Association for Behavior Analysis International

The Behavior Analysis Online (BAO) is a collection of journals now in its 13th year of operation published by the American Psychological Association (APA). BAO journals are in the areas of the experimental analysis of behavior, applied behavior analysis, and clinical behavior analysis. The BAO SIG was created to disseminate research and theory to behavior analysts worldwide. The BAO SIG poster will update ABAI members on current developments, editorial boards, journals published by the BAO, publication schedules, and website information. Membership in the BAO SIG will also be made available.

Behavioral gerontology is the application of behavior analysis to aging and age-related issues. By the year 2030, nearly 20% of the American population will be over the age of 65. Nearly every specialty area within the field of behavior analysis will be affected, as most areas have an older population. As individuals get older, they are forced to deal with the various issues that are unique to this time in life. However, many of the clinicians trained to work with certain populations do not have the additional training to deal with the behavioral issues that occur in aging settings. The mission of the Behavioral Gerontology Special Interest Group is to provide intellectual, clinical, and organizational support to professionals interested in aging and to foster behavior analytic research in aging. Additionally, we provide support to professionals in other areas of behavior analysis to help them affectively deal with aging issues.

Behaviorists for Social Responsibility is an ABAI SIG that encourages behavior analysts to contribute to Global Political Liberation; Participatory Justice; Environmental and Wild" Justice; Sustainable, Aesthetically Rich Life Styles; Human and Collective Rights; and Restorative and Participatory Justice through behavior analytic and behavioral systems science for practice, advocacy, activism, media outreach and publication. The SIG is affiliated with the interdisciplinary journal Behavior and Social Issues, works to bring speakers and presentations related to socially important issues to the ABAI Convention and conferences, and encourages networking for progressive social action.

The Clinical Special Interest Group of ABAI is dedicated to facilitating collaboration of researchers and clinicians in further development and application of applied behavior analysis in clinical populations. We will be distributing the latest issue of our newsletter at the ABAI Expo. Please stop by and get connected with others in this exciting field.

Evidence-based instructional practices benefit all learners, and are essential for effective outcomes. Direct Instruction is effective, efficient and evidence-based. To be effective, the instructional process must be efficient and designed to maximize learner engagement. However, effective instruction further requires that the educator be knowledgeable and skillful in several critical domains. The successful educator is able to identify the essential skills or learning objectives to be taught and utilizes effective procedures for teaching those skills; this includes evaluating, selecting, and modifying instructional programs and materials to meet the unique needs of the learner. The effective instructor utilizes assessment data to appropriately place learners and to regularly monitor their progress. The successful educator utilizes effective lesson presentation techniques including appropriate pacing of instructional tasks, attending to the motivation of learners, and the diagnosis and correction of learner errors. Importantly, the effective instructor analyzes assessment data and uses assessment results to guide instructional decision making. The Direct Instruction philosophy: All Students Can Learn and All Teachers Can Be Successful! Please plan to attend the Direct Instruction SIG business meeting and join us in promoting research-validated instructional practices!

The Dissemination of Behavior Analysis Special Interest Group (DBA-SIG) gathers to explore ways of sharing and advancing the science of human behavior, spreading information and providing access to behavior analysis to the public at large. The DBA-SIG stresses the importance of using language that is friendly and easy to understand: providing a sense of what exactly our science is and helping society realize all its possibilities. This SIG should be of interest to every behavior analyst, as without the support of the general population, our science will never reach its full potential. Every behavior analyst should be continually working to put forward a positive image of our science and its practitioners.

The mission of the EAHB-SIG is to promote the experimental analysis of behavior with human subjects as a means of addressing important fundamental questions about human problems and human nature. In recent years the energies of EAHB-SIG members have focused on three continuing projects: (1) The EAHB-SIG Career Award: This award is designed to recognize substantive and sustained contributions to the EAHB literature. The award is presented at the annual convention; (2) The Student Paper Competition: The competition is designed to promote and recognize scholarly activity in the Experimental Analysis of Human Behavior. Students are encouraged to submit original research that has not been reviewed elsewhere. Participants receive high quality reviews from experts in their respective areas of research; and (3) The Experimental Analysis of Human Behavior Bulletin: The SIG also maintains an online journal (ISSN 1938-7237) for the publication of empirical articles, technical reports, and other types of articles of interest to researchers engaged in the experimental analysis of human behavior

This poster describes the purpose, mission, objectives, and purview of the Association for Behavior Analysis's Special Interest Group for the History of Behavior Analysis (HoBA). Our purpose is to advance behavior analysis, nationally and internationally, through a greater understanding of its history. Our mission is to advance that understanding. Our objectives are to (a) cultivate and nurture, (b) enrich and improve, and (c) communicate and disseminate the field's history. Our purview is the field's long past, short history, and recent origins, both internal and external to the field. Internal history includes the field's research methods, sciences, conceptual systems, philosophies, professions, and institutions, as well as its scientists, scholars, and professionals. Its external history includes the field's historical, social, and cultural contexts. At the moment, our activities include maintaining a Listserv (HOBA@LISTSERV.UHD.EDU) and holding an annual business meeting at the ABAI conferences. The poster will describe considerations for future activities (e.g., a web site, annual ABAI HoBA symposia, an awards program).

The Multicultural Alliance of Behavior Analysts (MultiABA) is the first non-profit multicultural association established to support the research, growth, and networking around multicultural issues in behavior analysis. Our vision is to connect behavior analysts with a shared interest and/or experience in serving diverse populations, whether they be ethnic, religious, geographic, socioeconomic, or linguistic. MultiABA is eager to share the progress made by the organization with the global community of behavior analysts attending ABAIs 40th annual convention. In 2013, MultiABA published the Standards for Cultural Competence in Behavior Analysis (Hughes-Fong and Tanaka, 2013), a set of ethical guidelines to be used in the development of cross-cultural competency in behavior analytic contexts. MultiABAs next goal is obtaining affiliation with the United Nations, with the intent of participating in the Disabilities Panel of the UN General Assembly in September 2014. Our aim is to discuss the rights of individuals with disabilities, including autism, and advocate for the inclusion of the right to effective treatment for persons with disabilities in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The members of MultiABA have an ambitious agenda for 2014 and are excited by the growing demand for cross-cultural awareness and training in behavior analysis programs world-wide.

The Parent-Professional Partnership Special Interest Group (PPP SIG) was created in 2001 to help address the needs of parents within the ABAI community. The PPP SIG provides information, networking opportunities and resources for parents attending the annual ABAI Convention. Although the bulk of our efforts center around autism spectrum disorders, parents of children with other disorders and disabilities may be interested in learning more about the SIG. Our ongoing initiatives include: Helping parents involved in applied behavior analytic (ABA) services become more familiar with ABA through information, resources and links Providing parents with access to accurate information from other existing resources via links or summaries Sharing information with parent attendees prior to the ABAI convention Hosting an orientation to parent newcomers at the start of the ABAI convention Creating opportunities for networking Providing a forum for discussion of objectives at our annual business meeting

Positive behavior support uses behavioral principles to redesign environmental contexts that enhance quality of life while decreasing problem behavior and increasing socially valid replacement behaviors. Behavior analysts involved in positive behavior support operate in various levels including direct child and/or interventionist level to broad systems level (e.g., schools, organizations). The Positive Behavior Support Interest Group provides a forum for behavior analysts to discuss issues relevant to the profession. In the last decade, an emerging research base has shown that strategies within the positive behavior support framework have been effective in reducing problem behaviors, increasing appropriate, pro-social behaviors, and establishing positive climates in schools, districts, juvenile justice placements, and other systems. Positive behavior support strategies place an emphasis on prevention and explicit teaching of expected behaviors with reinforcement provided contingent upon performance of appropriate behaviors. A multi-tiered system of support that provides a continuum of behavioral interventions that, conceptually, meet the level of intensity of behavioral needs while addressing 100% of individuals within the system. This poster will provide an overview of positive behavior support, its relation to applied behavior analysis, and the benefits of joining the special interest group.

The Sex Therapy and Educational Programming Special Interest Group (STEP SIG) exists to help disseminate empirically verified information regarding sex education and sex therapy to behavior analysts working in applied settings. STEP SIG also supports basic and applied research on the emergence and maintenance of human sexual behavior in typically developing individuals, individuals with autism and developmental disabilities, and other populations. Members or this special interest group include professionals, teachers, direct service providers, parents, and consumers who are concerned with issues of sex therapy, sex education, and sex research. STEP SIG was founded in 2007 and has been providing a symposium at the annual convention of ABAI since its inception, sharing both conceptual and empirical presentations with conference attendees.

El SIG Espaol founded in 2003, seeks to serve as a meeting point for those ABAI members from countries where Spanish is the first language. The purpose is to establish communication and idea exchanges among this group.

The Speech Pathology and Applied Behavior Analysis (SPABA) SIG poster will provide information about the SIG's mission, the composition of our membership, the treatment and research areas applicable to the members of our SIG, and finally, the various benefits of membership in our SIG. The SIG's mission is to promote the dissemination of behaviorally oriented speech and language research and the application of evidence-based practices relevant to the full range of services provided by speech and language professionals. Expo attendees to our poster will receive information about SIG membership and its benefits and the resources that are available on the SIG website and the SIG Facebook page. As well, opportunities for participation on various SIG committees will be highlighted. In addition, SIG Executive members will be available at the poster for informal discussions with visitors, to answer specific questions. and, in general, to promote interest in the dissemination of behavioral interventions for speech and language disorders.

Since 1990 the Standard Celeration Society (SCS) has comprised a collegial organization for all persons who use Standard Celeration Charts to monitor and change human behavior frequencies. The societys heritage lies greatly in Precision Teaching and its founder Ogden R. Lindsley, who in 1972 (p. 9) named Precision Teaching because "what was really new in our procedure was precision, we decided to use that as an adjective in front of whatever it was one was doing: hence in our case, "precision teaching." Lindsley (1971) hoped that the standard recording and charting system would be used throughout the behavioral fields as Precision School Psychology, Precision Social Work (Green & Morrow, 1972), Precision Speech Therapy (Johnson, 1972), and so on. Dr. Lindsleys greatest contribution as written in tribute by T. V. Joe Layng was his showing that bringing frequency to the people revealed not only his heart, but the heart that resides in the science of human behavior as well. The Society encourages the development and growth of a science of human behavior and learning, and promotes using the Standard Celeration Chart to further that objective. Ultimately, we have a society to create a more loving, less fearful world. Bill Helsel & Kelly Ferris (Executive Council 2008-2010).

The mission of the VB SIG is to disseminate theory, research, and practice to parents and professionals worldwide. The VB SIG has a dedicated group of elected council members who carry out the many functions of the VB SIG. First, the VB SIG publishes two newsletters annually that highlight research and practice in verbal behavior with featured labs and interviews. Second, the VB SIG holds an annual student research competition. The best three student winners each receive a plaque, a small check, and a current copy of The Analysis of Verbal Behavior. Third, the VB SIG offers an annual student grant competition in which the winner receives $500 to support her or his project. Fourth, the Jack Michael Award is given to a distinguished researcher in verbal behavior. The VB SIG Council presents these awards at the annual business meeting at ABAI. Finally, the VB SIG Student Group contributes to disseminating information about verbal behavior through the website, Facebook, and other outlets. The VB SIG Expo poster is a wonderful way for people to learn about the many activities of the VB SIG and to get involved.

The Applied Animal Behavior (AAB) SIG brings together individuals who specialize in or have an interest in the application of behavior analysis to the appreciation, understanding, and management of animal behavior across species. The AAB SIG has three primary purposes: 1) To promote behavior analytic research and the exchange of scientific information in the area of animal behavior; 2) To advocate for and promote high standards in the application of methods and techniques of behavior change with animals in applied settings; and 3) To support and promote excellence in the education and research practices of individuals dedicated to the study and management of animal behavior in applied settings. Membership of the AAB SIG is diverse and includes academicians, researchers, and practitioners from a variety of disciplines dedicated to, affiliated with or interested in animal behavior in applied settings. We welcome new members who share our interest in animal behavior and applied behavior analysis. The AAB SIG offers an annual student research award in honor of Marian Breland Bailey. This competition is open to all graduate and undergraduate students presenting their research during the annual ABAI conference.

The mission of the Pediatric Feeding Disorders Special Interest Group (SIG) is to generate interest, foster collaborative research, share clinical information, as well as impact training, practice, and reimbursement for evaluation and treatment of pediatric feeding disorders. As such, the SIG attempts to tackle some tough issues that face clinicians who treat children with feeding disorders. Over the past few years, initial steps have been taken to form the Pediatric Feeding Disorders Consortium, a multi-site collaborative effort of programs providing feeding treatment services. The initial purpose of this effort is to better understand existing resources that treat feeding disorders of young children, the techniques employed, as well as costs and outcomes. With this information and the existence of a working consortium, the second objective would be for these programs to work together on improved treatment techniques and outcomes, as well as to help both parents and payers navigate the sometimes confusing process of identifying the best combination of treatment modalities for each individual child. Anyone interested in these issues is encouraged to contact the SIG chair. Input is welcome and appreciated from all interested parties.

The Behavior Analysis and Technology SIG (BAT SIG) was created with the mission to advance the science of behavior through the development, dissemination, and application of technology in basic and applied settings. Technology can refer to developments in behavioral science, as well as developments in computer science, information technology, and related fields. The organization will also serve as an outlet for open-source hardware and software technologies relevant to behavioral research and application. The organization strives to: 1. Serve as a scientific and professional reference and networking group for its members. 2. Disseminate information to inform its membership and promote its mission to a wider audience. 3. Organize an annual meeting to provide a forum for discussion of the affairs of the SIG.