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| TBA Sun Noon |
| Sunday, May 25, 2014 |
| 12:00 PM–2:00 PM |
| W375a-d (McCormick Place Convention Center) |
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| 52. Training Paraprofessionals in ABA Teaching Methods: Linear vs. Interactive Video Training Components |
| Area: TBA; Domain: Service Delivery |
| DEVON WHITE (University of Massachusetts Lowell), Richard W. Serna (University of Massachusetts Lowell), Michelle M. Foran (University of Massachusetts Lowell), Patricia Luki (University of Massachusetts Lowell), Charles Hamad (University of Massachusetts Medical School) |
| Abstract: There is a well-known shortage of skilled paraprofessionals for delivering behavioral intervention services to children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Online training geared toward preparing staff may be part of the solution. LearningABA, an asynchronous, online-training program, models on-the-job training through video instruction, video demonstration, and video simulation of real-life work with a child. Previous research has shown that the LearningABA curriculum is effective in establishing discrete-trial-training (DTT) skills, as measured during live performance. The present study is investigating what aspects of the training program may have led to participants’ success. To date, the DTT skills of 32 college students were assessed before and after one of three training conditions, to which they were randomly assigned. In the Linear Video condition, participants watched a video that depicted skilled paraprofessionals using DTT methods to teach pre-school tasks to children. In the Interactive Video condition, participants were exposed to onscreen simulation training, in which they taught preschool tasks to a virtual child, using DTT methods. In the Combined condition, participants were exposed to both linear and interactive video. Results to date show that the Combined condition resulted in the greatest pre-/posttest gains in accurately implementing DTT, with an overall gain slightly higher than that of the Linear Video condition. Both the Combined and Linear Video conditions were more effective than the Interactive Video condition. However, firm conclusions cannot yet be drawn; additional data collection is underway to increase group sizes and statistical power. |
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| 53. The Trainer-Training of Pivotal Response Teaching (PRT) for Students Majoring Pediatrics |
| Area: TBA; Domain: Applied Research |
| AYUKO KONDO (Keio University), Jun'ichi Yamamoto (Keio University) |
| Abstract: In Japan, there are not many doctors who can give ABA treatments to children with autism spectrum disorders. Pivotal Response Teaching (PRT) is one of the effective ABA treatments for children with ASD. Effects of PRT have been demonstrated in randomized controlled study (Dawson, 2010). It is important to disseminate the knowledge and therapy skills based on ABA for students majoring pediatrics. We conducted a one-day workshop for five students majoring pediatrics. Then, we examined whether five students improve their knowledge of PRT and skills of ABA therapy. Study design was a pre-post design. Before and after the workshop, five students took a ABA knowledge test. The workshop was 6 hours in total. During the workshop, they participated in PRT lecture, role-playing with peers and practice with two ASD boys. They also received video feedback from supervisor. The results showed that the 6 hours workshop improved the ABA knowledge and PRT skills of all students. |
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| 54. The Effects of a Group Training Procedure on Staffs’ Performance in Conducting Stimulus Preference Assessments |
| Area: TBA; Domain: Applied Research |
| SUSAN A. RAPOZA-HOULE (BEACON Services), Robert K. Ross (Beacon ABA Services) |
| Abstract: Conducting a preference assessment is a common component of instructional sessions for children with ASD. It is widely accepted that the ability to effectively identify potential reinforcers may be critical to effective learning. However, very few studies have evaluated staff training procedures to teach staff the skills necessary to effectively conduct preference assessments. One set of procedures that has been evaluated and found effective at training staff to implement both paired stimuli and multiple stimulus without replacement assessments is Feedback and role-play practice (Lavie and Sturmey, 2002; Roscoe et al., 2006). One drawback of the training procedures described in these studies was that they were highly time intensive. Lavie and Sturmey conducted two 30 to 40 minute individual training sessions with each staff person to teach paired stimulus procedures. Roscoe and Fisher (2008) noted that the individual training procedures used in their studies could have been more efficient if conducted in a group format. This study adapted the procedures used in Roscoe and Fisher 2008 for use in larger group training with one masters degree level trainer. Data indicate that the participants were able to acquire the target skills in the context of a small group training. |
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| 55. ABAI Conferences as Learning Environments: CEUs and Associated Publication Rates |
| Area: TBA; Domain: Applied Research |
| SARAH M. RICHLING (University of Nevada, Reno), John T. Rapp (Auburn University), Janie Gunther (University of Nevada, Reno ), Vicki Moreno (University of Nevada, Reno), Natalia Garrido (University of Nevada, Reno), Jaimi D'Agostini (University of Nevada, Reno) |
| Abstract: The Annual Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) Conference provides an opportunity for behavior analysts to learn and share about issues related to their science. The ABAI convention includes submitted presentations in the form of papers, symposia, posters, panel discussions, workshops, and Expo posters. Symposia, panels, and workshops provide the opportunity for attendees to earn continuing education (CE) credits if the presentation meets all requirements as outlined by ABAI and a continuing education (CE) instructor meets all requirements as outlined by the BACB. These presentations are offered as a means to acquire CE credits toward maintaining certification as a behavior analyst. As such, an analysis of the quality of the educational content contained in these presentations is warranted. The current investigation is a preliminary attempt to evaluate publication rates of content presented at behavioral conferences as a potential measure of presentation quality. Data related to various aspects of the presentation are offered including presentation format, educational status of presenter, and presenter affiliation. In addition, data on publication rates are compared to data on the number of presentations offered for CE credits. Finally, the quality standards for CE and the role of professional conferences as a delivery method are discussed. |
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| 56. Impacts on School-Based Functional Behavior Assessments After Training Behavioral Consultants on Experimental Analyses of Behavior |
| Area: TBA; Domain: Service Delivery |
| MICHAEL SCHEIB (University of Southern Maine), Brenda J. Bassingthwaite (The University of Iowa Children's Hospital), John F. Lee (The University of Iowa), David P. Wacker (The University of Iowa), Todd G. Kopelman (The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics), Sean D. Casey (The Iowa Department of Education) |
| Abstract: Functional Behavior Assessments (FBA) are comprehensive analyses designed to aid in the identification of variables reinforcing problem behaviors that are disrupting a students education. Iowa is divided into 9 Area Education Agencies (AEA) that are responsible for conducting FBAs as part of the special education process. Each AEA has developed a challenging behavior teams to assist school teams in conducting FBAs for the most challenging students. Eight of these teams have been trained by behavior specialists at The Center for Disabilities and Development (CDD) as part of the Challenging Behavior Service (CBS), a training service funded by the Iowa Department of Education. In this study, we evaluated FBAs submitted by behavioral specialists on each team using a rubric developed by the specialists at CDD. Challenging behavior team members participating in the training submitted an FBA for review each year. We have observed an increase in use of experimental analyses, and we have observed an increase in the use of multiple experimental analyses in submitted FBAs. This study evaluates the increased use of preference assessments and experimental analyses together in the FBAs. |
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| 58. The Impact of Systematic Training to Conduct Experimental Analyses on Behavior Intervention Plans |
| Area: TBA; Domain: Service Delivery |
| JOHN F. LEE (The University of Iowa), Brenda J. Bassingthwaite (The University of Iowa Children's Hospital), David P. Wacker (The University of Iowa), Michael Scheib (The University of Southern Maine), Jennifer Kuhle (The University of Iowa), Sean D. Casey (The Iowa Department of Education) |
| Abstract: Behavior intervention plans (BIPs) for students whose behavior interferes with learning are important components of an individualized education program as outlined in The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (PL 108-446). As in most states, there are no formal measurement tools to evaluate the quality of BIPs in Iowa. Behavior Specialists at the Center for Disabilities and Development at the University of Iowa developed a rubric to evaluate BIPs as an evaluation tool of the practice of school-based behavior consultants participating in training to conduct function-based assessments and to match treatments to the results of those assessments. The rubric rates BIP components, including, Does the behavior intervention plan contain actions that match the function of problem behavior identified in the functional behavior assessment (FBA)? The school-based behavior consultants submitted a BIP for evaluation each year. This poster provides the descriptive results of this evaluation conducted over a 4 year period with over 75 BIPs and more than 25 school-based behavior consultants. As school-based behavior consultants learned to conduct experimental analyses, the number of treatment components matched to function increased and the number of treatment components that were counter-indicated decreased. |
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| 59. A Mobile Arduino-Based Interface for Experimental Control With Android Devices |
| Area: TBA; Domain: Service Delivery |
| CARLOS ALEXIS PEREZ HERRERA (National Autonomous University of Mexico), Rogelio Escobar (National Autonomous University of Mexico) |
| Abstract: Microcontroller boards have been used in interfaces for controlling operant conditioning chambers using a desktop or a laptop computer. Although these interfaces could be used in laboratory courses for demonstrations of behavioral phenomena, one problem is that, in many Universities, classrooms equipped with computers are limited. The use of smartphones and tablets by the students, however, has increased markedly in the last years. Because of the processing capacities of such devices, they could replace laptop computers in laboratory courses in places where resources are limited. This poster describes the implementation of an Arduino microcontroller board in conjunction with android devices, as a wireless, portable, inexpensive interface for conducting demonstrations in laboratory courses on operant conditioning. Point to point serial communication between the arduino board and the mobile device is accomplished through a Bluetooth shield. Our application Ratuino Mobile, which can be downloaded for free from the Google play store, interprets the serial communication and stores the experimental events directly into the device's internal memory for subsequent analysis. Because of its portability and low cost, this interface can be used as a teaching aid in laboratory courses of behavior analysis. |
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| 60. A Further Analysis of the Impact of Pair Discussion During Interteaching |
| Area: TBA; Domain: Applied Research |
| BEATRIZ ISABELLE D. QUEROL (University of Massachusetts Lowell), Joseph Veneziano (University of Massachusetts Lowell), Rocio Rosales (University of Massachusetts Lowell), James L. Soldner (University of Massachusetts Boston) |
| Abstract: The efficacy of interteaching has been demonstrated to enhance student success and satisfaction in the university classroom when compared to traditional teaching formats such as lecture (Saville et al., 2006). However, the relative contributions of each component of interteaching remain unclear. The purpose of the present study was to systematically replicate results from a previous study indicating a pair discussion was slightly more effective than a large class discussion on post-discussion quiz performance (Rosales, Swerdan, & Soldner, 2012). Fifty-nine undergraduate students enrolled in two sections of a course on learning and behavior served as participants. An alternating treatments design was used in which pair discussion was alternated with a lecture based on the material for assigned prep guides. The lecture and pair discussion conditions were counterbalanced across the two sections, and presented in a quasi-random fashion throughout the semester. All other components of interteaching were in effect during both experimental conditions (i.e., availability of prep guides, clarifying lectures, and quality points). Preliminary results indicate the pair discussion condition resulted in higher quiz scores, although the effects were not immediate. Discussion will focus on implications of these findings for future research and the impact of social validity questionnaires distributed throughout and at the end of the semester. |
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| 61. Evaluating the Classwide Instructional Fluency Related to Content Instruction in an University Course: Using SAFMEDs CombinedWith Precision Teaching Measurement Procedures |
| Area: TBA; Domain: Applied Research |
| EMILY A. JANSEN (University of South Dakota), Tara J. Lombard (University of South Dakota), Emily R. Timmer (University of South Dakota), William J. Sweeney (University of South Dakota) |
| Abstract: SAFMEDS, an acronym for "Say All Fast a Minute Each Day Shuffle," was coined by Lindsley (1983) as a functional flashcard procedure for building large repertoires of sight words in a given content area. This demonstration project evaluated the effectiveness of SAFMEDS on the classwide acquisition and fluency of basic concepts in curriculum-based assessment/Precision Teaching course. The perspective of this project was to implement SAFMEDS procedures as a means of teaching college level students to recognize important concepts related to instruction covered in a curriculum-based assessment/Precision Teaching course. Second, the instructor wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to model the importance of frequent and daily measurement of curriculum through the use of the SAFMEDS procedure with the class. One university class with 48 students participated in this research. Three individual students from this class display their data and describe the importance of utilizing their data for making instructional changes. The students in the class completed three decks of SAMFEDS across a 10-week period with an instructional aim of 40+ SAFMEDS flashcard correctly identified during a series of one-minute timing. Results from this study replicated the SAFMEDS data paths across three classes and seven decks of SAFMEDS. The monitoring of this procedure was used by the instructor to determine whether the SAFMEDS procedures was effective on a classwide basis for improving the acquisition of key concepts imbedded with in the curriculum. Additionally, this daily in class probing of students' performance was a means of modeling appropriate implementation, recording, charting, and evaluation of students' learning pictures. The consistent pattern of celerating data seemed to indicate that this was an effective instructional strategy for the class as a whole. Implications and limitations of the current study were also discussed. |
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| 62. Peer Interventions for Increased Productivity: The Tortures of Graduate School Completion |
| Area: TBA; Domain: Applied Research |
| CHELSEA J. WILHITE (University of Nevada, Reno), Emily Michelle Leeming (University of Nevada, Reno), Thomas Wade Brown (University of Nevada, Reno), Daniel Reimer (University of Nevada, Reno) |
| Abstract: This poster briefly presents data from interventions designed to increase doctoral-level graduate students’ academic productivity. While all graduate students in behavior analysis learn how to apply techniques developed from behavioral principles to others (whether it be individuals with autism or other intellectual difficulties, typically-developing students, workers in organizations, or other animals), many do not learn how to effectively apply those same techniques to themselves. This poster reports one way students can use behavioral principles and techniques to improve their own productivity. Participants in this report include four doctoral-level graduate students in a behavior analysis program. The intervention involves a package of measures, including weekly meetings, goal-setting, public posting, and peer-mediated consequences. Results suggest this type of intervention can be successful for individuals motivated by socially-mediated reinforcers and punishers but lacks efficacy with some individuals who find most kinds of social interaction even mildly aversive. Based on the results, the authors suggest further areas of investigation which might prove fruitful in influencing work productivity among doctoral-level graduate students. |
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| Keyword(s): poster session |