Association for Behavior Analysis International

This panel presentation will provide information on a variety of technology-based instructional methods that can be used to teach skills to individuals with autism spectrum disorders. Specific areas as they pertain to skill development will include use of iTouch, iPad, video technology and tactile prompts. Computer programs will be presented and include lessons such as individualized PowerPoint applications (developed by the Genesis School). A variety of other technology-based tools will be discussed and depicted through video. Specific areas of learning will focus on promoting independence, vocational skills, effective communication and social skills.

Research demonstrating the importance of quality supervision, qualified treatment personnel and consistent treatment philosophy has prompted practitioners to carefully consider the treatment literature before deviating too far from evidence-based practices in their treatment planning. It has also caused many practitioners to evaluate when and with whom they agree to collaborate when participating in service plans that are not always under their complete control. This symposium will present two contrasting case studies involving toddlers with autism, one in which a group practice providing applied behavior analysis based early intensive behavior intervention withdrew from service over concerns for the efficacy of treatment and one in which they agreed to continue services despite the introduction of an unproven treatment alternative to the child's service plan. The presentation will also review the BACB Guidelines for Responsible Conduct against state and federal regulations and discuss where such regulations are in conflict with the BACB Guidelines. The presentation will also explore differences in Federal and state statutes, regulations and operational standards, particularly focusing on when providers should have the right to withdraw from treatment.

Research exists supporting the primacy of early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) for young children with autism over eclectic approaches that combine EIBI with one or more additional methodologies (Howard, Sparkman, Cohen, Green & Stanislaw, 2005), such as Floor Time. (Greenspan & Weider,1997). These findings suggest that adding treatment philosophies, not under the supervision of the BCBA, will negatively impact the rate of progress made toward lessening the skills gap between typically developing children and those with autism. The caretaking history and learning profile of one child will be presented and the clinical impact of using an eclectic model on these elements will be discussed. Additionally, the practices of an EIBI group whereapplied behavior analysisservices are not combined with other competing treatment models will be presented. This case study will also review the clinical, regulatory and ethical elements that led the group to withdraw from participation in a treatment plan which sought to replace some portion of EIBI hours with an eclectic approach that included Floor Time. The course of action taken by the family and the group's response to these actions will be reviewed. Action alternatives designed to uphold BCBA practice rights based upon clinical integrity is also discussed.

The applied practice of behavior analysis in the delivery of early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) services is fraught with potential ethical challenges. Among them is the fact that many services being provided to children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) may not be empirically validated or may have limited evidence of effectiveness. The behavior analyst must determine if the services being provided by other "non-behavioral" providers will impact the effectiveness of the EIBI services they deliver. Where there are clear data showing that a competing methodology may diminish the effectiveness of EIBI, this decision is relatively easy. However, often these data are not available, and the practitioner must make such a determination on their clinical training. The criteria used for determining that continued participation in a service model that included non-applied behavior analysisservice delivery would not result in a detrimental impact on a case of a child with ASD receiving EIBI services will be discussed. The issues discussed will include elements as; type of skill area addressed, frequency of service, methodological congruence with behavioral principles, child learning characteristics and the ability to empirically quantify potential effects. These issues will be discussed within the framework of the BACB Guidelines for Responsible Conduct.

The presentation will review both the clinical and ethical standards (practice rights) established in the discipline of applied behavior analysis and found in the Guidelines for Responsible Conduct of the Behavior Analyst Certification Board. It will review those standards against both federal and state regulations where such regulations are in conflict with those of the BACB. The presentation will particularly focus on an existing legal challenge in Massachusetts to the Department of Public Health Early Intervention Regulations relative to the rights of behavior analysis providers to provide treatment in an optimal fashion or to withdraw clinical treatment when clinically and ethically warranted. This will lead to a discussion of "stay put" issues as they impact onapplied behavior analysisprogramming both at the early intervention level and the special education level. A redacted case will be presented and explored with the participants. The presentation will explore differences in Federal and state statutes, regulations and operational standards, particularly focusing on when providers should have the right to withdraw from treatment.

This symposium will review 3 new extensions of stimulus equivalence research. The first paper extends the research by evaluating if 2 separately-established equivalence classes would merge when class-specific reinforcers were used to teach initial baselines to a typical adult, and if the class-specific reinforcers would also be class members. Outcomes on cross-class equivalence and reinforcers-as-class-member tests were all positive. The second paper extends the research by demonstrating equivalence classes in a novel test format after simple discrimination reversal procedures were used with 4 typical adults. Equivalence tests were conducted in a go/no-go format with compound stimuli (2 stimuli in same or different classes). Results indicated functional class and equivalence class formation for all and 3 of the participants, respectively. The third paper extends the equivalence research to classroom applications of teaching concepts (sets of related equivalence classes) in which a pretest-teach format was used across successive curricular levels. High accuracy on pretests following teaching that could have established relevant equivalence relations was shown in 73.7% of the 39 data sets for 19 children with intellectual disabilities. This symposium extends previous equivalence research to class-specific reinforcers, positive outcomes with 3-term baselines and testing formats, and classroom applications.

Previous research has demonstrated emergent behavior and class formation based on stimulus-reinforcer relations (e.g., class-specific reinforcers), but the effect of class-specific reinforcers in independently established classes has not been thoroughly evaluated. In this study, a typically-developing adult was taught two separate, non-overlapping sets of conditional discrimination baselines (AC, BC; and DF, EF) with common class-specific reinforcers (e.g., A1-C1-Reinforcer 1 [R1], A2-C2-R2...; D1-F1-R1, D2-F2-R2...) in a computer-delivered match-to-sample format. Performances on unreinforced tests for emergent relations between stimuli from the separate baselines met criterion (at least 17/18 correct), indicating that the independently established equivalence classes merged to include all conditional and discriminative stimuli associated with particular reinforcers (e.g., A1, B1, D1, F1; A2, B2, D2, F2). Further tests with unique stimulus features of the class-specific reinforcers (i.e., token color and name/logo of back-up reinforcer) indicated that the class-specific reinforcers (e.g., R1 and R2) were also class members. Measures of procedural integrity and interobserver agreement were at acceptable levels. These data support Sidman's (2000) assertion that equivalence relations are comprised of "ordered pairs of all positive elements that participate in the contingency" (p. 128). Areas for future research, including classroom applications for the use of class-specific reinforcers, will be discussed.

The matching-to-sample procedure has been used in tests to determine whether functional classes also comprise equivalence classes after conducting a simple discrimination reversal procedure. However, stimuli presentation in matching-to-sample tests seems to evaluate performances reinforced during training. A go/no-go procedure with compound stimuli presents stimuli in a manner that does not seem to evaluate performances reinforced during training. The aim of this study was to investigate whether simple discrimination reversal procedure would produce equivalence classes using tests with the go/no-go procedure with compound stimuli. Four normally capable adults were submitted to a simple successive discrimination reversal procedure with three pairs of stimuli (A1/A2, B1/B2 and C1/C2). Responses to S+ (A1, B1 and C1), but not to S- (A2, B2 and C2) were reinforced. Next, the participants were exposed to repeated-reversal training. During emergent relations tests, each compound stimulus (a two-component stimulus) which were B1A1, B2A2, C1B1, C2B2, A1C1, A2C2, C1A1 and C2A2 ("correct" compounds); and B1A2, B2A1, C1B2, C2B1, A1C2, A2C1, C1A2 and C2A1 ("incorrect" compounds) was successively presented. All four participants showed functional class formation and three participants showed equivalence classes. These results indicated that the simple discrimination reversal procedure can generate functional and also equivalence classes.

The efficacy of the stimulus equivalence paradigm to teach concepts to learners with intellectual disabilities has been well established in the research literature; however, the extent to which this behavioral technology has been applied in classroom instruction is unknown. In this study, one or more of 8 concepts (i.e., sets of related equivalence classes with coins, bills, fractions, decimals, percents, fraction-decimal-percents, number-quantity, and sight words) were taught to 19 students with intellectual disabilities, for a total of 38 data sets. Curricula were comprised of sequential levels based on the equivalence paradigm; each level represented different stimulus-stimulus, oral naming, or intraverbal relations. Each level was pretested in sequence and teaching began on the first level in which high accuracy was not demonstrated. Once mastery criteria were demonstrated on a trained level, this pretest-teach sequence continued in subsequent curricular levels. Interobserver agreement and procedural integrity were evaluated in 11.4% of data sets and were at acceptable levels. Criterion performances were demonstrated in 73.7% of data sets on pretests following teaching that could have established relevant equivalence relations. These results may be indicative of emergent performances, but this conclusion must remain tentative due to lack of experimental control in this classroom application.

Behavioral practitioners are increasingly being used to provide behavioral support to students in school environments. Services provided by individual behavioral practitioners and agency personnel may include assessments, consultations with school and Individudual Education Plan (IEP) teams, providing direct behavioral support to individual children, direct supervision/oversight of the direct support services, collaboration with parents, teachers and school personnel as well as attendance at IEP meetings. Often, school collaboration is a complex endeavor that involves formal and informal clinical, political and social problem-solving skills aimed at meeting the needs of the individual student as well as those of the team members involved with the student. This symposium will address issues related to the development of successful school collaboration. We will discuss various issues including professional and ethical dilemmas that often face behavioral practitioners who work in schools, strategies for successful behavioral support in school settings and we will look at successes and challenges within the collaborative framework.

Classroom collaboration is a complex endeavor that requires the efforts of two or more service providers who are working together to achieve a common goal. Some of the obstacles are time constraints, varying skills and styles of work, differences in expertise and language, to name a few. Key components of collaboration including cooperation, coordination, consultation, integration, and cultural differences will be discussed. This presentation will describe the use of an expanded functional behavior assessment and treatment plan that includes collaboration; the obstacles will be operationally defined and addressed from the onset of service provision with specific measurable goals to ensure a focus on collaboration by all team members.

Focusing on interventions that target the classroom system as opposed to the single student, this presentation will discuss and offer strategies to address skill deficits and behavior excesses within the classroom system simultaneously. An examination of the roles of both the behavioral practitioner and teacher, the importance of creating a collaborative framework, and the components of an effective classroom environment will be discussed, along with a review of the current literature.

Researchers have brought to the attention of behavior analysts the importance of including fidelity measures in research and fieldwork. How these measures can be taken in a classroom can be a challenging and sometimes perplexing task; however, fidelity measures are the only way to know if a behavior intervention plan is being implemented correctly by others. This presentation reports on current research regarding fidelity measures in classroom settings. Moreover, the author discusses the implications of taking such measures with regard to the implementation of behavior intervention plans in such settings. Furthermore, ways in which to collect fidelity measures will be discussed.

Although applied behavior analysis (ABA) still may be in its infancy, disseminating this science to non-behavioral environments is imperative to ensure the continued advancement of our field. When disseminating behavioral principles and procedures, behavior analysts must uphold ethical standards and acknowledge the seven dimensions of ABA. By doing so, the analysis of behavior in traditionally non-behavioral environments may provide a valuable service to society by promoting the employment of best practices with respect to the consumer of behavior analytic services. Further, the dissemination of behavior analysis and the provision of behavior analytic services must be accomplished while maintaining the integrity of our science. As such, this panel involves the discussion of strategies for disseminating behavior analysis within non-behavioral environments.

Behavior analysts have a compelling record of success in teaching non-professionals to implement an array of skills instruction and behavior reduction procedures to improve performance in their own lives and the lives of people they care for. In the balance, threads of discussion in our literature have emerged raising questions about the sufficiency of our usual indices of success (treatment integrity, generalization, and maintenance) in accounting for long-term sustainability of the acquired performance of behavior change agents, and the adequacy of the behavioral repertoires we create for handling evolving environmental requirements. For example, what is the necessary level of treatment integrity for achieving and sustaining desired effects? What are the roles of perception and contextual fit in planning interventions incumbent change agents can carry out when the expert trainers leave? Can we articulate a behavioral model of treatment adherence to handle planning for and measuring intervention implementation in the absence of oversight? This panel discussion brings together experts to consider these and other questions related to the sustainable transfer of behavioral technology.

Decades of theory and research on private events began with Skinner's 1945 statement that public and private behaviors share the same physical range, or behavioral dimension. Research began in 1966 with Lindsley's bridge from physical behaviors to urges, what he called inner behavior. Using the standard celeration chart Calkin and other researchers have investigated public and private behaviors confirming Moore's assumption that inner behaviors are as lawful, but not causal, as public behaviors. Palmer stated behavior obeys the same set of principles whether observed or not. This results in a monistic approach rather than in Cartesian dualism. All agree that behavior, from public to private (covert to overt, outer to inner) lies on a continuum. Keenan illustrates the fluidity between the public and private aspects through his multimedia work and what he has come to call, not inter-observer reliability but 'inter-subjective agreement.' For an effective analysis of behavior, we offer analytical and/or researched interpretations. If we didn't, we'd leave the study of behavior to mentalism.

Functional communication is an imperative skill for all human beings. As behavior analysts, the ability to teach language and/or communication is required of us as we encounter many individuals for whom effective communication is a skill that is not yet mastered or perhaps even acquired. B.F. Skinner's verbal behavior (VB) analyzes language and it's function using the verbal operants. The intended outcome of this professional development series is to provide a foundation for utilizing applied behavior analysis and verbal behavior, as described by B.F. Skinner, to effectively teach functional communication.

Individuals with neurological disorders often display challenging behaviors that may interfere with their social functioning and participation in daily activities. The first study investigated how behavioral skills training in combination with in-situ training can improve the social behaviors of a young adult female with severe cognitive deficits as a result of a traumatic brain injury. The second study assessed the effects of an applied behavioral approach in aiding a 13-year-old male student in managing his gross motor tics within a school setting. The third study examined the effects of augmenting antecedent stimuli as a means to establish and maintain discrimination of a contingency of reinforcement to reduce the frequency of unsolicited physical touching behaviors. Lastly, with the continued focus on interventions that do not involve physical restraint, the fourth study addresses the reduction in the of use of physical interventions to manage crisis situations by incorporating a more stringent training curriculum for staff at an inpatient rehabilitation facility.

Behavioral skills training, in combination with in-situ training, has been shown effective for teaching firearm safety, abduction prevention skills, and other safety skills to children with varying abilities. In this study these techniques were used with an immune compromised 19-year-old female with severe memory deficits as a result of a traumatic brain injury. Targeted problematic behaviors included putting hands and other non-edible items in her nose, eyes, and mouth, licking self, objects and other people, using foul language, and displaying offensive gestures in the presence of others. Behavioral skills training utilizing training, modeling, rehearsal and feedback was implemented. Trained rehabilitation therapists systematically conducted in-situ training over the course of 2 weeks in a multiple baseline across behaviors design with increased success. Average rate of targeted behaviors and other socially inappropriate behaviors prior to in-situ training was 54% compared to 38% following training. Average rate of participation in therapy before training was 78% compared to 90% following training. Reliability, maintenance, family training, and factors influencing generalization are discussed.

For a child diagnosed with Tourette syndrome or other form of tic disorder participation in typically occurring daily activities can prove extremely daunting. This is especially true within the school environment where the topography and repetitive nature of these involuntary motor movements may present barriers to meaningful social interactions with peers and limit participation and completion of academic lessons. Stressors resulting from attempts to meet teacher demands and conform to social norms within a siddle school classroom may serve to further exacerbate motor tics. This study assessed the effects of an applied behavioral approach in aiding a 13-year-old male student in managing his gross motor tics within a school setting. Through the use of a functional behavioral assessment it was determined that the highest rate of gross motor tics occurred during specific parts of his lesson and served the function of escape. This intervention systematically employed strategies, developed through collaboration with the youth and the researcher, which served as acceptable and successful replacements for his gross motor tics.

Many individuals with acquired brain injuries benefit from learning prosocial behavior to enhance the quality of relationships with community members. This study examined the effects of augmenting antecedent stimuli as a means to establish and maintain discrimination of a contingency of reinforcement that was successful in reducing the frequency of one problem behavior (e.g., physical aggression) but not for another (e.g., non-aggressive physical contact), even though these two problem behaviors share similar functions with individuals who have acquired brain injuries. Two male subjects ages 19 and 24-years-old were exposed to a reinforcement level system that provided token reinforcers contingent upon both participation in replacement behavior training sessions, which focus upon alternative behaviors for attention, and tangible reinforcers via token reinforcement. Results suggest that verbal prompts to control physical touching may not be sufficient to decrease a behavior unless the antecedent is tied to a behavior consequence. These subjects received verbal prompts by trained staff to refrain from touching however these prompts failed to exert control over the behavior until they were added to the contingency of reinforcement (reinforcer interruption and contingent activity). When an antecedent cue was provided, physical touching decreased rapidly to near zero levels.

The use of physical restraint for managing crisis situations with clients demonstrating dangerous behaviors has received considerable attention by the media due to incidences of significant health risks. Stakeholders, accrediting agencies and legislatures are insisting that providers manage crises without the use of physical restraint. This presentation will provide data-based evidence from a post-acute neurobehavioral facility treating adults and youth with severe behavioral challenges. Staff training is vital to managing these dangerous behaviors. Spending time to establish relationships and understanding of who the person is builds empathy within the staff and establishes rapport with the client. Interventions conducted by relative "strangers" are experienced as traumatic by the clients when the staff's only interactions are of a demand/command nature. Encouraging and training the staff on how to "get to know" a client can be powerful when control cues are given. This presentation will highlight a staff-training program that builds both self-awareness within staff and empathy for persons served. Data taken over the past two years indicate sustained monthly reductions in physical restraints of greater than 88% since the staff program training began.

Although timeout from positive reinforcement is used extensively as a behavior management technique in many settings, there is lack of systematic analysis of parameters that affect the effectiveness of timeout. In this symposium, current research in timeout will be explored. In the first presentation, data from a pigeon lab will be discussed. In this experiment, effects of different timeout durations on behavior maintained by different rates of reinforcement are examined. In the second presentation, data from a human-operant lab will be discussed. Effects of timeout on behavior occurring in rich-to-lean transitions are examined. In the third presentation, effectiveness of timeout in applied settings will be examined. Dr. Dorothy Lerman will discuss the translational nature of the research.

In this study, the punishing effects of different timeout durations on responding maintained by two different rates of reinforcement were investigated. Four pigeons were trained on a 3-component multiple schedule in which two components were random-interval (RI) schedules of food presentation (red or yellow key lights), and the other was an extinction component (green key light). An RI 6-min schedule served as the low rate of reinforcement and an RI 1-min schedule served as the high rate of reinforcement. Each component lasted 5 min, excluding time during reinforcement and timeout, and was repeated three times during each session. During baseline conditions, response rates maintained by the RI 1-min schedule were substantially higher than rates maintained by the RI 6-min schedule. Then during each reinforcement component, the green key-light was presented contingent on key pecking according to an RI-5 s schedule. Each timeout duration was in effect for 10 sessions, after which baseline conditions were reinstated. Data indicate that timeout punishes behavior relative to baseline rates to a much greater extent in the RI 6-min (low reinforcement rate) compared to in the RI 1-min (high reinforcement rate) component, and increases in duration increase the punishment effect that is observed.

We have been developing a laboratory model of maladaptive escape behaviors in persons with developmental disabilities. In Experiment 1, excessive pausing was demonstrated on multiple FR, FR schedules in which one component was FR 10 and resulted in delivery of $.25, and the other component was FR 100 and resulted in $.01. In one condition, there was a 1-s interval between reinforcer delivery and the start of the next component. In the time-out condition, each reinforcer was followed by an 18 or 15 s TO. Rich-to lean pause durations decreased for all subjects. In a second experiment, subjects with severe developmental disabilities were assessed for relative preference across several different tasks or activities. The most preferred and least preferred activities were then arranged to alternate as in Experiment 1. Self-injurious, aggressive, and tantrum behaviors were recorded during all transitions. These aberrant behaviors occurred differentially in transitions from highly preferred to less preferred activities. Imposing a 30-s time-out during each transition reduced aberrant behaviors in 2 of 3 subjects. This provides increasing evidence that pausing on multiple schedules may be a model of maladaptive escape behaviors, and demonstrates a potential treatment derived from laboratory findings.

Timeout (TO) is a procedure that involves creating a stimulus change such that an individuals environment becomes less reinforcing (e.g., withdrawing a specific reinforcer, Baer, 1962; removing all social reinforcement, Wolf, Risley, & Mees, 1964). In applied behavior analysis, the procedure is used as a form of punishment to reduce problematic behavior. TO is commonly used with young children and has proven to be effective across various topographies of behavior and in many different settings (see Brantner & Doherty, 1983 for a review). Although the effectiveness of TO procedures has been widely demonstrated, many TO parameters have not been adequately evaluated (e.g., release contingencies, warnings) and some common TO recommendations have not been evaluated at all (e.g., children should go to TO for 1 min per year of age). The current series of TO studies was designed to evaluate some unstudied or understudied TO parameters, as well as to evaluate some common TO recommendations. Data from several TO studies will be presented and general implications for TO procedures in applied settings will be discussed.

Research on the behavior-neuroscience interface is an increasingly important topic in behavior analysis. This symposium brings together basic science approaches to discrimination and relational responding that harness the potential of electrophysiology methods, such as evoked auditory potentials and event related potentials, to cast light on the behavioral processes involved in complex behavior.

The current experiment investigated the effects of a prior equivalence test on the behavioral (i.e., accuracy and response latency) and event related potential (ERP) correlates of visual-visual equivalence relations. First, 46 right-handed participants were trained using a one-to-many training design to form 4, 3-member relations (A1-B1-C1; A2-B2-C2; A3-B3-C3; A4-B4-C4) consisting entirely of pseudowords. Half of the participants were then tested for derived symmetry and equivalence relations prior to a relatedness decision task, during which electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded. Control trials consisting of related and unrelated real words were also presented. The remaining participants received the relatedness decision task prior to equivalence testing. Participants in both groups showed higher accuracy and lower reaction latencies on within-class trials compared to between-class trials. Those participants that did not receive a prior equivalence test showed pronounced early positivity and some later negativity to within and between-class trials. Overall, the present procedures were effective in establishing derived relations and demonstrate the differential ERP effects of prior equivalence testing.

In the equivalence literature, it has been widely demonstrated that when the number of stimuli that separate a pair of stimuli increases, participants' response accuracy often decreases and response time increases regarding the pair of stimuli. This is known as the "Nodal Number Effect" or "Nodality" (Sidman, 1994). The current study aimed to pinpoint the underlying neurological correlates of nodal number in equivalence class formation, which has never been attempted before. Forty-two right-handed participants were trained using a linear training design to establish 2, 6-member equivalence classes (A1B1C1D1E1F1, A2B2C2D2E2F2) consisting entirely of pseudo-words. Each of them was then given a lexical decision task in which ongoing electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded for equivalence trials (directly trained, symmetry, and equivalence) and nodal number trials (1-, 2-, 3-, 4-nodes). At the end, an equivalence test was given to examine the formation of the two equivalence classes. Participants responses were significantly faster on class consistent, directly trained, symmetrical, and 1-node trials, but not on 4-node trials when compared to class inconsistent trials. These results confirmed the assumption that as nodal number increases, stimulus control decreases. Analysis of (event related potentials) ERPs demonstrated a greater negativity 400 milliseconds after the target onset to 4-node trials than 1-node trials in certain regions, which reflected greater mismatching on 4-node relations. Additionally, a greater positivity emerged around 300 milliseconds after the target onset to 4-node trials than 1-node trials, which suggested that the P300 might serve as a neurological marker for nodal relations.

In the years since Sidman's (1971) seminal work on stimulus equivalence, a number of researchers have examined responding in accordance with relations other than equivalence (e.g., more than/less than). The current study extended this work by investigating the neural underpinnings of before/after responding. Participants (N=23) were required to observe sequences of stimuli followed by a relational statement containing either a 'before" or 'after' relational cue. Participants were instructed to respond with a button press if the statement correctly described the sequence and not to respond if the statement was incorrect. It was predicted that response speeds for tasks containing 'before' cues would be significantly faster than for 'after'. Neuro-electrical differences were also predicted for the two task types. It was found that response speeds were significantly faster when descriptions contained 'before' relational cues than 'after'. No major differences were found in the event related potential (ERP) data between 'before' and 'after' responding. The findings obtained from the reaction time scores provide support for behavioural differences in responding to sequences containing 'before' and 'after' cues. The corresponding ERP component requires additional analysis to determine whether such neural differences exist.

Earthlings plan to go to Mars. Cosmic rays, HZE (heavy ions), may damage brain and affect behavior. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to whole brain radiation with 0, 120 or 240 cGy accelerated iron ions (56Fe) of 600 GeV/n at the National Space Radiation Laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratory. Eight months later, animals were trained for 12 sessions to discriminate two sounds in a discrete trial successive discrimination (S+=white noise, S-=2 kHz); the discrimination was reversed (12 sessions), followed by a return to baseline (12 sessions). HZE irradiation caused significant dose-dependent impairment in auditory discrimination. S- response rates were elevated significantly by the irradiation in a dose-dependent manner, indicating overgeneralization. Irradiated animals also showed significant dose-dependent elevation in response rate during the inter-trial intervals (extinction). A BAEP (Brainstem Auditory Evoked Potential) test was obtained for the left and right ear of each animal. Waveform latencies (the lengths of time from stimulus onset until the crest of waves I, II, III, and IV), were identified manually. BAER threshold was estimated with a 5-dB resolution from 0 to 80 dB SPL at waves I, II, III and IV. Thresholds were not significantly altered by heavy ion irradiation. Surprisingly, average BAER inter-peak latencies for wave I-IV were decreased significantly, in a dose- dependent function, by HZE irradiation. HZE irradiation caused impairment of auditory discrimination, no change in auditory thresholds and a negative correlation of S- errors and neural conduction time in the BAEP, (individuals shown @50 dB in Fig 3a-c).

Haugland Learning Center is a program serving approximately 160 students diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. All instructional methods are based on principles of applied behavior analysis, and teachers primarily uses direct instruction (DI) and precision teaching methods to build academic skills. After 5 years of successful implementation of direct instruction for core academic areas of reading, writing and math, a decision was made to take the program one step further. At the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year, a full scale implementation of the Morningside Model was initiated. Staff were trained as coaches and additional curriculum was put in place to supplement existing DI curriculum. All staff received specific instruction how to implement a variety of DI programs and were also trained to use standard celeration charts (SCC) for all data collection and to guide instruction. By implementing the Morningside Model, teachers can target deficits in core academic areas as well as areas of daily living skills. The use of the chart helps staff determine when programmatic changes have to be initiated and can assure that students are making adequate progress. This symposium will share initial results from the school wide implementation, discuss problems encountered, and propose possible research project. An overview of our multi-level assessment system will be shared as well as how the data are used to guide instruction.

Haugland Learning Center (HLC) uses multiple levels of assessments when admitting students to the full day school program serving students with autism. Students are first administered a standardized, norm-referenced test to determine academic performance. This test is repeated annually to measure individual student growth and to also provide information about the success of the program as a whole. Each student is also administered several curriculum based tests to determine specifically where they should be placed in the curriculum. Students are always grouped based on academic levels while taking age into consideration for groups. The micro level of assessment is completed daily and consists of specific targets that are practiced and daily/session performances are charted on a standard celeration chart (SCC). The chart is used for making data based decisions about changes in programming. It plays an important role in tracking student progress and is used as a tool to decide promoting a student to the next level of instruction. This presentation will focus on the importance of using frequency data and how staff can be trained to follow decision rules by using the SCC. In many cases students learn to chart their own progress and can describe when they are fluent and should move to a new slice. Students with autism often have splinter skills, and targeting areas of deficit in core academic subjects help students move faster through academic programs.

Students with autism enrolled in the K-8 academic programs at Haugland Learning Center (HLC) are provided intensive instruction in reading and reading comprehension. Most of these students have the cognitive ability to participate in a typical curriculum despite having been unsuccessful in previous placements. Placement at Haugland Learning Center is usually a result of students failing academically and behaviorally in more traditional setting. Teachers at HLC are trained to implement direct instruction programs including Reading Mastery Signature K-5, Decoding B1 and B2, and Reasoning and Writing. Teachers are also trained to apply the Morningside Model of Generative Instruction where emphasis is placed on teaching higher order thinking skills and logical reasoning skills by building on mastered component skills. The presenter will explain how the REWARDS program is used instead of a traditional science and social studies curriculum to help prepare students for the academic rigor of traditional high school. The combined curricula focuses on teaching the foundational skills each student will need to be successful when entering high school either within the Haugland program or by returning to their home school district.

Students in the PLAN (Personalized Living and Academic Needs) program at Haugland Learning Center are typically enrolled after their public school programs have failed. These students are between 14 and 22-years-old and have significant deficits in most areas of functioning. Many have limited language skills and often engage in extreme aggression and other maladaptive behaviors. The focus of the PLAN program is to teach skills necessary to increasing each student's level of independence. Many students are found not possessing the necessary tool skills needed to perform more complex everyday tasks. Tasks such as personal hygiene, cooking, cleaning, and various recreational skills require fluent repertoires, mostly of basic motor skills. HLC has found that targeting basic motor movements, students will acquire a more complex repertoire of skills and as a result become more independent. When students reach fluent performances these complex skills seem to emerge. Teachers were taught to focus on the "Big 6+6" and completed task analysis of each complex task to be taught these students.

In any academic situation students are confronted with a series of choices: Should I complete an assignment or talk to my friend? Should I talk to my friend or throw a paper ball at another student? The selection of one activity over another is determined by the relative amount of reinforcement associated with each alternative (Herrnstein, 1961). It is not surprising that students with learning difficulties are less likely to choose academic behaviors over other alternatives, given the relatively low payoff for working on the academic tasks compared with other options available in the student's environment. Therefore, it is important for educators to create learning conditions whereby students choose to complete independent academic assignments over other available options because they are more likely to obtain reinforcement associated with academic task completion. The purpose of this symposium is to discuss three studies that examined the effects of interventions designed to increase the availability reinforcement on choice of academic tasks of students with learning difficulties.

Task interspersal is an academic material modification procedure designed to make task completion more reinforcing. It is implemented by adding a sequence of brief tasks prior to more difficult or nonpreferred target academic tasks. This procedure results in an increase in the number of conditioned reinforcers available for completing a given task. However, one limitation of the studies examining these effects is that researchers exclusively use time-based contingencies to study academic choice behavior. This procedure may (a) inadvertently limit student opportunities to respond to the target problems and (b) not accurately reflect the real contingencies in applied settings. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of time- and task-based contingencies on student choice of academic materials. In this study a concurrent-schedule design with a reversal was used to compare the students' choice of worksheets when working under different task contingencies. Results are discussed within the context of matching law and previous literature.

This study examined the effects of task fluency on student choice of low and high effort math tasks. Four second grade students with learning disabilities participated in the study. We conducted the choice assessment before fluency training and examined the effects of schedules of reinforcement on student choice of both high and low effort math tasks. After initial choice assessment, we implemented explicit instruction procedures to increase students' fluency of high effort tasks. When the students reached the fluency criteria, we conducted the choice assessment using identical format as the initial assessment. We used a concurrent schedule with reversal design to examine student choice of math tasks under different schedules of reinforcement. During initial choice assessment, students preferred low effort tasks when both low and high effort tasks resulted in equal schedule of reinforcement. As the researchers enriched the density of reinforcement associated the high effort tasks students started to select high effort tasks more ferquently. After fluency training, students started to select the high effort tasks without requiring enriched schedule of reinforcement.

Setting events, for example, may be social (Bailey, Wolery, & Sugai 1988; Kazdin, 2000) and manipulated to occasion behavioral change (Alberto & Troutman, 2009). Although, little to no systematic research has been conducted on the role of student teacher rapport as a motivating factor (setting event or reinforcer) in student choice of academic behaviors, McLaughlin and Carr (2005) found that when rapport was poor, levels of problem behavior were high and when rapport was good levels of problem behavior were low. In addition, researchers found that student teacher rapport is linked to resiliency (Flores, 2005; Masten, 2001) and student academic and behavioral outcomes (Baker, 1998; Birch & Ladd, 1997; Goodenow, 1993; Pianta & Steinberg, 1995). Hence, it is clear that student teacher rapport as an external environmental factor contributes to positive student outcomes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of student teacher rapport as a motivating factor (setting event or reinforcer) on student choice of academic behaviors.

The case studies presented here illustrate successful application of positive behavior support (PBS) procedures as a component of community-based services, and are based on Carr and colleagues recommended intervention principles (1999): basing behavioral interventions on ongoing functional assessments, linking results of assessment to the design of intervention, implementing the intervention in all relevant natural contexts through the use of multicomponent designs, providing interventions that have ecological validity, changing interventions as changes in life circumstances occur as a means of providing a long-term perspective, making students an integral part of the approach to developing interventions that are practical and producing socially valid outcomes in terms of life-style change. In this presentation, a multicomponent treatment plan, including functional assessment, antecedent control procedures, functional communication training, and positive reinforcement strategies, was implemented to effect long-term positive lifestyle changes for four individuals with severe chronic behavior disorders associated with developmental disabilities. Data will include systematic reduction of challenging behaviors and acquisition of skills and strategies to use as alternatives to the challenging behavior.

Two case studies will be presented that illustrate positive long-term effects of behavioral intervention. Two individuals who attended a private school for children and young adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities will be described. These individuals presented with severe problem behaviors, including physical aggression toward others. Effective interventions were implemented and generalized. Intervention targets included physical aggression and adaptive alternative behaviors, including increasing communicative and prosocial behaviors. Data depicting the reduction of problem behaviors, the gaining of appropriate prosocial behaviors and the opportunity to participate with peers will be presented for both cases. Social validity of the individuals' gains will be evaluated in terms of ability to participate in regularly occurring school and community activities and to successfully participate in on- and off-site internship experiences. Although reduction of challenging behaviors was a priority, the clinical approach in this study was primarily developed to assist the individuals in achieving a lifestyle change by positively addressing many dimensions that define quality of life.

In this study, a multicomponent treatment plan was implemented to effect positive lifestyle changes for a young autistic man with life-threatening self injury. This individual had been exposed to aversive treatments in previous settings, including mechanical and chemical restraint, seclusion for extended periods and physical punishers. He had failed in community paceents and in secured settings, and was considerd at significant risk. Over 4 years, behavior support plans were developed and refined to address the individual's self-injurious behavior. The study used a longitudinal case study design, with construction and systematic modification of behavior supports based on ongoing functional analysis of the challenging behavior. In addition, functionally equilvalent strategies and skills were taught to assist this individual in improving his quality of life. Specific areas included establishing social relationships with his peers, reestablishing family bonds, increasing his personal satisfaction and self-esteeem, improving self-determination (i.e., choice-making skills and self-direction), increasing community access and increasing recreation and leisure opportunities.

A case study will be presented on a young man with severe aggression. The challenging behaviors of this individual was dependent on multiple functional and structural variables, necessitating a multidimensional intervention strategy built on ongoing functional assessments. The challenging behaviors were related to many variables that at times occurred simultaneously, were chained together, or changed on a daily basis, thereby requiring flexibility in implementing multiple intervention strategies. Because multiple treatment procedures were implemented simultaneously, it is impossible to assign causality to any single procedure. This limitation notwithstanding, the outcomes were significant given the treatment resistant history of this individual and the seriousness of his presenting challenges. Although experimental rigor is required to support specific causal inferences, practitioners ofapplied behavior analysishave increasingly called for a balancing of experimental rigor with ecological validity as intervention increasingly focuses on delivery of services in natural envirnments and goodness of fit between interventions and existing resources and routines. Although generalization from this case study and single subject design is impossible, the results are significant because they demonstrate the possibility of positive outcomes despite an extended history of extreme behavioral challenges.

The past dozen years have witnessed accelerated research on the applicability of the implicit association test (IAT) in generating measures of unconscious cognitions and attitudes across social political and even clinical content areas. Proliferation of the IAT is alarming when one considers that it has proceeded in the absence of efforts to investigate the test's core processes. These premature uses of the IAT and its variants have even spread to the behavior analytic community. More recently, researchers have begun to unpack the IAT in laboratory preparations to develop a controlled and comprehensive account of variables responsible for the interesting results produced by this test of implicit relations (Gavin, Roche & Ruiz, 2008; Ridgeway, Roche, Gavin & Ruiz, in press). The first two papers will extend our analysis of procedural components of standard IAT methodology including the effects of "corrective feedback" and comparisons of acquisition criteria on subsequent implicit relations testing. The third paper considers the implicit relational assessment procedure (IRAP), an IAT variant widely used by behavior analysts, and outlines a systematic research curriculum to dismantle its construction and begin to sort out its core processes. The final paper proposes a novel test-conceptually derived from our behavioral model of the IAT-for assessing implicit relations, the function acquisition speed test (F.A.S.T.).

The implicit association test (IAT) applies a corrective feedback following incorrect responses. The time required for these are factored into hybrid latency measures. The net result is an artificial increase in response latencies for incorrect responses. This artificial increase presents a serious methodological flaw particularly when one considers that long latencies are the criterion by which correct and incorrect responses are differentiated in standard IAT methodology. It is arguable that the effects reported are directly created by the experimental procedure. This study was designed to examine the effects of feedback delivery on response fluency. Specifically, a non-contingent response observation requirement without reinforcing properties was developed to mimic the delivery of feedback in the IAT. The requirement to make the observation response was imposed on one quarter of trials during each of the two main testing blocks of an IAT across two experimental conditions: socially consistent tasks; socially inconsistent tasks. A third condition involved the delivery of an IAT in the absence of corrective feedback and observation response requirements. Preliminary results indicate that the delivery of corrective feedback increases latencies and this increase is significantly greater for inconsistent tasks as is the case on the standard IAT. Corrective feedback therefore may actually interfere rather than enhance learning while simultaneously magnifying the reported IAT effect sizes.

A behavioral model of the implicit association test (IAT) suggests that the IAT works by comparing the relative fluencies in responding to related and unrelated pairs of stimuli. We tested this idea by exposing two groups of participants to an equivalence training procedure that led to the formation of two three-member equivalence classes each containing three nonsense syllables. One group was trained using a strict fluency criterion that required responses to be produced within 3s on every trial of the stimulus equivalence training and testing phases. The second group was trained without the time limit to the same accuracy criterion. Both groups were exposed to a word-picture association training phase in which one member of each of the equivalence relations, printed in blue or red font, was paired with either plant or animal images, respectively. All participants were subsequently exposed to an implicit association test whose outcome was predicted and controlled by the organization of the trained relations. Preliminary results suggest greater differences in correct responding between the related (consistent) and unrelated (inconsistent) stimuli during the IAT for participants in the accuracy only condition yielding larger IAT effects for this group. We are collecting additional data and will discuss possible interpretations of the results.

The implicit relational assessment procedure (IRAP) is a relatively new behaviorally-based measure of cognitive phenomena. While the existing literature with the IRAP has demonstrated significant promise with this instrument for a variety of research questions, the IRAP to date has not been subjected to a thorough, systematic program of basic laboratory research. Such a program may be fruitful, given the controversy over interpreting the meaning of response patterns to this and other implicit measures. In this presentation, a program of proposed research will be outlined, and preliminary data will be provided.

The current study examined a novel methodology for assessing the strength of stimulus-stimulus relations. Subjects were exposed to a computer based conditional discrimination training procedure in which four stimulus-stimulus relations were established using nonsense syllables as stimuli. Subjects were then exposed to a baseline training phase in which a single operant response function was established for each of two additional nonsense syllable stimuli. This provided a baseline rate of response function acquisition. Two further function training phases were then administered in which stimuli from the established stimulus-stimulus relations; (a) shared and (b) did not share common response functions. The rates of function acquisition in these two phases were analyzed in relation to each other and the baseline rate. The results suggest that this methodology can be used to measure the existence and perhaps strength of pre-existing stimulus relations. It may also have potential for use as a behavior analytic "implicit" test.

Across the years, the Association for Behavior Analysis International has truly become an international organization dedicated to disseminating behavior analysis throughout the world. Members will have the opportunity to celebrate this world-wide dissemination with a panel of international experts within the field of behavior analysis. Panelists will discuss the successes and challenges of implementing behavior analytic technologies in human service agencies outside the US. Other topics to be addressed include (a) developing international associations and graduate training programs, (b) navigating laws and regulations outlining funding, licensing, and certification requirements, and (c) outlining internship and job opportunities abroad.