Association for Behavior Analysis International

Husbandry procedures with captive animals are important for their daily management, health, and welfare. While most husbandry training involves positive reinforcement, some husbandry procedures occasionally result in aversive consequences. For example, oral syringe acceptance must commonly be retrained after dosing with medication. However, it is unclear whether such dosing is punishing due to flavor novelty or the animals flavor preferences. The present study assessed the effect of novel and non-preferred flavors on oral syringe acceptance in four captive animals: two ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) and two capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris). A free operant (capybara) or paired-choice (ring-tailed lemurs) preference assessment was conducted to identify approached (preferred) and avoided (non-preferred) liquids for each animal. An ABACD multiple baseline across participants design was used. Following a stable baseline of syringe acceptance with one preferred liquid (A) a preferred but untrained liquid was substituted to test for the effect of novelty (B). Baseline conditions were reinstated (A) and then a non-preferred untrained liquid was substituted to test for the effect of an aversive consequence (C). Procedures to address either novelty or aversion were implemented (D). This research may improve oral syringe training with captive animals by suggesting procedures for enhancing response maintenance. Results pending.

It is well known that high rates of reinforcement are important for learning new behaviors. One way to achieve this is to use a direct method of increasing reinforcement; shaping. However, at some point the behavior has been divided into so many approximations that it cannot be divided any further. Are there other methods of achieving higher rates of reinforcement? In what ways do indirect reinforcers improve learning and the strength of the response? In the first phase of this experiment, two equally difficult novel behaviors were trained. Using a multiple-element design, one behavior was trained following the usual shaping schedule and the other was trained similarly but an easy behavior was interspersed during shaping to further increase the rate of reinforcement. In the second phase of this study, extinction was implemented to analyze the strength and variability of behavior produced from of each method of reinforcement. Finally, the conditions for each behavior were switched. The subjects of the experiment were an 11-year-old female dog and a 1-year-old male dog. The acquisition data for the first subject show little difference between the two methods of reinforcement. Data for the extinction phase and the reacquisition phase are pending.

The present study is a follow-up on a previous study that showed that multiple exemplar training produced partial generalization across trainers. The behavior only generalized to different trainers that had already taught two or more behaviors, but did not generalize to familiar people that had not conducted any training with the participant. This suggests that past training experiences are relevant variables for generalization across trainers. The current study examines that possibility. Two Labrador retrievers (1 year old and 5 years old) are the subjects of the current study. Baseline probes were conducted to verify that generalization still did not occur with the previously trained behaviors. The intervention consisted of the training a new behavior by trainers with a history of non-generalization. After the new behaviors were trained, probes were performed with all trainers across all behaviors. These probes test for generalization of the newly acquired behaviors in the presence of trainers that did not train that behavior, but with history of training other behaviors. Further probes tested the previously ungeneralized behaviors for generalization after training a different behavior. Baseline data show that the previously acquired behaviors did not generalize to the new trainers. The remaining results are pending.

Biting and chewing by horses on crossties can result in injury to the handler and damage to equipment. The classical and operant conditioning techniques most commonly used to eliminate undesirable behaviors in horses involve aversive stimulation. These techniques are often effective in reducing target behaviors, but may result in undesirable, and sometimes dangerous, avoidance behaviors. Operant-conditioning techniques that involve positive reinforcement have been used to effectively train behaviors in horses (e.g., trailer loading). Positive-reinforcement techniques may also be effective in reducing horses biting and chewing when on crossties. Presently, positive reinforcement was delivered according to a differential-reinforcement-of-other-behavior (DRO) schedule, in the context of a reversal design, to effectively reduce biting and chewing in two horses. Initial DRO intervals were 20 s and 30 s for the two horses and were successfully increased to 94 s for both horses. Based on the present findings, positive-reinforcement techniques can be effective in reducing undesirable behaviors in horses. Relative to aversive-stimulation techniques, positive-reinforcement techniques may have the added benefit of being less likely to result in potentially dangerous avoidance behaviors in horses; thus likely improving horse welfare and trainer safety.

Although reinforcement often is delivered after a delay in naturalistic situations with pet dogs, little research has been conducted on the ability of dogs to acquire new responses under delayed reinforcement conditions. In this study, the nose-poking response of six dogs (Canis familiaris) was exposed to a contingency in which reinforcement was available after a 10-s signaled non-resetting delay following each touch of the subjects nose to a small buoy. Once established, nose-poking was then exposed to extinction. All subjects acquired the response, and rates averaged between 3 and 10 responses per minute across subjects. One subject required prompting in order to contact the contingency. Two subjects began destroying the operandum in extinction, necessitating that one subject be dropped from participation. Difficulties in using this particular operant under these conditions will be addressed. Procedural difficulties notwithstanding, these results suggest that dogs can acquire new responses under 10-s signaled reinforcement delays.

Polydipsia is an important clinical issue in that it has been used as an appropriate means of understanding the etiology of compulsive behavior. Polydipsia is the excessive drinking that occurs when an organism is exposed to food delivered on a fixed-time schedule, resulting in consuming three to four times of their daily water intake. This study has examined the rate with which three experimentally nave Sprague-Dawley rats, reduced to 85% of their free-feeding weight, acquired polydipsia. All experimental sessions were conducted in standard operant chambers. Food pellets were delivered into a food cup by mechanical food dispensers. A clicking sound was made when each pellet was delivered, thereby, providing rats with an immediate signal that food will be available. The rats had unlimited access to water through an electrical contact drinkometer. Drinkometers were used to measure the duration, frequency, probability, and post-food latency of drinking tube contacts. The results indicate individual differences in timing, the overall amount of water consumed, and frequency of drinking tube contacts. Given that only three rats were used, the results of this project should be reviewed with caution. This study should be replicated with more subjects to assess the generalizability of these results.

Many dogs have irritating behaviors that their owners attribute to the dogs personality. However, for larger dogs, these annoying behaviors can pose a real problem when the dog grows up. Puppies jumping up on their owners can be cute, but a 120 lb Rottweiler is a different story. Puppies mouthing hands can be a nuisance. American bulldogs biting hands can be dangerous. This experiment investigates the use of a stimulus control technique to reduce undesirable behaviors using a multiple-baseline design across behaviors. The subjects were two large breed dogs that displayed undesirable and potentially dangerous behavior. During baseline the experimenter approached the dogs as the owners and visitors would and recorded the occurrence of target behaviors. The intervention consisted of reinforcing the target behavior in the presence of a cue, ignoring the target behavior in the absence of the cue, reinforcing incompatible behavior in the absence of the cue, ignoring incompatible behavior in the presence of the cue. Data was analyzed using Green and Swets (1966) signal-detection theory. The results show that this intervention was sufficient to eliminate the behavior. Generalization data is pending. Stimulus control of behavior seems a viable way to reduce behavior without punishment.

When captive animals are fearful of people, routine husbandry or medical procedures are stressful for the animals and training for these procedures is difficult. These activities also have a high potential for injury for animals or staff. This study extends the generality of the Constructional Aggression Treatment procedure (Snider 2007), which is based on the assumption that fearful and aggressive behaviors are maintained because they increase distance between the subject and threat. This study uses CAT in a situation where animals are loose in a large enclosure and when two animals must be worked with together. The subjects are two Patagonian cavies (Dolichotis patagonum) who are extremely wary of people. Baseline observations of behavior were taken when keepers entered the enclosure. Intervention consists of shaping and differential reinforcement to replace fearful behaviors with alternative relaxed behavior, using distance as a reinforcer. During trials, a person approaches until one cavy alerts or freezes and retreats when both animals return to normal behavior. Proximity was increased once criteria were met at the previous step. The aim of the study is to shape the cavies to approach trainers and to increase relaxed interactions between the cavies and people. (further results pending)

Developed by Jennifer Sobie and augmented by Lori Watson and Stacy Engebretson, the purpose of the applied animal behavior practicum is to allow psychology majors to have supervised, professional hands-on experience training dogs using humane and reward based behavior modification techniques. This training not only increases the animal's potential to be adopted but also provides dogs with an enriched kennel environment. The core of the practicum is hands-on work with shelter dogs to teach basic behaviors, resolve common behavioral problems or to maintain favorable established behaviors. At the conclusion training sessions, data collection on each behavior and response acquisition are reported then charted. Each animal's record of progress throughout its training may be shared with staff or potential adopters. Weekly training course meetings and weekly on-site supervisor evaluations offer an analysis of the techniques being applied during training as well as a behavioral definition of these techniques. Finally, supplemental readings on training techniques are given to students on which they are tested. The students gain access to a professional setting in which they implement their skills while the partnering facility gains free animal training along with extra stimulation, affection, and exercise for each dog. Using behavior modification techniques, students have the ability to turn stray or unwanted dogs into adoptable pets.

The Autism Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) at Children's Medical Center provides a multidisciplinary treatment and support program for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders and their families. The IOP provides families with psychiatryand psychology oversight and consultation, therapeutic family support group with a licensed professional counselor, and individualized behavioral treatment in a peer setting. This individualized 15-week program is designed for young children and incorporates empirically-proven behavioral techniques, parent training, and care coordination. The program empowers parents to effectively guide and interact with their children, specifically focusing on motivation, reinforcement, shaping, and prompting in the areas of communication, attending, play skills, and managing behavior. As behavior analysts are now entering the more traditional medical arena, collaborative efforts are necessary and the importance of understanding the strengths of other sciences as related to the target population is imperative. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the efficacy of treatment provided in the parent training components of this initiative and the treatment outcomes for the patient.

Early intervention for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is a topic that has gained attention in politics, education, science, and the media. Earlier detection and treatment has led to an increase in demands for the provision of effective early intervention services. Many treatment approaches to ASD have emerged and a number of them have been shown to be effective in research settings with some children, while other methods lack evidence of effectiveness. Behavioral, developmental, model-based approaches, and structured strategies that address specific domains (i.e., language, social, play skills, etc.) have reported varying levels of success. Clinicians and researchers have expressed concern about the divide between evidence-based methods and the techniques that providers and parents choose to utilize. This study examined the accuracy of parents' and providers' knowledge of the existing research support for popular autism interventions. The results of the investigation demonstrate that neither the parent group nor the provider group correctly rated the efficacy of any of the treatments. The provider rankings were consistently more correct than the parent ratings. A notable trend was displayed by the parents' tendency to rank less-efficacious treatments more highly than the treatments with demonstrated efficacy.

This poster summarizes the final report of the OPWDD/FAR Fund Collaboration, a person-centered planning (PCP) alliance representing state government, private foundation support, and seven voluntary service provider organizations in the New York City area. The project began in 2003 with three voluntary developmental services agencies and 30 individuals with autism who experienced PCP. After 3 years of assistance and a one-year hiatus, four more agencies and 35 more individuals with autism were added in 2007. The latter four agencies developed formal PCP goals. Two-hundred seventeen goals were established in 13 goal areas, and 143 goals, or 66%, were met. We used the Person-Centered Planning Quality of Life Indicators questionnaire to measure aspects of an individuals life that might be affected by PCP. In the five agencies that permitted comparisons to a contrast group, we found no difference in QOL for any of the five agencies. A number of organizational practices arose during the project to support PCP.

This study investigated integrating functional analysis and sensory profile results into an intervention for aberrant behavior within two different sensory profile categories (i.e. sensory seeking and sensory avoiding). Our participants were a two-year-old boy with pervasive developmental disorder and a six-year-old boy with autism. This study attempted to extend the previous literature which supports the use of stimulus substitutability to relieve problem behaviors maintained by sensory reinforcement. We hoped to expand the selection of substitutable stimuli by combining sensory integrative therapies commonly used for treatment of children with sensory processing disorders and autism with functional analysis outcomes. Using the Sensory Profile, the two participants were assessed for sensory processing deficits and a treatment was matched to the results of a functional analysis. Treatment was implemented for both sensory seeking behaviors (Phase B) and sensory avoiding behaviors (Phase C). The study utilized an ABCBCB reversal design to evaluate the effectiveness of matching intervention to the participants sensory profile and functional analysis results. The results demonstrated that treatment, which matched functional analysis to a sensory profile, successfully decreased aberrant behavior.

This poster reviews a successful data management system and accompanying behavior intervention plan that were implemented by parents. The data collection system consisted of a partial interval per activity mood rating system. The child's moods were operationally defined based upon observable behaviors that were associated with the following moods: (1) happy, (2) anxious, (3) threatening, and (4) unsafe. The parents rated each activity of the day by the highest mood. Goals for the child included increasing participation in family activities, increasing independence in homework completion and decrease of unsafe behaviors. Results indicate that parents were able to take accurate and consistent data, demonstrate mastery of targets by prescribed criteria and, in combination with training in deescalation and coaching techniques, reduce unsafe behavior. This program demonstrates a simplified manner of collecting data which was successful in achieving and demonstrating goals of the home program. Further studies include replication with additional families to demonstrate further effectiveness.

This study assessed the effectiveness of teaching abduction prevention skills to children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). A multiple baseline design methodology was used to compare the effects of behavioral skills training (BST) plus in-situ training (IST) versus IST alone when presented with a lure by an abductor. Once a child in either condition demonstrated 100% accuracy of the target behavior across three consecutive in-situ assessments, their training was terminated. Follow-up maintenance probes were conducted at six and twelve weeks following intervention. This study attempted to extend previous findings of Miltenberger et al., (2009) and Gunby et al. (2010). Results will be important for identifying effective training procedures to decrease the risk of abduction for children with autism.

Parent adherence with behavioral strategies is widely researched. Problems with adherence are often the result of a prior history of lack of success and the social stigma of managing behaviors in the community (Allan Warzak, 2000). Parent education has been shown to increase generalization and maintenance of treatment gains (Feldman, Case, Garrick, MacIntyre-Grande, Carnwell, & Sparks, 1992) so the implications of overcoming these challenges to adherence are significant. Research on the use of technology to facilitate independence in individuals with disabilities has been conducted by Satriale, Nepo, Genter, and Glickman (2010); however, little research has been conducted on the use of technology to promote parent independence with behavioral strategies and interventions. The present study presents the findings of the use of Bluetooth technology to increase parent adherence of behavioral strategies. A multiple baseline across settings design was used to evaluate whether (a) Bluetooth technology allowed instructors to fade their proximity to the parent; (b) Bluetooth technology was effective in increasing parent adherence with treatment recommendations; (c) generalization of parent teaching skills occurred from trained settings to novel settings; and (d) changes in parent's acquisition of skills were accompanied by decreases in child's maladaptive behaviors.

Using the Buddy Skills Program, this study implemented a peer-mediated social skills program in a child care center and junior kindergarten classroom. The peers were taught methods to interact with their peers with autism spectrum disorder, and adults prompted peers in using these skills in naturally occurring situations. Social interactions with peers and adults were measured for 3 children with ASD in both a classroom and child care center. Results demonstrated the greatest improvement in social skills in structured settings, with less improvement during free time. Educators also reported changes in various areas on a social skills questionnaire.

In many developing countries, individuals with autism and related disabilities are still often stigmatized (possessed, and/or black magic.) Because of limited knowledge of autism and effective treatments, unsubstantiated approaches often prevail. The importance of disseminating evidence-based treatments is intensifying as the number of autism diagnoses grows. Four organizations came together to increase sustainable evidence-based interventions in Kenya, and to develop a model useful in other countries. Global Autism Project, an International NGO with partners in Africa and Asia provided the initial consultation to Kaizora and conducted training that increased competencies. As the lead agency, it coordinates these collaborative efforts. Kaizora Consultants provides one-on-one ABA services for children with autism and other developmental disorders, and consults to families, caregivers and teachers/schools. The founder is invited to speak to schools, parent groups and disability-related organizations as an emerging leader within Kenya. UMassBoston provides BCBA-approved coursework to Kenya through a scholarship to Kaizoras Director to meet the BCBA training requirements. Collaborating with a Kenyan university will create a sustainable way for other Kenyans to achieve the BCBA certification. A BCBA is providing the required supervision leading towards certification of the first BCBA in Kenya, who will eventually provide supervision to others directly.

Children with autism are known to have difficulty in "reading other's minds." The basis of "reading other's mind" behavior contains equivalent relations among social stimuli, such as other's facial expressions, emotion-words, prosody, and contexts. We developed an integrated program for establishing equivalent relations among social stimuli and enhancing "reading other's mind," Face Expression Expert Program (FEEP) (Matsuda, Yamamoto, 2011). Based on FEEP framework, the present research examined the conceptualization of emotion-word (spoken name) and facial expression (picture), and the condition for forming equivalent relation in children with autism. In the training, we presented emotion-word (spoken name) and the corresponding facial expression (in vivo) as a paired sample stimuli. The participants were required to choose a picture of facial expression corresponding to a given sample stimuli. After the training, we evaluated both the conceptualization (arbitrary matching-to-sample) and the equivalent relations (naming facial expressions). The results showed that both the conceptualization and the equivalent relations emerged through the training.

In previous generations it was imperative that children learn to tie their shoes before kindergarten. These days there is a wide variation in shoe design (i.e., velcro shoes, zip up shoes, slip on shoes, flip flops), making mastering the skill of shoe tying at a young age less important. The authors aim to teach an 11-year-old boy diagnosed with autism to tie his shoelaces. Methodologies taken from earlier studies (Matson, Taras, Sevin, Love & Fridley, 1990) with some adaptations will be used to teach the child to tie his laces in fewer sessions than those previously required (84 sessions). Treatment procedures will include a total task presentation consisting of modeling and imitation, the use of within-stimulus prompts, and reinforcement of each successive step within the chain. Training will consist of: (a) modeling and verbally describing the target behaviour of each step in the whole chain; (b) modeling each step in the chain while the child imitates each step; (c) the child instructed to tie his shoe independently.

Rumination is the effortless regurgitation of food or drink. Christy, a 33-year-old female diagnosed with autism, 64 tall and weighing 86.8 lbs (BMI 14.2) was admitted to a crisis stabilization unit for the assessment and treatment of persistent vomiting and dehydration. Functional analysis suggested a socially mediated escape/avoidance function. Christy was taught to discriminate between 2 conditions: a yellow card was paired with Christys mands being reinforced (i.e., Christys Way), and a red card was paired with mands being denied but contingent delivery of flavor spray was provided for compliance with directives (i.e., Staffs Way). Timers and structured routine were used to help transition between conditions. Planned ignoring of rumination occurred across conditions. An interdisciplinary approach was used to develop a dining plan to further reduce the likelihood of rumination. Following treatment rates of regurgitation dropped nearly 81% from baseline. Christys weight increased to 129.8 lbs (BMI 22.1), and Christy was reintegrated back into the community.

Discrimination among visual stimuli is a common variable that interferes with the acquisition and use of visually-based communication systems (e.g., PECS). As response effort increases when arrays of visual stimuli become larger, acquisition of functional communication may be adversely affected. In the current investigation, a 10 year old boy was referred for the assessment and treatment of aggression and self-injury. The functional analysis revealed that problem behavior was maintained by restricted access to tangibles. The treatment package consisted of teaching a general access response (touching a please card) that resulted in access to a variety of reinforcers. Following the acquisition of the please response, the student was then taught to discriminate among three different types of preferred items: music, food, and toys. The intervention resulted in a 95.5% decrease in maladaptive behavior and maintained high levels of communication.

Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT; Eyberg & Robinson,1982) is an evidence-based treatment (EBT) for young children with disruptive behavior disorders (Zisser & Eyberg, 2008/2010). The effectiveness of PCIT has also been demonstrated with families of children with Autism, intellectual disabilities, and a range of clinically significant behavior problems (e.g., Bagner & Eyberg, 2007; McDiarmid & Bagner, 2005; Solomon, Ono, Timmer, & Goodlin-Jones, 2008). Following baseline toy play observations which yielded data demonstrating the absence of appropriate and positive parent initiated interactions and the presence of certain behaviors considered to be negative interactions, parent training sessions were conducted which targeted discrete behaviors modeled from those targeted in PCIT. Using a multiple baseline design across target skills, the following parent behaviors were targeted using role-play and in-vivo training: praise, behavior descriptions and reflections, imitations and reciprocal play, positive physical interaction, and planned ignoring of problem behavior. Results demonstrated the rapid acquisition of each skill and increases in skills correlated with decreases in negative interactions. This study demonstrated the utility of focused and programmatic parent training based upon discrete skills similar to those targeted during PCIT to increase appropriate and positive parent behaviors for a parent with a child with severe intellectual disabilities.

In the present study, we replicated Hanley, Iwata, Thompson, and Lindberg (2000) treatment component analysis with an adolescent diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, and extended this research by (a) conducting comparative analyses of differing ways to implement the contingent access to stereotypy, (b) by progressively increasing the quantitative and qualitative aspects of the response requirement to earn access to stereotypy in order to increase the developmental appropriateness of the resultant activity interaction (c) by arranging for objective measures of client preference for using stereotypy as reinforcement versus other relevant treatments for their automatically-reinforced stereotypy. It was demonstrated for this participant, that it is possible to use stereotypy as a reinforcer for more desirable, alternative behavior. Results of Hanley et al. (2000) were replicated by showing that the presence of activities, prompting by the therapist, restriction of the reinforcer while in session, and providing access to that reinforcer contingent on another behavior can be used as an effective treatment for automatically-maintained stereotypy. In addition, the results were extended with this participant by demonstrating that by implementing the treatment package an alternative behavior can be increased by amount and then shaped by complexity.

Although noncontingent music has been shown to reduce engagement in vocal stereotypy, researchers have generally used parental reports of preference or arbitrarily-selected music to reduce engagement in the behavior. However, whether experimentally identified preferred music would be more or less effective than nonpreferred music at reducing vocal stereotypy remains unclear. To examine the effects of musical preference on engagement in vocal stereotypy, we used a multielement design to expose four children with autism spectrum disorders to preferred and nonpreferred music as identified by a stimulus preference assessment (see Horrocks & Higbee, 2008). The results suggest that preference may alter the effects of music on vocal stereotypy. For3 participants, preferred music produced stronger abative effects on vocal stereotypy than nonpreferred music whereas the converse was observed for1 participant. The clinical implications of the results will be discussed in terms of improving the use of noncontingent music in the treatment of vocal stereotypy in applied settings.

Noncompliance defined as an incorrect response or a failure to respond to a request is one of the most common problems reported by parents of children with autism spectrum disorder. The two currently dominant approaches to increase rates of compliance are the high-probability request sequences approach and Errorless Compliance Training. Both approaches are associated with problems with treatment fidelity and poor social acceptability. Alternative effective procedures to manage noncompliance and teach compliance are required. This study examined the effects of (i) effective instruction delivery and (ii) a self management intervention (self monitoring) on compliance. The two participants were seven and five-year-old boys both diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, who exhibited low rates of compliance. A multiple baseline across settings design was used. Improvement rate difference analyses revealed medium effect sizes for effective instruction delivery with both participants and large effects for the self-management intervention, increasing compliance to a level that was not clinically significant in both training and generalization settings. Social validity was high and treatment integrity data indicated that the self-management intervention could be readily implemented by parents. Significant changes on pre- and post measures of parenting stress were observed.

The purpose of this study was indentify an activity that participant talked a lot, increase functional verbal behavior by using time-delay and model prompt procedure, and examine that frequency of verbal behavior was maintained without intervention. A participant was first grade boy with autism and moderately intellectual disabilities. He was able to talk a few words at one sentence. In the assessment sessions, we identified that he talked a lot during making his favorite dish in home setting. Therefore, following task analysis of cooking, we conducted time-delay and model prompt procedure as the intervention for each steps. As a result, percentage of interval that functional verbal behavior occurred was increased by intervention. The percentage of probe condition also showed higher level than baseline. We discussed that assessment of natural home setting was very important. Direct intervention in his home setting was effective to improve functional verbal behaviors in his everyday life situation.

Research suggests that treatment integrity errors impact student acquisition. The purpose of the present study was to replicate and extend these findings by examining the impact of errors of commission (i.e., reinforcement for incorrect responses) on student acquisition of nonsense shapes both in the short and long term. We altered errors of commission during reinforcement procedures as part of discrete-trial training for two children with autism. Participants were instructed to point to shapes, each of which was associated with a different level of integrity (0%, 50%, and 100% commission errors) during the consequence manipulation condition. The conditions were intended to simulate situations during which teachers would make various amounts of errors during instruction. Next, errors of commission were removed and the long-term impact on acquisition was examined during the high integrity condition, in which we examined the degree to which previous instructional errors impacted acquisition when integrity errors were no longer committed. During baseline, participant performance was within chance levels and was not well differentiated. During consequence manipulation, one participant showed decrements in performance under the 100% errors condition, which replicates previous findings. In addition, he continued to show delayed acquisition when the errors were removed; he required 26 sessions to reach mastery criterion within the high integrity condition. The other participant's performance did not appear to be impacted by errors in instruction and reached mastery criterion within 6 sessions. These findings suggest idiosyncratic variables may moderate the impact of treatment integrity errors on student outcomes.

Pervasive social deficits are a defining characteristic of children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2000). As such, children with an ASD are less likely to display pro-social behavior and more likely to display maladaptive behavior than typically developing children in social settings (Cohen& Sudhalter, 2005). Researchers have demonstrated that enriching a child's environment with structured group activities can increase the display of pro-social behavior (DeKlyen & Odom, 1989; Taubman, Leaf, & McEachin, 2011). However, most of the literature demonstrating these benefits has been conducted in integrated settings with typically developing peers (Dunlap & Powell, 2009). The purpose of this poster is to present a demonstration of the benefits of making structured games available to a group of children comprised exclusively of children with pervasive developmental disorders. An ABA withdrawal design was used to demonstrate the causal relation between the availability of structured games and increases in pro-social behavior and decreases in maladaptive behavior across the group. Additionally, replications across time and individuals are planned. Discussion will focus on results of the intervention as well as considerations when developing and utilizing group-based structured activities in a school setting.

Bruxism, the grinding or gnashing of teeth, is a serious challenging behavior. Persistent bruxism may lead to abnormal wear on teeth, oral–facial pain, headaches, and potentially tooth loss. Individuals with developmental disabilities experience a higher prevalence of oral health concerns than the general population, and the assessment and treatment of bruxism is a major priority. A systematic review of11 bruxism intervention studies found that an analogue functional analysis has never identified a case of bruxism maintained by a socially mediated function (Lang 2008). Although previous intervention research has involved behavioral modification, researchers used only indirect functional assessments methods and always concluded that function was self-stimulatory or automatic reinforcement. This case study is a description of a functional analysis on a 4-year-old boy with autism who engaged in bruxism. The functional analysis demonstrates that the behavior was reinforced and maintained by adult attention. A function-based intervention involving the manipulation of attention was then evaluated in a multiple baseline design across caregivers.

A 10-year-old-boy with a diagnosis of autism was taught to tell time from an analog clock, using a Fluency Based Instruction teaching arrangement. The goal was for him to develop the fluent time-telling skill for ultimate benefit in time management and organization at home and at school. The targeted frequency aim was set at 20-30 answers per minute, but empirical validation of that frequency aim was planned to be measured according to the methods of Fabrizio & Moors (2003). Instruction was designed using two learning channels: See/Say and Hear/Do. In the See/Say condition, the student was shown the clock and asked to vocally name the time. During the Hear/Do condition, the student was given a time and expected to move the hands on the Judy Clock to produce the correct hour and minute on the clock. Additional critical features of instruction included: (1) duration of timing intervals and (2) slices of instruction (e.g. quarter, half, whole hours). Instruction occurred in his home one-two nights per week. Session data were collected and charted on a Timing Chart and the daily best was charted on a Standard Celeration Daily per minute Chart. A daily improvement goal was identified each time the skill was practiced. Using 30-second timings, successive timings were completed until the daily improvement goal was met or 10 minutes had elapsed. The poster will display two Daily Charts of charted student progress toward achieving a fluent performance as well as data displaying empirical validation of the frequency aim.

Children with autism have difficulty talking about complex pictures, especially generating pragmatic statements about the interactions between people. This poster will show charted data on teaching a 4-year-old boy with an autism diagnosis to make statements about the interactions in pictures occurring between characters. Instruction was designed controlling such critical features of instruction as the number of agents in the photo, the familiarity of social situations, and the complexity of statements the student was expected to say. Fluency Based Instruction was utilized to ensure efficient instruction with respect to the students progress per unit of instructional time. Student performance data were charted on the Standard Celeration Chart and session data were charted on the Timing Chart. Daily improvement goals along with differential reinforcement of higher rates of behavior were employed as part of the independent variables. Discussion of results will include the students success in reaching predicted frequency aims as well as demonstrating agility across instructional sets. Charted data will further show empirical validation of the frequency aim as evidenced by passes on retention, endurance, stability, application checks (RESA) (Fabrizio & Moors, 2003).

The purpose of the study is to demonstrate the effects of Peer Networks Interventions for young children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Kindergarten and first graders with ASD participated (n=31 in years 1-2 and an additional 15 in the current year). School staff in over 40 elementary schools in Kansas, Missouri, and Washington State implemented the networks. Social Peer Networks occurred for 20-30 minutes, 3 times per week. Communications between children with ASD and their peers increased during Social Peer Network treatment sessions, averaging 25 initiations and responses per 10-min (n=215 probes), compared to baseline observations (mean, 13.6, n= 96 probes). Specific behaviors included: asking for and sharing items, showing interest by commenting on what a peer is doing, complimenting and using social pleasantries, and taking turns. Figures represent probes for two kindergarten participants (see Figure). Literacy Peer Networks occurred for 30 minutes 4 times per week. In kindergarten, students who were beginning readers enrolled in the Reading Peer Networks showed gains in known vocabulary words from the Reading Mastery curriculum, from fall (mean, 16.7 words) to spring assessments (mean, 116.1 words). Data for students in peer networks intervention will be compared to students not enrolled in intervention.

We are a new center in Perth, Australia with a mission to provide evidence based instruction to children with Autism. We use assessment of behavior to drive therapy and data to drive decision making. As part of our initial assessment, we administer the Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment (VB-MAPP) to determine a starting place for designing an individualized program. The method for designing instruction to meet goals from this assessment tool are typically straight forward. However, a subset of our children use assistive technology, with varying degrees of success, to communicate. This has caused us to have to think outside the box when designing effective strategies. This is particularly true for programs meant to teach Tacts, Intraverbals, and Mands. In the process of designing instruction to incorporate the use of assistive technology, we have found that teaching other verbal operants, such as Listener Responding related to feature, function, and class, through assistive technology has resulted in more fluent use of the technology. This poster will include examples of how assistive technology was used in conjunction with goals derived from the VB-MAPP at our small, but growing center in Perth, Australia.

Children with disabilities have fewer opportunities to engage in quality literacy experiences that can support the development of critical early literacy skills than their typically developing siblings and peers. When implemented in a consistent manner, dialogic reading intervention strategies improve early literacy skills in children with language delays and those from at-risk populations. There is, however, a dearth of information exploring the potential utility of dialogic reading strategies for students with more significant disabilities, including young children with autism. The present study employed a multiple baseline design across participants with a wait list control to examine the effect of dialogic reading on early literacy and language outcomes for young students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The research design allowed researchers to compare the effectiveness of dialogic reading strategies to standard reading on standardized measures of oral language development and print knowledge. Furthermore, weekly measures were conducted on participants' verbal participation during book readings, as well as performance on vocabulary tests created for targeted books.

The purpose of this study was to teach kindergarten students with autism dressing/undressing for the winter outdoor recess in their clothing. Using a forward chaining task analysis pictorial sequence in a structured learning classroom in a public school, students were taught the dressing skills. Using the prompting hierarchy, the objective was to move from the highest level of prompting to the least level of prompting. The NAC National Standards (10/09) report lists structured learning teaching and visuals supports) as emerging treatments for students with autism. For the study, baseline data was taken on four students. A sequence of dressing steps was created visually for each student. Data was recorded twice a day for dressing and undressing during natural times of the day. Natural environmental cues and classroom materials were implemented as reinforcers. The results of this study concluded students, using visuals, dressed/undressed in a decreased amount of time and their overall independence for dressing increased while the verbal prompts decreased. Data will begin again for maintenance and generalization to a different environment in this upcoming winter.

This study was replicated after a previous study by the author that demonstrated that the implementation of a reverse demand fading protocol may reduce the occurrence of maladaptive behaviors while increasing the rate of skill acquisition. This poster examines the effects of a reverse demand fading protocol on the occurrence of the target behaviors of physical aggression toward others and self-injurious behavior as well as the rate of skill acquisition for a 15-year-old boy with autism. After initial baseline recording of the occurrence target behaviors and baseline testing of the subject's skill set, goals and objectives for behavior reduction and skill acquisition were determined for one school year following the implementation of the demand fading protocol. Demand sets were determined through a hierarchical ranking of the projected yearly goals and objectives. Criteria for subsequent demand set implementation was determined to be3 consecutive days of target behavior occurrence within a range of 0% to 10% below average baseline percent per target behavior. Rate of skill acquisition was determined by the number of newly mastered targets per week across all skill acquisition programs.

A large proportion of individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) exhibit circumscribed interests (CI) (Danovitch, Paul, Volkmar, & Klin, 2009). Despite the prevalence of CI in this population, the phenomenon remains poorly understood (Atwood, 2003; Klin, Danovitch, Merz, & Volkmar, 2007). Furthermore, the majority of studies in this area have focused on the topography of CI speech, rather than the function of this behavior (e.g., Bashe & Kirby, 2001; Danovitch et al., 2009; Klin et al., 2007; South, Ozonoff, & McMahon, 2005). The present study aimed to assess the function of CI speech in 5 children with ASD. A brief functional analysis was conducted with all 5 participants. Four of the 5 participants exhibited the greatest levels of CI speech during a modified attention condition. The CI speech of the other participant appeared to serve an automatic function. Additional brief assessments were conducted to further identify the controlling variables of CI speech and develop hypotheses for possible intervention strategies. Thus, modifying functional analysis methodology appeared to be useful in assessing the functions of CI speech and in generating potential treatment recommendations for the reduction of problematic levels of CI speech. Limitations and future directions will be presented.

Functional analysis methodology has been useful for identifying the functions of a range of problem behaviors. More recently, functional analysis procedures have been applied to analyze the functions of appropriate verbal behavior (Lerman, Parten, Addison, Vorndran, Volkert, & Kodak, 2005). In the current study, the functions of the repetitive vocal responses that appeared to be mands were assessed using functional analysis methodology for 3 children with autism. Results indicated that responses were maintained by access to adult attention and not by the reinforcement specified by the mand response. A functional communication training treatment package with extinction was effective in teaching an alternative, appropriate response to access attention and reduce repetitive verbal responses.

Individuals with autism can often struggle with different components of their daily lives. A particularly difficult area can be in the area of medical procedures. Various types of avoidant or aggressive behavior can be seen throughout a variety of medical procedures, especially around injections or other procedures involving the use of needles. This study involved a 20-year-old young man diagnosed with autism who displayed severe aggressive behaviors when encountering medical procedures involving needles. Due to an extreme case of psoriasis, it was medically necessary for subject to undergo treatment via weekly injections. Additionally, the medication required blood to be drawn quarterly to monitor the levels. A plan for desensitization involved differential reinforcement of appropriate behaviors and graduated exposure to the medical procedures. The participant participated in a number of sessions designed to closely resemble the actual procedure. Reinforcement and graduated exposure to medical procedures was effective in increasing the participants tolerance to medical procedures involving needles.

Children with autism have deficits in joint attention, specifically they are more likely to engage in reaching, pointing, and eye gaze shifts to get things that they want (i.e., to mand) than engage in these same behaviors to label or comment on an item (i.e., to tact; Goodhart & Baron-Cohen, 1993; Loveland & Landry, 1986). This study uses the same technology as a functional analysis of challenging behavior to assess the purpose of joint attention behaviors (Iwata, et al., 1982/ 1994). Three young children with autism were exposed to multiple 5-minute sessions of each of three social conditions: mand condition, tact condition, and play/ control condition. In the mand and tact conditions, joint attention topographies were reinforced with access to preferred items and access to a verbal description of the item, respectively. The play condition served as a control, in which the children had free access to both types of reinforcement. The levels of joint attention behavior between conditions were compared using a multielement design in order to determine the purpose/ function of joint attention behavior. This type of assessment can be used to more precisely determine deficits in joint attention and ensure that joint attention behaviors serve a tacting or commenting function following intervention. Goodhart, F., & Baron-Cohen, S. (1993). How many ways can the point be made? Evidence from children with and without autism. First Language, 13, 225 233. Iwata, B. A., Dorsey, M., Slifer, K., Bauman, K., & Richman, G. (1994). Toward a functional analysis of self-injury. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 27, 197209. (Reprinted from Analysis and Intervention in Developmental Disabilities, 2, pp. 320, 1982) Loveland, K. A., & Landrey, S. H. (1986). Joint attention and language in autism and developmental language delay. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 16, 335 349.

Children with autism often have difficulty making appropriate social initiations, which severely limits their opportunities for social interactions. While many individuals with autism do acquire functional language, much of this language is restricted to requesting desired items and answering questions. Previous studies have shown script-fading to be an effective method of teaching social language to individuals with autism. Several studies have used typically developing peers as conversation partners for children with autism during script-fading interventions. However, a very important subset of peers has not been included in any of these studies: siblings of the children with autism. This study seeks to examine the effects of having typically developing siblings implement a script-fading procedure with their sibling with autism.

Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) exhibit significant deficits in imitation skills. About imitation skills, adults contingent imitation was effective for facilitating social behavior in children with ASD, such as eye contact, proximity and touching to adult. However, few studies examined the effect of adult contingent vocal imitation on children with ASD. In the present study, we examined whether contingent vocal imitation increased childrens vocal imitation, spontaneous vocal response, and social interaction. We used A-B-A-B reversal design across typically developing children and children with ASD. Each session consisted of baseline phase and intervention phase. In baseline, the experimenter didnt imitate but responded with contingent response for childrens vocal response. In intervention phase, the experimenter did imitate and extended the childrens vocal response. The results demonstrated that adult contingent vocal imitation increased the rate of childs vocal imitation rather than non-imitative contingent response. Furthermore, adult contingent extended vocal imitation changed the childs prosody. These findings suggest that contingent vocal imitation become important intervention method for language acquisition in children with ASD.

One important component of early language training is the development of a mand repertoire. A variety of intervention strategies have been used with children diagnosed with developmental delays to increase mands. The current investigation evaluated the effects of extinction and prompts on training and generalization of peer-directed mands for preferred items with two non-vocal children diagnosed with autism. Teaching peer-directed mands may provide opportunities for children with developmental delays to engage in positive interactions with peers and could assist in establishing friendships. Participants engaged in peer-directed mands using a picture exchange communication system (PECS). Participants completed PECS training prior to beginning the evaluation. Results showed that peer-directed mands increased during treatment for both participants. In addition, peer-directed mands generalized to a novel peer and maintained in a more naturalistic setting that simulated a free-play activity in a classroom. Interobserver agreement was calculated on a trial-by-trial basis and exceeded 80% for all dependent measures.

As the prevalence rates and interest in autism increase, there has been a corresponding increase in treatment options presented to parents of children with autism. Unfortunately, many treatments options have gained popularity in practice before gaining empirical evidence of effectiveness. This purpose of this study is to systematically review the use of chelation as a treatment for autism spectrum disorders. Each study was analyzed and summarized in terms of participant characteristics, specifics of the chelation intervention, and results in terms of effects on the three core symptoms associated with autism spectrum disorders. Results suggest a lack of evidence to support the use of chelation to treat symptoms associated with autism.

Point-of-view video modeling has been used to teach social and functional skills to individuals on the autism spectrum. The purpose of the current study is to explore the use of point-of-view video to teach street crossing skills to2 teenaged young men diagnosed with ASD. Using a controlled crosswalk area, the 2 young men were evaluated for current street crossing skills. They were then shown point-of-view videos of crossing the street at that crosswalk. Two separate videos of each of the critical street crossing actions at the crosswalk were made. In the first video there is no vehicle moving toward the crosswalk. In the second a vehicle is shown driving toward the cross walk and stopping at the edge of the crosswalk. These videos were shot from the point of view of the person crossing the street and included approaching the street and stopping at the curb, panning left then right to mimic a person "looking" left and then right. A third video showed an approach to a playground on the other side of the street mimicking how it would look from the point of view of the person crossing the street. When there was no vehicle the student could cross at their leisure. When the vehicle is in sight the video showed the vehicle coming to a complete stop and then the view would show the approach to the playground. Results using the first and second video have shown no change in student behavior. The next phase of the study will include a change to the videos; the videos will include a model. The model will demonstrate safe pedestrian skills. The model will be used to determine whether this addition improves acquisition of the pedestrian skills. If the student's performance improves, the inclusion of a model demonstrating the correct skills may be a factor that determines the success of using a video as a teaching tool.

Shaping procedures have been used in the treatment of avoidance behaviors for children with autism (Riccardi et al., 2006). The effectiveness of choice as an intervention has also recently received attention in the behavioral literature (Ulke-Kurkcuolgu & Kircaali-Iftar, 2010). However, the combined effect of shaping and choice to treat avoidance behaviors in children with autism has not yet been studied. A changing-criterion design was used to assess the added benefit of choice into a shaping procedure for a 6-year-old boy with autism who displayed extreme avoidance of toe nail trimming. The shaping procedure included positive reinforcement for calm behavior while successively trimming more toe nails. The choice procedure allowed the boy to choose which toe-nails would be trimmed. By the end of the intervention, the boy was able to stay calm while all10 of his toe nails were trimmed by either his mother or the school nurse. Although the results only show the effectiveness of this intervention for one individual, the data are encouraging and highlight the need for future research in this area. Discussion will focus on the development of effective procedures for the treatment of avoidance behaviors for children with autism.

Applied Behavior analytic treatment (usually people think DTT) has been named the gold standard for treating those with autism. Although a DTT approach has been extremely successful at training a wide variety of skills to learners with ASD, there are some potential problems with the approach prompt dependency and lack of generalization. Another behavior analytic approach to teaching is based on a free operant model, fluency training (Lindsley,1992; Binder,1996). Most of the research on fluency based instruction has included several other variables and has been conducted under the moniker precision teaching (Holding, Brae, and Kehle,2010) . The current study aimed to compare modern DTT practices against FT in regards to teaching learners with ASD to receptively identify colors and shapes. The results of the study will be discussed in relation to practice for behavior analysts and a brief discussion will be presented on free operant versus discrete trial formats.

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have been marketed as nicotine delivery devices that reduce the toxic effects of cigarette smoking; however, there is a paucity of research literature about these devices. The present study used the Multiple Choice Procedure (MCP) to evaluate the reinforcing value of e-cigarettes among nicotine-dependent smokers when compared to money or use of their usual cigarette. Participants completed two smoking sessions (cigarette and e-cigarette) and three MCP sessions where they chose between cigarette, e-cigarette, and money. Subjective ratings of smoking effects were also obtained using the original and adapted versions of the Direct Effects of Smoking Scale. 23 e-cigarette nave adults who were not attempting to quit smoking were evaluated. Results indicated significantly higher levels of self-reported direct effects of smoking the cigarette than the e-cigarette when in acute nicotine withdrawal. 74% of participants reported they preferred their regular cigarette brand to the e-cigarette. Preliminary results indicated that the crossover value on the MCP was higher for cigarette (M = $3.45) than e-cigarette (M = $2.74), suggesting participants found cigarettes to have a higher reinforcing value. Results of this pilot study will be used to inform future behavioral (e.g. contingency management analog studies) and pharmacological studies with e-cigarettes.

Few studies have functionally evaluated extinction of the discriminative stimulus functions of interoceptive stimulus control with drug states. The current study assessed extinction of a nicotine (0.3 mg/kg) vs. saline discrimination. 32 rats were trained to respond differentially between nicotine and saline. For 16 rats nicotine functioned as SD for reinforcement (3 pellets) of nose pokes (VI-30 sec) on some sessions, whereas saline functioned as S-delta for non-reinforcement on alternating sessions. The stimulus roles were counterbalanced for the remaining 16 rats. 16 rats then received a diminishing reinforcer magnitude over 16 sessions (2 pellets then 1 pellet) in the SD condition. The reinforcer magnitude was held constant for the other 16 rats. All 32 rats underwent explicit extinction training in both interoceptive conditions and were then tested immediately or following a 5-day delay. There were no differences between groups and no differences as a function of the delay for spontaneous recovery. Two weeks later there was no further evidence of spontaneous recovery. 3-pellets at the start of the final 4 sessions reinstated discriminated responding. Most interestingly, the S-delta state inhibited reinstated responding. The data show temporal stability in extinction of the discriminative stimulus effects of nicotine.

Four OVX rats were provided one hour access to an alcohol solution either during an FI 30 food schedule (polydipsia) or while in their homecage. On selected days rats were injected with peanut oil (vehicle) or estradiol (.02-15 ug/kg) in peanut oil. Polydipsic alcohol consumption was nearly twice the amount as homecage consumption. Administration of estradiol did not increase either polydipsic or homecage consumption of alcohol, instead slight decreases in alcohol consumption resulted.

Non-pharmacological variables play an important role on tolerance. Associative tolerance theories explain its development, when the administration of a drug is associated with a specific context. The objective of the present experiment was to evaluate the associative tolerance to the sedation effect of ethanol (E) in Male Wistar rats (200 g). Ss were assigned to three independent groups: saline group (S), pretreated with ip injections for 14 days (1.5 ml/kg). Two groups received 14 trials of the association of E, in same context of laboratory (L); all groups were injected on day 15 with ethanol (L), to a contextual sign (noise of 70 db). Latency of sedative response was recorded. Testing abstinence syndrome was made three days after tolerance test (day 18), following same procedure, except E administration. Results demonstrated that associative tolerance to sedation response to E depends on the context where it is tested. Influence of contextual clues and chronic treatment in loss of tolerance, is a major conclusion. Also, strong implications emerged, such as the importance of context signs in availability of the drug, in maintaining its use, and in shooting relapses during abstinence period; this might difficult treatment for controlling the use of any kind of drug.

Several procedures have been developed to establish ethanol drinking in rodents. Two commonly used are the "sucrose-fading" procedure (Samson, 1986) and the intermittent-access procedure (Simms et al., 2009). Though both procedures have advocates, there is little work directly comparing their effects. The purpose of the present experiment was to compare the procedures in a within-subject design. Six rats were trained to drink a 16% (w/v) ethanol solution via intermittent access; ethanol was available in the home cage 24 hrs per day for 3days each week. Once rats began drinking reliably, rats were moved to lickometers to measure drinking and the daily access reduced to 8% ethanol for 30 min per day. After 30 days, rats were exposed to a sucrose fading procedure, where 10% (w/v) sucrose was added to ethanol and faded out completely over ten sessions. Following intermittent access, rats drank pharmacologically active doses of ethanol (0.5 g/kg per 30 min). Addition of sucrose substantially increased intake. Interestingly, as sucrose was faded from the solution, intake levels dropped below those established via intermittent access and did not recover after 30 days. The results suggest that training with sucrose may be detrimental to alcohol initiation in rodents.

Impulsive choice is often examined using a delay-discounting procedure where choice is between2 reinforcers of different magnitudes presented at varying delays. Individual discounting rates can be influenced by many factors, including the addition of a response requirement to both alternatives. The current experiment used a modified Evenden and Ryan (1996) procedure, and choice was examined under conditions where the response requirement for both outcomes was a small fixed interval (FI 0 s), an intermediate FI (FI x/2 s), and a large FI (FI x s). Steeper discounting functions were obtained when the small FI was in effect, shallower functions were obtained when the large FI was in effect, and intermediate functions were obtained when the intermediate FI was in effect. This suggests that manipulating response requirement within this procedure can generate different rates of discounting within subjects. Different baseline rates of discounting have been shown to determine effects of stimulant drugs on impulsive choice using between-subjects designs. Generating different rates of discounting within subjects allows examination of drug effects on different baseline rates of discounting using a within-subject design. Therefore, acute effects of d-amphetamine on choice were examined upon replication of the small and large FI requirements.

The unilateral rat model of Parkinson's disease (PD) consists of chemically lesioning the substantia nigra (SN) of the right or left hemisphere. In the present study, hemi-parkinsonian rats (n = 8) were produced using 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA). After recovery, rats were tested for rotational bias following d-Amphetamine injections (1.78 mg/kg). After bias testing, rats underwent 17 1-hour sessions of behavioral acqusition and maintenance, using reinforcement, of full rotations (360 degree turns) to the side of the observed bias. Reinforcement via successive approximations was delivered until the rotational behavior was acquired. Once the behavior was acquired it was maintained under a continuous reinforcement (CRF) schedule. Rats were deprived of water between 24 and 35 hours prior to each training session. Following the 17 sessions, the number of rotations was observed under 3 conditions: CRF without d-amphetamine, CRF and lowdose d-Amphetamine (0.56 mg/kg), and d-Amphetamine (1.78 mg/kg) alone. It was found that the CRF and low dose d-Amphetamine produced considerably more correct responses than either the CRF or the d-Amphetamine (1.78 mg/kg) test, F(2,12) = 8.4,P < 0.05. The results of the study suggest that reinforcement can be considered as part of the treatment for disorders such as PD and may contribute to a reduction in drug treatment.

Research suggests that heroin users and individuals with a prior history of heroine dependence tend to be more aggressive than nonusers. This has been shown in crime statistics, and in studies using aggression questionnaires, psychometric measures of aggression, and laboratory behavioral tasks, including the Point Subtraction Aggression Paradigm (PSAP). On the PSAP, participants are paired with a hypothetical partner and can respond to subtract money from their partner's earnings. In such studies, heroin addicts make more aggressive responses against a hypothetical partner than controls (i.e., more frequently subtract money from their partner's earnings). The present study was intended to investigate whether mild opioid withdrawal affects aggression by examining performance in12 clients (N = 12) currently undergoing methadone therapy. Participants responded on the PSAP task to earn money toward gift certificates. Behavior on the PSAP was measured once prior to and once following the participant's daily methadone dose, and rates of aggressive responding were compared across the2 time periods. Results show that participants did not respond more aggressively on the PSAP task pre-dose as expected; however, they did score higher on the aggression scale of the Profile of Mood States Questionnaire. There was also a positive relationship between number of sessions and money earning responses.

Studies in social transmission of food preference have shown reliable serial position functions in Long Evans rats. Functions may show primacy or recency depending of different parameter values. In these studies, a demonstrator rat that has consumed flavored food will increase preference for that flavor in nave observer rats. Studies in behavioral pharmacology have shown that cholinergic antagonists may produce deficits in acquisition and recall in different tasks. In this experiment Control and Saline Groups were compared with 3 different groups in which 4, 8, and 16 mg/kg ip of scopolamine were administered after demonstration. Testing was made after 24 hr. Groups were formed by 12 observers that interacted with a list of three demonstrators that have eaten different flavored foods, with position counterbalanced. Results showed that with the 4 mg dose primacy and recency were observed, with the 8 mg/kg dose recency was observed and with the 16 mg/kg dose neither effect was observed, a flat curve was produced. Repeated measures ANOVA showed a reliable serial position effect, quadratic contrast for serial position and linear interaction for serial position and group. The drug effect changed the functions of the drug groups from a primacy-recency to an absence of effect.

Three rats were administered a convulsant dose of pilocarpine (i.p.) on postnatal day 20, provoking a 6 hour seizure; 4 control animals were administered saline. When the animals were adults, they were trained on auditory location and quality discriminations. Two speakers were located on a wall opposite a wall with a liquid dipper feeder. A lever was located adjacent to each speaker. The location discrimination used a go-right/go-left procedure and broad band noise bursts signaled the location of the correct response site. The location of the stimuli alternated randomly on either side across trials. The seizure animals displayed marked impairments in auditory localization (Neill et al. 2005). Further training was carried out using a simultaneous auditory quality discrimination procedure (Harrison, 1990): two stimuli were presented on each trial, a broad band noise burst through one speaker and a 2-kHz complex signal through the other. The seizure animals were able to acquire the quality discrimination to a criterion of 90% or better. When the location discrimination was reintroduced, seizure animals performed as well as controls. The naturalistic simultaneous quality discrimination procedure permitted neurologically-impaired subjects to acquire quality discriminations, and had the unexpected advantage of improving auditory location discrimination in such subjects.

It is thought that serotonin (5-HT) plays a role in impulsive choice although studies examining the effects have yielded mixed results. This study examined the effects of 5-HT1A receptor agonist 8-OH-DPAT on delay discounting in pigeons. Four pigeons were tested on a discrete-trials delayed reinforcement task in which they choose 1.5-s access to food or 4-s access to food that was either available immediately or after a delay. The delay was progressively increased within sessions from 0 s to 48 s. Once response choice stabilized for individual subjects, pigeons were tested in different sessions with saline and with 0.1, 0.32, 1.0, and 3.2 mg/kg of 8-OH-DPAT. In sessions preceded by saline, pigeons responded for the larger reinforcer when there was no delay and responded progressively less as delay increased. The effects of 8-OH-DPAT on delay discounting were variable among although consistent within subjects, decreasing discounting in some pigeons and increasing discounting in others. Latency was increased by injection of 8-OH-DPAT in all pigeons. The 5-HT1A receptor antagonist WAY100635 antagonized the effects of 8-OH-DPAT on delay discounting and on latency. These results parallel data which fail to provide clear evidence for a prominent role of 5-HT1A receptors in impulsive choice

Studies in social transmission of food preference have shown reliable serial position functions in Long Evans rats. Functions may show primacy or recency depending of different parameter values. In these studies, a demonstrator rat that has consumed flavored food will increase preference for that flavor in nave observer rats. Studies in behavioral pharmacology have shown that cholinergic antagonists may produce deficits in acquisition and recall in different tasks. In this experiment Control and Saline Groups were compared with 2 different groups in which 3.75 and 7.5 mg/kg of Atropine were administered ip. Testing was made after 24 hr. Groups were formed by 12 observers that interacted with a list of three demonstrators that have eaten different flavored foods, with position counterbalanced. Results showed that both curves were different from the Control Group. The first and third positions were not recalled as the second one. The 7.5 mg/kg curve was more pronounced than the 3.75 mg/kg curve. Repeated measures ANOVA showed a reliable interaction between serial position and group. Planned contrasts showed a reliable linear contrast and a reliable quadratic interaction between serial position and group. The effect of Atropine eliminated the serial effects seen in the Control Group.

The Therapeutic Workplace is an employment-based drug abuse treatment that provides paid employment contingent upon verification of drug abstinence with urinalysis screens. While shown to be effective and reducing drug use, the treatment requires that participants willingly remain employed in a workplace requiring regular urine drug screens. In the present experiment, unemployed heroin-dependent adults were asked to make choices between employment opportunities of varying wage rates that either did or did not require mandatory urine testing as a condition of employment. Indifference points between the two employment options were calculated to quantify the relative change in value that added urinalysis contingencies imposed. Results indicate that the median wage required for a participant to take a job requiring urinalysis screens was only 4% higher than the job not requiring urinalysis screens, indicating near indifference between the two options. Furthermore, choices indicate that nearly one third of participants actually prefer a job requiring urinalysis screens, and these employment choices were related to self-reported recent heroin use. In conclusion, employment-based drug treatment that requires urinalysis screens is a viable treatment option among unemployed heroin-dependent adults.

The olfactory span task involves an incrementing non matching-to-sample (INMTS) in which an increasing number of sample stimuli control behavior. The present study explored the utility of the INMTS procedure as a baseline for behavioral pharmacology in rats. Rats were placed in a circular arena with 18 stimulus locations. In the initial trial of each session, one stimulus cup marked with a distinct olfactory stimulus was present and responding to it was reinforced. Each subsequent trial added a new olfactory stimulus and responding to the new stimulus was always reinforced (non matching). Each session included 24 trials of the INMTS task as well as a performance control task involving a simple olfactory discrimination to control for any non mnemonic drug effects. Once responding met stability criteria, subjects were given twice weekly i.p. injections of methamphetamine or methylphenidate prior to the testing session. Both drugs produced significant impairments on span, longest run, and accuracy at the highest doses.

Previous research has demonstrated intensive behavioral intervention is effective for treating the symptoms associated with autism. Many behavioral interventions must be implemented with sufficient intensity and integrity to be effective, which can be quite costly. Thus, behavioral intervention may prove to be too costly for some families. Luckily, some of the costs associated with intensive behavioral intervention may be minimized if parents are trained to serve as behavioral therapists (Anan et al., 2008). Thus, the purpose of the current investigation was to examine the effects of a 12-week (2 hours per week) parent training program on the maladaptive behavior of each participants child. Participants included 30 families consisting of at least one caregiver and a child with an autism spectrum disorder. The Maladaptive Behavior Indexes Profile portion of the Scales of Independent Behavior-Revised (SIB-R) Short Form was used to measure the effects parent training had on parent reported maladaptive behavior. Results will be examined using inferential statistics to determine if statistically significant differences exist between pre and post scores on the SIB-R. In addition, visual inspection will be used to determine if individual ratings on the SIB-R differ for the primary behavior of concern across the 12 sessions.

A recent analysis of U.S. vocational rehabilitation (VR) services between 1995 and 2005 showed declines for individuals with disabilities in rates of competitive employment and earnings, and increases in response time between application for services and employment, all of which suggest that caseloads and needs are increasing. To compound the problem, the number of adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) entering the U.S. VR system increased 121% and is expected to continue to increase for individuals with ASD. The current study used a multiple baseline design to assess effects of proprietary software for using tablet-based video modeling as a training and support device in the workplace with young adults with autism. Five employment-age adults diagnosed with ASD used the training and support device while performing a warehouse shipping job which required chaining of, on average, 73 discreet steps. Results indicated that the intervention provided marked improvement in on-the-job performance, but for some, the device was not able to produce consistent criterion level performances. When coupled with our prior studies, these results indicate that, in general, technology-based training and prompting systems were more effective than VM and BST with complex tasks, and all strategies were more effective than traditional job training practices.

Quality is an extremely important concept in all areas of human endeavor. Harvey and Green (1993), Morales and Hernandez (2004) and Varela, Rial and Garcia (2003), analyze different conceptions of quality: (a) as a unique phenomenon, (b) as perfection or consistency, (c) as a purpose, (d) as a relationship between cost-value, and (e) as a transformation. This work analyzes and identifies the factors that influence the quality of special education services offered to the community in the National University of Mexico. Questionnaires were designed and implemented to assess the quality of service perceived by parents, psychology students, and psychology teachers in this area. Forty-five mothers, 108 students and 10 teachers were interviewed. The questionnaires were made-up of 5 sections: general data, characteristics, operation of the service, parent involvement, and suggestions. Data were analyzed using SPSS (15.0). Three factors were identified as influencing the perceived quality: individual, family, and institutional. It highlights the importance of identifying needs within an institution dedicated to provide a service, besides setting goals, defining tasks and defines responsibilities for achieving the objectives related with community.

The project was initially undertaken as a result of noted inconsistencies across mediators implementing the behavioural programs for 4 identified individuals residing in a group home setting. Despite ongoing staff training, a systematic, structured plan was needed to increase staff consistency and accuracy. A 3-step plan was designed to rectify the problem. Step 1 consisted of a "Preparedness Check," which surveyed staff to discover if they were adequately equipped to perform their duties. Step 2 involved a knowledge test designed to track the level of understanding of the written behavioural programs. Test results were reviewed with the staff and feedback was provided. Step 3, involved conducting focused observations along with feedback with each mediator/staff. Given that inconsistency of program implementation is not limited to group home settings the next phase of the project was to apply the same methodology with a family that was experiencing the same concerns within their family home. The results in both the residential group home and in the family home setting have been extremely positive. Mediators have found the overall strategy to be rewarding and the success of the specific behavioural programs has been enhanced by increasing both consistency and accuracy.

This study was conducted in a campus where six careers are given: Medicine, Psychology, Optometry, Biology, Dentist Surgeon, and Nursing. No specific data related to Psychology services required by students are known. However, there has been an increment in the rate of consultations at the Psychology services in the campus Clinic, due depression or suicidal ideation symptoms. Depression in college students might become a relevant problem, due the hopelessness of an adequate academic performance, coupled to the psychological and emotional malaise. According to Beck, Rush and Shaw (1979), the etiology implied into a suicide attempt is a continuum, in which special attentiveness must be focused on desire and plans to commit it. Thus, the major goal for this study was to know the current prevalence of depression and suicidal ideation in 251 students, as well as the correlation among variables (average score and gender, among others). BDI and IOS were administered. Results showed that severe level in depression and high level in suicidal ideation are present the most, in Medicine and Biology, respectively. Not the academic achievement or other variables correlate with depression or suicidal ideation. These suggest that other variables could be affecting the emotional state in students.

Over four academic semesters first and second year graduate students in Clinical-Counseling Psychology at Illinois State University provided an outpatient skills training group with the four traditional DBT modules and a valued living module. All client participants were required to be in counseling with a therapist in the community during their participation with the skills group, and a two-way release of information were required so communication could be made freely between the community therapist and group facilitators. The poster reviews this experience, the benefits for clients and clinicians in training, and the problems and lessons encountered. In addition to anticipated issues (client crises, issues of staffing and scheduling, recruitment, balance between didactic and clinical focus); additional challenges included balancing supply and demand issues in a university clinic, relationships among clinicians, the need to learn from our mistakes and missteps, and the daunting tasks of evaluating what good (if any) we were doing in the real world. The graduate students involved to date have consistently reported this to be a valuable training experience; feedback from former clients and their community therapists have been more mixed. Efforts are underway to more effectively evaluate the service provided to the community by this activity. As a training vehicle offering the skills group seems to have been a very trainee-friendly method of contributing to the transition from professional in training to professional in practice, and to have provided a good setting in which to practice treatment skills in a structured and supportive environment.

This study sought to decrease the rates of incorrect bicycle parking in a university student-housing complex. Bicycle parking was a concern of resident assistants because it represented a fire hazard, however they had been unsuccessful in changing the necessary behaviors. This study employed a basic written rule-specifying statement, and a visual prompt for the appropriate parking area. The intervention resulted in an immediate and sustained drop to zero level across settings, and informal observations 2 months later indicated effects sustained.

Behave Away: A Maintenance Plan is a 6-8 week training package provided to parents, staff or managers to decrease the likelihood of re-referral to behavioral support services and increase the likelihood of skill maintenance and contextual fit post-involvement. This manualized group training offers resources to problem-solve future behavioral challenges with the use of prevention and problem-solving checklists, behavioural assessment procedures, data collection methods to determine function of problem behaviour, function-based strategies, and to teach cognitive-behavioral and acceptance-based coping and self-management techniques for everyday stressors. The effectiveness of this resource training manual was evaluated by comparing pre- and post-test results along with post-training questionnaires designed to evaluate the impact of this training curriculum in the following areas: confidence in assessing and determining appropriate support strategies, level of preparedness in implementing behavioral strategies, frequency of use of data collection methods to determine function of behavior, and degree to which coping strategies are utilized. Those who participated in the training were contacted at 1, 3, and 6 month intervals post-training to further assess the maintenance of their skill acquisition and preparedness to provide care for the individuals they support.

Brief experimental analyses are a useful tool for quickly evaluating intervention strategies for individuals with academic deficits (Daly, Witt, Martens, & Dool, 1997). However, there is a lack of research investigating this method with individuals with developmental disabilities who emit severe problem behavior to avoid such tasks. For the current study, 1 participant with an intellectual disability and autism was admitted to an inpatient unit for the assessment and treatment of severe aggressive and disruptive behavior. A functional analysis revealed the participants problem behavior was maintained by negative reinforcement; a demand latency assessment showed subtraction problems were highly aversive. A brief experimental analysis was conducted to assess the effects of 5 academic treatments on the individuals problem behavior and compliance when prompted to complete subtraction problems. The participant only refrained from emitting high rates of problem behavior when he had access to a number line. Treatment consisted of stimulus fading and differential reinforcement procedures to increase compliance and accuracy, while maintaining low rates of problem behavior. Results indicate that after becoming more accurate with subtraction, independent, correct responses increased and problem behavior decreased.

Rapid eating is a frequent problem among individuals with developmental disabilities that can pose a threat to health. This study sought to reduce the rate of eating behaviors in2 adults diagnosed with moderate intellectual disability. Assessment of eating rate took place in the participants' group homes during lunch or dinner meals. Procedures included the use of vibrating pagers with verbal prompts, vibrating pagers alone, and verbal prompts alone to prompt eating (a bite every 15 sec) and prevent rapid eating behaviors. The procedures were evaluated in a reversal design embedded in a multiple baseline across participants design. Results demonstrated a clear reduction in rate of eating with the use of all3 procedures. The greatest reduction in eating rate occurred with the combination of the pager and verbal prompts

The acquisition of independent living and leisure skills enables adults to experience an enhanced quality of life by increasing competence, self-reliance, and the development of autonomy. This study examined the effectiveness of simultaneous prompting to teach behavior chains (i.e., independent living and leisure skills) to adults with severe intellectual disabilities (SID) individually in their home environments. Participants included 2 adults with SID receiving services from a not-for-profit agency that provides community-based services and supports to persons with disabilities. The results of this study are the first to indicate the effectiveness of simultaneous prompting to teach independent living and leisure skills to adults with SID using a one-on-one format in their home environment. Both participants learned3 different skills within 12 to 28 sessions and maintained each skill 1, 2, and 4 weeks after mastery.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of escape extinction (EE) with noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) used to treat food refusal in a 2 year-old boy with pervasive developmental disorder. A functional analysis was conducted prior to intervention, which determined a tangible function for aberrant behavior and led to the intervention chosen - EE NCR. The use of escape extinction in combination with noncontingent reinforcement decreased the percentage of negative behavior during feeding sessions as well as increasing the acceptance of nonpreferred foods.

Allocated time, instructional time, engaged time, and opportunities to respond are important to examine and refer to time within an individual instructional session. Equally important may be the density of instructionthat refers how close together sessions occur or how many times a week an instructional session is conducted. The purpose of this research was to examine the impact of density of instruction on the rate of learning. Participants were individuals with moderate intellectual disabilities (MOID) with 11 of them receiving sight-word instruction and 17 of them receiving phonics instruction as part of an Institute of Education Sciences (IES) grant to create an integrated literacy curriculum. Across 1 school year students received sight-word instruction during an average of 3.6 sessions per week (range 2.5–4.5) while other students received phonics instruction during an average of 4.1 sessions per week (range 2.8–4.9). For both groups of students, as the number of instructional sessions per week increased, the number of sessions to mastery decreased. Although there has been much research and discussion about length of school day and how that time is spent, we could not find any prior research that reported on the impact of density of instruction.

Children with Phelan-McDermid Syndrome have difficulty acquiring and maintaining self-help skills, including the ability to eat without assistance. This poster will show the techniques used to teach an 8 year-old boy with Phelan-McDermid Syndrome to use a fork independently. A task analysis was first created to identify the critical steps in the fork spearing and eating sequence. Intervention was then systematically developed and delivered, specifically controlling for components to instruction that were challenging to the individual student: the type of food container, type of food, number of bites, frequency and type of prompting used, and teacher proximity. Programming also utilized meta-level measurement systems in the early stages of instruction to (1) ensure that the student demonstrated progress across longer periods of time, and (2) to determine the efficacy of error correction and prompting procedures utilized during instruction. The data is displayed on a Standard Celeration Chart, which enabled the teacher to carefully monitor progress and make changes as appropriate. Data show an increased number of steps in the task analysis performed independently, an increase in the number of total successful bites taken, and maintenance of the skill across time.

The purpose of the current investigation was to use differential reinforcement procedures to increase tolerance for change and decrease disruptions and other aberrant behaviors associated with those changes. Paul, a 22-year-old male diagnosed with autism participated in the study. Paul exhibited qualitative impairments in verbal and nonverbal communication and had difficulties tolerating when things around the house or in his room were touched or moved by others. He spent a significant amount of his day making sure his belongings were perfectly organized and would become extremely agitated and upset when his things were tampered with. In order to increase tolerance, differential reinforcement procedures (i.e., DRA and DRO) were used to gradually increase compliance with therapists requests to temporarily touch and eventually move his belongings. High quality social praise was delivered for periods of tolerance (i.e., absence of problem behavior). Results indicated that across sessions over the course of several months, Paul began to slowly tolerate change around the house and his problem behaviors decreased. Subsequently, generalization of tolerance for change in community settings was evaluated.

There have been few studies exploring the ability of people with disabilities to run their own business, and none that report direct behavioral measures of outcomes. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the ability of 8 young adults with autism and other disabilities to learn skills related to running a recycling business. Skills were taught in three job areas (worker, supervisor, and office jobs), and a multiple-baseline-across-jobs design was used to evaluate the effects of teaching. After teaching, we used a multi-element design to evaluate the degree to which job skills generalized to the natural environment (working shifts maintaining a building-wide recycling program) under different conditions (working a shift alone versus working in pairs). All 8 participants showed improvements in the performance of all three sets of job skills following teaching. All 8 showed high levels of generalization of all three jobs to shifts worked in the natural environment when working in pairs, and 7 of 8 participants also showed high levels of generalization of all three skills when working alone on shifts. Results suggest that adults with disabilities can learn skills related to running their own business.

Japanese has three characters that are Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji. Japanese students with developmental disabilities often show difficulties in reading and writing kanji characters. Many researchers argued that the matching-to-sample (MTS) procedure and constructed-response matching-to-sample (CRMTS) procedure was effective to construct the equivalence relations among the printed words, vocal responses, and pictures. After these trainings, many participants showed the transfer to other topographic responses such as reading and writing. In this study, a student with pervasive developmental disorder participated, who had difficulties for the reading and writing. We developed the computer-based MTS and CRMTS training programs. The student was required to select or construct the correct Kanji characters. As results, the student could read Kanji characters after MTS training, but could not write Kanji characters. After CRMTS training, the student could read and write Kanji characters. There results were discussed in terms of the equivalence relations.

A comprehensive shaping and fading program across behaviors and response classes was implemented with a 30-year old male without functional communication. He had a history of self-injurious behavior (SIB), aggression toward others (ATO), and self-gagging leading to hospitalization and institutionalization. A functional behavior assessment indicated his behaviors served multiple functions including access to attention/ tangibles, escape/ avoid demands and indicate pain (automatic reinforcement). The shaping program addressed communication and inclusion within group activities. Client had limited mobility (in a wheelchair and functional use of only one arm) and limited vision field, therefore, forced choice stimuli preference assessments were conducted to identify items to use in communication training. The shaping program for communication started with touching the palm of staffs hand to indicate wants and needs. This was shaped into functional use of a communication device along with pushing his wheel on his chair to indicate to leave an area or task, and turn his head to the side to refuse items. Inclusion within group activities included slowly introducing stimuli from the natural setting into training settings and decreasing distance between the client and the group activity. The shaping and fading program resulted in increased communication responses, decreased aberrant behaviors, and inclusion within group activities.

This study investigated the effects of non-punitive-based interventions on the treatment of pica behavior of one 52-year-old male with profound mental retardation. We conducted a brief functional analysis, examining latency of first response and overall frequency of responses per session, and generalized the intervention to an adult day treatment setting at an Intermediate Care Facility (ICF) for adults with MR/DD. A within-subject reversal design was used to evaluate the effects of a function-based non-punitive intervention. The results of this investigation suggest that (a) brief functional analysis, examining latency of first response is an effective way to empirically validate the functionality of potentially dangerous behavior at an ICF and (b) non-punitive interventions that are function based can be effective strategies in reducing occurrences of pica. Limitations and recommendations for future research are discussed.

The CABAS Auditory Matching Protocol (Chavez-Brown, 2005) has a history of successful use in a number of cases. Benefits of completing the procedure have included improved articulation, acquisition of the listener half of Naming, and increased rates of learning for students. Infant developmental research suggests that a child may need to acquire the ability to match auditory sounds in her environment in order to move toward the integration of information from several sensory systems, a necessary step in the development of the independence of the individual. This poster reports on a systematic replication in an applied setting of use of this instructional strategy. Seven participants, all diagnosed with autism, and ranging in age from 5-7 years, were identified as having either a deficit in articulation or were missing the listener half of Naming. They were taught using the Auditory Matching procedure during the course of their instructional day at a treatment centre where they were undergoing intensive behavioural intervention (IBI). Pre and post probes were conducted with each participant and results as well as performance during the procedure are reported.

We tested the effects of the face conditioning protocol on inducing listener behavior for 2-nursery school students with developmental delays using a multiple probe design across participants. The conditioning procedure used a conjugate stimulus-stimulus pairing procedure to condition adult faces as reinforcers. Two students diagnosed with developmental delays were selected to participate in this study because they did not attend to the experimenters faces. The participants were selected from a CABAS classroom in a publically-funded, privately-run preschool. The dependent variables were: a) the numbers of opportunities, out of 20, that the participants attended to the experimenters faces; b) the cumulative amount of time per session (20 trials) the participants attended to the experimenters faces; c) 1-step vocal directions; and d) 1- and 2- step gross motor imitation. The independent variable was the presence of conditioned reinforcement and the procedure used was a conjugate stimulus-stimulus pairing procedure implemented to induce these foundational cusps. The results showed a significant increase in correct responses on listener behavior for both participants.

The goal of this study was to decrease the disruptive vocalizations that were exhibited by an older adult with dementia who lived in a long-term care facility. Auditory stimuli in the form of hymns and nature music were played during10 minute sessions randomly over approximately a month's time. During the initial baseline, disruptive vocalizations occurred at 2.35 responses per minute. In the initial treatment phase, the target behavior occurred at 0.72 responses per minute. In the second baseline phase, the target behavior occurred at 3.03 responses per minute, and during the final treatment phase, disruptive vocalizations occurred at near zero responses per minute.

Studies reveal that with aging biomechanical constraints increase, affecting daily aspects of the life of older adults, such as when reaching for objects with the arms. Sixteen older adults (mean age = 70.1 years) reached for a plastic block placed on a table at different distances in a discrete trials procedure. The distances to which the block was located were defined in relation to every subject's absolute critical boundary. Trials were videotaped and the action modes used by the subjects when reaching were registered. The older adults data were compared with data obtained with 16 college students (mean age = 19.4 years). Reaching modes changed their distribution orderly as a function of the distance of the block. The reaching mode changed from using only arm extension to using the shoulder or upper torso at closer distances than the absolute critical boundary. Older adults changed the distribution of their reaching modes at closer distances than college students. These results support the conclusion that the choice of the reaching mode is influenced by the subject's body size, muscular strength, and joint flexibility. These data could be useful for the development of standards for sizing work surfaces for older adults.

Breaching limits and defying boundaries. Despite overwhelming odds, a man wakes up one day and decides to embark on a journey of epic proportions to change the course of his life. Basic principles of applied behavior analysis are utilized including: measurement of performance variables, data collecting, goal setting, data analysis. and graphing data to propel a man towards his goal of completing a marathon.

The main goal of this study was to identify the relations between visual perspective taking (VPT) and false belief (FB) skills. The participants were 15 typically developing children, their ages ranged from 5-to-6 years-old. Each participant was evaluated in 2 probes of Level 1 of VPT, 3 probes of Level 2 of VPT (with verbal, picture-selection, and object-selection responses), and 2 FB probes (the appearance-reality and unexpected transfer probes). Fourteen children passed the probes of Level 1 of VPT, 14 children passed one or more of the 3 probes of Level 2 of VPT, and 11 children passed at least one of FB probes. This data showed that (a) 10 children passed the 2 probes of FB and they met the criterion in the Level 1 of VPT probe and in the Level 2 of VPT with verbal and photo selection responses, (b) 3 children did not pass the FB probes but they met the criterion in one or more of the Level 1 of VPT probe and at least in the Level 2 of VPT with verbal responses. These data show that these skills are interelated but it is necessary to identify other pre-requisites skills.

Level 2 of visual perspective taking (VPT) consists of responding differentially according to the visual perception of oneself and other person, when both people are seeing the same object from different perspectives. The main goal of this study was to analyze the effect of the assesment of prerequisite skills in performance on Level 2 of VPT probes. The participants were 4 typically developing children, their ages ranged from 3-to-5 years-old. First, each participant was evaluated in 3 probes of Level 2 of VPT (verbal, pictures selection and object selection). Second, each participant was evaluated in three prerequisites skills: tacts, discriminations and orientation of the positions of an object, and then in the same 3 probes of Level 2 VPT. All children showed more correct responses in Level 2 probes after being evaluated in prerequisite skills. These data shows that previous exposure to the prerequisite skills improves childrens performance on probes of Level 2 of VPT.

The purpose of the research is comparing pigeon and human behavior under response differentiation task between variable and repetitive counting behavior, and following acquisition task. Thus, the research examines history effects of response variability on acquisition of behavior. Differentiation task demands variable and repetitive counting behavior in each component. The response unit of the procedure is counting behavior based on fixed consecutive number schedule. The procedure of the schedule is as follows: there are 2 keys. If1 response to right key followed at least1 response to left key, number of response to left key is considered as the number counted. Experimenter set percentile schedule for shaping variable and repetitive counting responses. Parameter of the percentile schedule was arranged to equalize average number counted as 6, and differentiate only the SD of the number counted. Following task demands to count larger number under another percentile schedule in both conditions. The author found that pigeons differentiate variable and repetitive counting. Furthermore, the reinforcement history of variable counting enhanced acquiring larger number than repetitive history. For the human experiment, the results will bediscussed on site. Potential impact of the research indicates the behavioral variability has adoptive function in acquisition task.

We assessed sensitivity to trade-offs between reinforcer amount and immediacy using a novel single manipulandum procedure. Three male Long-Evans Hooded Rats were trained to hold down a lever. Lever holding was reinforced with access to sucrose solution. The volume of sucrose solution delivered varied as a function of hold duration according to one of five feedback functionsone linear, two negatively accelerated, and two positively accelerated. The form of the feedback function varied daily according to a pseudo-random sequence. Reinforcement volume reached a maximum after hold durations of 10s. Under linear feedback conditions, the volume of solution delivered increased proportionally with hold duration. Under negatively accelerated feedback conditions, the volume of solution delivered accelerated quickly near the maximum value. Under positively accelerating feedback conditions, the volume of solution delivered increased at a slow rate initially, but the rate of growth increased rapidly towards the end of 10 s interval. Thus, under positively accelerating feedback conditions, there is a trade-off between reinforcement immediacy and reinforcement amount (i.e., releasing sooner for a smaller reinforcer or holding longer for a larger reinforcer). For two of three rats, the distribution of hold durations tracked daily changes in feedback conditions, indicating sensitivity to these contingencies.

Our study investigated the hypothesis that habituation to food reinforcement occurs more slowly when the delay to reinforcement is variable rather than constant. To test this hypothesis, four Wistar rats lever pressed on a fixed interval 8-s (FI) schedule of reinforcement to earn five 45 mg food pellets during 30 min sessions. In the constant condition, the delay to reinforcement was 10 s during each reinforcer delivery. During the variable condition, the reinforcers were delayed by either 1 or 19 s (M = 10 s). Rates of responding were higher and within-session decreases in responding were more attenuated during the variable delay condition. Our results indicate that reinforcer effectiveness can be increased or decreased depending upon the variability in the delay to reinforcement. These findings are generally consistent with the idea that habituation (e.g., McSweeney & Murphy, 2009) accrues to food reinforcers and may have implications for behavioral treatments in applied settings.

Previous research has shown that schedule-induced polydipsia can be produced by paired and unpaired auditory stimuli (Corfield-Sumner, Blackman & Stainer, 1977; Porter and Kenshalo, 1974; Rosenblith, 1970). The present study is an attempt to replicate and extend the previous findings by manipulating the correlation between a visual stimulus and food delivery. Rats were placed on a fixed-time 90-s schedule to induce drinking. After drinking stabilized, a 3-s presentation of 3 LEDs occurred halfway into the interfood interval (i.e., 45 s). Drinking following the food delivery developed quickly and in large amounts while post-stimulus drinking did not develop, presumably due to the fact that the LEDs were 100% predictive of food 45-s later. Next the probability with which the LEDs are followed by food will be manipulated across conditions. It is predicted that post-stimulus drinking will occur when the LED-food contingency is degraded, such as having the LED presentation followed by food 50% of the time instead of 100% of the time.

Stimuli that precede aversive events are typically preferred less than stimuli that precede non-aversive events. Stimuli that follow aversive events, however, may become preferred more than stimuli that follow nonaversive events. This effect has been labeled within-trial contrast. Although this effect has been replicated, only rarely have initial preferences for antecedent and consequent stimuli, or aversive events been established prior to training with those stimuli. This inconsistency could explain different outcomes found by various researchers. Furthermore, it is unclear whether within-trial contrast alters reinforcer efficacy in addition to stimulus preferences. If so, within-trial contrast could represent a new method of conditioning reinforcers. The current experiment sought to replicate and extend research on within-trial contrast by (a) examining preference changes for both antecedent and consequent stimuli, (b) assessing preference for all stimuli and events both before and after training, and (c) assessing whether within-trial contrast altered reinforcer efficacy. The results indicate that antecedent stimuli preceding aversive events decreased in preference, however within-trial contrast was demonstrated for only one participant. Furthermore, changes in preference for consequent stimuli were not correlated with changes in reinforcer efficacy, thus indicating that within-trial contrast may not be a viable strategy for conditioning reinforcers.

A previous study employed a go/no-go procedure with compound stimuli to teach pigeons to peck to two-component compounds A1B1, A2B2, B1C1, B2C2 and to refrain from pecking to A1B2, A2B1, B1C2, B2C1. The test presented the compounds rotated 180 and subjects pecked to B1A1, B2A2, C1B1, C2B2 and not to B1A2, B2A1, C1B2, C2B1. Pecks could have been controlled by the relation between components (i.e. conditional discrimination) or compounds as single stimuli (i.e. simple discrimination in training and stimulus generalization in the test). The present study manipulated components display to verify if the discriminative responding established in training involved simple discrimination control and tests involved stimulus generalization. During training pecks to A1B1, A2B2, B1C1, B2C2 were followed by food and pecks to A1B2, A2B1, B1C2, B2C1 re-started the trials. Tests presented training components rotated 180 (Test 1), 90 to the right (Test 2), 90 to the left (Test 3), separated by 1 cm (Test 4) and also rotated 180 (Test 5). The four pigeons exhibited a discriminative responding in Tests 1-3, two pigeons also in Test 4 and one pigeon also in Test 5. Results suggest that training involved simple discrimination control and tests consisted in a stimulus generalization test.

Relatively large post-reinforcement pauses (PRP) are observed during transitions from a rich (i.e., high reinforcer magnitude) environment to a lean (i.e., low reinforcer magnitude) environment compared to other transition types (i.e., rich-rich; lean-rich; lean-lean). In previous studies, two discriminative stimuli have been used to indicate the upcoming reinforcer (i.e., large or small). In contrast, in the current study, four pigeons responded on a multiple FR schedule, in which four discriminative stimuli were used to represent each individual transition. The magnitude of the reinforcers were adjusted until the PRP duration in the presence of the rich to lean transition stimuli was 20 s or greater than the PRP of the other transitions. In the second phase, probe sessions were included in which a 15, 30, or 60-s timeout (i.e., blackout) was added after each food presentation. Results have been variable; however, the most common effect is a decrease in the PRP during rich to lean transitions.

Three pigeons were exposed to conditions of decreasing contingency between keypecks and food deliveries by varying the percentage of total food deliveries that were response-dependent or response-independent. Two pigeons continued to keypeck at moderate rates even when the food was delivered 100% response-independently. Sessions of no-food extinction nearly eliminated keypecking, but keypecking returned when response-independent food deliveries were reinstated. Halving the rate of food delivery did not eliminate keypecking in either pigeon but one pigeon ceased to keypeck when the rate of food delivery was doubled. The other pigeon persisted despite sessions in which the opportunity to peck was removed but response-independent food deliveries continued. The results have implications for the contingency versus contiguity debate in operant conditioning and the recent debate over signaling versus strengthening functions of reinforcers.

Behavioral Momentum Theory (BMT) says resistance to change is determined by Pavlovian stimulus-reinforcer contingencies. Some research, however, suggests that the model is incomplete. Specifically, the role of the stimulus and the exact determinants of resistance to change are unclear. In a systematic replication of Nevin et al. (1990), we investigated the effect of signaling non-contingent food on response rate and resistance to change in a two-component, multiple schedule procedure. Both the target and control components reinforced responding according to a variable interval 60-s schedule. The target component, however, also provided non-contingent access to food according to an additional variable time 40-s schedule. In signal conditions (SIG) additional non-contingent food presentations were preceded by a 4-s signal; in unsignaled conditions (UNS) no stimulus change occurred. Following baseline training, behavior was disrupted with inter-component interval food presentations. According to BMT, there should be higher resistance to change in the UNS conditions compared to SIG conditions. The data show that this was the case for seven of the eight subjects. When presented with additional non-contingent food in the presence of a stimulus, proportion of baseline responding was higher in the UNS condition compared to the SIG condition. This finding supports BMT.

Resurgence is defined as reoccurrence of previously reinforced behavior when recently reinforced behavior is extinguished. Most previous studies have not investigated the phenomenon quantitatively. If there is an index showing the magnitude of resurgence quantitatively, we can examine the functional relation between independent variables of resurgence and the magnitude as a dependent variable in more detail. Thus, we calculated the ratio of resurgence (ROR) based on response rates of the target behavior in both the elimination and the resurgence conditions for pigeons. We used the formula 1 for calculating ROR. m1 is mean key-peck response rates over the last three sessions of the elimination condition for a pigeon. m2 is mean key-peck response rates for each session of the resurgence condition for that pigeon. Table1 shows ROR for pigeons from three studies. Positive value means that subjects showed resurgence. The value of zero and negative values mean that subjects did not show resurgence. The results showed clear variation in magnitude of resurgence among pigeons. Thus, ROR is an appropriate index of the magnitude of resurgence.

The recovery of previously extinguished responding during response-independent delivery of previously reinforcing stimuli is referred to as reinstatement. Studies of this phenomenon are limited to a small number of operant-based, basic evaluations and behavioral pharmacological studies. Thus, translational analyses of this phenomenon are needed to study its potential applied relevance across additional populations (e.g., autism and developmental disabilities). In this study, we examined reinstatement of destructive behavior exhibited by individuals with autism. Destructive behavior was first reinforced on a fixed-ratio 1 schedule of reinforcement and high rates of responding were observed. Next, extinction was implemented and destructive behavior was extinguished. In the third component, a fixed-time 2 minute schedule was implemented and destructive behavior was reinstated. This 3-component sequence of conditions was implemented3 times with both subjects and reinstatement occurred in all test conditions. Interobserver agreement was collected on at least 30% of all sessions and averaged above 90% for all participants. These results suggest that reinstatement (a) occurs across populations and (b) is a phenomenon that likely impacts clinical outcomes by contributing to treatment lapses during and following treatments for severe destructive behavior.

Response acquisition with delayed reinforcement is a reliable and general phenomenon. However, acquisition of response sequences under delay of reinforcement conditions have yet to be examined extensively in non-humans. In this study, two groups of four nave rats learned a left-right lever press sequence with a short (0.25 s) or long (5 s) unsignaled, resetting delay to reinforcement using a tandem FR 1 FT x schedule. All subjects in the short delay group acquired the sequence within four sessions, whereas up to twenty sessions were required for all rats in the long delay group to learn the sequence. Within-session analysis of homogenous (e.g., left-left) and heterogeneous (e.g., right-left) response sequences revealed variations in the proportion of sequences emitted outside of and during the delay, suggesting differential control by the FR and FT components of the tandem schedule. Results bring to bear the selective effects of reinforcement on functional operants composed of more than one discrete response and extend previous findings regarding acquisition with delayed reinforcement to more complex behaviors.

The present experiment tested the hypothesis that habituation contributes to within-session decreases in operant responding. In particular, we tested for the variety effects property of habituation which states that habituation should develop more slowly and overall responsiveness should be higher when reinforcers are presented in a variable, rather than in a constant, manner. The experimental design was a 2 (Amount: constant vs. variable 5 food pellets) X 2 (Schedule: fixed interval 8-s vs. variable interval 8-s schedule of reinforcement). Four rats responded on either a FI 8- or a VI 8-s schedule in which pressing a lever produced a constant amount of 5 food pellets or an average of 5 (1 or 9 with a probability of .50) food pellets per delivery during 30 min daily sessions. When both amount and schedule of reinforcement were constant, rates of responding were lower and within-session decreases in responding were steeper than when one or both reinforcement parameters were variable. These preliminary data suggest that varying one or more reinforcement parameters increases the effectiveness of a repeatedly presented reinforcer. The results of the experiment are consistent with the idea that habituation to the reinforcer contribute to within-session changes in operant responding.

Delay of reinforcer is supposed to devalue the reinforcer. This study tested the effects of reinforcement delay on within-session changes in responding. Six rats were trained to press a lever for food reinforcer during 30-min sessions. In No-Delay condition, every lever-pressing was reinforced by a food pellet immediately after the response. In Delay condition, delivery of reinforcer was delayed for 1 second. The experiment lasted for 10 days and the 2 conditions were alternated using an ABBA design. During the early part of the session, response rates in Delay condition were lower than in No-Delay condition. However, within-session decreases in responding were steeper in No-Delay than in Delay condition. As a result, response rates were similar during the later part of the session between the 2 conditions. In addition, response rates were well-described as linear functions of the cumulative number of reinforcements in both conditions (R2s>.96). The regression line for No-Delay condition had larger y-axis intercept and steeper slope than that for Delay group. However, the x-axis intercepts No-Delay and Delay conditions were similar. This pattern is different from the effect of reinforcer devaluation induced by taste aversion learning.

Negative incentive shifts involve transitions from relatively favorable to unfavorable reinforcement contexts and are known to produce clinically relevant behavioral disruptions in both animals and humans. This series of experiments was designed to assess if providing additional incentives at session completion attenuated these disruptions in an animal model. Long Evans rats lever pressed under a multiple fixed-ratio (FR) schedule (e.g., FR 80) for reinforcers of 2 different magnitudes. Half of the ratio completions resulted in delivery of a large reinforcer (3, 45-mg food pellets) and half resulted in a small reinforcer (1 pellet). The upcoming reinforcer magnitude was signaled by either the left lever (e.g., large) or the right lever (e.g., small) being inserted into the chamber at the start of each component. In each session, components were presented pseudo-randomly yielding 4 different transitions between just-received and signaled upcoming reinforcers: small-small, small-large, large-small, large-large. Consistent with prior studies, the negative incentive shift (large-small transition) engendered extended pausing. To attenuate this pausing, a bonus period of reinforcer availability was added at session completion. A lever was reinserted into the operant chamber and each press on it produced 1 food pellet until 50 pellets were earned. Implementing the bonus contingency on the lever associated with the small component, but not the large component, decreased within-session pausing during the large-small transition. Overall, the results suggest that strengthening stimulus-reinforcer and response-reinforcer associations via an enriched reinforcement context at session completion may decrease the behavioral disruption engendered by negative incentive shifts.

Rats feed periodically in bouts of about 10 minutes separated by inter-bout periods of about 180 minutes. Whether food is freely available or restricted by a schedule with similar durations (e.g., multiple FR1 EXT), has no effect. This investigation involved altering the regularity of the inter-access interval to either 20 or 300 minutes while holding constant the access duration to 10 minutes in daily 24 hour sessions. In addition, the temporal location of a 5-minute neutral stimulus was varied within the inter-access interval to either 5, 10 or 20 minutes before the subsequent access. Rats ate more when the inter-access interval was 300 than when its was 20 minutes. For both inter-access intervals the amount of food eaten was a decreasing function of lengthening the stimulus-to-access interval. However, the stimulus-control functions were more pronounced when the inter-access period was 300 minutes than when it was 20 minutes. These results show that food deprivation can be varied experimentally within single 24-hour periods and that the longer of the two deprivation periods enhanced stimulus control over eating.

That olfactory stimuli are important for learning and avoidance tasks is well supported in the literature. However, olfactory cues have rarely been used as avoided stimuli themselves. Results of recent studies suggest that odors that may have biological relevance to the animal, for example, fox urine should produce reliable avoidance responses. It was hypothesized that an odor with potential survival relevance, such as a predator scent, should affect the reward sensitivity, and not just bias, when Sprague Dawley rats foraged for food reinforcers in an open field matching law paradigm. Five Sprague Dawley rats were individually placed for 20 minutes per session in one of two large open foraging fields (2.5 M by 1.25 M with 30 cm walls) containing two foraging pans in opposite corners of the field. Four separate concurrent Variable Time Variable Time (conc VT VT) reinforcement schedules were used across the four week time span for the experiment. During baseline (Monday-Wednesday) rats were exposed to the schedules with no fox urine present, but water-saturated cotton balls were placed in each feeder pan. On Thursdays, 10 droplets of commercially prepared fox urine were placed on the cotton ball placed in Feeder 2. The baited feeder remained constant across reinforcement schedules. On Fridays, the recovery day, water-saturated cotton balls were once again placed in both feeders. Using Baums (1974) Matching equation, reward sensitivity and bias were calculated for baseline, fox urine scent,and recover days. Given that the same feeder was baited across schedules, the Generalized Matching Law would predict changes in bias, but not reward sensitivity. However, results showed significant changes in bias, and significant attenuation of reward sensitivity when rats were presented with the fox urine, compared to baseline and recovery days.

This study investigated whether the food used as the maintenance diet affected demand when either the same or a different food served as the reinforcer. Hens preferences between wheat, laying pellets and puffed wheat were assessed using a free-access procedure. The hens were then maintained at 80% 10% of their free-feeding body weights by one of the foods while responding under progressive-ratio schedules (with the response requirement doubled each reinforcer) for each of the three foods. Sessions terminated when the hen ceased responding for 300 s. All three foods were used as reinforcers and the maintenance food. Response rates, post-reinforcement pauses and demand functions (i.e., the relation between estimated consumption rate and response requirement) under each response requirement were examined. The hens were then maintained at 80% 10% of their free-feeding body weight by pellets and responded under fixed-ratio schedules with the response requirement doubling each session until the hen received no reinforcers (each of the three foods were used as reinforcers) in a session. Sessions terminated after 40 reinforcers or 40 min. There were no systematic relations between the individual hens food preferences and any of the performance measures under either the progressive- or fixed-ratio schedules.

This case study was conducted to increase word recognition of the participant, "Peter," an adolescent with mental retardation using a model-spell-test procedure along with Reading Mastery curriculum and flashcard practice. Throughout the study the researchers utilized the data to make decisions regarding treatment strategies as seem by the temporary returned to baseline in Set 1 after the completion the Reading Mastery lessons. This return to baseline indicated that Peter had not reached mastery of Set 1 words; therefore, another teaching strategy (flashcard practice) was implemented across all sets. After an increasing and/or stable trend was established intervention began on the next set of words. The results showed the implementation of Reading Mastery to be effective at increasing word identification. Once lessons were complete a flashcard practice procedure was used to assist with maintenance of word recognition. The success of the study was demonstrated through Peter's post–test scores, increasing from an average of7 words correct out of 40 on the pretest to an average of 39 out of 40 words correct on the post–test.

This study was designed to evaluate the model lead test procedure for effectiveness in teaching sounds and words to a 13-year-old boy with moderate disabilities in his middle school self-contained classroom. The participant had no reading skills prior to this study and since reading is a necessary skill in everyday life this topic was targeted by the researcher for change. In this procedure, the researcher modeled, prompted the participant to say it in unison with the researcher, and then asked the participant to say it independently. In addition a repeated sound out procedure, in which the participant was asked to sound out the word multiple times increasing in speed from one trial to the next, was used in order to teach words. The results showed an immediate increase in the number of correct sounds in set one upon implementation of the model lead test procedure, while in the second set there was a gradual increase in the number of sounds correct. The model lead test procedure with repeated sound out was also effective at teaching words as evident in the progressive increase of correct words in set one and rapid increase in set two words. Overall, the study showed that for individuals with little or no reading skills, the model lead test procedure in addition to a repeated sound out procedure was an effective method.

This case study utilized a structural analysis to determine possible causes for the participants aberrant behaviors. The assessment utilizing a functional behavior assessment manipulated easy and hard math tasks as determined by the classroom teacher. The results of the structural analysis indicated "inappropriate" behaviors were due to difficulty of assignments. Next, the researchers assessed mathematical skill level in order to provide appropriate classwork. The researchers determined that the participant's general classroom assignments we well above her instructional level and then adjusted her work to match the identified instructional level. The researchers found that when the participant was given work at her instructional level aberrant behaviors decreased and therefore focused on instructional strategies and increased instructional performance. The researchers then implemented a strategy-model-test (SMT) procedure to teach her skills pertaining to addition/subtraction, multiplication, and division of positive and negative integers. Results from the SMT procedure illustrated an increase in math skills. An additional benefit of the study was that it enabled the participant to generalize the strategies that were introduced in this study, over all three sets. The generalization effect was noted when reviewing the data on Figure 2. It was noted that the scores in Set 3 begin to increase once the SMT method began in Set 2.

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effects of the Math Racetrack and Model/Lead/Test procedures on the accuracy of rational counting from 1-10 by two preschool special education students. A multiple baseline design across three sets of target numbers to be counted was used to evaluate the combination of the Math Racetrack and Model/Lead/Test procedures. The sets included counting 1-4, counting 5-7, and counting 8-10. There was a clear functional relationship between the Math Racetrack and Model/Lead/Test procedures and increases in the accuracy of counting by both children. The procedures used were inexpensive and required little time or effort to implement.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate if the effects of the Direct Instruction Flashcard procedure on (1) the accuracy of identifying lowercase letters by a 3-year-old male with developmental delays and (2) on the accuracy of reading sight words by a 9-year-old male with developmental delays in a special education classroom setting. A single-subject multiple baseline design across three sets of words and three sets of lowercase letters were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention. A clear functional relationship was shown between the Direct Instruction Flashcard procedure and improvements in identifying letters by the 3-year-old boy and in oral reading of sight words by the 9-year-old boy. The procedure was cost effective and required little training to implement.

The purpose of this study was to determine if a ten-year-old girl with a learning disability and an at-risk 8-year-old boy could master math facts using the Direct Instruction Flashcard and Math Racetrack procedures. During each session, both students were presented with 15 subtraction facts on flashcards and were given 2 seconds to say the correct statement and answer. After this process was completed, the students were then presented with the Math Racetrack, a track consisting of 28 different subtraction facts. The child had to verbalize each fact along with the correct answer as quickly as possible. A clear functional relationship was shown between the Direct Instruction and Math Racetrack procedures and an increase in the number of subtraction facts answered correctly. At the end of the study, both students had increased their accuracy in answering the subtraction facts to 70. The procedure was cost effective and required little training to supplement.

There has been considerable emphasis on indirect functional behavior assessments in school settings. Although the most likely candidates for conducting these assessments are teachers and paraprofessionals, little research has evaluated the reliability of indirect assessment methods in school settings by personnel with diverse educational backgrounds. Various assessment scales have been published, such as the Questions About Behavioral Function (QABF). The QABF has not been studied in a school setting even though psychometric evidence suggests it is a viable indirect assessment of the functions of a variety of problem behaviors across settings and disabilities. The purpose of this study was to further examine the reliability of the QABF in a school setting conducted by teachers and paraprofessionals. Overall, results of this study suggest that the QABF has low to moderate inter-rater reliability and internal consistency for identifying functions of problem behavior in school settings. Factors that may have contributed to this outcome are discussed, including suggestions for future research using rating scales in school settings.

Functional behavioral assessment (FBA) and behavior intervention plans (BIPs) are mandated through federal law and there is considerable evidence that these practices can improve the behavior and academic functioning of students with problem behavior. In this qualitative study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with students to determine their views on their school functioning, teacher practices, and general well-being at school, before and after function-based BIPs were implemented. These students were four boys with ADHD, 7 to 14 years old, with long-term behavior problems that were in some cases alleviated through the use of function-based BIPs. In addition, their parents as well as teachers and administrators in their schools were interviewed to determine their perspectives on FBA and BIPs practices. Findings revealed a generally positive view on function-based BIPs. Students and parents felt that the function-based BIPs had helped the students to improve their social and acdemic functioning at school. Teachers expressed that FBAs and BIPs were effective practices, but found them somewhat time-consuming and at times difficult to implement in inclusive settings. School administrators emphasized that the key to success was the teachers positive attitude and consistent implementation of the function-based BIPs. Limitations and implications of these findings are discussed.

This study explored students perspective on attending a special school for students with severe behavioral difficulties and examined the effects of Aggression Replacement Training (ART) on their anger management, social skills and moral reasoning. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used. Participants were ten students of a special school for students with behavioral and/or emotional difficulties. Most participants had diagnoses of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder and/or had symptoms of depression and/or anxiety. Teachers were asked to rate social skills of students with Goldstein & McGinnis (1997) rating scale. Students were asked what they would do in anger-provoking situations, and to describe steps in performing particular social skills. After four months in the special school, including ten weeks of ART, the evaluation was repeated. Findings indicate that teachers found their students to be more organized, but no other significant differences emerged on the rating scales. However, students had more knowledge of social skills (d = 0.75) and knew more ways of dealing with anger (d = 0.71). The majority of students expressed that ART had helped them, and spoke of increased anger control. Most students indicated that they were unhappy at the special school, but the majority said that they had experienced ART positively.

Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) and Behavior Support Plans (BSP) are evidence-based practices for dealing with behavior difficulties of children with behavior problems, recommended by professional associations and part of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act from 1997 and 2004. Lectures and supervised training in conducting FBA and implementing BSPs have been part of an elective course on Emotional and Behavioral Difficulties (EBD) at the School of Education, University of Iceland since 2009. Over hundred graduate students have taken the course, most of them pursuing a master degree in special education. Enrolled students have received 18 class hours on applied behavior analysis, 16 class hours on EBD in addition to specific instructions and feedback on conducting FBAs, designing and implementing BSPs with students with behavioral difficulties. Results are presented on repeated behavior measures on students in elementary or secondary school with a long history of behavior problems. After FBAs and BSPs were implemented a significant decrease in disruptive and aggressive behaviors was observed along with considerable increase in active class participation of the students. Implications and future research are discussed.

Functional behavioral assessment (FBA) can facilitate the development of effective behavior intervention plans (BIPs). This study assessed the effects of increasingly demanding versions of function -based BIPs on students disruptive and on-task behaviors. Four male students with ADHD and long-term behavior problems participated in a team-based assessment and intervention process. The students were in 2nd to 3rd grade in two elementary schools and their teachers took part in constructing and implementing the function-based BIPs along with special education teachers and a behavioral consultant. For each student, four to seven versions of BIPs were created over the course of 6 to 13 weeks with gradually increasing demands to foster endurance and independent skills. Single subject ABAB multiple baseline designs over participants were used to demonstrate a functional relationship between BIPs and students disruptive and on-task behaviors in general education settings. Results showed that on-task behavior increased from an average of 56% during baseline (A) to 85% during intervention phases (B) and that the frequency of disruptive behavior decreased from on average of 24 per 20 min sessions during baseline to an average of 7 per 20 min sessions during intervention phases. Large effect sizes were observed. Limitations and implications are discussed.

School age students at the Judge Rotenberg Center complete bi-annual testing to determine if progress is being made in the areas of reading decoding, spelling, math computation and reading comprehension. We will be showing our data for each subject area over the past three years. Discussion of the teaching methodology (precision teaching) for each subject area will be included, as will how this methodology affected academic gains over time.

Some recent research has raised the paraphrase as a promoting factor of reading comprehension. The paraphrase implies where the original idea is integrated expanding or restructuring the background, leaning on a vocabulary and grammatical organizers learned from past experiences, including references. The importance of this study is to show the interaction between participants' verbal ability (vocabulary, reading, antonyms, and the paraphrase). A random selection of group of psychology students of the first courses was conducted. The materials were a test standardized on verbal ability and the summary of a theoretical article made by the participants. The test of verbal ability was described in relation to the established instructions and the summary was analyzed with base to the types of paraphrase (synonymic, syntactical, synonymic-syntactical, and total reconstruction). The results were analyzed descriptively using as a primary measure achievements both in test standardized on verbal ability and the summary. The results show that students more often emit low levels of verbal ability and low levels of paraphrase when they identify textually the information in the paper. The main finding of this study identifies an interaction between verbal ability and paraphrase. This means that the students require of training in the paraphrase.

The purpose of the current study was to determine the efficacy of a social script on decreasing bullying behaviors implemented in a regular education first grade classroom. Bullying can begin as early as preschool and the effects can be detrimental (Craig, Pepler, & Atlas, 2000). Thus, research in early intervention measures is warranted. Social scripts, based on social stories, are intended to provide scripts to individuals who may lack the strategies to handle specific social situations. Based on researchthat has found social stories to effectively address social deficits, it is likely that similar strategies may be successful as an intervention for more typical and widespread behavior, such as bullying. This study examines three uses for a social scriptthat have not yet been established in the literature: (1) the use of a script as an intervention for typically developing children, (2) a script as an intervention for bullying, and (3) the use of a group-wide script intervention as opposed to the traditional individualized version. The implementation of a social script about being a good friend was accompanied by a decrease in bullying behavior, indicating a strategythat may be effective in preventing future bullying from occurring.

Organizational behavior management (OBM) is a growing discipline, with an ongoing development in research directing the practice of OBM consultants on a global scale. With each new idea, a shift occurs in the literature available to consultants and students, with certain trends discernable through strict review of publications over time. The current paper provides an in-depth analysis of the published OBM literature, with relevant discussion highlighting the morphing trends in interest and methodology as the field progresses. Implications for consultants who rely on peer-reviewed works to guide their practice are illustrated and supported using direct examples from published works. Benefit provided by the literature, potential limitations in publications available, and future directions for the OBM community enhance the discussion regarding the importance of empirical demonstration for consultants and active members of academia.

We tested the effects of token economy system on the accuracy of tax filing task ata CPA office. A time delayed multiple baseline across participants design was implemented for this study. The dependent variables were the number of correct and incorrect data inputs for tax filing. The independent variable was the implementation of token economy system with which the tax preparers' accurate data inputs were reinforced by the reward points. The predetermined number of reward points was exchanged with the backup reinforcers such as longer break time, gift card, etc. Results showed that the participants' accurate data inputs significantly increased after the implementations of the token economy system; their inaccurate data inputs decreased. Overall, the efficiency (i.e., the total number of data inputs per day) also increased. This study will discuss the possible interventions to improve the productivity of working environment for paper work tasks.

This study evaluated a package intervention consisting of task clarification, visual prompts, graphic group feedback, and a tiered punishment system with a group of 60 restaurant employees and 1 manager. The goal of the intervention was to increase the frequency/percentage of correct employee parking, and to train the manager to maintain the new parking policy following termination of the study. Additional efforts were made to the program to decrease response effort and increase the probability that the manager would reliably continue the program following termination of the study; these efforts were especially important due to the initial resistance of the manager when discussing his responsibility of continuing the program. Results of an AB1B2 analysis showed that the intervention package resulted in an immediate and sustained decrease in parking violations by employees; following termination of the study, the manager reported an additional 2 weekends of 100% correct parking. The advantages of using a tiered system of punishment are discussed, in addition to the issues that sometimes prevent the use of reinforcement-based procedures in the workplace.

Construction workers are faced with safety choices every workday. Choices might be between wearing versus not wearing personal protective equipment, securing versus not securing ladders and scaffolding, using versus not using appropriate tools for a given task, and so on. To date, the factors that influence safety choices of construction workers have not been investigated using a behavioral economic paradigm that assesses successive choices across various analog work scenarios. This gap presents an opportunity to explore how safety-related choices are affected by work and organizational factors. Eleven undergraduate students completed a computer-based analog task that required participants to choose in which of2 hypothetical scenarios, they would be more likely to engage in a safe behavior (e.g., donning a safety harness while working on a roof). Scenarios varied in roof height (feet) and effort associated with donning the safety harness (minute). Each trial presented a choice between a standard scenario with fixed height and effort and an alternative scenario with varying height. Effort in the alternative scenario was also varied across blocks of trials. Participants’ choice patterns revealed a switch point that provided a measure of subjective risk in the alternative scenario compared with the standard. A hyperbolic equation provided a good fit of the data (R2 = 0.944, p = .0032). This novel laboratory-based study extends the concepts and methods of behavioral economics to the topic of human choice and decision making in risky occupational settings. Because workers’ health and safety often depend on workers recognizing hazards and risk and then making appropriate behavioral choices, the application of behavioral economics might reveal important new or fundamental insights that will lead to more effective prevention and intervention strategies.

Children with autism benefit from consistent behavioral therapy conducted in the least restrictive environment such as homes, schools, and community settings. One challenge faced by agencies that provide this type of service include family and staff cancellations which result in reduced quality of care for clients and a strain on the financial sustainability of the agency. This study examines the effect of graphic individual and social comparison feedback on utilization of prescribed autism therapy hours. The study consists of a multiple baseline design across six employees. Employees are masters level clinicians providing behavioral therapy services as prescribed by a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist to children with Autism in the home, community, and school settings. The dependent variable is the percentage of utilized therapy hours. During baseline phase employees received no feedback regarding utilization performance. During experimental phase employees received two graphic displays consisting of individual utilization data for each client and social comparison data relating their performance to that of the group. Initial findings show that providing graphic individual and social comparison feedback has increased utilization of prescribed therapy hours.

We evaluated a treatment package based on a modified performance diagnostic checklist and then compared this treatment with a treatment suggested by a manager. We also compared manager-suggested items that might function as reinforcers to actual employee preference for items. Results showed that for all participants the consultant-designed treatment package produced a greater increase in employee performance, and that the manager was unable to accurately predict employee preferences. The study suggests that organizational behavior management consultants are effective to improve employee performance.

The effects of self directed video feedback was examined in the current study with therapists of home based ABA programs working with children with a pervasive developmental disorder. A multiple baseline design was used to systematically implement the intervention which consisted of the therapists watching a self recorded video of implementing a prompting procedure, completing a questionnaire and setting a goal for the next therapy session. Results of the intervention showed that the intervention was effective for one participant, while the other participant's prompting behavior only increased after further instruction and modeling of the behavior by the author. Implications for the current study as well as possibilities for future research are discussed.

The current study combined biweekly clinical meetings prescribed in the Total Performance Service Review system with performance scorecards to promote effective staff and consumer behavior in a human service setting. Participants consisting of eight staff teams that were assembled around eight focus persons with special needs received training, consultation, and the scorecard intervention. Results of our intervention showed that scorecards produced significant staff behavior changes. Consumer outcomes correlated with staff performance changes were 1) an improvement in life skills and 2) a decrease in the severity of observed problem behaviors. In smaller organizations, the behavioral package of training, clinical consultation, biweekly clinical meetings, and scorecards could improve staff performance and reduce costs by eliminating the added administrative and financial strain of a managerial service review.

The topic of causality is often debated in the field of behavior analysis and may be seen as foundational. Two opposing viewpoints of causality are advanced by B.F. Skinner and J.R. Kantor. Though both consider the behavior of an organism in relation to the stimulating environment, causal explanation for Skinner is ultimately achieved by reduction to biology. According to Skinner, it is an organisms physiological capacity to be operantly conditioned that is responsible for the lasting effects of reinforcement. In contrast, J.R. Kantor opposes this kind of reductionism and suggests that psychological events must be described in purely psychological terms. The descriptive and functional view of causation inherent in interbehaviorism does not involve a reductionism to biology. To Kantor, explanation reduced to the level of analysis of other disciplines defeats the pursuit of behavior scientists searching for a valid psychological account. In contrast, Skinners functional approach has yielded potent treatments in such far reaching the areas of autism, education, and organizational behavior analysis. An account that includes both the pragmatic effectiveness of Skinners procedures and the conceptual clarity of Kantors philosophical system is needed. In this poster, we will propose a way of integrating these approaches.