Association for Behavior Analysis International

Noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) is the provision of reinforcing stimuli at fixed intervals, regardless of behavior, while simultaneously extinguishing a behavior that has the same reinforcing stimuli. Noncontingent reinforcement is an evidence-based practice for reducing maladaptive behaviors with a variety of maintaining stimuli in individuals with developmental disabilities (Carr, Severtson, & Lepper, 2009). Noncontingent reinforcement has previously been used to reduce disruptive classroom behaviors in students with emotional/behavioral disorders (EBD) in a psychiatric hospital setting (Rasmussen & O�Neill, 2006). The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of NCR for decreasing disruptive classroom behaviors maintained by attention in a student with EBD. A secondary purpose was to determine the effects of NCR on teacher praise and reprimands. Using a withdrawal design, NCR was provided to a student with EBD during typical classroom instruction. Resulting data supported the effectiveness of NCR to decrease this student�s disruptive behaviors. Additionally, during intervention phases, teacher praise statements increased and teacher reprimands decreased. Results suggest NCR can be used to decrease disruptive classroom behaviors maintained by attention and improve student-teacher dynamics.

The purposes of the present study were (a) to demonstrate the supportive behavior of assistant teachers in group-oriented regular classrooms in Japan using direct behavioral observation and (b) to examine assistant teachers' descriptive assessment of off-task behaviors of children with special educational needs. Two regular classrooms in a public elementary school in Kobe City were used for this study. The participants of behavioral observation were two assistant teachers: teacher "A", a 40-year-old female supporting a first grade class; and teacher "B", a 43-year-old female supporting a second grade class. We used 30-second interval recordings to observe their supportive behaviors, and antecedent and consequent events. The results of the behavioral observation showed that the most practiced behavior for both teachers was "doing things together" with an average of 25.8%, e.g., letting the target child write in a notebook and read a textbook while at the child's side. "Sitting beside the target child" was the most conducted supportive behavior for teacher A (26.9%), whereas "checking" was the most conducted supportive behavior for teacher B (28.9%). The results of the descriptive assessment revealed that many assistant teachers focused on and supported inattentive behaviors of target children.

The purpose of this study was to examine an intervention package on teachers understanding and management of challenging behavior. The study was conducted with five general educators in elementary grades with students with and without disabilities (K-4). A multiple baseline across participants was used to examine both student behavior and teacher behavior and observational data were recorded throughout all phases. After baseline, in Phase One, teachers were provided with an inservice to model typical professional development about function-based interventions and how to recognize and identify the antecedent (and setting events), the operational behavior, and the consequences. In Phase two, teachers were provided with coaching sessions collaboratively with the researcher, to develop interventions to match the function of each students behavior. Results indicate that when teachers were provided with coaching, student challenging behavior decreased and teacher behavior to use effective interventions increased.

This poster will present data from two function-based behavioral interventions that were implemented to decrease the occurrences of off-task behavior by two fourth-grade students with moderate disabilities. Both students were receiving services under IDEA 2004 having been identified with Learning Disabilities. Off-task was defined as any occurrence of the following: looking away from the board, teacher or unfinished work for longer than five seconds, eyes closed and head on students' desk, out of seat, vocal verbal non-content related statements or noises to adults or peers, eyes away from the teacher or text at the time of the observation or playing with items not related to the current lesson. The students were engaging in this behavior in order to escape unwanted tasks and/or gain peer and adult attention. A reversal design was used to verify the effectiveness of the intervention selected. For Chris, whose behavior was maintained both by escape and attention, response cost was implemented using an ABAB design. During baseline his off-task behavior occurred an average of six times during a 15-minute observation. During intervention the students average off-task behaviors decreased to 1.5 occurrences. During the return to baseline, the average off-task behaviors increased well above the initial baseline levels to an average of 11 occurrences. The final implementation phase resulted in an average of 1.68 occurrences of off-task behavior. For David, whose behavior was escape motivated an ABA design was implemented using a self-monitoring system with the MotivAider. During baseline, this student averaged 11 occurrences of off-task behavior and during intervention averaged 4 occurrences, using momentary time-sampling. At the time of submission, data for the return to baseline phase were being collected.

Through teacher consultation, an intervention was implemented to decrease student office referrals that were a result of excessive "blurting out" in the classroom. "Blurting out," which was defined as speaking out of turn, typically resulted in the teacher sending the student to the office. The teacher identified that referrals were highest during the 90-minute reading block period. A self-monitoring intervention and token economy reward system was implemented by the classroom teacher. Additionally, the teacher was instructed to attend to the student only if he raised his hand before speaking. If the child demonstrated "blurting" behaviors, the teacher was instructed to ignore the student. Results indicated that there were a variable number of referrals during baseline. Referrals dropped to zero per week over several weeks after the intervention was implemented. Additionally, treatment integrity observations indicate that the intervention was performed with integrity. Overall, the implementation of self-monitoring and use of a token economy reward system delivered through a consultation model improved classroom behavior.

This survey explored rural educators knowledge and application of applied behavior analysis and barriers to implementation. Results can guide the design of training materials and planning of professional development in rural schools. Teachers from three Midwestern rural districts participated in the survey. We currently have 64 responses but expect to collect at least 200 by April. Current survey completers were mostly general education secondary teachers (66%) from rural schools (90%). Most (50) were experienced teachers, female (76%), and half had Masters degrees. About 55% taught in inclusion classrooms. About half had taken a college course on behavior management; only 30% had taken a course in applied behavior analysis. When questioned about their knowledge of ABA, 100% of respondents rated that they were knowledgeable about positive reinforcement using teacher praise and food. More than half rated themselves as knowledgeable or very knowledgeable for each of the 17 items. A few respondents had no knowledge of 8 of the principles. Three strategies were used most: praise and social reinforcement, modeling, and prompting. Least used were over correction, group contingencies, primary reinforcement, and token economies. Identified barriers included lack of knowledge and feedback and a lack of understanding of effective use. (198 words)

The overjustification effect, a concept from self-perception theory, states that an individuals intrinsic motivation to engage in activities is lost following reinforcement. However, previous research suggests the level of intrinsic motivation may be an important variable in the occurrence of the overjustification effect. An individuals intrinsic motivation (or preference) may be measured directly through preference assessments. Because reinforcement is commonly used in educational settings, for activities of varying preference, it is important to evaluate this phenomenon and the effects of different preference levels. For the current study, participants preference for various tasks was evaluated using a modified-MSWO procedure. Next, an evaluation was conducted to determine if this initial preference (high, moderate, or low) would affect the prevalence of the overjustification effect following reinforcement. For one participant, the overjustification effect occurred for the high-preferred task, but it did not occur for the second participant with any task. Based on these data, it is unlikely that the overjustification effect will occur following moderate- and low-preferred tasks, the tasks for which reinforcement is most likely to be provided.

The current study investigated the effects of providing visual graphic feedback, performance feedback, and goal setting with supervisory staff at a state supported living center for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The dependent variable being measured was direct care staff’s compliance with submission of behavior data cards to document the implementation of behavior support plans. The facility had been experiencing on-going difficulty ensuring proper documentation of the implementation of behavior interventions prescribed within behavior support plans. The interventions were implemented in isolation and as a package intervention and analyzed within a multiple baseline across residential homes format. Data collected over a period of more than 12 months determined that a packaged intervention including: performance feedback, goal setting, and visual graphic feedback resulted in increased levels of data card submission and subsequently improved the documentation at the facility. A discussion of the relevant effectiveness of the procedures along with potential barriers to implementation will be discussed.

Although caregivers are responsible for feeding their children, systematic examinations of procedures to train caregivers to implement feeding protocols are lacking. A few researchers have examined the effects of multicomponent behavioral skills training (BST) packages that include combinations of verbal instructions, modeling, rehearsal, and feedback to increase the procedural integrity of caregivers implementing feeding protocols (e.g., Mueller et al., 2003; Sieverling et al., 2012). In-vivo feedback, without the use of other BST components, has been shown to be effective in training caregivers to implement other behavioral protocols (e.g., Shanley & Niec, 2010). The purpose of the current study was to examine the effectiveness of using only in-vivo feedback to increase the correct delivery of prompts and consequences by caregivers implementing feeding protocols. We used a multiple baseline design across caregiver dyads. Interobserver agreement was conducted on at least 70% of sessions. Agreement was above 90% for each dyad. Percentage of correct prompts and consequences were low during baseline (written instructions only), increased to clinically acceptable levels following in-vivo feedback, and remained at high levels during post-training and follow-up sessions for all dyads. Implications of these findings will be discussed.

IV. This study replicates and extends previous research on the convergence of the Functional Assessment Interview Record for Parents Checklist (FAIR-P-CL) with all phases (descriptive, interpretive, verification, implementation and monitoring) of functional behavior assessment. The FAIR-P-CL is an indirect descriptive assessment that aims to define the target behavior, identify potential environmental factors that enable the target behavior, and identify maintaining consequences. To evaluate convergence, five children between three and five, who were referred for displaying disruptive behavior frequently in the home, were selected. A multiple baseline across participants was used to expose each participant to baseline, experimental functional analysis, intervention analysis, and intervention verification. Alternating treatment designs were used to evaluate changes in participant behavior across conditions during experimental functional and intervention analysis phases. Results indicated convergence of FAIR-P-CL data across all phases of the functional behavior assessment. This extends previous research regarding convergence of the phases of a functional behavior assessment (Lewis & Sugai, 1996; Yarbrough & Carr; 2000). Further research is underway to determine if the FAIR-P-CL is sensitive enough to identify appropriate function-based interventions with the absence of a verification phase. Results from the present study extend the utility of indirect functional behavior checklists.

A brief behavioral workshop is traditionally offered at the Pediatric Feeding Disorders Program at Kennedy Krieger Institute. The goals of the workshop are to equip caregivers with effective strategies to recognize behavioral functions and provide specific tools to implement function-based interventions. The aim of this study was to assess change in caregivers' knowledge following participation in the workshop and their ability to apply it into everyday situations. We implemented pre- and post-tests to assess whether caregivers' responses changed following participation in a 4-hour behavioral workshop. We generated a questionnaire comprised of three scenarios, each related to a different behavioral function (attention, escape, and tangible). Majority of caregivers had higher post-test scores suggesting an increase in knowledge related to behavioral principles. Analyses of the data by behavioral function revealed that increases in post-test scores were only observed for caregivers who attended the specific meeting addressing the relevant function; increases were not observed for those caregivers who did not attend that meeting. All caregivers had some previous knowledge on the subject matter, suggesting that a Needs Assessment should be conducted. Future research should assess change in caregivers' behaviors using more direct methods, such as role-play and direct observations on caregiver-child interactions.

The following study focuses on an individual who displays verbal behavior that is often perceived as teasing, harassing others or simple disruption to a hospital unit. The intervention applied a technique to reinforce productive verbal behavior, while at the same time assist the patient in learning how to acquire social attention in a more acceptable manner. This patient has had behavior problems for many years and the theme is invariably about poor interactions with his peers. Based on a review of the literature a definition was developed to address a problem identified as inappropriate verbalizations. Using this definition, the patient was observed for inappropriate verbalizations, during the daily routine. This addresses the research question by directly viewing the patient in a social interaction in the very type of setting where he has had altercations in the past. During the treatment phase, the patient had the opportunity to read a joke, previously selected by the author, to an audience of fellow patients during this line-up process. An A-B-A-B design made a comparison of the patient in the baseline and treatment phases.

A bio-behavioral encopresis intervention was designed and implemented in the school and home for an 8-year-old second grade male who had been experiencing encopresis since kindergarten. The intervention consisted of a home only phase, and a home and school phase. The purpose of this intervention was to decrease his smearing and bowel movements in his pants from one to two per day to zero, and increase bowel movements in the toilet from zero per day to at least one per day. Components of the intervention included administration of Miralax, per doctor recommendation, at least three scheduled sittings lasting between three to five minutes, praise and access to tangibles following scheduled sittings, and positive practice following bowel movements in the pants. The results showed that after the school component was added, and Miralax was administered consistently, there was an increase in medium sized bowel movements on almost a daily basis. Treatment integrity however was a major obstacle in this intervention.

Research has identified the rolling time delay (RTD) procedure as an effective strategy for transferring control of manding from environmental variables (multiply controlled mands) to mands under the exclusive control of movitational variables (Sweeney-Kerwin et al., 2007). However, the methodology employed by Sweeney-Kerwin et al., 2007, left room for questioning the source of control over the mand. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the use of the RTD procedure resulted in the acquisition of MO controlled mands or mands under the control of other environmental variables (specifically history of reinforcement in the instructional setting). An ABABC design was used and the data on the frequency of MO controlled mands for various items was collected. Once the manding was acquired, mands were assessed under novel stimulus conditions (different instructor, setting and activities) as was done in baseline to determine if manding was under the control of other stimuli or exclusively motivational variables. A return to the stimulus conditions in the RTD was conducted to compare rates with the baseline condition. Results demonstrated that the mands taught using the rolling time delay procedure were not MO controlled but multiply controlled mands.

Two early learners with autism were first trained to complete three enjoyable chains of behavior involving three necessary items each. Both participants were taught to make bubbles using a battery-operated bubble machine and assemble and use a ball-rolling toy. Participant A also learned to operate a CD player with headphones and Participant B learned to make a milkshake with a child-sized blender. After the chains were acquired, participants were trained to tact the three items targeted in each chain (nine total). After meeting criterion on all tacts, Participant A was probed on mands for the same items and they did not emerge. Tacts were again probed and since some were weak or the response forms were somewhat unconventional, all tacts were re-trained. Mands for all items were again probed and they did not emerge. One mand for an item in chain #1 (bubbles) was then trained, and the others did not emerge. A second mand in chain #2 (ball run) was then trained, and the others did not emerge. Currently, a third mand in chain #3 (operating CD player) is being trained. This process will continue until untrained mands begin to emerge or all mands are trained directly. Participant B has received training on the nine targeted tacts and has not yet met criterion, apparently due to inconsistent attendance and interfering behaviors. The number of tact targets for this participant has therefore been reduced to three (one for each chain). When she meets criterion, mands for the same items will be probed, then trained (if necessary), as with Participant A. This process will then be repeated with the second and third sets of three.

The common behavioural approach to teaching language skills to children with autism is mostly based on a "receptive-before-expressive" instructional model, whereby receptive language is considered to be highly influential in the development of expressive verbal behaviour and as such an - all important pre-requisite when teaching expressive protocols. Based on Skinner's (1957) analysis of verbal behaviour, and specifically on the functional relation between the Motivating Operation (MO) and the mand it can be argued that children with autism are able to acquire a specific form of expressive language (i.e., mands) without prior receptive training (e.g., Michael, 1988; Bondy, 2001; Sundberg & Michael, 2001). The present study used an alternating treatment design to assess the above statement and determine if the manipulation of the MO was sufficient for 2 pupils with autism to learn to request using colour attributes, that were not yet part of their receptive repertoires. Results suggested receptive language training should not necessarily be considered a mandatory requirement for children with autism to acquire manding repertoires and highlights the importance of a behavioural analysis of the MO in language training. This study is currently being replicated using additional target attributes and an additional manding response form to address for any methodological issues.

Numerous studies have validated the use of pretreatment functional analyses as the basis for the development of highly effective interventions for a variety of problem behaviors. Several studies have reported instances in which experimenter-conducted functional analyses yielded rates of problem behavior too low to be interpretable and subsequently demonstrated that inclusion of caregivers as therapists in the sessions resulted in increases in problem behavior (e.g., Huete & Kurtz, 2010; Ringdahl & Sellers, 2000; Tiger et al., 2009). We trained caregivers to conduct functional analyses after low or no responding was observed during experimenter-conducted functional analyses of the inappropriate mealtime behavior of 2 children diagnosed with feeding disorders. In a pair-wise design, we used procedures similar to those described by Piazza, Fisher, et al. (2003). Interobserver agreement was above 80% for at least 33% of sessions for both children. Treatment integrity during parent conducted sessions was above ----% for both children. Inappropriate mealtime behavior increased during caregiver-conducted functional analyses resulting in successful identification of function. Results will be discussed in terms of potential operant mechanisms responsible for the differential outcomes and implications for research and clinical practice for the evaluation of pediatric food refusal.

Rapid eating is a common feeding problem displayed by persons with developmental disabilities. Rapid eating is concerning because it can result in health problems (e.g., aspiration) and can be socially stigmatizing. Anglesea, Hoch, and Taylor (2008) demonstrated that a pager prompt (i.e. a pager set to vibrate according to predetermined time interval) combined with response blocking successfully reduced the rapid eating of three teenage boys with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. The current study is a systematic replication of Anglesea et al. (2008) conducted with a 14 year old boy with an intellectual disability and autism. An ABAB reversal design will be used to evaluate the efficacy of the intervention package and both interobserver agreement and treatment integrity data will be presented (Note: we are currently in the process of completing the ABAB reversal design. The data collected to date are attached). The degree to which the findings of Anglesea et al. (2008) are replicated and suggestions for future research will be discussed.

The intervention demonstrates the use of a Motivaider during multiple settings to prompt on-task behavior. CW is a 12-year-old boy and is diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). During baseline, data was collected by the observer during a 30-minute time period. The observer wore the Motivaider to complete data using 3-minute momentary time sampling to track the presence or absence of on-task behavior at the end of each interval. During the intervention training, the Motivaider was present so that the trainer and the participant could hear the vibration. At the end of the interval, the trainer would prompt the participant by saying, Are you doing what youre supposed to be doing right now? The trainer then used least-to-most prompting to teach appropriate responding. During intervention, data was collected using a 3-minute momentary time sampling procedure. Data regarding on-task versus off task behavior was collected during this phase as well as whether CW successfully self-redirects at the end of the 3-minute interval if he was off-task. The percentage of self-redirects within 10s are demonstrated in the attached graph as well as overall on-task behavior. Interobserver agreement (IOA) data was collected during 1 session during the intervention in the home at 100% agreement. Further IOA data will be taken as this study continues. At the time of submission, CW demonstrates significant progress regarding on-task behavior in the home environment and some progress regarding on-task behavior in the social studies setting. The trainer hopes to implement the same intervention training present in the home environment at the school setting to promote high rates of on-task behavior in another environment. Further implementation will also occur in other settings to demonstrate generalization across multiple settings.

The present investigation examined the relationship between parenting stress and sleep problems in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in South Korea. Forty-six parents with children with autism spectrum disorder participated in this research, and diagnosis of their children is as follows: 24 with autism, 4 with Asperger syndrome and 18 with PDD-NOS. Participants completed the Childs Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) and Korean-Parenting Stress Index-Short Form (K-PSI-SF). Results revealed the positive correlation obtained between overall parenting stress and overall child sleep disturbance scores of CSHQ. Overall scores of parenting stress are also related to bedtime resistance and daytime sleepiness subscales in CSHQ. In subscales, the score of difficult child in K-PSI-SF was associated with bedtime resistance and daytime sleepiness in CSHQ. These results showed clearly that sleep problems of children with ASD contribute to the stresses of parent in South Korea. Findings suggest that behavioral treatments to modify settling problems and improve daytime functions of children with ASD would be helpful to alleviate stress of caregivers.

A single-subject, ABAB withdrawal design was used to increase on-task behavior, decrease negative statements, and decrease inappropriate help requests in an third grade male diagnosed with Autism. Class Wide Function-Based Intervention Teams (CW-FIT) is an evidence-based classroom management strategy that has been proven to increase desired behaviors in students who engage in disruptive classroom behavior (Wills, Kamps, Hansen, Conklin, Bellinger & Neaderhiser, 2010; Kamps, 2012). The classroom management strategy Class Wide Function-Related Intervention Teams (CW-FIT) was employed to teach to the target students attention-seeking behavior in the special education resource room. CW-FIT taught to the function of the students inappropriate behavior by teaching the student how to appropriately obtain his teachers attention and reinforce the student when he engaged in the appropriate replacement behaviors. Results indicate a successful intervention, that increased the students on-task behavior by a mean of 52%, decreased the students negative statements from a mean of 26 to a mean of 1 per instructional period, and decreased the students inappropriate help requests by a mean of 20.2 to a mean of 0.8 per instructional period.

The HANDS in Autism Interdisciplinary Training and Resource Center initiated an intensive week-long training for school personnel in 2005 to support active learning and knowledge transfer through implementation in a simulated classroom environment. The HANDS in Autism Summer Training program represents the original foundation and delivery format for the HANDS Model. Summer training is offered in one-week sessions three times each summer utilizing the HANDS Model comprehensive curriculum. The HANDS Model combines information on Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and empirically-based practices presented using didactic instruction, observation, modeling, hands-on practice, and coaching. Through practical experimentation, the composition of the training has evolved while still focusing on main components of the HANDS in Autism Model training curriculum such as structure/choreography, assessment, planning/intervention, academic, and social skills. A number of evaluation tools have been developed to evaluate this training each summer with regards to increases in participant knowledge, application of knowledge as well as satisfaction and later use of the strategies taught. In this poster, we will provide a systematic evaluation of the training progression, assessment of knowledge, participant outcomes, and further transfer of skills to their workplace, consider potential improvements, as well as offer recommendations on transportability and training replication.

Script-fading procedures have been used to increase the communication skills of children with autism (Krantz &McClannahan, 1993 and 1998 ; Sarokoff, Taylor and Poulson, 2001) The study was completed to evaluate the effects of a scripted conversation with a scripted fading procedure to teach children with autism to engage in conversational exchanges. The scripted conversation and scripted fading procedure were facilitated by the use of a tablet. Two school-age students with Autism participated in the study. They were both readers and attended regular school 5 mornings a week with the assistance of a trained therapist. The present study was implemented in the treatment center (in Paris, France). Informed consent from the students family was obtained. A multiple baseline across 3 sets of stimuli was used to assess the effects of a script-fading procedure to teach 2 children with autism to engage in conversation statements about the stimuli. Scripts were elaborated based on the following stimuli: 1) set of edibles; 2) set of toys; 3) set of school materials. Each participant had his own script, with 5 statements to each participant. When each participant read his script for six sessions, a five-step script-fading procedure was introduced (based on Krantz & McClannahan study of 1993). In Step 1, 25% of the words were faded from back to front; in Step 2, half of each sentence was faded; in Step 3, the stimuli and first letter of each line remained; in Step 4, the tablet was presented with the stimuli; and in Step 5, only the stimuli was presented. Baseline data was collected on two behaviors: number of scripted and unscripted statements made by each participant. Scripted statements were verbalizations that were identical to the written script. It was not necessary for the textual script to be present for a statement to be scored as scripted. Unscripted statements were unprompted statements not present in the script but related to the stimuli. Data were collected once a day, during 2-min sessions. Both students stated all the scripted statements, and unscripted statements also increased. Generalization was assessed with novel conversational partners. In summary, this study supports the work of script-fading procedures to promote language in children with autism and presents a discussion in how the use of a digital tablet can facilitate the implementation of these procedures.

Research targeting social skills in children with autism typically includes initiating social interactions as one response in a large class of social responses such as play, greetings, sharing, etc. Few studies have focused on teaching conversational initiations alone and in the context of a social event (e.g., snack). The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of using a time delay visual cue (various pictures of activities) and prompt delay on the acquisition of social initiations made within a 5 minute group snack time. A multi-element design was used to compare the training condition in which the visual cue and prompts were used with a baseline condition. During baseline, participants sat at a table with peers and were told, Its time for snack. No instructions or prompts to initiate were provided. Conversational initiations were scored as any comment or question directed at a peer or group of peers and required the use of a peers name, a general introductory statement (e.g., Hey everybody, guess what?), eye contact, or gaining peer attention in any way (e.g., saying Hey! tapping shoulder, etc). During baseline, conversational initiations were low and stable ranging from 0-2 for both participants. During training, every 30 seconds the instructor provides a visual cue, verbal prompts, and manual guidance to assist the participants in engaging in the conversational initiation. Initially reinforcement was provided for these prompted responses but was shifted to independent responses. For both participants, conversational initiations were higher during the training condition than during the baseline condition. In subsequent phases, prompts will be faded in the training condition using a time delay procedure.

Avoidance paradigms are widely used in basic and clinical investigations on emotional disorders to understand the interplay between threat (i.e., stimuli correlated with aversive events), emotion and approach/avoidance behavior. One issue that has received increasing attention in clinical affective neuroscience research concerns the extent to which engaging in avoidance is associated with reductions in fear/anxiety---commonly indexed using subjective ratings and autonomic arousal measures (i.e. skin-conductance responses: SCRs). We examined this issue by first having subjects undergo threat conditioning in which levels on a threat meter (ranging from 1 to 10) were paired with increasing probabilities of money loss. Increases in the threat level were found to be associated with incremental increases in ratings of feeling threatened, loss expectancy and SCRs. During a subsequent avoidance task, threat levels were individually presented and subjects chose between (a) avoiding possible loss and (b) earning 10 cents + possible loss. Results showed increases in the threat level were associated with increases in the choice to avoid. However, there was marked variability across subjects with some continuing to show increases in ratings of feeling threatened and SCRs while others showed some reductions. These findings highlight important individual differences that are relevant to research on factors associated with risk of psychopathology.

Many forms of psychopathology are characterized by a negative bias and excessive avoidance which are commonly attributed to an imbalance between approach and avoidance neural systems. We have proposed that negative bias and avoidance may be better understood in terms of a competition between appetitive and aversive contingencies with dysfunction represented as disproportionate aversive control. To examine this competition, our subjects first underwent threat conditioning in which levels on a threat meter (ranging from 1 to 10) were paired with increasing probabilities of money loss. Next, subjects completed an approach-avoidance task where threat levels were individually presented and subjects chose between (a) avoiding possible loss and (b) earning 10 cents + possible loss. Results showed increases in the threat level were associated with increases in the choice to avoid and ratings of feeling threatened, but also loss expectancy. Importantly, an indifference point was obtained for each subject that highlighted the threat level associated with a shift in control from the appetitive to the aversive contingency. This methodology provides a (much needed) quantitative measure of threat bias and creates an opportunity for examining variables designed to reduce bias and associated imbalances.

According to expected utility theory, there should be no preference between gambles that have identical outcomes. However, we sometimes see a preference due to random features of gambling�for example, the order of probabilities. In present study, subjects made 96 choices on a computer between two alternatives. Each consisted of two stages leading with equal joint probability to identical outcomes. In one alternative, the first stage offered higher probability of winning than the second stage. In the other, the first stage offered lower probability than the second. We didn�t tell subjects in advance about the probability of alternatives. There were two conditions, with an ITI in use and without ITI. The function of the ITI was to equate between alternative reinforce rates, and its duration was longer if the subjects didn�t win the first stage than if they won. Blackout was presented during the ITI. As a result, there was no preference between the alternatives without ITI. However, with ITI the subjects preferred the alternative in which the earlier stage had higher probability. The subjects may dislike the alternative with the lower probability in the first stage because they met the longer ITI more times than the other alternative.

This study compared "See Term/Say Definition" to "See Definition/Say Term" when using SAFMEDS to study ABA terms. Two young adult participants practiced six sets of approximately 30 flashcards using the SAFMEDS procedure. The flashcards were accessed online through the website quizlet.com and were terms and defintions about Applied Behavior Analysis. An alternating treatments design was used to evaluate which of two stimulus conditions was more effective at promoting learning (“See Term/Say Definition” or “See Definition/Say Term”). The design was also counterbalanced across participants. Outcome measures included: number of timings required to reach fluency in the opposite channel once fluency was achieved in the first, corrects and incorrects during first trial in opposite channel once fluency was achieved in the first, pre-test/post-test scores and duration on an intro to ABA exam, and pre-test/post-test timings on “Hear Term/Say Definition” channel. As SAFMEDS are often used to study and learn terms and definitions, it is important to address which learning channel leads to the sorts of outcomes students are interested in achieving. One possible flaw with the “See Definition/Say Term” channel is faulty stimulus control: responding could be controlled by irrelevant stimuli such as specific words or definition length.

Clinicians commonly use positive reinforcement in conjunction with escape extinction in the treatment of pediatric feeding disorders. Some evidence suggests escape extinction is equally effective with or without positive reinforcement at increasing food acceptance. However, the addition of positive reinforcement to escape extinction may result in lower levels of inappropriate behavior and negative vocalizations for some children (Piazza, Patel, Gulotta, Sevin, & Layer, 2003; Reed et al., 2004). Reed and colleagues demonstrated that the addition of noncontingent reinforcement (NCR), specifically, resulted in lower levels of inappropriate behavior for some children during initial treatment sessions. The purpose of the current investigation was to replicate and extend Reed et al.s findings. We used combination multielement and reversal designs to evaluate and compare the effects of escape and attention extinction to escape and attention extinction with NCR as treatment for 4 children diagnosed with a feeding disorder. Dependent measures included acceptance, inappropriate behavior, and negative vocalizations. The addition of NCR to escape and attention extinction positively impacted levels of acceptance for 1 child, inappropriate behavior for 3 children, and negative vocalizations for 2 children. A discussion will focus on avenues for future research.

The raising practices predict the childrens problem behavior. Children antisocial behavior is related to the early adolescents criminal behavior or use of drugs. The goal of the paper was to describe the raising practices related to the oppositional defiant disorder and to aggressive behavior throughout a descriptive study. We assess 300 participants, on a non random sample, of 34 years old average, from 18 states of Mexico, selected from public health institutions, that voluntary assist to participate at the positive raising program because the occurrence of behavioral problems of their children between 2 and 12 years old. All throughout using self-reports and an observational system of de parents behavior at the interactional simulated situations. The results showed that percentage of children with oppositional defiant disorder were greater than the aggressive ones. The parents reports and behavior: alpha commands, rules establishment, problems solve, and positive social interaction, were the raising practices that reliably predicted a report of less oppositional defiant and aggressive behavior for children.

Diabetes is a chronic world wide disease with high morbidity, mortality and major public health problem. Treatments are based primarily on a change of diet. The radical change in modern lifestyle contributes to poor adherence to treatment, mainly to the diet, so it is important to understand this phenomenon in all its complexity. Improve dietary adherence in diabetic clients with a social skills training based on psychological health model developed by Ribes (1990), this workshop was designed The main aim of this study was to evaluate strategy employed in this workshop for such skills. The design was longitudinal pretest-posttest, the independent variable was the social skills training and dependent one was the client's behavioral social skills. A voluntary sample of 100 patients aged between 34 and 86 years old, 82% women. In the first phase, in order to assess client's social skillls, an adaptation of the original version of Caballo (2005) EMES-M survey was applied. In phase two, as a kind of diabetes club, modeling techniques, role playing and behavioral rehearsal of social skills were emplyed, this phase lasted approximately three two-hours sessions. In phase three, again survey was applied. A statistically significant difference between pre and post, indicating a positive effect of EHS was found. The need for more studies to provide information on the role of the factors involved in the prevention of diabetic morbidity is appreciated

To increase compliant behavior in children who were unresponsive to traditional time-out (TO) procedures, improve parent-child interaction, and increase parental satisfaction, deferred time-out (DTO) strategies have been implemented in clinical settings (Warzak & Floress, 2009). Original studies describe DTO as a process initiated following a parent TO training procedure for children who were resistant to traditional forms of TO. Results indicated that the DTO strategy significantly reduces TO latency without the need for put-backs or other physical means to gain time-out compliance. In addition to being more time consuming and less effective, these physical strategies are less favorable to caregivers than a solution such as DTO (Kazdin, 1980). Current participants include children between two and seven, who display attention-maintained noncompliance and other minor disruptive behavior. A multiple baseline across participants with a primary dependent variable of response latency for time-out and secondary dependent variables of disruptive behavior (noncompliance, aggression and inappropriate vocalizations) was used. Social validity data will also be reported. The current paper replicates and extends the results of previous evaluations by determining the functional applications of DTO and adding to the standard behavioral strategy of TO.

This poster will focus on the importance of including cultural variables in ABA research and parent training. The information presented is based on a literature review and will include a thematic analysis of articles found in behavior analytic journals. Data will also be presented on the type of paper submitted such as research studies and/or conceptual papers. The results of the literature review will be discussed in the context of including cultural variables in behavioral analytic approaches to parent training.

Reliable data collection is an integral part of quality educational and clinical programs for students with special needs. The current study took place at a newly formed non-public school in southern California, serving approximately 130 students presenting with moderate to severe special needs. The clinical team purchased Rethink curriculum and training modules as part of the strategic planning to open a research driven school. Rethink allows staff members to record data and view student progress over time. The current study analyzed frequency of data collection on challenging behaviors and replacement behaviors described in behavior plans and individualized educational plans. A multiple baseline design across students was used to analyze the effects of large group training and individualized coaching and feedback on performance. The results thus far have indicated that large group training did not produce an increase in the frequency with which classroom staff records data. An increase in data collection for challenging behavior has however been observed following individual coaching. Future directions in the study include expanding data collection to replacement behaviors.

Relational Frame Theory (RFT) is an extension of Skinner's Verbal Behavior (Hayes et al. 2001). It is an evidence-based approach to language; however, its reach has not gained application in applied clinical settings. RFT is most commonly associated with Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) in psychological settings. RFT is commonly misconstrued as mentalistic due to the emergence of "relational frames'. To clarify, relational frames are a metaphor of the relation between stimuli. RFT teaches individuals how to derive information based on relata. This is an important life skill that allows us to form complex verbal events such as metaphors, perspective-taking, and analogies. Currently, there is no relational skills assessment developed to assess individual relational skills or to assist practitioners in developing appropriate programming for relating. This poster will introduce an overview of relational frames, how framing can be taught, and implications for the development of applicable arbitrary relational responding (AARR) in individuals receiving intensive ABA therapy. This preliminary relational skills assessment offers new insight to current practitioners who are seeking how RFT can benefit their service delivery, how to implement it, and offer guidance in programming.

Percentile schedules offer a consistent and precise method for shaping behaviors while maintaining a constant rate of reinforcement. Percentile schedules have been used with children with developmental disabilities to shape new behaviors such as eye contact, to increase task engagement, and to increase behavioral variability. In the present evaluation, a percentile schedule was included as part of a rapid toilet training protocol with two children with autism to increase the duration of voids. During the implementation of a rapid toilet training package, urinations were usually brief (often 1 s or less), resulting in a failure to fully empty the bladder and frequent accidents. During application of the percentile schedule, voids lasting longer than the upper 50% of the distribution of the last 10 voids were reinforced. Results indicate that the percentile schedule increased the duration of continent voids for both participants from averages of 0.2 s and 1 s in baseline to averages of 2.9 s and 3.3 s, respectively. Discussion will focus on the potential utility of percentile schedules in applied settings based on these preliminary data.

As students with severe disabilities transition from school to adult services, it becomes increasingly important that they have the skill to complete and transition to activities independently; however, it is common for adolescents with autism and severe disabilities to have a difficult time learning to independently complete tasks without the support of an aide or teacher. One tactic in the literature that has shown to be effective in teaching independent activity and transition skills is picture schedules. With the advancement in technology, traditional low-tech picture schedules have become more advanced. While research has demonstrated the effectiveness of picture schedules, it has not evaluated the effectiveness of traditional low-tech schedules to more high-tech schedules with individuals with severe disabilities. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of two different visual activity schedules. An alternating treatments design was used to compare traditional, low-tech static picture schedules to high-tech picture schedules presented on an iPad. Three adolescents with severe intellectual disabilities participated in the study. The data will be analyzed by comparing the learn units to criterion for each condition, the impact both interventions have on increasing independent responding, and student preference for treatment will be evaluated.

The use of descriptive praise is widely recommended practice with children diagnosed with autism. Nevertheless, comparison studies have indicated that students' performance on skill acquisition and maintenance tasks are similar regardless of whether descriptive or general praise is provided. The present study sought to further examine the effects of different praise statements on student preference for descriptive versus general praise statements by using a concurrent chains arrangement. Three toddlers diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders participated in the study. Participants selected initial link stimuli associated with either descriptive, general, and no praise terminal conditions, and skill acquisition targets were then taught according to the respective condition. Researchers measured participants' preference by recording the cumulative number of choices for each initial link. The results indicate that children did not display differential preference for either type of praise. The results are discussed in terms of variables that may affect praise as a conditioned reinforcer and general practice recommendations in favor of descriptive praise.

The ability to discriminate between and among stimuli involves a complex set of skills that many individuals with autism have difficulties acquiring, generalizing, and maintaining. Use of differential reinforcement (i.e., reinforcement for responding to the S+ and not to the S-) is a common means of teaching discriminations between stimuli; however, criterion levels of responding may not be attained solely through the application of differential reinforcement. In the current study we examined the use of stimulus re-presentation (i.e., not removing the stimulus array until the learner changed their response to the S+) on acquisition of a visual discrimination task. An 11 year old boy with autism, who had previously been unable to acquire reliable simple discriminations in a separate protocol, participated. Using a combination of stimulus re-presentation and differential reinforcement, he learned to reliably respond to the S+ across three pairs of targets. The results support stimulus re-presentation as viable supplemental tool for teaching discrimination skills. Results will be discussed in terms of the possible negative reinforcement contingency (i.e., not terminating the work demand until correct responding is emitted) utilized by stimulus re-presentation in conjunction with the positive reinforcement contingency (i.e., delivery of a preferred edible) utilized by differential reinforcement.

Because so few programs for individuals diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) address family mental health along with treatment for the individual diagnosed with ASD, the examined program provides a unique platform to assess the interaction between behavioral-based mental health interventions and behaviorally-based programming for children and families affected by ASD . Some behavioral-based mental health interventions with empirical support include Behavioral Activation for depression, Exposure Therapy for trauma, and Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy for obsessive compulsive disorders. Some parents of children with ASD in the examined program requested individual mental health therapy for anxiety, depression, and/or OCD. Individual and family therapy included one of the evidence-based behavioral mental health interventions. The researchers used a withdrawal to examine the impact of family mental health intervention on parent fidelity to treatment and child treatment outcomes when combined with parent coaching, and behavioral interventions for autism.

Education is one of the fundamental human rights for all children. The right is equal for children with disabilities (CWD) also. So, integrating the children with Autism spectrum Disorder (ASD) into special education, mainstream education and ECD program is therefore a human rights and social justice issue. In Bangladesh the number of special school and inclusive school are very few. Although there are some special needs schools in the main Dhaka city areas, some of them are for the children with ASD. Due to insufficient constructive physical environments, low special educated teachers in this field and low trained up and poor education and learning opportunities make the quality of the teachers are not so high. The present study was a qualitative phenomenological study due to exploratory nature. Researcher wanted to get as much information as possible that come as close as possible to knowing what it is like. How much the problems they face? The study aims to explore the experience and perception of the teachers who are teaching the children with ASD at autism schools. Its purpose is also to develop hypothesis, concept and theory according to teachers view. This study shows that majority of the participants have satisfactorily knowledge about autism and the management of children with autism spectrum disorder at schools. They have included various challenges when teaching the children with autism spectrum disorder at schools. Some same activities of autism schools are use of choice board, drawing, singing, play, group play, self care activities like brushing, combing, dressing, etc. various challenges include aggressive behavior, repetitive behavior, stereotype behavior, compulsive behavior, Sensory processing dysfunction, Literal and visual thinker, sexual behavior, Low space of class room and play ground, parents attitude, schools rules, limited resources, Limited opportunities of training etc. for these kind of challenges they include various suggestions like Always engaged the child in purposeful activities, Avoid noisy child from working environment, Support each other in all activities, Negative rewards when necessary to avoid unwanted behavior, some times singing therapy plays a important role to get their attention, and support from supervisor and specialist. They also include that different professionals has their own different roles in schools settings.

The Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (JABA) was established in 1968 as a peer-reviewed, psychology journal, that publishes research about applications of the experimental analysis of behavior to problems of social importance. The journal was created by Donald Baer, Sidney W. Bijou, Todd Risley, and Montrose Wolf. The JABA has been published quarterly (Spring-Summer-Autumn-Winter) on a regular basis since 1968. In this study, papers published in JABA for 45 years were examined in terms of autism spectrum disorders. For this purpose, first of all papers published in JABA for 45 years were examined individually and determined the number of papers by years. Then papers were classified according to types and research studies were determined after this classification. Research studies were examined in terms of participants and studies conducted with participants with autism spectrum disorder were included. Dependent variables were investigated in terms of communication, social interaction and repetitive behaviors and independent variables were investigated in terms of evidence-based interventions included in the report of National Autism Center (2009).

We developed and tested a sequence for teaching self-monitoring skills to an adolescent male with autism. The primary goal was for the participant to learn to identify occurrences and non-occurrences of his own behavior so that he could eventually accurately monitor his own DRO for problem behavior. Assessment 1 tested his ability to answer yes and no questions regarding common actions of others. Adults were videotaped performing common actions such as jumping, standing, walking, reading etc. Video clips of these actions were presented to the participant and he was asked yes/no questions such as, Is he walking? and Is she reading? He was able to answer over 80% of these questions correctly on the first assessment and 100% on the second assessment. In Assessment 2, we assessed his ability to answer yes and no questions regarding his own common actions and to score those responses on a data sheet. We created videos of the participant engaged in common actions such as sitting and standing. He watched 2 minute video clips of these actions. Approximately every 30 seconds, he was prompted by a vibrating pager to look at the video clip and to record the correct action by marking a box under a picture on the data sheet corresponding to the action. He was not able to accurately record these actions on the data sheet. These results serve as baseline data. During intervention, we will assess the effects of using verbal instructions, gestural prompts, manual guidance, and reinforcement on accurately recording the occurrences of his own behavior viewed on these video clips. Once the participant reaches criterion on this phase, we will then assess his ability to accurately record the occurrences of his own problem behavior as an intervention for reducing that behavior.

The HANDS in Autism Interdisciplinary Training and Resource Center was founded in 2004 to extend the outreach and training offered by the Christian Sarkine Autism Treatment Center at Riley Hospital at Indiana University Health and the Indiana University School of Medicine. The mission of the HANDS in Autism Center is to continually evolve a model system of outreach, education, and training that will facilitate the development of local capacity within schools, districts, and communities in serving individuals and families affected by autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other developmental disabilities (DD). This mission is accomplished through two primary goals: 1) bridging across multiple environments (educational, medical/clinical, home/community) to establish a common language regarding ASD/DD and collaborate in creating comprehensive, proactive programming across settings; 2) training professionals and caregivers across settings to provide individualized programming based on best practices and data-driven decision making. Across 10 years, over 800 trainings have been conducted and greater than three thousand people have been educated with materials and resources disseminated to diverse and ever expanding audiences through web-based, toolkit, and hard copy formats. A systematic evaluation of the design, implementation, outcomes, evolution, and recommendations on transportability and replication of programs will be explored.

Intraverbals are responses that have no point-to-point correspondence or formal similarity with the verbal stimuli that evoke the response (Cihon, 2007). Children with autism spectrum disorders often have difficulty acquiring language skills; of particular relevance, those that involve answering questions related to their safety or well-being. While text prompts (i.e. presentation of the written target word) have proven to be an effective method for training intraverbal responses, it has been recommended that conditional discriminations be incorporated to ensure correct responding regardless of the formal similarity to the initial or ending part of the discriminative stimulus. An eleven-year-old boy with autism was exposed to two training conditions consisting of a progressive prompt delay using either (a) text prompts or (b) text prompts embedded within a conditional discrimination task. The conditions were presented in an alternating treatment design. Results showed that text prompts embedded in conditional discrimination tasks were more efficient in establishing accurate responding to personal/safety information questions, were associated with lower levels of problem behavior during training, and moreover, were more efficient in establishing accurate responding to personal/safety information questions across novel staff and settings.