Association for Behavior Analysis International

Individuals diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder have qualitative impairments in social behavior, which can range from withdrawing from others to a failure to develop meaningful friendships. These impairments in social behavior can lead to negative long term outcomes such as loneliness, depression, and, in the most extreme cases, thoughts or attempts of suicide. In this symposium, three papers will be presented that evaluated different interventions to improve the social behaviors for individuals diagnosed with autism. The first paper will describe a modified teaching interaction procedure to teach specific social skills to individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and who had an intellectual disability. The second paper evaluated the effects of conditioning social reinforcement to individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. The third paper evaluated the methodological soundness of previous studies evaluating social stories, opinions of several behavior analysts on social stories, and, finally, comparing social stories to the cool versus not cool procedure. Throughout the entire symposium, the authors and discussant will provide clinical recommendations and ideas for future research.

BCBAs, graduate students

Individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have qualitative impairments in social behavior which can range from rejecting others to failure to develop meaningful friendships. Thus, it is important for researchers to evaluate various methodologies that engender social behavior. One methodology which has been implemented with may children diagnosed with autism, and has a growing body of empirical support, is the teaching interaction procedure (TIP). The TIP consists of labeling and describing the behavior, providing a meaningful rationale, breaking the skill into smaller components, teacher demonstration of the behavior, the learner role-playing the behavior, and the provision of the feedback. This study implemented a modified TIP to teach social skills to three children diagnosed with ASD and an intellectual disability. A multiple baseline design across social skills, replicated across participants, was utilized to evaluate the effects of the modified TIP. The results showed the TIP resulted in acquisition, maintenance, and generalized of the targeted social skills for all participants. Clinical implications and future directions will be discussed within the presentation.

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have qualitative impairments in social interactions and often prefer food or tangible reinforcement to social reinforcement. Therefore, therapists working with children diagnosed with ASD often utilize food or tangible items as reinforcers to increase appropriate behaviors or decrease aberrant behaviors. The goal of the present study was to shift childrens preference from a highly preferred tangible item to an initially non-preferred social reinforcer using an observational conditioning procedure. Participants observed a known peer engage in a simple task and select the social reinforcer that was not preferred by the participant. The observation procedure resulted in a shift of preference toward the social reinforcer with all participants. Maintenance data demonstrated that although the preference change did not endure for one of the participants, it was quickly re-established with additional observational trials. Results provided further support for the use of observational procedures to alter preferences. Clinical implications and future directions will be discussed within the presentation.

Early intervention for young children with autism spectrum disorder and other delays is essential. With the increased prevalence of autism and the ability to diagnose children at very young ages, interventions designed specifically for toddlers and preschoolers are requisite. Interventions, focused on food selectivity, play, and generative language, are vital skills to address in programming for this young population. Three interventions designed to target each of these areas will be presented. The first intervention increased food interactions in three toddlers through an antecedent treatment package. The second intervention increased pretend play skills in three preschoolers with autism through a system of least prompts. The third intervention increased receptive language skills by programming for generative language in young children with autism. With these three findings, implications for practice will be discussed with a focus on the developmental needs of toddlers and young preschoolers. Additionally, suggestions for future research will be presented.

This study investigates the system of least prompts, an antecedent teaching based strategy, to increase the amount of pretend play of preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in a classroom setting. Three preschool students diagnosed ASD and enrolled in an inclusive preschool program participated in this study. Data was collected looking at the percentage of intervals participants engaged in independent, appropriate types of play during unstructured play time (free choice) in the classroom. Intervention was implemented with 100% procedural fidelity through brief training sessions prior to free choice using the system of least prompts to increase appropriate play actions. Data collection continued in free choice and demonstrated that this intervention was successful for all three participants. Percent of non-overlapping data points for all three participants was 94%, showing a high level of overall effectiveness.

This study investigated the use of a matrix training approach to program for the occurrence of generative receptive language in young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and other language delays. Matrix training is a teaching procedure that can establish recombinative generalization, thus leading to generative language. A matrix of action/object instructions were designed for each of the four participants. They were systematically taught specific action/object instructions, as outlined in the matrix, and probes were conducted to determine if the other action/object instructions were occurring without any teaching. Although recombinative generalization was partial, approximately 3050% of the learned action/object instructions occurred through direct teaching while the other 5070% occurred without direct teaching. Matrix training provided a systematic teaching layout that programmed for the occurrence of generative language. This is a teaching strategy that can be used in early intervention programs and other settings to increase acquisition of teaching targets.

Parent involvement in early intervention services is considered best practice for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (National Research Council, 2001). Pivotal Response Treatment, in particular, places emphasis on the naturalistic implementation of intervention and including parents as providers of treatment. Training parents to implement intervention with fidelity can maximize the intensity of treatment and extend beyond time, locations, and contexts of professionally provided services. Research has demonstrated that caregivers can be taught to implement Pivotal Response Treatment with fidelity in both group-based and individual formats (Symon & Koegel, 2002; Minjarez, Williams, Mercier, & Hardan, 2011). However, it is only recently that specific components of these programs have begun to be systematically evaluated or explained. While some parents succeed in short-term training programs, others make minimal gains with variable outcomes observed across families. Following effective parent training programs, skill maintenance can also be variable across time and participants. The presentations in this symposium will provide information about variables contributing to increased skill performance and maintenance for short-term parent training programs teaching Pivotal Response Treatment using community-based service models. These variables include parent measures of self-efficacy prior to a parent-training program, the provision of follow-up training sessions, and compliance with on-going training.

Parent involvement is a critical component of effective interventions for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders with limited access to professional providers. Several short-term training models have demonstrated efficacy in teaching caregivers to implement evidence-based interventions (Koegel, Symon, & Koegel, 2002). However, recent research suggests that for caregivers who attain fidelity of implementation, approximately half of the participants do not maintain those skills over time (Gengoux et al., 2015). In the current study, 42 parent-child dyads participated in a week-long, intensive training model in a clinic setting (Koegel et al., 2002) with 17 dyads randomly selected to receive remote coaching follow-up sessions across a 12-week period. Results indicate that 9 dyads (53%) completed all scheduled follow-up sessions. Of these 9 dyads, 8 dyads obtained fidelity of implementation during the one-week training period. Following completion of follow-up sessions, 7 dyads maintained fidelity of implementation while 1 dyad achieved the fidelity criterion for a total of 8 out of 9 dyads (89%) demonstrating fidelity 12-weeks post-training. These results further support the short-term training model and suggest that follow-up sessions may enhance skill maintenance. Practitioners offering short-term parent training services may consider this practical, remote-coaching follow-up model to improve maintenance of fidelity for participants.

Many behavioral treatment models for autism spectrum disorder include a parent training component (Steiner et al., 2012). JumpStart is a 20-hour education and empowerment program for parents of young children considered at-risk or recently diagnosed with autism. Caregivers receive didactic instruction, guided observation, and in-vivo coaching in Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) in addition to didactic instruction about the autism diagnosis, Applied Behavior Analysis, and navigating funding and service systems. Upon completion, many parents are able to successfully implement PRT, however, there is considerable variability in parent fidelity of implementation. The current study examined parent fidelity of implementation of PRT, child responsivity to parent-implemented intervention, parenting self-efficacy scales, and depression measures for 31 parent-child dyads. Findings indicate increases in child responsivity, parent fidelity of implementation, and self-efficacy, with decreased measures of depression following completion of the program. Additionally, initial parenting self-efficacy measures predicted positive change in child responsivity and parent fidelity of implementation. These results suggest that meaningful outcomes can be achieved with minimal training and that parenting self-efficacy measures may influence the effectiveness of parent-training programs.

Feeding disorders occur frequently among individuals with autism spectrum disorders. Parents often report difficulties around mealtime. This panel will discuss several case studies and the interventions that were used in treating food refusal, limited repertoires of foods, and selective intake of certain food categories across individuals. Data collection procedures, behavioral interventions, determining the function of the feeding problem and generalization of skills to other settings and people will be discussed.

Some clinical behavioral analysts have suggested that psychological flexibility may be a fundamental aspect of psychological well-being and a mechanism of change in clinical behavior analysis. A mid-level term, psychological flexibility is often defined in the clinical context as involving open, ongoing awareness to private events in such a way as to decrease avoidance and facilitate effective, values-based behavior. This symposium includes two papers that link mid-level conceptualizations of psychological flexibility with basic behavioral principles. Each explores potential methods of measuring psychological flexibility directly rather than relying on self-report measures. The first paper explores potential relationships between performance on two behavioral measures of body image flexibility the Body Image Flexibility Assessment Procedure (BIFAP) and the Body Image Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP). The second paper explores qualities of derived relational responding as indicative of flexibility and inflexibility and investigates the IRAP as a tool for predicting inflexibility in certain domains of living.

Body image flexibility has been described in the non-behavioral literature as the capacity to experience the body fully and intentionally while pursuing effective action in important life domains. Self-report measures of body image flexibility are psychometrically sound, but limited in their validity as they rely on the responders honesty and ability to tact their private experiences and reactions thereof. The current study aimed to explore potential relationships between performance on two behavioral measures of body image flexibility the Body Image Flexibility Assessment Procedure (BIFAP) and the Body Image Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP). The BIFAP was designed to measure body image flexibility, while the IRAP was developed to measure brief immediate relational responses (a.k.a., implicit cognitions), and was adapted for this study to measure responses to body image. Responses on both tasks are considered in terms of response latencies, and rate of correct responses. Aspects of both divergence and convergence speak to the complexity of assessment of private events. Implications for assessment in clinical and research domains will be discussed.

The Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP) has most often been used to examine differences between the performances of groups of people with a particular set of stimuli and between specific trial-types. The present study is a continuation of several previous studies that examine the possibility of using analyses of the IRAP to identify relatively strong verbal repertoires at the level of the individual. These repertoires may be clinically relevant for the participating individual or for his/her community. They may also be seen as areas of psychological inflexibility. This paper examines multiple methods for examining IRAP outputs. Undergraduate students who participated for course credit chose IRAPs from an array of topics that they viewed as being related to areas of difficulty and areas of ease. The participants showed marked variability in IRAP performance across IRAPs and trial types. The discussion focuses on the potential to predict and develop interventions for specific domains for individuals where high levels of bias, rigidity, or fusion are present.

The ingestion of inedible substances may result in serious medical complications including lead poisoning, intestinal obstruction, infection and even death. Pica has been described as being both treatment resistant and maintained in the absence of social consequences (Piazza, et al. 1998). The current study involves a six-year-old male who engages in pica and was admitted to a residential treatment facility with elevated lead levels. A competing items assessment was conducted and found that edible items competed with pica far more effectively than tangible items. However, these items were not successful in effectively suppressing rates of pica when provided on a continuous schedule during five minute sessions. The current study examines the effectiveness of differentially reinforcing the exchange of inedible items with edible items that have been shown to effectively compete with pica. This intervention was found to have reduced instances of pica to near zero levels across multiple inedible items. This study then attempts to extend the existing research in this area to include information regarding the thinning of the schedule of reinforcement in a socially significant manner, as well as generalization of the exchange across novel inedible items and settings. In addition, unit data is presented to illustrate the perseverance of this behavior over time in more natural settings then the one in which it was first learned.

Parent Management Training–Oregon Model (PMTO) is an evidence-based intervention that prevents and treats child and adolescent behavior problems by teaching parents strategies that reduce coercion and increase positive parenting practices (Forgatch & Patterson, 2010; Patterson, 2005). The intervention, which was developed by the group of colleagues led by Gerald Patterson, has emerged over several decades with a programmatic focus on families with youngsters with externalizing problems such as aggression, antisocial behavior, and delinquency. PMTO's staying power over nearly five decades is likely tied to the continuing integration of theory, science, and practice with a focus on improving outcomes at every level. In the last fifteen years, PMTO has been implemented internationally. Reliable and valid data using multiple method and agent assessment from U.S. and international PMTO implementations illustrate the challenges of making empirically-supported interventions routine practice in the community. Technological advances that break down barriers to communication across distances, the availability of efficacious programs suitable for implementation, and the urgent need for high quality mental health care provide strong rationales for prioritizing implementation. The next challenge is to reduce the prevalence of children's psychopathology by creating science-based delivery systems to reach families in need, everywhere.

This lecture will be of interest to applied researchers interested in mechanisms of behavior change and of implementation of evidence-based programs, and to practitioners who work in a variety of applied settings, particularly those who work with children with aggressive and other antisocial behavior.

Any perturbation of the stream of behavior has numerous effects. Delivery of a food reinforcer will activate approach and alimentary responses, elicit search modes, and instigate species typical foraging or predation repertoires. Any correlated stimuli will become conditioned--as an occasion-setter, conditioned stimulus, discriminative stimulus, or conditioned reinforcer. If the correlation is positive those stimuli will be approached; if negative avoided. Theories of conditioning have focused on one or another of these factors; that is called analysis. Synthesis requires understanding the development of these processes, each at its own rate, and as each interacts with the others. The resulting system is complex, in that it involves dynamic networks of interactions. The degree to which responses support or compete with each other, and each with higher-level organizations, may be described with the Price Equation. The evolution of dynamic and average steady states requires other models. This lecture provides an introduction to this next step in the evolution of the experimental analysis of behavior, toward the Syncretic Approach to Behavior, SAB.

Researchers in both basic and applied behavior analysis who are wondering "where next?".

Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) can face difficulties in many aspects of life. They often have weak social skills (Gresham, Sugai, & Horner, 2001), poor academic performance (Trout, Nordness, Pierce, & Epstein, 2003), more restrictive school placements (Yell, 1995), and more frequent suspensions or expulsions (Department of Education, 2013). One method for improving outcomes for students with EBD may be to explicitly teach students how to communicate with peers and adults in their lives. The purpose of this symposium is to present research about communication interventions for students with EBD. The first paper will present the results of a comprehensive literature review of functional assessment based interventions for students with EBD to determine the extent to which the interventions employed meet the technical definition of functional communication training (FCT). Of the studies using FCT, participant characteristics, intervention components, and general outcomes will be discussed. The second paper will present findings from a research study designed to teach students how to effectively communicate about their behavior by reporting antecedents, behaviors, and consequences. Authors will discuss results, and implications for research and practice.

Functional communication training (FCT) is a technique used to reduce problem behavior through systematic training of a communicative response serving an equivalent function as the target behavior (Carr & Durand, 1985). It is most often used for individuals with limited or no vocal language. Of 204 participants in a recent review of FCT, all but six had intellectual, developmental, or autism spectrum disorders (Tiger, Hanley, & Bruzek, 2008). FCT has been used to remediate problem behavior of individuals with high-incidence disabilities such as ADHD or emotional/behavioral disorders (EBD). However, a review limited to these cases is difficult due to inconsistent terminology: Researchers in EBD use procedures congruent with FCT but do not typically label the procedures as such. Before the efficacy of FCT for students with EBD can be analyzed, it must first be determined which functional assessment-based interventions are, in fact, FCT. The purpose of this review is to determine the extent to which and how FCT is used for this population. Participant characteristics, intervention components, and intervention outcomes will be discussed.

One way to increase student involvement in their educational programming is to give them the opportunity to contribute during the functional behavior assessment process. Unfortunately, current research shows that that without training, some students are unable to accurately report on their behavior (e.g., Chan & Cannella-Malone, under review; Murdock, O'Neill, & Cunningham, 2005). One way to increase meaningful student engagement may be to explicitly teach students to identify antecedents, behaviors, and consequences. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of an explicit instruction package designed to teach students to identify antecedents, behaviors, and consequences using video clips of challenging behavior scenarios. Results indicated that students learned to accurately report what happened in the video clips; however, they struggled to generalize the skills to reports about their own behavior. Authors will make recommendations for future research and discuss implications for practice will be discussed.

Behavior analysts continuously seek to identify efficient and effective procedures to teach novel skills to fluency. Fluency can be measured in terms of celeration, or change in frequency across time, or behavioral agility as measured on the standard celeration chart (SCC). Behavioral agility has been measured as the change in celerations across the acquisition of skills, which can include steeper slopes, rising bottoms, and fewer timings to reach aims (goals). The first study evaluated the effects of differential consequences on the fluency and celeration of learning the endangered Hawaiian language within the stimulus equivalence framework. The second study evaluated the effects of self-management procedures, specifically self-charting, on measures of self-control in addition to changes in celerations, bottom frequencies, and the number of timings to fluency for a series of skill slices. Participants from both studies were typically developing. Outcomes will be discussed in terms of applicability within and across populations, skillsets, settings, and areas for future research.

The purpose of the current investigation was to explore whether self-charting or teacher-charting would produced steeper celerations, rising bottom frequencies, and/or fewer timings to fluency (i.e., behavioral agility) for typically-developing children between the ages of 4 and 6. In addition, the purpose of this study was to identify if there was a relationship between measures of behavioral agility and measures of self-control during delay probes in which participants waited to consume highly preferred edibles. Participants were separated into three groups: experimental self-charting, control teacher-charting only, and control temporal delay probes only. Results did not provide evidence that self-charting was more beneficial than teacher-charting in producing indicators of behavioral agility. In addition, the data did not show a clear relationship between measures of self-control and charting. However, all participants who received instruction became fluent in multiple slices of instruction across multiple programs. In addition, five out of seven participants across experimental and control groups improved their performance on waiting for a large portion of a highly preferred edible when having free access to the item. Findings should be considered with caution due to the small sample size, and future research should continue to explore ways to increase the rate of student learning and possible avenues to measure correlations between self-control and self-management.

Instructional strategies that incorporate more opportunities for active student responding have been shown to increase student academic and social outcomes. Response cards and student response systems (e.g., clickers) are two effective and efficient ways for teachers to increase opportunities for active student responding. In this symposium, the study by Khan, Miltenberger, and Singer examined the effects of response cards on student disruptive behavior, percentage of questions answered, and accuracy of questions answered while alternating the number of teacher-directed questions across sessions. As a result of using response cards, the investigators found decreases in disruptive behaviors and increases academic behaviors. The second study by Horne and Blair examined the effects of an electronic student response system to improve student behaviors across two classrooms. Although limited, the results indicated that the classroom teachers implemented the electronic student response system with fidelity, and their implementation of the intervention resulted in reduced disruption and increased academic engagement. Social validity data indicated that both interventions were acceptable to teachers, effective, and most students enjoyed using the alternative method to respond to a teacher?s question. Victoria Fogel will serve as discussant and provide comments on each of the papers.

A student response system is a technology that allows an entire classroom of students to respond to questions and receive immediate feedback from teachers during instruction. However, little research has examined the use of student response systems to support student behavior in elementary schools. This study focused on using an electronic student response system to improve class-wide behavior in two general elementary school classrooms. An ABAB and ABA reversal designs embedded within a multiple baseline design across classrooms was employed to evaluate the outcome of the intervention. Although limited, the results indicated that the classroom teachers implemented the electronic student response system with fidelity, and their implementation of the intervention resulted in reduced disruption and increased academic engagement. Social validity data indicated that the electronic response system intervention was acceptable to both teachers and students to some degree.

Dixon et al. (2015) ranked graduate programs in behavior analysis on the basis of their faculty research productivity. Although controversial, this paper prompted a number of responses from researchers and practitioners in ABA on the important of research in graduate ABA training and how to appropriately rank graduate programs according to the productivity of their faculty. The purpose of this panel is to continue that discussion in an open forum. The panel includes three members with experience in both research and practice in ABA. The panel will discuss the importance of research in graduate ABA training, the importance of formal ranking systems for graduate programs in ABA, whether programs should be ranked on additional factors, such as the research productivity of its students and / or graduates, and the relationship between research productivity and clinician competency. The panel will be chaired by a fourth participant with an interest in this topic.

Intervention programs based on the science of applied behavior analysis (ABA) have repeatedly been shown to be effective in reducing problem behaviors in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or intellectual or developmental disabilities. This symposium includes four presentations that depict how the principles of applied behavior analysis can be effectively used in a clinical setting to reduce behaviors that impede learning in children of varying ages whom are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. The first presentation describes the assessment and treatment of rumination in a nine-year-old male that was conducted in collaboration with Dr. David Wilder of the Florida Institute of Technology. The second presentation discusses the effectiveness of an intervention aimed at decreasing the stereotypy of a four-year-old male while simultaneously increasing his self-monitoring skills. The third presentation presents the effects of a feeding intervention on decreasing food refusals and increasing food tolerance in a 13-year-old male. The fourth and final presentation depicts the effects of a response-cost intervention that was put in place for a three-year-old who engaged in high levels of spitting. The social significance of each topic will be addressed and data based outcomes will be discussed.

The acceptance of a variety of foods is a necessary skill in order to receive proper nutrition to keep ones body healthy. This skill is also socially valid in that loud and repeated food refusals not only distinguish a child from his or her peers, but also cause unnecessary and unwanted attention in public situations. The participant in this case study is a 13-year-old male with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) who demonstrated a limited repertoire of foods and extreme refusals when presented with non-preferred food items. Previously, his feeding program involved contingent reinforcement while rotating between over 30 different types of food. It was determined that food refusals were not decreasing due to the fact that the participant was not contacting the same food at a high enough frequency. Once the number of different foods that were presented concurrently during each session were decreased, food refusals also began to decrease and tolerance for new food items increased. This outcome was consistent when probed in maintenance trials.

An assessment and function-based treatment intervention was utilized to address the spitting behavior of a three- year- old boy diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). An intervention was warranted as the behavior was serving as a barrier to learning, it was unsanitary, and it was also rapidly increasing in frequency. After determining that spitting appeared to be maintained by automatic reinforcement, the team assessed the effects of non-contingent access to one or more items and non-contingent access to a preferred item with contingent removal of the item following the target behavior. Results indicated that the clients spitting behavior maintained at high levels when he was given free access to preferred toys and to a preferred Pediasure shake. When the Pediasure shake was removed contingent on emittance of the spitting behavior, however, the frequency of this behavior decreased to near-zero levels. Furthermore, this decrease in spitting was maintained across different environments and time with continued implementation of the response cost procedure.

Despite demonstrations of treatment efficacy, research suggests some learners fail to make significant gains in Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention (EIBI) programs, particularly in the domain of language acquisition. A possible explanation for insufficient progress is that some children do not have the prerequisite skills to effectively benefit from language and social skills instruction. Discrimination ability and assessment of stimulus control are often overlooked when assessing and choosing intervention targets, and the failure to identify these important foundational skills can lead to the introduction of beginning targets that are too difficult for the learner. The following symposium examines the impact of discrimination ability, as assessed by the Assessment of Basic Learning Abilities-Revised, on rate of learning in EIBI, focusing on the role of auditory discrimination in echoic acquisition. In light of the above findings and an examination of learning trajectories of typically developing children, preliminary treatment modifications for early learners in EIBI will be discussed, with a focus on identifying prerequisite skill areas that are critical for a child to master prior to teaching language. By attending to discrimination ability and prerequisite skill acquisition, we can better teach early learners in EIBI settings important language and social skill repertoires.

When implementing intensive intervention plans for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), we tend to see two profiles of children, those who are in the best outcome group and those who are not. The typical profile of a child in the best outcome group is one with some basic language, imitation and a multitude of available reinforcers. Auditory discrimination has been linked to the development of these early learning skills. By using the Assessment of Basic Learning Abilities Revised (ABLA-R) to assess a childs ability to discriminate we can determine if they are likely to respond well to a typical ABA curriculum. If a child does not discriminate, it will be necessary to teach earlier developmental skills in visual and auditory discrimination, that when missing, are likely to hinder a childs response to treatment. This presentation will focus on preliminary treatment modifications aimed to teach early discrimination skills identified from comparison studies between children with ASD and those that are typically developing between the ages of 0-1. If these early developmental discrimination skills are targeted in treatment before working on language, imitation and play skills, children with poor discrimination skills may more readily respond to intensive ABA treatment intervention techniques.

Effective instructional programs are critical for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities; however, many factors are involved in developing effective instructional programs. This this symposium, we present research regarding recent advancements in instructional programs. The first presentation will address considerations of mand topographies on functional communication training (FCT). Results indicate that mand proficiency should be considered when selecting mand topographies during FCT addressing problem behaviors that serve multiple functions. The second presentation will discuss the effectiveness of a discrimination training procedure to teach participants when newly-aqauired mands would be honored. Results suggest mands acquired during FCT can be successfully placed under stimulus control while maintaining low levels of challenging behavior. The third presentation will address the effects of preferences incorporated into non-preferred tasks on task engagement and indices of happiness. Results indicate incorporating preferences into tasks will increase behavioral indicators of happiness. The final presentation will discuss the effectiveness of two error correction procedures within a discrete-trial instructional program. Results suggest that error correction with and without vocal feedback produce similar rates of skill acquisition and problem behavior. The final discussion will summarize these studies, highlight the applied value of the results, and discuss future research.

Although functional communication training (FCT) has been demonstrated in myriad studies to be an effective treatment of problem behavior, less is known about the possible influence of specific mand topographies on treatment outcomes. One exception, Ringdahl et al. (2009, found that high-proficiency mand topographies were more effective when targeted during FCT relative to low-proficiency mand topographies. Whereas Ringdahl et al. targeted single functions, no studies have evaluated the influence of proficiency across multiple functions of problem behavior. We conducted mand proficiency assessments with children who engaged in multiply maintained problem behavior. The results suggested that proficiency varied with mand topographies within and across functions of problem behavior. Next, we conducted FCT using high and low-proficiency mands across all demonstrated functions of problem behavior. Results varied within and across functions of problem behavior in terms of the effects of high and low-proficiency mand topographies. Implications regarding the selection and targeting of mand topographies during FCT when multiple functions of problem behaviors are indicated will be discussed.

Functional communication training (FCT) is an evidenced--based treatment of challenging behaviors in which an individual learns to appropriately request reinforcers as an alternative to engaging in challenging behaviors. However, there are situations in which the mand simply cannot be honored because the reinforcer is unavailable, resulting in the reemergence of challenging behavior. Few studies have empirically demonstrated methods to deal with these applied situations. In the current clinical investigation, stimulus control of the mand was established for 2 children with autism spectrum disorder to decrease challenging behavior. First, reinforcers for challenging behaviors were identified for each child and the children learned appropriate mands to functionally replace the challenging behavior. Next, the children entered into discrimination training in which colored cards indicated when appropriate mands would be honored (i.e., green card) and put on extinction (i.e., red card). Challenging behavior and appropriate mands were measured and an AB with multielement single--case design was utilized to evaluate discrimination training. Results showed that both children learned to mand when the green card was present but not when the red card was present. In addition, challenging behaviors remained low in both conditions.

We present four papers related to the establishment of complex verbal functions. The papers will cover a range of learned verbal functions from learning the names of things to learning to write complex algorithms to solve math problems. The first paper traces the conditioning process that allows individuals to learn more stimuli relations. The second paper tests the presence of naming for Mandarin Chinese phonemes in monolingual English-speaking preschool children. The third paper tested the effects of a social learning condition on the acquisition of writing as both direct and indirect reinforcement. The fourth paper tests the effects of a writing and peer-editing package on the acquisition of problem-solving repertoires in fourth grade students. Together, these four papers show the reinforcement sources for function in verbal behavior.

I tested for the presence of Naming in six preschool students with developmental delays. Participants were presented with Naming experiences in which they had opportunities to observe a visual stimulus, an auditory non-spoken stimulus and an auditory spoken stimulus (i.e., the name of the stimulus). Probes were then conducted to test for the 1) presence of the listener half of Naming for visual stimuli, 2) the speaker half of Naming for visual stimuli, 3) the listener half of Naming for auditory stimuli, and 4) the speaker half of Naming for auditory stimuli. All participants demonstrated the listener half of Naming for visual stimuli. Next, I repeated the probe sequence in the same order, and participants emitted increasing numbers of correct responses. Following 3-4 sessions, all participants met criterion (80%) for each of the four responses.

I tested the effects of a writing and peer-editing package on the acquisition of problem solving, as measured by the outcome of how to solve a problem, with fourth grade students, using a delayed multiple probe design across dyads with counterbalanced stimuli. In Experiment 1, 4 participants in the fourth grade (ranging in age from 8 to 10 years) participated in the experiment and were selected because they could not write about solving multi-step word problems. Participants were placed in a dyad that consisted of a problem solver (writer) and a listener (peer editor as the target participant). The problem solver and listener interacted in a written topography in order to solve the problem. The writer produced an effective algorithm and the editor edited the algorithm using a checklist. Each dyad competed against a second dyad, using a peer yoked contingency game board as a motivating operation. The results of Experiment 1 demonstrated that a written dialogue, the role of peer editing (with the use of an algorithm), and the establishing operation of competition through the peer yoked contingency game board through peer editing (with the use of an algorithm), increased participant's writing about their word problem responses, which may be an indicator of problem solving.

The emergence of insurance funded Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) benefits has introduced new requirements and complexity for providers of ABA services. Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) are finding themselves in a new contractual relationship with health care plans without prior experience with utilization management and submission of claims. Managed care plans apply traditional insurance principles including medical necessity to the authorization of autism services to ensure appropriate treatment is being provided. They also demand knowledge of insurance terminology, billing practices and information sharing that may be outside the realm of a BCBA practitioners historical practice. The panelists will address the barriers that can arise between a managed care plan and ABA providers and focus on steps for facilitating the development of a collaborative relationship between provider and health plan. The panel will include professionals from managed care organizations that will discuss the importance of using data to inform and direct treatment progress, keys to obtaining authorization for treatment and critical information that is consistently reviewed by care managers. Other panelists will be ABA service providers who will share their perspective as to lessons learned and effective strategies used in their work with managed care organizations.

The purpose of the study was to demonstrate the application of shaping technology to establish direct line of sight, visual regard, as a propaedeutic behavioral cusp for the further development of more complex and multiply determined joint attending capacities. The participants were three boys classified with autism with ages ranging between three and five years old. All three learners attended an ABA-based special needs school for children with autism. A multiple probe design across participants was used to document the impact efficacy of the procedure, which consisted of several systematically applied steps, with some variations, per learner. Visual regard was observed in different settings and at different times to determine maintenance and generalization of the skill.

The purpose of the current study was evaluate the effects of peer competition and feedback during recess on childrens step counts. Participants were exposed to a comparative feedback intervention according to an ABAB reversal design. During baseline, participants wore a pedometer during the recess period of the school day. However, the device was sealed and therefore no feedback was available from the pedometer. Additionally, no performance feedback was made available to the participants. During intervention, participants with higher step counts, identified during baseline, were paired with participants with lower step counts. Once placed into teams, participants were allowed to look at their pedometers and share their step counts with their partners, as well as other teams. Results of the study demonstrated an overall increase in step count from baseline to intervention. These results suggest that childrens steps during recess can be maximized by being placed into small teams and receiving immediate feedback about their performance on the playground.

Many schools have scaled back or completely removed their physical education programs. Therefore, promoting physical activity during times of the day when children have the opportunity to be physically active, such as recess, is increasingly important. We evaluated a pedometer-based intervention consisting of comparative feedback between two teams of students, with additional self-monitoring, goal setting, and reinforcement components, to increase the physical activity level in an elementary school classroom. We found that in the absence of self-monitoring, performance feedback alone did not increase activity levels above those observed during baseline. Additionally, higher levels of physical activity were observed when goal-setting was introduced, with the highest levels of activity observed when raffle tickets could be earned for exceeding a specified step-total goal. We will discuss classroom, team, and individual data, and their implications, in terms of responders and non-responders to the intervention.

In general, when we as Applied Behavior Analysts carry out behavioral interventions, we must look carefully to address or eliminate potential ethical concerns. When working with sexual behaviors in particular, potential ethical concerns abound, especially when those we work with have intellectual or developmental disabilities. There are also legal implications of which we must be cognizant when working in the delicate domain of sexual behavior. Using research and clinical case examples to illustrate their points, members of this panel will address some of the legal and ethical concerns and themes that commonly arise when clinicians are called upon to address issues related to sexual behavior in applied settings. Panelists will also discuss reasons why behaviors that are sexual in nature may warrant targeted behavior change efforts through empirically verified sex education curricula and behavior reduction programming, as well as situations in which it would be unethical to target such behaviors.

Judges and juries easily accept information that is consistent with stereotypes but tend to resist information that is inconsistent with them. When groups like gangs, terrorists, or prostitutes are demonized the facts become framed in a manner that a guilty verdict or severe sentence becomes likely. Experience in dozens of gang-related trials is drawn on to confirm how stereotypes can produce processes of injustice. Language from police interrogations, prosecutor's arguments, and Hagedorn's court testimony are examined to explain how in gang-related criminal trials it is often the frames that matter not the facts. When the frames are hard, Lakoff says, the facts sometimes bounce off.

Certified Behavior Analysts and graduate students.

Ample research has demonstrated that behavioral interventions implemented directly with children with autism are effective in producing a large variety of socially meaningful behavior changes. However, parents will always be the ones who have the greatest influence on the outcome of their children. Parent training, therefore, continues to be a major priority, if behavior change is to be broad and enduring. This symposium brings together two presentations that push the envelope of standard behavioral parent training. The first presentation, by Taira Lanagan, consists of an evaluation of a tele health approach to training parents to treat their children's food selectivity. The second presentation, by Evelyn Gould, consists of an evaluation of a acceptance and commitment-based approach to training parents of children with autism. The symposium concludes with a discussion by Dr. Karen Kate Kellum.

Ample research has established the effectiveness of behavior analytic approaches to treating feeding disorders in children with autism. However, very few experts in feeding disorders are available to provide treatment. Therefore, methods for disseminating expertise more broadly are needed. This presentation consists of a study that evaluated a telemedicine approach to training parents to treat their child's food selectivity. Overall, parents were amenable to training at great distances and child gains resembled that which is normally obtained with behavior analysts directly implementing treatment.

Behavioral parent training is a critical component of effective treatment for children with autism, however, practitioners frequently encounter challenges with respect to parent involvement and the delivery of parent training. The potential role of covert verbal behavior in parenting interactions and compliance with treatment protocols has not been addressed significantly by the behavioral parent training literature. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a behavior analytic intervention that seeks to increase adaptive, flexible responding by decreasing the influence of problematic private events, such as overly rigid rule-deriving and rule-following. ACT has been shown to be effective with a wide-range of populations and issues, however, research involving parents of children with ASD is currently in its infancy. This ongoing study will examine the effects of a brief ACT-based parent training protocol on involvement (e.g., attendance and participation in team meetings), treatment adherence, and child problem behavior. In addition, this study will assess the feasibility and benefits of implementing this brief protocol within the context of community-based ABA service delivery.

As costs and bureaucratic considerations have diminished the existence of traditional animal labs in the study of the basic processes underlying behavior, advances in the research of non-traditional organisms have advanced considerably over the past decade. The symposium will discuss how to build an invertebrate laboratory in behavior analysis graduate programs, evaluate the use of robotic technology in application with aquatic vertebrates, and discuss the past, present, and future of the use of animal models in behavior analytic research. Together, these talks will highlight a method for building an animal laboratory when resources may not be available to maintain traditional laboratory arrangements, as well as discuss the idiosyncratic advantages associated with each of the species examined.

Scientists have used animals to better understand the natural world as early as the ancient Grecians, and this practice continues today. One of the earliest types of animal research conducted by scientists was the dissection of animals to try and understand how the body works. Our science, behavior analysis, also began with animal research from dogs, to cats, and most famously, rats & pigeons. These latter species were the conduit through which much of our understanding of behavioral principles were discovered. Skinner first described the effects of varied schedules of reinforcement after hundreds of sessions with rats in an operant chamber. Today, most in the field have an applied focus, solving real world problems with principles of behavior, and sometimes the training programs forego any exposure to animal labs. A trending area in our field, translational research, includes the parallel investigation of phenomena both in a basic laboratory as well as in applied settings, this has been tremendously valuable to the progress of our science, and promises to be critical to our future. As such, it becomes more and more apparent that animal labs are critical for the training of graduate students as well as the continued growth of our understanding of behavioral phenomena. Unfortunately, the number of animal labs in our field seem to be shrinking as costs and bureaucratic hurdles overwhelm the resources allocated. This paper will discuss the state of our animal labs in the US and propose a solution in the form of non-traditional species.

Determining what language we use with English Language Learners (ELLs) is an important research endeavor as findings have implications for inclusion in bilingual education programs, may influence academic achievement, and provide evidence for home language support. This symposium will include recent research on how language can influence responding. The first study presents a protocol for evaluating preference for a specific language in which praise is given. Specific language praise is then examined in a reinforcer assessment to determine reinforcing efficacy of praise in different languages. A second study examines the effect of listener language on the number of child initiations and mean length utterance (MLU). This study also replicates previous research examining the conditions under which children adjust their language to match the language of their listener. Predictive validity and utility of language proficiency assessments will be discussed. Effects of home language and English language usage for increasing responding and providing second language supports in educational settings will also be discussed.

Assessing preference for stimuli has been shown to be of value when determining potential reinforcers for individuals with disabilities. This study conceptualized different languages as different types of social stimuli. Assessing preference for languages may be of use to identify forms of social reinforcement that can be used with English Language Learners (ELLs) with disabilities. Five ELLs with disabilities between the ages of 10 and 17 years old participated in the study. We conducted a paired-stimulus preference assessment for specific language praise statements in English and Spanish to determine the language in which the participants preferred praise. Following the preference assessment, we conducted a concurrent-chains reinforcer assessment to determine reinforcing efficacy of praise in each language. We found two of five participants preferred Spanish praise to English praise. Three of five participants preference was undifferentiated between Spanish and English praise. All participants preference assessments predicted, to a degree, the results of their reinforcer assessments. From these results we concluded our paired stimulus preference assessment was effective for evaluating preference for different types of praise. Preference was also indicative of reinforcing efficacy of praise.

Safety skills are important for children with and without disabilities. Children with autism typically have difficulties with safety skills often related to problems with communication and problem solving. The first presenters evaluated the effects of video modeling and programming for common stimuli on children with autism answering or making a FaceTime call on an iPhone 6 or exchanging an identification card when approached by an employee or after approaching an employee when lost. Results demonstrated that children with autism can learn and generalize low-and high-tech help-seeking behaviors. The second group of presenters examined the use of video modeling for teaching children with autism to use the telephone to call someone for help. Results of the study suggest that teenagers diagnosed with autism can be taught problem solving skills by breaking down problem solving scenarios into task analyses and using video modeling strategies. Typically developing children also have issues with safety skills, particularly regarding abduction. The third presenter focused on the differential effects of verbal instructions, social stories, video modeling, and practice on child responses during in-situ abduction assessments. Results demonstrated that each participant performed better following practice compared to verbal instructions, social stories, and video modeling.

Deficits in safety skills and communication deficits place individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) at increased risk of danger. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effects of video modeling and programming for common stimuli to teach low- and high-tech help- seeking responses to children with autism when lost using a multiple probe across participants. All of the participants with autism acquired the skills of answering or making a FaceTime call on an iPhone 6 or exchanging an identification card when approached by an employee or after approaching an employee in a contrived setting, generalized the skills to novel community settings, and maintained the skills over a one and two- week follow-up. Normative data were collected with typically developing peers (i.e., without a diagnosis of a developmental disability) across the dependent variables during pre-baseline and post-intervention phases, with all participants being able to seek help when lost. Additionally, social validity measures showed that the procedures, goals, and outcomes of the study were acceptable to direct consumers, indirect consumers, immediate community members, and extended community members. Results demonstrate that children with ASD can learn and generalize low-and high-tech help-seeking behaviors.

For many teenagers diagnosed with autism, problem solving can be a complex skill to teach. Research indicates that using video modeling can be successful when teaching children with autism skills such as reciprocal conversation and play, but few studies address video modeling to teach problem solving skills. This study utilized a multiple baseline research design, to teach three teenagers diagnosed with autism the skill of using the telephone to call someone for help. During intervention, video modeling was introduced for each step of the problem solving task analysis, then faded as participants demonstrated the skill independently. For all participants, maintenance probes were completed one year after the initial training. Following intervention, all three participants completed 100% of the problem solving task analysis independently. One year later, two out of three participants maintained the skill at 100% of the task analysis. Results of the study suggest that teenagers diagnosed with autism can be taught problem solving skills by breaking down problem solving scenarios into task analyses and using video modeling strategies.

Family members or friends of the family commit the majority of child abductions (National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, 2015). Much of past research has focused on conducting in-situ assessments with novel confederates to determine if abduction prevention training was successful (Beck & Miltenberger, 2009, Johnson et al., 2005). The purpose of this abduction prevention analysis was to analyze the differential effects of verbal instructions, social stories, video modeling, and practice on the responses of children. A multi-element design was used to examine the differential effects of the various instructional modalities on child responses during in-situ abduction assessments. Four participants, two female and two male, participated in this study. They were all typically developing and ranged in age from four years of age to seven years of age. Following each instruction period, the in-situ assessment was done with an adult friend of the parents who the child knew. Results demonstrate that each participant performed better following practice compared to verbal instructions, social stories, and video modeling. Verbal instructions had no positive effects during the in situ assessments. Social stories and video modeling had mixed results as indicated on the graphs.

Relational frame theory (RFT) is sometimes said to provide a foundation in basic behavior analysis for acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and ACT is said to be part of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) writ large. This lecture will consider the potential role that RFT could play in grounding ACT, and perhaps some CBT concepts, in more functionally based theorizing. The first part of the lecture will argue that the so-called “middle-level terms” employed in ACT, such as acceptance, defusion, values, and self-as-context, may be seen as lacking the (functional) analytic precision that many concepts in traditional CBT also lack. This lack of functional precision is entirely understandable for CBT, given its explicitly mentalistic origins, but it could be seen as placing a question mark over the functional-analytic “credentials” of ACT. The second part of the lecture considers the argument that RFT can “rescue” ACT from its apparent lack of functional precision, and concludes that it cannot do so without additional substantive conceptual development of the theory itself. A brief outline of how this conceptual development might be realized is presented in the form of a multi-dimensional, multi-level (MDML) framework for analyzing the dynamics of relational framing as generalized relational operant behaviors.

Individuals with an interest in conceptual issues pertaining to translational research, particularly in the domains of clinical behavior analysis, and human language and cognition.

Among the behavior analysts who first appreciated the scope and power of Skinner's analysis of verbal behavior, Jack Michael has been by far the most influential. In addition to having trained many of the most prominent figures in the field, Jack relentlessly refined and sharpened Skinner's analysis over the course of five decades. In honor of his unparalleled contributions, the Verbal Behavior Special Interest Group annually acknowledges a prominent figure in the field with the Jack Michael Award. The first three winners of the award will speak about Jack's influence on their work and on the field as a whole. Among the topics they will discuss are multiple control, establishing operations, automatic reinforcement, recall, and private events.Dr. Jack Michael was born in 1926 in Los Angeles and entered UCLA in 1943, majoring in chemistry. He served two years in the US army and returned to UCLA in 1946 as a psychology major. He obtained a B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. at UCLA, finishing in 1955. As a graduate student, his main interests were statistical methodology, physiological psychology, and learning theory. During his first teaching job (Kansas University), he was much influenced by B. F. Skinner’sScience and Human Behaviorand, throughout his teaching career, he was primarily involved in teaching behavioral psychology (Kansas University, University of Houston, Arizona State University, and from 1967, at Western Michigan University). In 1957, as a result of influence by the rehabilitation psychologist, Lee Meyerson, Jack Michael began to apply Skinner’s approach to individuals with developmental disabilities, mental illness, and physical disabilities. During the next several years, “behavior modification” was in a period of rapid expansion and Dr. Michael contributed with his teaching, writing, and public presentations. He spent much of his academic career concerned with the technical terminology of behavior analysis, basic theory regarding motivation, and verbal behavior. He contributed to the founding of the Association for Behavior Analysis (International) in 1974 and served as its President in 1979. Among his many awards are: 1989 Western Michigan University’s Distinguished Faculty Scholar; 2002 Award for Distinguished Service to Behavior Analysis: ABAI; 2008 The Murray Sidman Award for Enduring Contributions to Behavior Analysis: Berkshire Association for Behavior Analysis and Therapy; 2009 Ellen P. Reese Award: Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies; 2012 Victor Laties Lifetime of Service Award: Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior (SEAB); and in 2012, he was the first recipient of the award named in his honor: The Jack Michael Outstanding Contributions in Verbal Behavior Award from the Verbal Behavior Special Interest Group at ABAI.

This symposium will focus on current issues in the applied analysis of animal behavior in zoological settings while covering conceptual, theoretical, and methodological considerations of behavior analysis. Thus, while experimental in format, this symposium emphasizes translational work. The first presentation is mainly theoretical/methodological (with data-based examples) and concerns the application of single-case methodology to the evaluation of environmental enrichment efficacy in research and practice. The second presentation is data-based with theoretical implications of two widespread animal care strategies and will discuss a comparison of zoo animals choices for participating in positive reinforcement training or enrichment strategies. The remaining two presentations and the discussants remarks will comment on the content of these two presentations. These presenters will provide commentary on the two presentations from different perspectives and different areas of expertise, including experimental, translational, and applied analyses of behavior. By bringing together presenters with different areas of expertise, we hope to draw an audience that might not typically attend applied animal behavior presentations and offer perspectives that audiences at AAB presentations might not typically hear.

Food refusal is a severe feeding problem in which children refuse to eat all or most foods which often leads to insufficient caloric intake and malnutrition. Food refusal can be effectively treated using a variety of multicomponent intervention packages. The purpose of the present study was to use an alternating treatments design to compare two intervention packages-- differential reinforcement (DRA) with escape extinction and response cost (RC) with escape extinction for treating food refusal in a 2-year-old boy with developmental delays and failure to thrive (FTT). There were not differences across conditions in the childs level of acceptance and interruptions initially; however, the childs acceptance was consistently higher and percentage of interruptions were consistently lower in the DRA condition after implementation of a phase in which empty spoons were presented in both treatment conditions. In addition, the childs total volume of solids and liquids was greater in the DRA condition. Potential explanations for results as well as suggestions for future researchers will be discussed.

This study used a multiple baseline design to examine the effects of a combined behavioral skills training (BST) and general-case training (GCT) package for teaching caregivers how to implement an intervention to treat food selectivity in their children. Following baseline during which caregivers were given written instructions of the intervention, experimenters implemented BST training which involved instructions, modeling, rehearsal and feedback as well as GCT which involved the experimenter following scripts which simulated the range of child responses (e.g. accepting bites, expelling, refusal, etc.) caregivers could encounter during post-training sessions with their child. The food selectivity intervention involved having caregivers implement single-bite taste sessions with several target foods using exit criterion. Following training, all caregivers increased their percentage of correct steps performed of the intervention compared to their performance in baseline. In addition, all children demonstrated increases in the cumulative number of bites accepted under 30 s during post-training compared to baseline.

University programs in applied behavior analysis (ABA) have increased at a rapid rate in the past 5 years, with minimal empirical information about optimal practices used to teach ABA content to college students. This study will examine whether using an online textbook (Autism Training Solution, ATS) improves student quiz scores when compared to a standard textbook only condition (i.e., students read Cooper, Heward, & Heron, 2007) in a fully online graduate course in applied behavior analysis. A total of 22 first year graduate students in special education and behaviour analysis participated in this study. This was the participants first graduate course in ABA. An alternating treatments design was used to compare a condition consisting of assigned readings and guided notes only with a second condition consisting of assigned readings, guided notes, and ATS. The outcomes provide information about the effects of a comprehensive online learning resource, ATS, on student demonstration of knowledge via weekly quizzes.

The number of universities offering course sequences approved by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) has grown steadily over the years (M. Nosik, personal communication October 12, 2015). With the development of new programs, it may be helpful for schools developing new training programs if the readings assigned by successful programs are disseminated. Saville, Beal, and Buskist (2002) surveyed former and current board members of journals in behavior analysis to develop a list of essential readings for graduate students. The goal of the present study was to extend the work of Saville et al. by performing a content analysis of the readings included in the syllabi of BACB-approved course sequences for the fourth edition task list. Inclusion in the study required that schools had a BACB-approved course sequence, at least six students that completed the 2014 certification examination, and an average pass rate of 80% or higher. Readings listed on each syllabus were categorized by topic (e.g., ethics, concepts and principles, single subject research), and reading type (e.g., empirical studies, discussion papers, books). We analyzed the data to generate a list of the most commonly assigned readings in each topic area. We identified the top 10 readings for each of the 12 different topics. Interobserver agreement was calculated for 100% of the coded data. Disagreements about reading type and category were resolved through a consensus process. The results will be discussed in terms of teaching behavior analytic content in higher education settings.

The funding and monitoring sources for behavior analysts have changed over the last five with the introduction of behavior analyst licensure and health care coverage for families affected by ASD. Additionally, the number of BACB certificants continues to grow nationally. Due to the high number of new BACB certificants, new licensing laws, and increased health-care funding sources for ABA treatment, behavior analysts must be responsive to pertinent field based ethical issues associated with the practice of behavior analysis in homes and communities. This discussion will introduce the topic of applied ethics as to identify the common ethical issues encountered by practicing proving home/communizing based ABA services. Furthermore, the discussion will address cross reference these identified ethical concerns with the BACB compliance code and behavior analysts licensing regulations across the country. Finally, the presenter will recommend the best course of action based on established case law when behavior analysts encounter these ethical dilemmas.

Effective January of 2016, the Professional and Ethical Compliance Code for Behavior Analysts (the Code) outlines the expectations of professional and ethical behavior for individuals practicing in the field of behavior analysis. Despite its intentions, behavior analysts are likely to encounter ethical dilemmas that may not be fully resolved with application of the Code. For example, based upon the Code, behavior analysts are obligated to tailor behavior-change programs to the uniquegoals of each client. However, with nonverbal adult patients there is a unique challenge in determining their goals. New, but similarly complex ethical dilemmas are likely to develop as a result of changes to the landscape of fee-for-service models. For example, accountable care organizations, which have been established under the auspices of the Affordable Care Act, employ a pay-for-performance reimbursement model that may compel behavior analysts to develop performance metrics for behavioral interventions. This talk explores ethical questions for behavior analysts that may challenge the Code and provides a breakdown of such questions from the perspective of an ethicist and a practicing behavior analyst.

BCSNA currently offers services based on Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) principles including: skill acquisition for young children with ASD and other neurological disabilities and disorders, functional behavior assessments and analyses for individuals demonstrating challenging behavior, parent training, school consultation, supervision services, etc. One of the recent services requested of BCSNA by the state of Arizona (motivated by cost containment issues) includes a Placement Stability Package (PSP) to assess, treat/stabilize children and adults in their home settings prior to transferring them to an inpatient facility in another state. The PSP is a program where parent and care provider training is vital to keeping the individual stable and abate the need to send them out of state. As licensed Behavior Analysts in Arizona (under the Board of Psychological Examiners), BCBAs are held to both the APA and BACB ethical guidelines. Issues and challenges surrounding how services are provided to rural culturally and linguistically diverse minority health populations will be discussed.

The current service model for learners with ASD is falling short of the goal to provide skills required to transition seamlessly into adult life. It is critical that practitioners rethink the current model of 1:1 or 1:2 staff to student ratios prior to students "aging out." Additionally and more critically, as the incidence of ASD has recently increased by 30%, with further predictions that in 5 years 122,493 students will turn 22 nationwide at an annual cost of $3,623 million dollars. Clearly the current model falls short of the goal to provide learners with skills required to transition more effortlessly into adult life. We need to consider preparation for next environments as a primary obligation of service provision. Working in groups, working independently, identification of relevant outcome measures, targeting functionally relevant skills and working with minimal and reduced supervision must be explicit goals for learners with ASD. Furthermore, we must develop creative and cost-effective methods to more efficiently prepare, teach, support and monitor adults with ASD in community and employment settings. Moreover, identification of relevant outcome measures and targeting functionally relevant skills must take precedence. The panel will discuss the topic and possible solutions within behavioral frameworks.

Identifying effective communication systems is a top priority in service provision to individuals with developmental disabilities. It is routine for communication modalities to be selected based on a clinicians expertise or the learners history instead of on individually relevant characteristics that might influence success with the system. The current literature supports the use of a number of communication modalities for people with disabilities, but does not provide comparative studies or clinical assessment methods. These papers will present unique methods for identifying effective systems on an individual basis. Data will be presented on relative rates of acquisition, indices of preference, and evidence of discrimination across different modalities. In addition, a model for analyzing specific elements of an identified communication system that could enhance its utility will be discussed. The papers will present varied models to help make these decisions in data-based ways, and will highlight ways for effective collaboration across disciplines.

Carr and Durrand (1985) evaluated communication modalities for functional communication training (FCT) as a way to reduce and replace problem behavior for individuals with developmental disabilities. However, there is minimal empirical research evaluating the most appropriate mode of communication for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, especially in regard to discrimination across modalities. As discussed by Tiger, Hanley, and Bruzek (2008) the main areas of research examining the selection of a communication modality include: a) response effort; b) the social recognition of the response; and c) the rate of acquisition. The current study looked to expand on current research by examining the rate of acquisition and accuracy of discrimination. The modalities examined included a button press, picture exchange system, sign, vocal responding, and three-dimensional objects. This study also further examined an individuals communication system by manipulating possible variables that influenced his accuracy of communication. These variables included pre-exposure, board positioning, and icon placement.

In both children and adults, physical activity has positive health benefits on overall health. However, according to the CDC, only 48% of adults engage in the recommended 150 minutes a week of physical activity. They also note that fewer than 30% of children get the recommended 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity a day. The World Health Organization estimates that globally, 3.2 million people die from health conditions due to physical inactivity per year. The development of behavioral interventions to increase physical activity could therefore have direct impacts on individual health, and potentially ease great financial burdens of physical inactivity in healthcare systems. The papers in this symposium target physical activity in children and in adults by altering activity choice or delivering reinforcers for improvements in physical activity. Specifically, the three papers address: 1) effects of activity choice on physical activity in children 2) using intermittent monetary reinforcement to increase walking in underactive adults, and 3) using tokens to increase walking in adults with intellectual disabilities.

Less than half of United States adults meet the physical activity guidelines given by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Interventions can be designed to increase physical activity, but may not work for everyone. The goals of the current study were to 1) develop a successful intervention to increase step counts in adults who walked fewer than 10,000/day during a baseline period and 2) investigate which individual and behavioral variables predict intervention outcome. An ABA changing criterion design was used during the five-week intervention. During the one week baselines, ten participants wore a Fitbit device that tracked activity but no goals or monetary reinforcement were given. During the three-week intervention phase, participants were given step goals based on their previous performance using a percentile schedule. If their goals were met, they could draw a ticket out of the prize bowl. Half the tickets were winners, and monetary prizes ranged from $1.50 to $50. Finally, a one-week return to baseline condition occurred. On average, there was ~41% improvement in step counts during the intervention phase. Delay discounting, age, baseline physical activity, exercise motivation, expectation of success, and percent body fat were investigated for predictive utility

Adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) are at risk for negative health conditions due to high levels of sedentary behavior. Research is limited in evaluating physical activity interventions for this population. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a token reinforcement intervention for increasing distance walked for adults with mild to moderate ID at an adult day training center. An ABAB reversal design was used with five participants to evaluate a token reinforcement intervention where participants earned tokens for walking 50 m laps, and exchanged tokens for backup reinforcers identified through preference assessments. Token reinforcement resulted in a noticeable increase from baseline in laps walked for four participants. Baseline levels were recovered once the intervention was removed, and treatment effects were replicated during the second treatment phase, demonstrating experimental control in 4 out of 5 participants.

Achieving the best outcomes for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in adulthood begins with an early interdisciplinary teamwork including multiple types of activities related to transition. Practical and ethical considerations should include who should be involved, what skills should be taught, where these services should be offered, when they should be delivered, how services should be delivered, and why they should be taught. This symposium will address ethical considerations involving interagency collaboration across the lifespan, creating a balance in teaching academic, functional, and self-determination skills, the need to consider community settings and programming for generalization across settings, and how technology can facilitate skill acquisition across settings. There is a need for practitioners to consider these areas when working with children as they transition through various services with a mindful approach about factors related to adult outcomes including quality of life, sustainability of naturally occurring contingencies, resources allocated, and both individual and societal benefits. The symposium will present the various ethical considerations associated with selecting skills that are most relevant to long-term goals, precursory skills, and environmental factors related to the utilization of those skills.

The research on treatment of behavior disorders shows clearly that treatments are more effective when they contain an extinction component. However, clinical situations arise wherein the extinction component is not an option. Some examples of situations in which the extinction component is not an option include but are not limited to: a) the client is too large, fast, or strong to guide through a task in the case of escape behavior, b) the behavior is too dangerous to "ignore" in the case of attention-maintained behavior, and c) the specific source of reinforcement is unknown in the case of some automatically reinforced behavior. In addition, factors such as poor treatment integrity and dangerous extinction bursts at times compromise the extinction component even when it is prescribed as a part of the intervention. The presenter will review some of his own research and other literature on concurrent reinforcement schedules, differential reinforcement, and noncontingent reinforcement in order to suggest partial solutions to the extinction problem.

Behavior Analysts and Behavior Psychologists

The development of the recognition of self-like individuals, including relatives and conspecifics, often relies on critical experience with parents, siblings, and other predictable referents during early life. For example, in birds, exposure to conspecifics in the nest reliably cues species-recognition for flocking and mating. How then so brood parasitic birds, that lay their eggs in other species' nest, develop conspecific referents when raised by foster parents? And how do hosts recognize and reject foreign eggs and chicks in the nest if they have not yet laid a clutch before? The presenter’s research focuses on the experimental analysis of self-recognition in both parasites and hosts through phenotypic manipulation of the available cues for species recognition during development. The results reveal how a long-hypothesized mechanism, namely self-referenced phenotype matching, enables the evolution of brood parasitism in birds, and perhaps contributes to the ecological flexibility of recognition systems under socially unpredictable conditions in general.

Licensed Psychologists

Nature and nurture always work together. Genetic determinism in any form is not a viable concept. Evolution is a continuous process. Do contemporary "evolutionary psychologists" give these facts more than lip service? Some talk as if human behavior is determined (somehow) by genes that were selected 10,000 years ago and unchanged since then. Many evolutionary psychology observations can be explained more parsimoniously by the principles of behavior, mediated by a nervous system, that have been selected for just such plasticity. Indeed, behavior is both a product and a driver of evolution. Then, there are the implications of the immense flexibility in the larger biobehavioral system. The "systems" approach offers an evidence based alternative encompassing everything, including the many complex, nonlinear interactions across all levels of behavior and its development. This panel discussion compares the typical views of evolutionary psychologists with the systems approach and explores where behavior analysis fits in.

Behavior analysts and others interested in evolutionary psychology.

Pavlovian pairing procedures are often used in practice to condition reinforcers. However, applied pairing studies have produced mixed results. This symposium will cover a review of the research on stimulus-stimulus pairing procedures and some empirical studies evaluating the effects of different pairing procedures.

Children with autism often display deficits in social interaction and communication. One of the first signs of autism is lack of eye contact and responding to ones name. Given these behaviors are often prerequisite for additional social interactions, it is critical that they are targeted during early intensive behavioral intervention. Unfortunately, it is often the case that commonly used teaching procedures such as prompting and prompting fading strategies are ineffective. In the current study, we used a response-stimulus (R-S) pairing procedure to condition participants names as reinforcers. We then evaluated whether the name acquired discriminative control over the response of looking at the researcher. During test probes we presented the participants name and recorded whether he responded by looking at the researchers face. During pairing sessions, following every instance of eye contact, the researcher used a delayed pairing procedure to condition the name with a preferred edible. Results suggest that this procedure may be an effective alternative to more traditional prompting strategies.

Programming that simultaneously targets communication and social deficits is common in Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention. Previous literature has taught children to mand for preferred items from peers, targeting communication and social skills (e.g., Kodak, Paden, & Dickes, 2012; Taylor et al., 2005). The pairing trials that occur during mand training with peers may mimic conditioning procedures and could establish peers as reinforcers. Several studies have evaluated using response-stimulus (RS) pairing and stimulus-stimulus (SS) pairing to condition neutral social stimuli as reinforcers; however, results have been idiosyncratic. In the current study, Experiment 1 compared SS pairing procedures and RS pairing procedures in conditioning preschool-aged peers as reinforcers. Response-stimulus pairing may be more effective and efficient than SS pairing (i.e., 3 of 6 participants had a successfully conditioned peer using RS pairing). Experiment 2 evaluated the effects of peers as conditioned reinforcers or peers with a history of pairings on the acquisition of manding to peers. Mand training to conditioned peers was just as effective as to novel peers for 3 of 4 participants.

Parents of children diagnosed with autism face a variety of stressors. Parents who are unable to successfully cope with these stressors are often given labels such as anxious, angry or depressed. The typical treatment approach is pathological and focuses on the problem, often through counseling, behavioral therapy, tutoring, and/or drugs. This presentation will show data from a study that assessed an alternative approach, the constructional approach (Goldiamond, 1974). Three parents were taught how to build off of their strengths and assets and how to analyze their life, formulate goals, and develop programs to reach these goals. Teaching this new repertoire enabled the parents to make changes in their lives and reach their goals. Also, for each parent, the percentage of time each day during which she felt happy increased. Each parent was able to reduce or eliminate her stressors by analyzing the circumstances and focusing on her ideal outcome, rather than focusing on her psychological deficits and misfortunes of life. The results suggest that the use of a constructional program is very effective in helping parents develop a new repertoire that will ultimately improve their overall quality of life.

There is increasing use of antecedent-based treatments in the treatment of pediatric feeding disorders, but limited reporting of systematic assessment of antecedent manipulations. In the current study, we developed an experimental assessment method to evaluate the effects of varied antecedent manipulations (e.g., changes to liquid or food properties) on acceptance or mealtime problem behaviour. Conditions showing the most improvement are matched to an individualized treatment protocol for each child. This study is conducted in family homes in New Zealand, with children that are dependent on some degree of tube feeding to meet their nutritional needs. Preliminary results from five participants have shown that this assessment may identify effective treatment protocols to increase oral nutrition in the absence of escape extinction.

Psychopharmacological and behavioral interventions are used to treat challenging behaviors in individuals with intellectual disability (ID), often in combination. However, little is known about the interaction between medication pharmacodynamics and behavior function. A better understanding of these mechanisms could serve as the conceptual foundation for combined interventions. We conducted extended functional analyses to assess the impact on behavior function of various dosages of primarily antipsychotic medications. We explored the relation between the changes in medication (i.e., new prescription, dosage change in an existing prescription) and problem behavior by conducted a very long series of functional analysis sessions. Four individuals with ID and challenging behavior who were also receiving psychotropic medications participated. Behavior function remain the same after a change in medication in 14 out of the 21 medication manipulations examined.

The purpose of the current study was to replicate and extend the findings from Luczynski and Hanley (2013) by evaluating the effects of implementing the Preschool Life Skills program to increase communication skills and decrease problem behavior in 17 boys and girls ranging from 3 to 5 years old. During baseline sessions, all behavior was reinforced. During Preschool Life Skills training, children were taught appropriate communication skills using a combination of modeling and social reinforcement. A concurrent, multiple-probe, multiple baseline design was used in combination with a between groups design to analyze the effects of the Preschool Life Skills training on both childrens performance of skills and occurrences of problem behavior. Results show improvements for all participants once Preschool Life Skills training was implemented. These results, as well as modifications required to implement the Preschool Life Skills training program with these participants, will be discussed in terms of applied practice and recommendations for future research.

Previous research has shown that both fixed-time reinforcement delivery and the high-probability (high-p) sequence can be effective to increase compliance. However, previous studies on these topics have used two different topographies of instructions: compliance with relinquishing a preferred item, and compliance to completing a non-preferred task. Previous research has shown that fixed-time reinforcement delivery may only be effective with the latter type of instruction. The purpose of the current study was to examine the effectiveness of the fixed-time delivery of reinforcement and the high-p sequence on both topographies of instruction using reversal designs. Results show that neither a fixed-time reinforcement schedule nor the high-p sequence was effective at increasing compliance with either topography of instructions, which is inconsistent with previous research on noncompliance. Differential reinforcement of compliance was effective to increase compliance with the low-p instruction. Implications and suggestions for future research with regard to the different topographies of instructions are discussed.

Noncompliance is reported to be a major problem by parents and teachers. To date, functional analyses of noncompliance and subsequent treatment procedures have been restricted to single response topographies (e.g., cleanup or matching task). The current study evaluated a modified functional analysis of noncompliance consisting of attention, escape, and control conditions across multiple response topographies (i.e., physical, gestural, and vocal) with three 6-year-old children with autism. Subsequently, an additive intervention consisting of (a) tokens and (b) guided compliance or time-out was implemented systematically across the response topographies to measure generalization within and across response types. Results showed that the function of noncompliance was consistent across response topographies within participants but varied across participants. Additionally, generalization within response types and across (to the vocal response type) was observed with 2 of the 3 participants without direct intervention when the intervention was applied to physical and gestural response types; however, no generalization occurred with the third participant. These findings suggest that for some individuals compliance may be a response class and offer an efficient method for increasing compliance to multiple response types.

According to the CDC, obesity and related comorbid conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease cost the United States at least $147 billion dollars a year. Although diet and physical activity have been robustly demonstrated to improve health outcomes related to obesity, there is little empirical evidence of effective and publically available interventions. Interestingly, little behavior analytic research has been published on the topic, potentially due to the large scale level of change that must occur across a wide variety of settings and behaviors. As a means of addressing this dearth of research, the current symposium incorporates translational behavior analytic approaches to the study of diet and physical activity. The present studies evaluate behavior analytic strategies with typically developing adults to reduce sedentary behavior, increase physical activity, and improve dietary behaviors across a range of environments. Procedures include treatment packages with both antecedent and consequence based interventions, measurement of physical activity via wearable technology, and an emphasis on goal-directed behavior via goal setting and delay discounting. In conjunction, results suggest that behavior analytic intervention strategies can result in clinically relevant changes in dieting, physical activity, and sedentary behaviors, and warrant further exploration.

Approximately one in four adults and one in ten children, comprising more than six million Canadians, are obese. The economic, social, and personal impact of our collective weight problem is immense, with an estimated $6 billion directed towards the treatment of obesity related illnesses annually. Medical research has demonstrated that sustained weight-loss and increased physical fitness can drastically improve outcomes for individuals at risk of obesity related health problems. Unfortunately there is little evidence to indicate the effectiveness of any diet or exercise program currently accessible to the public. A recent systematic review of weight management programs has suggested that a comprehensive behaviour management strategy is the missing component in most weight management programs. This talk will outline the authors weight management efforts, a hybrid of self-management and contingency contracting strategies supported by the use of personal health monitoring technology and will suggest that behaviour analytic strategies could be used to complement most diet or exercise programs. The extension of such strategies to clinical settings will be suggested as the logical next step with preliminary data on similar fitness related interventions on a forensic inpatient unit presented as an example.

The current study evaluated if an extended couch to 5k program (IV) would increase physical activity thereby lowering participant rates of delay discounting (DV). Higher relative rates of discounting (i.e. a propensity to choose a smaller immediate reward over a larger delayed reward) have been associated with a variety of clinical issues such as substance abuse, pathological gambling, and obesity. Conversely, lower rates of discounting have been associated with exhibiting a higher frequency of healthy behaviors such as diet and physical exercise (Axon, Bradford, and Egen, 2009), however, there are no studies to our knowledge that have studied the effects of a physical exercise intervention on rates of delay discounting. In the current study, delay discounting was assessed three times a week and participants were instructed to wear Fitbit devices 24 hours a day. Using a concurrent multiple baseline design, three of the four participants demonstrated reduced rates of delay discounting in the treatment condition (i.e. exercise) and the same three participants maintained lower discounting rates than baseline at one month follow ups. The present study suggests that physical activity should be further explored as a method of reducing an individuals propensity to overvalue immediate rewards.

Various fitness-related behaviors have been examined previously using behavior analysis, but none have specifically studied behavior change in bodybuilders. This study examined the use of goal-setting and self-monitoring of calorie and macronutrient intake, along with non-contingent reinforcement, in preparation for a bodybuilding competition. Data on compliance to daily and weekly calorie and macronutrient goals were examined using a changing criterion design using the website My Fitness Pal. Once a week, the participant set a weekly goal average for macronutrient and calorie intake for the following 7 days. No external consequences were given for following or not following the scheduled intake. Non-contingent reinforcement consisted of one higher-calorie meal day per week, designated as refeed day. Along with weekly goals, a terminal goal was set for the participant to compete in a bodybuilding competition after the completion of the study. Results of the intervention demonstrated that self-monitoring was effective in increasing compliance to weekly goals for calorie intake. However, daily calorie intake data during the intervention continued to show some variability, albeit lower than in the baseline phase. In conclusion, self-monitoring of macronutrient and calorie intake may be an effective strategy to increase compliance to goals set, but further replication is needed.

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is a multi-component process in which practitioners select, refine and deliver clinical services based on a) the best available scientific evidence, b) unique client and contextual features and c) ongoing clinical progress monitoring and decision making. Developed initially in medicine, EBP has been extended to the delivery of applied behavior analysis (ABA) services and is considered an essential feature of ethical and high quality (ABA) service delivery. This symposium reviews the defining features of EBP as applied to ABA service delivery and provides a synopsis of the challenges encountered in implementing the EBP process in ABA. This symposium will offer practical advice for ABA practitioners and supervisors who are interested in improving the quality and accountability of ABA and clinical behavior analysis service delivery. Additionally, it will offer guidance for instructors and researchers who are interested in the dissemination of ABA technology and quality assurance.

As Applied Behavior Analysis principles and procedures have been shown to be effective, many ABA practices have become standardized with non-individualized procedures. The idiosyncratic practices of some of these standardized programs' have eroded their ABA scientific foundations. These practices often ignore the research supported principles and application procedures of ABA creating possible ethical violations. This symposium will present examples of ABA practices which have possibly eroded and compromised the efficacy of ABA. We will also discuss the possible ethical implications of these trends.

Applied behavior analysis (ABA) has typically evaluated its outcomes using reliable and valid observational data of increases in adaptive behavior, decreases in maladaptive behavior, generalization, maintenance and social validity and more recently systematic reviews and meta-analysis. Despite the evidence for effectiveness, wide spread adoption, beyond adoption of simple contingency management has been scarce. Once important and neglected aspect of evidence-based practice is economic evaluation. This paper highlights opportunities for promoting ABA by demonstrating economic benefit of ABA.

Sometimes the best-intentioned practitioners implement ABA interventions that fail to produce behavior change of sufficient magnitude, generality and durability to resolve the presenting problem. This presentation will review the ethical obligation to incorporate clinical benchmarks and clinical progress monitoring in a manner that allows for early detection of treatment failures and shortcomings. It also reviews seven practical strategies for troubleshooting treatment failures.

Core features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) include both language and social deficits. A wealth of research has been dedicated to the study and acquisition of early vocal language with children and adults on the autism spectrum (e.g., manding, tacting, simple intraverbals). Although increasing vocalizations makes it possible for those with ASD to communicate with others, further training is often needed to teach more nuanced uses of vocal behavior. The talks in this symposia seek to teach individuals with ASD and other developmental delays these more directed skills. The topics in this symposia span a variety of topics including manipulating establishing and abolishing operations to promote requesting social information and missing items from peers, responding to stimulus cues to promote sharing of a common preferred items, and delivering and accepting compliments. The instructional techniques used across the studies span a variety of strategies including discrete trial training and behavioral skills training.

Children diagnosed with autism are less likely than their typically developing peers to engage in positive social behaviors such as turn taking (Shabani et al., 2002). The purpose of the current evaluation was to evaluate whether a multiple schedule could be used to promote appropriate turn-taking behavior. Participants included two dyads of siblings and two dyads of non-related peers who were identified as having poor turn taking skills. One set of siblings included a 6-year-old diagnosed with autism and his typically developing sister. The other set included 4-year-old twins both diagnosed with autism. Two dyads of peers included a 3-year-old, 4-year-old, 5-year-old, and 7-year-old all diagnosed with autism. During sessions, an auditory and visual stimulus in the form of a PowerPoint presentation played in the background to signal each child's turn with the highly preferred item. Following baseline, a progressive prompt delay was used to teach the children to attend to and appropriately respond to the stimuli presented in the PowerPoint presentation. Preliminary findings suggest that an auditory and visual stimulus can be used to increase appropriate turn-taking behavior. We are currently continuing to implement this protocol and collect data for four dyads of participants.

Several studies illustrate the efficacy of contrived establishing operations (EOs) to teach the mands for information, What? Who? Where? Which? and How? (Raulston, et al., 2013). Asking others questions regarding personal information is considered an important social conversational skill. The current study taught children with autism to emit differentiated mands for social information under conditions in which a contrived EO or abolishing operation (AO) was present. Participants were presented with intraverbal questions related to a partners social information such as, Whats Sarahs favorite color? Questions to which the answer was known or unknown were assigned to the AO or EO condition, respectively, based on prior assessment results. Following baseline, therapists prompted participants to orient toward a conversational partner and ask the appropriate question during EO trials (e.g., Sarah, whats your favorite color?). Primary and secondary data collectors scored cumulative (study 1) or percentage of (study 2) trials with mands for information. Results were analyzed using a multiple baseline design. All participants emitted mands for social information and demonstrated use of acquired information by subsequently answering the intraverbal question. This study extends prior research by demonstrating a novel procedure to teach children to mand for others personal information.

Due to deficits in social communication children with autism often struggle to develop functional language skills. Specifically, language and social interaction skills often require intensive intervention that typically includes the manipulation of motivating operations (Wallace, Iwata, & Hanley 2006; Shillingsburg, Bowen, Valentino, and Pierce 2014). In addition, once language skills are acquired generalization to novel people, specifically peers, has been demonstrated to be an additional barrier to social communication development (Pellecchia & Hineline 2007). Therefore, the purpose of this study is to addresses social communication deficits for three children with autism and one child with developmental delays. A non-concurrent multiple baseline across participants is utilized to teach participants to request for missing items from peers, when those items are required to complete a preferred activity. All participants demonstrate an increase in spontaneous requests to peers during the targeted activity. A manipulation of Establishing Operations (EO) is utilized in this study and further extends pervious EO manipulation literature. Implications for generalization across peers as well as activities will also be discussed.

Black and Hazen (1990) suggested that social status is dependent on competent and cohesive social interactions. The purpose of the present study was to improve social interactions by increasing giving and accepting compliments with three high-functioning individuals with developmental disabilities. Selection of the skills was based on direct observation of the individuals social-skill deficits and caregiver preferences. Initial teaching consisted of behavioral skills training in a trial-based format with a textual prompt, followed by teaching in a session-based format in which textual prompts were provided following incorrect responses. We assessed the effects of our teaching on stimulus generalization of giving and accepting compliments, and treatment extension across unfamiliar adults. We obtained stakeholder responses on the social acceptability of the improvement in social skills. A multiple baseline design across participants was used to demonstrate experimental control. The teaching procedures were effective at increasing giving and accepting a variety of compliments, as well as maintenance, and generalization. The results provide initial support of an intervention for increasing a variety of compliments given and accepted during unscripted conversations.

Zoos and aquariums strive to provide the highest levels of welfare for the animals under their care. This goal is achieved through evidence-based management where research, animal care and veterinary services work together to answer questions regarding animal welfare and turn findings into practice. Behavioral data is one of the many tools used within zoos and aquariums used to make informed management decisions. Historically, zoos primarily utilized negative indicators of welfare such as stereotypic or abnormal behavior. However, the absence of negative indicators of welfare does not suggest that an animal is thriving. The presentation will highlight the many different ways behavior data can be utilized within a zoo environment to ensure high levels of welfare. Examples include behavioral monitoring of the collection, asking specific questions regarding animal behavior, and preference assessments. Ultimately, behavioral data combined with many other positive and negative indicators of animal welfare can help ensure each individual animal within a zoo has the opportunity to thrive.

The target audience should have a basic understanding of animal behavior and preferably some experience with environmental enrichment and animal welfare.

Applied Behavior Analysis is a science and, therefore, involves progressive approaches and outcomes. In this panel discussion we argue that the spirit and the method of science should be maintained in order to avoid reductionist procedures, stifled innovation, and rote, unresponsive protocols that become increasingly removed from meaningful progress for individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. We describe this approach as progressive. In a progressive ABA approach, the therapist employs a structured yet flexible process, which is contingent upon and responsive to child progress. We will describe progressive ABA and provide rationales for both the substance and intent of ABA as a progressive scientific method for improving conditions of social relevance for individuals with ASD. The chairperson will pose a variety of questions to the other panel members to engender a discussion about how, as a field, we can move toward a more progressive approach and the potential obstacles behavior analysts might face along the way. Finally, we will take questions from the audience members to help facilitate the discussion. The goal of the panel is to help the audience to identify what constitutes progressive ABA and how we as behavior analysts can reach these high standards.

The field of Applied Behavior Analysis continues to expand its reach to many around the world. With 41 non-US chapters, the Association for Behavior Analysis International illustrates the geographical reach of our science. The advent of technology has assisted professionals in connecting across vast distances which previously were impenetrable. With this international reach, many behavior analysis products, therapists and consultants find themselves working across significant distances and with colleagues, clients and customers who do not share the same cultural norms and life experience, often with people whom theyve never had the benefit meeting in-person. Providing applied behavior analytic service internationally is rewarding, yet challenges unique to cross-cultural service delivery often present themselves. Technology provides new opportunities for some countries whom quality ABA service and supports were previously unavailable. This panel presentation, includes professionals using technology to provide services in multiple countries across four continents. Learn about the challenges faced in providing quality and ethical services across multiple geographic regions through technology. Success stories achieved will be shared as well as challenges that continue to exist.

Digital technology is ubiquitous. It has exponentially extended our ability to contact molar and molecular phenomena across all areas of science. This symposium offers two presentations and a discussion of the evolving symbiotic relationship between behavior analysis and digital technology. With the increasing ease of computer programming, non-computer science professionals can develop powerful apps beneficial to research and application. Researchers who have taken advantage of technological advancements have not only benefited in efficiency, but have been able to investigate increasingly complex phenomena otherwise too cumbersome for analysis. This symposium celebrates the success of behavioral researchers in applying modern technology to basic and applied phenomena. This symposium also aims to empower audience members to hack their own hardware and software to create truly unique applications. Audience members will walk away able to identify and participate in a growing community of do it yourselfers committed to the free-sharing of information. We welcome all scientists, practitioners, and hackers.

Darwin's Sexual Selection Theory has had an important impact on the understanding of male-female differences in morphology, physiology, and behavior, as well as in mate selection and competition for access to reproductive resources. Using an avian model (Coturnix japonica) the presenter and colleagues have found that males and females differ in the expression of sexual learning, both Pavlovian and instrumental. They have also explored how early learning affects sexual preference and receptivity in males and females later in life and how learning contributes to improve male reproductive success in sexual competition situations. For example, male quail trained in a Pavlovian learning situation are better able to copulate with females than non-trained males, and male quail who lose in a male-male competition, improve their success after training that allows them to predict the presence of a female partner. Females, on the other hand, improve their proceptive behavior if provided the opportunity to have access to areas occupied by males. The presenter will discuss results of their work, but will argue for a comparative approach to better understand the evolution of the sexual behavior system.

If one looks for data on the presence of Applied Behavior Analysis-based (ABA-based) autism services in Latin America, nothing systematic will be found, besides a few clinic names and professionals. In another example, if you search for Board Certified Behavior Analysts you will find two in Brazil, two in Mexico, and one in Peru; the numbers in other countries are not very different. People trying to implement and disseminate ABA-based autism services in Latin American countries have been finding different obstacles such as (a) limited resources in their languages; (b) few well prepared professionals; (c) few students and professionals willing to be trained in ABA, (d) lack of openness from schools, parents, and health professionals to implement ABA procedures, (e) lack of awareness and many misconceptions regarding ABA, autism and other developmental disorders. Despite the obstacles, solutions are being designed and implemented, including lectures and workshops to decrease prejudice and misconceptions about ABA; training parents, students, and professionals; creating educational resources in peoples languages; and media dissemination (e.g., radio and TV programs). This panel will discuss different obstacles and solutions related to the lack of well-trained applied behavior analysts who provide autism services in Latin America.

This symposium will present a review of the 7 Dimensions of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) as outlined by Baer, Wolf and Risley (1986/87) as well as the cumulative number of published articles and citations across BCAB approved program faculty. In regards to the dimension review, both a review of The Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (JABA), from 2000 to 2015, as well as a variety of non-evidence based autism practices were evaluated on each dimension. Preliminary results indicate that some dimensions, such as effective were met with rigor while other dimensions are minimally considered in applied studies, such as generalization. The citation review was based on Dixon, Reed, Smith, Belisle, and Jackson (2015) who asserted that research productivity measured by the total number of published articles in behavior-analytic journals is a quality metric for analyzing graduate training programs. The current study examined the number of citations that each published study produced. In addition, the authors searched for the total number of publications and citations in any journal for all faculty in all BACB-approved graduate programs. The cumulative number of published articles and citations across faculty, graduate program and journal were calculated.

Applied behavior analysis and the experimental analysis of behavior are not disparate. Although seemingly divergent in their analytic goals, these two branches of behavior analysis are in many ways interdependent. This symposium will offer two examples of how current theoretical and basic research can help inform and advance not only applied behavior analysis, but also the field of behavior analysis as a reticulated whole. Work developed out of the laboratory has implications for practitioners, and can only benefit from a practitioners insights regarding application in a more natural setting. General laws and principles revealed in the laboratory can be leveraged as behavior change technologies. The presenters will bring new light to the Premack principle, disequilibrium models, and the behavior analytic study of time as it relates to both basic and applied domains. There are unique predictions to be tested and controls to be studied in both the laboratory and field. Behavior analysis is not a house divided, as its various branches could not prosper, one without the other.

While behavior analysts have historically recognized the importance of time and verbal behavior, it is still unclear how we account for these interrelated factors when studying complex human behavior. Many research areas, such as delay discounting (DD; Madden & Johnson, 2010) and time horizons (Zimbardo & Boyd, 1999) aim to measure and evaluate an individuals relationship to time. Other areas (Hayes, 2004) highlight the role of verbal behavior as it influences our relationship to temporally-related issues (e.g., PTSD, anxiety). Hayes and Hayes (1992) discuss the differences in how verbal and nonverbal organisms behave with respect to time-based schedules. Dixon and Delaney (2006) address the importance of verbal behavior as it pertains to gambling addiction, traditionally studied through DD procedures. A better understanding of time, as it relates to verbal humans interacting with their environment, may inform researchers and practitioners on a vast array of applied issues such as: substance abuse, financial management, and performance management. The current paper will discuss how well, and to what degree, behavior analysts have investigated and understood how verbal organisms behave with respect to time. By synthesizing and advancing what we know about time via basic research, there is potential to enhance the breadth and depth of interventions in the applied realm.

There are several variables that can influence the effectiveness of token economies. The purpose of the studies in this symposium was to evaluate and compare different variables that may influence the effectiveness of token economies when implementing economies with individuals with autism. One study evaluated the effects of token within distributed and accumulated schedules of reinforcement. Another compared different token arrangements including token earn, token loss and a combination condition to treat disruptive behavior. The third study evaluated the extent to which allowing the learner to manipulate the tokens directly influenced the rate of responding and preference for the procedure.

The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate how various token arrangements affected disruptive behavior within a Differential Reinforcement of Other Behavior (DRO) procedure. We employed 3 participants diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who exhibited disruptive behavior. The effects of these different token arrangements on disruptive behavior were demonstrated empirically in an ABABC or ABCB reversal design with an embedded multi-element design in the B phase. Preference for the different token arrangements was assessed in the C phase of this design. Results showed that for all 3 participants, disruptive behaviors reduced relative to baseline following implementation of the token arrangements. However, for one participant, the token combination condition proved most effective at reducing disruptive behavior, while for the other two participants, there were no differences in terms of the effectiveness of the token arrangements. The choice phase proved to be idiosyncratic across participants, as one participant chose combination, one participant chose loss, and one participant had no preference among the conditions.

Token economies have been successfully shown to be effective as a behavior-management and motivational tool across populations and setting. There are many different ways that a token economy can be implemented (i.e., check marcs, apps, chips) and clinicians implement the one that is the most convenient for them. This study evaluates the effectiveness of using manipulable and non-manipulable token boards. Rate of task completion is the main dependent variable that is being assed. Secondly, it evaluates if there are any preferences between the two token boards. Preliminary data of participant 1 will be discussed. He is 8 years old years old and he has been previously diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders. No difference between task completions was observed and a preference for the manipulable token board occurred. Limitations and future directions are discussed.

Adults and children with intellectual disabilities and problematic sexual behavior (IDPSB) can pose serious risks to themselves, as well as to others. While results from studies vary, the general consensus is that individuals with IDPSB are over-represented in the criminal justice system. In addition, specialized treatment options in the community are often limited. This symposium focuses on community-based treatment strategies designed to reduce problematic sexual behavior. The first study evaluates a multi-component residential treatment program for children who have engaged in sexually harmful behavior. The second and third presentations both provide case examples of longer-term treatment for adults with forensic involvement, and specific, individualized treatment strategies are presented. Challenges related to treatment provision in real world settings with this high risk population will be discussed. The importance of individualized treatment and probes to measure success were identified as critical factors in all three presentations.

A multi-component behavioral intervention (MCBI) was associated with a reduction in harmful sexual behaviour in children attending a residential program. The MCBI was comprised of a points and levels system, sex and relationships education, cognitive behaviour therapy, counselling and behavior contracts. Successful adherence to the program (e.g., safe and respectful behaviour, attendance in school, compliance with the therapy program etc.) earned the children access to high tariff activities and access to the internet and social media contingent on achieving the relevant level. Those who earned high level status attended college and work experience with staff support. Staff support was systematically faded out for those young people who graduated from the program. Inadvertent probes demonstrated that harmful sexual behaviour relapsed in a number of children.

Human Development Center (HDC), inc., is a non-profit organization that provides behavior analytic treatment to consumers with intellectual disabilities in a variety of community-based settings. HDC specializes in assessing and treating behaviors that interfere with the consumers ability to live successfully and safely in the community. Assessment involves extensive reviews of records and data on target and replacement behaviors, along with ongoing interviews, observations, and probes. The treatment approach includes the design and implementation of individualized behavior plans with skill programs designed to increase pro-social behaviors and decrease challenging behaviors, and an emphasis on teaching societal rules for sexual behavior, increasing appropriate avoidance behaviors and strengthening coping skills. Behavior analysts work closely with each consumer to develop a rapport and build a collaborative relationship in order to help each person achieve his identified goals. Ongoing assessment, twenty-four support, open communication, probes and data-based program changes along the way are designed to contribute to success. While highlighting one individuals successful journey from intensive residential supports to his own home, this presentation will provide a customized overview of a treatment package for an individual with forensic involvement as a result of sexual offending behavior.

Ethical considerations require that all interventions include plans to fade out treatment once intermediate goals are achieved. This is particularly challenging when the target behaviors are related to problematic sexual behavior or illegal practices. Our agency provides services to adult males diagnosed with intellectual disabilities with forensic involvement, including registered sexual offenders, predators, or consumers that have been referred to residential treatment as part of their parole agreement. A summary of assessment, long term individualized interventions and results for an individual with a substance abuse history and forensic involvement as a result of sexual offending behavior will be presented. Specific instruction will be provided regarding using consequence avoidance strategies to help treat behaviors that occur or are observed less frequently, and how to conduct probes to evaluate the use of skills in situ. This individual was able to successfully transition from intensive residential habilitation to supported living, maintain success while living independently, and achieve major life goals, such as getting married.

Past studies have found that consistent quizzes can improve exam scores; however, there is a lack of studies evaluating the effects of contingencies on quiz accuracy and completion. The present study evaluated the effects of instituting a contingency on quiz accuracy and completion on exam scores. Eighty-one students enrolled in an introductory learning course participated and were given online quizzes based on the assigned reading material that was due prior to each class. The experiment employed an ABAB design where during each A phase quizzes were available but did not count towards the students final grade and during each B phase quiz scores counted towards the students final grades. A one way within subjects ANOVA revealed a statistically significant differences in exam scores between conditions, F(3,240)=7.566, p<.0001 with students scoring on average 5% higher on exams in the contingency condition. Future research should develop ways to increase exam scores in the lowest performing students.

In recent years, the demand for behavior-analytic services in the treatment of autism and related disorders has undoubtedly resulted in the formation of many new business ventures focused on the delivery of such services. Some behavior analysts, however, are starting or running businesses that are behaviorally oriented, but not focused exclusively on clinical services. Like any entrepreneur, these behavioral entrepreneurs face challenges in areas such as business planning and strategy, marketing and branding, technology and innovation, financing, customer support, intellectual property, operations, and more. What advantages does a background in behavior analysis offer such entrepreneurs in dealing with such challenges? What additional challenges do behavior-analytic small businesses face? How do behavioral entrepreneurs use data and contingency analyses to guide their businesses? The panelists will address such questions and describe how they built and grew their businesses. Audience members will be encouraged to ask questions, offer their own experiences, and participate in a discussion designed to help any behavior analyst pursuing or considering entrepreneurship.

Large-scale changes in cultural practices happen due to natural accidents and/or government intervention. Democracy requires planning and the programming of positive consequences for change. The possibility of counter control limits the use of coercion. Behavior analysis have been useful as a resource to correct and/or devise programs. This work presents examples of interventions in programs used by Brazilian governments to change the behavior of millions of its citizens, in situations like the conditional transfer of income, reforestation, city transit, life in prisons, and dengue control.

Behavior analysts and students who are interested in learning about and practicing in the area of large-scale public policy.

Effective presenting is an important skill for behavior analysts to master in order to best engage and teach audiences, advance ones career, represent the field, and ultimately disseminate the science. Unfortunately, graduate training programs in behavior analysis have historically not emphasized training in effective presenting. This is concerning given the professional advancements and opportunities that can arise as a result of one being a skill presenter including job prospects and invited speaking engagements. The goal of this Professional Development Series is for the invited presenters to provide insight into their experiences with as well as thoughts and recommendations on how to be an effective presenter. The panelists come from diverse institutions and backgrounds and have unique experiences and expertise with regard to presenting. In particular, the panelists will discuss methods and offer advice for preparing presentations for various audiences, delivering a presentation in an engaging manner, and creating visually appealing slideware. The panel will conclude with an opportunity for audience members to ask questions regarding topics related to effective presenting.

The symposium includes fours studies on incorporating assessment into skill acquisition programming for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The first presentation evaluated the utility of a brief assessment of delayed imitation and attending followed by testing interventions designed to specifically address deficits in either skill to determine their effectiveness with two learners with ASD. The second presentation examined the utility of a brief assessment of 12 students prerequisite sills for three common response modalities (i.e., vocal, sign language, exchange based communication) to determine if performance on the skills assessment predicted rate of acquisition during mand training in each response modality. The third presentation evaluated if a modified skill assessment would predict outcomes for subsequent auditory-visual conditional discrimination training for five individuals with ASD. The fourth presentation conducted an assessment of differential and non-differential reinforcement arrangements during auditory-visual conditional discrimination training, and evaluated whether assessment results would predict the optimal reinforcement arrangement during subsequent auditory-visual conditional discrimination, tact, and intraverbal training. Collectively these studies provide support for the value of assessment prior to beginning instruction for individuals with ASD.

As evidence based procedures for teaching various skills continue to be produced by behavior analysts, it is important that practitioners have tools to help them decide which intervention to use to teach a particular skill. Ideally, the choice will be based on a learners profile that is known to predict success in one intervention over another. Motor imitation is a skill often taught to learners with autism, but a number of barriers to learning can occur. In particular, some learners acquire imitation involving objects, but imitation without objects is more difficult. This could occur due to deficits in attending or delayed imitation. The purpose of this study was to assess the utility of a brief assessment of delayed imitation and attending followed by testing interventions designed to specifically address deficits in either skill to determine their effectiveness with two learners with autism. Results are discussed in terms of matching skill profiles to interventions.

Mands have been successfully taught to children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and intellectual disabilities (ID) using many different response modalities including vocalizations, manual sign, and exchanged-based communication systems. A few studies have directly compared the effectiveness of different modalities such as the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) and sign language. Some of these studies have found that the usefulness of either modality varied across students without a clear indication of the relevant characteristics of each student that might predict effectiveness. Thus, one option is unlikely to prove optimal for all children. The current study examined the utility of a brief assessment of students prerequisite skills for three common response modalities (i.e., vocal, sign language, exchange based communication) to determine if performance on the skills assessment predicts the rate of acquisition during mand training in each response modality. The three pre-requisite assessments (motor imitation, vocal imitation, picture matching) each consisted of 20 trials. Subsequently, three equally preferred items were selected from a preference assessment and one item was randomly assigned to each condition. The speed of acquisition during mand training was evaluated using a multi-element design. If one of the response modalities was acquired more quickly than the others and the remaining responses were not acquired, the other two responses were trained in the successful modality. Data from at least 12 participants will be presented to illustrate typical response patterns and predictive value of the assessment. Interobserver agreement and procedural integrity data were high for all participants.

Kodak et al. (2015) developed a skills assessment to measure potential prerequisite skills for auditory-visual conditional discrimination training. The results of the assessment showed that a proportion of children with autism spectrum disorder did not master all skills in the assessment, and the assessment accurately predicted the outcomes of auditory-visual conditional discrimination training for seven of the nine participants. The current study replicated and extended prior research by conducting a modified skills assessment with five children with autism spectrum disorder. Several procedural modifications were made to the skills assessment to more closely match the format of subsequent discrimination training. The results of the assessment show that all of the participants were missing one or more of the skills evaluated in the assessment. Auditory-visual conditional discrimination training conducted after the assessment verified the assessment results for all five participants. Next steps in this line of research and implications for practice will be discussed.

Early intervention manuals suggest clinicians use differential reinforcement arrangements during skill acquisition programs; however, they do not recommend the same arrangement. Recent studies that have compared reinforcement arrangements have found that the most effective arrangement may differ across participants. This study extended the current literature by conducting an assessment of differential reinforcement arrangements (i.e., quality, magnitude, schedule) and non-differential reinforcement to identify the most effective arrangement for each participant. The assessment phase found that the quality arrangement was the most efficient condition across all participants during an matching task. Additionally, a validation phase was conducted to further assess the results across multiple tasks. This phase validated the results from the assessment phase across all participants for the matching task. However, the results were only validated for one participant during the other tasks (i.e., tact and intraverbal). This suggests that the most efficient differential reinforcement procedures may differ across learners and tasks.

Functional analysis (Iwata, Dorsey, Slifer, Bauman, & Richman, 1982/1994) was initially developed as part of an assessment process for enhancing treatment of severe problem behavior. Researchers have since developed different formats for increasing the efficiency of the analysis while retaining the methodological features that allow one to demonstrate control over problem behavior by a suspected reinforcement contingency. Via literature review and several new empirical analyses, the presenters will address the important topics of efficiency and validity of different functional analysis formats.

Trial-based functional analyses (FA) have been successful in determining the variables maintaining problem behavior (Bloom, Iwata, Fritz, Roscoe & Carreau, 2011; Lambert & Bloom, 2010), and the results have corresponded to traditional FAs (Larue et al., 2010). The current study utilized a trial-based FA to assess problem behavior when participants walked near and left a playground. During a pre-assessment, three boys between the ages of 3 to 7 years old with autism eloped to access a playground. When we attempted to remove them from the playground, they flopped to the ground. We then conducted an analysis in which trials alternated between the child being led past a playground, the child being prompted to leave the playground following brief access, and a control trial in which the child had free access to the playground. Results showed increased elopement when we brought each child near the playground and elevated levels of flopping when we prompted him to leave the playground. For all participants, two functional communication responses were taught to functionally replace the child�s elopement and flopping. Elopement and flopping both reduced to zero levels in their respective test conditions. For two participants, treatment was successfully extended to teach the child to tolerate when the functional communication response would not be honored.

This symposium will offer a training protocol for the acquisition of verbal behavior using the iPad and application Proloqu2Go as a speech-generating device for children with autism. The protocol will be derived from a synthesis of recent studies evaluating the use of handheld technology as a speech-generating device in the acquisition of mand, tacts using carrier phrases, intraverbals, distance training, and discrimination between picture-symbols. Thus, this sequence will account for the full range of verbal behavior. Finally, practical considerations for the use of such devices as Augmentative and Alternative Communication System will be discussed.

This study evaluated the effects of within stimulus prompting and prompt fading strategies in the acquisition of a discrimination repertoire while using a tablet computer as a speech-generating device. Using a multiple probe, within a changing criterion design, a five-phased training procedure, four preschool aged children diagnosed with autism, were taught to discriminate between a progressively more complex field of picture-symbols, depicted on the screen of an iPad?, using the application Proloqu2Go. All four participants acquired the ability to discriminate between picture-symbols, while using the iPad? to mand for preferred items, in a field of four picture-symbols of preferred items. The results provide practitioners an effective procedure for the acquisition of such a repertoire, while using a handheld computing device as a speech-generating device.

This study evaluated a shaping procedure to teach distance communication training, to three preschool aged children with autism, using the iPad and application Proloquo2Go as a speech-generating device. All three participants had previous training on the use of the iPad and application Proloquo2Go as a speech-generating device and demonstrated the ability to independently mand using the device, using one symbol mands, while discriminating between a field of four picture symbols. Participants were first taught to mand for an item needed to complete a task related activity (e.g., a puzzle piece) with the device placed within three inches of him or her. The distance between the device and participant was then systematically increased to three feet and then to six feet. Each participant acquired the ability to travel from the location of the task, to the device, and then to the listener who was positioned within six inches of the task related activity (e.g., the puzzle) to a criterion of 80% independence across two consecutive sessions, requiring an average of four sessions before mastery. For two participants maintenance data were collected and this skill was demonstrated to maintain following seven days of training.

This study evaluated the use of the iPad and application Proloqu2Go as a speech generating device (SGD) for the acquisition of a tact (labeling) repertoire in three preschool aged children with Autism Spectrum Disorder or developmental delay. Additionally, discrimination between picture icons and sentence frames were investigated. Using a five second time delay, with full physical prompts, participants were taught to label four items using the carrier phrases "I see" and "I have". Following the acquisition of those frames in isolation, training on discriminating between those frames was introduced. The results indicate that the training procedures were effective for this purpose, thus contributing to the already existing literature on the use of handheld computing devices as SGD.

Powerful, portable, and readably available handheld computing technology has led to an increase in research investigating the use of such technology as a speech-generating device (SGD). The results of such research have been favorable and the use of such devices as a SGD has become common practice. However, despite this increased interest in such devices, little research has gone beyond the acquisition of a mand (i.e., requesting) repertoire. The focus of the current investigation sought to expand the preliminary evidence base for the use of devices such as the iPad? as a SGD, by evaluating its use on the acquisition of intraverbal responding in school aged children with autism, using a multiple baseline across responses design. To investigate this two-school aged children were taught using a five-second time delay with full-physical prompts to respond to an intraverbal statement regarding personal information, using the iPad? and application Proloqu2Go? as a SGD. The results of the study were favorable, as both children acquired the ability to respond to three different intraverbal statements.

Clinicians often use preference assessments to identify appetitive stimuli to include in positive reinforcement test and control conditions in functional analyses (FAs). However, clinicians often rely on caregiver report to identify aversive stimuli to include in negative reinforcement test conditions. In the present evaluation, we provide a comparative analysis between the preference hierarchy derived from caregiver-nominated stimuli, the demand latency assessment (Call et al., 2009), and a paired-choice assessment of demands. We provide a comparison between the preference hierarchies identified by each assessment and a validation of assessment results via FA. Preliminary results indicate that the caregiver-nominated demand hierarchy showed low correspondence with demand latency and demand paired-choice hierarchies. The demand assessment identified a hierarchy of demands that, in some cases, corresponded with results of the demand latency assessment, suggesting that individuals may accurately identify low preferred demands. In some FAs, low preferred demands evoked more problem behavior than high preferred demands, suggesting the utility of empirically deriving and selecting stimuli for inclusion in the negative reinforcement test condition of a FA. These results offer directions for future research and means to empirically select stimuli to include in negative reinforcement test conditions to decrease the likelihood of false negative findings.

Previous studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of implementing escape extinction procedures to decrease problem behavior maintained by negative reinforcement; however escape extinction may not be feasible to implement in certain settings (e.g., school setting). Given this, the current study aimed to replicate and extend the results of Hoch et. al. (2002) by evaluating the effectiveness of concurrent schedules of reinforcement on problem behavior and task completion while omitting the use of escape extinction. In initial phases, results demonstrated that problem behavior was high and task completion remained low when both resulted in a negative reinforcement. During subsequent phases, task completion increased and problem behavior decreased when task completion resulted in negative reinforcement and high quality attention while problem behavior resulted in negative reinforcement only.

Previous research has supported functional communication training (FCT) as an effective intervention for reducing problem behavior across socially mediated functions (Hagopian, Boelter, & Jarmolowicz, 2011; Tiger, Hanley, & Bruzek, 2008). Following initial implementation of FCT, clinicians often program schedule-thinning procedures (e.g., multiple schedules; Hanley, Iwata, & Thompson, 2001; response restriction, Roane, Fisher, Sgro, Falcomata, & Pabico, 2004; chained schedules, Lalli, Casey, & Kates, 1995) to increase the portability of the treatment package to the natural environment. For individuals with escape-maintained problem behavior, chained schedules have proven effective in increasing task completion, thus leaning overall rates of negative reinforcement (Lalli et al., 1995). Additionally, supplemental procedures, such as embedding alternative reinforcement during the reinforcement interval, may ameliorate reemergence of problem behavior associated with schedule thinning (Rooker, Jessel, Kurtz, & Hagopian, 2013). The present study evaluated the use of a chained schedule-thinning procedure with and without tangible items (alternative reinforcement) embedded in the negative-reinforcement interval for two individuals with escape-maintained problem behavior. The inclusion of tangible items within the reinforcement interval produced quicker decreases in problem behavior and increases in compliance relative to schedule thinning without alternative reinforcement.

This symposium includes four papers describing current trends and refinements in the treatment of automatically reinforced problem behavior. The author of the first paper will describe the use of a rating scale to characterize behavioral and medical interventions for 75 individuals exhibiting severe self-injury. The results of the survey were compared in individuals who exhibited SIB that was and was not maintained by social reinforcement. In the second paper, the author will discuss a study comparing two preference assessment formats for identifying reinforcers for use during two commonly used interventions for automatically reinforced problem behavior. The outcomes of noncontingent reinforcement and differential reinforcement of other behavior interventions, using two different highly preferred stimuli, will be reviewed. In the third paper, the author will describe a multiple-component treatment evaluation with a punisher assessment for reducing automatically reinforced problem behavior. The results of the punisher assessment that included four or five potential punishers identified via interview will be reviewed. In the forth paper, the author will discuss a comparison of two redirection procedures, a standard redirection procedure and a physical redirection procedure, for decreasing the public masturbation (PM) of three children with an autism spectrum disorder. The relative utility of these two redirection procedures for decreasing PM will be discussed.

The purpose of the study was to develop outcome measures to characterize the complexity of behavioral and medical treatment plans for patients receiving assessment and treatment for severe problem behavior. The Treatment Intensity Rating Form (TIRF) is a 10-item scale with three categories: pharmacological interventions, behavior supports, and protective equipment. The TIRF was scored using the treatment plans of 75 individuals with self-injurious behavior (SIB). We compared individuals for whom SIB occurred across conditions of a functional analysis (i.e., the behavior was maintained by automatic reinforcement) and those whos SIB was maintained by social reinforcement (e.g., attention, escape from tasks, or access to toys/activities). Results indicated that those individuals with SIB maintained by automatic reinforcement had significantly more complex interventions including psychotropic medications, behavior plans with more components including reactive ones, and the use of more protective equipment than individuals with SIB maintained by social reinforcement. We also further delineated the automatic reinforcement group into 3 subtypes and found that there were differences in the degree to which protective equipment and medications were used within the automatic group.

Treatment of automatically reinforced problem behavior often requires the identification of preferred stimuli. However, it remains unclear whether certain preference assessment formats may better predict the reinforcing efficacy of stimuli in the context of treatment. The purpose of the current study was to compare the relative utility of two preference assessment formats in identifying reinforcers for inclusion in a differential reinforcement of other (DRO) intervention and in a noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) intervention. Four individuals with an autism spectrum disorder who exhibited high levels of automatically reinforcing motor stereotypy participated. Preference assessment formats that were compared were the paired-stimulus (PS) method and the competing items (CI) method. After ensuring stability in preference assessment outcomes, a highly preferred stimulus from each method was included in a subsequent reinforcer assessment and treatment evaluation. The effects of DRO and NCR interventions were evaluated using a reversal design, and the effects of the two different highly preferred stimuli were compared using an embedded multielement design. The CI highly preferred item did not consistently function as a reinforcer but was more effective than the PS highly preferred stimulus during NCR. Reliability data were collected in a minimum of 33% of sessions and averaged over 87%.

Individuals with disabilities often engage in sexual behavior that is developmentally appropriate, but occurs in inappropriate places or at inappropriate times due to a lack of social skills and/or sexual education. This study evaluated two redirection procedures to for decreasing the public masturbation (PM) of three children with an autism spectrum disorder. First, no interaction sessions were completed to establish baseline levels of PM. Then both redirection procedures were evaluated in an alternating treatments comparison. During the standard redirection procedure, the therapist presented a verbal comment to interrupt engagement of PM and redirected the participant's hands away from the groin area. In the physical redirection procedure, when the student engaged in PM, the teacher immediately instructed him/her to stand up and engage in 3-5 minutes of physical activity requiring both hands, and reinforced compliance with the activity upon completion. Following a return to baseline, these two redirection procedures were evaluated again. Interobserver agreement data were collected for at least 33% of the sessions. Across all three participants both redirection procedures decreased PM to low levels; however, in some cases the physical redirection procedure required multiple therapists for implementation and resulted in overall longer treatment sessions.

Previous investigations have identified techniques for assessing and treating behaviors associated with pediatric feeding disorders. The current symposium will focus on extensions of previous research, and will provide data ranging from small-n analyses of common feeding procedures to larger analyses of treatment and program outcomes. The first presentation describes a comparison of two functional analysis procedures to identify the reinforcers maintaining inappropriate mealtime behavior among three children with autism. The second presentation is an examination of outcome data on the treatment of food selectivity among 13 children with autism. The third presentation will examine expulsion during liquid refusal, specifically the efficacy of re-presentation as a treatment for expulsion among 21 children. The final presentation describes outcome data from 227 participants over a 12-year period who received services in a home-based multidisciplinary treatment program. Dr. Nate Call will serve as the discussant and will provide a synthesis of these studies within the context of examining outcome data in the area of feeding disorders and other childhood behavior disorders.

Food selectivity and refusal behavior remain a prevalent problem in children, and especially those diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. The purpose of the current project was to compare two different functional analysis methodologies from prior research in the assessment of inappropriate mealtime behavior. In particular, procedural variations for social-positive and social-negative test conditions have varied across prior studies. The current study evaluated those variations using a within-subject analysis to identify functions of inappropriate mealtime behavior for three children diagnosed with autism. Results indicated certain conditions used in prior functional analysis literature might not control for all relevant variables (e.g., motivating operations), thus producing potential false positive identification of behavioral functions; specifically, a social-positive function was only identified in the attention-test condition in which implicit demands to consume nonpreferred foods were placed. The idiosyncratic pattern of responding across subjects will be discussed as well as how those patterns relate to implications for research and clinical practice in the assessment and treatment of pediatric feeding problems.

Autism is defined by social communication deficits and restrictive and/or repetitive patterns of behavior. One way in which restrictive behavior might present in this population is via the selective consumption of foods. If left untreated, food selectivity may result in poor nutrition and other issues, such as problematic behavior and poor socialization. Research in applied behavior analysis has identified several methods for effectively treating food selectivity in individuals with autism but, to date, that literature has focused on small sample sizes, and presumably, has focused only on successful treatment outcomes. The current study will present data from individuals with autism and co-morbid food selectivity who were treated in an outpatient clinic (n=13). Data will be reviewed regardless of treatment success. Case examples as well as an overall effect size will be presented as a means of documenting treatment outcomes. Treatment integrity data (exceeding 90% in all cases) and interobserver agreement (exceeding 80%) also will be provided. The results will be discussed in relation to a preliminary decision-making model for efficiently selecting treatments to treat food selectivity based on client characteristics.

Treating food or liquid refusal with escape extinction procedures reliably results in increased acceptance and decreased inappropriate mealtime behavior. However, problematic behaviors may emerge or persist in response to treatment, interfering with consumption. Coe et al. (1997) and Sevin et al. (2002) showed that treatment of refusal with a putative escape extinction procedure, nonremoval of the utensil, resulted in emergence of expulsion. Both investigators used re-presentation, in which the feeder scooped up expelled food and placed it into the participants mouth, to decrease expulsion to near-zero levels. Their results raise the question of whether emergence of expulsion is a common corollary effect during treatment of refusal with nonremoval of the utensil. The current investigation sought to determine whether expulsion emerged during treatment with nonremoval of the cup and to evaluate the efficacy of re-presentation as treatment for expulsion with 21 children with liquid refusal. Results indicated that 19 (90%) children exhibited expulsion during the nonremoval of the cup evaluation. The incorporation of re-presentation resulted in lower expels per opportunity and higher mouth clean for 13 (68%) and 14 (74%) of the 19 children, respectively, relative to nonremoval of the cup alone. Implications and directions for future research will be discussed.

Feeding problems are common in children with autism and other disabilities and may also be evident in typically developing children with a variety of medical issues (e.g., gastroesophageal reflux, food allergies etc.). Feeding problems may result in poor weight gain, deficiencies in vitamins/minerals as a result of poor nutrition, and/or tube dependency. In some cases, children may not advance to age-typical textures as a result of selectivity or a skill deficit (e.g., chewing). Since there are a variety of problems displayed by children with feeding issues, it is imperative that treatment be provided by a team of professionals (i.e., pediatric gasteroenterologist, occupational/speech therapist, nutritionist, social worker and/or behavior analyst). Typically these services are provided in a clinic/hospital environment; however, a similar model is also used in the home environment. The purpose of this presentation is to give the audience an overview of how intensive treatment can be initiated for children with feeding problems in the home environment using an interdisciplinary model. Data will be presented for at least 227 patients who were admitted to the Clinic 4 Kidz Pediatric Feeding Disorders Program in the last 12 years. Preliminary data suggests that this type of intensive home-based program is effective at increase weight, increasing variety, and decreasing tube dependency. Data also shows a high percentage of children getting to age-typical eating patterns by discharge. Outcome data will also be presented specifically on children with autism and the treatment approach used to treat feeding problems in these children. Case study video clips will also be included in the presentation so you can see treatment from the beginning to discharge for two different types of feeding problems. Data will be discussed in relation to training and the importance of the interdisciplinary approach when working with children with complicated medical histories.

Behavioral economics is becoming an increasingly well-known field, particularly in the area of promoting healthy choices. Contingency management, which involves delivering immediate incentives (usually money) contingent on objective evidence of the desired target behavior (e.g., drug abstinence), is a behavioral economic intervention that is not only successful, but also has recently received widespread support. In the current symposium, a series of talks will address recent advances in the area of incentive-based interventions as they have been applied to a variety of health behaviors (smoking and cocaine abstinence, as well as participation in cardiac rehabilitation programs), as well as under a variety of conditions (group versus individual contingencies, deposit contracts, etc).

Cardiac rehabilitation is a program of structured exercise and education that is standard of care following a serious cardiac event and significantly reduces morbidity and mortality following such events. Patient populations differ significantly in how likely they are to attend, with low-income patients having some of the lowest participation rates. In the current study we are testing the effectiveness of using contingency management to increase cardiac rehabilitation participation among low-income patients, specifically those enrolled in Medicaid or other state-supported insurance. Patients agreeing to participate are randomized into a usual care or an incentive condition. Those in the incentive condition earn financial incentives on an escalating schedule for completing each of the 36 prescribed exercise sessions. Those in the usual care condition do not earn incentives but are compensated for completing study measures. Thus far 74 patients have been randomized in this study. Currently those in the incentive group are 5-7 times more likely to complete the cardiac rehabilitation program than those in the usual care condition. These initial results demonstrate that incentives substantially increase participation in cardiac rehabilitation among low-income patients and may be an important tool for addressing disparities in health care access.

Previous research has shown that Internet-based group contingency management (CM) can promote comparable rates of smoking cessation relative to individual contingencies (Meredith et al., 2011; Meredith & Dallery, 2013). Although previous group CM studies enrolled groups of smokers with no pre-existing relationships, Christakis and Fowler (2008) found that smoking abstinence can be influenced by the abstinence of one's friend, spouse, sibling, close neighbor, or coworker. Thus, the aim of the current study was to explore the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a group CM intervention that was developed for pairs of smokers with a pre-existing relationship (e.g., friends). Six pairs of smokers participated in a multiple-baseline design. During a two-week intervention, participants could earn monetary rewards that increased for meeting successive abstinence goals ($1.50, $1.75, $2.00, etc.) plus a bonus when both members were abstinent ($3.00). Recruitment was challenging with approximately 50% of interested applicants unable to identify a partner. Preliminary results showed that pairs of participants either did very well together (both abstained) or very poorly (both smoked), with no groups showing a split pattern. Thus, although social support of a familiar partner may have been helpful in some cases, it may have been harmful in others.

Positive reinforcement of cocaine abstinence has established efficacy, but low acceptance for reasons including complexity and an individual format in community treatment programs, which rely primarily on group treatments. The primary purpose of this pilot study was to examine the efficacy of positive reinforcement for cocaine abstinence using Individual (I) or Interdependent Group (G) contingencies in comparison to a standard care non-contingent condition (S). Thirty-three adult opiate-dependent patients at a community-based methadone maintenance treatment program who screened positive for cocaine use via urinalysis participated. Eleven were block randomized to each group. A between-group comparison and within group ABA reversal design indicated that the percent of cocaine abstinent urine tests increased in both contingent groups, but group contingencies resulted in the largest increase in percent cocaine abstinence (G=17%; I=11%; S=3%) during treatment. The maximum duration of abstinence was higher for individual contingencies, but this group also showed the greatest decrease in abstinence when the contingencies ended (G= -12%; I = -20%; S = -13%). This preliminary work suggests that group contingencies may have similar efficacy to individual contingencies, while having potential advantages including reduced implementation complexity, consistent treatment format, and potential for better maintenance.

Discriminable shifts between rich and lean schedules of reinforcement can produce maladaptive disruptions in behavior. The disruptions have been studied in rats, pigeons, monkeys, and humans using a variety of procedures to arrange transitions between rich and lean schedules. The presentations in this symposium represent some basic and applied efforts to investigate this phenomenon and to expand findings to novel areas of the field. The first presentation investigated effects of the rich-lean transition on water consumption in non-thirsty rats; the second, effects of warning pigeons of an upcoming transition to a lean schedule of reinforcement; the third, pausing and escape in children with autism in the presence of stimuli associated with the rich-lean transition; and the fourth, the use of aversive features of the rich-lean transition to correct errors when teaching skills to children with autism. Our aim is to promote the dialogue between basic researchers, applied researchers, and practitioners interested behavior during transitions between rich and lean schedules.

Differential pausing in signaled transitions from more favorable to less favorable conditions has been demonstrated with humans and animals in the experimental analysis of behavior. Analysis of the variables responsible for pausing could be useful in understanding problem behavior in transitions between activities for children with autism. We conducted two experiments to extend previous research on pausing and escape during transitions between relatively rich and lean schedules of reinforcement. Individuals with autism spectrum disorders served as participants. The purpose of the first experiment was to replicate previous research on pausing in a two-component multiple schedule with a richer and a leaner schedule of reinforcement. The purpose of the second experiment was to examine whether escape responses would be emitted under the same conditions as pausing. In addition, we examined whether the participants would emit an escape response that removed the schedule or the stimuli associated with the lean schedule. For 2 participants the longest median pause duration was in the LL transition type and for 2 participants the longest median pause duration was in the RL transition type. Mixed results were found when pausing duration data was compared to frequency of escape data.

Research on error correction procedures often include the manipulation of different prompting strategies (e.g., Carroll, Joachim, St. Peter, & Robinson, 2015) or reinforcement schedules (e.g., Hausman, Ingvarsson, & Kahng, 2014), both of which can improve independent responding and acquisition during discrete trial training. We extended error correction research with different schedules of reinforcement by incorporating rich-to-lean transitions following incorrect responses with three boys diagnosed with autism. In the rich-to-rich condition, there was no differential reinforcement and the more-preferred edible was presented regardless of correct responding. During the rich-to-lean condition, errors resulted in the participant receiving less-preferred edibles for the next three correct responses. In the final comparison, the rich-to-no reinforcement condition, errors resulted in no reinforcement for a single trial. The latter two conditions were the most efficient and effective procedures for improving accuracy for two of the three participants. This finding suggests that the aversive properties of rich-to-lean transitions might function to correct errors in the context of differential reinforcement.

Despite the research base indicating the effectiveness of function-based interventions to reduce problem behavior and increase socially appropriate behavior, the implementation of these practices with sufficient fidelity to improve student outcomes is rare in typical classroom environments. The discrepancy between what research identifies as best practice and what actually occurs in schools calls attention to the need for developing implementation supports that will enable teachers and classroom staff to effectively implement function-based interventions with high treatment fidelity. The proposed symposium will present descriptive data regarding potential variables affecting implementation (study #1) and discuss the results of three single-subject studies that examined the effects of varying implementation supports on improving implementation effectiveness (studies 2, 3, and 4). Implementation supports examined in these studies include self-monitoring fidelity, team-based review of data, direct observation and permanent product review for assessing treatment fidelity, and detailed planning procedures. Implications for practice and future research directions will described in the context of building school capacity to effectively develop and implement function-based interventions that improve student outcomes.

The success of behavioral interventions depends not just on the quality of procedures employed, but on the extent to which procedures are implemented. This study used a multiple-baseline across participants design to assess the impact of an online data management application on the fidelity and impact of individual student behavior support plans in typical school contexts. Three students with patterns of problem behavior and their supporting adults participated in the study. The research question examined if a functional relation exists between use of (a) performance self-assessment and (b) student impact assessment via an online data management system on the fidelity of behavior support plan implementation by adults and improvement in academic engagement and problem behavior by students. Results indicate the efficacy of the treatment package in improving treatment fidelity, decreasing student problem behavior, and increasing student academic engagement. Potential contributions of the study are discussed in terms of establishing efficient data systems for schools to use in monitoring staff and student behavior and using these data in a meaningful way that result in improved student outcomes and sustained behavior change.

Interventions, such as behavior support plans (BSPs), must be implemented with adequate adherence and quality to result in improved student outcomes. Despite this fact, research consistently demonstrates that teachers struggle to consistently and completely implement BSPs (Sanetti & Kratochwill, 2009). Implementing interventions is challenging, requiring the integration of intervention-related behaviors into routines. Therefore, implementation may be conceptualized as an adult behavior change process (Noell, 2008). Research on adult behavior change suggests that planning is important for translating intended behaviors into actions (Gollwitzer, 1999). Specifically, completion of action plans (i.e., the detailed logistical planning of implementation) facilitates successful initiation of intended behaviors, whereas coping plans promote successful maintenance of behaviors through the development of strategies to address anticipated barriers (Schwarzer, 2008). This presentation will describe the application of such an implementation planning process and its effect on promoting teachers implementation of student BSPs in a randomized multiple-baseline design study. The results of will be discussed in relation to other implementation support methods and how practitioners can use their time efficiently to effectively support implementation of behavioral interventions.

It is widely accepted that implementation data are necessary to make valid decisions about intervention effectiveness, and data consistently indicate that quantitative implementation data are rarely documented, especially in practice (Cochrane & Laux, 2008; McIntyre, Gresham, DiGennaro, & Reed, 2007). A common reason for this lack of implementation assessment is the lack of empirical guidance for researchers and practitioners regarding how to assess implementation of behavioral interventions (Cochrane & Laux, 2008; Sanetti & DiGennaro Reed, 2012). An empirical understanding of the relation between currently recommended assessment methods, systematic direct observation (SDO) and permanent product review (PPR), is an important step to move implementation assessment research forward. To this end, the purpose of this presentation is to first discuss methodological issues related to each measurement approach, and then to present data from a single-case design study in which teachers? implementation of behavior support plans was measured via SDO and PPR. The relation between and methodological issues related to these methods, as well as their association with student outcomes will be presented. Implications of these results for implementation assessment in research and practice will be discussed.

A conceptual analysis of punishment will be presented. A brief history of the word punishment (both in vernacular usage, and in clinical usage) is presented. Writings from B.F. Skinner, Jack Michael and Murray Sidman are reviewed, summarized, and compared. Given the significant departure that these writings take from traditional descriptions of the effects of punishment on behavior, two competing analyses of punishment are presented. These two analyses, punishment as a direct procedure and punishment as an indirect procedure, are explained and directly compared. Data from previously published studies supporting both conclusions will be presented and analyzed. In addition, the effects of reinforcement and motivating operations on punishment and learning are explored. Finally, recommendations are made to refine how aversive control procedures are conceptualized, researched, trained, and implemented. Recommendations are made regarding how behavior analysts talk about punishment, how they describe procedures, and how to better understand a seemingly simple, yet ultimately complex phenomenon.

The use of aversive consequences has resulted in several instances of questionable ethical behavior that has severely affected the field of applied behavior analysis throughout its relatively short history. This component of the symposium will provide a review of the role of behavioral principles in the implementation of punishment procedures in the development and perpetuation of unethical and abusive behavior demonstrated by clinicians and staff in programs such as Willowbrook, Sunland Developmental Center, Behavior Modification Units in prison settings, etc.. Survey data provided by Behavior Analysts on abuse investigations, conclusions, and recommendations will be presented with the purpose of validating or invalidating the purported commonalities among the conditions present at the programs reviewed above. Recommendations and considerations will be provided on how to better prevent such missteps from occurring in the future. It is imperative to remember the past ethical issues in order to progress as a field and not repeat history.

Teaching complex verbal behavior in individuals with autisms warrants further research. Language deficits are an important characteristic with this population. Thus, the primary purpose of this research is to teach advanced verbal behavior repetorites. These studies address important topics such as, increasing variability with intraverbal responses, recalling past events, and providing instructive feedback (IF). The variability study investigated lag schedules of reinforcement to increase the number of different intraverbal responses. Results showed that a Lag 1 alone was effective with 1 participant while lag schedule 1 with additional training was effective with two other participants. The recalling past events study evaluated their treatment package using end-of -the-day probes. Results showed the treatment was effective in increasing recall accuracy. The instructive feedback (IF) study extended previous research to individuals with autism and examined secondary measures.

Previous research has evaluated contrived motivating operations to teach mands for information. However, literature evaluating acquisition of the mand, “When?” is comparatively limited. As an extension of Shillingsburg et al. (2014), we taught three children with autism to engage in mands for information using “When?” under alternating conditions in which a contrived establishing operation was present (EOP) or absent (EOA). Following treatment with a constant prompt delay, all participants acquired the mand for information and demonstrated correct use of the provided information and a decrease in inappropriate attempts to access restricted items.

Instructive feedback (IF) is a procedure in which extra information is presented to a student during instruction for other skills. Previous research has demonstrated that students with intellectual and developmental disabilities may acquire at least some additional non-targeted skills (secondary targets) without explicit instruction when extra information is presented, resulting in more efficient instruction. Although effective for students with disabilities as a whole, few studies focus on students with autism spectrum disorders, and the measures of secondary target acquisition focused on discrete responses (e.g., one word utterances). The purpose of the current investigation was to extend the instructive feedback literature related to students with autism spectrum disorders and evaluation of the responses given. Across all participants, IF resulted in the acquisition of at least a portion of secondary targets without explicit teaching. For two students, additional instruction was required before IF resulted in acquisition of secondary targets without explicit teaching.

Deficits in social communication are a paramount feature of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Behavior analysts have made considerable gains in identifying methods to promote functional communication for individuals with autism. Methods to establish more advanced verbal repertoires have received less support and evaluation despite the clear implications of these repertoires on social development. Reporting past behavior is of interest because of its significant role in social communication. That is, accurately recalling past behavior is expected frequently across social contexts (e.g., a caregiver asks a child "what did you do today?" or a teacher asks "did you practice reading last night?"). Prior research has identified deficits in recalling past behavior with individuals diagnosed with autism compared to typically developing and developmentally delayed peers. The current study sought to increase the accuracy of reporting past behavior in four children with autism. A nonconcurrent multiple baseline across participants was used to examine the effect of our treatment procedure on participants' recall of past behavior during end-of-day probes. Results indicated that participants reported past behavior with greater accuracy on end-of-day probes following our treatment procedure. Participants' accurate reporting to caregivers also increased following treatment. Implications and areas for future research are discussed.

On a gradient, the majority of individuals consider themselves to be sexual beings. Individuals with developmental disabilities are no exception. Socio-sexual behavior includes responses characteristic of sexual acts as well as social behaviors associated with gender identity, romantic relationships and perspective taking. As behavior analysts, we are well aware of the power of behavior analytic principles on the shaping of behavior. Through behavior analysis we can increase socially significant behavior to address behavioral deficits while decreasing behavioral excesses that lead to social and developmental problems. Although they are potentially sensitive, target behaviors included within the realm of sexuality should be no exception. In this presentation, the author will discuss common issues encountered when behavior analysts target socio-sexual behaviors with individuals diagnosed on the autism spectrum. Topics covered will include practical issues such as where and when to provide instruction; professional issues such as how to assess behavioral needs and select behavior analytic teaching techniques; ethical issues such as how to effectively work alongside guardians while respecting the desires of the individual; and legal issues such as consent laws. Issues will be discussed through a review of the literature along with experience gained through real life case studies.

The existing scientific literature strongly suggests that the most effective interventions for children and youth typically require active implementation of treatment in their natural environments by in-vivo care providers. These findings align with the practice of applied behavior analysis. Research over the last two decades in particular has demonstrated that simply providing care providers verbal directions is frequently insufficient to assure treatment implementation. This session will focus on findings relevant to assuring implementation of intervention plans in the natural environment with a particular focus on teachers as the treatment agents. The session will describe conceptual issues surrounding the assessment and assurance of treatment integrity in applied settings. Additionally, the session will review findings regarding procedures that have been found to be effective across studies in supporting intervention implementation as well as often repeated hypotheses about factors mediating treatment implementation that have not been supported by data. The session will conclude with a focus on future directions and the application of a behavior analytic science of treatment implementation across contexts.

Practitioners and researchers interested in the challenges of treatment implementation in the natural environment and the development of a behavior analytic approach to implementation.

There has been a rising trend in pharmaceutical interventions for individuals diagnosed with autism and other developmental disabilities in addition to the rising need for behavioral interventions. It is not uncommon for service recipients to be receiving psychotropic medication in addition to behavioral treatment concurrently. Practitioners are commonly told to consider effects of medications during service delivery; however, this typically is not covered in the practitioners formal education as evidenced by the lack of requirement of pharmacology courses in most applied graduate programs. Without consideration to drug effects, this may compromise the integrity of data collection and interpretation. The purpose of this panel is to discuss the status of pharmaceutical interventions in Autism, overview of behavior analytic studies evaluating drug treatment, and provide insight and recommendations for practitioners and researchers to bridge the disconnect between medical and behavioral interventions. In addition, the panelists will each offer a unique perspective on this topic to facilitate discussion among each other in addition to audience participation.

This symposium will present research on teaching skills to adults with autism and/or developmental disabilities. The first study evaluated video feedback to improve job interview skills, specifically eye contact for young adults with autism and found increases in eye contact after implementing the video modeling intervention. Social validity indicated that the intervention participants thought the intervention helped them and they would recommend it to others. The second study evaluated Behavioral Skills Training (BST) to teach a response to bullying (RtB) to adults with developmental disabilities living in a group home setting. The adults who participated were often reported as being victims of bullying by other men living at the group home. In-Situ Training (IST) was added for participants whose skills did not generalize to the natural environment. BST alone was successful in teaching the RtB to two participants while IST was needed to improve responding for the other two participants.

Individuals diagnosed with developmental disabilities often lack the skills needed to gain meaningful employment in the community. One crucial skill is interviewing as this is the first and often the only pre-job interaction an individual has with his or her employer. In a short interaction, the person must convey information about specific work history, employability, and a general impression of character. This study evaluated the effectiveness of video feedback in improving job interview behaviors for three young adults with developmental disabilities. The interview related-behaviors were appropriate greeting, responses to interview questions, and appropriate closing statement. The performance across the participants was assessed in simulated interviews under a multiple-baseline design across behaviors and participants, with the average baseline performances ranging from 0% to 21% and only improving after video feedback was introduced resulting in averages ranging from 93% to 100%. The social validity supports the feasibility of this video feedback intervention. Issues related to future research and implications for the field are discussed.

Bullying is a continuing problem for adults with intellectual disabilities who live in group homes and attend adult day training settings together. Most research in this area focuses on bullying in schools with typically developing children, and therefore, a need for effective behavioral interventions for adults with intellectual disabilities still remains. Previous research has found success in teaching safety skills to a variety of populations using behavioral skills training (BST) and achieving generalization of these skills using in situ training (IST). This study evaluated BST to teach a response to bullying (RtB) to the victims of bullying, with added IST for participants whose skills did not generalize to the natural environment. In situ assessments (ISA) were conducted in the natural setting after BST sessions had already occurred. When BST was not sufficient in evoking the correct response during ISA, IST was added for 2 participants and an incentive was added for 1 participant to increase motivation when responding still did not meet completion criteria. However, BST alone was successful in teaching the RtB to two participants, evident by their responses during ISA. The results of this study are consistent with previous BST and IST research.

Behavior analysis was always intended as a comprehensive science of all human activity, and yet, relatively little behavior analytic research has been done on highly complex human behaviors, such as rule-governed behavior and the so-called "executive functions." This symposium brings together three presentations that have attempted to address complex repertoires, including rule-governed behavior and problem-solving. The first presentation, by Lisa Stoddard, consists of a study that taught children with autism problem-solving skills. The second presentation, by Sara Wymer, consists of a study that taught children with autism rule-deriving skills. The third study, by Dr. Thomas Szabo, also consists of a study that taught children with autism rule-deriving skills.

Problem solving is a complex behavior that has been the subject of very little previous behavioral conceptual or empirical research. Skinner defined a problem as a situation in which a consequence would be reinforcing, if only the individual possessed the behavior needed to bring it about. Colloquially speaking, a problem is a situation in which one knows what one wants but one does not know what to do to get it. Skinner suggested that the behaviors one engages in that eventually result in making the effective terminal response available are, themselves, to be considered problem-solving behaviors. Children with autism have documented difficulties with problem solving and yet very little previous behavioral research has attempted address these deficits. In the current study, Problem solving was task analyzed and is currently being taught via multiple exemplar training to children with autism. The steps of the task analysis include identifying the problem, explaining why its a problem, analyzing the cause of the problem, creating multiple possible solutions, selecting the solution most likely to be effective, implementing the solution, self-monitoring the success of the solution, and altering the solution if it is not successful.

Rule-governed behavior (RGB) is primarily controlled by contact with a verbal description of a contingency as opposed to prior contact with the contingencies. RGB is a unique class of behavior that Skinner described as essential to the existence of human civilization (Skinner, 1974). Despite its importance, the establishment of RGB in individuals who do not display the skill has only been evaluated in one study (Tarbox, Zuckerman, Bishop, Olive, & OHora, 2011). Tarbox et al. established a basic repertoire of rule following in children diagnosed with autism with rules specifying an antecedent and a consequence. We conducted a systematic replication of the Tarbox et al. study. Three boys diagnosed with autism were taught to follow rules specifying a behavior and a consequence (e.g., If you clap, then you get candy). The specified consequence alternated between preferred and non-preferred stimuli. In baseline, participants typically followed a given instruction regardless of whether the consequence was preferred or non-preferred. Following multiple exemplar training, all participants demonstrated the ability to respond correctly to novel rules. Results indicated that multiple exemplar training can be used to establish basic repertoires of RGB in individuals who have previously not demonstrated that ability.

According to Skinners analysis of problem solving, problem solving is operant behavior that is demonstrated when a needed response is not readily available in the learners repertoire. For Skinner, consequences are always in the form of direct contingencies. Relational Frame Theory (RFT) postulates a view that involves relationally framing responses, which can involve deriving new relations without previous training. This study consists of two experiments that evaluate multiple exemplar training procedures for teaching relational responding. Experiment One was a replication of Tarbox, Zuckerman, Bishop, and Olive (2011) where a child with autism was successfully taught to respond to rules containing if/then statements. The second experiment consisted of three participants trained to derive and vocalize an if/then rule from the environmental context to solve problems. One participant successfully derived novel rules in test and control phases indicating that multiple exemplar training using video models may be an effective intervention to teaching problem solving. Although two participants may have employed additional, untrained techniques to derive rules from context, results with one subject suggest that this strategy can be of benefit and may work when other skills are lacking. Further research should seek to identify the necessary and sufficient conditions for teaching children with autism to derive rules from context.

The panelists discuss the Matrix Project, an ambitious collective undertaking by Behaviorists for Social Responsibility (BFSR; the oldest ABAI SIG). Many behavior analysts came to the field, often inspired by Skinner and others since, because they wanted to contribute to addressing the enormous challenges faced by human societies. Many may find themselves frustrated by limited preparation and opportunities for applying our science to such challenges. Behavioral systems science (cultural analysis) now has reached a point where real potential exists for promoting progressive social change, albeit in close partnership with related disciplines, in areas like climate change and sustainability, poverty and income inequality, human rights and violence, among others. The Matrix Project focuses first on conceptual work and literature reviews of large-scale, systemic practice and research areas. Practices that hold promise for expanding behavioral systems contributions among 26 societal sectors are being explored, as well as contingency networks that could support and oppose adoption of those practices. The Matrix is an evolving document that consists of a sector-specific integrated set of hypotheses, with the goal of identifying practices that support, oppose, motivate, and select the development and utilization of scientific behavioral systems. The sectors under examination include education, behavior analytic organizations (like SEABA), several levels of government, business, NGOs, foundations and research institutes, religious and political community organizations, and a number of others. This panel will identify the supporting practices and contingency relations through providing examples of the analytical work completed on the project to date. The panelists will suggest next steps in the project, particularly advocacy within the identified sectors to introduce and experiment with the identified practices, and the development of a discipline-wide task force to encourage behavioral systems work related to major societal and global issues. Those attending will be encouraged to contribute to the project, and will be offered several specific actions they might take to do so.

This study utilized an alternating treatments design to examine the effects of physical versus emotional infidelity scenarios on five participants self-reported feelings of jealousy, heart rate, and blood pressure, as well as their nervous behaviors. The study investigated whether one type of infidelity scenario produces greater changes in behavior as compared to control condition neutral scenarios, and whether these effects vary across genders and across relationship status. Each participants responses on a preliminary questionnaire were used to create individualized infidelity scenarios. The results indicated that the physiological measures did not show a clear effect of either scenario type, except for one participant who showed increases in heart rate during the emotional condition relative to the other two conditions. There were no clear effects of scenario type on nervous behavior, but all five participants rated emotional and physical scenarios as more stressful and as producing more feelings of jealousy than neutral scenarios.

Recent research indicates that some students prefer to complete larger work requirements for access to larger magnitude reinforcers (continuous arrangement) rather than completing several smaller work-reinforcer units (discontinuous arrangement). For instance, some participants prefer to complete 20 consecutive math problems for 10 minutes of continuous access to reinforcement, rather than completing 2 problems followed by 1 minutes of reinforcement, repeated 10 times. This outcome has been demonstrated with older and verbally competent participants. Thus far, the published research literature has yet to examine the effects of these work-reinforcer arrangements on preference and performance with younger participants and participants with limited communication skills. Therefore, the studies that will be discussed in this symposium will present data on the effects of work-reinforcer arrangement on preference and performance with younger participants. The outcome of one study demonstrated that younger children with limited verbal repertoires preferred the continuous arrangement, whereas the second study found that some younger children preferred the discontinuous arrangements and that reinforcer magnitude manipulations affected preference. Variables affecting preference and performance will be discussed as well as educational implications of this line of research.

To determine the efficacy of different schedules of reinforcement, individuals diagnosed with ASD who possessed limited verbal communication skills completed tasks on a long or short interval schedule of reinforcement. Participants completed a specified number of tasks before receiving 5-minute or 30-second access to reinforcement. To elevate discrimination, color-coded token boards were used to represent each schedule. First, participants were exposed to the schedules in an alternating fashion to measure the rate of responding. Participants were then prompted a number of times to select one of the two schedules to use during the same work task to determine whether a preference had emerged. This study replicated and extended the procedures of DeLeon et al (2014) by including individuals with limited verbal repertoires. All participants produced a higher rate of responding when exposed to a long schedule of reinforcement, suggesting this to be the more efficient of the two. Additionally, two participants showed a preference for the long schedule of reinforcement during the choice condition, supporting the use of a token economy to promote discrimination for individuals with limited verbal repertoires.

Despite studies demonstrating that predictable activity schedules improves challenging behavioural among developmentally disabled children under experimental conditions, very little is known about the level of consistency with which residential staff provide daily activity schedules (DAS) in naturalistic adult group home settings and how to improve such consistency. Four years of research will be summarized. Study 1 of 6 group home settings servicing 35 adults with acquired brain injuries found, using six 2-week probes over three years, that written DASs were implemented on average only 37% of the time. A second intervention study in two of the group homes over a 12 month period found that DAS implementation could be substantially improved to 80% or higher with a 47% reduction in group home negative behavioural incidents with a DAS training program that focused on supervisor training in on-the-floor DAS supervision. In addition, the positive preventative components of Behaviour Support Plans were implemented significantly more consistently than in 5 comparison group homes which had not received DAS training. Study 3 demonstrated that DAS training conducted for 4 different agencies servicing adults with developmental disabilities improved quality and implementation of DASs, and quality of life. Implications for quality of care will be discussed.

Despite the importance of crisis intervention training (CIT) for insuring staff and client safety, no peer-reviewed published data are available for the effectiveness of CIT on performance competencies. Safe Management Groups CIT will be described especially in relation to proposed standards for intrusive programming including Individualization of techniques for client and staff; written Documentation for accountability; and Specification and approval of technique in Behaviour Support Plans supervised by behavior analysts. Knowledge and Performance Competency outcome data for 2-day initial training and 1-day refresher training will be presented that shows greater success and retention in teaching physical intervention skills than verbal de-escalation skills. The outcome of a specialized enriched verbal de-escalation program will be presented which illustrates the need for specialized CIT.

A substantial research literature has established the prevalence of escape-motivated aggressive behaviour in children, adolescents and adults with developmental disabilities. A small subgroup of adults, perhaps about 3-5 percent, can be defined as severe, in that there is substantial daily risk with limited effectiveness of so-called positive programming only and psychopharmacologic treatments. This talk will introduce a form of escape-extinction called safe extinction (SE) in which contingent physical interventions and preventative mechanical restraints are used in combination with typical differential reinforcement of alternative and incompatible behaviour to produce substantial reductions in aggressive behaviour and increases in complaint and productive behaviour. A one-day assessment protocol will be presented that enables rapid and efficient assessment of the effectiveness of SE, a critical feature of intrusive programming. Data for ten adult cases of 1-day SE will be presented illustrating the extinction and generalization process.

The ability to categorize physically dissimilar stimuli such as objects, words, etc., is characteristic of normal intellectual development. Categorization is evident in the emergence of “untrained” behavior and novel stimulus control relations after explicit training on other relations. It is also an ability that does not require language, as Dr. Urcuioli's research shows. After highlighting the long-recognized importance of categorization and equivalence in behavior theory, the presentation will describe how sets of interchangeable stimuli (viz., stimulus classes) can develop from conditional discrimination training in pigeons. Class formation is inferred from pigeons’ subsequent ability to respond in a class-consistent manner to new combinations of the baseline stimuli, including derived stimulus-stimulus relations rarely seen in non-human animals (e.g., associative symmetry). The presenter will also describe his theory of stimulus class formation (Urcuioli, 2008) which emphasizes the reinforcement contingencies of training, proper identification of the functional stimuli, and the combinatorial effect of the same functional stimuli in different trained relations. The theory successfully explains the conditions under which emergent relations have, and have not been, observed and accurately predicts a variety of novel equivalence-like relations.

Licensed Psychologists, certified behavior analysts, graduate students.

How do we prepare teachers for supporting the social emotional growth of young children while giving them the tools to address challenging behaviors in school and childcare settings? Those who have been in the field for a long time as well as pre-service teachers often struggle with how to balance instructional practice and requirements to address the social-emotional needs of their students. Without addressing the social-emotional needs of the students, instruction and learning cannot occur. This lecture will focus on developmentally appropriate practices that create social-emotional and physical environments that are most supportive of children's healthy development. In tandem with setting up the environment to foster appropriate behavior, a variety of strategies for addressing challenging behaviors will be discussed. Key components for laying this groundwork include: family-teacher partnerships, developmentally appropriate curriculum and assessment, guidance and behavior supports. Lessons learned from a variety of early childcare and educational settings, including programs in the Delaware Stars for Early Success (the state's Quality Rating and Improvement System [QRIS]), will be presented.

To come.

Some twenty-five years ago The Behavior Analyst published a paper by David Rider entitled “The speciation of behavior analysis.” By applying a selectionist analysis, including analogs with basic science and engineering, Rider predicted that basic and applied behavior analysis were destined to become independent species. In a commentary on this paper, Dr. Marr pointed out that scientists and engineers are interdependent, especially at the frontiers of application. He was sanguine about a continuing analogous relationship between basic and applied behavior analysis. However, especially in the last decade, indications are that basic and applied behavior analysis may indeed be emerging as distinct species. In a review of what Dr. Marr calls the “literature of survival,” he discuss several themes addressing the evolving complex relations between basic and applied behavior analysis, including constraints on training leading to a narrow spectrum of applications, our often self-imposed isolation from those with whom we could productively collaborate, and the difficulties of obtaining sufficient support for our science. All these challenges reflect a briar-patch of interlocking contingencies; each one depends crucially on the others and we cannot effectively address any in isolation. Thus solutions will not be easy, but our long-term survival as a coherent discipline depends on finding some.

Licensed Psychologists, certified behavior analysts, graduate students.