Association for Behavior Analysis International

• Recognise the value of teaching self-management as a pivotal skill
• Assess and teach the prerequisite skills required for the implementation of an effective video feedback programme
• Use a comparative analysis and test of social significance to identify target behaviours to assess using video feedback
• Implement baseline measures of target behaviours prior to the introduction of a video feedback programme
• Implement a structured video feedback programme as part of a more comprehensive intervention programme for learners with autism
• Measure outcomes for individual target behaviours and self-management behaviours during and after the video feedback programme implementation
• Identify strategies for counteracting the practical challenges of implementing a video feedback programme
• Recognise and respond to the ethical issues involved in using video feedback

• Describe imitation compromise as the core deficit in autism spectrum disorder
• Provide three examples, positive or negative, of the relationship between imitation and intentionality
• Describe in behavioral terms the role played by imitation in social reciprocity, emotional reciprocity, and intentionality
• Describe, in behavioral terms, how mirror neurons facilitate social reciprocity, emotional reciprocity, and intentionality
• Describe three different procedures for increasing the rate of imitation for children on the spectrum

• Identify the five steps associated with POWER-SolvingTM
• Identify the components of applying POWER-SolvingTM social skills
• Identify evidence-based strategies that contribute to success in social skills and problem-solving
• Apply POWER-SolvingTM to a specific social skill of their choosing

• Identify deficiencies in a learner's receptive language skills that interfere with the child's ability to engage in conversations with peers and family members
• Identify deficiencies in a learner's manding, tacting, and intraverbal skills that interfere with the child's ability to engage in conversation about their peers
• State three strategies to help children with autism attend to the activities and interests of their peers such that they can engage in conversation about their peers
• State three strategies to help children with autism engage in conversation about the activities they have engaged in with peers

• Identify the characteristics of students with ASD

• Recognize the dimensions of Applied Behavior Analysis
• Distinguish different approaches to using ABA with students with ASD
• Conduct assessments for developing ABA interventions for students with ASD in inclusive classrooms
• Set goals for ABA interventions for students with ASD in inclusive classrooms
• Develop ABA teaching procedures for students with ASD in inclusive classrooms
• Collect and analyze data to make instructional decisions
• Collaborate with parents and professionals when implementing ABA interventions for students with ASD in inclusive classrooms

• Identify critical speaker communication skills
• Identify critical listener communication skills
• Analyze these critical skills in terms of Skinner's analysis of Verbal Behavior
• Identify central issues regarding prompting and stimulus control for each skill
• Identify central issues regarding reinforcement and generalization for each skill
• Use ongoing assessment forms to monitor performance and progress

• Develop protocols for behavior relaxation training for individuals with autism from pre-K through high school
• Measure student progress using objective measurement procedure
• Utilize visual systems to assist students in mastering behavior relaxation protocols
• Utilize visual systems to assist students in identifying possible functions of disruptive behavior

• Recognize an empirically supported, behaviorally based method of urination training that has shown to result in rapid skill acquisition
• Identify various bowel training procedures that are tailored to the function of bowel movement accidents
• Embedspontaneous requests into toileting schedules
• Assess the function of nocturnal enuresis and design effective treatment strategies based on function

• Identify age-appropriate activities to help typical peers to understand autism
• Recognize a four-step model to teach peers
• Review and critique video of application of IPG model.

• Understand the impact of environmental events on tics
• Summarize the current state of evidence supporting behavioral interventions for tics, specifically the techniques that comprise the CBIT intervention package
• Describe the CBIT protocol for tic management

• Compare and contrast past and present behavioral treatments for obesity
• Discuss the potential strengths and weaknesses that have been associated with each of these
• Formulate an operational definition of 'obesity' or 'food addiction'
• Conduct an indirect functional analysis of problematic eating behavior
• Assist a client in identifying antecedents of overeating
• Explain the basic conceptualization of weight loss from both a CBT and ACT perspective
• Outline and conduct a therapy session from both a CBT and ACT perspective

• Recognize the procedures and conclusions of Paul & Lentz (1977)
• Identify the four areas of treatment focus of the Social Learning Program
• State the basic principles, components and procedures of the Social Learning Program
• Identify the elements of the comprehensive paradigm for assessment in residential facilities
• Define the concepts and methods of the Clinical Frequency Recording System
• Complete one of the Clinical Frequency Recording System forms
• Identify the type of information provided by the TSBC/SRIC System
• Identify settings and populations in which this work would have utility

• State the research background and their familiarity with research on observing and changing inner behavior
• Define thoughts, feelings, and urges and name specific examples of each
• Practice writing positive thoughts, feelings, and/or urges at 30-35 per minute and saying them at 50-75 per minute
• Count and record some specific inner behaviors for the duration of the workshop
• Discuss and develop a plan to change inner behaviors of self or clients

• Use tools that will assist them with the measurement of psychotropic side effects and behavior
• Display and interpret psychotropic side effects and behavioral data
• Facilitate behavior analysis services in collaboration with prescribing physicians and caregivers.

• Tracking side effects using a titration form and locating reliable web resources for psychotropic side effects
• Developing a graph that demonstrates a dose-response curve
• Viewing video examples and engaging in role play scripts for talking to prescribing physicians and caregivers.

• Operationalize objective, observable, measurable actions for the ongoing evaluation of interventions as outcomes for the purpose of measurement.
• Describe at least three single-case designs for systematically analyzing variables, and for demonstrating functional relationships, which include the basic essentials of establishing baselines and increasing inter-observer agreement in data-taking in community settings with nonprofessional observers.
• Identify behavioural and environmental contexts in which each type of data collection methodology would be appropriate, and know how to ethically report the data.

• Identify the four major function-based diagnostic categories of problem behavior and identify the factors involved in deciding the function and diagnostic category of problem behavior
• Identify several major functional behavioral assessment methods and generate a plan for conducting such an assessment method with a specific problem behavior (particularly analogue and in-vivo experimental analysis)
• Generate experimental tests to determine the diagnostic category of the replacement behavior
• Generate a functional treatment plan based on assessment data and hypotheses about behavioral function

• Identify sleep disturbance in individuals with intellectual disabilities
• Identify and address poor sleep hygiene issues in the sleep environment to promote greater sleep success
• Establish a bedtime routine and identify reinforcers for use in sleep interventions
• Describe strategies of evidence-based behavioral sleep interventions
• Identify secondary problems associated with sleep disturbance

• Name major subgroups of skills within the self-management skills repertoire
• Describe at least three component skills under one major composite skill area
• List several ways to measure these skills in the natural environment.

• Describe the steps constituting a behavioral, evidence-based approach to supervision.
• Demonstrate the five steps of performance- and competency-based staff training.
• Describe how to systematically monitor staff performance in a manner usually well accepted by staff.
• Demonstrate the seven steps of supportive and corrective feedback.
• Identify two evidence-based means of increasing staff enjoyment with their work.

• Describe the importance of the topic for behavioral practioners
• List important events in the history of the bio-causation movement in the U.S.
• Describe the impact of the pharmaceutical industry on treatment of behavioral difficulties
• Describe studies of effectiveness of anti-depressants and other psychotropic medications
• Describe several efforts at pushback; List ten recommendations for behavioral practioners as they function within the pharma/psychiatric/bio-causation zeitgeist.

• Describe risk-benefit analysis and how it applies in everyday behavioral practice
• Discuss circumstances under which a medical consultation is appropriate
• Outline techniques for providing ethical services when using media-based methods
• Outline the advantages of using a Declaration of Professional Practice with their clients
• Describe ways of dealing with non-behavioral colleagues who present ethical challenges

• Identify assessment tools related to the identification of parenting strengths
• Identify the key components of specific individualized and group-based parent training curriculums
• Utilize empirically based knowledge to make recommendations for frequency, duration, and format of behavioral parent training

• Shapesensitivity to the learner
• Training necessary teacher repertoires for high quality instruction
• Develop programs for new learners
• Transform current programming/curriculum to a PT-friendly curriculum
• Testfor emergent repertoires
• Sequence component/composite repertoires
• Employ various interventions.

• Carry out research-based procedures for developing an intervention
• Review the guidelines from the National Institute of Mental Health, the Institute of Education Sciences, and the National Standards Project for conducting quality research and developing an evidence-based intervention
• Identify the steps for evaluating a new intervention and what is required to become an established treatment. Participants will be able to describe several research designs and evaluative procedures (single subject and group design) for intervention research
• Describe strategies for including fidelity of implementation and social validity in their own research designs
• Identify various grant opportunities and techniques for effective grant writing for development and efficacy studies
• Work with institutional review boards (i.e. human subjects) in an effective and efficient manner

• Describe how multiple variables control most forms of verbal behavior
• Recognize how verbal behavior is manipulated by speakers with autoclitics
• Explain how verbal behavior is edited by speakers
• Identify stimuli that arise within the body control verbal behaviors
• Explain how behavior is controlled by automatic contingencies
• Relate how novel and generative behavior emerges
• Account for equivalence, naming, and relational frames from a Skinnerian viewpoint

• Identify the VB-MAPP components
• Identify and demonstrate how to teach each of the verbal operants
• Identify how to perform a VB-MAPP assessment
• Identify the sequential order to teach each task analyses; Identify components of an effective verbal behavior program

Persons diagnosed with autism often engage in repetitive acts that appear to serve no function; these acts are collectively referred to as stereotypy due to the formal similarity of the acts and the periodicity with which they are emitted. Behavior analysts are often called upon to develop behavior plans addressing stereotypy when it is exhibited with impairing frequency. It is growing increasingly difficult, however, to select from among the many interventions that have been demonstrated to be effective. Therefore, the formal and functional homogeneity of different treatments for stereotypy will be discussed in the context of a full recognition of the formal and functional heterogeneity of stereotypy. This discussion will occur within a presentation of a model for identifying the least effortful intervention for stereotypy that is both effective and preferred by the person diagnosed with autism. The limits of our current stereotypy treatment literature will also be identified and will occasion a discussion of the next generation of applied behavior-analytic research related to the stereotypic behavior of persons with autism.

According to conventional histories of psychiatry, the arrival of Thorazine in asylum medicine in 1955 kicked off a "psychopharmacological revolution." Yet, since 1955, the disability rate due to mental illness in the United States has risen more than six-fold. Moreover, this epidemic of disabling mental illness has accelerated since 1987, when Prozac, the first of the "second-generation" drugs arrived on the market. A review of the long-term outcomes literature for psychiatric medications reveals why this is so. The "medical model" paradigm of care, which emphasizes continual use of psychiatric medications, is a failed paradigm, and needs to be dramatically rethought.

Bullying among children and youth is an issue of increasing concern to educators, practitioners, health care professionals, policy makers, parents and others. In this session, Dr. Snyder will present data on the nature and prevalence of bullying among children and youth and will describe research-based efforts to prevent and reduce bullying in schools. Using recent published data, as well as findings from the national database for the Olweus Bullying Questionnaire (containing over 500,000 surveys from schoolchildren in grades 3-12), Dr. Snyder will describe the prevalence of bullying among children and note age and gender differences in its occurrence. She also will highlight data describing children's feelings and attitudes about bullying and their views about how peers and teachers react to bullying. Finally, Dr. Snyder will describe the internationally recognized Olweus Bullying Prevention Program and describe its research basis.

This panel will focus on identifying, understanding and practicing skills that are necessary for successful practitioner careers but go beyond the core behaviour analytic curriculum. Panelists will seek to identify and understand necessary skills that are not typically addressed or taught in graduate behaviour analytic curriculum (e.g., people skills). We will explore potential career situations in order to better specify the repertoire(s) needed to perform well in them. Audience participants will be invited to self-assess core skill sets including public speaking skills, interdisciplinary "people" & team skills, supervisory skills.

The following symposium will discuss both assessment and treatment of feeding problems in children with autism spectrum disorder. One study will describe and compare various assessment techniques currently available for assessment of feeding problems in this population. Three intervention studies will also be presented. In one study, researchers trained parents to conduct an intervention in the home which included repeated taste exposure, escape extinction, and fading to improve child diet variety. In two additional studies, researchers evaluated the use of a treatment for food selectivity which did not use escape extinction as a treatment component.

Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are at high risk for feeding problems and the type of mealtime difficulties in this population appear unique compared with other pediatric feeding disorders. Limitations in the research base, however, prevent definitive conclusions regarding the topography, etiology, and treatment of feeding problems among children with ASD. Lack of adequate assessment methods represents a significant barrier to progress in this area, including lack of standardized measures and inconsistent methodology. The current study addressed this limitation by exploring the correlation among available assessment methods (i.e., caregiver questionnaires, estimates of nutritional intake, meal observations). Two samples of child/caregiver dyads are presented. In the first sample (n = 31), behavioral data was collected using a structure mealtime protocol; the second sample (n = 10) involved unstructured mealtime observations. All families completed food preference inventories and the Brief Autism Mealtime Behavior Inventory (BAMBI). Results from the study are discussed in terms of the utility of mealtime observations, caregiver questionnaires, and food inventories in screening for feeding problems. Additionally, clinical and research advantages of each approach will be discussed.

Repeated taste exposure, escape extinction, and fading is a treatment package to reduce food selectivity. Often studies involving parent-implemented treatment for food selectivity have failed to describe training procedures for teaching parents and do not present data on parent performance. This study used behavioral skills training (BST) to teach parents of three children with ASD and food selectivity to conduct this treatment package in their home. Following training, correct parent performance in taste sessions and probe meals increased, children's number of bites accepted under 30 increased and children's latency to accept bites and disruptive responses decreased. Parents reported that increases in child diet variety were maintained at 1 and 3 months following intervention. Parents rated all treatment elements and outcomes as acceptable or highly acceptable.

This case study evaluated the use of escape extinction (EE) in the treatment of food selectivity in a 3-year old boy with autism spectrum disorder. Initially, the child was exposed to Plate A-Plate B, an intervention in which he was given access to preferred bites of food for eating small bites of target foods. After four treatment sessions in which the child refused all bites of target foods, the experimenters temporarily introduced a form of EE known as exit criterion in which the child was required to eat a single bite of food before leaving the eating area. After a brief period of exit criterion, the Plate A-Plate B intervention was reintroduced and the child dramatically increased his consumption of target foods with minimal disruptive behavior. Gains were maintained at 1-month follow-up. This study provides a possible approach for clinicians to use when attempting to minimize the use of EE.

While the literature describing interventions for food selectivity has often demonstrated successful treatment packages involving some form of escape extinction (EE), other studies have shown interventions to be effective in the absence of EE. The current study examines the effects of sequential presentation of foods or "Plate A/Plate B" on increasing acceptance of novel foods for a 16-year-old boy diagnosed with autism residing in a short-term behavioral stabilization unit. The participant exhibited aggressive and self-injurious behaviors and had a history of food selectivity prior to treatment. At admission, the participant was consuming 10 different foods and 1 beverage. The treatment plan involved presenting two plates of foods, a plate containing pea-sized bite of novel foods (Plate A) and a plate containing spoonful-sized bites of previously eaten, highly preferred foods (Plate B). After the participant consumed a bite, he was allowed to choose a bite from Plate B and offered a drink. The study discusses the relative challenges in implementing more intrusive procedures such as EE in the presence of maladaptive behaviors, and provides evidence that a treatment package utilizing reinforcement, fading, and establishing operations was effective in increasing acceptance of novel foods.

Joint attention and social pragmatics are two core social deficits that are common in children with autism. Joint attention involves the coordinated attention between a social partner and an object in the environment and has been identified as one of the earliest emerging social behaviors in typically developing children. Deficits in joint attention are apparent in very young children with autism. Social pragmatics involves being aware of the unwritten social rules necessary for social conversation. The purpose of this session will be to present data from four studies addressing the social deficits of joint attention and social pragmatics. The assessment and measurement of joint attention directly translates into better teaching procedures. The use of social stories and video modeling to teach social pragmatic is shown here to be a very effective treatment package. The next study involves the measurement of affect during teaching using social and non-social reinforcers. The final paper addresses the topic of social referencing in children with autism. Together these papers highlight some of the current work by behavior analysts in this important area.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate levels of affect in the context of joint attention using social and non social consequences. Participants were nine preschool children diagnosed with autism and typically developing children. Experiment 1 evaluated the level of affect in the context of joint attention during 3-minute play sessions across 4 different activities. Experiment 2 evaluated if teaching joint attention with social consequences increased the level of positive affect compared to teaching joint attention with non-social consequences. Results showed that children diagnosed with autism showed lower levels of positive affect in the context of joint attention compared to typically developing children and teaching joint attention with social consequences increased the level of positive affect for all participants. The importance's of social consequences in teaching children with autism are discussed.

Most children diagnosed with autism exhibit observable joint attention deficits within the first year of development (Jones, Carr, & Feeley, 2006). These delays have been associated with the acquisition of language and social skills, therefore, it may be imperative that clinicians working with this population address joint attention deficits early on in intervention (Charman et al., 2003; Whalen, Schreibman, & Ingersoll, 2006). Commonly, visual targets have acted as the discriminative stimuli in interventions aiming to increase joint attention responses and initiations in children with autism; however, a few studies have utilized auditory stimuli in the assessment of joint attention (Dawson, Meltzoff, Osterling, Rinaldi, & Brown, 1998; Gulsrud, Kasari, Freeman, & Paparella, 2007; MacDonald, Anderson, Dube, Geckeler, Green, Holcomb, et al, 2006). The current study evaluated a training protocol used to increase orienting to stimuli from a MP3 player, referencing an adult, and making relevant verbalizations withthree preschool children with autism. Results showed that the protocol was effective in increasing these behaviors and produced some generalization to novel in-vivo stimuli.

The purpose of this study was to examine initiating joint attention (IJA) scores of 34 children with autism (CWA) and 34 typically developing children (TDC) during and after toy activation. Composite scores summarized performance of three behaviors (gestures, eye contact, and vocalizations) across toys. Performance was evaluated during toy activation only, and 2 seconds and 5 seconds after activation. Results of the analysis indicated that for 13 out of 34 CWA and 14 out of 34 TDC, joint attention occurred within 2 seconds after the activation period. When observations included 5 seconds after the toy stopped, joint attention occurred for 22 of 34 CWA and 20 of 34 TDC. Extending the observation period after toy activation from 2-s to 5-s resulted in the number of joint attention initiations increasing. To obtain the most accurate assessment of joint attention behavior, observation and scoring should continue until 5 seconds after the activation period.

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the use of social stories alone and social stories combined with peer video modeling to teach social pragmatic skills including eye contact, conventional gestures, and appropriate verbalizations to 2 young children with autism. First, social stories were used alone. The participant read a story designed for a specific behavior to be targeted. Then, social stories were combined with peer video modeling. A video displaying the specific behavior was viewed followed by the social story. Mastery criteria were met when social stories were combined with video modeling for eye contact. In the context of conventional gestures, mastery criteria were met when social stories were presented alone. During baseline, mastery criteria were met for appropriate verbalizations. These findings suggest that social stories alone as well as social stories combined with video modeling, were effective tools for teaching social pragmatic skills.

Traditional Functional Analysis (FA; Iwata, B. A., Dorsey, M. F., Slifer, K. J., Bauman, K. E., & Richman, G. S., 1982/1994) is the "state of the art" procedure to determine the maintaining function of challenging behaviors. Currently, the standard FA procedure involves conducting a minimum of four 10-min conditions that target each function and systematically compares condition outcomes. Practically, practitioners do not typically use this technique as it is both time and staff intensive. There has been modifications to the traditional FA, such as a shortened FA (Kahng, S., & Iwata, B. A., 1999 and Northup, J., Wacker, D., Sasso, G., Steege, M., Cigrand, K., Cook, J., et al., 1991), trial based FA (Sigafoos, J., & Saggers, E., 1995 and LaRue, R. H., Lenard, K., Weiss, M. J., Bamond, M., Palmieri, M., & Kelley, M. E., 2010) and FA conducted in the natural setting (Northup, J., Wacker, D. P., Sasso, G., Steege, M., Cigrand, K., Cook, J., & DeRaad, A., 1991). These presentations look at analyzing the efficacy of a trial based FA in comparison to the traditional FA. This important research may allow practitioners to conduct functional analyses on problem behavior without requiring additional resources to implement these procedures.

A traditional functional analysis (FA) is the only way to determine the function of behavior. It is, however, a cumbersome procedure; finding the most efficient method to determine functional relationships is imperative. Researchers have modified the traditional FA procedure to include such methods as trial based, assessments conducted in the natural settings, and modifications to session duration. The trial based FA has been primarily conducted in the natural setting with maximum session duration of 2 minutes. The current study compared the results of three functional analyses (traditional analog, trial based analog, trial based in the natural setting) for at least three students with autism and related disabilities to determine the extent to which there is correspondence of function. Results conclude that the analog trial based FA resulted in determining the same function of behavior as the traditional analog FA for three participants. Results of the three assessments will be discussed in terms of the accuracy of determining the function of challenging behavior, time to complete, staff resources needed and validity of the trial-based procedures in both settings. Additionally, we will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of conducting functional analysis protocols in either naturalistic or analog environments.

A single subject research design was utilized to investigate the efficacy of a trial-based functional assessment protocol in comparison to a traditional functional analysis procedure. The trial-based functional analysis procedure is less time intensive to implement and also limits the exposure of the subject and evaluator to harmful behaviors (e.g. aggression and self-injury). The participant was four-years-old and diagnosed with autism. The traditional functional analysis procedure was utilized in an analog setting to ascertain the function of out of seat behavior. Upon completion of the traditional functional analysis procedure, the trial-based functional analysis procedure was utilized with the same student to assess the same target behavior. Both procedures identified the same function for the target behavior. Thus, the trial-based procedure can be utilized in the interest of saving time during the assessment process and also limiting harm on behalf of the student and evaluator depending on the target behavior.

Functional behavioral analysis is the "gold standard" for determining the function of problem behaviors. The traditional functional analysis protocol involves multiple sessions for each potential function, plus a play/control condition, each lasting 10 minutes. The goal is to observe "differentiated" results, or increased rates of the targeted behavior in particular sessions. A recent alternative functional analysis procedure is termed "trial based", and requires sessions of only 2 minutes, with the session ending after the first occurrence of the targeted behavior. The current study gathered data on three students with autism to determine the extent to which there is correspondence of function determined by a trial-based functional analysis completed in these two environments. First, a traditional functional analysis protocol was implemented and the results compared to the results of a trial-based protocol completed in an analog environment. For those participants for whom the functions agreed, we next completed a trial-based functional analysis in the participant's naturalistic classroom environment. The results between the two environments will be discussed in terms of the accuracy and validity of trial-based procedures, the advantages and disadvantages of conducting functional analysis protocols in either naturalistic or analog environments, and the ease of implementation.

Through years of research, the field of applied behavior analysis has developed the technology to provide effective intensive behavior intervention services for children with autism. Given the high rate of autism, there is a great demand for behavior analysis service providers. One challenge faced by behavior analyst is providing services to the countless families that need them. The San Antonio Cooperative Autism Project was designed to address this need. Five different agencies in San Antonio united to provide intensive behavior intervention services to young children with autism. Services included 25-hours a week of intensive behavior intervention services for children with autism supervised by BCBA-D/BCBAs, 2-hours a month parent trainings, and case management services. The Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program (VB-MAPP), Expressive Vocabulary Test-Second Edition (EVT2), Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Fourth Edition (PPVT4), and PDD Behavior Inventory (PDDBI) were used to develop treatment plans and measure progress. Presentations will discuss the San Antonio Cooperative Autism Projects model, child outcomes, and parent training results.

Most communities struggle to bring together the different agencies providing similar services. Within the field of behavior analysis, competition rather than collaboration is often the norm. In San Antonio, a unique project allowed five separate agencies to work together toward a common goal of providing quality services for children with autism. In August 2009, the collaborating agencies were awarded funding to provide intensive behavior intervention to young children with autism over a 2-year period. Challenges included establishing the role of each organization, agreeing on specific procedures and protocols that could be used consistently across all sites providing therapy, and confronting the underlying competition among the agencies. By overcoming these challenges together, all five of the agencies were able to improve their overall quality of service and improve their professional interaction skills. This presentation discusses the model, as well as strategies and evaluation methods that over 50 different behavior analysts and behavior therapists used to manage this program. The resulting collaborative model exemplifies a community's ability to come together and provides a framework for working in partnership with other professionals.

Evaluating intensive behavior intervention services for children with autism is important. An intensive behavior intervention program for children aged 3-8 with autism utilized the Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program (VB-MAPP), Expressive Vocabulary Test-Second Edition (EVT2), Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Fourth Edition (PPVT4), and PDD Behavior Inventory (PDDBI) to develop treatment plans and measure progress over a 6-month period. Comparisons of pre- and post-test results show that progress was evident on at least one measure for all participants. Parents/caregivers of the children with autism who participated in the program were interviewed at the end of the program and asked to complete a satisfaction survey. Parents/caregivers reported that their children had improved over the 6-month period and that they were satisfied with the program. These results suggest that the measures utilized in this program are beneficial when developing treatment plans for intensive behavior intervention programs for children with autism and that progress over a short period of time (e.g., 6 months) can be evident through the use of these measures. Other social validity measures, including parental reports, should also be taken into consideration when evaluating the outcomes of intensive behavior intervention services.

The efficacy of intensive behavior intervention program can be impeded by a lack of a systematic method to program for generalization. A parent-training program was developed to supplement the intensive behavior intervention program for children with autism receiving intensive behavior intervention services. The parent-training program consisted of one-on-one training with a behavior analyst, observation of the parent' child during therapy, and in-situ training with the child, parent, and behavior analyst. The program was designed for 8, 2-hour sessions that were completed during the 6-month period of services for each child. Several challenges emerged during the implementation the parent-training program. For example, many parents requested that the training be conducted within a shorter period with sessions of longer duration, mostly to accommodate the parent's work schedule and other family activities. Another example was that the behavior analyst sometimes modified the "curriculum" to meet the immediate needs of the family. Parents were more likely to target generalization in the natural environment after completing the parent-training course. These results suggest that generalization of skills learned in intensive behavior intervention services by children with autism can be promoted through parent training.

Remediation of academic difficulties, social-skill deficits, and sleeping problems are common and important goals to achieve with young children. The four papers in this symposium collectively address each of these concerns by (a) conducting an experimental analysis to determine the variables that promote a high level of academic engagement, (b) demonstrating the successful application of behavior management strategies to decrease undesirable behavior and increase desirable social skills, and (c) capturing in-home sleep problems and showing the efficacy of interventions informed by an idiographic assessment-based approach. These papers, together, provide a balance of data-based evaluations that fall along different points on the assessment-to-intervention continuum with respect to addressing problem behavior commonly exhibited by children. Researchers and practitioners should both benefit from attending this symposium.

In the experiments reported in these three papers, interlocking behavioral contingencies and their aggregate products are examined as a function of operant contingencies and of metacontingencies. Although the experimental designs and procedures differ in the three papers, the results of the three papers converge to suggest that operant consequences and cultural consequences can act in concert or in opposition, cultural consequences can override the effects of direct reinforcement, and cultural consequences may function to alter the behavior of individuals and also to alter the patterns and products of interlocking contingencies.

Choices of participants in 2-member groups were evaluated under two conditions. In one condition, operant consequences of choices depended on that individual's behavior. Each participant chose one of three options, two of which delivered 5 points and one of which delivered 3 points. In the other condition, a cultural consequence was added, giving additional effects to two options: the 3-point option also added 3 points to the other participant's earnings, and one of the 5-point options also subtracted 5 points from the other participant's earnings. The third option remained the same as in the first condition: 5 points to the participant who selected it with no effect on points of the other participant. An A-B-A-B-A-B-A design was used. Results showed that operant consequences controlled choices in A Conditions. In B Conditions (cultural consequence added), participants in both groups initially produced response combinations that earned 8 points for one or the other individual (and 0 or 3 points for the other). However, allocation of responding changed across B Conditions to combinations that produced 6 points for both. This shift in group performances away from maximum individual reinforcement towards maximum group reinforcement may indicate that cultural contingencies did not act in concert with operant contingencies, suggesting different mechanisms of selection.

We systematically replicated experiments from our own lab which used an iterated prisoners' dilemma game (IPDG) to examine the effects of metacontingencies on aggregate products of the behavior of four players. In the earlier experiments, it was shown that cultural consequences ("market feedback" in the form of points delivered to the group) contingent on all "y" choices or all "x" choices increased the production of those combinations. In the experiments reported here, we added a baseline condition wherein the players experienced only the individual contingencies embedded in the game. Then we imposed the metacontingency on production of xxxx or, alternatively, production of yyyy. After several reversals, the metacontingency was discontinued and the players again experienced only the individual contingencies of the game. We systematically replicated our results several times using this setup. We also utilized a yoked control to show that the contingent nature of the cultural consequence was necessary for reliable production of the required combinations. We showed that the cultural consequence controlled production of aggregate products even when its magnitude was minimal, and that the metacontingency maintained patterns resulting in the worst outcome for all individual players.

This experiment models the dilemma described in the "tragedy of the commons" in which multiple people, exploiting resources to their individual advantage, contribute to resource depletion. Previous research in our lab showed (a) that feedback on individuals' resource utilization was necessary to produce the coordinated behavior that conserved resources and (b) that opportunity to communicate among players enhanced resource conservation. This experiment evaluated the ability of metacontingencies to differentially select aggregate products of the interlocking behavioral contingencies of 3 players. The players chose one of three colored cards representing resource usage (and therefore individual consequences)-red (5 resources), yellow (10 resources), and green (15 resources). The sum total of resources used represented the aggregate product. In the first baseline condition, participants chose independently (no communication, no feedback); in the second baseline, communication (but not feedback on choices) was allowed. In the third condition, cultural consequences were independent of aggregate products. In the remaining four conditions, cultural consequences were contingent on various aggregate products. Results from the first group replicated findings of previous research regarding the role of social control in avoiding overexploitation of common resources. In addition, this research showed that metacontingency manipulations accounted for changes in aggregate products (group utilization).

The BACB has issued a revised set of Guidelines for Responsible Conduct that adds several additional considerations for practicing behavior analysts to take into account when handling cases. These include recommendations to seek medical consultation if it is indicated, to seekinstitutional review boardapproval for presenting data collected during therapy, at conferences, and the use of a contract or Declaration of Professional Services at the beginning of a consultation. In addition practitioners are advised to conduct a risk-benefit analysis and present this to the client prior to the onset of treatment. Members of the panel are prepared to comment on these changes to the BACB code of ethics and the implications for practice, and each will present one case they have handled recently and describe their recommended resolution. The remainder of the time will be allotted to questions from the audience put to one or all of the panel members for discussion.

In the Handbook of Applied Behavior Analysis (Austin & Carr 2000), Austin noted a relative scarcity of empirical validation for behavioral education methods at the college level (p. 449). She also noted that continued research in this area was necessary to facilitate the adoption of behavioral methods in college settings (p. 466). Since the time of that publication, additional empirical studies have begun to emerge from behavior analysts and from other disciplines using behavioral approaches. This symposium examines a specific technique (i.e., interteaching), as well as providing an overview of various published behavioral college teaching strategies. Specifically, the papers present research concerning (a) the use of interteaching methods in a course in rehabilitation, rather than psychology or behavior analysis; (b) a component analysis of interteaching; (c) effect sizes found in published studies of various behavioral teaching techniques (e.g., response cards, guided notes, interteaching, feedback, programmed instruction, quality points, individual & group contingencies).

Most studies involving interteaching have been conducted in either psychology or behavior analysis-related courses. To date, no interteaching studies have been conducted in traditional rehabilitation courses. Therefore, the current study was intended to replicate previous interteaching research by comparing interteaching to traditional classroom lecture in two sections of an undergraduate medical aspects of disability course. In this study, participants in both sections were given quizzes after alternating and counterbalanced conditions of interteaching and lecture. Preliminary findings indicate higher quiz scores following interteaching than quiz scores following classroom lecture. The current study also involved a component analysis, in which participation points were available to participants at the end of each class contingent upon their performance with a brief post-discussion quiz. Feedback on quiz performance was available immediately after completion of the post-discussion quiz. In addition, preliminary social validity findings indicate the majority of participants report they learn more and have a higher preference for interteaching than with classroom lecture.

Considerable research is beginning to demonstrate that alternative methods of postsecondary instruction may be more effective than traditional methods of classroom instruction. Few publications on behaviour analytic methods of postsecondary instruction exist in the literature. One exception to this is interteaching. Interteaching is a behavior analytic approach to postsecondary classroom instruction that includes instructor-led student-pairs discussion and follow-up "clarification" lectures based on student feedback. The purpose of the study was to conduct a component analysis of interteaching by isolating its' two major components: the student-pairs discussion and the supplemental, or follow-up, lecture. Student comprehension of pre-selected scholarly articles was tested three times across the intervention components listed above. This study also served as an extension of previous research by using an ordinal-scale model of hierarchical complexity to score open-ended comprehension questions. For the 22 students who completed the study, preliminary data indicates greatest response accuracy following both the teacher-led student-pairs discussion and supplemental lectures.

In the last 15 years (1995-2010), relatively few behaviour analytic contributions to the literature on postsecondary instruction can be found (n<20). Those strategies that do exist range from antecedent-based approaches (e.g. interteaching) to consequence-based approaches (e.g. feedback delays). The purpose of this literature review was to analyze the effect sizes (via D statistic) of various behaviour analytic approaches in postsecondary instructions from the last 15 years. The data analyzed to date demonstrates large effect sizes in many of the antecedent approaches (range of 0.02-4.57) and small to moderate effect sizes of consequence-based approaches (0.15-.196). Further analysis of the articles will be conducted to allow for qualitative ratings of the approaches in order to make recommendations for instruction. In order to maximize the dissemination of behaviour analysis, likeminded faculty in postsecondary institutions need to consider the use of evidence-based instructional strategies to maximize the effectiveness of their teaching and/or increase the research base for behavioural strategies in postsecondary education.

Pedestrian crashes are a major problem in urban and suburban areas contributing to a large proportion of traffic crashes. This symposium examines research on increasing pedestrian safety at crosswalk. The first study examined the use of markings prompting drivers to look for pedestrians with and without 3D illusions placed at the side of the roadway that appear to narrow the road just before the crosswalk. The second presentation examines the effects of a rapid flashing LED beacon on yielding to pedestrians at night. This intervention was very effective in increasing the percentage of drivers yielding to pedestrians. The third presentation examines the effect of giving a 3 second exclusive crossing phase to pedestrians at a crosswalk at traffic signals. This countermeasure reduced conflicts between pedestrians and motorists, and reduced the percentage of pedestrians surrendering their right of way to drivers. All three studies demonstrate how a behavioral approach can improve the safety of pedestrians at crosswalks.

Little research has evaluated the use of in street pavement markings to increase driver-yielding behavior. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether in street pavement markings instructing motorists to look for pedestrians in a busy crosswalk used alone or in conjunction with three dimensional (3D) pavement markings would increase the percentage of drivers yielding to pedestrians. Previous research on 3D pavement illusions has focused on using them to produce decreases in motorist speed. This study utilized observational recording of yielding behavior of regular drivers and taxi drivers at two sites in a major city in the Midwest. Data collected at both sites indicates that in street pavement markings prompting drivers to yield to pedestrians was associated with an increase in motorist yielding behavior at the first treatment site. In succession, the in street prompting message will be installed at the second site and the 3D markings were added today at the first site. Analysis of the data may be able to determine if either in pavement prompts, 3D pavement illusions, or both should be considered in future pedestrian safety programs to encourage more yielding.

This study examined the efficacy of a rectangular side-mounted rapid-flash LED yellow beacon with a flash pattern similar to that used by emergency vehicles to increase automobile yielding to pedestrians during nighttime hours at two mid-block multilane crosswalks. Baseline data were collected during the absence of the crossing aid. Following baseline, the two-beacon system (one beacon mounted on each side of the road) was evaluated followed by the four-beacon system (additional units facing each direction placed on the median island). The introduction of the rectangular rapid flash beacon (RRFB) systems produced a marked increases in motorist yielding behavior from 1% during baseline to 63% for the two-beacon system and 89% for the four-beacon system at the first crosswalk location and from 5% during baseline, to 87% during the two-beacon system, to 99% during the four-beacon system at the second crosswalk location. These effects were maintained at a 14-month maintenance evaluation.

Motorists often fail to yield to pedestrians in marked crosswalks at controlled locations. About 37 percent of pedestrian injury crashes and 20 percent of fatal crashes occur at intersections. Many countermeasures prompting pedestrians to look for turning vehicles or prompting drivers to yield to pedestrians. The present study, conducted at three intersections controlled by traffic signals, examined whether giving pedestrians a 3 second start before releasing turning vehicles would increase driver yielding. The results of the study indicated that the short exclusive pedestrian phase increased driver yielding and reduced conflicts at all three intersections.

As B. F. Skinners (1957) analysis of verbal behavior is more consistently incorporated into applied behavior analytic programs for teaching listener and speaker behavior to children with autism, it is imperative that effective, research-based instructional practices derived from this analysis are identified. The purpose of this symposium is to present four papers, one conceptual analysis and three sets of single-subject, experimental data, that contribute to this objective. In the first paper, the author will discuss a treatment protocol incorporating mand training using manual sign language combined with prompt-delay and vocal prompting procedures to increase the vocal responding of children with developmental disabilities. In the second paper, the author will provide a conceptual analysis of joint control. In the final two papers, the authors will discuss joint control training procedures for teaching tacting yes and no and for teaching listener responding to children with autism and other developmental disabilities. Across all presentations implications for practical application and future research will be discussed.

While the goal of many language training programs is to develop vocal verbal behavior, this can sometimes be a long and difficult process. Since about 50 percent of children with autism fail to develop vocal verbal behavior as their primary form of communication, effective treatments to teach vocal responding to children with autism and other developmental disabilities may have substantial benefits for many children. The purpose of this paper is to present single-subject experimental data collected using a multiple baseline across participants design. This study investigated the effects of manual sign mand training combined with prompt-delay and vocal prompting procedures on the production of vocal responses in three non-vocal children with developmental disabilities. All participants showed increases in vocal responding following the implementation of the independent variables.

Joint discriminative stimulus control provides a concise and strictly behavioral account for many complex listener responses. This paper will provide a conceptual analysis of joint control and a review of previous research related to this topic. This conceptual analysis will lay the foundation for the two final two papers presented in this symposium, both of which present experimental data on teaching procedures derived from a conceptual analysis of joint control.

When teaching skills such as tacting yes and no, the goal is not to teach a student the answers to a specific set of questions relevant to a specific set of stimuli. Instead, the goal is to teach a problem solving strategy that results in the student demonstrating generalized responding to untrained exemplars. This paper will describe a set of procedures for teaching tacting yes and no that were derived from a conceptual analysis of joint control and will present single-subject experimental data on the effectiveness of these procedures for teaching a 14-year-old boy diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified to tact yes and no. A multiple probe design was employed to evaluate the effectiveness of multiple exemplar instruction using joint control training. During baseline, the participant did not demonstrate any discriminated yes or no responding across the 5 exemplars that were probed. Through multiple exemplar joint control training, the participant acquired 11 trained and 25 untrained exemplars.

Previous studies have examined the role of joint control training as it relates to teaching a variety of different listener behaviors (e.g., manded selection responses, generalized identity and non-identity matching). The purpose of this paper is to expand the scope of the research on joint control to include the teaching of listener responding in the form of compliance with multiple-step instructions. The subjects were three boys between the ages of 6- and 17-years-old who were diagnosed with autism or other developmental disabilities. A multiple probe across participants design was used to examine the effectiveness of joint control training on the acquisition of trained and untrained stimulus sets. In addition to presenting the procedures used and data collected during this study, this paper will also present an analysis of how this study lends support to Schlinger's (2008) proposal that listener responding incorporates (i.e., is mediated by) speaker behavior.

Using functional assessment techniques, researchers have demonstrated that many of these behaviors are maintained by positive and/or negative reinforcement contingencies. That is, problem behaviors come under the control of social contingencies related to the presentation or removal of salient stimuli in the person's environment. However, to complicate this analytical picture, people with autism also have a very high incidence of health conditions. Recent research findings indicate that the presence of health conditions can initiate or exacerbate problem behaviors. Indeed, it may be that many inconclusive functional assessments are not conclusive because the presence of a health condition (and its associated pain) has not been adequately assessed. An important finding of our research is that health conditions appear to increase behaviors that are negatively reinforced, but may not influence (or decrease) behaviors that are positively reinforced. This pattern suggests that the pain associated with a variety of health conditions may act as a motivating operation to establish noxious stimuli as negative reinforcers or increase their aversiveness, thus increasing rates of problem behaviors maintained by these contingencies. These findings suggest that health assessments and functional behavioral assessments should be conducted concurrently when the temporal pattern of problem behavior suggests a health condition may be a contributing factor. The resulting interventions may then need to target the health condition to alleviate or eliminate the pain associated with it and social reinforcement contingencies that may be maintaining the problem behavior. Therefore, assessment and intervention should be interdisciplinary and multifaceted in nature.

Many ABAI conference attendees have heard about clinical behavior analytic approaches, namely acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and functional analytic psychotherapy (FAP), but do not understand the relations between those treatment techniques and the behavioral principles and experimental findings that clearly underlie applied behavior analysis. This panel brings together leaders across clinical, experimental and applied disciplines in behavior analysis to carefully examine the clinical techniques of ACT and FAP. The goal of this panel is to bring to the fore the questions and skepticism that many experimental and applied behavior analysts share about whether these approaches are "truly" behavior analytic. The panel will start with a brief overview of the purported behavioral underpinnings of these approaches, followed by a video clip of a therapy interaction to stimulate the discussion. Panelists will be encouraged to openly discuss whether these clinical behavior analytic approaches are supportable in terms of the experimental work and behavioral principles that guide all of behavior analysis.

Eating involves a complex chain of behaviors. Refusal to consume food can occur at any point in the chain of eating by refusing to accept bites into the mouth, expelling (spitting out) food, or packing (holding in mouth) food. Negative reinforcement (escape) has been shown to play a major role in the maintenance of food refusal behaviors. Escape extinction procedures (nonremoval of the spoon, representation of expelled bites, and redistribution of packed bites) are commonly used to treat these various topographies of food refusal. More recently, attention has been given to identifying and manipulating additional mealtime variables that may alter these response-reinforcer relations. Melanie Bachmeyer and colleagues will present data evaluating the interactive effects of food type and different positive reinforcement variables on food refusal and bite acceptance. William Sharp and colleagues will present data examining the effects of using different bite placements (a flipped or upright spoon) on food expulsion. Keith Williams and colleagues will present data comparing the effects of positive reinforcement and a chaser procedure using varying food types. Finally, Linda Cooper-Brown will provide a discussion of the contributions of each of these studies toward the advancement of the assessment and treatment of pediatric food refusal.

Negative reinforcement (escape) has been shown to play a major role in the maintenance of food refusal. Previous research has demonstrated that for some children positive reinforcement may compete with escape, eliminating the need for extinction or reducing refusal behaviors when it is used. No studies have examined the relative effects of different reinforcer classes or schedules. Recently, more attention has focused on identifying antecedent mealtime variables (e.g., food type) that may influence food refusal. This study examined the effects of different reinforcer classes (toys, preferred foods, or attention) and schedules (contingent or noncontingent), and relative preference for targeted foods on the food refusal of a young child who displayed selective and limited intake. A reversal design was used to evaluate the effects of using positive reinforcement and contingentversus noncontingent schedules. The effects of attention, toys, or foods as reinforcers and relative preference for target foods were evaluated within a multi-element design. Interobserver agreement was collected for 40% of sessions and averaged 95%. Results suggest treatment effects were influenced by an interaction between reinforcer classes and schedules, and preference for target foods. Results will be discussed in terms of potential motivating operations.

Escape extinction (EE), such as non-removal of the spoon (NRS), is a well supported treatment for chronic food refusal among children with pediatric feeding disorders; however, inappropriate mealtime behaviors (e.g., packing, expulsion) may persist or emerge during treatment. In such cases, additional behavioral elements may be necessary to establish swallowing. Several studies have indicated that bite placement on the tongue, when used in combination with other behavioral elements, may improve swallowing in cases when expulsion prohibits appropriate intake. The current study examined the effects of bite placement with a flipped spoon (vs. upright spoon) on expulsions and mouth cleans in the treatment ofthree children. Prior to the analysis, consequence based procedures (e.g., NRS; representation of expulsion) led to improvements in acceptance of bites; however, expulsion prevented adequate oral intake. Results showed a lower percentage of expulsion and higher percentage of mouth clean during flipped spoon presentations and re-presentations. Findings from a second presentation assessment, conducted once adequate oral intake was achieved, supported the continued use of flipped spoon presentations fortwo of thethree participants. Inter-observer agreement (total agreements divided by total agreements plus disagreements) was above 90% for all behavioral variables.

Eating is a complex behavior that consists of a chain of responses, including accepting, retaining, and swallowing. Problems may occur at a single point in the chain (e.g., expulsion) or at multiple points along the chain (e.g., refusal, expulsion, packing). One method of treating multiple feeding problems is implementing consequence interventions as they arise (e.g., Sevin et al., 2002). An alternative method is implementing an antecedent intervention that has the potential to treat multiple feeding problems (e.g., Sharp, Harker, & Jaquess, 2010). Sharp et al. (2010) compared method of food presentation on an upright spoon, flipped spoon, and nuk brush. Presentation of food on a flipped spoon or nuk brush produced modest improvements in expulsion and mouth clean relative to the upright spoon. The current study is a replication and extension of Sharp et al., in which we examined presentation methods (upright spoon vs. nuk brush) within a treatment package that included nonremoval of the spoon and re-presentation of expulsions with nine children with feeding problems. Presentation method affected rate of expulsion for five children, but not levels of acceptance or mouth clean. The results are discussed in terms of possible mechanisms responsible for the effects for only some children.

Schools are beginning to be held accountable not only for the amount of progress that their students make, but their rate of progress. If students are not progressing at an adequate rate, they risk losing funding and even closure. The symposium will describe the operation of three schools that collect measures of student progress, evaluate data on each student's rate of progress, and then make changes in their operations when students are not progressing at an adequate rate.

The identification of the appropriate dependent variable is essential in the evaluation of any education program. At the Judge Rotenberg Center (JRC), the primary dependent variable is rate which is plotted on the standard celeration chart. Teachers at JRC use the chart to evaluate the efficacy of their current pedagogical strategy and determine when and if changes are necessary. Here, we first describe the charting software and demonstrate how the chart assists teachers in making educational decisions. Second, we describe a comprehensive set of available manipulations we have found useful in educating our students. We demonstrate a comprehensive money system utilized to reinforce academic performance. We then describe a series of customizable computer programs based upon the principles of programmed instruction. Teachers can manipulate the number of trials assigned, schedule of reinforcement, duration of instruction, academic aim, correction procedure, and other variables to facilitate academic improvement. For 5 students, the number of academic lessons completed increased between 31 and 94.5% following the addition of the money program. Student NF, for example, completed 2 spelling lesson before this system was put into place and completed 2.5 chapters comprised of 175 lessons passed in the same period following its implementation.

Morningside Academy employs numerous assessment procedures prior to placing students into instructional groups. Each school year begins with approximately 40% new and 60% returning students. With each new year, we examine current performance focusing on the following student variables: gains and decreases in recent and historical standardized test scores, performance on adaptive computerized tests, movement cycles as measured in precision teaching sessions, learning skills, and organizational skills. We examine strengths of our teachers based upon student improvement from the prior year. We match student needs with teacher strengths and continuously monitor: lesson progress, curriculum based measurement, adaptive tests, and frequency-building exercises. Teachers and coach examine standard celeration charts that measure behaviors in increments of time as short as 10 seconds. Interventions may take the form of changes in learning channels to changes in instructional groups. Morningside teachers and coaches observe and collect data on interactions between teacher and student to shape increasing levels of student responsibility. This presentation will provide examples of initial and ongoing samples of data collected and the instructional decision-making which typically leads to two grade level gains per year for students who have historically not experienced academic success.

Human service organizations serve clients who are seeking to acquire the language and social skills necessary for successful transition to a less restrictive environment. Because the number of service delivery hours that such organizations can provide is limited by both funding and a small time window for the delivery of effective interventions, services must be both effective in helping children acquire the skills they need and efficient. Learning efficiency is a measure that combines the effectiveness and efficiency with which an organization helps its clients acquire the language and social skills they need for successful lives. This paper will report on a project to collect measures of client learning efficiency and teacher performance and implement an efficient data-based program change process to improve client learning efficiencies. We will describe the steps in the process we implemented to improve student learning outcomes which included collecting measures of client learning efficiency and teacher performance, analyzing causes of teacher performance problems, recommending solutions with the best return on investment, designing and implementing solutions that included resources, training, and management, and evaluating the effectiveness, efficiency and return on investment of those solutions.

This series of papers will highlight recent and ongoing research that examines the influence of varying reinforcement parameters and instructional arrangements on the behavior of individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities. Two of the papers specifically examine the effects of reinforcer manipulations in contexts involving academic responding of childrenwith autism spectrum disorders. These studies ask important questions about how reinforcer magnitude and reinforcer choice impact acquisition of novel behavior. The other two studies focus more specifically on dimensions of the response. One examines how response parameters that include task difficulty, task magnitude, and delay to task completion are related to the probability of these responses in an instructional context and whether manipulating values of those parameters influences self-control. A second study asks how response force is related to response rate as a function of varying schedules of reinforcement and how response force is modified across successive exposures to the same contingent arrangements in a clinical context. Collectively, the studies advance our understanding of how to manipulate response and reinforcer parameters towards promoting optimal instructional and clinical arrangements for these populations.

Research on operant behavior often focuses exclusively on response frequency because it is a convenient measure and easier to quantify than are changes in other dimensions such as topography (form) or force. However, force is a fundamental aspect of a response because some amount of force must occur for the response to be detected. In addition, force may be the most relevant defining feature of some responses such as aggression. This series of studies examined the relation between response rate and response force in two translational contexts and one applied context. The rate and force of switch presses were measured under conditions of reinforcement and extinction (Study 1) and ratio schedules of reinforcement (Study 2) applied to response rate. Finally, the rate and force of problem behavior were measured during the course of a functional analysis (Study 3). Results showed positive correlations between rate and force under some conditions but negative correlations under others. In addition, a higher number of extinction bursts were observed in response force than response frequency. In the applied context, results indicated that the force of problem behavior decreases within the context of the assessment.

The purpose of this study was to examine variables that affect self-control within the context of academic task completion by elementary school children diagnosed with autism. In the pre-assessment of Study 1, mathematics problem completion was shown to be an aversive event and sensitivity to task magnitude, task difficulty, and delay to task completion was measured. The self-control assessment assessed the effects of manipulating values of those parameters on self-control. For all participants, self-control increased as a function of one or more changes in task parameter values. In Study 2, the effects of a commitment response on self-control was assessed. Results indicated that for all participants, levels of self-control were higher when the opportunity to commit to the immediate aversive event was available.

Discrete trial teaching (DTT) is a specific teaching method used in ABA therapy, which is commonly implemented to teach children with autism. Although positive reinforcement is the key component toapplied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy, different reinforcement parameters may influence the outcomes of therapy. These parameters include reinforcement schedule, delay, and magnitude. Lerman, Kelley, Vorndran, Kuhn, and LaRue (2002) suggested that reinforcement magnitude may be an important determinant of treatment outcome. The current study examined the effects of reinforcement magnitude on academic task performance using DTT in an applied setting. Large and small magnitudes of edible reinforcement were compared to a control condition in which praise only was delivered. A magnitude preference assessment was conducted prior to the implementation of treatment. Although all of the participants had a preference for the large magnitude of reinforcement, providing access to the large magnitude of reinforcement only increased the efficiency of treatment in two of the four participants.

Previous research suggests that providing a choice between reinforcers reduces problem behavior (Romaniuk, Miltenberger, Conyers, Jenner, Jurgens, & Ringenberg, 2002) and increases task engagement (Dunlap et al., 1994). In addition, children may show a preference for conditions during which choices between reinforcers are provided. Although many early intervention manuals recommend that therapists provide children with a choice of reinforcers during academic demands, only one study evaluated whether providing children with a choice of reinforcers influences acquisition of novel skills (Newman, Needleman, Reinecke, & Robeck, 2002). The current study examined preference for choice opportunities for three children diagnosed with autism, which extends the results of Tiger, Hanley and Hernandez (2006) to children with autism. A concurrent-chain arrangement was utilized to determine individuals preference between choice of reinforcer (choice), no choice of reinforcer (no-choice), and absence of a reinforcer (control). Children's preferences for the opportunity to choose will be discussed in regards to skill acquisition.

Although there is some debate over the causal factors it is well known that individuals with autism demonstrate skill deficits. It is becoming more widely accepted that various significant skill deficits may be overcome with intensive applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy. Generalization and maintenance of skills in the natural environment must also be addressed as part of an individual's overall support plan. Implementing more naturalistic approaches to teaching relevant skills, along with training in more inclusive settings, will support generalization of these skills to individuals' everyday environments. As ABA becomes more commonly implemented it is important to address skills outside intensive training settings. This symposium will address a variety of strategies and interventions designed to foster the generalization of skills into an individual's natural environment and allow for increased opportunities for participation in everyday settings. The authors of the studies included in this symposium have taught individuals skills such as independently initiated play through modeling, decreased reliance on secondary reinforcers by fading token use, and increased skills in restaurant settings using picture sequences. Illustrations will be made through the use of video clips and graphic data on individual performance will be presented.

Token economies (Ayllon and Azrin 1965, 1968) have been successful in a variety of settings and across many populations. This includes improving social and academic behavior in educational settings as shown by Kazdin & Bootzin (1972) and O'Leary & Drabman (1971). Token economies can serve as both an antecedent and consequence for controlling behavior during intensive teaching. However, this can lead to a dependency on extrinsic motivation and does not give the opportunity for more natural consequences to control desired responding. In order for this to happen, fading (as described by Cooper, Heron and Heward (1987) needs to occur, by gradually fading the stimuli out, so that natural stimuli control desired responding. This paper will discuss 3 participants who have been successfully using token economies for 2-8 years during intensive teaching activities. However, participants have exhibited behavior problems when the tokens were not used, suggesting that natural stimuli and reinforcers such as sitting at the table, educational materials, breaks, positive attention and satisfaction of task completion were not sufficient in maintaining success as a learner. Inappropriate behaviors such as aggression, self-injury, vocal stimulation and protests were measured as a comparison to token interventions. Strategies used in creating schedules were choice, predictability, Premack principle and independent responding. Two of the 3 participants had immediate success with replacing the token economy with a written schedule. The other participant required a fading procedure utilizing an ABAC design. Video footage will be used to illustrate the procedures used in this intervention.

Despite many trips with family members to fast food restaurants, the participants of the current study failed to acquire independent selecting, ordering, and procurement skills through modeling and prompting. As seen with the three participants of this study, using least-to-most prompts in a less familiar, more stimulating environment did not produce as significant results as using picture prompts from a sequencing and intraverbal exercise taught at home in an intensive teaching environment. Generalization to the actual restaurant settings was a primary focus of our intervention. This training was done through the techniques of "priming" and use of visual cues (i.e., picture cards) from various fast food restaurants (such as McDonalds and Chick-fil-A). Each participant had an individualized task analysis for skill acquisition that allowed for reliable data collection on relevant skills required for success in the natural environment. Graphic data will be presented on independent restaurant skills from the task analysis. Video footage will be used to illustrate the procedures used in this study.

It is well know that children with autism demonstrate both functional and symbolic play skill deficits. Often children with autism will engage with play items in a non-functional manner, such as self-stimulatory behavior. Given the fact that play is the primary mode of interaction and learning in young children, play skill deficits further limit and set apart children with autism. Interventions such as structured play therapy or improvised natural environment discrete trial are not consistently effective in increasing appropriate functional play engagement. In this paper we will present data demonstrating the increase in independent play initiations across multiple children, following a more natural play intervention approach. Despite previously implemented intensive play therapy and availability of abundant play items independent functional play skills were not evident in the participants. The intervention consisted of providing a limited number of play items in non-demand situations while theapplied behavior analysistherapist modeled appropriate play and provided natural social reinforcement for play initiations. Along with the increase in independent initiation of functional play, the participants also began to engage with new and different play items in their everyday environments. Video footage will be used to illustrate the intervention techniques used in this study.

The need for autism service delivery knows no geographic boundaries. Countries throughout the world are struggling to meet the growing demands for effective service delivery. As the field of applied behavior analysis (ABA) continues to cross international borders, researchers and practitioners face new challenges, including the translation of scientific and behavioral terminology, cultural competence in service delivery and limited resources for program development. Service providers are faced with the challenge of building local capacity and must do this in a manner that creates sustainable change. This presentation will discuss the evolution of current long-term relationships and the process of initiating partnerships. Additionally, a study on the translation of behavioral terms and definitions from English to Arabic will be presented to highlight just one of the areas of international service delivery. The role that coalitions and collaborations play in developing services will be addressed and discussed. Presenters' international experience includes work in Ghana, Saudi Arabia, China, India, Kenya, South Africa and other countries throughout the world.

Translation of technical terminology from one language to another, specific to any professional discipline, can be inconsistent (Aegisdottir et al., 2008). As the field of applied behavior analysis (ABA) continues to cross international borders, researchers and practitioners face new challenges, including the translation of scientific and behavioral terminology. Existing behavior analytic literature has yet to address this potential challenge. The purpose of this investigation was to examine translation of behavioral terms and definitions from English to Arabic for reliability and accuracy of meaning. A list of behavioral terms was distributed to a group of undergraduate, bi-lingual students who had successfully completed a course of study in ABA at a private women's college in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The terms were presented in English with directions to (a) translate the English term into an Arabic term, and (b) define the term both in Arabic and English. Responses were analyzed for consistency of form and meaning across translators and accuracy across languages. The results of this study showed variations in form of language and meaning across translations, and questionable accuracy in conveyance of meaning. Implications for practitioners teaching and learning the science of ABA in international or bi-lingual settings are examined.

The need for autism service delivery knows no geographic boundaries. Countries throughout the world are struggling to meet the growing demands for service delivery. Easter Seals mission is to provide services and supports to individual with disabilities so they can live, learn, work and play in their communities. For the past few years this mission has included building capacity in international service delivery. This session will discuss how one non-profit organization in the United States works to establish relationships with international social service organizations in the area of autism service delivery. Both the evolution of current long-term relationships and the process of initiating partnerships will be discussed. In addition the role that coalitions and collaborations play in developing services will be highlighted.

The Global Autism Project has partnered effectively with the Autism Awareness and Training Center (AACT) in Ghana, West Africa since 2003. Training in applied behavior analysis methods, led by a team of professionals, has allowed the AACT staff to design and employ effective learning programs tailored to each student's specific needs. A similar partnership has been developed in Northern India at the Society for the Rehabilitation of the Mentally Challenged (SOREM). The SOREM was selected as a partner based on several factors: the location, the community, and additionally SOREM has the capacity to leverage some of the best technology available to train staff from a distant location. This is crucial to a training partnership as it enables the staff to stay in touch with the trainers for additional support after they have left the location. This presentation will examine the history and current status of the partnership with SOREM as well as propose a framework for future collaborations with International training organizations.

Behavioral intervention is a well-established treatment for children with autism, however many particular skill areas remain relatively under-researched. This symposium brings together four experiments evaluating procedures for teaching such skills. The first presentation describes an experiment which evaluated a behavioral procedure for training children with autism to seek help from store employees when lost in public shopping areas. The second presentation addressed the area of abduction prevention by teaching children with autism to avoid the advances of strangers. The third presentation addresses the area of private events by teaching a child with autism to identify public stimuli and behaviors which are likely correlated with the emotions of others, and to respond accordingly. The final presentation describes a study that addressed the topic of listener behavior by evaluating the effects of adding sign language to vocal instructions on the acquisition of listener behavior.

Little previous research has addressed the topic of whether children with autism can engage in safe behaviors when they become inadvertently separated from their caregivers in public. In this study, we used rules and role playing to teach three children with autism a chain of presumably safe behaviors to engage in when they get lost. These behaviors included yelling for his/her caregiver, finding a store employee, and informing the employee he/she is lost. This was implemented as a multiple baseline across participants and results demonstrated that this treatment protocol was effective in teaching the targeted skills, as well as in producing generalization to untrained settings.

Abduction by strangers is a low-rate but highly dangerous event. Reacting in a safe manner when solicited by a stranger can potentially be a life saving skill. This study used rules and role playing to teach three children with autism how to respond to solicitations from strangers in various locations. Specifically, children were taught to run away from the stranger and inform their parents that a stranger talked to them. A multiple baseline across participants design was utilized and results generalized across settings and strangers.

Individuals with autism often exhibit deficits in social skills leading to impairments in social interactions, such as failure to recognize and respond appropriately to others emotions. One possible reason individuals with autism fail to correctly infer other people's private events (i.e., emotions) may be failure to tact relevant public accompaniments (i.e., public stimuli) or collateral events (i.e., accompanying public behavior) given a social situation. Skinner (1945, 1953, 1957) described how the verbal community, through observation of public accompaniments and collateral events, may teach individuals to tact private events. This presentation will describe an intervention used to teach a 4-year-old boy, diagnosed with autism, to infer others' emotions through teaching him to tact public accompaniments and accompanying public behaviors, answer "how" and "why" questions in order to demonstrate a relationship between the events and the inferred emotions, and teach him to respond appropriately to others' emotions in social situations. Data collected during this intervention will be presented during the symposium to demonstrate the effectiveness of the intervention and to identify possible variables responsible for skill acquisition. In addition, potential limitations will also be discussed.

While a considerable amount of literature examines alternative methods of producing speaker behavior in nonvocal individuals, it appears that less research examines methods of improving listener behavior, or receptive language, in the same population. Supported by several studies, communication training programs may utilize the picture exchange communication system (PECS) or sign language to provide nonvocal persons with alternative forms of speaker behavior. Likewise, individuals experiencing deficits in communication may also benefit from similar alternatives with regards to receptive language acquisition. Previous research suggests that impairments in listener behavior heavily contribute to the development of severe problem behaviors. The purpose of this study is to examine possible improvements in teaching listener behavior to individuals with significant language delays. This investigation compares the effectiveness of two treatments in an alternating-treatment design on the performance of listener behavior in three nonvocal children with autism. Treatments include instructions presented in an auditory (vocal only) condition and a visual and auditory condition, where vocal instructions are presented simultaneously with corresponding American Sign Language (ASL) signs. Participants were all between the ages of five and six at the commencement of this study, and had all experienced a least one year of in-home behavior therapy, but no prior formal sign language training. Results will be reported with respect to rate of acquisition and cumulative targets acquired.

Dementia is a collection of degenerative neurological disorders that result in decreases in cognitive function. They also often result in behavioral excesses, such as verbal or physical aggression, and wandering. Since the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987, which included the nursing home reform act, nursing homes have struggled to find effective non-pharmacological interventions for behavioral excesses typically displayed by older adults with dementia. In recent years, there has been an increase in research in the area of behavioral gerontology, which has begun to demonstrate the effectiveness of behavior analytic interventions for behaviors excesses displayed by older adults with dementia who reside in nursing homes or for community dwelling older adults with dementia (who may be placed in a nursing home if such behaviors continue). This symposium includes talks in four distinct areas related to the treatment of behavioral excesses related to dementia, including: (a) creating restraint free nursing home settings through staff training and its impact across multiple nursing homes; (b) using environmental design to impact way-finding in older adults with dementia who have difficulty finding their rooms; (c) the impact of "elderspeak" on community dwelling older adults and the implications of staff using "elderspeak" on the behavior of nursing home dwelling older adults; and (d) training community dwelling caregivers to conduct functional assessments and work to develop function-based treatments they can implement.

Individuals with dementia residing in long-term care settings are at high risk for being prescribed psychotropic drugs to manage behavioral problems (Kamble et al, 2009; Stevenson, 2010). These drugs can decrease quality of life for these individuals due to adverse effects including sedation, falls, loss of language, and premature death. This presentation reports findings from a program evaluation of a training program in restraint free care for skilled nursing facilities and group homes across the state of Nevada. The goal of the training program is to reduce the use of chemical restraint in the care of individuals with dementia. The program is based on a contextual model emphasizing the: (1) prevention of challenging behaviors, (2) preservation of adaptive behavior, and (3) preventing and reducing excess disability due to factors such as overmedication and untreated pain. To date, training has been provided to staff in eight skilled nursing facilities and 13 group homes. Outcome data, including observations of residents at two long-term care facilities in northern Nevada, pre- and post- self-report measures of staff member knowledge in the application of restraint free care, and facility-wide descriptive statistics on psychotropic drug use at pre-training and three months post-training will be presented.

There is a growing population of older adults with dementia that are residing in long-term care settings. These individuals commonly experience difficulty locating their bedroom as a result of limited learning histories with the care home and ineffective discriminative stimuli to help distinguish individual bedrooms. Ineffective wayfinding abilities may expose elders to safety hazards and may create problems for other residents and staff. The purpose of the current study is to systematically investigate whether recognition and personal relevance of items featured in a memory box will improve room findings abilities of nursing home residents with dementia. Study 1 investigated the ability of 10 elders with moderate to severe dementia to recognize various self-referent stimuli (i.e., young adulthood photograph, middle adulthood photograph, current photograph, and printed name). Study 2 involved a stimulus preference assessment of items that family members endorsed as relevant to the participant's life. In Study 3, eligible participants received either a personalized memory box condition (i.e., best recognized stimuli and highly preferred items) or a general landmark box condition (i.e., non-preferred items and neutral stimuli). Room finding abilities were measured using direct observation techniques. Applied significance of the findings and suggestions for future research will be discussed.

Elderspeak is a form of communication that resembles baby talk directed towards older adults and is very common in nursing homes. Previous research has found that using elderspeak with older adults may have possible negative consequences. The majority of research has investigated elderspeak in nursing homes, while less has attempted to investigate how older adults still living in the community perceive elderspeak. The current study attempted to investigate how community-dwelling older adults perceive elderspeak by recruiting 46 community-dwelling older adults. The participants were randomly assigned to listen to one of two different audio recordings depicting a fictional interaction between a nursing assistant and an elderly person. Half of the participants listened to an audio recording that included elderspeak and the others listened to one that did not use elderspeak. After listening to the audio recordings, participants completed questionnaires regarding their reactions to the recordings. The results supported the hypothesis that participants would perceive the elderspeak scenario to be significantly less respectful compared to a control scenario containing no elderspeak. This study supports previous research which suggests that elderspeak may result in negative reactions from older adults. Future studies should continue to evaluate cultural and gender differences regarding older adults' perceptions of elderspeak. This study applies to a behavioral audience because it suggests that elderspeak could function as an aversive stimulus and be an antecedent to evoke problem behavior. Future research should evaluate the function of elderspeak by conducting an experimental functional analysis in a nursing home setting focusing on caregivers that use elderspeak and the impact it has on their behavior and the effect it has on resident behavior.

Dementia is a debilitating affliction affecting a significant portion of the population of the United States, yet there is a dearth of existent strategies to effectively support caregivers as they struggle with the daily behavioral challenges of caring for a loved one with this condition. Preliminary research shows that the methodology of behavior analytic interventions may represent a potential remedy, and possible alternative to biomedical interventions which present significant health risks with inconsistent results. While behavior analytic treatment for individuals with dementia shows promise, there is a great need for the furthering of research in this area. This concern is specifically evident with regard to the application of functional analysis methodology within this population. To date, only four studies have sought to replicate the use of functional analyses to inform the treatment approaches for individuals with dementia, and all were run by experienced behavior analytic or professional care staff. This study seeks to extend previous research by training two family members providing home-based care to individuals with Alzheimer's disease in functional analysis methodology and behavior analytic intervention practices. Each family member conducted the functional analysis and collaborated with trained behavior analysts to determine and implement intervention strategies based on the results of the analysis. Preliminary results suggest that this consultation process was both effective and highly successful at presenting a socially acceptable means of analyzing problem behaviors, producing positive behavior change for the client, and reducing stress levels for the caregivers.

Becoming proficient with the concepts and principles of behavior analysis can be challenging for even the most diligent student. An instructional method commonly used in college classrooms to facilitate the acquisition and maintenance of skills is active student responding. Active student responding refers to a set of techniques that foster participation and interaction during instruction. Active student responding has been shown to be effective at helping students learn important material. Additionally, active student responding provides the instructor with information regarding the students' understanding of the content. This symposium examines recent research on the effects of two active student responding techniques, SAFMEDS (S-Say, A-all, F-fast, M-minute, E-each, D-day, S-shuffled) and remote responding. The first presentation describes a method to promote stimulus generalization when using SAFMEDS. The second presentation describes the use of SAFMEDS to increase exam scores. The third presentation describes the effects of remote responding on participation and quiz scores. Finally, the implications for college teaching will be discussed.

SAFMEDS (Say All Fast Minute Each Day Shuffled) is an effective instructional technology that can be used in a variety of settings to promote fluent responding. In introductory behavior analysis courses, fluency in basic terminology and definitions may make learning complex material easier. One concern, however, is that if students become fluent in responding to one set of SAFMEDS, stimulus generalization may actually be inhibited. If students learn to quickly provide a term when given a specific definition, those students may not be able to provide the same term if given a different but equally correct definition. We investigated this concern in a college classroom by assessing the extent to which students who were fluent with one set of SAFMEDS could generalize this responding to a novel set of equivalent SAFMEDS. The results indicate that SAFMEDS effectively promoted fluency but that accurate responding did not generalize without explicit programming. The results of this investigation will be discussed as will strategies to promote generalization when using SAFMEDS as an instructional aid.

The use of the Say-All-Fast-Minute-Each-Day-Shuffled procedure (SAFMEDS) to increase exam scores in an applied behavior analysis course was evaluated using an ABAB reversal design. In 2009, control data for exam scores was collected for all exams. During 2010, 40 undergraduate students participated and created their own flashcards for use during class. During the treatment condition in the ABAB reversal design, 15-minute blocks of time during class were dedicated to using the cards during the treatment condition. When the treatment was not in effect, students used the time to participate in group projects instead. Students were also encouraged to use their cards outside of class at their discretion. The use of SAFMEDS increased exams scores, both compared to the previous year and relative to the control condition in the current year. The procedure was also highly popular with the students. The increased use of active student responding during class raises exam scores and encourages student participation over normal lecture methods.

Low active participation and attending has been demonstrated as a problem plaguing higher education classes, regardless of their size. Active student responding has been demonstrated to decrease off-task behavior in the classroom which could be indicative of increased attending to instructor-presented material (Carnine, 1976). However, choral responding in higher education has presented both logistical as well as procedural difficulties. Overall contributions of remote responder systems have been assessed and student self-reports indicate that they increase content understanding, participation, and delivery of feedback, among other things (Nagy-Shadmand & Desrochers, 2008; Trees & Jackson, 2007). The present study extended upon these former studies by taking direct measures of student participation and attending (as measured by post-lecture quiz grades) in two sections of a master's degree level Introduction to Applied Behavior Analysis class. A counter-balanced alternating treatments design was used to compare the effects of remote responders to traditional forms of participation in 28 first-year master's degree level students. Pilot study results indicate that students in both sections participated more during the remote condition; however, results were inconsistent for which condition resulted in higher quiz grades.

Quality behavior analytic instruction is facing a crisis. More children are being diagnosed with autism. Insurance companies now cover behavior analytic services, yet local, state and federal municipalities are cutting funding and rates. Each of these variables has lead to the need for more teacher training to meet demands, without funding to cover the intense training requirements of quality service provision. Behavior analytic services require a certain level of education, training, knowledge and skill in applied behavior analysis. Such training continues to be the hallmark of quality behavior analytic services. However, devising training models that can teach those less experienced in applied behavior analysis (ABA), in a cost effective manner, is a challenge. Behavior analysts adhering to the science and its methodologies to provide services is integral to good teaching and more learning by our students. Each paper presented herein attempts to make staff training more efficient and more effective in this time of shrinking resources coupled with a greater demand for effective service provision.

Teachers providing community intensive behavioral intervention collect data but are not always trained to visually inspect and analyze data in order to modify instruction. Because these teachers are not working in supervised center based programs, opportunities for training and supervision are less frequent. Devising a behavioral skills training package that can be delivered to a group of teachers, in a short period of time, facilitates increased training in less time. The current investigation attempts to replicate the findings of Fisher, Kelley and Lomas (2003) in which a large group of staff was trained to visually inspect and analyze data through the use of a PowerPoint presentation. The current skills training package used a multiple probe design and was conducted with 2 different sets of teachers. Probes of correct data decisions of visual displays were conducted prior to training, following presentation of rules+modeling, rehearsal and feedback conditions. All of the training was presented via PowerPoint in combination with a live trainer. Results suggest that training a group via PowerPoint was effective in increasing teachers ability to make correct data decisions.

Challenges of classroom staff acquiring functional analysis (FA) methodology have included efficiently and effectively training educators to implement functional analyses within the classroom with a high degree of fidelity, while also selecting appropriate function-based treatments to address problem behaviors proficiently. The purpose of this experiment was to examine the effectiveness of video modeling, followed by a data analysis treatment package on the acquisition of FA methodology by classroom staff. A multiple baseline design across 3 participants was used to examine the implementation of FA methodology using the video modeling procedures described by Iwata et al. (2000), followed by a data analysis procedure training package used to teach classroom staff how to systematically analyze FA outcome data and select effective tactics for addressing problem behavior. The independent variable, video modeling, consisted of written materials, lecture, and video modeling followed by a treatment package for visual display analysis and intervention selection. The primary dependent variable was the percentage of correct responses emitted by participants in implementation of FA procedures, and the decrease in the target problem behavior emitted by students following data analysis and tactic selection. Results are presented in terms of FA methodology utilizing video modeling and a data decision training package, its efficiency in training, and subsequent effect on student behavior.

The purpose of this study was to teach special education itinerant teachers (NY) enrolled in a graduate program in behavior analysis how to utilize the verbal behavior of the science when describing visual display as well as how to complete a strategic analysis of learning problems. Finding an effective means of training teachers to acquire these behavior analytic repertoires is of significant importance because of their limited access to regular supervision in the field while working directly with children. This study tested the effects of experimenter-delivered consequences for teacher's accurate use of the verbal behavior of the science and learn unit analysis on subsequent student achievement. Specifically, student achievement was measured through the acquisition of short-term objectives (criteria) on instructional programs which were measured through a multiple probe design. Pre and post-training probes were conducted on student objectives mastered on a weekly basis. During training, five teachers were presented with consequences for correct use of the verbal behavior of the science in describing visual display as well as consequences for instructional decisions made based on learn unit analysis as described by Greer (2002). Training was presented during small group instruction as part of graduate-level coursework and results suggest that teaching these behavior analytic repertoires can be done in a relatively short period of time with successful results for both teachers and students.

Do we know it when we see it? Distinguishing reinforcement from punishment is straightforward enough, but positive versus negative reinforcement is a different story. A 2005 Behavior Analyst article by Baron and Galizio reevaluated the status of the distinction, and inspired a series of commentaries. Galizio begins this symposium with a summary of the major issues: for example, the pragmatic value of the distinction versus the difficulty in assessing it. Fisher discusses usage of these terms and procedures in applied behavior analysis, including results from a new study. Schneider presents her recent research in which the opposing valence of generalization gradients implicated the role of classical conditioning. And Marr expands on his commentary on Baron and Galizios article, putting it all together.

In 1975, Jack Michael argued that the distinction between positive and negative reinforcement was ambiguous, confusing and misleading. He suggested that these adjectives should be dropped from the behavioral vocabulary and that the term reinforcement should be used in unmodified form to describe instances in which consequences strengthen behavior. Thirty years later, Alan Baron and I reconsidered Michael's argument and found that, although his concerns appeared to remain valid, the positive-negative distinction remained in widespread use. Our target article generated responses from a number of behavior analysts, and this talk will recapitulate the arguments of Michael and Baron and Galizio, and consider the responses of behavior analysts who argued to preserve the distinction. Finally, some conceptual, practical and ethical issues raised by the way we talk about reinforcement will be reviewed.

Some behavior analysts have argued that the distinction between positive and negative reinforcement should be abandoned because they regard it as ambiguous and without functional significance, whereas others have contended that the distinction is both useful and sufficiently engrained in our verbal community so that its abandonment is unwarranted and unlikely. Behavior analysts holding either position generally agree on the importance of analyzing the stimulus conditions in effect before and after the target response, regardless of whether or not one uses the adjectives positive or negative to modify the term reinforcement. In this presentation, we will show a series of applied studies using functional analysis methods in an attempt to illustrate the applied value of describing and analyzing the relevant EOs and discriminative stimuli that were present before the target response, while retaining the terms positive and negative reinforcement to describe whether the stimulus change involved the introduction or withdrawal of a functional stimulus following the target behavior. The attached figure shows the results of one such study in which time-based delivery of food and praise acted as an abolishing operation, decreasing the effectiveness of escape from demands as negative reinforcement of problem behavior for three children with autism spectrum disorders.

Newly hatched quail chicks pecked for heat delivery while receiving intradimensional discrimination training; they heard a fast-tempo auditory signal associated with a rich schedule of reinforcement, alternating with a slow tempo associated with a lean schedule. Based on past research, whether regarded as a positive or negative reinforcement procedure, generalization gradients would be expected to be excitatory. After more than six training sessions, this prediction was confirmed. However, after fewer, inhibitory gradients occurred instead. The chicks' rapidly developing thermoregulatory systems may have resulted in a switch from perceived negative reinforcement to positive reinforcement, correlated with a switch from a testing environment experienced as aversive to a more positive context. Classical conditioning effects associated with relevant consequences and/or context are suggested to be potentially important, and independent generalization tests offer a method of assessment. It may sometimes be possible to distinguish positive reinforcement from negative reinforcement in this way.

Extending the principles of behavior analysis to education requires building demonstrations of effective implementation for (a) the whole school student body, (b) targeted groups of students, and (c) the small number of students with the most intense needs. To date the hallmark of applied behavior analysis has been success with those students who need the most intense support. Recently school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) has extended behavioral practices at the whole-school level in over 13,000 schools. This session will focus on the need to better understand the "systems" variables needed to implement rigorous applied behavior analysis across large numbers of schools. Particular focus will be given to the variables needed to ensure that those students with the most intense behavior support needs are part of the effort to design whole-school application of behavioral systems.

The cognitive revolution of the 1950s was allegedly necessary because behaviorist methodologies would never be sufficient to explain “real thinking,” the kind that humans do. To explain real thinking, the argument went, we need to ascribe representations of the environment, which are transformed by rule-governed computational processes. Now, in the face of challenges to computationalism and representationalism from proponents of dynamical modeling, cognitive scientists have begun repeating the very same arguments: although dynamical models may be fine for explaining certain things (like motor control), they can never explain real thinking. In this talk, I face this challenge directly and show, with a series of examples, that dynamical models can explain real, representation-hungry thinking, and they do so without invoking mental representations.

This symposium presents information regarding the different certifications relevant to applied animal behavior (AAB) practitioners, including the Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB), governed by a board parented by the Animal Behavior Society and targeting practice with animals in clinical applied settings, and Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), certification that explicitly targets expertise in behavior analysis. Also included will be a short discussion on the myriad of other certifications in the field. Reviewed will be requirements for each of the recognized boarded certifications, as well as the benefits of each for practitioners, potential clients and other behavior analysts.

The development of a professional certification is a daunting undertaking. To attain any measure of credibility, certification programs should be independent of any educational programs that prepare individuals to meet the certification criteria. It is also important to consider whether it is possible to actually measure competence and/or knowledge, or whether the goal of certification is to set minimum standards for education, experience, and ethics. Professional certification is often the first step before professional licensure but it is important to remember that these are two separate processes. This presentation will provide an overview of the development of two certification programs for individuals involved in the field of pet behavior and training, namely the Animal Behavior Society's certification for Applied Animal Behaviorists, and the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers. These programs will be compared and contrasted regarding their assertions about what their programs measure, certification requirements, relationships to their "parent" organizations, and their relative positions in what is becoming the "alphabet soup" of credentials in this field.

Behavior analysis has much to offer those who work with animals in applied settings. Certification of behavior analysts working in these settings is an important way to convey specific training and experience in behavior analysis. That training and experience is valuable for shaping the behavior of both animals and the humans who care for them. Currently the BACB standards are unclear as to whether students working in applied animal behavior are eligible for certification. In addition, licensure issues may affect behavior analysts working with animals in applied settings insofar as licensure legislation limits the scope of behavior analysis to humans. These issues require careful attention to ensure that the growth of behavior analysis practice is not unduly limited.

There are multiple certifications, arising from various disciplines and with varying entry requirements, currently available to applied animal behaviorists. Within behavior analysis, of course, the board certification from the BACB is the gold standard for our field as practitioners or applied researchers. For applied behavior analysts working with pets and their families, there is great value in maintaining a BCBA, as it binds us explicitly to our primary field of training and our philosophy. Other certifications such as that awarded by the Animal Behavior Society, can envelop applied behavior analysts into the cloth of applied animal behaviorists coming from diverse academic or professional backgrounds and offering similar services to pet owners. For purposes of research collaboration and academic discourse, belonging to this wider group is beneficial. The job of the applied behavior analyst who also is an applied animal behaviorist is to encourage the dissemination of behavior analysis while also welcoming the influence of alternative perspectives on the causes of, and treatments for, pet behavior problems.

Many factors come into consideration when selecting an intervention or assessment. This series of studies examines the relationships between the outcomes of assessments and treatments, and contextual/procedural factors such as setting, diagnosis, reinforcer predictability, as well as the professions of those implementing procedures. Study 1 examines how within session decrements in responding (e.g., those resulting from either satiation or habituation) can be modulated by reinforcer predictability. Study 2 examines how data on the latency of responding can be used to refine interpretations of trial-based functional analysis results. Study 3 examines the degree to which behavior analytic practices in the field of developmental disabilities have changed in response to an increased attention toward individuals with autism. Study 4 evaluates the use of trial-based functional analyses and treatments based on those assessments carried out in a school by an itinerate teacher. As behavioral practices evolve in new contexts, behavior analysts should remain vigilant about changes to those practices and how those changes may in turn affect the quality of assessments and interventions.

Operant behavior has been shown to be more persistent (occur at higher response rates over a longer period of time) when putative reinforcers are varied (e.g., Egel, 1981; Melville, Rue, Rybiski, & Weatherly, 1997). One factor that may affect persistence is the format in which varied reinforcers are presented. Specifically, some researchers have presented reinforcers in predictable sequences whereas others have used unpredictable sequences. In addition, few studies have examined the relationship between preference and the persistence of behavior within-session. This study evaluates the relationship between preference and response persistence as well as the effects of predictable and unpredictable sequences on persistence. Initial results suggest highly preferred stimuli and unpredictable sequences are associated with greater persistence of behavior.

The purpose of this study was two fold. The first purpose was to determine if latency to problem behavior leads to similar interpretations as those based on the occurrence of problem behavior in a trial-based functional analysis. The second purpose was to determine if latency provides further information about the function of behavior. Trial-based functional analyses were conducted with subjects between 4 and 18 years of age with a variety of diagnoses and forms of problem behavior (e.g., aggression, self-injurious behavior, and stereotypy). Initial results suggest that latency and occurrence data lead to similar interpretations but latency data may be used to further differentiate outcomes that appear similar given only occurrence data. The implications of latency as a measure of problem behavior in trial-based functional analysis are discussed.

This work presents an analysis of recent publication trends in the assessment and treatment of individuals with autism. Research, funding, and services in the field of autism have increased substantially over the past several years. This study seeks to describe the degree to which such attention has led to procedural differentiation for individuals with autism as compared to other developmental and intellectual disabilities (i.e., has work in the field of autism created procedures used exclusively with that population or are the procedures suitable for other populations as well). A search was conducted on papers published in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis during the preceding 5 years and the degree of procedural overlap was characterized across individuals with autism and individuals with other developmental disabilities.

Problem behavior in early childhood is associated with academic problems and other negative outcomes later in school (Gettinger & Stoiber, 2006). As with educators who work with older school-aged populations, early childhood educators are mandated by IDEA 2004 to base behavior intervention plans on the outcome of functional behavior assessments (FBA). Although the format of the FBA is not specified by IDEA 2004, the standard functional analysis (FA) developed by Iwata, Dorsey, Slifer, Bauman, & Richman (1982/1994) is considered the gold standard (Mace, 1994). However, early childhood educators may not have access to controlled environments in which to conduct an FA. In those cases, they may wish to conduct a trial-based FA (Bloom, Iwata, Roscoe, Fritz, & Carrea, in press; Iwata & Dozier, 2008). In the current study, an itinerant special education teacher conducted trial-based FAs with three preschool aged children and developed interventions based on the outcomes of the trial-based FAs. In two of three cases, the trial-based FA suggested that problem behavior was maintained by escape from demands and in the third case, it suggested that problem behavior was maintained by access to attention. Differential reinforcement plus extinction was used in all three cases and resulted in reductions in problem behavior and acquisition of the alternative response. Implications for the use of trial-based FA in special education and/or early childhood settings will be discussed.

The Behavior Analyst Certification Board's Guidelines for Responsible Conduct for Behavior Analysts clearly state that practicing behavior analysts should remain current with recent developments in the field of behavior analysis (BACB, 2010). Remaining current in the field is essential for providing good quality, ethical services. Further, it is important for behavior analysts to incorporate that which is learned from the recent literature into their practice for the benefit of the consumers and the community. The purpose of this symposium is to illustrate the application of recently published methods in behavior analysis in applied settings. Three data-based examples of the extension of behavior analytic research will be presented, including the replication of a comparison of paired choice preference assessments and functional analyses in behavioral assessment and treatment development, the use intensive behavioral assessment and intervention for feeding problems in a school setting, and the demonstration of observational learning in a group teaching situation.

Functional analyses (FA) have been used as the gold standard for the assessment of problem behavior (Cooper, Heron & Howard 2007). FAs, however, are not always able to be conducted (e.g., low rate, high intensity problem behavior). Berg et al. (2007) used a paired choice preference assessment to compare the social preferences of four persons with developmental disabilities to results of FAs of problem behavior. Their results indicated that social reinforcers in the choice assessments matched the function identified in the FAs for three of four participants. The purpose of this study is to replicate the results of Berg et al. (2007). Three individuals dually diagnosed with intellectual and disabilities and mental health disorders participated. Ages ranged from 13-18. Functional analyses were conducted for all participants on targeted problem behavior. Paired choice preference assessments also were conducted for all participants. Data indicated that for one of three participants the results of the FA matched those of the choice assessment. Although the results of this study did not replicate those of the Berg et al. (2007) study, the information obtained in the preference assessments for each participant contributed to a greater understanding and interpretation of the motivation for their problem behavior.

Several examples of successful behavioral interventions for pediatric feeding disorders exist. However, most of these studies have occurred in hospital or university-based settings and have used young children as their participants. Restricted food intake, limited variety of intake and the presence of inappropriate mealtime behaviors (e.g., screaming, spitting, turning away from or pushing the feeder) may be seen more frequently with individuals with intellectual disabilities than with individuals who are typically developing. The purpose of this presentation is to provide a brief review of the literature on the behavioral intervention of feeding disorders and to provide a model that has been used in a school-based setting for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Three young children with autism and other developmental disabilities who also presented with severely limited food intake served as the participants. Following the assessment of the feeding problems, exposure and escape-extinction methods were completed resulting in decreased inappropriate mealtime behaviors and increased in food intake.

Group instruction may be an efficient and effective format for teaching children with autism spectrum disorders. Group instruction allows for the possibility of observational learning and as a result children may acquire new skills that aren't directly taught. However, not all students have the prerequisite waiting and attending skills and therefore cannot benefit from observational learning. In the first phase of this study, two participants with autism spectrum disorders were assessed on their ability to wait defined as follows: while teacher is instructing other student at the same table, target student maintains sitting with feet on floor, with no interfering motor or vocal stereotypy. One participant required training and acquired the skill after 40 trials. In the second phase, the participants were each taught a set of sight words in one-on-one sessions. After each of the participants' performances met mastery criteria, they were grouped together, and after observing 2 sessions of maintenance trials for the other student, a probe was conducted. Both participants demonstrated mastery of the sight word sets that were not directly trained after observing four maintenance sessions. The results have implications for instructional arrangements other than one-on-one training; through observational learning in the context of group instruction, students may begin to acquire skills more efficiently.

Elopement can have dangerous consequences for the persons who engage in the problem behavior as well as caregivers who provide supervision. Nevertheless, elopement remains an understudied problem behavior with a relatively few number of assessment and treatment studies. Two of the current papers assessed the value of procedural modifications to the functional analysis procedures as described in Piazza et al.'s (1997) seminal study. One study evaluated the validity of assessing elopement within a single room compared to using multiple rooms; the other study incorporated procedures to eliminate the physical attention component associated with the retrieval of a client following elopement. The latter paper also demonstrated the use of a multiple schedule to increase the practicality of the treatment. A third study demonstrated the effects of using a prompting strategy and differential reinforcement to teach a young child to walk in proximity to an adult, which was incompatible with elopement and was associated with decreases in its occurrence. The importance of these papers to the assessment and treatment of elopement will be discussed by Dr. Gregory P. Hanley, who has published research on and provided clinical services of elopement. He is the current editor of Behavior Analysis in Practice, and a past associate editor of The Behavior Analyst and of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis.

Piazza et al., (1997) described procedures for conducting a functional analysis of elopement that informed the design of subsequent treatments. We systematically replicated Piazza et al.'s functional analysis by incorporating procedural modifications that removed the retrieval of the client following elopement in the tangible, demand, ignore, and toy play conditions. This increased the interval validity of the analysis because the physical attention associated with the retrieval of the client was only present during the attention condition. A 5-year-old girl diagnosed with a pervasive development disability participated, who would elope to unsupervised swimming pools and in unsafe situations (i.e., in parking lots). Her elopement was maintained by access to social-positive reinforcement in the form of vocal attention and access to preferred materials. Two functional communication responses to access adult attention and highly preferred materials were taught. We extended treatment evaluations for addressing elopement by signaling the availability and unavailability of reinforcement using a multiple schedule. The terminal-component durations involved 1 min of reinforcement that alternated with 4 min of extinction, which increased the practicality of treatment implementation.

Functional analyses of elopement (i.e., leaving a specific area without permission) are challenging to conduct, as clients must have repeated opportunities to elope from one room (or area) to another in a safe manner. These analyses often require multiple (adjoining) rooms and retrieval of the client following instances of elopement (e.g., Piazza et al., 1997). Such arrangements may be impractical in some settings. Furthermore, attention or demand delivery in the form of retrieval may confound the results. To address these issues, we used a single-room methodology to evaluate the function of elopement exhibited by two children with autism. The results from this methodology were then compared to the results from a second functional analysis that was conducted with a methodology similar to that used in previous studies. Results indicated that the single-room assessment was a viable alternative for determining the function of elopement.

Elopement is a particularly dangerous behavior in young children who do not discriminate the inherent dangers associated with being separated from their parents or supervising adults. Previous research on elopement has focused on the functional analysis and treatment of this problem in individuals who have already acquired the basic rules related to staying close to and walking with supervising adults. However, for young children with developmental disabilities who have not yet learned those rules, a different approach may be warranted. In the current investigation, we used a treatment package consisting of differential reinforcement and prompts to promote the acquisition of two appropriate responses that are physically incompatible with elopement (walking in close proximity to the supervising adults and stopping when the adult stops) while monitoring elopement in a 3-year-old male with a global developmental disability. The treatment was evaluated using a multiple-baseline-across-therapists design. Results showed that the treatment package produced clear increases in these incompatible responses and concomitant reductions in elopement (i.e., to zero across all therapists). These findings are discussed in terms of the treatment of dangerous responses in young children with disabilities through skill acquisition of appropriate responses that are incompatible with the unsafe problem behavior.

Research indicates that compliance is considered a significant part of childrens socialization, and teachers rate compliance with requests as one of the most important skills for children to exhibit. In addition, research suggests that, gone untreated, noncompliance may contribute to the development of future problem behavior. Unfortunately, caregivers and teachers often struggle with identifying effective methods for improving compliance exhibited by individuals in their care. The studies presented in this symposium evaluate methods for assessing the variables influencing noncompliance and improving compliance. Abby and McKerchar evaluated a systematic method for evaluating the reinforcing effects of attention and escape on noncompliance with preschool children and assessed a treatment based on the results of this analysis. Sy, Donaldson, and Vollmer evaluated the effects of variables associated with instructions on compliance with those instructions for two individuals with autism. Myers, Wilder, Fischetti, Nicholson, Allison, and Leon analyzed the effectiveness of 3-step prompting with 3 children and identified various adjustments necessary to achieve clinically significant improvements in compliance.

Despite the value early educators place on compliance, noncompliance is among the most common forms of problem behavior exhibited by young children. In this study, the effects of attention and escape on noncompliance were evaluated with three children aged 3 to 4 years. After identifying the variables maintaining noncompliance via a functional analysis, the effects of time-out and escape extinction were examined for two participants. Results of the functional analysis indicated that compliance was lowest in the escape condition for all participants, and escape extinction was most effective in increasing levels of compliance during treatment.

Particular variables (e.g., number of objects present) may influence the probability that an instruction will be followed. However, studies that target compliance often neglect to provide information about these variables or note which instructions were delivered during each condition. This can become problematic if instructions associated with a low probability of compliance are more likely to be delivered during baseline and instructions associated with a high probability of compliance are more likely to be delivered during an intervention. Additional analyses evaluating differences in instruction following as a result of features of the instruction are necessary. The purpose of the current study was to examine how variables related to the instruction (i.e., presence of an object, number of objects presented, and number of instructions associated with each object) influenced instruction following of two individuals with autism. We found that compliance was less likely when (a) instructions were not associated with an object; (b) instructions were delivered in the presence of multiple objects, some of which were not related to the instruction; and (c) when objects were associated with multiple instructions. These findings suggest that a number of variables related to the instruction affect compliance independent of prompting and reinforcement.

Least-to-most prompting procedures typically involve progression from a less restrictive method of prompting (e.g., verbal prompt) to a mid-level of restrictiveness (e.g., a model prompt) to a more restrictive prompting method (e.g., "hand-over-hand" guidance). Sometimes called 3-step prompting, this procedure has been shown to be effective to increase compliance in many children (Wilder & Atwell, 2006). However, even this procedure may fail to increase compliance in a timely manner among some children. In the current study, we present data from 3 cases in which a 3-step prompting procedure did not result in improved compliance within a reasonable time frame. Additional procedures, such as elimination of the model prompt, decreasing the amount of time between prompts, and differential reinforcement of compliance with arbitrary items, were needed to increase compliance to acceptable levels in each of these participants. Results are discussed in terms of practical adjustments that can be made to increase the effectiveness of 3-step and other prompting procedures.

We evaluated the effects of teaching preschool children to respond effectively when their name was called (i.e., stopping their activity, making eye contact with teacher, saying "yes," and waiting for the teacher to respond), on their compliance with a variety of typical instructions provided by classroom teachers. We then evaluated the effects of peer mediation on the maintenance of the effective name response. Peer mediation involved teaching the children to either remind one another to engage in the effective name response or praise one another for engaging in an effective name response and was taught with the use of instructions, modeling, role-play, and vocal and visual feedback. We used a multiple baseline across subjects (groups) design with 4 typically-developing preschoolers to determine the effects of teaching the name response on compliance and the effects of peer mediation on the maintenance of the name response. Interobserver agreement was collected for 42% of observations, and averaged 92% across all measures. Results showed that compliance increased as a function of teaching precursors for all children, and that peer mediation was effective at maintaining the name response. Implications for promoting preschooler compliance in the classroom will be discussed.

Over the last 2 decades, behavioral research on language and cognition has expanded upon Skinner's definitions of verbal behavior and the verbal stimulus. The result has been an expansive empirical foundation of basic studies on arbitrarily applicable relational responding. The clinical side of this research program has to date been focused largely on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), but the ACT model may be only one approach to evaluating and treating human behavior from a relational frame perspective. Recent advances in the assessment of implicit cognitions indicate novel methods in the analysis of covert behavior that are leading to new directions in treatment. Translational research on relational responding points to novel ways by which verbal conditioned reinforcers can moderate the generalization of a derived stimulus function to new contexts. In this symposium, three studies rooted in relational frame theory and employing newly developed approaches to the study of complex human behavior will be presented and reviewed.

Psychological flexibility among leaders and other personnel in organizations is beneficial when change is imminent or necessary for survival. Workers displaying resistance to a company's program for change can significantly weaken productivity and market advantage. In large organizations, identifying the sources of resistance to change initiatives can be difficult, as workers often mask their attitudes in a variety of ways. One recently developed approach to obtaining information about what people think and believe is the implicit relational assessment procedure (IRAP). Derived from relational frame theory (RFT), the IRAP predicts attitudinal behavior under pressured conditions by requiring respondents to rapidly identify consistent or inconsistent relations when presented with sample and comparison stimuli. The present study is a field investigation of the utility of a mixed trials version of the IRAP in identifying sectors of a large organization that resist important change initiatives. Results will be used to guide a future analysis of fluency- versus values-based trainings designed to promote desired organizational practices.

This study seeks to contribute to the emerging translational literature base linking basic to clinical applications of arbitrarily applicable relational responding by exploring the generalization of laboratory acquired derived relations to an analogue eating task. Using a computerized matching to sample procedure, most undergraduate participants were able to derive equivalence relations and transfer stimulus functions between nutrition words (e.g., healthy, unhealthy) and arbitrary symbols in the absence of direct reinforcement. Generalization of the acquired derived relations were then assessed by having the participants carry a container of chocolates with them for 24 hours labeled with the same arbitrary symbols used in the laboratory training. Pilot results found that many but not all participants demonstrated differential eating patterns suggestive of relational stimulus control (i.e. significant chi-square for symbol type of chocolates consumed) and ongoing data collection will allow for the identification of moderators of differential eating (e.g., relational fluency). In addition, this study will also explore the role of coherence as a generalized conditioned reinforcer as almost all pilot participants responded in coherent patterns on a pre-test of arbitrary stimulus functions in the absence of programmed reinforcement. Results and implications for future translational work will be discussed.

Kishita et al. (2010) compared the effects of cognitive defusion, a key component in acceptance and commitment therapy, with thought distraction in conjunction with exposure therapy for public speaking anxiety. As with previous studies, participant reports of discomfort and believability of anxiety-related thoughts were assessed via visual analogue scales during a public speaking task. Unique to this study is the use of behavioral measures, a version of the implicit relational assessment procedure (IRAP), to capture the function of such cognitive events. The discrepancy between the implicit and self-report measures of anxiety and the fact that only changes in the implicit measure were correlated with effective overt behaviors highlights the importance of using a variety of methods for assessing variables of interest. However, the changes in the implicit measure only revealed at the end of experiment and not immediately after the intervention. Forty undergraduates participated in further experiment with higher time pressure during IRAP trials which is an important component in measuring the immediate and brief relational responding. The continuous changes in implicit measures were explored to give in-depth consideration to the variability of implicit measures overtime. Data presented here will contribute to empirical verification of assessment methodology for therapeutic changes.

As funding sources dwindle, new avenues need to be paved to obtain services for children who display challenging behavior. State funded grants are a potential source of novel funding, as behavioral interventions can be a cost-effective method of producing significant clinical change in a relatively short period of time.

Through a voter approved tax on cigarettes, First Things First of Arizona awarded over $134.9 million in 2010 to organizations to ensure a solid foundation for children aged 0-5 years (www.azftf.gov). Since 2009, applied behavior analysisservices were awarded a grant to provide short term intervention to families experiencing challenges with their child's behavior. This new funding source seeks to increase parental knowledge and lower familial stress through behavioral intervention. Each family receives 1:1 in-home intervention as well as the ability to participate in group parent training classes to support knowledge learned individually. The need for these services will be discussed as well as the demographics of families entering the program. Treatment length will be examined by type of challenging behavior in order to see potential cost effectiveness of the program.

The effect of one child's behavior problems is wide spread. Often examined is the effect upon parental stress (Hastings, 2002; Dyson, 1996). As part of enrollment in a grant funded behavioral program, each family was required to submit pre and post questionnaires. These include Parental Stress Index (PSI), Parental Locus of Control (PLOC), Knowledge Survey, Confidence Survey, and Behavior Problems Inventory (BPI). Results indicate positive changes in the majority of measures. According to PSI scores, more than 15 families reported a decrease in defensive responding, parental distress, parent-child difficult interaction, difficult child, and total stress. According to the PLOC and confidence survey, more than 15 families reported an increase in confidence levels. According to the BPI, over 15 families reported a decrease in their child's self-injurious behavior, stereotypy, and aggression. Interestingly, the parental knowledge measure decreased across the time of intervention.

Due to the short term nature of the services, an important component is training the caregivers on implementation of their child's intervention plan. It is often thought that providing parents with caregiver training and feedback can reduce their child's maladaptive behaviors (Sanders & Glynn, 1981). The higher the caregiver participation in this training, the higher the probability the protocol will maintain once treatment is terminated. In addition to the in-home caregiver training, classes were offered that addressed early childhood development, common childhood issues, and parenting techniques. Of the 50 plus families enrolled in the program, about 20% attended the caregiver training classes. Of those that attended, about 60% had a child with a diagnosis of autism. Specific barriers prevented other families from being able to attend. Outcome measures were examined in terms of parent participation in classes.

Although known to be effective in changing behavior,applied behavior analysisis often cited as being expensive-often outside of the average family's budget (Chasson et al 2007; Datta, 2010). However, by implementing tailored individualized intervention along with general behavioral parenting classes, effective intervention may be within the reach of more families than first believed. One case study addresses the inappropriate aggression and tantrums of a young boy while increasing manding through differential reinforcement. The second case study addresses inappropriate vocalizations and non-compliance of a young boy through differential reinforcement and time-outs. Cases are discussed in terms of outcome, time investment, and potential cost implications.

In behavioral treatment, practitioners strive to administer reinforcers and punishers immediately and according to predetermined schedules. Unfortunately, due to human error, target behaviors sometimes go undetected and consequences are not always administered optimally. We describe the use of various forms of technology to detect behavior and administer reinforcers and punishers. We used a money system of reinforcement, as well as a level system, to treat both academic and problem behaviors. Students earned money for achieving predetermined rates of responding on various academic subjects. Students also both earned and were fined money for nonacademic behaviors. We also used a level system with 18 levels, each of which corresponded to certain reinforcers, privileges, and safety requirements. We demonstrate the automated delivery of food reinforcers contingent upon academic performance specified by the teacher or treating clinician. We describe the modification of a music player to operate only when specific behaviors, incompatible with problem behaviors, occur continuously. We show a device allowing for the administration of negative punishment through the remote disabling of IPODs, CD players, and other electronic equipment. Finally, we describe a procedure and relevant technology for treating refractory problem behaviors and overcoming previous adaptation to an aversive stimulus.

Seventy students in a residential treatment program were reinforced with money for achieving individualized target rates correct and incorrect in academic subjects. Upon meeting an academic aim, a dollar amount tailored to the academic task and student was added to the student's balance which was visible at all times on the student's computer screen. A response cost was arranged for each inappropriate behavior. Students earned amounts ranging as high as $139 dollars a week and averaged $30 per week. At the end of the academic week, students used the money any way they wanted to-e.g., to save it, to shop online, to order restaurant food, or to purchase gifts, clothing and other items from a retail store on campus. The results are summarized using individual standard charts and descriptive statistics.

We used a level system to decrease major inappropriate behaviors and increase desired behaviors of adolescents with severe behavior/psychiatric problems within a residential treatment program. We created 18 levels, each of which was associated with a certain set of reinforcers, privileges, and safety requirements. Students were initially assigned to a level that allowed them to access a wide range of reinforcers, activities, and privileges. By showing appropriate behaviors, students were able to advance to higher levels. When students displayed aggression or other inappropriate behaviors, students were dropped to lower levels. Students who were dropped to the beginning levels were required to comply with demands and refrain from all inappropriate behaviors. By demonstrating self-management skills, compliance with requests, and absence of problem behaviors, students were able to reach the highest levels. Data describing problem behavior frequency, physical restraint frequency, regression probability, and other dependent variables will be presented.

In behavioral treatment, practitioners strive to administer reinforcers immediately after the occurrence of targeted behaviors and according to predetermined schedules. Unfortunately, due to practical considerations such as staffing levels or human error, target behaviors sometimes go undetected or consequences are not optimally administered. One strategy to enhance the consistency and reliability of consequence administration is to use electronic devices to detect behaviors and automatically arrange the consequences. We demonstrate the automated delivery of food reinforcers contingent upon academic performance specified by the teacher or treating clinician. We describe the modification of a music player to operate only when specific behaviors, incompatible with problem behaviors, occur continuously. We show a device allowing for the administration of negative punishment through the remote disabling of Ipods, CD players, and other electronic equipment. And we describe various devices that alert attending staff members that appropriate or inappropriate behaviors occurred.

To achieve the best possible outcomes as adults, students with autism must, by age 22, already possess critical life skill competencies, but little attention has been paid to creating effective IEP/ITPs for transitional students. Life skills checklists can include thousands of entries, so the selection of manageable IEP/ITP goals must be governed by something which maximizes both current and continued skill acquisition, generalization and maintenance. Rosales-Ruiz and Baer's behavioral cusp (1997; further developed by Bosch & Fuqua, 2001) is one such principle, and this panel will discuss its use in designing and implementing the IEP/ITP and behavior plan of an 18-year-old man with autism attending a non-public school for students ages 14-22. Seventeen IEP goals were selected based on socially significant and generative skills, i.e. behavioral cusps, determined to be necessary for the student's successful participation in both his current educational program and future academic, vocational, domestic, social, and recreational activities. Each speaker will: focus on specific IEP/ITP goals, including baseline and intervention data; address the behavior analytic principles applied during each phase, including prompt fading; consider teaching methods and data collection procedures sensitive to behavioral cusps; and discuss the validity of the a priori designation of the goals as behavioral cusps.

Theoretical analyses of the development of numerical representations suggest that playing linear number board games, akin to Chutes and Ladders, should enhance young children's numerical knowledge. Consistent with this prediction, playing such a game for roughly 1 hour increases low-income, urban preschoolers' proficiency on a diverse set of numerical tasks: numerical magnitude comparison, number line estimation, counting, and numeral identification. The gains remain present 9 weeks later and are equally strong for African-American and Caucasian children. Playing an identical game, except for the squares varying in color rather than number (akin to Candy Land), does not improve performance on any measure. Moreover, preschoolers' amount of home experience playing number board games is positively correlated with their numerical knowledge, whereas their experience playing card games and video games is not. Consistent with the hypothesis that children are acquiring a mental number line, playing linear board games leads to greater learning than playing circular games. Thus, playing linear, numerical board games with children from low-income backgrounds appears to increase their numerical knowledge and helps them start school on a more equal footing with classmate from more affluent backgrounds.

Functional relations between an animal's environment and its behavior are established, maintained, altered, and elaborated by experience because it has a nervous system. Behavioral neuroscience is the investigation of how the nervous system participates in and accounts for functional relations between environment and behavior. Neuroscience is becoming an increasingly behavioral enterprise, as indicated by recent neuroscience research on the process of reinforcement, which I will review in this presentation. Then I present a selective survey of how the neural mechanisms of reinforcement participate in complex operant behavior, followed by examples of the application of behavioral neuroscience to human problems. I conclude with a discussion of the unique conceptual difficulties behavior analysts face when they try to integrate behavioral theory with behavioral neuroscience.

According to the standard view in psychology, sensation refers to the basic effects of stimuli on sensory receptors and perception refers to how we, or our brains, interpret the sensory experience. The term "interpret" doesn't really specify what the individual does, leaving psychologists to infer that perception is a cognitive process. The radical behavioral approach is to examine what someone does when he or she is said to "perceive" some stimulus. Thus, for radical behaviorists, perception is more parsimoniously viewed as behavior (whether overt or covert) under the control of stimuli (whether public or private). In this talk, I tackle the thorny problem of auditory perception, in particular listening to speech and music, from a behavior-analytic perspective. I first distinguish between sensation (as sensory transduction) and perception (as behaviors under stimulus control). I then contend that both auditory perception and imagining involve sub-vocal behaviors and, moreover, that when we report imagining voices or music, we are responding verbally to our own sub-vocal behaviors (self-singing and self-talking). Finally, I describe the results from a variety of brain imaging studies which lend support to the claim that listening and auditory imagining involve sub-vocal behaviors.

Three presentations analyzing the effectiveness of using an acoustical stimulus in conjunction with reinforcement in various teaching strategies will be presented. Standard teaching curricula are typically based on the use of shaping and other operant conditioning procedures. One way to augment these procedures is to pair an auditory stimulus with the delivery of reinforcement to "mark" the correct response or behavior. TAGteach is a technology based on the use of unique phrasing and "markers" or auditory stimuli paired with the delivery of reinforcement to teach new behaviors. TAG stands for Teaching with Acoustical Guidance and is discussed in Dr. Julie Vargas' new book, Behavior Analysis for Effective Teaching. Practitioners of TAGteach argue for its effectiveness in many endeavors across a wide range of populations. The first presentation will discuss the use of TAGteach combined with currently accepted technologies for teaching early learning curriculum to young children with autism. The second presentation will highlight the benefits of inserting an acoustical marker into direct instruction curricula for the purpose of precisely marking behaviors of interest for reinforcement and increase rates of student responding. The third presentation examines the impact of "shaping" training on teacher motivation and student performance.

Given the decline in education budgets, increasing teacher motivation via monetary means is difficult. If we set aside finance and prestige, what is reinforcing to a teacher? A study by Cheeseman, 2008, suggests that student success is a key factor in keeping teachers motivated. We can teach teachers to systematically set students up for incremental and quantitative success, thereby providing reinforcement for themselves. Properly done, shaping can provide the stage for these incremental successes, but there is an art to shaping human behavior that is rarely schooled. Defining and breaking down an end goal, crafting individual pieces of behavior that are appropriate to a particular learner, providing instant feedback and reinforcement is a skill like all behavior that can quickly become punishing if not learned in a skilled, reinforcing manner. This presentation describes basic shaping techniques to teachers in various fields. Video demonstrations will highlight specific techniques that may encourage teachers to use shaping and conditioned reinforcers in the classroom.

TAGteach is an operant conditioning method for teaching a variety of new skills. TAGteach utilizes small mechanical noisemakers as markers for behaviors of interest during shaping procedures. The acoustical marker is used during acquisition phases of teaching a new behavior, to allow a learner to rapidly identify the precise behavior of interest that will likely result in reinforcement. The contingent delivery of a reinforcer must occur in conjunction with the behavior it is meant to strengthen. The timing of these reinforcers for a particular response is of upmost importance as the arrival of the reinforcer contains valuable information for the learner (i.e., "do that again"). Audible markers, commonly used in TAGteach, serve as conditioned reinforcers that act as the bridging stimulus between the production of the target behavior and the backup reinforcer. This increased precision and immediacy maximizes the impact of shaping procedures, which are arguably a cornerstone of teaching and training. This data-based presentation will highlight the benefits of TAGteach in terms of student programming for skill acquisition and the use of an audible conditioned reinforcer to mark and improve student performance.

In the 1940s, Bailey and Breland observed that animal training was often hindered because more traditional approaches of praise and reward did not inform the animal of its success with the promptness and precision required to create the cognitive connections or contingency-relationships for clearer, quicker, and more efficient learning. It is likely that similar obstacles to learning are present using such traditional approaches when working with and attempting to teach children on the autism spectrum. Acoustical markers, commonly used in both TAGteach and animal clicker training are often used as both intermediate (marking the precise moment behavior begins to move towards the target behavior) and terminal (marking the instant a target behavior has been performed) bridges between desired behavior and backup reinforcers. The immediacy of acoustical markers can allow a teacher to more precisely mark behaviors of interest at the exact moment in time that they occur. This data-based presentation will highlight the effects of inserting an acoustical marker in order increase the rate of student responding in direct instruction curricula.

Three key issues for sustaining efforts to implement quality behavior analysis in public school settings include verification of outcomes across students, effective staff training and empirical support for individual treatment designs. Three studies summarizing efforts in Pennsylvania public schools will serve to provide examples of effective tactics in public education settings to address these issues. Support for the inclusion of the analysis of verbal behavior in guiding programming decisions for students as well as in staff training processes will be discussed. Student progress in a classroom newly implementing interventions derived from applied behavior analysis employing an analysis of verbal behavior will demonstrate the value of systematic approaches to instructional design, well organized data systems, and staff training. Performance-based staff training as a central component of instructional outcomes will be described and linked to level of instructional implementation. Finally, the process of evaluating methodology, particularly the role of stimulus blocking during mand training will highlight the process of detailed behavior analysis at the level of the individual student. Integrating systematic and conceptually consistent interventions for students with autism in public schools will be presented as a standard of practice.

A case study reviewing the effectiveness of including the analysis of verbal behavior in a school-based program for students with autism will be summarized. Criterion referenced outcomes onthe Verbal Behavior Milestone Assessment and Placement Program pre to post performance will be presented for at least six individual students. Results will include pre to post standardized ratings on the teacher scale of the Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Behavior Inventory (PDD-BI) for six students over the course of a single school year (2009-2010). Additionally, within program cumulative graphs, specific skill acquisition for students will be summarized. Outcomes will be presented in relation to treatment fidelity measures and staff training procedures. The classroom involved in this study was started by the local school district in the fall of 2009. Classroom staff had no previous experience in implementing interventions derived from the field of applied behavior analysis or in the inclusion of the analysis of verbal behavior as a conceptual tool for developing and monitoring language programs. Results suggest that the provided programs produced reasonable outcomes for all of the students involved in a relatively short period of time.

An analogue model of performance based training in establishing instructional fidelity will be reviewed. The model includes methods for training multiple instructional competencies for teaching the verbal operants including ability to label trial type, errorless teaching procedures, mand training procedures, and skills related to data organization and analysis. A description of training processes will be provided. Data will be presented demonstrating the effectiveness of the training process on individual participants as well as suggesting a relation between staff having had the training and level of programmatic implementation. Initial site review processes have provided data on implementation of program components for classrooms not having received the training. This data will also be presented for comparison purposes. All participants in the training model demonstrated acquisition of almost all targeted competencies. Additionally participants demonstrated a significant gain in their ability to identify and state behavioral concepts guiding instruction derived from the field of applied behavior analysis.

A goal of many language training programs is to develop a mand repertoire in children with autism or developmental disabilities. The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a difference in mand acquisition in early learners when they are taught to mand using an echoic prompt versus an intraverbal plus echoic prompt. An alternating treatment design across conditions was used to compare the rate of mand acquisition between the two different teaching procedures. All participants showed slower acquisition when mands were taught using the intraverbal plus echoic prompt. As suggested by Sweeney-Kerwin et al, the programming of multiple controlled mands should be analyzed with specific stimulus control fading procedures. There may be several types of stimulus control involved in the evoking of mand responses, such as using the intraverbal prompt "What do you want?" Some forms of stimulus control may lead to slower rates of skill acquisition or be harder to fade. The results will be discussed in relation to the concept of stimulus blocking. This study was completed in public school settings and supports the notion that the analysis of verbal behavior can be used to adjust programs for individual students with autism.

Stereotypy can be a challenging behavior to decrease, particularly when it is maintained by the sensory consequences the response itself produces. One intervention that has proven to be an effective treatment in reducing the rate of stereotypy for individuals diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) but has not received much attention is response interruption and redirection (RIRD). The purpose of this symposium, chaired by Kathy Clark of the New England Center for Children, is to examine RIRD and its effects on automatically-maintained stereotypy and to compare it with other interventions. The first paper, presented by Lesley Macpherson of California State University, Sacramento, compares the effects of vocal and motor RIRD on vocal stereotypy. The second paper, presented by Diana Parry-Cruwys of The New England Center for Children, compares two redirection procedures for treating motor stereotypy in children with autism. The third paper, presented by Jessica Love of California State University, Sacramento, examines the effects of manipulating motivating operations and RIRD on vocal stereotypy. The last paper, presented by Rachel Farber of The New England Center for Children, compares the effects of RIRD and differential reinforcement of other (DRO) behavior on motor stereotypy.

Stereotypy has been defined as repetitive vocal or motor behaviors that are noncontextual with invariant topographies. One of the interventions to address stereotypy consists of the use of a response interruption and redirection (RIRD). RIRD consists of demands that interrupt and redirect inappropriate vocalizations. The purpose of this study was to extend the research on RIRD by implementing vocal and motor RIRD contingent upon the occurrence of vocal stereotypy, and comparing each procedure's effectiveness. Appropriate vocalizations were observed for concomitant increases as well. Data were examined using a reversal design to compare the effects of treatment to when treatment was removed. An alternating treatments design was also used for 2 participants to more thoroughly compare the two RIRD procedures. Results suggested that the RIRD package was at least a moderately effective intervention to reduce stereotypy for 4 out of 5 participants. Additionally, findings suggest that the topography of demands to interrupt stereotypy did not significantly differ, and that appropriate vocalizations increased for 2 participants.

Response blocking has been successful in redirecting automatically maintained behavior such as hand mouthing (Reid, Parson, Phillips, & Green, 1993). Participants were 3 boys with autism (ages 4-7) who engaged in automatically maintained stereotypic behavior (motor stereotypy and hand/object mouthing). In the current study, two response interruption and redirection procedures (RIRD) were compared: a standard RIRD procedure with contingent gross motor imitation (a variation of Ahearn, Clark, MacDonald, & Chung, 2007), and an RIRD procedure with physical guidance to play appropriately with toys. Levels of stereotypic behavior and appropriate engagement were measured. The most effective treatment was then applied to the students' behavior in their general classroom.

Two procedures that have been found to effectively reduce rates of vocal stereotypy are response interruption and redirection (RIRD) and matched stimulation (MS). The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effects of RIRD alone, MS alone, and MS + RIRD. Two 8-year-old boys with autism participated in the study. Data were analyzed using a component analysis within a reversal design. Results for Participant 1 suggested equivalent suppressive effects for all treatment components on rates of vocal stereotypy. For Participant 2, a slightly greater suppression of stereotypy was associated with MS + RIRD. For both participants, greater frequency of appropriate vocalizations was associated with conditions containing an RIRD component. Data were also collected on the number of implementations of RIRD per session. For Participant 1, MS + RIRD and RIRD alone were approximately equivalent in the number of implementations. For Participant 2, MS + RIRD was associated with significantly lower implementations than for RIRD alone. The data suggest the treatment package of MS + RIRD may facilitate the implementation of RIRD in applied settings; however replication with additional participants is needed.

Motor stereotypy can be a challenging behavior to decrease, particularly when the behavior is maintained by the sensory consequences the response itself produces. Response interruption and redirection (RIRD) has proven to be an effective treatment in reducing the rate of stereotypy for individuals diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. Though it is an effective treatment, the RIRD procedure is very staff intensive to implement. Additionally, low treatment integrity could have detrimental effects on the outcome of the treatment. Differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) is another effective treatment used to reduce the rate of stereotypy. DRO is not a staff intensive procedure; however, it is not always an effective treatment when used alone. The current study compared the effects RIRD and DRO have on the rate of motor stereotypy in an ABAB design with both treatments being implemented in the B phase. Three students diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder participated. Our findings demonstrated that the treatment of motor stereotypy is idiosyncratic to the individual. For 2 participants, the RIRD procedure was significantly more effective while for the other participant the DRO was effective.

Functional behavior assessment (FBA)and function-based interventions have a wealth of research supporting its use with a variety of subjects and situations. Until the last decade, however, most of the FBA research has been conducted in highly controlled, analog situations and the practices are often difficult to apply in community settings that are more chaotic and less orderly. This symposium will present three research studies exploring applications of FBA technology in varied community contexts. The first presentation will describe a study that developed a function-based intervention plan for a very young child exhibiting significant behavior problems in a preschool setting. The second presentation will discuss a recently completed randomized controlled trial of a standardized FBA process for use with students having challenging behaviors in school settings. The final presentation will provide outcomes of a study that used functional analysis derived behavior interventions to reduce the number of adolescents who runaway from foster care placements.

This session will provide a description of an assessment basedpositive behavior support intervention for a 5-year-old boy, labeled as developmentally disabled, who exhibited challenging behavior in his inclusive preschool classroom. The classroom was already incorporating strategies associated with the pyramid model of tier level interventions to promote student engagement and child social emotional skills. Although these pyramid model strategies were being implemented with high levels of fidelity, the participant child was still experiencing difficulties completing certain daily activities without challenging behavior. An individual assessment-based package intervention was developed utilizing the process of positive behavior support reflecting top of the pyramid level of classroom support. All support plan intervention components were developed as a team based on the completed functional assessment process, with resulting package intervention strategies implemented by the preschool teacher during daily pre-academic activities. Data were collected pre-post intervention and demonstrate changes in child behavior and work completion. Individual child data and an accompanying video clip demonstrating implementation of package intervention will also be shared.

Although functional behaviour assessment (FBA)-based interventions have extensive research supporting its use with students experiencing severe behaviour problems, schools continue to struggle with developing effective behaviour intervention plans. Prevent-Teach-Reinforce (PTR) is a standardized FBA process that allows teachers, with the assistance of a behavior consultant, to guide the development and implementation of function based behavioral interventions for students. A randomized control group design was used to investigate whether PTR was more effective than the typical interventions used in school settings. The sample included 200+ K-8 students who exhibited severe problem behaviors. PTR included a process for developing a function-based intervention plan that included three core components: (a) preventing problem behaviors; (b) teaching replacement behaviors; and (c) reinforcing replacement behaviors. Interventions were selected by teachers, who received direct coaching to implement the plan. GLM repeated measures data analysis indicated that students who received PTR showed significantly greater improvements (p <.001) in problem behaviors, social skills and academic engaged time ratios than the comparison group. Almost all teachers implemented interventions with 80% fidelity. Furthermore, teachers gave the PTR intervention high social validity ratings and preferred it to the interventions they were using previously. This research is anticipated to contribute to the field by providing data that are obtained from both experimental randomized group and single subject designs that support the use of a collaborative problem-solving FBA process in schools.

A significant problem in the field of child protection is that of teenagers running from their foster placements. In this presentation, it is argued that a functional and behavior analytic approach could be effective in reducing the problem of runaways. A functional approach involves conducting assessments regarding the motivations for running, involving the teens themselves in the assessment process, and implementing subsequent interventions designed to make the placements more appealing to the youth, thereby reducing the probability of running. As an early demonstration of this approach, 13 adolescents with histories of running participated in the functional interventions. Data on placement changes and days on the run showed significant pre-post differences. The total percent of days on the run for the group decreased from 40% of days in baseline to 11% of days post-intervention. Individual data using a pre-post design will also be presented to illustrate the process of intervention with three severe cases of running. The approach is discussed in terms of the potential benefits of a functional and behavior analytic perspective on foster care and child protection

Variable responding is a necessary condition for the selection, reinforcement, and refinement of behavior. Given this necessity, the current symposium will consist of four presentations addressing variable responding as a function of extinction conditions. Data collected regarding extinction-induced variability with children with autism and college students will be discussed. Implications for future research and practice will also be presented.

Behavior variability supplies the means by which a totally new behavior can gradually be shaped. Shaping uses reinforcement and extinction in combination with a systematically changing set of response criteria to reinforce responding differentially. Percentile schedules of reinforcement break down shaping into its constituent components, making rules for more consistent and precise identification of a criterion response for reinforcement. These ideas were assessed in a study that used percentile schedules to shape eye-contact duration in three boys with autism. The percentile schedules were implemented on a laptop computer, requiring the values of two parameters to be pre-specified: the probability of reinforcing a criterion response (w), and the number of prior observations (m) to be included into the calculations; according to Equation k = (m+1) (1-w), w was set to .5 and m was set to.3. In all cases, eye-contact duration was high but variable across phases. The implications of these results, and a demonstration of software using percentile schedules to implement the shaping technique, will be presented in this symposium.

Deficits in eye contact are common in individuals diagnosed with autism. Although behavioral based interventions have been employed to increase eye contact in this population, no studies to date have describe a specific procedure for increasing eye contact in children with autism. In this study, the effects of extinction-induced response variability and stimulus generalization on eye contact for 5 children with autism were evaluated. A multiple baseline across subjects design was employed to evaluate the effects of the proposed intervention. Results showed that extinction of mands increased eye contact for three participants. Implications for future research are discussed.

It has been established that variable responding is an essential feature of our interactions with the physical and social environment. Unfortunately, this feature of behavior is not readily apparent in the behavior of children with autism. Literature discussing variability in the responses of children with autism suggests that extinction may not be sufficient to induce response variability as it has been with typically developing individuals. Given this likelihood, steps should be taken to determine the most efficient means to evoke variable responding by children with autism including how this feature can generalize to other responses and conditions. Thus, a procedure was developed to examine variable responding under extinction conditions and to later teach variable responding with children diagnosed with autism across three different response forms (response location, building block formation, and vocal response to a social question). Reinforcement for invariable responding preceded a period of extinction. Following extinction, variable responding was reinforced using a Lag 2 schedule. Lastly, variable responding under another extinction condition was evaluated. A multiple baseline across responses design was utilized for each participant. Results concerning variability arising from the combination of reinforcement for invariable responding and extinction and from the combination of reinforcement for variable responding and extinction will be discussed. Suggestions for future research and interventions for children with autism will also be provided.

Response variability is an integral part of an organism's interactions with its surrounding environment. Once source of variable behavior is described as extinction-induced. Though response variability has been examined with a variety of organisms as an induced effect of omitting a reinforcer, little information has been collected regarding variability as an induced effect of extinction conditions where the reinforcer-response dependency is removed while the reinforcer remains (i.e., noncontingent reinforcement). In addition, limited knowledge exists regarding the effects baseline reinforcement schedules have on subsequent extinction-induced response variability. A procedure was therefore developed to assess the effects of such variables on the extinction-induced response location variability emitted by college students performing a simple computer task. Results suggest specific relationships between various reinforcement conditions and extinction conditions as they related to induced variability. Suggestions for future research and applied implications are provided.

The use of restraint and seclusion time out to manage dangerous behavior with children and adults with special needs have been and continue to be controversial procedures. When used with the proper training, supervision, and consent, restraint and seclusion can be important components of humane and ethical interventions; when abused, however, restraint and seclusion can cause significant harm. Even when used appropriately, ethical and best practice guidelines call for the fading and/or withdrawal of such interventions as soon as it is safe to do so. The papers of this symposium provide several case studies involving procedures for reducing and eliminating the use of seclusion time out. These case studies investigate systematically decreasing the duration of time out, teaching a socially appropriate, functionally-matched alternative response (requesting a break), and contingency manipulations. The advantages and disadvantages of each procedure are discussed, as well as considerations for the safety of the staff and students.

Although guidelines have been developed to ensure the proper implementation of restraints and exclusionary time-out procedures, research on ways to fade or decrease them is lacking in the current literature. The current project is a case study evaluating a systematic way to decrease the duration of time-outs for an adolescent diagnosed with pervasive development disorder. Multiple factors were taken into consideration when deciding on the initial duration of the time-out procedure, including the severity of the participant's problem behavior, injuries to employees during physically interventions, and the duration of the attention extinction portion of the participant's level program prior to the addition of the time-out procedure. Based upon these factors, a 59 min time-out was used. Once problem behavior decreased to low and stable levels, the duration of the time-out was faded by progressively increasing the work requirement following a time-out while decreasing the duration of the opened and closed-door portions of the time-out. The results of this case study suggest that practitioners should continue to consider ways to fade restraints and exclusionary time-outs, especially as rates of problem behavior occur at acceptably low levels and students are preparing to enter adult placement.

Although time out is used to safely manage dangerous behavior (e.g., aggression or environmental destruction potentially leading to the harm of staff or students) even under the best circumstances time out carries the risk of harming those it is used to protect. Additionally, these procedures are often used regardless of the function of the dangerous behavior for which it is prescribed. For this reason as well as others, the reduction or elimination of time out is a common goal for schools and agencies using such measures. One method for reducing and eventually eliminating time out for escape-maintained behavior is to introduce a functionally appropriate alternative response in the form of requesting a break. In this paper, we review data from one case in which we shaped a functional break response as an alternative to a time out procedure. Procedures for determining how and when to use this alternative, and the risks and benefits of this procedure are discussed.

Ethical guidelines for applied behavior analysts dictate that reinforcement-based procedures are utilized before more intrusive response-reduction procedures (BCBA Guidelines: 4.10 Least Restrictive Procedures). Further, there have been moves in the legislature to restrict the use of physical restraint and seclusion time-out procedures (603 CMR 46.00). Thus, behavior analysts are faced with the dilemma of maintaining client and staff safety during episodes of severe challenging behavior while operating within these ethical and legislative constraints. The current paper outlines two case studies in which behavior analytic programming and modifications to safety guidelines were used to successfully reduce the use of restrictive time-out procedures for two teenage males that engaged in dangerous problem behavior that was hypothesized to be maintained by attention. A multi-element design was used to assess the effects of the program changes. Results show time release criteria in conjunction with behavior contingencies were effective in reducing the duration of exclusionary time out procedures. Results also show a decrease in the overall frequency of exclusionary time out procedures for both participants.

The expanse between basic research and clinical application is a void to be filled not merely by empirical work, but also agreement in the ways that we talk about behavior and conditioning processes. Foundational to this agreement is clarity about one's philosophical assumptions and the development of a precise technical vocabulary. Even then, extrapolation of this language into applied domains can be challenging, especially when attempting to communicate with other professionals outside of the behavior analytic tradition or when working with clients. This symposium will present discussions related to: (a) Skinner's (1945) approach to the defining of psychological terms by analyzing the conditions that occasion their use; (b) the need for functional and contextual, rather than formal, definitions of escape and avoidance; (c) the influence of variables related to rule-contact on subsequent rule-following; and (d) a review of factors that may inhibit or minimize the inclusion of derived stimulus relations in programming for applied behavior analytic practice.

The contingencies that describe escape and avoidance have been extensively discussed in the literature, and yet distinctions between these phenomena are not readily captured by our working definitions. In some cases, these definitions include formal references and therefore stray away from functional sensibilities. In other cases, critics contend that the distinctions are unnecessary, particularly as a matter of clinical relevance. Furthermore, verbal contingencies offer a new level of complexity in defining avoidance. In this presentation, functional and contextual definitions will be offered for escape, avoidance, and experiential avoidance. The clinical relevance of this activity will be discussed in respect to the goals and purposes of clinical behavior analysis.

Clinical behavior analysts often let go of technical ways of speaking. Precise as they may be, technical terms are not always the best way to sensitize clients (or other clinicians) to the behaviors and contexts of interest. There is an assumption that clinical terms can be linked to basic behavioral processes. However, sometimes that assumption is as far as the link goes. Skinner (1945) offered a radical approach to defining psychological terms. From a radical behavior analytic perspective, an operational definition of a psychological term is reached by analyzing the conditions that occasion its use. This approach may be of particular use to clinical behavior analysts striving to develop behavioral definitions of clinical terms. We will adopt Skinner's approach to defining the term "making space" by considering the conditions under which we use it. The definition (and the practice of defining in this way) will be evaluated in terms of clinical utility.

The development of relational frame theory (RFT) from behavior analytic roots is evident when looking to the scientific system involved. With its truth criterion of successful working, or rather utility, one would think it safe to assume that RFT would find a comfortable home in the programming books of behavior analysts. However few behavior analysts seem willing to take a look at the approach, or more importantly, how it can aid them in their efforts to affect change with the individuals they serve. The root of this may be found in multiple factors; some political, some practical. This paper will focus on discussion of the roadblocks along practical avenues. Of primary interest will be (a) clinician's disconnect with basic behavioral science and how it can feed their application, (b) misunderstanding of the basic process involved in shaping derived relational responding (both with individual units and as a generalized repertoire), and, (c) subsequent construction of programming that will build relational responding as operant behavior and facilitate the deriving of relations between stimuli. We will utilize a protocol for building perspective taking skills as a model for our discussion of these three areas.

Rules, rule-following, and rule-governed behavior have received a great deal of theoretical and empirical attention in the behavior analytic literature. Much of this attention has focused on the conditions under which one engages in rule-following and has been provided from a number of different conceptual frameworks. This paper proposes that rule-following may be seen as being comprised of separate yet related behaviors (i.e., rule-contacting, rule-stating and rule-compliance). The paper outlines multiple potential influences on the probability that a person will engage in rule-compliance exist, including the conditions under which one contacts or learns a rule (e.g., instructions, shaping, derived, self-generated). The authors suggest that separately examining the behaviors of rule-contacting, rule-stating, and rule-compliance as components of rule-following may allow therapists and educators to work more successfully.

The competent learner model (CLM) integrates the behavior analysis, direct instruction, and precision teaching practices that when applied systematically serve to develop the competent learner repertoires of learners for whom typical instructional conditions are not effective. The CLM has effectively served teachers, parents, and learners facing severe learning challenges in special education classrooms and homes. The CLM course of study was developed as a key component supporting the successful implementation of the CLM. This symposium focuses on transforming the CLM course of study so that it can serve the needs of general education teachers as they face the challenges of teaching whole classes of students that include students with special needs. The first paper describes how the development of the competent learner repertoires can be related to academic achievement and social functioning. The second paper describes how to assess the coaching process in the CLM course of study to assure that participants are being coached to mastery of the behavior analysis practices developed by the course. The third paper describes how to present the behavior analysis practices in the CLM course of study so that they communicate clearly to general education teachers.

American public schools must develop learners who are successful with the new century's complexities. One of the critical obstructions to this for any school in any location, serving students of any socio-economic status, is the assortment of behavior problems. The competent Learner model (CLM) includes a course of study that may provide an efficient and practical answer for teachers to be able to productively deal with multiple behavior challenges in their classrooms. The CLM develops seven competent learner repertoires that allow students to become competent learners. This presentation will examine this assumption by describing how the relation between the level of development of the competent learner repertoires and academic achievement and/or social adjustment in the public school setting can be assessed. The assessment of learners' level of competent learner repertoire development may be accomplished by using the Competent Learner Repertoire Assessments that were developed specifically for this purpose. The assessment of the learners' current academic achievement and social adjustment may be accomplished by using existing measures that are routinely taken for every student in every public school classroom across the country. An example of this process in a particular public school will be used as an illustration.

The Competent Learner Model (CLM) Course of Study has been developed to assure the fidelity of implementation of the CLM. It has been used to develop the pertinent behavior analysis, direct instruction, and precision teaching skill sets for caregivers, parents, and teachers. It is important to develop a means to measure the quality of the coaching that is an essential part of the course. The purpose of this paper is to describe the development of a means to objectively, consistently, and quantitatively measure the quality of the coaching in the CLM Course of Study. This can assist people who serve as coaches to assure that the participants achieve mastery of the skill sets developed by the course. The focus of the measurement system is the collection of data through direct observations of coaching interactions. The measurement system's content validity has been developed by including all aspects in the CLM Coaching Manual and making revisions based on feedback from five experienced CLM Coaches including the developer of the CLM. Its inter rater reliability has been assessed by having both experienced CLM Coaches and naïve observers complete the measurement system protocol for each of the units in the Course of Study.

The competent learner model (CLM) was developed to help teachers arrange and rearrange instructional conditions to develop competent learners. It has been used mainly in special education settings with learners having severe challenges. Successes have led to an interest in making the CLM available for general education teachers. The CLM has been helpful to teachers in early childhood settings in making learning conditions beneficial to all students, including those having difficulty participating. An assessment of the CLM by four general education elementary school teachers indicated that the current version of the CLM Course of Study needed to be revised to make it useful in their classrooms. Concerns from the teachers indicated that examples, videos, and the repertoire focus would need to be different for general education classrooms. Following a teacher needs assessment and classroom observations at another elementary school, current work has seven more general education teachers going through the course of study and giving feedback as they complete each unit indicating changes that will increase relevancy of the course for general education teachers. This paper will describe this collaboration.

Behavior analysts are often called upon to make general recommendations for large groups (e.g., classes, school systems, agencies, etc.). In addition, these recommendations are often constrained by a variety of program limitations including distance of consumers from services, limited number of available staff, and restrictive policies. The following studies demonstrate interventions which could be recommended for more general or system-wide application.

Since the seminal study by Azrin and Foxx (1971), much of the behavioral literature on toilet training has focused on the combined effectiveness of various treatment procedures with children and adults with developmental disabilities. As a result, the contributions of individual treatment strategies are generally unknown as is the generality of these procedures with typically developing children. In this study, the effectiveness of underwear, a decreased schedule of sits on the toilet, and the provision of high-preference items contingent on additional toileting skills were assessed, in isolation and when combined, with 20 typically developing children. Data were collected on the frequencies of accidents, appropriate eliminations on the toilet, and independent requests to sit on the toilet. Results suggest that improvements in toileting performance occurred when the three treatment components when combined. When assessed in isolation, the underwear component also increased toileting performance, however, the effectiveness of the decreased sit schedule and additional high-preference items remain questionable.

Few studies have examined the effectiveness of thinning schedules of noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) without extinction as an intervention for problem behavior maintained by social positive reinforcement (Fisher et al., 1999; Hagopian, Crockett, Van Stone, DeLeon, & Bowman, 2000; Lalli, Casey, & Kates, 1997). In general, results of these studies have shown NCR without extinction is effective under dense schedules but ineffective under leaner schedules (except Lalli et al.). In this study, NCR schedules were thinned gradually from continuous reinforcement to FT 5 min without extinction for 4 participants. Participants were males (ages 7-9) diagnosed with autism (one also was diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder) who engaged in problem behavior. All participants' problem behavior decreased during continuous NCR, and problem behavior remained low during NCR thinning without extinction for 3 participants. Differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA) was included during NCR thinning for the one participant for whom the intervention was ineffective. This resulted in decreased rates of problem behavior and increased rates of the alternative response as the NCR schedule was thinned. These results suggest that extinction was not a necessary treatment component, and NCR thinning plus DRA might be an effective intervention strategy when extinction is not possible.

Two young boys diagnosed with autism displayed relatively high levels of problem behavior (aggression) across the day in their early intervention classroom. Functional analyses results showed aggression was maintained by social positive reinforcement (access to preferred items) for 1 boy and by multiple sources of social reinforcement (positive and negative) for the other boy. Procedural variations of functional communication training (FCT) and extinction (EXT) were evaluated for both participants in a room separate from the regular classroom. Although FCT+EXT resulted in relatively rapid and large reductions in problem behavior and increases in appropriate alternative behavior (mands), additional modifications were required to achieve clinically acceptable levels of both appropriate and problem behavior. Subsequently, classroom teachers were trained to implement treatment, and effects successfully generalized and maintained across the day in the children's regular classroom setting.

Eating is a fundamental behavior required for physical and mental growth. Feeding problems such as refusal, nutritional deficits, selectivity, skill deficits, rumination, and aspiration can all attribute to potential health problems. Behavioral interventions have been shown to be an effective tool in the treatment of these problems (Chung and Kahng, 2006). However, the number of clients requiring services far exceeds the number of trained clinicians around the country and the world. For many families, traveling to a clinician far outside their home area is not a reasonable option (Clawson, 2008). For these families, the service delivery model must be modified to provide the best care possible while allowing for distance. Over the past two decades, the use of telemedicine has increased such that individuals have access to specialists (Marcin, et al, 2004; Spooner & Gotlieb, 2004) in other arenas. This technology can be used in conjunction with brief in-vivo intervention to provide behavioral feeding services to those in areas remote from trained clinicians.

Pica and object mouthing is a common problem behavior in individuals with developmental disabilities. Both behaviors can result in myriad of health risks and medical problems. There will be three different presentations in the symposium. The first presentation will summarize the various conceptual models of pica and will describe a systematic review of the published literature. Recommendations for future research and contemporary clinical practice will also be provided. The second presentation will have two parts. First, a differentiation between object mouthing will be covered, followed by a case study of a child with autism who engaged in object mouthing and pica. The case study will describe a multi-component treatment package that included response blocking, introduction of a replacement behavior, and a differential reinforcement of alternative behaviors to help decrease mouthing behavior. The third presentation will also be a case study that portrays how differential reinforcement and response blocking were used to effectively treat frequent mouthing behaviors displayed by a 15-year-old female diagnosed with autism.

Pica is an eating disorder characterized by consumption of non-food items or compulsive eating of edible and non-edible items. This presentation summarizes the various conceptual models of pica and will describe a systematic review of the published literature. Three specific interventions strategies were identified as being evidence-based: a) environmental enrichment, b) non-contingent reinforcement, and c) overcorrection. Several other intervention strategies were identified as being clinically promising but as having insufficient empirical evidence to be labeled as evidenced-based (i.e., physical restraint, nutritional treatments, and response blocking). No difference in clinical efficacy was found between studies that conducted a pre-treatment functional assessment (e.g., analogue-functional analysis) and those that did not. Recommendations for future research and contemporary clinical practice will be provided.

Mouthing inedible objects is a common behavior among individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Previous studies indicated that it is often maintained by the sensory stimulation it produces. The results of a functional analysis of such mouthing behavior in a child with autism showed a strong sensory function as well high rate mouthing of certain objects. Multi-component treatment package included response blocking, introduction of a replacement behavior, and a differential reinforcement of alternative behaviors (DRA) were combined to help decrease mouthing behavior. Response blocking was used to physically block mouthing attempts. The replacement behavior introduced was mouthing a rubber tube that was attached to the child's pants. The DRA consisted of using a token board to reinforce appropriate on-task behavior with gradual schedule thinning. For this case study, all assessments and treatment procedures were conducted in a public school classroom, with the teacher and paraprofessionals participating in all phases of treatment, including the analogue functional analysis. Results indicate that the treatment was effective and follow up data are reported.

McAdam, et al. (2004) reviewed 26 studies evaluating specific behavior interventions designed to treat pica and mouthing behaviors displayed by individuals with developmental disorders. Although numerous interventions were reported to be effective in reducing these behaviors, McAdam, et al. (2004) highlighted the need for continued research examining pica and procedures for programming for generalization. For this reason, a case study will be presented that portrays how differential reinforcement and response blocking were used to effectively treat frequent mouthing behaviors displayed by a 15-year-old female diagnosed with autism. Based on the outcome of an analogue functional analysis the student's mouthing behaviors were determined to be maintained by automatic reinforcement. All assessment and treatment procedures were conducted in a public school and the teacher and paraprofessionals participated in all phases of treatment, except the analogue functional analysis. Results indicate that the treatment was highly effective and generalized to different staff and locations within the school.

The application of the principles of behavioral economics has been shown to be effective for assessing and treating significant applied problems in novel ways. For example, behavioral economic analyses have been used in the context of schedule and response effort manipulations (e.g., Perry & Fisher, 2001; Roane, Falcomata, & Fisher, 1997; Roane, Lerman, & Vorndra, 2001) and to complement typical assessment methods (e.g., Borrero, Francisco, Haberlin, Ross, & Sran, 2007). In the current series of studies, the authors will present additional novel applications of behavioral economic principles to problems of social significance. Betz et al. compared the relative values of tokens and back-up reinforcers using concurrent progressive-ratio schedules. Dutt et al. varied several schedule and/or task parameters to discover the conditions that were contributing to noncompliance. Finally, Trosclair et al. extended the preference literature by combining preference assessment and behavioral economic methodologies to enhance our understanding of reinforcer efficacy. The results will be discussed in the context of the efficacy of a behavioral economic framework for improving and extending assessment and treatment.

A common problem in token reinforcement programs is individual variability in responsiveness, with some participants showing no benefit at all (Kazdin, 1982). We used behavioral economics methods to assess the reinforcement value and substitutability of tokens relative to their back-up (or primary) reinforcers. Following initial tests to show that three children with autism showed sensitivity to differential rates of reinforcement in a concurrent-schedule arrangement, we compared the relative value of token and primary reinforcement by providing one type of reinforcement on an FR-1 schedule while the other was concurrently available on a progressive-ratio (PR) schedule. Results showed that tokens were substitutable for their back-up reinforcers for all participants, but at varying degrees. This procedure may be a useful assessment for gauging the effectiveness of token training and for determining when additional training is needed to boost the value and effectiveness of token reinforcement.

Noncompliance is one of the most frequently endorsed concerns for children receiving behavioral services. One avenue of research in this area is to identify, isolate, and apply variables that can be empirically demonstrated to affect compliance. In the current study, we evaluated the effect of reinforcement schedule, magnitude of reinforcement, and task preference on the compliance and response allocation among tasks for several individuals diagnosed with developmental disabilities referred for evaluation of severe noncompliance. The evaluation was conducted using a concurrent schedule arrangement and varying schedule parameters (response requirement and reinforcer magnitude), task parameters (preference or difficulty), or both. Results of the evaluation indicated that reinforcer magnitude controlled responding for some participants; response requirement controlled responding for another; and, a combination of those two variables controlled responding for a third. Results will be discussed relevant to strategies for increasing compliance with academic tasks. Interobserver agreement was collected for at least 25% of all sessions and averaged above 90% for all target responses.

Previous research has suggested that a daily multiple stimulus without replacement (MSWO) may be more sensitive to changes in preference, thereby showing greater correspondence with reinforcer efficacy over time (DeLeon et al., 2001). However, reinforcer efficacy can be measured in a number of ways. Prior studies have measured reinforcer efficacy using rate of responding under simple schedules or under concurrent operants arrangements. However, break points under increasing schedule requirements (PR schedules) are perhaps a better measure of how hard an individual will work for a particular reinforcer. In the present study, seven participants were administered a single paired stimulus (PS) preference assessment, followed by daily MSWO preference assessments. On each day, participants worked for each stimulus on a PR schedule. The correspondence between break points and preferences, as assessed by the two preference assessment formats, was examined. Interobserver agreement data were collected on at 20% of sessions for all participants and always exceeded 80% agreement. Unlike previous studies, results demonstrated that both preference assessments did equally well at predicting reinforcer efficacy, although the PS took less time to administer.

This symposium will feature four presentations on the application of behavior analysis within gambling. Everything from increasing physical activity and healthy food choices to medical regimen adherence will be discussed.

In the present study, the effect of a brief acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) intervention was evaluated in reducing a specific type of rule governed behavior termed the 'Near Miss Effect' that has been associated with excessive gambling. The intervention was implemented via a power-point presentation as to control for potential biases and differences in skill level of the therapist. Results indicated that the intervention was successful in decreasing the near miss effect across three participants with a history of problem gambling as measured by their closeness to win ratings of pictures of slot machine spin outcomes. Implications of these findings include the value of investigating the role of verbal behavior in the maintenance and treatment of specific aspects of gambling behavior.

The study of derived relational responding and transformation of stimulus functions are essential for a comprehensive verbal account of gambling behaviour. The present study sought to demonstrate a transformation of discriminative payout percentage functions in a simulated slot machine task in accordance with same and opposite relational frames. Using the relational completion procedure, non-gamblers were exposed to a non-arbitrary relational training task that established contextual cues for same and opposite, respectively. Next, these contextual cues were employed in an arbitrary relational training and testing task to establish a relational network of nonsense words: SAME/B1-C1, OPPOSITE/B1-C2, OPPOSITE/B2-C1 and SAME/B2-C2. Participants then played a slot machine labelled B1 that was programmed with a payout probability percentage of 0.2 (low rate) and slot machine labelled B2 that was programmed with a payout probability percentage 0.8 (high rate). Finally, slot machines labelled C1 and C2 were presented concurrently under extinction. It was predicted that participants would show a derived transformation of discriminative functions and select C2 over C1. All participants showed the predicted performance. Results are discussed in the light of contemporary accounts of gambling behavior.

A randomized pretest-posttest design was used to assess differences in response allocation during a simulated horse track race. Participants were given 20 credits at the beginning of each gambling session, were they bet on one to four horses of different colors. Each bet ranged from 5-20 credits per horse. Following eight gambling sessions, participants were trained to click on three arbitrary stimuli (A1, A2, A3) at differing rates of responding (fast interresponse time- 0-.5s, medium IRT- .5-1.5s, slow IRT 1.5-3s). Next, participants completed a match-to-sample procedure where three three-member arbitrary equivalence classes were established. Stimuli included nonsense pictures (A1, A2, A3), nonsense consonant-vowel-consonant words (B1, B2, B3), and colors (C1, C2, C3). The colors of the C stimuli corresponded to three horses on the simulated horse track race. After completion of the match-to-sample procedure, participants returned to the simulated race. Results demonstrate an increase in response allocation, indicating the function of the arbitrary stimuli transformed to the color and influenced horse selection on the simulated gambling track.

Regardless of strategy, all casino games, including blackjack, have a negative expected value. The gambler loses and the casino wins. Other gambling games are based on random probability, independent plays, or "sampling with replacement," but traditional blackjack is a "sampling without replacement," non-independent plays game. In blackjack as cards are played, based on the remaining cards, the odds of winning change and may briefly favor the gambler. This forms the bases of "card counting." If during the few hands where the player has a statistical advantage big bets are made; theoretically the gambler may win in the long run. Card counting is used to alter bet size; bet big when the odds are good, bet small when they are bad. However what is statistical "expected value" and what the behaving organism actually experiences are seldom the same. With continuous shuffle machines (CSMs) that preclude card counting, 8 deck shoes, side bets, overcrowded tables, frequent shuffling, and reducing blackjack payouts from 3 to 2 to 6 to 5, casinos have gradually changed blackjack to eliminate any advantage a gambler may get from card counting. Despite these almost insurmountable odds, as a "cognitive exercise" the author learned and became proficient in "basic strategy" and card counting and tracked his wins, losses, and time lost to mastering card counting and "winning" blackjack. Here the glamorous myths of being a card counter are contrasted with the mathematical realties, the behavioral and "mental" grind, "opportunity cost," and unhealthy obsession of becoming a gambler.

Through recent empirical work in relational frame theory (RFT), behavior analysis is increasingly placing itself in a position to theorize effectively and test empirically these educated guesses about the functioning of verbal behavior in organizations. The development and communication of verbal products, such as rules, instructions, leadership statements and strategic plans are major components of leadership activities in organizations. For instance, strategic planning and readiness are highly verbal activities because they rely on being prepared for a future that is not here yet; a future that is verbally constructed; and a future that will most probably be unlike what we have seen in the past. In addition, recognizing employees' implicit responding and values can guide leadership in presenting formative and motivative augmentals that produce shared goals and hence improved cooperation within the organization. Moreover, the powerful effects of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) related technologies such as value clarification, perspective taking and mindfulness have generalizable impact in terms individuals psychological flexibility and situational awareness in combat situations. By drawing upon RFT and ACT, this symposium provides an overview of recent experimental and conceptual analyses in the areas of leadership decision making, problem solving, agility, and cooperative behavior in organizations.

Prior research on cooperation in a business environment has primarily relied upon financial consequences to increase or decrease cooperative responding. When results indicate otherwise, a post-hoc attribution to social or verbal contingencies is usually made. The purpose of this study was to assess the participatory effect of pre-existing verbal relations and rules on cooperative behavior under different pay for performance conditions. The implicit relational asessment procedure (IRAP) and mixed-trial IRAP (MT-IRAP) were utilized to account for the existing derived relations among verbal stimuli (D. Barnes-Holmes et al., 2006; Levin, 2010). More specifically, Experiment 1 utilized the MT-IRAP to select potential motivational stimuli for Experiment 2. In the second experiment, the IRAP was utilized to assess participants' pre-existing social biases. One week following the IRAP, the same participants were exposed to rule statements under either piece rate or profit-share conditions in a reversal design. Results indicated minimal impact of pre-existing social biases on cooperative behavior, however the rule statements had a significant effect on responding, particularly under financially neutral conditions (profit share). The potential role of rules as verbal establishing stimuli (i.e., motivative augmentals) and their application in organizations are discussed.

This research examined the coordinated problem-solving of small teams consisting of two participants each, in terms of both their problem-solving behavior with respect to the task at hand, as well as their verbal interactions, which played a critical role in their ability to effectively coordinate their behavior and successfully solve the problem. The primary focus of this paper is the analysis of each team's vocal verbal interactions as they solved the problems, from both a formal (in terms of specific topographical forms, i.e., words, and their respective referents) and functional (in terms of effects on the listener's behavior) account. Included in the analyses are correlations among the two concurrent behavior streams, i.e., the ongoing patterns of vocal interactions between participants and their corresponding task related behavior as they interact with the problem solving apparatus. Specific patterns of vocal interactions among team members are identified as being correlated with effective problem solving (e.g., accuracy and types of rule statements) and implications for improving team problem solving are discussed.

While psychological flexibility, a central component of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), has been successfully applied to clinical populations, it is beginning to branch out to organizational phenomena in the area of worker burnout. The present paper discusses the possibility of applying psychological flexibility to the analysis of innovative decision making at the leadership level in a variety of organizational contexts related to individual and team-related performance in business, maritime shipping, and the military. Through the development of online training modules related to values-clarification, goal-setting, and mindfulness training, we explore ways by which the inhibiting functions of overgeneralized relational responding can be decreased. Through values clarification, one can come to behave with respect to goals that are in the service of said values. In conjunction with mindfulness training, one may be more likely to effectively track the contingencies operating in the environment in a nonevaluative way such that aversive stimuli related to stress (e.g., interacting with a high rank officer or leader), frustration, and physical discomfort do not have a deleterious effect on performance and innovative problem-solving.

Humans and laboratory rats alike depend upon social interactions not only for reproduction, but also for healthy mental and physical development. Dr. Neisewander's laboratory has investigated how social interactions can have both positive and negative influences on drug abuse-related behaviors in rats. They have found that first time experience with cocaine or nicotine is more rewarding in adolescent rats when experienced with another rat than when experienced alone. Also when adolescent rats experience nicotine for the first time, they exhibit an increase in plasma corticosterone if they are alone but not if they are with another rat. Because corticosterone levels normally increase in response to stress, the results suggest that social interaction during initial drug experience may counter the stressful effects of the drug, thereby increasing reward strength and perhaps increasing vulnerability to drug abuse. In contrast, social interaction introduced as part of environmental enrichment after a drug habit has been established in rats attenuates drug-seeking behavior as well as withdrawal-induced elevations of corticosterone and brain activation that occurs upon exposure to drug-associated stimuli. The implications of these findings with regard to understanding drug dependence and the development of treatments for substance abuse will be discussed.

In 1954, Skinner wrote "there is a simple job to be done" when referring to bringing a technology of teaching to the classroom. More than 50 years later, that job remains to be done. This panel will address the challenges involved in making Skinner's vision a reality. Although Skinner advocated for highly-individualized teaching, the group format commonly used in classrooms makes individualized, adaptive instruction not always possible. More importantly, the group format is an essential component of approaches based on collaborative learning, and can be an ideal setting into which students transfer and extend academic skills. Both individual and group instruction need to be addressed by behavior analysts. Interactive classroom technologies such as personal computers and interactive whiteboards provide means for effective individualized and group instruction. The panelists will emphasize how behavior analysis can use these and other interactive technologies to teach complex, conceptual behaviors. Behavior analysts would agree that most of the complex, conceptual behavior taught in the classroom is verbal behavior. Some of the key questions addressed are how to build this verbal repertoire in such way as to maximize skill transfer and extension, increase the likelihood of adduction by contingencies, and engage students.