research |
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Evaluating the Effects of Relational Training Procedures on Dementia Severity and Memory in Older Adults |
(Applied Research) |
AYLA SCHMICK (Southern Illinois University), Mark R. Dixon (Southern Illinois University) |
Abstract: As the Baby Boomer Generation ages, the number of individuals affected by dementia and cognitive decline will increase dramatically.As these rates climb and no cure in site, interventions are needed to help aid in the wide-ranging impact dementia will have.Relational Frame Theory (RFT), a contemporary behavior-analytic account of complex human language and cognition, offers an avenue to develop interventions designed to strengthen behaviors conventionally regarded as memory.The current study aimed to evaluate the effect of a set of procedures based on RFT for dementia severity and memory. Experimenters obtained pre-training and post-training performances by administering the M-ACE and WISC-IV memory tests to a control group and an intervention group. Following pre-training assessment, the intervention group was exposed to a series of relational training phases, in which the participants were required to respond in accordance with arbitrarily applicable relational responding across a series of relational tasks. Following training the participants in the intervention group showed improvement in memory and a decrease in dementia severity, whereas those in the control group did not. This studyaddsto the growing literature supporting the use of RFT-based interventions to address those areas of concern for individuals affected by dementia and cognitive decline. |
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The relationship between ocular observing responses and relational training procedures for children with autism spectrum disorder |
(Applied Research) |
BECKY BARRON (Southern Illinois University), Mark R. Dixon (Southern Illinois University) |
Abstract: Current research has shown differences in eye gaze, or ocular observing responses amongst individuals with autism spectrum disorder compared with their typically developing counterparts. Eye gaze is currently studied as a predictor for ASD diagnoses or potential level of social deficits for individuals already diagnosed. Deficits in language and communication are also studied as risk factors and are often attributed to social deficits in ASD. Previous research has shown improvements in accurate eye gaze during the development of stimulus equivalence classes for typically developing adults (Hansen & Arntzen, 2018). Relational training procedures that promote derived stimulus relations have also been shown to improve language repertoires for children with ASD. By combining the technology available for understanding complex language processes and eye gaze behaviors, behavior analysts may be able to better understand how to target specific behaviors in treatment that may indirectly improve eye gaze, and in turn also improve behaviors related to social interaction and attention. The current study investigated the relationship between accurate eye gaze towards stimuli during task demands and relational repertoires with children with ASD, as well as the impact that relational training has on accurate eye gaze when presented with social stimuli. Preliminary results from the current study suggest a strong relationship between appropriate eye gaze and derived relational abilities that may have implication for treatment choices for behavior analysts. |
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From Basic Research to Applied Intervention: A Pilot Study on PEAK Life |
(Applied Research) |
ZHIHUI YI (Southern Illinois University), Ayla Schmick (Southern Illinois University), Mark R. Dixon (Southern Illinois University), Kwadwo O. Britwum (Southern Illinois University), Kait Matson (ABA of Illinois), Imran A. Khan (ABA of Illinois) |
Abstract: Behavioral goals or objectives in applied settings often include tasks that are composed of behavior chains consisting of a sequence of complex stimulus-response chains. Many teaching strategies available, however, do not always reliably foster effective skill acquisition of those steps that are particularly challenging in these behavior chains. The current study first investigated the effect of relational training on these steps, using a randomized controlled trial design with 30 typical-developing participants in an analog 6-step stimuli discrimination task. Results showed that relational training could effectively improve participants’ performance. Building upon this finding, we investigated the utility of the relational-training based life skill assessment and treatment program – PEAK Life. 43 participants with Autism completed the Vocational and Functional Skill Assessment. Results indicated that the assessment outlined in PEAK Life was able to detect skill deficits among all participants. Three participants from study two was exposed to further life skill trainings. After probing their mastery levels, relational trainings were conducted on those steps that they could not complete independently. Results showed that all participants showed significant improvement on behavior chains following the relational training. The implication and limitation will be discussed. |
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Teaching and Supporting Professional Behavior in Academic and Clinical Settings |
Monday, May 25, 2020 |
11:00 AM–11:50 AM |
Marriott Marquis, Level M4, Capitol/Congress |
Area: OBM/AUT; Domain: Translational |
CE Instructor: Danielle L. Gureghian, Ph.D. |
Chair: Danielle L. Gureghian (Garden Academy) |
LAURA L. GROW (Garden Academy) |
TIFFANY KODAK (Marquette University) |
SARAH A. LECHAGO (University of Houston-Clear Lake) |
Abstract: There are a number of applied studies demonstrating how to effectively supervise and teach clinical skills in autism service provision such as data collection, behavioral assessment, and intervention (e.g., behavioral skills training). However, there is a paucity of research on how to teach professional behavior such as communicating effectively to different audiences, establishing healthy boundaries, and prioritizing time-sensitive tasks. As professors and clinical supervisors in the area of autism spectrum disorder, we use principles of behavior analysis and applications from organizational behavior management to teach our supervisees clinical and professional skills. A panel of faculty from academic programs and directors from an autism service provider will discuss the following topics: (1) the critical skills and behaviors of supervisors and supervisees used to support professional behavior, (2) how applications from organizational behavior management can be used to establish effective supervisory systems and processes, and (3) how the panelists have established, evaluated, and maintained effective supervisory systems in their own organizations. |
Instruction Level: Intermediate |
Target Audience: Practitioners in autism service provision, professors in academic settings, leaders of organizations providing autism services |
Learning Objectives: At the end of the panel, the audience will be able to: 1- Describe critical professional skills in the area of autism research and service provision 2- Describe the systems and processes that supervisors can use to support professional behavior 3- Identify strategies for implementing, evaluating, and maintaining systems that support professional behavior |
Keyword(s): Organizational behavior, Professional behavior, Supervision |
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Everyone Eats: Behavior Analysis Applied to Eating and Meal-Related Behaviors |
Monday, May 25, 2020 |
11:00 AM–11:50 AM |
Marriott Marquis, Level M4, Independence D |
Area: TBA; Domain: Translational |
Chair: Margaret Pavone Dannevik (Lindenwood University) |
CE Instructor: Margaret Pavone Dannevik, Ph.D. |
Abstract: This symposium presents three applications of the science of human behavior to the improvement of eating and health-related behaviors. First, a social media-based group contingency related to meal preparation will be discussed, followed by a conceptually-systematic model of how to use online video to change meal preparation behaviors. Finally, the presenters will demonstrate how supervisors can adapt the 5th edition BACB task list to help supervisees serve individuals with ineffective eating and activity repertoires. |
Instruction Level: Intermediate |
Keyword(s): Eating, Health, Nutrition |
Target Audience: The target audience for this event is advanced practitioners, supervisors, and teachers of behavior analysis. |
Learning Objectives: 1. Attendees will learn how to adapt the 5th edition task list to supervise students accruing behavior analytic experience with learners who struggle with eating and activity-related behaviors 2. Attendees will discuss eating and activity-related topics in behavior analytic terms and be able to disseminate them to appropriate audiences 3. Attendees will consider the ethical guidelines of the field as they relate to the provision of supervision and instruction for individuals struggling to engage in healthy eating behaviors |
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Utilizing an Online Video Series to Increase Frequency of Home Cooking |
(Service Delivery) |
TONY CHAMBERS (Special School District St. Louis MO), Margaret Pavone Dannevik (Lindenwood University) |
Abstract: Taking the time to prepare and cook meals at home, regardless of diet plan or restrictions, has shown to better your overall health (Wolfsen & Bleich, 2014). People who eat meals at home with friends and loved ones report an overall happier and healthier life than those who do not (Harbec et al., 2018). Established interventions such as video modeling (Kellems et al., 2016,), chaining (Shrestha et al., 2013) and task analyses (Kanfush & Jaffe, 2019) are conducive to teaching multi-step processes of preparing and cooking food (Cooper et al., 2007). The growth of social media and individual devices such as cell phones and tablets has allowed the author created a video dissemination system to combine behavior analytic methods and teach individuals how to cook at home regardless of their current skill level. The proposed model includes videos which will teach detailed steps through modeling, task analyses, chaining, and verbal instruction. Approaching culinary education by teaching the selection of individual ingredients, preparation skills, and cooking methods rather than following a single short demonstration or written recipe for one dish will allow for more opportunities to access tangible, primary reinforcement increasing the likelihood of meal preparation in the future. |
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Why Do Behavior Analysts Eat What They Eat? |
(Applied Research) |
CLINT EVANS (Behavior Therapy Specialists of Illinois and Missouri), Margaret Pavone Dannevik (Lindenwood University) |
Abstract: Using social media, connection to other professionals in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis is a click away. A social media group was created to solely discuss the dietary needs and habits of professionals in Applied Behavior Analysis. A poll was taken of 100 participants in the group to get a small cross section of the dietary habits of professionals that directly work in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis. The results revealed that most professionals in the field neglect or overlook their own dietary needs. A protocol was created using this information as a basis for self-monitoring of tracking one’s eating habits and an attempt to increase value-based dietary habits to enhance a healthy lifestyle within the ABA community and possibly beyond. The survey and subsequent group contingency served to replicate the findings of other socially mediated contingency management such as Kurti, & Dallery, (2013), and Meredith, Grabinski, & Dallery, (2011). |
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Everybody Eats! A Model for Supervisors Assisting Students in Acquiring Experience Working With Problematic Eating and Activity-Related Behaviors |
(Theory) |
MARGARET PAVONE DANNEVIK (Lindenwood University), Nicole Vaux (Lindenwood University) |
Abstract: The number of students enrolled in behavior analysis programs has been increasing exponentially over the past ten years. As part of the educational preparation for the BCBA exam and certification, these students must accrue supervised experiences in which they apply their classroom-based skills to real world behavior change. As previously noted (Luke, Carr, & Wilder, 2018), many instructors and students have mistakenly interpreted the supervised experience requirements to be specific to the field of Autism service provision. This paper presents a model of how supervision of fieldwork and concentrated fieldwork could include experiences that address problematic eating and activity-related health behaviors in neurotypical populations. The model is intended to assist supervisors of behavior analysis students by giving specific suggestions for how students could accrue supervised experience in this growing subspecialty (Behavior Analysis in Health and Fitness, 2019; Normand, Dallery, & Ong, 2015). |
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Expanding the Summit: Advancements in PEAK Relational Training System Applications |
Monday, May 25, 2020 |
11:00 AM–11:50 AM |
Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Level 1, Salon I |
Area: VRB/EDC; Domain: Translational |
Chair: Ryan C. Speelman (Pittsburg State University) |
CE Instructor: Ryan C. Speelman, Ph.D. |
Abstract: The current symposium is a synthesis of efforts at various points in the Relational Training System assessment and curriculum. The first talk provides a conceptualization as to how we might make better-informed decisions relative to program selection and intervention approaches in the context of PEAK using a case conceptualization tool. The second talk investigates relationships between derived relational responding and executive processing deficits in children. Finally, we highlight pre-post change scores relative to the PEAK Comprehensive Assessment for children diagnosed with autism given exposure to PEAK in a special education context. Implications and utility of these findings are discussed. |
Instruction Level: Intermediate |
Keyword(s): DRR, PEAK, RFT |
Target Audience: beginning-intermediate behavior analysts |
Learning Objectives: Describe how single-case experimental designs can be embedded within applied work. Discuss the relationship between derived relational responding and executive processing deficits in children Define a case conceptualization model to increase implementer self-efficacy during PEAK. |
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Pre-Post PEAK-CA Changes Following Three Months of Instruction in a Special Education Setting |
(Applied Research) |
LINDSEY DENNIS (Missouri State University), Jordan Belisle (Missouri State University) |
Abstract: The PEAK Relational Training System contains a comprehensive assessment and curriculum designed to target global language and cognitive skills in children with autism and related disabilities. Although research on PEAK has grown considerably, more research is needed within applied contexts in which this tool is likely to be utilized. We conducted PEAK at a special education school over the course of 3 months with 5 children with autism. PEAK instructions was systematically embedded within their school day for up-to 2 hours, supplementing other instructional strategies. The efficacy of PEAK instruction was evaluated using a multiple baseline across skills experimental design, replicated across the 5 children. We overview how this design can be embedded within any applied setting, allowing for the on-going experimental analysis of behavior within sacrificing assurance that children are receiving on-going effective education. In addition, we conducted the PEAK Comprehensive Assessment at the onset of the study and following 3 moths of training, where the PCA provides an estimate of global repertiores across direct training, generalization, equivalence, and relational learning skill sets. Results suggested a significant increase in PCA scores across all participants. |
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Executive Functioning and Construct Validity of the PEAK-CA |
(Applied Research) |
TAYLOR MARIE LAUER (Missouri State University), Jordan Belisle (Missouri State University) |
Abstract: Advances in Relational Frame Theory have begun to allow Applied Behavior Analytic treatments for children with autism to focus on higher-order or global repertiores of behavior. Executive functioning deficits are common in children with autism that can severely impact quality of life in several domains. We review three studies that speak to the importance of targeting executive functioning deficits in children with autism using relational training and testing procedure. The first study provides a comprehensive literature review comparing functional neurological activity when completing traditional executive functioning tasks and when deriving combinatorially entailed relations. Results suggest that common neurological processes are involved in the completion of both tasks. The second study provides another systematic review that shows an exponentiation of research utilizing derived relational responding technologies to teach new skills to children with autism within the major behavior analytic journals. The third study empirically evaluates the construct validity of the PEAK Comprehensive Assessment (PCA) as a tool to measure verbal operants and relational operants that may be related to executive functioning processes. Convergent and divergent components of the PCA are discussed in the context of developing treatments for children with autism from a Relational Frame Theory account. |
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PEAK Case Conceptualization Tool |
(Applied Research) |
MARY GRACE CAVALIERE (Saint Louis University), Alyssa N. Wilson (Saint Louis University), Keyana Cooke (Saint Louis University) |
Abstract: Promoting Emergence of Advanced Knowledge Relational Training System (PEAK) is a four-volume curriculum targeting Direct Training, Generalization, Equivalence, and Transformation. Research to date has shown behavioral skills training (BST) to be effective at training staff to implement PEAK. While timely, little is known about the extent to which staff’s self-efficacy (or verbal behavior about one’s competency) influences implementation of PEAK. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to determine if a thorough case conceptualization model (CCM) can increase implementer self-efficacy. The CCM was developed to establish problem solving opportunities for implementers and supervisors to use during feedback sessions. Three implementer-child dyads were subjected to a multiple-baseline design wherein implementers were first trained how to implement PEAK before starting treatment as usual (baseline). Next, participants were handed the CCM tool during the instruction phase but were not given any specific feedback on how to use it. Finally, during the feedback phase, all implementers were instructed on how to use the CCM and how to derive feedback from it. Throughout all phases, client PEAK scores, implementation scores from staff, and self-reported self-efficacy Likert rating scale was assessed. Overall, all participants showed increase self-efficacy scores following CCM feedback. Implications will be discussed. |
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Value Based Care and Behavior Analysis |
Monday, May 25, 2020 |
11:00 AM–12:50 PM |
Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Level 1, Room 102 |
Area: AUT; Domain: Translational |
Chair: Steven Merahn (Union In Action, Inc.) |
Discussant: Steven Merahn (Union In Action, Inc.) |
CE Instructor: Kerri L. Milyko, Ph.D. |
Abstract: Value-based healthcare or value-based care (VBC) represents a healthcare delivery model where providers receive payment based on outcomes. With VBC agreements, providers in the healthcare space are preferentially rewarded and compensated for helping clients improve their health, decrease the incidence and effects of chronic disease, and live healthier lives with evidence-based approaches. When applied to behavior analysis, VBC means providers in the behavioral healthcare space will be preferentially rewarded and compensated for helping clients improve their behavioral outcomes, decrease the incidence of chronic challenging behaviors, and live more productive lives with evidence-based approaches derived from the science of behavior. VBC has not yet arrived in behavior analysis but when it does, it will fundamentally shift the relationship between service provision and reimbursement. Providers will achieve greater efficiencies by spending more time on new, prevention-based services, thus leading to a reduction with time devoted mainly to chronic challenging behavior. The following symposium will offer different presentations each approaching VBC and how it can impact behavior analysis. |
Instruction Level: Intermediate |
Keyword(s): insurance, Value-Based Care |
Target Audience: BCBAs, BCBA-Ds, clinical directors |
Learning Objectives: - list 3 options for meta-deta - define value-based care and benefits to improving quality of service - list 3 benefits to collecting outcome data |
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Value-Based Care and Research: A Comparison of Behavior Analysis and Behavior Analysis Plus Precision Teaching |
(Applied Research) |
RICHARD M. KUBINA (Penn State; CentralReach) |
Abstract: Value-based healthcare (VBC) will change the way behavior analysts provide care. New delivery models will stress a team-oriented approach to client care and the sharing of data with an emphasis on coordinated care and easily measured outcomes. The present study builds VBC by examining whether Precision Teaching (PT) would enhance the quality of care already demonstrated by behavior analysis (BA). The study examined the following: (1) Pinpointing behavior - using a standard framework for precisely labeling target behaviors; (2) Element-compound analysis - analyzing constituent behavioral elements for a behavioral compound and applying the analysis to existing curricula and other data targets; (3) Dimensional measurement - applying universal and absolute metrics that quantify behavioral measures; and (4) Standard visual display - implementing a graph that quantifies behavior change, maintains visual consistency from analyst to analyst, reduces interpretative errors, facilitates pattern recognition, and offers the most accurate model for present data. Decision making data comparing the two groups indicated a marked increase in decisions made in the BA + PT group. Furthermore, when examined outcome measures for the BA + PT, the Vineland and Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist showed substantial gains. Also, social validity scores also point to satisfaction with the experimental procedures of PT added to BA. |
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Implementing a Precision Measurement System to Deliver a Value Based Care Model of ABA Services |
(Service Delivery) |
BRIAN LOPEZ (JumpStart Autism Center), Allison Bartsch (JumpStart Autism Center) |
Abstract: Value Based Healthcare (VBH) has been a model within the medical field for the past decade. Due to the complexities of measuring behavioral health outcomes, however, VBH is only now moving into the behavioral health field. Health Resource Services Administration is starting to connect behavioral health providers reimbursements to their ability to deliver quality services through an efficient treatment model. ABA providers will need to overcome idiosyncratic approaches to measuring outcomes in order to qualify for preferred reimbursement within the expanding VBH model. This paper will review outcome data from an ABA treatment model using a precision measurement system aimed at accelerate client outcomes. This model includes training RBTs to make data-based decisions, teaching foundational skills to fluency to ensure skills are retained and generalized, and by implementing an instructional curriculum that allows for new skills to be learned without direct training. Finally, discussion will include how insurance companies have responded to our approach to solve the VBH application to ABA services for children with ASD. |
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Medial and Distal Progress Monitoring to Measure Care |
(Service Delivery) |
KERRI L. MILYKO (CentralReach) |
Abstract: Behavior analysts are experts at collecting clinical data. Progress on daily treatment programs are continually evaluated via time series graphs. However, without proper systems and supports, medial assessment data and metadata are not as often collected. When these data are not collected, overall progress about the case as related to higher-order treatment goals cannot be evaluated. Further, the development of flexibility and agility of the learner cannot be analyzed. However, when these data are collected continuously, growth towards a goal or benchmark can be assessed or even projected when it will be achieved. Further, assessment mastery, such as completion of the Verbal Behavior, Milestones Assessment and Placement Program, can be estimated (e.g., pinpointing a specific month given past progress), when collecting, measuring, and analyzing data in this fashion. This presentation will provide a justification for collecting meta and macro-level data and using the Standard Celeration Chart (SCC) to track ongoing progress evaluation at a medial and distal level. These data will serve as an initial launchpad for using behavior analytic intervention data to determine value-based care. |
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The Need for Technology in Defining Value-Based Reimbursement Measures for ABA Therapy |
(Service Delivery) |
DAVID STEVENS (CentralReach) |
Abstract: As downward payor pressure affecting reimbursement rates and hours continues to build, behavior analysts must precisely and objectively quantify value delivered as a function of time invested. Behavior analysts have at their disposal varying degrees and dimensions of clinical data with which to describe value. These include but are not limited to the number of learning opportunities, goals attained, decisions made, percent growth per pinpointed skill or percent reduction in targeted maladaptive behaviors, change in variance over time, a projected time window of when goals may be met, percent of skills that return to maintenance or intervention post mastery, and how well skills have generalized into the home, school, and community environments. Access to and inclusion of the aforementioned methods of describing value per function of time varies based on three facets of clinical service delivery: 1) the sophistication of the clinical service delivery model including supervisorial rigor; 2) the tooling deployed to assist the clinician in the collection and analysis of data; and 3) the educational and experiential histories of the clinician and supporting care team. This presentation will explore how present day and near-term future technologies may assist in each of the three facets to automate, standardize, and reliably document, analyze, and communicate value in a multidimensional quantitative model. |
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What and How Psychology Could be Related to Other Disciplines: An Interbehavioral Approach |
Monday, May 25, 2020 |
11:00 AM–12:50 PM |
Marriott Marquis, Level M4, Liberty M |
Area: CSS; Domain: Translational |
Chair: Carlos de Jesús de Jesús Torres (University of Guadalajara) |
Discussant: Mitch Fryling (California State University, Los Angeles) |
Abstract: In this symposium, different interdisciplinary approaches to the understanding and efficient intervention in social contexts will be presented. The so-called "social progress" has been identified through the development of living conditions that affect society in various fields such as urban development, economic and working conditions, living conditions, which imply an improvement in the quality of life of individuals who participate in social groups. However, this development has some repercussions that are identified as “social problems”, that can paradoxically represent a negative impact on individual quality of life such as coexistence problems, corruption, bullying, drug abuse, social inequality. In this presentation a prescriptive framework of the applicability of psychological knowledge is discussed taking into account four features that are considered by Ribes (2018) for the development of a technology-based on scientific knowledge: a) a theory of individuation; b) formulation of interface concepts associated with the circumstance identified as problematic; c) design of methods and procedures for the transfer of scientific knowledge into social problems, and; d) identification of the social criteria that guide the meaning of the intervention. |
Instruction Level: Intermediate |
Keyword(s): didactic interaction, Interdiscipline, intervention, social-coexistence, technology, psychology |
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Individual Behavior and the Problems of Social Coexistence |
(Theory) |
GERARDO A ORTIZ RUEDA RUEDA (Universidad de Guadalajara-Mexico), Nora Rangel (Universidad de Guadalajara, Mexico), Carmen Quintana (University of Guadalajara), Carlos de Jesús de Jesús Torres (University of Guadalajara), Karla Acuña (Universidad de Sonora - Mexico) |
Abstract: By living in groups that are conventionally structured, shaped, and maintained, humans face behavioral challenges to maintain their own individual environmental adjustment and the cohesion of their groups. That is to say, humans strive to maintain an often-delicate balance between their individual needs and those of the group. Social problems arise when this balance does not obtain. A major aim of Psychology is the analysis of individual behavior and its interaction with its environmental conditions. A key assumption in pursuing this aim is that behavior allows the individual to adjust to its changing environment. In the case of humans, a substantial part of their environment is conventional in character. Due to this character, shared social practices are stronger determinants of humans’ adjustments to their environments than the physicochemical or ecological aspects are. As a part of an interdisciplinary approach, Psychology could supply a conceptual basis for how individuals interact in groups, identifying the variables that affect social coexistence processes. Similarly, such knowledge could be used to design interventions oriented to behavioral change in different social contexts, such as bullying at school and workplaces, public security issues, traffic and use of public spaces, and addictions. |
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Teamwork interaction in software development: Proposing a model |
(Theory) |
ADRIANA PEÑA (Universidad de Guadalajara), Mirna Muñoz (Centro de Investigación en Matemáticas - Mexico), Nora Rangel (Universidad de Guadalajara, Mexico), Carlos de Jesús de Jesús Torres (University of Guadalajara) |
Abstract: Human factor is one the most common causes for teamwork failure; and software development teams are not the exception. Currently software is developed mostly in teamwork bases, and primarily in small enterprises that require optimizing resources in order to guarantee their permanency in the market. It is then valuable to build teams from the human factor perspective aimed to effectiveness. Along with technical skills or hard skills, a team requires management skills and interpersonal skills, these last two also kwon as soft skills. We propose to integrate effective software development teams though a model based on the Team Software Process roles (Humphrey, 2006) for management skills, which are linked to the required activities in software development phases. And for interpersonal skills, interactive styles, a persistent personal behavior in particular situations that in turn could lead to understand how people might interact with others on those particular situations (Ribes, 1990). For the model, gamification is proposed to create approximations to the software development process situation, first to identify software team roles, and then to identify personal interactive styles, in order to obtain the suitable teammates towards an effective software development team. |
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Interbehavioral Psychology Contributions in the Field of School Education |
(Theory) |
KARLA ACUÑA (Universidad de Sonora - Mexico), Miriam Yerith Jimenez (Universidad de Sonora-México), Alfonso López (Universidad de Sonora - México) |
Abstract: Interbehavioral Psychology, as the discipline entrusted with studying the relation between the individual and its functional environment, can contribute knowledge towards the solution of problems in education as long as a general process theory is linked the before-mentioned knowledge. Psychological understanding, as applicable knowledge, can only result as an outcome of theory and technological investigation that adapts analytical knowledge from basic (general) science to the situational circumstance that the technology entails. In this respect, the notion of didactic interaction, as the functional unit of the teaching-learning process, has allowed the examination of the appropriateness of relationships between teacher, student and object referent. Thus, contributing to a pertinent formation before the new requirements that the context to discipline and social establishes. |
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Linguistic transformations may promote behavior change |
(Theory) |
TELMO EDUARDO PEÑA CORREAL CORREAL (Universidad Javeriana) |
Abstract: Behavior modification, behavior therapy, and psychotherapy are concerned with behavior change. From the perspective of radical behaviorism, behavior change implies a change in contingencies and usually, different techniques have been developed in order to change these contingencies in order to change target behaviors. From the perspective of cognitive-behavior frameworks, behavior change could be induced with the change in cognitions such as beliefs, ways of reasoning, or in general, mediational constructs. Recent developments in the interbehavioral psychology (Ribes, 2018) give rise to think on another ways to promote behavior change that imply the transformation of the ways which an individual talks o writes about his/her interactions with others by reflecting verbally on his/her own referential statements (theoretical practice). These types of interbehavioral contacts are labeled as “transformation contacts” and consist in changes in a linguistic domain in terms of its internal relations and functions, and therefore in changes of the operation rules that change the referential practices of a specific domain. This transformation takes place primarily as a linguistic practice, but, represents the emergence of dispositional circumstances to promote behavior change. A preliminary study is reported to show how these conceptual issues could be translated in the context of a clinical case. |
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Procedural Variations for the establishment of stimulus control and the formation of equivalence classes |
Monday, May 25, 2020 |
12:00 PM–12:50 PM |
Marriott Marquis, Level M2, Marquis Ballroom 1/2 |
Area: EAB/AUT; Domain: Translational |
Chair: Danielle LaFrance (H.O.P.E. Consulting, LLC and Endicott College) |
CE Instructor: Danielle LaFrance, M.S. |
Abstract: This symposium includes three talks describing procedural variations for the establishment of stimulus control and equivalence classes. The first talk describes an applied go/no-go procedure to establish simple discriminative control over selection responses in two children with autism. The second study describes an alternative method for the establishment of conditional relations between auditory-visual stimuli involving a go/no-go procedure with successive matching. Finally, the third study explored a specific parameter of matching-to-sample training in which the incorrect trial was repeated, suggesting that such procedure enhances maintenance of skills. Overall, these data have directly implications for both basic research and clinical practice |
Instruction Level: Intermediate |
Keyword(s): Stimulus Control, Stimulus Equivalence |
Target Audience: Researchers and clinicians |
Learning Objectives: 1. Participants will learn how to implement and go/no go procedure to establish simple discriminations 2. Participants will learn about the effects of repeating the incorrect trial during establishment and maintenance of equivalence classes 3. Participants will learn how conditional relations may be established via successive MTS |
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Using a Go/No-Go Procedure to Teach Simple Discrimination to Learners With Autism |
(Service Delivery) |
JOYCE TU (Easterseals of Southern California), Vanessa Yip (Easterseals of Southern California) |
Abstract: The current study investigated the conditions necessary for stimulus to acquire control of skill acquisition. Two learners diagnosed with autism, ages 7 and 9, both with long history of little to zero rate of skill acquisition in their ABA programs. Skinner’s (1938) successive method, “Go and no-go” stimulus control training was used to teach pre-mand training with the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS). The successive method was then followed by “Go-right/go-left successive procedure” developed by Harrison (1984), and then Go-right/go-left with simultaneous stimulus presentation (Harlow, 1950). The results show that participants acquired initial discrimination of PECS icons in approximately 88 sessions and maintained the skills 3 months after the introduction of first discrimination method. |
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An Evaluation of Successive Matching-to-Sample in the Establishment of Emergent Stimulus Relations |
(Basic Research) |
ROBBIE HANSON (Endicott College), Karina Zhelezoglo (California State University, Sacramento), Jillian Christine Sordello (California State University, Sacramento), Vanessa Lee (California State University, Sacramento), Caio F. Miguel (California State University, Sacramento) |
Abstract: Conditional discrimination and the ability to respond conditionally to both auditory and visual stimuli are important prerequisites for a variety of skills. Matching-to-sample (MTS) procedures have been commonly used to teach conditional relations among stimuli and test for the emergence of equivalence classes. However, some individuals may lack necessary prerequisite skills to be successful with these procedures. An effective alternative is the successive matching-to-sample (S-MTS) that includes the presentation of a sample stimulus, followed by one comparison stimulus in the sample’s place. Participants are required to either touch or refrain from touching related and unrelated comparisons. Previous research has shown success with S-MTS procedures utilizing a “go” and “no-go” response requirement for visual-visual conditional relations only. In our study, eight college students learned conditional relations between auditory-visual stimuli and passed equivalence classes via S-MTS using a multiple-baseline across participants design. Participants are currently being assessed on auditory relations only. These results validate the utility of the procedure for both research and practice. |
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Effects of Repeating or Not Repeating a Trial When Errors Occur During Training of Equivalence Classes in Adults of Typical Development |
(Basic Research) |
DANIELLE MARCECA (Caldwell University), Kenneth F. Reeve (Caldwell University), Christopher R Colasurdo (Caldwell University), Sharon A. Reeve (Caldwell University), Meghan Deshais (Caldwell University) |
Abstract: To train baseline relations during equivalence class formation, match-to-sample (MTS) is commonly used. When an error occurs during training, feedback is provided but an opportunity to immediately respond a second time to the same trial following an error is typically not provided in studies with advanced learners. Although some equivalence studies within the literature incorporated the procedure of immediately repeating an incorrect trial during baseline, none has compared this to not repeating a trial when an error occurs. The present study made such a comparison. Two different sets of two 4-member equivalence classes of abstract stimuli were established with adults of typical development. Results showed that classes were established with similar accuracy, duration, and number of trials regardless of whether incorrect trials were repeated immediately following an error or not repeated. However, maintenance tests showed that the classes from the repeating a trial condition maintained at higher levels than those from the not repeating a trial condition. A social validity survey indicated that participants strongly preferred the repeating a trial condition. The implications of these results may provide clinicians with an alternative way to use stimulus equivalence-based instruction to facilitate maintenance of classes. |
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Behavioral Systems Approaches to Staff Training: Effective Orientation, Onboarding, and Training Systems |
Monday, May 25, 2020 |
12:00 PM–12:50 PM |
Marriott Marquis, Level M4, Capitol/Congress |
Area: OBM; Domain: Translational |
Chair: Ivy M Chong (May Institute) |
CE Instructor: Ivy M Chong, Ph.D. |
Abstract: Behavior analysts work in diverse settings including clinics, centers, schools, hospitals, and other large, community-based "systems". Behavior analysts also work with a diverse population of clients (e.g., those with developmental disabilities, mental health disorders, comorbid diagnoses) and employees (e.g., direct care staff, nurses, doctors, teachers, behavior technicians, behavior analysts, administrators). Providing high-quality orientation, onboarding, and training experiences to employees with diverse experience and education requires significant development, implementation, and evaluation of these "staff training" systems to ensure the best outcomes for clients and their staff. Using a behavioral systems approach, each of the authors in this symposium will describe the orientation, onboarding, and/or training systems within their large systems while discussing the evaluation required to further inform system development. |
Instruction Level: Intermediate |
Keyword(s): onboarding, orientation, staff training |
Target Audience: Behavior Analysts, Supervisors, Administrators |
Learning Objectives: See Abstract and LOs on day of presentation |
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Evaluation of An Agency-Wide Training System to Enhance Functional Behavior
Assessment Skills by Clinicians |
(Applied Research) |
SARAH M. DUNKEL-JACKSON (Centria Autism Services), Jessica Hynes (Centria Autism Services) |
Abstract: Functional Behavior Assessment is an evidence-based practice used within high-quality ABA therapy programs to assess and help treat challenging behaviors exhibited by individuals. The specific pinpoints associated with performing these skills require training and supervision of clinicians, especially in large agencies providing geographically diverse applied behavior analysis services. Several effective staff training formats exist including behavioral skills training, video modeling, and performance feedback. The efficiency with which large agencies (and even educational institutions with geographically diverse learners) provide effective staff training opportunities is of great importance to our field and the clients we serve. Using a group experimental design, the current study will explore the effectiveness of various staff training formats on the functional behavior assessment skills of clinicians who provide ABA therapy to individuals with ASD. Results will include changes in observed performance of FBA skills across indirect assessments, descriptive assessments, functional analyses, data summarization and analysis, and reporting. Clinician feedback on preference for training formats and client data will also be discussed. |
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A Systems Evaluation of Staff On-Boarding: Efficiency, Outcomes, and Design |
(Applied Research) |
AMY KENZER (Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center), Alexis N. Boglio (Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center), Sienna VanGelder (Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center) |
Abstract: Organizational growth can reveal under-developed and inadequate systems that functioned effectively when very few individuals were involved but pose challenges with larger teams. Within the applied realm, the combined need for continued growth and high turnover results in increasing demand for an
effective and efficient staff on-boarding and training process. Specifically, the implementation of clear systems, staff structure, and implementation support can have a meaningful impact on the success of new employee training plans. Furthermore, when staff are introduced into an organization in a structured way and adequately trained long-term retention is increased. This presentation will provide an overview of the design and implementation of a service delivery model for conducting new staff on-boarding from the initial interview to completion of their first 90-days of employment as a Registered Behavior Technician. Following a Behavioral Systems Analysis approach, the staff on-boarding and training process was evaluated for coordination across Clinical and Human Resources departments, including feedback loops to maintain process compliance and inform further system development, and evaluation of staff performance and organizational fit to drive retention. |
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Melding Approaches: A Staff Training Model for Orienting Psychiatric Nursing and Support Staff to the Role of Applied Behavior Analysis on an Acute Inpatient Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Unit |
JAMES W. JACKSON (University of Michigan Michigan Medicine) |
Abstract: While much of the early research in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) focused on individuals with mental health disorders and individuals with developmental disabilities, more recent history in ABA with individuals with developmental disabilities has flourished while its active role with those with mental health diagnoses has diminished. Additionally, there is a proliferation of comorbid diagnosis of mental health conditions for individuals with developmental disabilities such as ASD. There is also a focus on utilizing psychotropic medication as either a primary or supplementary treatment component for behavioral excesses. The current paper describes an in-service staff training model aimed at orienting psychiatric nursing and support staff to the field of Applied Behavior Analysis, and how ABA can be an integral part of a multidisciplinary approach to assessment and treatment in an acute in-patient psychiatric unit for children and adolescents. Melding a psychiatric nursing model aimed at both acute behavioral stabilization and medication assessment and management with a functional behavioral approach and the resulting barriers to integration will be discussed. |
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Emotions: Is It really Possible to Teach Those With Autism Spectrum Disorder or Other Learners to Tact Inners? |
Monday, May 25, 2020 |
12:00 PM–12:50 PM |
Marriott Marquis, Level M1, University of D.C. / Catholic University |
Area: PCH/CBM; Domain: Translational |
Chair: T. V. Joe Layng (Generategy, LLC) |
Discussant: Richard T. Codd (Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Center of WNC, PA) |
CE Instructor: Richard T. Codd, Ph.D. |
Abstract: Being sensitive and understanding one’s emotions and the emotions of others is considered critical to social behavior. Some may fail to adequately develop such sensitivity and understanding without direct intervention. One such intervention is to help a learner to tact private stimuli arising from their body as a particular emotion. Such training relies upon inferring what stimuli might be accompanying certain “emotional behavior.” This approach assumes that there are readily identifiable unique private stimuli associated with such behavior. The task is to help a learner identify and name (tact) these stimuli. Another approach is to help children to identify emotions that others are experiencing based upon facial expression. It is assumed that there are readily identifiable facial expressions linked to consistent private emotions. Analysis of data from hundreds of neuroscience studies and thousands of subjects suggest both of these approaches may be flawed. This symposium will first present neuroscience data which challenge the assumption that there are unique private stimuli or brain circuitry associated with emotion, and that suggests there is no evidence that facial expressions reflect emotion. It will then suggest a formulation and interventions consistent with both these data and a consequential contingency analysis. |
Instruction Level: Intermediate |
Keyword(s): Emotions, Neuroscience |
Target Audience: Professional involved in the teaching or behavioral intervention with those who may be developmentally challenged, and those involved with clinical behavioral intervention. |
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How Neuroscience Informs a Behavioral Approach to Understanding Emotions |
(Theory) |
AWAB ABDEL-JALIL (University of North Texas) |
Abstract: There are several assumptions about emotions: emotions have a neuronal fingerprint, emotions are expressed similarly across different people, emotions can be read on people’s faces, emotion circuits exist in the brain, neurons are triggered leading to an emotion felt, and people can be taught to tact their private emotions. A recent book by Lisa Feldman Barrett, “How Emotions are Made” (2017) addressed these assumptions and more. She cites numerous studies and large meta-analyses that found no specific or consistent neural or physiological “fingerprints” for emotions in the body. In other words, there is no consistent bodily response for individual emotions, and the same bodily response can occur across emotions. She points out that brain areas that have been demonstrated to be important for emotions are not sufficient or necessary for emotions. Emotions do not reside in the brain and they are not simply internal responses. Facial electromyography studies reveal that there is little support for facial expressions reflecting emotions. Accordingly, It may be futile to teach tacting private events, or to recognize emotions in faces. |
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Teaching the Identification of Emotions: A Consequential Contingency Analysis Approach |
(Service Delivery) |
NOLAN WILLIAMS (Leonville Elementary School, Leonville, LA), T. V. Joe Layng (Generategy, LLC) |
Abstract: Given the neuroscience data that suggest there are no unique private stimuli associated with human emotions, and no unique brain circuitry or neural “finger prints,” how can we account for the emotions we feel and our ability to infer what others may be feeling? Recently, Layng 2006; 2016; 2017) has elaborated on an approach to understanding emotions first articulated by Israel Goldiamond (1979) that is consistent with modern neuroscience data. In this approach emotions arise not as respondent behavior or as internal stimuli or states, but as descriptors of consequential contingencies, that is, they describe the contingency context in which one participates. The physiological changes take their “meaning” from this context. The same private stimuli and neural pattern may be part of separate “felt” emotions as contingencies change. Excitement under one condition may be physiologically nearly the same as anxiety or glee under another. What is “felt” is a function of the consequential contingencies. We can learn to be sensitive to our and others’ emotions by becoming sensitive to the contingencies they describe. This formulation suggests emotions can be understood, and changed, as contingencies are changed. |
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Applied Ethics: A Discussion of Rural Practice, International Dissemination, and Employee Reported Ethical Situations |
Monday, May 25, 2020 |
12:00 PM–12:50 PM |
Marriott Marquis, Level M4, Independence A-C |
Area: TBA/CSS; Domain: Translational |
Chair: Jeffrey Michael Chan (Northern Illinois University) |
CE Instructor: Jeffrey Michael Chan, Ph.D. |
Abstract: Credentialed behavior analysts are expected to follow the Professional and Ethical Compliance Code (BACB, 2014). The Code itself provides general and specific guidance on acceptable behavior. As the practice of behavior analysis continues to expand (i.e., number of credentialed behavior analysts, breadth of applications of the science, and depth of application within a practice area), discussion of how the Code applies to various situations and variables is important. An area of need is understanding how credentialed behavior analysts and support personnel (e.g., finance, human resource) perceive the application of the Code in practice. Understanding these perceptions can guide the profession, organizations, and individual practitioners in developing preventive and responsive ethical practices. Additionally, current practice situations (i.e., rural practice and international dissemination) warrant specific discussion and relevance to specific Codes. The purpose of this symposium is to share survey data of employees from a mid-sized human service agency regarding ethical perceptions, discuss practice of behavior analysis in rural areas, and the ethical international dissemination of behavior analysis. |
Instruction Level: Intermediate |
Keyword(s): Ethics, International Dissemination, Rural Practice |
Target Audience: Practice organization administration, practitioners, university personnel responsible for training behavior analysts, supervisors of students completing fieldwork requirements, and students. |
Learning Objectives: 1. Attendees will describe employees' main concerns of adhering to the Code when practicing. 2. Attendees will discuss considerations of disseminating behavior analysis internationally. 3. Attendees will discuss considerations of practicing in rural areas. |
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Evaluations of Ethical Perceptions in Applied Behavior Analysis |
(Service Delivery) |
David Cox (John Hopkins University School of Medicine), SHAWN P. QUIGLEY (Melmark), Matthew T. Brodhead (Michigan State University) |
Abstract: Teaching and monitoring ethical behavior is an important aspect of training professionals and supporting practicing professionals (e.g., Brodhead, Cox, & Quigley, 2018). One method for improving the training and supports is to understand areas of concern experienced by trainees and professionals. This knowledge allows for refined training and support in areas of most need. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the perceptions of people, who work in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis, have about Applied Behavior Analysis. In general, investigators sought to understand the needs of people working in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis in order to develop new training practices, or to improve upon current training practices. |
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Ethics in Rural Settings: Special Considerations and Implications |
(Service Delivery) |
R. NICOLLE NICOLLE CARR (University of Oklahoma) |
Abstract: The practice of Applied Behavior Analysis in rural communities provides ample fodder for unique situations and ethical code violations. Surveys were sent to Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) in the state of Oklahoma, a state with only 103 certified individuals, regarding ethical codes most observed to be violated. In addition to few practitioners in the state, almost 80% of Oklahoma’s certificants live within a 20 mile radius from two main hubs of service delivery. This leaves a small number to provide services for the rest of the state's mostly rural areas. Results of the survey indicate multiple relationships, poor supervision and boundary of competence as the greatest areas of concern. Aside from the short supply of supervisors putting a strain on the supervisee: supervisor ratio, other possible variables that contribute to these violations include a lack of resources within the schools, physical distance to other BCBAs for referrals, working in tight knit communities, and within a culture that defaults to the use of punishment procedures. Knowing the most violated codes within a particular community allows preventative strategies to be implemented. In this case, having a network of mentors, holiday gift reminders, and strict practices for social media are a few of those suggested for our rural practioners. |
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Ethics Internationally: The Need for Responsible and Sustainable Dissemination |
(Service Delivery) |
JACOB SADAVOY (PENDING) |
Abstract: As of December 2018, 94.8% of Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) and Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analysts (BCaBAs) lived in North America according to the Behavior Analysis Certification Board (BACB) Registry. 95.3% of the world population is outside North America and the prevalence of Autism internationally is 1 in 160 (WHO, 2018). Here lies the challenge of disseminating the science internationally when the vast majority of credentialed clinicians, research, and course sequences are available to those living in North America. The challenge is further compounded in countries in which English is not widely spoken. Effective dissemination in foreign countries provides a unique challenge with respects to adhering to our ethical code with careful consideration to many implications such as: scope of competence, cultural humility, an effective and sustainable supervisory service model, resource limitations, stakeholder engagement and solicitation of clients, and conforming to a different set of laws and regulations. With access to pseudoscientific “treatments” online coupled with anecdotal information condemning Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) on the rise, sustainable dissemination of ABA internationally is of crucial importance for prospective clients seeking evidence-based treatment. |
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Expanding Our Competence and Collaborations: Behavior Analysis in Mental and Medical Health |
Monday, May 25, 2020 |
3:00 PM–3:50 PM |
Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Level 1, Salon A |
Area: CBM; Domain: Translational |
CE Instructor: Teresa Camille Kolu, Ph.D. |
Chair: Evelyn Gould (McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School; FirstSteps for Kids, Inc.) |
TERESA CAMILLE KOLU (Cusp Emergence) |
JEFF KUPFER (University of Colorado Denver) |
KEN WINN (Firefly Autism) |
Abstract: Behavior analysis can bring together multidisciplinary teams responsible for effective programming for diverse clients with concurrent mental health and medical diagnoses. Even so, the early experiences of many ABA program participants and supervisees are characterized by exposure to only a small slice of the many client populations who could benefit from ABA. This panel assembles professionals, professors, and practitioners spanning community practice, medical and university environments to address audience questions on the intersection between behavior analysis and treatment of behavior related to mental health. Discussion points will include answers to recent questions posed by community members and students to university professors and those disseminating behavior analysis on social media, including: What ethical considerations are involved as I treat behavior in a person with concurrent mental health diagnoses? How do we form effective collaborations in mental health and medical hospital settings? How does behavior analysis look in an interdisciplinary environment, and how can I expand my boundaries of competence related to more diverse settings? |
Instruction Level: Intermediate |
Target Audience: Intermediate skill behavior analysis level |
Learning Objectives: 1. Participants will state actions that behavior analysts can take to collaborate more effectively in multidisciplinary contexts 2. Audience members will give examples of ways behavior analysis applies to supervision settings where mental health diagnoses interact with behavioral health 3. Participants will state ways to expand boundaries of competence in practicing in mental and medical health settings |
Keyword(s): competence boundaries, medical health, mental health |
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Running Low on Time? Practical Strategies for Training School Staff |
Monday, May 25, 2020 |
3:00 PM–3:50 PM |
Marriott Marquis, Level M4, Independence F-H |
Area: EDC/OBM; Domain: Translational |
Discussant: Morten Haugland (Haugland Learning Center) |
CE Instructor: Morten Haugland, Ph.D. |
Abstract: Novice teachers and unlicensed classroom staff (aides or paraprofessionals) may not have sufficient training in evidence based practices to instruct, assess, and engage diverse learners. High teacher and staff turn-over negatively effects students and is costly to schools across the country. There is a high cost associated with finding, hiring, and training a new staff (Milanowski & Odden, 2007). School districts need to identify evidence-based strategies and provide effective training to keep novice teachers in the classroom. Teacher preparation programs provide limited instruction on classroom management strategies and school districts are left with the challenge of providing thorough and on-going professional development. Additionally, there is often limited time or opportunity for paraprofessionals to receive training in evidence based teaching and behavior reduction strategies, which puts time at a premium for any training which paraprofessionals do receive (Giangrecco, Suter, & Doyle, 2010). Schools need efficient and effective means to train classroom staff in evidence based practices. This presentation provides 3 examples of effective and efficient procedures for training school staff novel skills. First, we will review data from a study that used Behavior Skills Training (BST) and alternating methods of objective and evaluative feedback to increase the rate of behavior specific praise with novice teachers. The next presenter will examine the effects of BST for paraprofessionals on prompting and contriving communication exchanges with students who use augmentative and alternative communication devices. Finally, we will share the results of a workshop that included lecture, a card game, and video modeling to teach paraprofessionals how to conduct three conditions of a functional analysis. |
Instruction Level: Intermediate |
Keyword(s): BST, novice teacher, paraprofessional, staff training |
Target Audience: Practitioners, graduate students, and teachers |
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Comparative Effects of Feedback Before and After Instruction to Increase Novice Teacher’s Specific Praise and Student Behavior |
(Applied Research) |
CAITLIN CRISS (Ohio State University), Sheila R. Alber-Morgan (The Ohio State University), Moira Konrad (The Ohio State University) |
Abstract: Classroom management is a significant challenge for teachers, especially novice teachers who report classroom management as their greatest need for professional development. This challenge may lead to high teacher turn-over which negatively impacts student achievement and school culture. Teacher preparation programs provide limited instruction on classroom management strategies and school districts are left with the challenge of providing thorough and on-going professional development. Behavior skills training (BST) is an empirically based method for training new skills that uses the principles of applied behavior analysis. Additionally, researchers have well documented that behavior specific praise is an effective classroom management strategy. The present study used BST to increase the rate of behavior specific praise with novice teachers. Once trained, teachers received objective and evaluative feedback on their rate of specific praise in the classroom setting. Additionally, students’ on-task behavior was measured to determine if a functional relationship exists between an increase in behavior specific praise by the teacher and student on-task behavior. An alternating treatments design measured the effectiveness of the feedback when it was provided prior to a teaching performance or immediately after a lesson. |
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Behavior Skills Training for Paraprofessionals Prompting Students with Complex Communication Needs to use Augmentative and Alternative Communication Devices |
(Applied Research) |
ERIC ANDERSON (Ohio State University ) |
Abstract: Communication is a fundamental right and is crucial to full participation in daily life. For students with developmental and intellectual disabilities with complex communication needs (CCN), communication opportunities can be hindered by skill deficits and competing challenging behaviors. These same students are often further isolated from communication opportunities with placement in restrictive 1:1 settings. These 1:1 settings do; however, provide an opportunity to practice communication skills, which can serve to decrease deficits, and simultaneously decrease challenging behavior. In this study, we used a multiple probe design to test the effects of Behavior Skills Training (BST) for paraprofessionals increasing the opportunities to initiate and respond to communication for their students with CCN who used augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices. Further, we trained paraprofessionals to use least-to-most prompting strategies to increase students’ fluency with AAC devices and measured the effects of increased student communication on challenging behavior. Results and recommendations for staff training, are discussed. |
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Teaching Paraprofessionals to Conduct Functional Analysis Conditions |
(Service Delivery) |
RON DEMUESY (Dublin City Schools), Kimberly Jones (Dublin City Schools ) |
Abstract: The present project examined methods for training five paraprofessionals to conduct functional analysis conditions. First, the participants were given written instructions on how to complete the conditions. Second, they participated in a ninety-minute workshop that included a brief lecture, a functional analysis card game and a video of simulated conditions. Results indicated that all participants met the established treatment criterion. In addition, two participants meet the treatment criterion based on data probes while they conducted the conditions with actual students. Implications for training paraprofessionals in an applied setting in high level skills are discussed. |
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Expanding the Use of Assessment Tools: Clinical Applications to OBM and OBM to Health Behaviors |
Monday, May 25, 2020 |
3:00 PM–3:50 PM |
Marriott Marquis, Level M4, Capitol/Congress |
Area: OBM/CSS; Domain: Translational |
Chair: Jonpaul D. Moschella (California State University, Fresno) |
Discussant: Denys Brand (California State University, Sacramento) |
CE Instructor: Marianne L. Jackson, Ph.D. |
Abstract: Many assessment tools have been developed to assess a specific range of behaviors with specific populations. In addition, they often have a substantial body of research supporting their effectiveness to do so. Two examples of this are Functional Analysis (FA) methodology and the Performance Diagnostic Checklist (PDC), with the former most commonly used with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities to assess significant behavioral excesses, and the latter most commonly used with adults in organizations to assess barriers to effective work performance. Such tools may have greater utility outside of these immediate areas and this symposium will present two examples of such expansion. The first presentation will discuss the use of FA procedures with 10 individuals on a simple data-entry task. Results suggest that the various antecedent and consequence variables presented were not differentially effective and that goal setting and rule-governed behavior may be responsible for the maintenance of behavior. The second presentation will discuss the use of the PDC to improve the health behaviors of four athletes. The resulting interventions produced some mixed results and the implications and future directions will be discussed. The symposium will conclude with some comments and thoughts from our esteemed discussant. |
Instruction Level: Intermediate |
Keyword(s): Assessment, Feedback, Functional analysis, Health behaviors |
Target Audience: Practicing BCBAs, BCBAs who are administrators or supervise others, BCBAs practicing in areas of health behaviors or in the areas of sports performance |
Learning Objectives: 1) Attendees will be able to describe the uses and variations of feedback 2) Attendees will be able to describe the use of a functional analysis to examine behaviors other than problem behavior 3) Attendees will be able to describe how the PDC can be used to assess the function of performance problems in athlete executive health behaviors |
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WTF(F): What’s the Function of Feedback? |
(Applied Research) |
MARIANNE L. JACKSON (California State University, Fresno), Jonpaul D. Moschella (California State University, Fresno), Vanessa Gowett (California State University, Fresno), Alexis Barajas (California State University, Fresno) |
Abstract: Feedback is a widely used, but poorly understood, intervention in behavior analysis. Current research has noted a lack of clarity in how feedback is defined in terms of basic principles and a need to examine it in terms of the functions it serves. The current study utilized a functional analysis methodology to examine the effects of feedback on a simple data-entry task. This occurred as positive reinforcement, in the form of brief praise and/or money on gift cards, negative reinforcement in the form of escape from mild reprimands, and nonsocial forms of reinforcement. Participants were 10 undergraduate students, aged 20-33, and the effects were examined using a multielement design. Data suggest that the various forms of feedback did not have differential effects on performance, with all participants performing similarly across all conditions. This suggests that possible rule governance, specifically goal setting, alone may have been responsible for performance, regardless of the direct contingencies arranged by the experimenters. |
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Extending the Performance Diagnostic Checklist to Assessing Health Behaviors in Athletes |
(Applied Research) |
ISABELLA MARIA CAMELLO TAN (University of Southern California
FirstSteps for Kids), Jonathan J. Tarbox (University of Southern California; FirstSteps for Kids) |
Abstract: Applied behavior analysis methods have often been used in the field of sports. Intervention packages have been created to facilitate acquisition of new skills, improve techniques for existing skills, and promote better practice and competition behaviors. Though the efficacy of ABA techniques has been demonstrated multiple times, there is a paucity of research regarding assessment in sports. The Performance Diagnostic Checklist (PDC) is an assessment tool often used in organizational settings to identify barriers to efficient performance. This study aims to determine the utility of the PDC for improving health behaviors among athletes. Using a multiple baseline design, interventions based on the PDC are being evaluated with individuals who play sports. The interventions are expected to increase engagement in the target behavior chosen by the participants. Four people are participating in the study – two currently in the intervention phase, and two in the baseline phase. The intervention has produced mixed results thus far. Implications and future directions will be discussed. |
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Using Virtual Reality for Hiring and Training RBTs |
Monday, May 25, 2020 |
3:00 PM–3:50 PM |
Marriott Marquis, Level M4, Liberty I-L |
Area: OBM/AUT; Domain: Translational |
CE Instructor: Annie Elisa Escalante, M.S. |
Chair: Annie Elisa Escalante (BehaviorMe) |
ANDRES CHAVEZ (BehaviorMe) |
KIMBERLEY ANDREA ENLOE (Easterseals Southern California) |
ALYSSA KAVNER (Easterseals Southern California) |
Abstract: Behavior Analytic therapy centers use the assistance of hiring directors and recruiters more and more to find Registered Behavior Technicians to provide medically necessary treatment to individuals with Autism. The use of these positions are becoming more ubiquitous as our field continues to scale. Although helpful, recruiters and hiring directors have little to no experience with the day to day tasks of an RBT. This session will discuss the use of Virtual Reality exposure simulations in the use of disseminating what ABA treatment is, who this therapy can assist (e.g., individuals with target behaviors for reduction) and what are some of the expected soft and technical skills needed for this position. Also, this technology can be used as a training tool for new RBT recruits. Virtual reality allows for training directors to test and train new RBT recruits on the technical and soft skills used within a therapy setting, prior to placing said RBT on a case. The panel will also discuss the ethical ramifications when using this technology during the training and recruitment process and provide suggestions for future simulation creation and future case uses of this emerging technology within a clinical setting. |
Instruction Level: Basic |
Target Audience: BCBAs, BCaBAs |
Learning Objectives: After this session, Learners will be able to 1) describe the use of emerging technology in the dissemination of Behavior Analysis, 2) describe the multidisciplinary approach used when Behavior Analysts work within a growing company and 3) describe the strategies used when assessing and training new RBT recruits within a Virtual Reality environment. |
Keyword(s): Dissemination, Service Delivery, Training, Virtual Reality |
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How Do We Ensure Treatment Integrity in International Markets With Less Than 4,000 BCBAs Attempting to Serve the Needs of Nearly 20 Million People With Autism Spectrum Disorder? |
Monday, May 25, 2020 |
3:00 PM–3:50 PM |
Marriott Marquis, Level M4, Archives |
Area: TBA/CSS; Domain: Translational |
CE Instructor: Jennifer M. Gillis, M.A. |
Chair: Karen Chung (Special Learning, Inc. ) |
KIM MADAR KLEMEK (Global Autism Project) |
JENNIFER M. GILLIS (Binghamton University) |
SVETLANA IYER (Stepping Stones Center, Bangalore, India) |
Abstract: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 1 in 160 (0.6%) children around the world has Autism. Based upon prevalence rates published by a small number of countries around the world, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that the autism prevalence rate for international markets may range from 1% to 2%. Applying the conservative WHO estimate of 1 in 160 to the 2.2 Billion children in the world (per Unicef), there are nearly 14 million children in the world with autism. Adding adolescents and adults to that figure may be as high as 20 to 30 million people in the world living with autism. Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is the globally agreed-upon gold standard for autism intervention. There are less than 40,000 Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA), who are experts in implementing behavior analysis in applied settings in the world. According to the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB), the international credentialing body that governs practitioners of Applied Behavior Analysis -- BCBAs (including BCBA-D and BCaBA) and RBTs -- less than 10% of BCBAs (et al.) practice outside the U.S. The current reality is that there are less than 4,000 BCBAs available to serve the needs of nearly 18 to 19 million people with autism living outside the United States. Faced with these seemingly insurmountable numbers, it would be very easy for international BCBAs to throw treatment integrity out the window. However, a great majority of international BCBAs are committed to preserving the integrity and efficacy of ABA services. International BCBAs with a dual objective of maintaining treatment integrity while helping the masses are faced with a herculean task, some of which can be tackled with a scalable Global Supervision Framework. During this panel discussion, we will introduce the Global Supervision Framework, the foundation of which relies on a group supervision model designed to maximize existing resources to scale while maintaining treatment integrity. The panel, comprised of BCBAs whose primary practice is located in India; a BCBA who builds sustainable clinical capacity with fifteen pre-existing centres in thirteen different countries as well as two international verified course sequences;; and a faculty member whose primary body of work includes providing support to BCBA practitioners who support individuals with autism across the lifespan. As part of the discussion, we will present results of a research study conducted in partnership with Stepping Stones Center and Bingham University on the positive impacts of systematically incorporating structured journal assignments (i.e. Journal Club) in group supervision settings with behavior technicians / RBTs as a means to increase clinical competency. We will close the discussion by presenting examples of group supervision models with demonstrated efficacy in center-based (in-person) and remote (telehealth) settings. Upon the conclusion of this panel discussion, learners will be able to: (1) Explain the demand for ABA services in international markets; (2) Discuss 3 to 5 key challenges to maintaining treatment integrity when providing ABA services in international markets; (3) Discuss 3 to 5 key barriers to providing effective supervision in international markets; (4) Explain the Global Supervision Framework; (5) Discuss the benefits of incorporating a Journal Club to group supervision; (6) Become familiar with effective group supervision models used in international markets for both in-person supervision and telehealth supervision. |
Instruction Level: Intermediate |
Target Audience: BCaBA, BCBA, BCBA-D |
Learning Objectives: (1) Explain the demand for ABA services in international markets; (2) Discuss 3 to 5 key challenges to maintaining treatment integrity when providing ABA services in international markets; (3) Discuss 3 to 5 key barriers to providing effective supervision in international markets; (4) Explain the Global Supervision Framework; (5) Discuss the benefits of incorporating a Journal Club to group supervision; (6) Become familiar with effective group supervision models used in international markets for both in-person supervision and telehealth supervision. |
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Behavior Analysis Around the World: Examples of Poland, Ecuador and Armenia |
Monday, May 25, 2020 |
3:00 PM–3:50 PM |
Marriott Marquis, Level M4, Independence A-C |
Area: TBA/AUT; Domain: Translational |
Chair: M. Fernanda Welsh (InTouch Behavioral Services) |
CE Instructor: Lusineh Gharapetian, Ph.D. |
Abstract: Behavior Analysis is a fast growing field, not only in the US, where it originated, but also around the world. The Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) has become a widely accepted certification body both within the US and in many other countries. This not only creates opportunities for Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) to find employment in various parts of the world, but also for professional organizations from around the world to standardize basic requirements for individuals who practice behavior analysis. The increasing acceptance of the BCBA certification abroad is reflected in the growing number of BCBAs practicing outside of the US as well as in the fact that the BCBA exam is now offered in an increasing number of languages. In addition to the BCBA certification, there are many other professional organizations who regulate the practice of behavior analysts in countries other than the United States. The profession of Behavior Analysts in various countries is shaped by variables such as local laws, licensure or certification processes, and funding sources. This panel will provide an overview of the field in Poland, Ecuador and Armenia. |
Instruction Level: Intermediate |
Keyword(s): behavior analysis, certification, international dissemination, staff training |
Target Audience: BCBAs, BCaBAs, and other certified or licensed professionals |
Learning Objectives: 1. Participants will describe three differences in acquiring, maintaining and providing supervision for the Board Certified Behavior Analyst certification and the Polish Behavioral Therapist Certification. 2. Participants will describe three strategies to increase effectiveness when implementing a behavioral skills training approach in a different country. 3. Participants will describe three factors for consideration regarding the barriers to dissemination of applied behavior analysis in developing countries. 4. Participants will describe three strategies for raising awareness about developmental disabilities. 5. Participants will describe three strategies for dissemination of ABA-based practices in a different country. 6. Participants will describe three ethical and practical considerations in the dissemination of ABA-based practices in different countries. |
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Behavior Analysis in Poland |
(Service Delivery) |
KINGA WOLOS-ZACHMEIER (The ABRITE Organization), Przemyslaw Babel (Jagiellonian University ) |
Abstract: The history of Behavior Analysis in Poland reaches as far back as the early 1930s, when studies on operant and respondent conditioning were being conducted at Polish Universities. With the exception of World War Two, the science of behavior continued to advance in Poland throughout the decades. However, many early studies are not available to the broader behavioral analytic community due to lack of translations. In recent years, the field has experienced rapid growth, just as in the United States. While very few individuals hold certification granted by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board, hundreds practice Behavior Analysis and hold the Polish Behavioral Therapist Certification. The presentation will summarize the development of Behavior Analysis in Poland, highlighting the most significant events, and will draw a picture the current state of the field. Additionally, a comparison between the credentials of Board Certified Behavior Analyst and Polish Behavioral Therapist Certification, including differences in requirements and maintenance, will be presented. Areas of practice and demographics of customers served by Behavior Analysts in Poland will be discussed and compared to certificant data published by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board. |
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Ecuador and Autism: An Overview of Current Services and Next Steps |
(Service Delivery) |
M. FERNANDA WELSH (InTouch Behavioral Services), Maria Chang (Centro Enigma) |
Abstract: The diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder in Ecuador is increasing; however, services and resources available for those in need are far and few in between. The field of behavior analysis has grown at a rapid rate in the United States in recent decades. Unfortunately, its growth has not yet reached many countries in South America, such as Ecuador. Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is accepted as a research-based treatment across many different fields, more saliently in treating individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). While there are over 60 years of research to support the efficacy of ABA treatment, Ecuador still relies in non-evidence based methods to treat individuals with ASD. Furthermore, the acceptance of an autism diagnosis or identification of early signs of autism is very limited. This presentation will discuss a consultation model in behavioral skills training with a local ABA agency in Ecuador, Centro Enigma. Effective strategies, areas of need, ethical guidelines and addressing cultural differences will be at the core of this presentation that seeks to bring awareness and acceptance to an underrepresented population in Ecuador. |
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Applied Behavior Analysis, Autism, and Armenia: Issues in Dissemination in a Developing County |
(Service Delivery) |
LUSINEH GHARAPETIAN (Pepperdine University) |
Abstract: The tactics derived from Applied Behavior Analysis have widely been used to improve behavioral health outcomes of individuals with autism and developmental disabilities in the United States and Europe. As the field grows, it is necessary to expand our reach to disseminate the science of behavior to developing countries. One such country is Armenia, who gained its independence in 1991. Armenia does not currently have an affiliated ABAI chapter, and it does not have any graduate behavior analytic training programs. Resources for those with autism and behavioral disorders are minimal, with disorders often going undiagnosed due to stigmatization and lack of information. This presentation will describe the state of mental and behavioral health practices in the country, issues related to the accessibility of appropriate evidence-based services, and factors that have impacted their development, including the lack of education and financial resources. Current pathways for dissemination of ABA in Armenia, including practical and ethical factors, will be described. Recommendations will be made for wide-spread dissemination, including considerations for ensuring quality training and ethical application of ABA-based procedures in Armenia. The presentation will conclude with considerations for wide-scale application for other countries facing similar challenges with dissemination. |
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Verbal Behavior: From Private to Public |
Monday, May 25, 2020 |
3:00 PM–3:50 PM |
Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Level 1, Salon I |
Area: VRB; Domain: Translational |
Chair: Sandhya Rajagopal (Florida Institute of Technology) |
CE Instructor: Sandhya Rajagopal, M.S. |
Abstract: In this symposium, the authors will discuss topics related to both private and public verbal behavior. The first presenter compared skill acquisition rates across two different conditions: similar versus different response topographies across operants. Results showed that the participants acquired skills in fewer trials during the similar-responses teaching condition when compared to the different-responses teaching condition. The second presenter will discuss a literature review examining three types of private events--emotions, non-pain sensations, and pain--studied in six behavior analytic journals. Studies were coded according to the publishing journal, a decade of publication, population, dependent and independent variables, nature of privacy, and data collection methods used. The final presenter will discuss mnemonic recognition from a behavior analytic perspective. He will argue that the relevant response is covert, more specifically a discriminated sensory/perceptual response, and that such responses can acquire divergent stimulus functions, both 1) functioning as a reinforcer and 2) changing the probability of emission of subsequent responses. |
Instruction Level: Intermediate |
Target Audience: Clinicians interested in Verbal Behavior |
Learning Objectives: 1. Audience members will be able to describe multiple operant training. 2. Audience members will be able to describe the three types of private events studies in behavior analytic journals. 3. Audience members will be to describe the behavior analytic perspective of mnemonic recognition. |
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Effects of Multiple Operant Training Across Similar and Different Response Topographies |
(Applied Research) |
ASHLEY FELDE (Florida Tech), Katie Nicholson (Florida Institute of Technology), Michael Passage (Florida Institute of Technology) |
Abstract: This study compared skill acquisition rates across two different conditions in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The first condition presented similar response topographies across different operants, including tacts, intraverbals, and listener selection responses (e.g., “chocolate” taught as a tact, intraverbal, and listener selection response). The second condition presented different response topographies across the operants (e.g., “tea” taught as a tact, “milk” taught as an intraverbal and “sugar” taught as a listener selection response). Secondary measures included functional independence of the operant classes and children’s teaching condition preference. We used an adapted alternating treatment design embedded in a nonconcurrent multiple baseline across participants to examine rates of skill acquisition. Results showed that the participants acquired skills in fewer trials during the similar-responses teaching condition when compared to the different-responses teaching condition. The participants did not show generalization across the operants, supporting prior research on the functional independence of the operants. The participants showed idiosyncratic preferences for the two teaching conditions. |
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Private Events in Behavior Analysis: A Review |
(Theory) |
KATIE NICHOLSON (Florida Institute of Technology), Sandhya Rajagopal (Florida Institute of Technology) |
Abstract: Private events have been defined as verbal responses involving private stimuli, covert responses, or both. Although there has been debate over whether private events belong in a science of behavior due to fundamental inaccessibility, behavior analysts have conducted experimental studies involving private events and their public correlates. Understanding variables influencing emission of language related to private events becomes especially important when considering special populations, such as individuals with autism spectrum disorder. The present literature review examined three types of private events--emotions, non-pain sensations, and pain--studied in six behavior analytic journals. Studies were coded according to the publishing journal, decade of publication, population, dependent and independent variables, nature of privacy, and data collection methods used. Additionally, studies were grouped by contribution to components culminating in teaching tacts of private events, including definition, measurement, discrimination, emitting collateral responses, and tacting private events. Areas of need as well as future directions are discussed. |
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Mnemonic Recognition and the Defective Contingency |
(Theory) |
DANIELE ORTU (University of North Texas) |
Abstract: Mnemonic recognition can be puzzling from a behavior analytic perspective. What appears to be a simple exposure to a visual stimulus now, may allow a person to differentially respond to that same stimulus a week later, compared to a set of newly presented stimuli. The repertoire appears to be very sensitive to changes in stimulus control, in the absence of the emission of an overt response. More specifically, in the example described above, the antecedent part of the three-term contingency is clearly identifiable, while the response and the consequence are not. We argue here that the response is covert, more specifically a discriminated sensory/perceptual response, and that such response can acquire divergent stimulus functions: e.g., both 1) functioning as a reinforcer and 2) changing the probability of the emission of subsequent responses. The provided behavioral interpretation is discussed in light of neuroanatomical considerations and Palmer's concept of the repertoire (2009). |
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Verbal Correspondence: From the Laboratory to Applied Research |
Monday, May 25, 2020 |
3:00 PM–4:50 PM |
Marriott Marquis, Level M2, Marquis Ballroom 1/2 |
Area: EAB/VRB; Domain: Translational |
Chair: Concepcion Serrador Diez (Universidad de Guadalajara, CEIC) |
Discussant: Julio C. De Rose (Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos) |
Abstract: The phenomenon of behavioral correspondence has been studied in different areas of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, and has been defined by Lattal & Doepke as a generic label describing a relation between actions of the same individual occurring at different times. In studies with humans, one of these behaviors is verbal and another is non-verbal, and the investigations typically focus on how the verbal behavior influences subsequent non-verbal behavior (say-do correspondence) or is influenced by the previous non-verbal behavior (do-say correspondence). Combinations of these sequences, such as say-do-report have also been investigated. The phenomenon has been also studied in non-humans, where a modified conditional discrimination simulates "say-do" correspondence in rats. This symposium covers different ways to study correspondence, from basic animal research to the clinical area, including also studies of both do-say and say-do correspondence with children. This view of different procedures, populations and tasks in the investigation of correspondence aims to show the extension of the phenomenon, from basic animal research through translational human research and extending to applied clinical research. |
Instruction Level: Intermediate |
Keyword(s): Say-Do-Report, Translational Research, Verbal Behavior, Verbal correspondence |
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Delay Between Moments and Magnitude of the Reinforcer in Say-Do Correspondence in Rats |
(Basic Research) |
CONCEPCION SERRADOR DIEZ (Universidad de Guadalajara, CEIC), Carlos Javier Flores Aguirre (Universidad de Guadalajara) |
Abstract: Correspondence is a relation between actions occurring at two different times. In the present study, a replica of the studies made in animal correspondence was carried out through an adaptation of a conditional discrimination task, modifying the magnitude of the consequence delivered (0.01 cc of water with 2.5% or 5% sugar) at the end of each trial, and the delay between moments of discrimination (0 and 3 seconds). 8 rats were assigned to one of two groups (Constant, Ascendant) and went through two phases, the first without delay between moments and with a consequence of water with 2.5% sugar; Phase 2 implied delay between moments for both groups although they diverged due to the consequences -2.5% for Constant Group and 5% for Ascendant Group-. Results show that there was no difference between phases and groups in terms of the correspondence index of total trials. On the other hand, the correspondence index of complete trials showed lower correspondence throughout the trials in the phases. It is discussed in terms of the effects that the values ??used for the delay and the magnitude of the reinforcer have on the adjustment of this procedure for the study of correspondence in animals. |
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Say-Do Correspondence Decreases Ingestion of Unhealthy Foods in Children |
(Basic Research) |
JOSIANE MARIA DONADELI (Federal University of São Carlos), Julio C. De Rose (Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos) |
Abstract: It is still controversial whether consequences contingent on promises is sufficient to
change the frequency of a target behavior or if consequences contingent on say-do
correspondence are necessary. We investigated if promises decreased intake of
unhealthy foods by children, and if this was maintained with gradual withdrawal of
consequences. Six children aged 8-9 years participated. In each session, nine pieces of healthy foods were displayed together with nine pieces of attractive unhealthy foods. In the training phase, before foods were displayed, children promised to eat no more than one piece of unhealthy food and as many pieces of healthy foods they wanted, with contingent reinforcement for the promise. Reinforcement was gradually
withdrawn for children that showed say-do correspondence. Correspondence training
under continuous reinforcement was conducted for the other children, followed by
gradual withdrawal of reinforcement. Only two children needed correspondence
training, and this training was effective to decrease ingestion of unhealthy foods. For
the other four children, promises were effective from the outset. Therefore, all
children attained criterion of ingesting one piece of unhealthy food at the most. Four
of these children maintained this performance after withdrawal of consequences.
Interestingly, some children also increased ingestion of healthy foods. |
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Effects of Monitoring on Children’s s Self-Report Accuracy in a Computerized Game |
(Basic Research) |
MARIÉLE CORTEZ (Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos), Rafael Mazzoca (Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos), Douglas Donaris (Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos), Ricardo Oliveira (Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos) |
Abstract: Studies on do-say correspondence have investigated the effects of several controlling variables on children’s self-report accuracy. This study verified the role of monitoring (presence versus absence of an adult) on children’s do-say correspondence in a computerized game. Four children aged seven to nine years participated. “Doing” consisted of shooting at a target (ducks or space monsters) presented on the computer screen. “Saying” consisted of reporting on the accuracy of performance following the automated computer feedback (by clicking on a green square following a hit or on a red square following a miss).Baseline assessed report correspondence in the absence of the experimenter. During Monitoring condition, correspondence was assessed in the presence of the experimenter. A reversal design was used. Results indicated that in the absence of the experimenter, all participants presented high levels of non-corresponding reports of errors. The presence of the experimenter (monitoring condition) consistently increased corresponding reports. These findings indicated monitoring as a relevant controlling variable on children’s self-report accuracy. |
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Say-Do-Report Correspondence in Semi-Natural Contexts: A Methodological Proposal |
(Applied Research) |
Isabel Avila-Herrero (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid), Carolina Trujilo-Sánchez (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid), Natalia Andrés- López (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid), JESÚS ALONSO-VEGA (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid), María Xesús Froxán-Parga (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid), Ricardo de Pascual Verdu (European University of Madrid) |
Abstract: Historically, the main purposeof the different lines of research that deal with the phenomenon of Say - Do - Report correspondence had consisted on studying the different processes of behavior modification in educational environments with children. Taking into account the importance of opening this line to other types of populations, it was considered relevant to extend the studies to the adult population. In order to do this, a pilot study was carried out with a double objective: to make a first approximation to the phenomenon of correspondence in the adult population and to design a new methodology suitable for this purpose. Based on the methodological difficulties and mistakes that became evident during the study and once the results were obtained (see examples: figure 1 and figure 2), we set ourselves the aim of correcting these mistakes by developing a more accurate methodology.This study is the result of the redesign of this methodology applied in a seminatural context with non-experimental tasks: new results will be shown and also the conclusionsextracted from them. |
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Behavioral Medicine SIG of ABAI Presents: Pain and Wellness Research in Behavioral Medicine |
Monday, May 25, 2020 |
4:00 PM–4:50 PM |
Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Level 1, Salon A |
Area: CBM; Domain: Translational |
Chair: Gretchen A. Dittrich (Simmons University) |
Discussant: Kylan S. Turner (Simmons University) |
CE Instructor: Kylan S. Turner, Ph.D. |
Abstract: Behavioral medicine is an area of research that integrates behavior analysis and biomedical sciences to change behaviors associated with health and disease states. Behavioral medicine targets may focus on disease prevention, treatment to improve health and disease states, programming to facilitate maintenance of health behavior change, and treatments targeting adherence to medical regimes. As experts in functional analysis and behavior change, behavior analysts are well-equipped to work in the area of behavioral medicine. However, only a small percentage of articles published in behavior analytic journals focus on behavioral medicine research. There is a need for behavior analysts to produce more research in the area of behavioral medicine. One of the goals of the Behavioral Medicine Special Interest Group of ABAI is to provide opportunities for students to disseminate research. The purpose of the current symposium is twofold. First, research in two different areas of behavioral medicine (i.e., increasing physical activity in sedentary adults and improving sitting posture in adults with reported low back pain) will be presented to demonstrate how doctoral students and other researchers may effectively contribute innovative applications of behavior analysis to the field to address behaviors related to pain and wellness. Secondly, a discussion will follow, which will specifically address how to begin doctoral work in behavioral medicine, and provide suggestions and guidelines for future or current students who are interested in working in the area of behavioral medicine. |
Instruction Level: Intermediate |
Keyword(s): Behavioral Medicine, Pain, Physical Activity, Posture |
Target Audience: BCBA BCBA-D licensed behavior analysts |
Learning Objectives: 1. describe the effects of feedback schedules on health behavior 2. identify variables that affect treatment adherence in physical activity research 3. describe the effects of vibrotactile feedback on sitting posture |
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Effects of Behavioral Coaching on Exercise Behavior and Adherence |
(Applied Research) |
JESSICA R. MIAS (Simmons University), Gretchen A. Dittrich (Simmons University), Russell W. Maguire (Simmons University) |
Abstract: b. Optimal health outcomes are positively correlated with regular exercise, yet nearly one-quarter of adults in the United States reportedly do not participate in physical activity during their free time. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effects of gradually faded behavioral coaching for increasing physical activity frequency and duration during the study and once the intervention ended. Participants were divided into two groups and matched according to age and body mass index. The Faded Coaching group received behavioral coaching sessions once per week for the duration of the intervention, and the other group participated in gradual fading of behavioral coaching over the course of the intervention. Results for Continuous Coaching group showed increased duration and frequency of physical activity from baseline to end of intervention. During maintenance for the Continuous Coaching group, frequency and duration of exercise decreased. Results from the Faded Coaching group showed participants increased duration and frequency of exercise while they experienced weekly coaching calls, with less of a decrease in duration and frequency of exercise when coaching sessions were faded. Interobserver agreement data were collected on weekly duration goals set during coaching sessions. |
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The Effects of Vibrotactile Feedback Schedules on the Acquisition and Maintenance of Proper Sitting Posture |
(Applied Research) |
BRIAN JADRO (Simmons University), Gretchen A. Dittrich (Simmons University), Ronald F. Allen (Simmons University) |
Abstract: According to a National Centers for Health Statistics (2016) report, the most commonly reported pain is low back pain (LBP), with over 29% of Americans having reported experiencing this type of pain within the past three months. Despite such a large number of Americans reporting this type of pain, there are few behavior analytic studies aimed at decreasing potential pain causing variables such as poor posture. In the first experiment, aimed at measuring reliability, posture devices using accelerometers were shown to have an average reliability of 91.66%. The purpose of the current study is to examine the effectiveness of vibrotactile feedback fading procedure on the acquisition and maintenance of correct sitting posture. Initial and ongoing data for two participants, collected using the Upright Go 2 device, has shown an increase in correct sitting posture for two participants. Participant 1 showed an increase of 87.7% from baseline at the end of the 3s delay condition, and Participant 2 showed an increase of 39.1% from baseline to a 30s terminal delay probe. Additional data summarizing both a sequential and non-sequential feedback fading procedure is forthcoming. |
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PDS: Peer Review is Still Better Than Facebook: An Introduction to Peer Review and Some Cautions, Concerns, and Recommendations for the Consumer of Behavior Science and Behavior Analysis Information |
Monday, May 25, 2020 |
4:00 PM–4:50 PM |
Marriott Marquis, Level M4, Independence A-C |
Area: TBA/EDC; Domain: Translational |
CE Instructor: Mitch Fryling, Ph.D. |
Chair: Donald A. Hantula (Temple University) |
MARK R. DIXON (Southern Illinois University) |
MITCH FRYLING (California State University, Los Angeles) |
JONATHAN J. TARBOX (University of Southern California; FirstSteps for Kids) |
Abstract: This PDS features the editors of ABAI journals discussing the peer review process, its importance in science in general, and for consumers of scientific information. Panelists will describe the peer review process from article submission to addressing reviewer comments and understanding editorial decisions. The protections against misinformation that peer review offers are emphasized in this PDS. |
Instruction Level: Basic |
Target Audience: All individuals interested in the publication process. |
Learning Objectives: 1. Participants will describe the peer review process 2. Participants will identify reasons why peer review is more reliable than testimonials and social media endorsements 3. Participants will describe the roles of authors, reviewers and editors in the peer review process |
Keyword(s): Peer review, Publication process, Publicaton |
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Non-Compete Agreements in Applied Behavior Analysis: Prevalence, Impact, and Ethical Considerations |
Monday, May 25, 2020 |
5:00 PM–5:50 PM |
Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Level 2, Room 202A |
Area: AUT/DDA; Domain: Translational |
CE Instructor: Stephen Ray Flora, Ph.D. |
Chair: Stephen Ray Flora (Youngstown State University; Progressive ABA Therapy Group) |
KRIS BROWN (Youngstown State University) |
MARY BROWN (Youngstown State University) |
STEPHEN RAY FLORA (Youngstown State University; Progressive ABA Therapy Group) |
Abstract: With its growth, the field of applied behavior analysis (ABA) is encountering practice issues ranging from negotiating insurance reimbursement, developing formal treatment guidelines, and gaining the trust of consumers. One controversial practice issue is the use of non-compete clauses (NCC’s) in employment contracts. NCC’s have the potential impact how, when, and who practitioners can serve. NCC's are used in some fields and banned in others (i.e., law practice, some human services/medical fields in some states). Although widely used in ABA businesses, to our knowledge no discussion of NCC's has occurred in our own field. Results of a recent survey and personal experiences of the panelists and audience will be used to engage the attendees in discussing practical and ethical issues related to the use of NCC's in ABA. |
Instruction Level: Intermediate |
Target Audience: All BACB certificants (RBT's, BCaBA's, BCBA's, BCBA-D's), individuals who work in agencies services individuals with autism or other developmental disabilities, and owners of businesses providing services to individuals with disabilities. |
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the presentation, participants will be able to: 1) state what a non-compete clause is; 2) state potential ethical implications involved with the use of non-compete clauses in ABA; 3) state potential practical/business implications of the use of non-compete clauses in ABA. |
Keyword(s): employment practices, ethics, non-compete clause, professional practice |
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Addressing the Needs of Neighborhoods of Concentrated Disadvantage: A Research and Policy Agenda |
Monday, May 25, 2020 |
5:00 PM–5:50 PM |
Marriott Marquis, Level M4, Liberty N-P |
Area: CSS/CBM; Domain: Translational |
Chair: Anthony Biglan (Oregon Research Institute) |
CE Instructor: Anthony Biglan, Ph.D. |
Abstract: The 2019 report of the National Academy of Medicine, Fostering Healthy Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral Development in Children and Youth: A National Agenda, calls for a mobilization of the research and practice communities to address the problems of neighborhoods of concentrated disadvantage. The report documents the fact that urban and rural neighborhoods of concentrated poverty have multiple problems that contribute to high levels of inter-generational poverty. The report recognizes that efforts to promote healthy development of children and youth in the U.S. will be limited if we do not address the multitude of problems in these neighborhoods. This symposium is intended to advance efforts to study how conditions in these neighborhoods can be addressed both through more interdisciplinary research and through the adoption of policies that foster more nurturing conditions in these neighborhoods. We will describe the nature of these neighborhoods, he state of research on these neighborhoods, and the public policy needed to advance research and practice on this problem. |
Instruction Level: Intermediate |
Keyword(s): Community Interventions, Disadvantaged Communities, Disadvantaged Neighborhoods, Intergenerational Poverty |
Target Audience: Researchers |
Learning Objectives: 1. Audience members will understand the nature of neighborhoods and communities of concentrated disadvantage and why it is important to assist them in reducing poverty and social stress and promoting healthy development. 2. Audience members will be able to describe evidence-based interventions that are appropriate for neighborhoods and communities of concentrated disadvantage. 3. Audience members will understand the recommendations that the National Academy of Sciences Engineering and Medicine has made for assisting neighborhoods and communities of concentrated disadvantage and the work that the Coalition of Behavioral Science Organizations is doing to advance those recommendations. |
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The Nature and Needs of Neighborhoods of Concentrated Disadvantage |
(Theory) |
KELLY KELLEHER (Nationwide Children's Hospital
) |
Abstract: This paper will summarize the evidence on the proximal and distal influences that undermine successful development in neighborhoods and communities of concentrated disadvantage. These neighborhoods are characterized by high levels of poverty and single parenting and low levels of cohesion. Inter-generational poverty is common. The presentation will discuss criteria for designating a neighborhood as having concentrated disadvantage and propose a census to identify all such neighborhoods in the U.S. It will then describe the proximal and distal conditions in these neighborhoods that undermine well being. distal influences include poverty, discrimination, neighborhood disorder. The conditions increase the likelihood of stressful social interactions in families, schools, and the neighborhood. Such interactions, in turn, contribute to higher rates of psychological and behavioral problems and ultimately higher rates of premature death. The presentation will also provide a brief history of the policies and practices that led to the creation of these neighborhoods. In particular, these neighborhoods exist because of discriminatory practices such as red lining to prevent minority group members from moving into better neighborhoods. |
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The State of Research in Neighborhoods of Concentrated Disadvantage |
(Theory) |
TAMAR MENDELSON (Department of Mental Health / Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
) |
Abstract: This paper will summarize the state of research on the amelioration of stressful conditions in neighborhoods and communities of concentrated disadvantage. Research to improve conditions in these areas has generally involved one of two strategies. The first strategy focuses on economic development in an effort to reduce poverty and increase employment. This might include tax incentives for investing in the neighborhood, job training, refurbishing the housing stock. The other focuses on providing programs to strengthen child and family supports for successful development. There are some efforts that combine these approaches, but they are more rare. Strategies also vary in the degree to which they help the neighborhood to develop cohesion and leadership. The presentation will highlight examples of progress being made. It will describe the potential of existing prevention and treatment programs to improve well being in these neighborhoods. It will also describe methodological and other challenges in measuring community conditions and evaluating the impact of developmental strategies. |
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Public Policy Needed to Advance Research and Practice in Neighborhoods and Communities of Concentrated Disadvantage |
(Theory) |
ANTHONY BIGLAN (Oregon Research Institute) |
Abstract: This paper will present the recommendations of the National Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine committee regarding the research that is needed to ameliorate problems in neighborhoods of concentrated disadvantage. In its recent report, Fostering Healthy Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral Development in Children and Youth, it called attention to the fact that mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders are concentrated in neighborhoods and communities of concentrated disadvantage. Efforts to reduce the high levels of child poverty and the academic and social failure that are associated with it will fail if we do not increase our efforts to ameliorate the conditions that undermine child and adolescent development in these urban and rural areas of disadvantage. The Coalition of Behavioral Science Organizations had decided to see if it can contribute to the aims of the NASEM report. The coalition consists of the Association for Behavior Analysis International, the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science, the Association for Positive Behavior Support, the Evolution Institute, the National Prevention Science Coalition, and the Society for Behavioral Medicine. This presentation will report on the steps being taken and planned to get policies adopted which increase support for research and evidence-based efforts to assist these neighborhoods and communities of concentrated disadvantage improving the wellbeing of all members of the community. |
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Permission to Communicate: Skill Acquisition Errors and Prompt Maintained Behavior |
Monday, May 25, 2020 |
5:00 PM–5:50 PM |
Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Level 1, Salon H |
Area: DDA/EDC; Domain: Translational |
CE Instructor: Ken Winn, M.S. |
Chair: Ken Winn (Firefly Autism) |
KAYLA ANN MOORE (Firefly Autism) |
SAMANTHA SHEEHAN (Firefly Autism) |
ELBERT BLAKELY (Quest) |
Abstract: t has long been hypothesized that some individuals with developmental delays exhibit signs of prompt dependency. That is, they will engage in behaviors to be prompted or are reluctant to move on in skill training when prompts are faded. One hypothesis is that prompts, which are often described as antecedent stimuli, are , in fact, consequent stimuli in that they are contingent on errors or behaviors that are maintained by prompts. However, there little research has been done exploring prompts acting as reinforcers. By assessing for prompt-maintained behavior, our research has shown that prompts act as positive reinforcers for errors in skill acquisition programing. This research project replicated a previous study done by the authors and expanded the research to include more participants than in the original study. This study also expanded on the previous one by including different skill acquisition programs, rather than simple functional communication training. |
Instruction Level: Intermediate |
Target Audience: This panel discussion is for practicing behavior analysts who wish to enhace the effectiveness of their services by understanding the role of prompts in maintaining errors and other similar response classes of behavior |
Learning Objectives: 1) Participants will demonstrate an understanding that prompts have the potential to act as reinforcers for errors in skill acquisition. 2) Participants will demonstrate an understanding of the use of different types of experimental designs to determine if prompts act as reinforcers. 3) Participants will be able to demonstrate understanding of the relationship between prompts and their reinforcing qualities. |
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Recent Advances in Research With Adults With Acquired and Developmental Disabilities |
Monday, May 25, 2020 |
5:00 PM–5:50 PM |
Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Level 1, Salon G |
Area: DDA/VRB; Domain: Translational |
Chair: Nicole Pantano (Caldwell University) |
CE Instructor: Michael P. Mozzoni, M.A. |
Abstract: This symposium will cover two data-based presentations teaching to adults with acquired and developmental disabilities. The first study evaluated the effects of a video prompting strategy to teach adult women to shave their legs. All participants acquired and maintained the skill. The second study replicated and extended Gross, Fuqua, and Merritt's Verbal Behavior Assessment Battery (2013). They piloted this function-based assessment to guide language programming for adults with acquired brain injury (ABI). This population differs from the original population of adults with dementia as adults with ABI may experience complex changes in their verbal behavior. Following revisions to the assessment, the authors completed the study with five participants with ABI and five matched control participants. |
Instruction Level: Intermediate |
Keyword(s): adults, brain injury, language assessment, self-help skills |
Target Audience: BCBAs, practitioners, graduate students, and researchers interested in or working with individuals with Acquired Brain Injury or other |
Learning Objectives: 1. Audience members will be able to identify a tool and teaching strategy to teach leg shaving. 2. Audience members will become familiar with the Verbal Behavior Assessment Battery and how it can be used with individuals with acquired brain injury. 3. Audience members will identify additional considerations and refinement for future clinical use of the Verbal Behavior Assessment Battery. |
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Teaching Leg Shaving with Finishing Touch Flawless Legs™ to Women with Disabilities |
(Applied Research) |
Natalie Folgia (Caldwell University), Tina Sidener (Caldwell University), Sharon A. Reeve (Caldwell University), Ruth M. DeBar (Caldwell University), PRIYA P PATIL (Caldwell University) |
Abstract: Teaching independence with shaving can provide individuals with privacy and comfort, increase quality of life, and reduce effort of caregivers. Unfortunately, no previous studies have provided clinicians with procedures for teaching leg shaving. The current study evaluated the effects of a video prompting teaching package on leg shaving skills using a concurrent multiple baseline design across participants. Participants included three women ages 22 to 56, each with a different diagnosis (i.e., paraplegia, Down Syndrome, and cognitive impairment with Schizoaffective Disorder). The Finishing Touch Flawless Legs™ shaver was selected because a) it can be used without water or shaving cream, b) individuals with fine motor deficits can handle the device, c) the device will not cut or nick the user, and d) it is rechargeable and does not require batteries. All participants learned to shave their legs at the mastery criterion of 100% independent, correct steps within a mean of 7.33 teaching sessions. These levels were maintained at 2-week probes and during generalization probes. On the Treatment Acceptability Rating Form - Revised, scores indicated high social validity of the procedures of this treatment package. |
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Piloting a Function-Based Language Assessment for Adults with Neurocognitive Disorder |
(Applied Research) |
Dani Leigh Buckley (California State University, Sacramento), Megan R. Heinicke (California State University, Sacramento), Jonathan C. Baker (Western Michigan University), AMANDA N JONES (California State University, Sacramento), Shelby Marie Bryeans (California State University, Sacramento) |
Abstract: Language deficits are common following neurocognitive disorder (NCD), yet behavior analysts serving this growing population do not have a validated, function-based assessment to guide language programming. Gross, Fuqua, and Merritt (2013) developed and piloted the Verbal Behavior Assessment Battery (VBAB) to evaluate language deficits for older adults with dementia, but researchers have yet to replicate this study or evaluate this tool for adults following acquired brain injury (ABI). We expanded the VBAB to better capture the complex changes that may occur following ABI. We conducted the revised assessment with five adults with severe ABI and matched control participants and found 1) varying deficits across ABI participants, 2) significant differences between the performance of ABI and control participants, 3) acceptable test-retest reliability, and 4) evidence for both functional independence and interdependence of verbal operants. Our discussion will focus on methodological considerations and potential refinement of the assessment for future clinical use. |
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Ready, Set, GOAL! Applications of Goal Setting and Performance Feedback Across Populations, Behaviors, and Settings |
Monday, May 25, 2020 |
5:00 PM–5:50 PM |
Marriott Marquis, Level M4, Independence E |
Area: EDC/DDA; Domain: Translational |
Chair: Janice Frederick (The ABRITE Organization) |
CE Instructor: Janice Frederick, Ph.D. |
Abstract: Goal setting has utilized across populations and settings to promote behavior change. An extensive literature documents the effectiveness of goal setting to increase a myriad of desirable behaviors including physical activity, academic responding, vocational task completion and beyond. Relatively fewer studies have involved the use of goal setting to decrease or eliminate responding. Performance feedback has been demonstrated to enhance the effects of goal setting. The current symposium examines utilization of goal setting and performance feedback with varied populations and target behaviors. First, a study examining the impact of goal setting and text message feedback on daily step counts of participants employed by a behavioral health organization will be presented. Next, the outcomes obtained for general education students exposed to a treatment package involving goal setting and daily feedback will be discussed. Finally, an analysis of the effectiveness of goal-setting combined with performance feedback and differential reinforcement of diminishing rates of behavior for decreasing challenging behavior exhibited by students with autism in a school setting will be discussed. |
Instruction Level: Basic |
Keyword(s): DRD, Goal Setting, Performance Feedback |
Target Audience: Behavior Analysts and students |
Learning Objectives: 1. Attendees will be able to describe components of behavioral intervention package designed to improve students’ academic performance. 2. Attendees will be able to describe the effects of vocal, written, and/or visual performance feedback methods methods on student goal performance. 3. Attendees will be able to list key elements of intervention based on Differential Reinforcement of Diminishing Rates. |
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Decreasing Challenging Behavior in School Setting with a Combination of Goal-Setting, Performance Feedback, and Differential Reinforcement of Diminishing Rates of Behavior Without Extinction |
(Applied Research) |
Kinga Wolos-Zachmeier (The ABRITE Organization), SAM GARCIA (The ABRITE Organization) |
Abstract: A growing body of research has demonstrated the effectiveness of goal-setting and performance feedback for increasing various desirable behaviors.
The purpose of the current study is to determine the effectiveness of goal-setting combined with performance feedback and differential reinforcement of diminishing rates of behavior for decreasing challenging behavior in a school setting. A nonconcurrent multiple baseline across participants design was employed.
Participants 1 and 2, both 11 years old and diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, were both fully included in general education classrooms in two public schools. Participant 3, 17 years old, was attending a non-public school. All participants had engaged in disruptive behaviors throughout the school day. The intervention was effective in significantly decreasing the rate of challenging behavior for all three participants. Challenges specific to delivering ABA services in a school setting will be discussed along with limitations of this study and possible future directions. |
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The Present, Positive, Participant Project: Outcomes for General Education Students Exposed to a Behavior Analytic Intervention Package |
(Applied Research) |
Janice Frederick (The ABRITE Organization), CAITLIN ELIZABETH MANNING (The ABRITE Organization), Marlena Jacobson (The ABRITE Organization) |
Abstract: This study examined the effectiveness of goals setting, behavioral contracting, performance feedback, and a reinforcement contingency on goal mastery for general education students ranging from the elementary to high school levels. Each of the 13 participants had ended the preceding school year with a failing grade in one more core academic subjects. In addition to a failing grade, participants were identified by school site team administrators as students of ‘concern’ due to poor attendance, limited classroom engagement, and/or failure to complete homework. During the initial intervention phase, participants worked with a ‘coach’ to set a goal related to performance in a specific core academic subject. Participants received daily feedback related to their goal via paper, email, or text message depending on grade level and each attended a brief weekly meeting with a ‘coach’ during which they received feedback via a graph of their performance relate to their goals. Goal specific measures included percentage of weekly assignments submitted, percentage scores on homework submitted, and overall grade percentages. A component analysis was initiated with 3 of the final participants to examine the effects of each component of the intervention package. Overall results indicate that this relatively low-cost and minimally invasive intervention was effective in increasing student performance on goal related tasks. |
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The Effects of Goal Setting and Daily Feedback from a Coach on Number of Steps Taken by Users of Activity Trackers |
(Applied Research) |
Kinga Wolos-Zachmeier (The ABRITE Organization), SEAN GALE KOTZMAN (The ABRITE Organization), Caitlin Elizabeth Manning (The ABRITE Organization), Kellie Bohlke (The ABRITE Organization), Agueda Maria Flores Silva (The ABRITE Organization) |
Abstract: Sedentary lifestyle has been linked to multiple health problems. Use of activity trackers is increasing, however research has shown that wearing an activity tracker alone is not always effective in increasing physical activity. The current study employed a concurrent multiple baseline across participants design to determine whether daily goal setting and feedback delivered via text message from an anonymous coach would increase participants’ daily step counts. The three participants, who had already used an activity tracker, were recruited from employees of The ABRITE Organization. The results suggest that the intervention was effective in increasing average daily steps for all three participants. However, the increase in steps from baseline to intervention varied between participants and between days of the week. Possible explanation of the results, the limitations of the current study, and implications for future research will be discussed. |
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Enhancing Behavior Science in K-12 Schools |
Monday, May 25, 2020 |
5:00 PM–5:50 PM |
Marriott Marquis, Level M4, Independence F-H |
Area: EDC/OBM; Domain: Translational |
Chair: Kaci Fleetwood (University of Nevada, Reno) |
Discussant: Kathryn M. Roose (University of Nevada, Reno) |
CE Instructor: Kathryn M. Roose, M.Ed. |
Abstract: This symposium will feature two presentations; Evaluating Access and Outcomes of Advanced Tier Supports in Schools and Using OBM to Maximize Effectiveness of Educational Coaches & Consultants. Behavior analysts have a significant role to assist schools with the implementation of the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) framework for both academic and behavioral interventions. However, behavior analysts often lack the training and experience in systems development to be as effective as possible. This symposium will address how to utilize school-level data sources to evaluate dis/proportionality across the tiers, with specific emphasis on a) access and outcomes, b) overlooked subgroups, and b) advanced tier interventions. Additionally, for individuals who oversee educational trainers/coaches/consultants who facilitate interventions within and across school settings, a Total Performance System (Abernathy, 2000) that has been implemented state-wide for over 5 years will be presented, highlighting how OBM can be successfully implemented with public education employees. The success of this TPS system in conjunction with training educational professionals who have diverse professional backgrounds and varying licenses/endorsements to work efficaciously to achieve common goals will be shared. |
Instruction Level: Intermediate |
Keyword(s): MTSS, PBIS, PBS, TPS |
Target Audience: Behavior Analysts, School Psychologists, Licensed Education Professionals who work, consult, or provide services in K-12 school settings |
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Evaluating Access and Outcomes of Advanced Tier Supports in Schools |
(Service Delivery) |
JODIE SORACCO (UNR) |
Abstract: To comply with the most recent federal legislation on public education, Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) encourages K-12 schools to use Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) to increase student achievement and provide interventions to youth in need. Behavior Analysts have a significant role to assist and support with this framework but often lack the training and experience in systems development to be as effective and efficient as possible. This presentation will focus on how to utilize systems-level data sources to evaluate dis/proportionality across the tiers, with specific emphasis on a) access and outcomes, b) overlooked subgroups, and b) advanced tier interventions. |
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Using OBM to Maximize Effectiveness of Educational Coaches and Consultants |
(Service Delivery) |
SHARI DAISY (University of Nevada, Reno) |
Abstract: As accountability of school policies and practices rise, schools in the United States are focusing on educational reform. However, there is little research focusing on coaches who engage in implementation strategies geared towards school reform (Mayer et al., 2015). This presentation will showcase the technology and outcomes utilized over the past 5 years in schools to help district-level consultants/coaches supports school sites in training, intervention implementation, and evaluation. The coaching system is a method of employee management based on Abernathy’s (2000) Total Performance System (TPS). The highlighted TPS structure includes (1) observable, measurable strategic objectives are cascaded throughout the organization, (2) personal scorecards with specific measures and goals drive the organizational strategy, (3) assistance in pinpointing improvement opportunities and designing improvement plans, (4) employees share in the organization’s success. The success of this TPS system in conjunction with training educational professionals who have diverse professional backgrounds and varying licenses/endorsements to work efficaciously to achieve common goals will be shared. |
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Don’t Pigeonhole Me Inside a Hexagon! Acceptance and Commitment Training is Behavior Analysis |
Monday, May 25, 2020 |
5:00 PM–5:50 PM |
Marriott Marquis, Level M4, Archives |
Area: TBA; Domain: Translational |
CE Instructor: Michael DeLaet, Ph.D. |
Chair: Michael DeLaet (PENDING) |
ADAM DELINE HAHS (Arizona State University) |
EMILY SANDOZ (University of Louisiana Lafayette) |
ALYSSA N. WILSON (Saint Louis University) |
Abstract: The ways in which Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) is made accessible for individuals within mainstream ABA are predominantly couched in the ACT "hexaflex". The current panel discussion will highlight other, potentially viable conceptualizations of facilitating competence regarding ACT's core processes for practicing behavior analysts. Further, we aim to tether objective process and outcome measures to the core processes such that practitioners may be better equipped to confidently use ACT within their efforts to promote habilitation in the individuals with whom they work. Finally, we seek to demystify stigma around ACT as being unethical in behavior analysis. |
Instruction Level: Intermediate |
Target Audience: Beginning-Advanced BACBs/behavior analysts; graduate students of behavior-analytic programs |
Learning Objectives: 1. Attendees will be able to describe the ethical importance of remaining conceptually systematic in ABA, even when working with typically developing adult verbal behavior 2. Attendees will be able to describe how practical procedures from the ACT literature work in terms of behavioral principles 3. Attendees will be able to give practical examples of how intervening upon typically developing adults’ verbal behavior in the moment can affect that person’s socially meaningful overt behaviors outside of that session |
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