Association for Behavior Analysis International

Compassion is generally defined as a desire and willingness to alleviate the suffering of others. Though there is no doubt that applied and clinical behavior analysis were founded with such intentions, compassionate behavior has not historically been explicitly analyzed or taught in behavior analytic practice. Though the word “compassion” does not often appear in traditional behavior analytic literature, it is now being employed more regularly in formal contexts and has even found its way into the most recent BACB code of ethics. As scientific practitioners, it is important that behavior analysts establish an agreed upon functional and actionable definition of compassion so that they can effectively plan for, engage in, and train others to engage in, compassionate practices. Behavior analysts have both the technology and the heart to spread compassion far and wide. This panel will discuss the functional conceptual definitions of compassionate behavior so that we can learn to identify it and understand that the topography will vary across individuals, groups, cultures, and contexts. The panel will also address how to plan for and respond with compassion to harmful behaviors. Perhaps most crucially, the panel will discuss compassion’s close relationship with self-compassion, ways to practice self-compassion and strategies aimed at avoiding compassion fatigue.

Beginner

Creating inclusive and equitable models of mentorship and training is instrumental for retention of individuals from historically marginalized backgrounds in behavior analysis. Although improvements have been made, a call to further develop culturally responsive mentorship practices, graduate programs, and course work still requires substantial attention to address existing disparities. The first talk will discuss data from faculty regarding their mentorship practices, training, and current strategies for mentoring diverse students. The second talk will highlight mentorship experiences from students of historically marginalized groups and discuss tactics for refining current practices. The third talk will discuss the prevalence of diversity and cultural awareness in behavior analytic graduate programs from survey results of faculty and students. The final talk will review the need for critical multicultural coursework in behavior analytic curricula in comparison to other disciplines.

Participants should be knowledgeable of basic applied behavior analysis principles.

Recent Behavior Analyst Certification Board® (BACB®) data showed an underrepresentation of individuals from historically marginalized groups (HMGs) who have obtained BACB® certificates (BACB Certificant Data, 2021). Previous literature has described mentorship as a recommendation for retaining individuals from HMGs in various settings including higher education (Sorkness et al., 2015) and more recently in behavior analysis (Cirincione-Ulezi, 2020). Thus, the purpose of the survey was to gather information about the experiences and needs of HMGs during mentorship and provide suggestions for improving the experiences of future BACB® certificants. The survey gathered information on the importance of mentorship, whether they had mentors who matched their backgrounds (i.e., race and/or gender), factors (e.g., school’s location, racial climate) when choosing mentors, barriers (e.g., microaggressions, lack of safety/trust) experienced during mentorship, and actions the students would like from their mentors. Recommendations will be shared based on the data (i.e., voices of the BACB® certificants from HMGs) on culturally responsive mentorship practices

The 2022 Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts requires all behavior analysts to acquire knowledge and skills to provide culturally responsive services. However, the 5th Edition Task List on which ABA curricula are based has minimal focus on diversity and cultural awareness (D&CA). Recognizing the importance of such training, we conducted a survey for professors and students from graduate behavior analysis programs to assess the degree to which D&CA was discussed in their programs. Ninety-six students and 53 professors anonymously completed the Qualtrics survey. Less than 50% of professors were from historically marginalized groups (HMG) while almost 70% of the students represented HMG, and almost one-third of the students identified as Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC). Chi-square analyses revealed that non-BIPOC students were consistently more likely than BIPOC students to feel their courses included topics on D&CA such as considering ethnicity and race in their work and managing one’s own biases. Moreover, almost 80% of professors reported they consider the backgrounds of their students while presenting information and giving course examples, yet only 42% of students agreed. This research demonstrates the considerable gap in teaching competency in D&CA and speaks to the importance of multicultural perspectives in diversity training.

Recent estimates from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate that 1 in 59 children are diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (Zeleke et al., 2019). Given the increased rate of autism diagnosis, behavior analysts are increasingly providing services to diverse populations. In 2021, the behavior analyst certification board (BACB) released demographic data on race/ethnicity and gender that showcased 71.8% of licensed behavior analysts are white and 86.1% are white females (BACB Certificant Data, 2021). This begs the question, why hasn’t the field of behavior analysis introduced Critical Multicultural Education (CME) within its curriculum? It is imperative that behavior analytic programs incorporate CME into their curricula as a prerequisite to becoming a behavior analyst. As such, the purpose of this article is to review literature on critical multicultural coursework across related disciplines (teacher education, social work, counseling, school psychology, psychology) in contrast to behavior analytic curricula. A total of 22 articles were identified, and methods were analyzed based on pedagogical approaches, including course work, applied projects, and field-based experiences. A discussion is provided regarding how behavior analysis can incorporate CME into its curricula, leaning on the previously established approaches from related disciplines.

Despite great technological advances in education and care for children, mental health disorders and challenges are on the rise, and these effects were exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Behavioral interventions that promote psychological flexibility, such as acceptance and commitment training, mindfulness, and self-compassion training could be applied throughout the educational, familial, and therapy systems with students and their caregivers. This symposium contains four presentations that demonstrate the use of such behavioral approaches applied at multiple system levels. The first discusses the convergent and divergent validity of the Child Psychological Flexibility Questionnaire [CPFQ], and the Avoidance and Fusion Questionnaire for Youth [AFQ-Y] as measures of psychological flexibility in children. The second discusses the efficacy of a remote ACT intervention embedded within special education programming in schools. The third evaluates a parent training program guided by the ACT matrix with parents of a diverse background on parental engagement in treatment, distress, and psychological flexibility. The final talk will overview a self-compassion and mindfulness training program to support staff working with individuals with disabilities to evaluate changes in burnout, self-compassion, and psychological flexibility. Taken together these talks emphasize the importance of interventions embedded within whole systems to influence meaningful change.

Behavior analysts, students, and faculty

Psychological flexibility is a core construct in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. The Children’s Psychology Flexibility Questionnaire (CPFQ) is a newly developed measure of this construct in youth which requires validation. The current study evaluates the convergent and divergent validity between the CPFQ and the Avoidance and Fusion Questionnaire for Youth (AFQ-Y) in a school setting. A sample of neurotypical and neuroatypical children with diagnoses ranging from Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Learning Disorder (LD), Nonverbal Learning Disorder (NVLD), and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) completed the measures. Results show a significant correlation between the CPFQ and the AFQ-Y (r = .489, p <.001). Differences in the psychometric properties of the CPFQ (a = .652) and the AFQ-Y (a = .851) are discussed, with further analysis of item-level properties. These results replicate and extend previous findings that support the validity of the CPFQ. The value of measurement tools utilizing child-specific language to measure psychological flexibility, recommendations for future directions in validity testing, and the further relevance to the challenges in implementation of psychological flexibility assessments in school-aged youth (via the AIM curriculum) will be discussed.

Few studies have measured the effects of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy(ACT)on challenging behavior and psychological flexibility in children with autism. In the current study we evaluated the efficacy of a low intensity remote ACT intervention implemented with six children with autism. ACT sessions were adapted from the Accept - Identify - Move social-emotional training curriculum. Intervention progression was determined by the ranking of the children's psychological flexibility questionnaire (CPFQ) scores across the six domains of ACT. Implementers targeted the highest component score for the first week and progressed by descending score value. At each point of transition an additional week was added to the treatment time to allow more training for the components with lower scores and CPFQ scores were probed before proceeding. Results indicated mixed outcomes across the participants with overall improvements in challenging behavior and psychological flexibility over the course of the intervention.

Parental distress and coercive parent-child interactions are of major issues in our society. Cultural biases, stigma, and language barriers keep Asian-American parents and children away from mental and behavioral services. Behavior parent training (BPT) as part of applied behavior analysis (ABA) services are usually available to parents and children if their child has a diagnosis, but not for parents of children without diagnoses. Research in the area of parent-child interactions suggests a combination of BPT and acceptance and commitment training (ACT) as an effective preventative intervention alleviates parental distress and fosters positive parent-child interactions. However, limited research is available that examined the effectiveness of preventative ACT-based interventions for this population. Thus, the current study evaluated the effects of the individual ACT Matrix online training for Japanese-speaking distressed parents in the U.S., using a single-subject design. Specific dependent variables measured were value-driven behaviors, parental engagement in treatment, parental distress, and psychological flexibility. The results revealed that the ACT Matrix training was effective in improving all four dependent variables. Parents reported that the training was culturally sensitive, effective, and appropriate in the social validity questionnaire. Implications for incorporating ACT in ABA services as part of BPT will be discussed.??

The effects of work-related issues are cited as a significant source of stress reported by most Americans. Disability support staff are exposed to stressful work environments which may put them at an increased risk of burnout and distress above and beyond many other workplace settings. The current study sought to evaluate the efficacy of a 6-week mindfulness and self-compassion training on reported levels of self-compassion, stress and burnout, psychological well-being, and workplace moral of the research participants. The efficacy of the intervention was evaluated using a cross-over design wherein a subset of participants received the active intervention while the other participants did not. After 6-weeks, the experimental conditions were flipped to ensure all participants access the mindfulness and self-compassion training. Results suggested that self-compassion and mindfulness training can influence measures of self-compassion, stress, and burnout in staff working with individuals with disabilities. These results also have implications for supporting flexibility and self-compassion within disability support staff and in workplace settings the frequently employ applied behavior analysts.

Behavior analysts working to address systemic social-cultural problems need a thorough understanding of the multi-level context in which the issue is embedded, knowledge that almost always is found in disciplines other than behavior analysis. This BFSR-sponsored Panel brings to the attention of behavior analysts three new books of social importance, with the goal to both inform and prompt further interest in the target social problems. Each panelist will offer commentary on one book. Rich Rakos will comment on “The Sleeping Beauties and Other Stories of Mystery Illness" by Suzanne O'Sullivan. Kennee Switzer will discuss "In the Midst of Plenty: Homelessness and What to Do About It" by Marybeth Shinn and Jill Khadduri. And Mark Alavosius will reflect on "Of Fear and Strangers: A History of Xenophobia" by George Makari. Each of the panelists will present a brief overview or summary of the book’s main thesis, identify its strengths, offer critiques, and suggest links with or relevance for behavior analysis and Culturo-Behavior Science. Panelists will limit their commentary to 10-12 minutes each, leaving time for panelist interaction and audience participation.

Behavior analysts interested in expanding the science to address social issues more effectively

In recent years, the field has witnessed an increased interest and attention to the need for diversity, equity, and inclusion in all domains of behavior analysis (i.e., basic, and applied research, service delivery). One aspect of equity and inclusion that has received minimal attention is the disparity in access to high-quality ABA services for underrepresented and marginalized communities in the U.S. A recent publication by Drahota and colleagues (2020) describe the concept of 'service deserts' and presents information for ABA practitioners to consider how they can implement and promote dissemination of ABA services to disadvantaged neighborhoods in the U.S. The purpose of this panel discussion is to highlight the work of three Latina BCBA business owners who are paving the way for service delivery in racially and ethnically diverse communities in both rural and urban cities in California and Massachusetts. The panelists will describe the disparities in ABA services that inspired them to start their respective companies (e.g., their perspective on 'service deserts'), share stories of challenges and success in delivering services to these communities, provide recommendations for current and aspiring service providers, and discuss changes to public policy that will help to advance work in this area.

The target audience includes current BCBA practitioners, aspiring BCBAs, academics involved in graduate and undergraduate training programs in applied behavior analysis, and the ABAI leadership team. To gain the maximum benefit from this panel discussion, audience members should have a basic understanding of the complexities of ABA service provision (e.g., how services are reimbursed, how staff are hired and trained, etc.); and basic knowledge of the health disparities that are prevalent in the U.S. outside of the context of behavior analytic service delivery.

The word "consent" may mean different things, depending on context and audience. Conceptualizations of sexual consent are often delivered in metaphor or acronym by sexuality educators and abuse prevention specialists. It is possible to use these frameworks to explain other consent-based behaviors. Additionally, it is our responsibility to think critically about how some of our practices may violate consent/assent without due care. This conversation will explore consensual behavior as a consideration when supporting clients, as well as our role in teaching others how to engage in consent behaviors.

BCBAs and BCaBAs

This symposium aims to present the audience with issues related to the topic of diversity. More specifically, these presentations are concerned with ethnic and racial diversity issues within behavior analysis. The first presentation is a behavioral-analytical interpretation of colorism. Colorism is defined as the relation between skin color and privileges of experiences of discrimination. Hence, this concept is connected to racism. The second presentation is a review of studies of Blackness that used behavior analysis to analyze the phenomena. An interesting aspect of this presentation is that it focuses on behavior-analytic papers that were published in non-behavioral-analytic journals. The last one is a presentation concerned with studies of xenophobia within behavior analysis, showing that most of these studies used Relational Frame Theory and aimed at changing pre-experimental relations of immigrants and negative attributes. The three presentations focus on the importance and possible implications of studying ethnic and racial issues for a better practice and a better life for minorities such as Black people, immigrants, and non-White people in general.

Colorism can be conceptualized as the relationship between a person’s skin tone and the attainment of privileges, experiences of discrimination, and en¬forcement of rights. This essay aims to present a behavior-analytical interpretation of the concept of col¬orism. Several studies show that the skin tone can serve as a predictor variable of social advantages and privileges, when the skin is lighter, and of disadvantages, losses, and rejection when the skin is darker. These differential consequences occur in several contexts (e.g., education, health, the legal system, the labor market). Therefore, we can say that colorism refers to social contingencies in which a person’s skin tone is an antecedent variable that signals the probability of occurrence or the degree of availability of certain consequences for that person, as well as the response cost required for access them. This interpretation seems to be consistent with the literature, that points to a relation¬ship between lighter skin and positive reinforcing consequences (e.g., higher wages, attending school for more years), as well as a relationship between darker skin and punitive and potentially aversive consequences (e.g., higher sentences for similar crimes, lower levels of self-esteem). Some implications for the clinical field are pointed, highlighting the importance of understanding color¬ism.

It is possible to observe a greater concern on the part of Behavior Analysts in using the knowledge of the field to contribute to the solution of social problems. Considering the conditions, mostly aversive, to which Black population is submitted in Western society and the negative byproducts of these contingencies, the aim of the present research was to map and characterize the studies in Behavior Analysis focused on issues related to Blackness. The search was carried out on the “Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior – Brasil” (CAPES) and on the Science Direct platform. Twenty-four papers were analyzed. The number of publications over the years varied, with most papers concentrated between the years 2000 and 2020. Most of the authors were White. The largest percentage of papers comprised basic research, a category that also had the largest number of participants. Most of the studies found were published in English, with European or American populations. We highlight the importance of replicating these studies with the Brazilian population to understand the applicability of the methods and theories already developed in a Latin American population.

The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) ranks the refugee crisis as the biggest humanitarian crisis today. This scenario can be further aggravated by the climate crisis, which would force an even larger number of people to migrate to other territories. It is important to structure actions that inhibit rejection of these people and establish reception contingencies in their destination. Among the variables that can make this reception difficult is the prejudice against people from other cultures and religions. This work presents a bibliographical review of articles published in Portuguese and in English about xenophobia, based on the theoretical framework of Behavior Analysis. The search took place in April 2020, in the PsycInfo database and in behavior analysis’ journals. Only articles were included and publications in other languages and articles that did not specifically address issues related to prejudice against people from other cultures were excluded. The results pointed to seven articles, five empirical and two conceptual researchs. Most of them ivestigated prejudice against people of Middle Eastern origin or descent. All empirical articles were based on Relational Frame Theory. The results indicated that despite its importance, there are few behavioral analytical studies on the subject.

No one person has achieved success on their own. Mentorship can be the cornerstone of success by enhancing professional development and ultimately career satisfaction. The role of mentorship for students has been instrumental in the growth of the field of behavior analysis. The field of behavior analysis has also grown exponentially in the past two decades (Carr & Nosik, 2017). Despite this rapid expansion, identification of a mentor can be a daunting and difficult task. This difficulty can be compounded by factors such as age, sex, gender identity, race, and ethnicity. Invited panelists include strong female mentors from three unique educational institutions. The panel will consider three key factors (1) what to account for when mentoring students, (2) how students can seek out quality mentorship, and (3) how gender may have an impact on an individual’s trajectory in the field. Panelists will discuss their own journey as a mentee and a mentor and will address questions from the audience. The panel is a must attend event for any level student, educational professional, or supervisor.

The new Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts (Behavior Analyst Certification Board, 2020) requires all BCBAs to engage in professional skills and culturally responsive practices which maximize the effectiveness of their services while treating others with compassion, dignity, and respect; however, resources to guide the training and incorporation of these practices remains limited. This symposium will describe four studies examining practices and future directions for the training of these skills. The first presentation describes a survey which evaluated the strengths and deficits of various professional skills for BCBAs. The second presentation will review potential barriers to effective supervision skills and present data on the utility of an assessment tool to guide BCBAs in their supervision practices and professional development. The third presentation will describe a study evaluating the use of behavioral skills training to teach culturally responsive practices to graduate students. Finally, the fourth presentation will describe a study evaluating procedures to increase the inclusion of content on diversity and culturally responsive practices in behavior analysis courses. To end, the discussant will review the findings in each presentation and consider areas for future research.

The target audience for this symposium will be students, researchers, and practitioners that are interested in the study and teaching of professional skills and DEI practices. Given that this symposium will offer supervision CEs, we anticipate a large number of attendees (i.e., 100+).

The rapidly increasing demand and increased number of BACB certificants in recent years results in many new BCBAs moving into the role of supervisor without the necessary skills and supports. In 2018 the BACB reported that the “most common actionable ethical violation is improper or inadequate supervision or delegation of responsibilities”. It is essential to the sustainability of ABA that we are meeting the needs of all individuals, families, trainees and practitioners. In this presentation we will discuss some of the barriers to ensuring quality supervision and attempts to address them will be reviewed. We will introduce the Supervisory Skills Assessment Tool (SSAT). The SSAT evaluates professional skills such as bidirectionality, perspective-taking and problem-solving. This allows mentors to create individualized competency criteria to ensure scaffolded support and training is provided to new BCBAs prior to independent supervision. Lessons learned from the initial stages of the pilot and next steps will be discussed.

Racial disparities in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnoses and services exist (Mandell et al., 2007). Black children are diagnosed later, misdiagnosed, and identified with more severe ASD than White children (Jarquin et al., 2011); therefore complicating access to behavior analytic services for Black children. Black children are diagnosed with autism 1.6 years later than White children and are more likely to be misdiagnosed; contributing to reducing the likelihood of beginning behavioral early intervention. Such delay may result in Black children receiving problem behavior intervention rather than behavioral early intervention for autism. In this study, we’ll report findings from focus groups, surveys, and 1:1 interviews from black parents and professionals describing their perspectives on the identification process for Black children. We’ll report data for six Florida school districts on the participation of Black children in ASD programs and describe key impediments for their identification. We conclude with recommendations to assist behavior analysts and those concerned with equitable treatment for Black children in the early identification process. Understanding the identification of Black children through the ASD identification process will inform behavior analysts and professionals in developing culturally sensitive and effective practices to support Black parents through the ASD identification process.

Targeted audience: Intermediate- experience working with individuals with ASD in the home, school, or community setting; experience supervising and conducting screenings, assessments, and evaluations; experience in working in public or private school systems.

Practitioners, researchers

In early 2020, schools across the entire world transitioned from traditional school settings to crisis teaching in virtual spaces due to the global pandemic, coronavirus or COVID-19. During this time, equity gaps in digital resources and access to education became increasingly apparent as socioeconomic status and geographical location strongly influenced whether families were able to support remote access to learning opportunities. Yet, students with emotional and behavior disorders (EBD) tend to experience higher rates of peer victimization, struggle to obtain and maintain positive interpersonal relationships, and battle more mental health problems than other special education students. Students who had already been identified as having splintered skills or gaps in their learning history did not have access to interventions provided in the traditional classroom at the same time that all students were expected to engage in much higher forms of executive functioning skills than previously expected. This panel of school-based consultants will share their own experiences working in the schools throughout the pandemic in terms of challenges, steps for addressing challenges, and resources necessary for doing so.

This session is appropriate for professionals who interface directly with the highly applied school setting. Basic understandings of behavior analysis and varied applications of principles will be assumed as part of this conversation.

Women behavior scientists advance relevant and valuable perspectives on behavior analysis as a science and practice, perspectives that facilitate high quality training, mentoring, and civic engagement. Many scientists balance their pursuits of academic success with their roles and responsibilities as mothers and family members. However, cultural-level contingencies have not always recognized the contributions of women academicians, particularly when compared to their male colleagues. Yet the discipline has historically benefited from the contributions of many female scholars over the course of the decades. The purpose of this panel is to showcase the perspectives of prominent female behavior scientists who have held successful careers in academia and are contributors to the forthcoming ABAI book: Women in Behavior Science: Observations of Life Inside and Outside of the Academy. This panel is the third of three, focused on the later phases of one’s academic career and addressing topics such as life partners, values, expanding interests, and loss and grief.

Behavior scientists (and particularly) women working in or working toward positions in academic settings.

This symposium consists of three presentations of papers and a chair introduction. The first two papers in the presentation directly investigate cultural values and adaptations that may be made to increase feasibility and social validity of behavioral health service delivery. The third paper in this symposium focuses more broadly on the potential steps behavior analysis can take as a field to be more humble and responsive to vulnerable populations; providing broad implications and future directions of research from the first two papers. Overall, the objective of all of these papers is to identify and overcome barriers to reaching diverse groups applying our highly effective science.

Abstract: Research in applied behavior analysis (ABA) is starting to explore service delivery to Latinx families with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD; see Rosales et al., 2021). However, there is still limited research focused on experiences with Latinx families receiving ABA services and how to culturally adapt treatments. The purpose of this study was to identify and learn about the cultural and language barriers that Latinx families in Nevada face when accessing ABA services for their children with ASD. We distributed surveys, conducted structured interviews, and focus groups with Latinx families in Nevada. We used qualitative methods to examine family’s experiences when receiving services. Results from the study discuss important Latinx cultural values for practitioners to consider and implications for service delivery for Latinx parents of children with ASD.

Abstract: Training in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) for caregivers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has been shown to decrease problem behavior and reduce parental stress. To date, these trainings have not been extensively studied with non-English speaking populations. The current pilot study examined the feasibility of a 10-session ABA parent training intervention program for monolingual Spanish-speaking parents of school-aged children with ASD. Nine families (n=11 parents) participated in six group and four individual ABA training sessions. Attendance across all sessions was 84.6%. In addition to reductions in parent-nominated target problem behaviors, 78% of the families reported the interventions were acceptable and effective. Significant reductions in caregiver stress were reported from pre- to post-intervention. Adaptations needed for non-English speaking families with children with autism and interventions tailored to cultural expectations to increase social validity are discussed.

As a whole, behavior analysts are people with big hearts who want nothing more than to help make other people’s lives better. Yet in recent years, there have been growing claims that behavioral intervention derived from the science of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) employs harmful practices and may even be abusive, particularly with the Autistic population. We are aware that, in the past, behavior analysts have made harmful statements and used procedures that are no longer regarded as ethical (e.g., Rekers & Lovaas) and the field has spoken out against those practices (e.g., LeBlanc, 2020). Our goal as behavior analysts is to facilitate behavior change that will help clients achieve meaningful life outcomes to become the best versions of themselves (Van Houten, 1988). But some other criticisms leveled against ABA are about practices that enjoy wide empirical support, and it is those practices we would like to address in this paper. As our culture evolves, it is important to periodically reexamine our practices, reaffirm our values, and correct course if needed. This paper will present observations and reflections from clinical experiences as well as supervision of aspiring behavior analysts of clinical practices that we feel warrant further introspection as a field.

Black Americans have disproportionately been excluded throughout the history of the US. Being a Black business owner comes with various challenges, but when servicing a minority cultural group even more unique challenges arise. As the field of applied behavior analysis (ABA) grows so does the need for services to disadvantaged communities such as the Black American community. The stigma paired to mental health within the Black American community has been a long-documented struggle. During these times of Covid-19 the need for ABA within households has increased, but there continues to be a mistrust with the science of ABA within the Black American community. Being a black business owner and servicing a minority cultural group has its pros and cons that should be detailed and offered with solutions to help better service the minority cultural group. During this panel, panelist who are all Black business owners will discuss: · Challenges that have arose when servicing a minority cultural group · Breaking down the steps for effective communication for parent training · Solutions to increasing ABA services within minority cultural groups · Challenges minority business owners face

Target audience is for Intermediate to advance ABA practitioners who currently run, thinking of, or wanting to know more information about servicing clients who are a minority. Using the Principles of ABA and designing behavior skills programs to increase success in our individual practices will be covered.

Writing fluency—the skill of transcribing and generating text with ease—is an essential skill for K-12 students to develop. Students who have deficits in writing fluency may have further difficulties developing advanced writing skills, such as organizing and reviewing. Unfortunately, students with disabilities typically struggle to develop multiple skills related to writing fluency. The purpose of my research is to investigate the effects of a supplemental, academic interventions on the writing performance of adolescents with disabilities. Specifically, the academic intervention entails brief, computer-based timed practices followed by instructional feedback from an instructor. The study used a multiple-probe across participants design and recruited three participants with disabilities. It included two dependent measures: 1) a primary measure, total words written, and 2) a distal measure, correct writing sequences. All of the participants showed improvements in total words written during the interventions (Tau-U = 0.63). But they showed modest results on correct writing sequence (Tau-U = 0.39).

School refusal behavior refers to child-motivated refusal to attend school and/or difficulty attending classes for an entire day. Chronic absenteeism can have an impact on reading proficiency, graduation rates, college attendance, and overall income. A functional behavior assessment can be conducted to determine the maintaining variables of school refusal behavior(s). This present study examined whether function based treatments to address school refusal behavior can be implemented during remote instruction for a high school student attending a self contained charter high school. The student. She resides at a Adolescent & Teen Residential Treatment Program. She has a history of physical abuse, sexual abuse, and severe physical neglect. At the time of this study, schools are closed and providing distance learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The treatment package included differential reinforcement of high rates of behavior, non contingent reinforcement, and a high low probability sequence. Data were collected on both attendance and participation. Attendance data are collected as part of each student’s personal record. Participation data were collected by permanent products of assignments completed and submitted via Google Classroom.

Research on the effects of online counseling for parents to correct children's undesired behavior has shown success. However, little research has been conducted on its effects on teachers. With advancing technology, the potential to make counseling for teachers at various levels of education available on the internet has developed. This could increase the likelihood that they apply appropriate behavior management methods in their classrooms with guidance from the internet. The aim of the study was to evaluate whether pre-school teachers could take advantage of online counseling available in a behavior management webpage that provides instructions on how to apply empirically developed methods for behavior management. The study asked whether the teachers´ behavior, as well as their students' behavior, would change after they had access to internet counseling. Direct measures were taken of whether the teachers really used the advice they had chosen to follow. The results showed that the undesired behavior of students decreased and the use of teachers' correct reactions to their students' behavior increased after they started using internet counseling on the webpage. Results also showed that teachers used the advice from the internet to some extent.

Having a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) brings lot of joy and learnings everyday for parents but can also bring challenging situations in daily life. This family context can ask a great deal of adaptation ability from parents. Early services and formal support are important and informal support (i.e., family, friends, or community) can have a crucial impact on parents’ wellbeing and ability to adapt. Immigrant families, who have left their family and friends, are more likely to face the diagnosis and intervention trajectory alone. Cultural perceptions and knowledge about developmental disability can also be an obstacle to sharing experiences with their entourage. The current study investigates the discourse and emotions expressed by parents who have a child with ASD when being questioned about their relationship with their family (that stayed in the origin country or not) and their reactions. Their discourse about having a child with special needs and learning to navigate in a new country is also explored. Eighteen immigrant families were interviewed about their experiences of having a child with ASD in a foreign country in an area of Montreal, Canada. Emotional responses were extracted using thematic analysis to explore themes emerging around informal support, perception, and views of family’s entourage regarding the diagnosis of ASD. The findings of this study are essential to guide the support needs of parents during the trajectory of early childhood for families who have a child with ASD.

With the prevalence of autism continually on the rise, more Autistic people will enter the work force. However, research and employment data say Autistic individuals have a difficult time securing and maintaining employment. One of the issues Autistic people face is a lack of effective and efficient vocational training. While Autistic students are afforded a free and appropriate education, many leave school without sufficient vocational training. The one constant in Autistic people’s lives are parents and caregivers. The current research focused on using Behavior Skills Training (BST) teaching parents how to correctly fade prompts when teaching their Autistic children who require vocational skills. Three parent/student dyads were recruited to collect baseline data on a vocational task, go through BST on stimulus control, prompt hierarchy, and prompt fading. A multiple probe design was used collect and analyze data for this research. The study resulted in all the parent participants acquiring and maintaining prompt fading skills and their children progressing on a vocational task faster than teaching as usual. Future research should focus on training educators and vocational coaches how to use and fade prompts in order to teach more vocational skills.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a lifelong disorder that affects children and families. Racial disparities affect the rate of identification, access and use of services, and relationship with professionals making these diagnoses. Black children are diagnosed with ASD 1.6 years later, misdiagnosed with a conduct disorder, or identified with more severe ASD than White children (Mandel et al., 2007; Constantino et al., 2020). Black children are more likely to be diagnosed with more severe forms of autism, suggesting under-diagnosis of children with milder forms. Poorly timed ASD identification or failing to identify Black children with ASD will decrease the likelihood of obtaining ABA treatment, especially for early intervention. We conducted focus groups, surveys and interviews with parents and professionals and analyzed data from the Florida Department of Education on six school districts to understand how Black children are identified. We also report on parent and professional perceived barriers to successful identification. Understanding the barriers coupled with our recommendations for overcoming these barriers will inform autism providers, educators, and behavior analysts in developing culturally sensitive and effective practices enabling them to better support Black parents through the ASD identification process and allow these children more equitable access to ABA services.

Despite inclusion efforts in higher education in recent years a growing commitment to educational equity among historically underserved students is required. There is limited support for persistence and graduation of college students with learning disability. These groups of students come from a diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds such as historically Black, Latinx and other subgroups that identify as non-white. Herbert et. al (2014) suggested that learning disability such Autism as one group that should be supported. A more systematic, culturally sensitive approach is essential to connect the educational gaps. There is limited research on successful interventions for underrepresented college students with Autism. Behavior Skills Training (BST) is a method to teach students, staff, parents, and anyone else you are teaching a new skill. BST as “a procedure consisting of instruction, modeling, behavioral rehearsal, and feedback that is used to teach new behaviors or skills” (2004, p. 558). This Project utilized a workshop training using behavior skills training, modeling, rehearsing, feedback to teach college students with disability selected skills including time management, self-advocacy, job interview skills and other daily living. Early data suggest that there’s a significant difference in the success of students early in the semester, compared to past graduations rates. 5 out of 8 students showed an increase of overall GPA. 3 students reported increased in social skills. Although this project is currently underway, promising significant outcomes are anticipated.

Evidence indicates that Facing Your Fears (FYF), a group-based cognitive-behaviour therapy, is effective for reducing anxiety and increasing emotion regulation in children with autism. Treatment fidelity, or the accuracy of treatment delivery, is a critical component for sustainable implementation and positive child outcomes. Few studies have focused on clinicians' fidelity implementing FYF or maintenance of accuracy over time. To our knowledge, no research has examined the use of virtual behaviour skills training with self-monitoring for improving clinicians’ fidelity implementing FYF. In a multiple-baseline design across three clinicians, we evaluated the efficacy of the training for increasing fidelity of a target from the FYF curriculum (preparing for and conducting exposures), selected by the clinicians. All clinicians met the fidelity mastery criterion (i.e., 90% across two sessions) within three sessions. Their performance maintained at two-month follow-up and will be reassessed at six-month follow-up. Clinicians also rated their confidence and competence of FYF implementation pre-and post-training, and all clinicians’ ratings increased post-training. Clinicians will reassess their confidence and competence ratings at six-month follow-up. Clinicians reported that the training procedures were acceptable on a social validity measure administered post-training. Incorporating evidence-based training to improve FYF treatment fidelity could optimize training and improve child outcomes.

Children with autism demonstrate delays in pretend play skills, which can negatively affect their ability to form social relationships with peers. The purpose of this study was to compare interventions for teaching children with autism pretend play skills. The interventions evaluated included (a) prompt delay which involved waiting a specified time before physically prompting play actions, (b) instructive feedback in which secondary play targets were presented during the inter-trial interval without providing prompts or reinforcement, and (c) prompt delay with instructive feedback which was combined both procedures. We implemented these interventions in a trial-based arrangement and conducted free-play probes throughout training. We used an adapted alternating treatments design embedded within a multiple probe design across sets of play materials to compare the effects of each intervention on the pretend play actions and vocalizations of a 5-year-old girl with autism. She met mastery criteria faster with prompt delay with instructive feedback in the first comparison and with prompt delay in the second. Play actions generalized to free-play probes, but play vocalizations did not. Video modeling with contingent reinforcement was implemented and found efficacious for increasing her vocalizations. Overall, results indicated different interventions were effective in increasing pretend play skills.

Bi-Directional Naming (BiN), is a capability that allows an individual to learn novel speaker and listener responses from incidental exposure to unique stimuli and the corresponding name. The speaker and listener responses emerge without direct teaching or reinforcement, which increases rates of skill acquisition exponentially. The naming capability often emerges in neurotypical children between the ages of 2 and 3 but is frequently missing for individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Much of the existing literature in this area has demonstrated the effectiveness of Multiple Exemplar Instruction (MEI), which consists of teaching stimuli across speaker and listener response topographies, in inducing BiN in neurotypical individuals who do not have the naming capability. The current intervention replicated and extended previous research that demonstrated the emergence of BiN through the implementation of MEI in typically developing preschool children (Greer, et al., 2007). Specifically, the effectiveness of MEI in inducing BiN was evaluated in a 10-year-old male diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder who did not previously have the naming capability. Results suggested that, following MEI across speaker and listener responses for three teaching sets, the naming repertoire emerged for the initial, untrained set of stimuli.

Hearing disorders can cause problematic symptoms and lower the quality of life for anyone that has them. Individuals with neurodivergence such as Autism Spectrum Disorder are more likely to be born with or develop an auditory disorder at some point in their lives, which can cause further problems in cognitive, social, and emotional development. Research has shown that although there is a definite correlation between autism and hearing disorders, the nature, cause, and identities of the hearing disorders remain generally vague beyond the broad umbrella of ‘auditory processing disorder’. It is pertinent to gather research on the connections to the two diagnoses; to learn and discover ways to accommodate and provide relief, therapy, or assistive technology for individuals with both ASD and auditory disorders. In doing so, many individuals with both broad disorders, concurring or not, will be able to have better development, communication, and social skills, among many other benefits. Research for this poster was found using the online databases available to students of the University of West Florida through John C. Pace Library.

Background: Some group-based early intervention program for children with ASD was reported to be effective, such as G-ESDM. The majority of services for children with ASD is still 1:1 implementation (one interventionist to one child) through private practitioners in China, resulting in high cost and many families cannot afford. However, unlike clinical-based therapy settings, preschool programs provide opportunities to play and communication with other peers, hence maximizing learning opportunities and reducing social isolation. Objective: This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of group-based situational social games for preschoolers with ASD. Methods: Thirty-one children with ASD aged between 3 to 6 were recruited and randomly assigned to the experimental group (N = 15, Meanage = 4.85, SDage = 0.74) or the control group (N = 16, Meanage = 4.47, SDage = 0.89) as shown in Table 1. Children in the experiment group were provided an eleven-week group-based situational social games which included eleven social themes plays to guide children to use appropriate social communications skills, twice a week and 60 min each time, besides the regular intervention, 20 hours one-to-one ABA intervention. Children in the control group were provided only the regular intervention. The measure used before and after intervention were the Chinese Version of Psycho-educational Profile - 3rd Edition (C-PEP-3), the Child Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ), the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) and the Child Autism Rating Scale (CARS). Results: After eleven weeks’ intervention, the results showed that the C-PEP-3 verbal cognition score of the two groups improved significantly post-intervention compared to pre-intervention (P < 0.05) and the C-PEP-3 interpersonal relationship score increased significantly in the week 11 compared to that in the baseline in the experiment group (P < 0.05) but not in the control group (P = 0.077). The total score of SCQ and AQ decreased significantly (P < 0.05) only in the experiment group. Conclusions: The group-based social game interventions for children with ASD are effective in improving children's social communication skills. More research is needed to explore social game themes, optimal duration of intervention, and the maintenance of intervention outcomes.

Task interspersal is a procedure often used when teaching individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) that involves presenting trials of maintenance tasks before trials of acquisition tasks. This procedure has been shown to be effective in teaching a variety of skills to individuals with ASD (e.g., Chong & Carr, 2005; Pitts & Dymond, 2012) and its general procedures were recently summarized through a survey by Bottini et al. (2019). However, no research has examined the different contexts in which service providers may use task interspersal with individuals with ASD and the procedural variations that may occur across these contexts. The present study surveyed direct care providers to evaluate differences in procedural approaches when task interpersals were used as an antecedent intervention to prevent undesired behavior rather than as a consequence following challenging behavior. Preliminary results from 18 professionals working in the field of ABA indicate that nearly 90% of respondents utilize interspersals antecedently and as a consequence following the occurrence of challenging behavior. Procedural variations were noted between contexts with regard to the ratio of mastered to target tasks, type of reinforcement used, and reinforcement schedule. Results of the survey will clarify interspersal procedures utilized in the field.

Masturbation is defined as the touching and stimulation of one’s own genitals for sexual arousal and pleasure. This may involve the use of hands or rubbing against surfaces and/or the use of objects. Due to the lack of sex education and social awareness those with autism spectrum disorder at times may engage in inappropriate sexual behavior during inappropriate times or while in inappropriate places. Individuals with ASD are especially at risk for sexual abuse, self-harm and causing harm to others when engaging in socially inappropriate behaviors such as public masturbation. Masturbation is part of normal sexual development and should also be expected in individuals with ASD (American Academy of Pediatrics, 1996). Having an intellectual disability does not limit the act of masturbation, instead it is important to ensure individuals receives individualized appropriate sex education and provide adequate support of appropriate sexual behavior (American Academy of Pediatrics, 1996). Participants include one youth residing within a congregate setting diagnosed with ASD. Youth was an 18 years of age female who communicated in four-to-five-word sentences often scripted or prompted. During the time of the study youth was receiving Applied Behavior Analysis services paired with Speech therapy. Applied Behavior Analysis services was provided within the school and social skills groups within the congregate group home.

Empirical evidence supports that pre-session pairing, or rapport building, between a clinician and client can increase clinical outcomes in ABA services. Kelly, Axe, Allen, and Maguire noted the effects of pre-session pairing on decreasing challenging behaviors in 2015 while Shillingsburg, Hansen, and Wright (2018) delineated 9 steps in the pairing process to best support children with Autism for in seat, at a table, discrete trial instruction. Furthermore, Lugo, King, Lamphere, and McArdle (2017) sought to operationally define the behaviors characteristic of pre-session pairing to then train staff to better implement these skills. This presentation explores the systematic approach to training BCBA supervisors and technicians in pre-session pairing and the addition of a “Rapport Building” curriculum to a client’s individualized learning program. The presenters will describe the training of clinicians across skills, review the development of a systematic pre-session pairing program, and compare clinical outcomes between clients whose programs include a systematic approach to pairing and those without. Finally, the presenters will examine the social validity from parents, payers, and technicians to support the pre-session pairing program.

Access to ABA services is limited due to the number of certificated providers with waitlists nationwide. Access becomes even more limited for families in rural areas. Additionally, navigating schedules for busy families limits availability for services. For these reasons, a telehealth caregiver behavior skills training, the Online and Applied System for Intervention Skills (OASIS), was developed to teach parents to implement behavior analytic procedures with their children. This feasibility study sought to replicate research from the University of Kansas in another state and pilot procedures for future research. This single-subject design included 3 participant families. The participants were caregivers, specifically mothers, of young children (age 3-6 years) with ASD. Caregivers completed pre-assessments, 16 weekly modules with coaching from a certified OASIS coach/RBT, and post-assessments following completion of the program. Preliminary data suggests that parents demonstrated increases in self-efficacy, family quality of life, and knowledge of principles of ABA, as well as decreases in parent stress.

In this study, the effect of self-management strategies presented to a student with autism spectrum disorder with a high technological device on the achievements of geography lesson was investigated by using a single-subject research design, a multiple probe design across behaviors. For this purpose, a 19-year-old early student who was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder participated in the study. Three of Turkey's seven geographical regions (Marmara, Black Sea and Mediterranean) were chosen for geography lesson outcomes. In the implementation phase of the research, it was observed that the participant achieved the geography lesson achievements at a level that met the predetermined criteria and could generalize to different conditions. In addition, it was observed that the participant continued the gains obtained in the probes taken in the 2nd, 4th and 6th weeks after the intervention ended. The findings of the study indicate that self-management strategies using high technology are effective on the achievements of geography lessons. Inter-observer reliability data were collected at each stage of the study. Inter-observer reliability data for all phases is between 80% and 100%.

Research supports the use of token economy systems for increasing desired behaviors in children with autism and also indicates use of response cost can function as effective punisher for undesired or dangerous behavior. Mark Dixon's AIM curriculum includes a daily point system that is intended to combine components of ACT into a functional behavior plan. At this time, there is limited research on the effectiveness of the AIM curriculum, with the exception of a study demonstrating the effectiveness of the curriculum to teach job performance skills to children with autism (Issen, Himan, & Dixon, 2021). In the current study, the AIM daily point system was used as a guide to incorporate engagement in targeted, functional replacement behaviors (adaptive skills) and coping skills, while also effectively punishing high intensity, dangerous behavior via response cost. The hexaflex behaviors were operationally defined for the child and the therapy team, and use of these supplemental skills resulted in the delivery of reinforcement. Additionally, AIM daily activities were used as supplemental activities to target replacement skills such as non-preferred task completion, requesting help, requesting break, and using age-appropriate coping skills. This intervention was used in addition to continued 1:1 instruction of replacement behaviors and supplement skills, and consistent caregiver training, to decrease frequency of elopement, tantrum, and aggression. As a result of the treatment package, all targeted behaviors have decreased to near zero levels and independence with adaptive skills has increased. The full treatment package was successfully faded and the acquired skills are maintaining, and have generalized across several people and settings.

Behavioral intervention for problem behavior often relies on the results of a functional analysis to identify environmental contributors. The interview-informed, synthesized contingency analysis (IISCA) is a specific functional analysis format developed to be of practical value among clinicians. Adaptations to the IISCA procedures have since been discussed to further improve acceptability and accessibility by (a) introducing evocative events following periods of calm to reduce dangerous escalation, (b) including moment-to-moment measures of problem behavior to allow for ongoing visual analysis of data, and (c) maintaining measures of positive affect. The format including these adaptations has been termed the performance-based IISCA and has yet to be empirically evaluated. We conducted the performance-based IISCA with six participants who engaged in problem behavior. During the analysis, the reinforcers were presented contingent upon problem behavior and removed following 30 s of calm behavior. Overall, the performance-based IISCA required 8.33 min to conduct and functionally related environmental events were identified without any bursts in problem behavior. In addition, all the participants spent the majority of the time exhibiting calm and engaged behaviors. The results suggest that the performance-based IISCA may be a safe and efficient format for clinicians to consider.

Technology has resulted in the emergence of WhatsApp™, and Zoom Video conferencing as competitive alternate training platforms to in-person training sessions. The wide reach of internet based technology has made telehealth an effective and low-cost method of training parents as interventionists using the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The current study aimed at training a parent of a child with ASD to implement and deliver evidence based autism intervention.The outcomes were measured using a gold standard developmental based assessment, the Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program (VB-MAPP). The results indicate notable changes in scores on the assessment, acquisition of skills on the part of the child and the parent’s skills in playing the role of the interventionist, coupled with the development of a harmonious and positive relationship between mother and child. Suggestions for further research include using the telehealth model and evidence based parental training for the dissemination of quality services to a larger population.

This poster will be a tutorial in adapting an in-person operant research lab to a distance learning format so that nontraditional students and teachers can still experience the experimental operant chamber concepts typically limited to animal and in-person lab settings. The poster will also highlight student experiences and social validity of the technique as well as suggest future research in this area.

Graduate coursework in applied behavior analysis is profoundly important, given that graduates typically go on to influence the lives of countless individuals via applying behavioral principles to change socially important behavior. Students must receive high quality education to be positioned for the best possible start in their behavior analytic career. We evaluated the influence of the components on course outcomes (i.e., quiz scores, final grades, and social validity) of an online course on “Advanced Topics in Behavior Analysis”. Results indicate that activities that involved active learning are most highly related to greater performance. Specifically, we found a statistically significant relationship between creating more posts in asynchronous online discussion with achieving higher grades (Spearman’s Rho = 0.404; p = 0.002). Conversely, passive learning activities, such as accessing pre-recorded lectures was not significantly related to course grades (Spearman’s rho = 0.207; p = 0.113). This study provides further evidence that active learning strategies must be incorporated into higher education pedagogy. Future directions will be suggested, related to the monitoring of, and setting the occasion for active responding in online coursework.

Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, where an estimated 14% of adults currently smoke (CDC, 2019). Practicing behavior analysts are an untapped resource for treatment referral and in some cases treatment delivery. We review practical considerations for clinicians interested in providing smoking cessation referrals and treatment. We describe recommended procedures for referrals to evidence-based treatment, including the 5 A’s (Tobacco Use and Dependence Guideline Panel, 2008) and Ask, Advise, Connect (Vidrine et al., 2013), and web- and mobile-based cessation programs. We also provide a framework of general contingency management (CM) procedures for smoking cessation and describe common CM variations. We detail important clinical decision points including method of biochemical verification, reinforcer selection, and considerations for use with electronic cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products. Finally, we touch on the ethical considerations regarding scope of competency for behavior analysts interested in practicing in this area. Behavior analysts can use this information to help clients quit smoking.

Recent years reveal a marked uptick in university- and hospital-campus adoption of tobacco-free regulation, a movement promising significant health and environmental benefit. Given the similarities between community-level change agents (i.e., those that might yield meaningful advancement of public health or sustainability-focused policy) and campus policy, demonstration of campus regulation success—in compliance and outcome—via behavior analytic methodology is of notable value. The present study examines combustible tobacco-product refuse accumulation on a large university campus preceding and following enaction of a tobacco-free policy. We collected, counted, and compared tobacco wastes across four sites; behavior analytic involvement from the early planning stages of policy implementation guided intervention efforts (e.g., preliminary surveying among campus faculty, staff, and students as to where smoking most frequently occurred). Statistical testing suited for time-series research designs supplemented visual analysis. Results infer (a) a meaningful and sustained reduction of tobacco byproduct in all locations, and (b) a successful application of behavior analytic methods in evaluating a policy with plausible community benefit.

Student success within a classroom setting is largely affected by the ability to actively participate, follow instructions and learn new content. The high probability (or high-P) request sequence is a strategy identified to support individuals with compliance to less preferred tasks (see for example, Mace, Hock, Lalli, West, Belfiore, Pinter & Brown, 1988) with mixed results. Some research has looked at specific mechanics within a high probability request sequence that determines increased likelihood of compliance. One area is the relation of high probability requests to the low probability request, with some research suggesting presenting relevant high probability tasks can increase compliance to low probability tasks (Planer, DeBar, Progar, Reeva & Sarokoff, 2018). Woodbury Autism Education and Research Centre presents their own adaptation of the Planer et al (2018) study with children aged 4 to 12 years, all with a primary diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. An alternating treatment with baseline design was used to determine the effects of relevant and irrelevant high probability tasks on compliance to low probability tasks, as well as reinforcement delivery. Results suggest task relevance and reinforcement should be considered within the high probability request sequence.

Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) often displayed deficits in joint attention, an early emerging ability typically includes responding joint attention and initiating joint attention. The behavior analytic procedure, a most-to-least prompt procedure, is often used to improve children’s joint attention behavior. The level of prompt to be used for children with different abilities remains further explored, and the systematic prompting strategy could be expanded. The present study used a quasi-experiment design to compare an experiment group (20 children at the university’s laboratory) and a control group (20 children received treatment as usual at the community organizations), aiming to examine the effectiveness of prompt procedures for children of different symptoms. The results of study indicate an evidence-based decision-making procedures, and it will help clinicians and parents understand the dosage of interventions of changing a pivotal skill like joint attention. Further discussions were made on how to advance family’s appropriate time and money investments under the Chinese social and economic background.

Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and other developmental disabilities often need to be explicitly taught personal hygiene skills. A subset of personal hygiene skills are intimate care skills which include menstrual care, penile care, and washing and cleaning of intimate body parts. The taboo and private nature of intimate care skills has can lead practitioners to avoid teaching these skills which may make individuals with ASD and other developmental disabilities more vulnerable to abuse and other health concerns. Due to the intimate nature of these skills, interventions need to be viewed as socially acceptable by the individuals, caregivers, and practitioners that will be the primary implementers. Teaching intimate care skills can improve independence, quality of life, and overall health. The purpose of this synthesis was to examine and summarize interventions to teach intimate care skills and examine the social validity of these interventions. Interventions fell into four categories including (a) chaining, (b) social stories, (c) lesson packages, and (d) punishment procedures. The results of the reviewed studies indicated improved performance on intimate care skills for participants and a lack of social validity measures utilized throughout the studies. Further discussion includes strengths, limitations, and suggestions for future research.

Offering high-quality data-based intervention using telehealth technology brings new challenges. It is necessary to assess if otherwise efficient interventions could offer similar results via online meeting delivery. This pilot study included three children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) whose families implemented a program targeting challenging behaviors at home while being supervised virtually by professionals. Three psycho-educator from public services received online training on the Prevent-Teach-Reinforce for Young Children (PTR-YC) program. Each of them then acted as a facilitator for each of the families, by guiding them through the program’s steps using weekly virtual meetings. As per the PTR-YC program, 1) families targeted a challenging behavior to decrease and appropriate behavior to increase, 2) took daily data on both behaviors, 3) completed a functional behavior analysis (FBA), 4) chose intervention strategies, and 5) implemented them while being coached by their psycho-educator. All those steps were done using online meeting technology (Zoom or Teams). All three teams completed the 10 weeks program and data were collected using the PTR-YC behavior rating scale. This poster presents those clinical results as well as a brief overview of the clinical record, such as targeted behaviors, results of the FBA, and interventions implemented.

Applied behavior analysis (ABA) organizations that provide services to children with autism commonly apply contingencies to improve performance or behavioral processes. Such contingencies are believed to be especially important for maximizing ABA service delivery quality (ASDQ). For some behavioral processes, group contingencies applied to the behavior of individuals within the process are likely to be more feasible and efficient than individualized contingencies. Historically, behavior analysts have used group contingencies at the operant level of selection, such as independent, interdependent, and dependent group contingencies. However, recent experimental work in culturo-behavioral science suggests the metacontingency, an analogue of the operant contingency at the cultural level of selection, can also control the behavior of individuals in a group. Accordingly, in this paper I describe and compare “group-oriented” contingencies and make a case for conceptualizing the metacontingency as a fourth group-oriented contingency. Next, I provide examples illustrating how leaders in an organization might use operant and group-oriented contingencies for process improvement to promote quality in an ASDQ framework. Lastly, I conclude with a discussion of future research needed to examine potential differences in the effects of different group-oriented contingencies and their utility for promoting ASDQ.

In the RFT perspective, prejudice is built into the language itself and, for this reason, produces implications for human behavior. The objective of the current investigation, still in progress, is to employ relational training to enhance flexibility, reducing racially biased responses. The participants are two children (female ten years old; male five years old) with autism that presented incidentally prejudiced responses during intensive ABA intervention on social playtime. The procedure comprises three different phases. Initially, Phase 1 is a pre-test to attest to these observed biases. Then, phase 2 is relational training, including coordination and difference frames. Finally, phase 3 is a post-test phase that evaluates for changes on these biased repertoires. Meaningless stimuli and drawings of black and white people were the stimuli sets employed in this procedure. At the present moment, the boy is finishing the relational training. The continuity of this procedure will potentially add more information about modifying biased responses in children with autism through relational training.

Object imitation is often an early skill area targeted with young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). When teaching imitation, it is important to consider the characteristics of the environment that may come to exert control over the imitative response. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the size of the target stimulus on acquisition. We compared acquisition of object imitation across three conditions: no size prompts (target stimulus and distractor stimuli were approximately the same size), size prompts (target item was larger than the distractor stimuli), and a control (no formal teaching was conducted). Currently, one four-year old female Hispanic student diagnosed with ASD is participating. She mastered the targets in the no size prompts condition first. Correct responses increased in the size-prompt condition to high, but variable, levels of accuracy. Correct responses increased to moderate levels in the control (despite no formal training during these sessions). We will discuss how to develop imitation training to ensure stimulus control of the model, rather than various aspects of the stimuli.

Individuals diagnosed with autism often experience difficulties identifying emotional responses of others and themselves. They are unable to identify emotions, which leads to lack of understanding of social situations and appropriate ways to reciprocate social interactions. Past studies and current common practices focus on tacting “emotions” by looking at pictures or real persons exhibiting various facial expressions. This present study uses a five phase approach to teach individuals diagnosed with autism to identify and respond to complex emotions. The five phases targeted different components such as identifying facial expression, verbal behavior, and body gestures, responding to emotions exhibited by the other person, identifying the context (antecedent and consequence) of the emotions and if the person is still experiencing the emotion in a different context, and generalizing to a natural learning environment. The results suggest that the all fives were required in order for the participants to identify and respond to complex emotions.

The Covid-19 pandemic has forced service providers to pivot to using alternative service delivery models such as telehealth. Early Intensive Behavioral Interventions (EIBI) are an applied behavior analytic approach that can be effective for teaching skill acquisition for individuals with autism. There is limited research on service providers’ use of telemedicine to deliver EIBI. The purpose of this study was to examine how EIBI autism specific service providers in the state of Minnesota used telemedicine for service provision prior to and during the pandemic. An online survey was distributed in 2019 to EIBI autism providers (n=50) to evaluate how and where providers were using telemedicine and to assess supports. EIBI telemedicine billing claims from 2020-2021 by county were also evaluated to assess the trends by county type (e.g., rural, urban). Descriptive and statistical analyses indicated that 36% of providers used telemedicine prior to the pandemic and a statistically significant increase in billing in 2020 was observed. Overall, billing differed by county type [F(4,718)= 32.5, p< .001] with Urban counties having the most claims and Rural having the least. More research is needed to assess what the barriers and facilitators are for utilizing tele-based services and if the trends are equitable.

The current study used telehealth to deliver Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) training for parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) during the Covid-19 pandemic which had promising results. ACT has been effective with parents in the in-person format (Blackledge & Hayes, 2006; Gould et. al., 2017) and via telehealth (Thorne, 2018). Nine parents of children with ASD completed a six week online ACT parent training delivered asynchronously. Each session included specific topics and exercises which included: (a) values identification; (b) present moment awareness; (c) defusion; (d) the matrix (moving toward/away); (e) committed action; and (f) self-care. Pretest and posttest measures were completed by the participants which assessed depression (Beck, 1996; BDI-II), emotion dysregulation (Gratz and Roemer, 2004; DERS); parental stress (Abidin, 1995; PSI-4-SF), psychological flexibility (Bond et al., 2011; AAQ-II), and child behaviors (VABS-3, Maladaptive Behavior Domain; Sparrow et al., 2016). Paired sample t-tests revealed that depression [t(8) = 4.28, p = 0.003, d = 4.44], parental stress [t(7) = 3.60, p = 0.009, d = 1.42], and psychological flexibility [t(7) = 2.55, p = 0.038, d = 7.35] improved post-intervention, while statistically significant decrease was not noted for emotion dysregulation and child internalizing and externalizing behaviors.

Social determinants of health that influence the delivery of ABA treatment were identified and targeted for a 20-year-old male diagnosed with autism disorder, ADHD, anxiety disorder, disruptive mood dysregulation disorder, insomnia, and encopresis.Prior to starting of ABA treatments, the clinical teams focused on issues such as housing, transportation, legal matters, and access to other health professionals. The results suggest an effective ABA treatment for encopresis is only possible when all of these conditions are addressed.

Comorbid psychiatric disorders are observed in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at substantially higher rates than those found in typically developing peers. The most common comorbid psychiatric disorders are attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and anxiety (including general anxiety disorder, phobias, panic disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder). The symptoms of these disorders could diminish the effectiveness of therapeutic treatment via applied behavior analysis (ABA), aimed at addressing the core symptoms of ASD (i.e., social and communication deficits, repetitive/restrictive behaviors). Identification of behavioral symptoms associated with comorbid psychiatric disorders for clients receiving treatment for ASD assists in differentiating matters related to scope of practice for board certified behavior analysts (BCBAs) and aids clients/caregivers who may benefit from referrals to other providers as part of a multidisciplinary approach to treatment. Secondly, this research highlights the value of ABA treatment for behaviors associated with conventional psychiatric conditions, which could benefit clients as well as the field of behavior analysis. A rapid screening survey instrument was developed to administer at initial assessment to caregivers of clients with a diagnosis of ASD and at subsequent reviews to identify and track the presence of behaviors consistent with comorbid psychiatric symptoms. Results will provide data on initial presentation and the progression of behavioral and/or psychiatric symptoms with ABA treatment and collaborative care as necessary.

Outpatient treatment of problem behavior in public health system can be challenging, requiring the integration of medical, clinical, and behavior-analytic professional skills. The present case study describes a possible course of action when functional analysis results seem inconclusive or unstable, requiring further efforts in order to highlight possible underlying variables. An adolescent with autism and intellectual disability was referred for aggression, Self-Injurious Behaviors (SIBs) and screaming. Despite the implementation of a functional analysis and a treatment based intervention, outcomes were unstable, suggesting the need of further assessment and of a medical consultation. For this reason, three different functional analyses were carried out and a different pattern of data emerged each time. Namely, problem behavior was not observed in the first analysis, while access to rituals and attention were identified as most likely functions, respectively in the second and third functional analysis. Also, a psychopathological assessment was completed. The pharmacological treatment was changed, coherently with the psychopathological diagnosis. At the same time, the behavioral treatment was adjusted. This led to a significant improvement of the treatment outcomes, in terms of a dramatic reduction (0% per session) of problem behavior and increase of alternative responses (i.e, manding). This case study represents a preliminary effort to adopt an interdisciplinary approach in the outpatient treatment of problem behavior in public healthcare system.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) to reduce aggression in Autistic children. The study also investigated how NCR may effectively schedule thin while still maintaining low levels of aggression. Aggression is a behavior that impacts 53% of Autistic individuals and decreases their quality of life (Fitzpatrick et al., 2016; Mazurek et al., 2013). Preference assessments were conducted to ensure appropriate reinforcers were utilized for the functional analyses. Additionally, a functional analysis was conducted with participants to assess the function of their aggression. Following the assessments, baseline levels of aggression were established, and NCR was implemented. NCR resulted in significant reduction in both participants. Schedule thinning was then initiated. Although differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA) was hypothesized to be necessary to maintain low levels of aggression during schedule thinning, neither participant met the criteria for DRA to be used. This study extended the research by showing the effectiveness of NCR and maintain the reduction as schedule thinning occurred, making it a feasible treatment for clinical use. Suggestions for future investigations on the use of NCR in clinical practice, the social validity of NCR, and the impact DRA may have when combined with NCR are discussed.

With diversity, equity, and inclusion becoming more of a trend than a value, it is imperative that behavior analysts self-reflect and commit to actions that disrupt oppressive practices in the field. The panel will focus on how behavior analysts can mentor and supervise underrepresented supervisees and students, with a specific emphasis on empowering them and guiding them to recognize their strengths independent of the validation of those in power. The panelists will also discuss how to utilize and leverage one’s own privilege to further these efforts to dismantle oppressive mentorship and supervision. Understanding that lived experiences are data, the panelists, who identify as women of color, will discuss how their own behaviors were shaped as a result of being oppressed in these systems (i.e., educational institutes, clinical settings, mental and behavioral health) and will share strategies to disrupt such systems. Audience members will be encouraged to participate and share their own lived experiences to contribute to this important conversation.

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Recent publications have yielded concerns of gender- and race-based pay gaps and potential pay inequities within the field of applied behavior analysis (ABA; Li et al., 2019; Vance & Saini, under review). Equipped with a unique understanding of behavior-change processes, behavioral practitioners are well-suited to challenge organizational practices that may be contributing to pay inequities. A progressive response may involve identifying interventions that help to diagnose pay equity issues, mitigate their impacts, and prevent escalation of inequities. Therefore, the purpose of the symposium is to conceptualize the topic of pay-equity as well as introduce and discuss micro and macro-level interventions. The status of such interventions within ABA will be reviewed in addition to future action items on this topic. Collectively, the authors of this symposium hope to empower its audience members, generate discussion about pay practices within the field and set the occasion for enhanced equity processes in ABA.

RBT, BCaBA, BCBA, BCBA-D

Structural racism is one of the most pervasive and impactful social paradigms in American life, and often works in tandem with systems of inequality to drive social factors that adversely affect child health. Understanding the influence of racism on these unjust systems can aid individuals in narrowing health disparities. First, individuals should acknowledge a shared definition of racism as a “system of structuring opportunity and assigning value based on the social interpretation of how one looks… that unfairly disadvantages some… unfairly advantages others, and saps the strength of the whole society through the waste of human resources.” Next, an identification of these systemic inequities should be made, with throughlines drawn connecting social adversity with poor health outcomes. Finally, intentional and evidence-based strategies should be employed to counteract these adverse influences in both health care and society, and these interventions studied to gauge efficacy and direct resources.

Healthcare providers

Applied behavior analysis (ABA) is the “gold standard” for service provision aimed at helping young children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). However, the increased attention to this population may be detracting from the value associated with taking an ABA approach to support individuals of all ages, across a range of diagnoses. Further, the shift to define ABA as medically necessary for individuals diagnosed with ASD (APBA, April 10, 2020) requires effective patient, provider, and payor collaboration, and recent publications have highlighted the need for structured approaches to decision-making based in analytical ethics to support this transition. Accordingly, APBA released guidelines directing practitioners to provide services based on individualized risk exposure requiring a more patient-informed approach to care. The purpose of the current presentation is to outline a collaborative risk-driven approach designed to help guide practitioners to make ethically informed decisions regarding ABA service delivery, regardless of setting, age, or severity. Considerations regarding a potential divide between science and ABA-based service delivery will be addressed, including misconceptions about that which defines our professional and ethical obligations; specifically, how our related responsibilities extend far beyond particular ABA-based clinical programming procedures, necessitating constant empirical evaluation of the overall continuity of care for a given individual (e.g., placement, transition, community-based activities, and more).

Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students

Medical education has addressed implicit biases associated with burnout, cooperation and equitable patient care in classroom settings, but there is evidence that in some cases, simply teaching about cultural differences may only reinforce some negative stereotypes. Based on the alarming epidemic pertaining to burnout in medical education and practice, and high frequency of medical errors that are products of team dynamic, medical schools are developing curricular elements that increase resiliency, self-compassion, and empathy towards diverse patients to combat these effects. Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) has received the attention of medical educators and professionals as an effective approach for management of burnout and implicit biases inhibiting cooperation and patient care. Research has demonstrated ACT has positive outcomes in a wide variety of settings with a wide variety of populations including: mental health and innovation, stigma, stress, burnout, sick leave, physical and psychological well-being, absenteeism, college performance, and worksite distress. This symposium will provide an overview of applied research pertaining to implicit behavioral assessment and ACT with the focus on medical education.

Audience members should have a basic understanding of behavioral systems analysis and implicit behavioral assessment.

The practice of medicine is inherently stressful and social. To be truly effective as a healthcare provider, one must not only know how to healthfully manage the psychological stressors of the current U.S. healthcare system - which has been noted as being a breeding ground for burnout - but one must also be able to continuously and humbly adapt to the ever evolving cultural climate the healthcare system is a part. Ideally, in a way that ensures each patient is treated with dignity, respect, and equity. In order to ensure healthcare providers are equipped with the repertoires required to sustain healthy and culturally humble repertoires in medicine, medical educators should continuously and systematically examine the impact their curricula have on healthcare student performance. In 2016, our research group began to systematically introduce a series of Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) sessions as a mandatory component of students’ medical curriculum. The current study explored one wing of this research, by exploring the relationship between measures of implicit bias, psychological flexibility, and clinical engagement during a standardized patient encounter with third-year medical students. Preliminary results and implications for future research will be discussed.

As part of our longstanding interdisciplinary collaboration with the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine (UNR Med), we have focused on longitudinal measurement in a variety of domains of implicit biases identified as important by medical school administrators. Implicit bias has been a means of assessing change over time in domains related to student wellness and diversity issues. Additionally, we introduced an Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) curriculum to promote student well-being, psychological flexibility, and resilience to well-known stressors of medical training. This presentation examines a particular slice of the overarching interdisciplinary work with a focus on longitudinal implicit measures of burnout and cooperation, which is viewed as a crucial component in naturalistic medical settings (e.g., a doctor’s willingness and ability to delegate to and depend on other members of the healthcare team). These longitudinal assessments are considered in the context of corresponding assessments of psychological flexibility (i.e., Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II [AAQ-II]) before and after implementations of ACT, stratified by students identified as “at-risk” by the AAQ-II and a comparison of healthy controls, in order to understand the complex relationships among these variables and the impact of the ACT curriculum over time

Cultural humility was originally introduced by healthcare providers as an alternative to cultural competence. While cultural competence was conceptualized as an outcome, cultural humility was considered a lifelong ongoing process. Cultural humility refers to a psychological posture in which self-reflection, self-critique, taking the role of a life-long learner, identifying, and intervening on power imbalances, and non-paternalistic partnerships with clients are embraced. Medical practitioners work with patients from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds and work in highly stressful environments. It is important practitioners have the tools to best treat their patients, mitigate their own biases, and acquire the skills to establish a healthy rapport with patients from different backgrounds. As such, an online Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) based cultural humility training module was developed for medical students enrolled in a medical Spanish elective in order to aid in the establishment of such a repertoire. A recently developed Cultural Humility Multidimensional Scale was identified as the primary dependent variable to assess participants’ cultural humility repertoires before, after and several weeks following the training. The preliminary data including the aggregated pre and post scores of the Cultural Humility Multidimensional Scale demonstrate the positive impact of ACT on participants’ target skills.

Behavior analytic literature has highlighted the importance of social validity as a source of consumer feedback pertaining to the goals, procedures, and effects of behavioral interventions. This study examined the utility of social validity in the development of an Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) curriculum in medical education. While ACT has been shown to be efficacious in higher education settings, there is still a need to ensure those receiving ACT find it socially valid. Medical students are a unique population given their heightened and chronic levels of stress. Therefore, medical students’ buy-in and engagement with ACT is critical to its experiential impact as related to their stress management, psychological flexibility, and patient care skills over time. Given the complexity of the medical training systems and stressful nature of medical students’ experiences throughout their education, their feedback pertaining to the quality, duration, and timing of ACT is critical to its success as a training program. This study’s primary goal was to determine the social validity of an ongoing ACT-based wellness curriculum for first year medical students at a Western U.S. medical school and will provide insight on the aspects of the ACT curriculum students perceived as most beneficial.