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| Utilizing Behavior Change Strategies to Achieve Political Change |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 1:00 PM–1:50 PM |
| Ballroom A (CC) |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Service Delivery |
| Chair: Rita M. Gardner (Melmark New England) |
| JOHN SCIBAK (Massachusetts House of Representatives; The Vice-C) |
 State Representative John Scibak has served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives since January, 2003. He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, where he received a B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology with a specialization in developmental disabilities and applied behavior analysis. Previously, Rep. Scibak worked for many years in health care and human services and held academic positions at Indiana University, the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and Westfield State College. His research focused on the analysis and treatment of severe inappropriate behaviors and functional skills training. Rep. Scibak currently serves as the Vice-Chair of the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies and the Co-Chair of the Oral Health Legislative Caucus. Since his election in 2002, Rep. Scibak has been actively involved in the development and passage of significant legislation. He was the key sponsor of legislation to establish a comprehensive, statewide program to prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome in Massachusetts and, played an important role in the development of Massachusetts’ pioneering health care reform legislation. He also sponsored legislation this session to establish a licensure process for behavior analysts in Massachusetts and to require greater safeguards for treatment interventions which utilize aversive consequences in Massachusetts. |
| Abstract: For over 40 years, professionals have relied on the theory and practice of applied behavior analysis to address a multitude of behavioral issues. From the early studies which targeted problem behaviors in autistic children to more recent applications focusing on seat-belt use and improving sports performance, behavior analysis has provided a foundation for behavior change across different populations and settings. Today, there even are a number of television shows (e.g., Dog Whisperer, SuperNanny) which utilize behavior analytic principles to address everyday problems.
Despite these widespread applications, behavior analysts have yet to recognize politics as a viable area for research and practice. Candidates spend tremendous sums each year trying to influence the behavior of individual voters, yet never analyze why their specific strategies worked or not. This presentation will review some of the most common tactics from a behavior analytic perspective as well as provide specific examples from recent political campaigns.
The presentation will also address how behavior analysts can become more effective advocates by relying on strategies employed in their clinical practice and applying them with their own elected officials. |
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| Old Friends: Organizational Behavior Management and Developmental Disabilities |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 1:00 PM–1:50 PM |
| 103AB (CC) |
| Area: OBM; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| Chair: Alicia M. Alvero (Queens College, The City University of New York) |
| PETER STURMEY (Queens College, The City University of New York) |
 Professor Peter Sturmey is Professor of Psychology at The Graduate Center and The Department of Psychology, Queens College, City University of New York. He is a member of both the Learning Processes and Behavior Analysis, and Neuropsychology Doctoral programs. His research interests include applied behavior analysis and caregiver training and developmental disabilities and behavior analytic conceptualization to psychopathology and clinical case formulation. |
| Abstract: When behavior analysts left their labs in the 1950s, where experimental environments were highly controlled, they met staff and family members of children and adults with developmental disabilities. Behavior analysts soon observed that staff and family members differed from Skinner boxes. Hence, the earliest applied behavior analytic studies immediately began to address caretaker behavior. This interest has been sustained and, indeed, has intensified as more human services attempt to adopt applied behavior analysis. This address will review the overlapping fields of organizational behavior management (OBM) and developmental disabilities to highlight common areas of focus, concern, and future directions.
There are several robust technologies of training caregivers—such as behavioral skills training, task clarification, and feedback—which have addressed a wide variety of socially significant behavior. Sometimes these approaches have also shown beneficial changes in client behavior. Some studies have also conducted large-scale behavior change through pyramidal training, in which routine supervisors train caregivers to behave more effectively to produce beneficial changes in client behavior.
Despite this progress, several important issues have not been addressed as rigorously as they could be. These issues include developing robust technologies to assess and prioritize caregiver training needs, developing comprehensive caregiver training curricula, demonstration of generalization of caregiver and supervisor behavior in pyramidal training with concurrent benefits to client groups, maintenance of change, greater use of basic behavior analytic concepts to explain and refine applied technologies, and wide-scale adoption of OBM practices in large organizations. The field of developmental disabilities can also benefit from other areas of OBM, such as behavioral safety. Future research and practice should continue to expand and refine the interplay between OBM and the field of developmental disabilities. |
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| How Behavior Analysts Can Impact the Use of Psychotropic Medication for Challenging Behavior |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 2:00 PM–2:50 PM |
| 103AB (CC) |
| Area: DDA; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| Chair: Joel Eric Ringdahl (University of Iowa) |
| JENNIFER R. ZARCONE (University of Rochester Medical Center) |
 Jennifer Zarcone obtained her PhD from the Behavior Analysis program at the University of Florida, Department of Psychology in 1993. She is currently the Director of the Community Consultation Program in the Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester Medical Center. The program has 11 faculty members who conduct research and provide expertise to local schools and agencies for students with autism and other behavior challenges. She is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and a licensed psychologist in New York State. She has served for the past three years on the Executive Committee for the Association for Positive Behavior Support, most recently as President. She is a Member-at-Large on the Board of Directors for New York State Association for Behavior Analysis and is currently an Associate Editor for the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. Her areas of expertise are in autism, severe behavior disorders, clinical trials of medications, and Prader-Willi syndrome. |
| Abstract: The focus of this presentation is on how behavior analysts can play a role when psychotropic medication has been prescribed to treat significant behavior problems. Specifically, the ideal guidelines for conducting clinical trial research will be discussed and how these guidelines can be adapted to nonresearch settings (e.g., schools, home, residential facilities) with individuals with intellectual disabilities. The focus of the presentation will be on the most commonly used behavioral measures, including rating scales, direct observation, and functional analysis measures and how they can be used within the context of medication trials. Data will be presented from each of these types of measures. Finally, the need for measures of social validity and consumer satisfaction as well as collaboration across disciplines will be discussed. |
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