Association for Behavior Analysis International

Animals are thought to acquire, apply, and exploit information in order to exhibit socially-learned behavior. In chacma baboons (Papio ursinus), Carter et al. (2016) suggested that it is possible to explain variation in a novel, socially-learned behavior by identifying phenotypic constraints (cognitive, social, behavioral, ecological, and demographic characteristics). We conducted a similar experiment using wild vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) whose social structure varies significantly from chacma baboons. We presented a novel water patch to three troops of vervet monkeys (approximately 150 individuals) living on a private game reserve in South Africa during times of water scarcity and abundance. Using a Bayesian multi-level model, we tested whether the phenotypic constraints of age, sex, dominance rank, inter-individual behavioral differences, social network structure, and troop ecology influenced water patch exploitation. Here we discuss the sequential nature of information use and argue for the importance of considering phenotypic constraint in the ontogeny and evolution of social learning. We also provide a behavior analytic approach to the concepts of information use and social learning.

One approach to investigating the dog-human bond is to evaluate dogs’ preferences for their owner compared to other salient stimuli. Dogs typically preferred food to petting from their owners in familiar contexts, but were more likely to be sensitive to a thinning food schedule, or prefer their owner on all schedules of reinforcement in unfamiliar contexts. One issue with this prior research is that the dog was not equally deprived of food and access to the owner. Thus, in this study we tested dogs’ preference for their owners versus food when they had been deprived of both for at least four hours. After a dog was separated from their owner for the required time, we gave them a concurrent choice between a bowl of food or the owner. The dogs were presented with the food they were normally fed. The dog’s behavior was recorded for a minute-long session. We tested each dog in at least four sessions. Generally, dogs preferred their owner over food and also made the owner their first choice over the food. However, we detected individual differences in dogs. We are confident in our results as we conducted multiple sessions with each dog.

Reinforcer efficacy is an essential issue for training and maintaining desirable behavior in animals. Horses are often required to perform long sequences of behavior such that identifying reinforcers that can maintain long bouts of behavior or high effort behaviors would be useful. One way of testing reinforcer efficacy is using a progressive ratio schedule and measuring break points. Higher break points correspond to more effective reinforcers. We trained horses used in a riding instruction program to touch a target stick with their noses. After horses reached criterion levels of responding, they entered the testing phase in which we used three different grains with varying starch content as reinforcers to determine if starch content affected reinforcer value. Horses were tested on each grain each testing day and we tested each horse multiple days. We measured trials to criterion during training and break points during testing. We will discuss our results in terms of individual differences and sensitivity to different levels of starch using concepts of unit price, demand, and work.We are confident in our results given that we used a single-subject design and tested each horse multiple times on each grain type.

There is a common untested belief that domesticated dogs tend to sniff their owners more when they have been around unfamiliar dogs. In this study we aimed to determine whether this phenomenon is true in a controlled test. Six dogs interacted with a familiar caretaker while wearing sweatpants impregnated with one of four odors: odor of an unfamiliar dog, odor of self, almond extract, and no scent control. The Experimenter wore the sweatpants and stood in an enclosed space. The Experimenter called the dog’s name and pet the dog for ten seconds to encourage the dog to approach the experimenter, and then remained neutral for the duration of a 2 min session. The interaction was recorded and coded for the time the dog spent sniffing the Experimenter’s pants. Each dog went through each condition twice in a pseudorandomized order. Dogs spent significantly more time investigating sweatpants with an unfamiliar dog odor compared to self, control and almond extract. There was no difference in time sniffing between almond extract, self, and control. These results support that dogs do spontaneously recognize unfamiliar canine odors.

Non-native invasive plants (NNIP) have the potential to cause considerable economic and environmental harm. Ruminants, including goats (Capra hircus), are a NNIP management strategy that may be less environmentally harmful than herbicide use, less time consuming than physical weed removal, and more cost effective than either strategy. In this naturalistic observation study, the extent to which goats made facial contact with one NNIP--Rosa multiflora--was evaluated. The goat herd was led by the handler to a Rosa bush in a forest where they were free to roam or remain next to the Rosa bush with the handler. Momentary time samples of goat facial contact (any part of the goat’s head touching any part of a Rosa bush) with 9 goats (5 adult and 4 juvenile does) were collected during 49 video-recorded sessions. Although all goats were observed to contact Rosa, it did not occur frequently (M = 28.02%), was highly variable (SD = 26.75), and in only 2% of sessions was more than 50%. Individual differences in amount of Rosa contact occurred ranging from 29.17-7.83% per session. Operant conditioning methods are necessary to increase goats’ contact with NNIP and facilitate its destruction through stomping or eating.

Non-native invasive plants (NNIP) can cause considerable economic and environmental harm. Ruminants such as goats (Capra hircus) as a NNIP management strategy may be less environmentally harmful compared to traditional herbicide use, less time consuming than human weed removal, and more cost effective than herbicides and/or manual removal. An experimental demonstration of operant conditioning procedures to increase a goat’s consumption of one NNIP--Rosa multiflora--was performed. A multielement research design was used to compare a goat’s frequency of eating Rosa during training (prompting/fading, differential reinforcement) versus baseline conditions. Sessions occurred while the goat freely roamed with a herd in a forest containing native and non-native shrubs and trees. Data consists of observational coding of goat eating behavior during video recorded sessions. During all 15 sessions, a higher frequency of goat Rosa eating behavior occurred in the training condition compared to baseline (M = 45.53 versus 6.67, respectively). Conversely, the goat consumed vegetation other than Rosa less frequently in the training condition compared to baseline (M = 23.47 versus 47.87, respectively). Although these findings suggest that operant conditioning procedures may increase a goat’s consumption of Rosa, demonstration of maintenance and replication across other goats and NNIP are needed.

Separation-related issues, often characterized by excessive vocalizations, locomotory behaviors and/or property destruction are common canine behaviour problems. While other disciplines (e.g., veterinary behaviour and applied ethology) have extensively researched these phenomena, behaviour analysis has paid little attention to them. This data-supported case study investigated an operant approach as treatment for separation-related behaviors in a companion dog. Lucy, a 6-month old, mixture-breed dog was presented for excessive vocalization when left alone. Upon initial consultation and baseline taking, it was found that Lucy had no settle (i.e., lying-down on cue) response in her repertoire and displayed high instances of vocalizations (i.e., whining and barking) and pacing (i.e., walking around the apartment) when left alone. Treatment comprised (a) teaching a solid settle response; (b) shaping successively longer durations of separation; and (c) counterconditioning with a stuffed toy. A modification of ABC design was used for data analysis. Results showed overall improvements in settle responses, vocalizations, and pacing. A follow-up probe detected medium-term improvements across all behaviors. This case study suggests shaping procedures as potential treatments for canine separation-related issues. More research is needed to further investigate efficacy and generality of operant approaches for treating separation-related behaviors of varying magnitudes in companion dogs.

In a square experimental tank (ET), one experimentally naïve lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) was operantly conditioned to enter one of four target areas where it received an auditory feedback-response stimulus (an automated “click”) following its association with darkness reinforcement. The number of responses for each of the four targets was monitored by visual observation and computer software. The reliability of visual observation was confirmed by IOA among observers. The targets were in each corner of the ET and had to be entered by the subject to constitute a response. The study consisted of the following phases: (1) no-feedback baseline (NFB); (2) response feedback stimulus baseline (RFSB); (3) continuous reinforcement schedule (CRF); (4) extinction (EX); (5) test for spontaneous recovery; and (6) fixed-ratio schedule of reinforcement (FR1 ~ CRF, FR2, and FR4). It was found during phases 3 and 6 that the subject preferred the target area that resulted in reinforcement as it was indicated by an increase in target area responses for that corner; and decreased responding on the target during phases 4 and 5. Results during the other phases were less clear. This was to the best of our knowledge the first operant conditioning study conducted using this species.

Pet cats are often thought to be difficult to train, which may be due to a lack of knowledge of what motivates cats to respond (Vitale Shreve, Mehrkam, & Udell 2017). The present study compared two preference assessments with shelter cats – a free operant design (Vitale Shreve et al., 2017) and a paired stimulus design (Fisher et al., 1992). The purpose was to determine an ideal assessment for use in a shelter setting, including ease of use and reliability of results. Each cat completed both assessments, had their most-preferred stimulus used as a reinforcer in basic obedience training for five training sessions, and then was retested. On their initial assessments (n = 20), chicken-flavored wet food was selected most during the paired stimulus assessments (45%), while petting won the free operant assessments (50%). On their retests (n = 6), only two cats had consistent preferences. While data is still being collected, initial analysis demonstrate the paired stimulus assessment worked best overall (easier to set up, required less space, and resulted in less cat stress behavior) and that cat preferences are likely to change in as little as a week regardless of assessment used, indicating regular assessments are necessary.

Economic demand for alcoholic beverages can be assessed using the Alcohol Purchase Task (APT) where participants hypothetically buy drinks at set prices. The APT allows for detailed behavioral economic analyses including elasticity and breakpoint. In this experiment, participants were presented a scenario, completed a shortened version of the APT, watched 1 of 4 videos (pro-alcohol, anti-alcohol, neutral-alcohol and neutrol-no alcohol), were presented a second scenario, and then completed a second, but distinct, version of the APT. A full 4 (videos) X 2 (scenario order) factorial experiment was conducted, allowing for both between-conditions and within-subjects analyses. Results from sixty-one participants (n=61) suggest some influence of the different videos and scenarios. For example, economic demand for alcohol was significantly reduced by exposure to an anti-alcohol video in one scenario order, but not the other. However, the demand characteristics of the survey itself may have produced some of these effects. A full comparison of conditions, as well as an increase in sample sizes may assist in interpreting whether or not exposure to videos changes economic demand for alcohol.

Polydrug use is a common problem among patients in opioid substitution treatment, and can be difficult to treat. Abstinence reinforcement can decrease polydrug use when contingencies target single drugs sequentially, until abstinence is obtained for each drug. The present study examined effects of sequential administration of drug-abstinence contingencies delivered based on time – rather than on obtained abstinence. Adults in opioid substitution treatment (n = 91) were invited to work in the Therapeutic Workplace – an employment-based intervention for drug addiction – for 3 months. Participants gained access to paid work ($10/hr maximum) by providing urine samples three times per week. The urine samples were then tested for opiates and cocaine. During an induction period, participants earned maximum pay independent of drug abstinence. After induction, the amount of pay was contingent upon providing urine samples that were negative for opiates. Two weeks later, the amount of pay was contingent upon providing urine samples that were negative for both opiates and cocaine. Analyses of urine samples collected before and after the contingencies showed that abstinence from opiates and cocaine increased significantly after the contingencies were implemented. The results will be discussed in terms of previous research on abstinence-reinforcement interventions that target polydrug use.

Correct navigation, or the ability to remember where you are, has been attributed to the role of memory and neurobiological mechanisms. The neuroscientific literature implicates the hippocampus in spatial navigation, for example. While such accounts are important to consider, it is imperative to isolate functional relations between environmental events and behavior. Specifically, contingencies may select for certain patterns of behavior considered in spatial navigation. This study sought to examine such influences on navigation behaviors of adult human participants in a virtual simulation of a maze using the MazeSuite software. The maze design was adapted from Morris’ (1984) ‘water maze’ typically used on rats. Rats are dropped in a circular tub filled with opaque water and swim until they discover a hidden platform to stand on and escape the water. Subsequent trials show that rats get faster at finding the platform. Tests are then made to determine whether the rat was responding to spatial cues (i.e., stimulus-stimulus configurations of the environment), or responding to proprioceptive-based cues (i.e., stimulus-response properties). In similar fashion, participants navigate the same maze repeatedly until they have had practice encountering the hidden platform, or end goal, while the program takes measures of path length, duration, and virtual velocity. Tests are then implemented where hidden walls are placed in the same maze that blocks the movement of the user, thereby forcing them to remember direction, or S-R relations. However, if participants were using S-S cues to navigate, performance should very little be disrupted. Preliminary results of this study are discussed along with theoretical implications and future research.

The purpose of this study was to examine how positive reinforcement influences both the behavioral and neural stroop effects. More specifically, we examined how reaction time data and Event Related Potentials (ERPs) vary for congruent vs incongruent conditions within a Stroop task administered with and without positive reinforcement. The research question addressed was if positive reinforcement affected response competition as measured by lower Reaction Time in the congruent condition compared to the incongruent condition. Behavioral and EEG data collected on 16 participants are discussed.

Neuromodulation is one of the physiological mechanisms involved in selection by reinforcement of environment-behavior relations. Different neuromodulatory systems appear to be differentially responsive to appetitive and aversive stimuli, and they also partially innervate non-overlapping brain areas, creating an interesting behavioral and neuroanatomical mechanistic puzzle. Here we review the behavioral neuroscience and neuroanatomical literature on the Dopaminergic and Cholinergic systems. Our goal is to eventually propose a neuro-operant framework describing the interactions among all systems involved in neuromodulation.

Recent stimulus equivalence research has utilized simple-discrimination training procedures with three-term contingencies. However, these procedures have not been effective from the outset for some participants. Crossmodal identity training with compound-consequence images has been shown to facilitate early probe performances (Sheehan, 2018). The current study examined which stimulus-control topographies are important for success on initial probe performances. Specifically, the impact of the crossmodal component of identity training and whether it helps establish a correspondence between the computer-presented images and reinforcer tokens was evaluated. Seven typically developing children (ages 3-4) received one of three variations of identity training (i.e., crossmodal identity training, computer-based identity training, or tabletop identity training) prior to simple discrimination training with compound discriminative stimuli and class-specific reinforcers. Data to date suggest signs of emergence for one participant, who received crossmodal identity training, although these data do not indicate complete emergence. These data raise the question of which variables are responsible for the lack of emergent performances in the current study.

Selection-based instruction (i.e., multiple-choice format) might not be enough for the emergence of topographical responses such as writing. This study examined the emergence of topographical responses after participants read notecards, which presented descriptions of the trained relations, and answered selection-based questions, and the formation of equivalence classes. Stimuli involved 4 four-member classes [textual label (A), textual definition (B), graph (C), vignette (D)] of single-subject designs. Fifteen undergraduates were submitted to a pretest-training-posttest design. Pre and posttests presented AB, AC, AD, BA, CA, DA, BC, BD, CB, DB (selection-based), CA tact and AB and BA intraverbal (topographical) relations. AB, AC, AD relations were trained and BA, CA, DA, BC, CB, BD, DB emergent relations were tests. Ten participants increased pre- to posttests scores on the selection-based and topographical tests, indicating that the training comprised of notecards and selection-based questions taught participants to select the correct answers on the selection-based questions. Moreover, the training taught some of the participants to write the names and definitions of the single-case designs, even without explicit training. Five participants demonstrated the emergence of equivalence classes. This study showed the emergence of topographical responses after participants were exposed to a training comprised of notecards and selection-based questions.

Delayed matching to sample (DMTS) improves equivalence classes formation when compared to simultaneous matching (SMTS). However, this differential outcome was not observed for classes established by SMTS when the reorganization of classes was tested after reversal of conditional discriminations using both procedures. We aimed to complete this investigation evaluating the effects of conditional discrimination reversals, carried out by DMTS or SMTS, over the reorganization of classes initially established by DMTS. Undergraduate students learned AB, AC and AD conditional discriminations through DMTS (2s). After the emergence of equivalence relations between B, C and D stimuli, participants were divided into two groups: DMTS Group continued with DMTS (2s) and SMTS Group was exposed to SMTS. A reversal training modified AD relations (A1D2, A2D1) and reorganization tests verified whether baseline equivalence relations were altered. Out of 20 participants, 15 reorganized the classes. No differences were observed when accuracy on reorganization tests was compared between the groups. However, choice response speed was significantly lower for SMTS group in reorganization tests when compared to DMTS or to both groups in equivalence tests. The results suggest that additional measures of classes reorganization (e.g., response speed) should be useful to investigate the modification of equivalence relations.

In pursuit of a behavior analytic account of symbolic meaning, researchers often investigate conditions that influence the probability that derived stimulus relations will emerge. One common preparation for such investigations is premised on a well-replicated experimental outcome termed “The Meaningful PIC Effect”: In potential stimulus classes of otherwise non-representational (meaningless) forms, ABCDE, a higher percentage (yield) of participants demonstrate equivalence relations in conditions where the C stimuli are pictures than in conditions where C stimuli are non-representational. Further, within this paradigm, pretraining a stimulus function to non-representational C stimuli through successive-discrimination procedures enhances equivalence outcomes. However, such pretraining typically has been conducted with keyboard responses involving letters of the alphabet, themselves meaningful stimuli - a potential confound. The present study asked whether pretraining successive discrimination of non-representational C stimuli using a simple one-button go/no-go procedure would similarly enhance subsequent equivalence yield with ABCDE non-representational stimuli. College-student participants were randomly assigned to a keyboard-response successive-discrimination condition, a one-button go/no-go successive-discrimination condition, or two control conditions. Across 29 participants to date, both variations of successive-discrimination pretraining enhanced equivalence yields, suggesting another way in which meaningfulness emerges from acquired stimulus function. Additional data collection is ongoing to increase group sizes and statistical power.

The comprehension of socially agreed codes (arbitrarily related to other events) plays important roles in everyday tasks. The present study investigated the acquisition of arbitrary relations in typically developing children, using two procedures for fading the sample stimulus in a matching-to-sample procedure (MTS). In Static Fading, gradual transformations in the sample stimulus occurred in a sequence of trials; in Dynamic Fading, transformations occurred within each trial. Twelve children aged between three and six years participated. We used four sets of three pairs of stimuli, each pair consisting of a picture and a letter. The computerized procedure began by teaching letter-letter identity matching (IDMTS), which gradually morphed into arbitrary visual-visual picture-letter matching. Each participant was exposed to the four stimulus sets, which alternated according to the fading procedure, and the order of alternation was balanced between participants (DSDS x SDSD). Six children learned all relations, two learned the relations for two stimulus sets, one child learned one stimulus set and three children did show any learning. The amount of training and the number of learned stimulus sets relations varied with age: older children tended to learn more relations with less exposure to the procedure, regardless of the type of fading procedure.

The N400 is an event-related brain potential sensitive to the semantic relations in naturally occurring language. To illustrate, when words are unrelated (e.g., grease-bread) the N400 will be more negative than N400 evoked by related words (e.g., butter-bread). The peak amplitudes can be used to differentiate the types of experimentally-defined stimulus relations established by Matching-to-Sample (MTS) procedures. That is, the N400 will be more negative for the “non-equivalent” than to the “equivalent” stimulus-stimulus relations. Research reported here concerns the impact of explicit training of name-object relations, in the N400 waveforms. In this regard, a between groups design was used, in which both groups were exposed to the same experimental procedures, except for the stimuli used, so that Group 1 used only abstract figures, and Group 2 used both pseudowords and abstract figures, during MTS training. The waverforms obtained from participants shows a clear N400 effect for Group 2, but not for Group 1. These results are discussed considering the possibility that this effect reflects a difference between groups in the degree of relatedness between stimuli in equivalence classes.

Research outside of behavior analysis has explored the use of emotion induction procedures. Previous research has shown that depending on the emotion induced, it is possible to alter discounting when an emotion of “gratitude” was induced, compared to the induction of happiness or sadness. The current research explores the effects of emotion induction of these three emotions on an equivalence test. 120 undergraduate students were separated randomly into four groups according to the emotion they were induced: gratitude, happiness, sadness and control. After the emotion induction procedure, participants went through a respondent conditioning training of four stimuli classes and were later presented with a learning test of the relations trained and an equivalence test with a multiple matching-to-sample test. Results so far show that most of the participants (independent of their group) scored well in the learning test but didn’t achieve equivalence, however, the participants of the control group had better scores in the equivalence test. Higher scores on the learning test are observed in the gratitude and the control groups. Results are discussed with respect to the effectiveness of emotion induction procedures and their value in behavior analytical research.

Vascular Dementia is a type of neurocognitive disorder caused by a disruption in the blood supply to the brain. Such disruption can damage the brain cells, leading to problems in cognitive functioning such as remembering. The participant, Charlie, was a 74 year-old male diagnosed with Vascular Dementia. He lived in a nursing home at the time of the study. The study was a replication of an earlier experiment conducted with the same participant seven months earlier. In that study, a conditional discrimination training was presented by the use of either simultaneous (A-phases) or the simple-to-complex (B-phases) protocol. These phases were replicated in the current study. The stimuli, pictures of Charlie’s significant other, were presented using the Many-to-One training structure. Based on the findings from previous study, the inter-trial-interval was set to 5000 ms throughout the experiment. The results showed that the simple-to-complex protocol lead to higher accuracy of responding (see Figure 1). Additionally, the results also show how conditional discrimination may be sensitive to changes in cognition caused by additional disruptions of blood flow to the brain (a new stroke).

Training structures have been observed to influence yields in equivalence class formation. The Linear Series (LS) training structure provides the lowest yields. The current study investigates the influence of a LS training structure on the transfer of stimulus function and preference tests. Sixteen college students rated six images showing needle injections to different parts of a human hand. The images were rated on a 5-point Likert Scale ranging from least to most painful (1¬–5). The images rated as most and least painful were later employed as D1 and D2 stimuli, respectively. The D3 image showed a Q tip being pressed against a hand. Next, the participants trained six conditional discriminations in a LS training structure and tested of forming three 3-member equivalence classes. Six out of the 16 participants formed three 3-member classes, whereas five out of six participants successfully expanded the classes to three 4-member classes. Class expansion was done by training the needle injection images (D-stimuli) to the A-stimuli. In a preference test, three bottles were labelled with the B-stimuli. Three participants chose bottle B3, whereas one participant chose bottles B1 and B2. One out of five participants rated the B and D stimuli the same.

Relational Density Theory (RDT) provides a behavioral account of higher-order and self-organizing properties of equivalence networks. Similar to behavioral momentum theory, RDT posits that a first self-organizing property is the relative resistance of relational behavior as a product of behavioral mass. In RDT, mass is a function of the competing molar state volume (class size and nodal distance) and density (response strength) of a given equivalence class. The purpose of the present study was to extend upon prior research on RDT with 13 college student participants. In phases 1 and 2, 4 classes were established that differed in size (3-member, 4-member, 6-member, 8-member) in a one-to-many training structure (max. nodal distance = 1 for all classes). In phase 3, a single derived relation within each class was counter conditioned (-x), and changes in relational responding for each class were evaluated in phase 4. We predicted that classes with greater volume would be more resistant given similar obtained density values in phases 2 and 3. Results suggest that greater distance from the counter-conditioned relation was predictive of greater resistance to counter-conditioning, consistent with a first model prediction within RDT.

The effects of linguistic morphology of saying and reporting, and delay between the say-do-report moments, have not been systematically assessed in the say-do correspondence studies. In the present study adults were exposed to task, differentiated by the moment: 1) Say, i.e. answer questions; 2) Do, i.e. perform do-moment-related actions; 3) Report, i.e. answer questions about previous moments. In Experiment 1 groups of adults were exposed to three different linguistic morphologies (e.g. writing, vocalizing, pointing); whereas, for Experiment 2 two groups were exposed to different delay values (e.g. 0 and 24hrs). Results showed little difference between linguistic morphologies and correspondence, and less correspondence under the 24hr delay. These results are discussed in terms of the factors that modulate the establishment of correspondence (i.e. task dependence, existing temporality between the Say, Do and Report moments).

Research by Bland, Cowie, Ellfie, and Podlesnik (2018) demonstrated that a negative discriminative stimulus (i.e., stimulus correlated with the absence of reinforcers, S-) could be used to punish behavior maintained by positive reinforcers with pigeons. We replicated Bland et al. using the Portable Operant Research and Teaching Lab (PORTL). In the first phase, college students card touching was reinforced in the presence of one card (S+) and extinguished in the presence of an S-. In subsequent phases, we evaluated whether the S- functioned as a punisher when the S- was placed atop the S+ for 1-s intervals when presented (a) after an average of four responses to the S+ and (b) after each response to the S+. In both phases, participants’ behavior changed following the presentation of the S- when compared to a phase with the S+ only and a control stimulus. Most participants responding decreased in at least one of the punishment conditions. These results replicated Bland et al. because the presentation of the S- decreased the rate of responses maintained by positive reinforcement.

A recurring issue in the literature on resurgence of operant responding in human participants is lack of sensitivity to reinforcement schedules and extinction. In the present experiment, to increase the sensitivity to the schedule, a vigilance task was used. In the 1950s, Holland found that these tasks are useful to demonstrate systematic effects of different reinforcement schedules on human operant responding. Participants pressed a button to observe the state of a pointer on a dial (vigilance response). The pointer moved on a variable interval (VI) schedule and served as reinforcement of the vigilance response. When a change in the state was detected, pressing a red collect button produced points that were exchanged for money. A console with three buttons was built to establish two vigilance responses on a three-phase resurgence procedure. During Phase 1, presses on a green button were reinforced. During Phase 2, alternative presses on a blue button were reinforced and presses on the green button were extinguished. In Phase 3 presses on both buttons were extinguished. Resurgence of the vigilance response established in Phase 1 was found on the four participants. Alternative responses, however, were observed during most of the extinction sessions.

Autoshaping is a phenomenon that produces steady rates of responding, despite the lack of contingency between reinforcer and responding (Brown & Jenkins, 1968). Attempts to determine the processes responsible for the establishment and maintenance of autoshaped responding have produced conflicting results (e.g. Williams & Williams, 1969; Barrera, 1974). These experiments employed negative automaintenance procedures to determine the role of operant and respondent processes. A comparison of the procedures of each study revealed a discrepancy in these negative automaintenance procedures. This study attempted to determine the effect of this discrepancy on the persistence of autoshaped responding in each of the two procedural variations. This study was conducted using human participants in the Portable Operant Research and Teaching Laboratory (PORTL) ( Rosales-Ruiz & Hunter 2014). A forward pairing preparation was used to establish responding to two different manipulanda (see Brown & Jenkins, 1968). Once established, each manipulandum was assigned to one of the two different negative automaintenance conditions. Each participant was exposed to both conditions consecutively. Results suggest that the procedural variation may account for the discrepancy in the previous findings. Implications for the role of conditioned reinforcers and shaping in autoshaping and automaintenance are discussed.

Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) present a range of academic, behavioral, and social needs (Ennis et al., 2017). In particular, students with EBD struggle to become effective writers (Ennis, 2016). One possible explanation for this underachievement is that writing requires skills in self-monitoring and self-regulation that are characteristically weak in this population (Gage et al., 2014). Moreover, students with EBD often demonstrate low levels of academic engagement (Wagner & Cameto, 2004). The current study examined the effects of an antecedent intervention to support students with EBD during writing instruction. Participants included four males in grades 5 and 6 served in a separate school for students with EBD, all of who had specific writing goals in their Individualized Educational Programs. Using a multielement design, researchers compared the effects of high-preference pre-writing organizers to traditional organizers on total words written. Data indicated that each student produced more wiring when using the preferred organizer versus the less preferred one. Results are discussed in terms of the adaptability of low-intensity antecedent interventions for use by behavior analysts and educators who teach students EBD.

Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) consistently underperform in writing compared to their peers without disabilities. Most interventions for students with EBD focus on social behavior, and academic interventions are not prioritized. There is limited research on effective academic interventions, specifically in the areas of written expression, for students with EBD. In this study students with EBD received intervention—GO 4 IT...NOW! strategy instruction—to improve writing skills. Using effective techniques, such as feedback, self-editing, and self-correcting, students with EBD improved their writing and learned to write paragraphs about their goals as well as basic expository paragraphs. This study occurred over two school years in an urban alternative setting with middle school students. During intervention, instruction was provided in small group and one-on-one sessions over a 19-lesson sequence. By the end of these lessons, each student met mastery criteria based on a quality writing rubric. During the following school year, data were collected to measure maintenance, and booster sessions were delivered to students as needed. Results indicated a functional relation between the GO 4 IT…NOW! strategy instruction and improved paragraph writing. Students generally maintained some of the gains they made during the previous year but required booster sessions to return to levels comparable to their post-instruction scores.

Elementary students need proficiency in transcription skills (i.e., spelling and handwriting) to develop more advanced writing skills. Unfortunately, students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) tend to have difficulty with several areas of written expression, including handwritten letter formation. A small number of prior studies have addressed letter formation for students with ASD through intervention which has targeted limited letter sets (i.e., within 3 or fewer words). Given the need for research addressing a broader range of letters (i.e., the entire alphabet), the goal of the present study was to evaluate the effects of the CASL (Center for Advancing Student Learning) Handwriting Program on the fluency of handwritten letter formation of three elementary students with ASD. Eighteen, 20-min lessons taught formation of the entire lowercase alphabet using explicit instruction and timed practice. Using a multiple baseline across participants design, all students experienced immediate increases in letter formation accuracy as measured by correct letter points and error letter points on a 1.5-min sentence copy task. Throughout intervention, all three students gradually improved their overall letter formation accuracy, and 2 of 3 students showed increased rates of letter formation. However, the observed gains fell short of levels expected from fluency as a learning outcome. Results extend prior research which has demonstrated the positive effects of CASL Handwriting for students with learning disabilities.

In this investigation, researchers used a concurrent multiple probe design to evaluate to effects of an autonomous technology-based writing package in teaching sentence construction to 8 students with ASD and ID. The package integrated innovative technological features and transfer of stimulus control procedures. Data suggest the package was effective but provide insight in to the need for future iterative research

Research in foreign language learning by students with specific reading disorder is based on the hypothesis that there is a close relation between the students’ skills in their first language and those in their second/foreign language. The aim of the present study is to investigate reading skills in primary and secondary school students with specific reading disorder and their equivalents with good reading skills, in Greek as a first language (L1) and in French as a foreign language (L2). Furthermore, a basic objective of the study is to examine whether reading skills in Greek could predict reading skills in French for both groups. The sample of the study consists of one hundred and eight (N=108) students with good reading skills and one hundred and eight (N=108) students with specific reading disorder, who are assessed for their decoding and comprehension reading skills in both languages. The results of the study revealed that students with specific reading disorder had a statistically significant lower performance than those with good reading skills, in all tasks in both languages. Furthermore, the results revealed that the deficits appeared in a specific task in one language were transferred analogically to the same task in the other language.

Teaching individuals with complex communication needs to communicate beyond basic requests is an essential outcome of our schools. Approaches for teaching language often rely heavily on modeling without direct teaching of specific concepts or vocabulary. These approaches often lack the systematization necessary to meet the unique instructional needs of learners with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and complex communication challenges. Approximately 30% of individuals with ASD experience significant challenges in the area of communication and are considered to be minimally verbal into adulthood (DiStefano, Shih, Kalser, Landa, & Kasari, 2016; Finke et al., 2017). While some individuals labeled as minimally verbal are able to make basic requests across settings, they do not have functional communication systems that support meaningful social communication interactions at school or work, at home. In this multiple baseline study across participants, a structured protocol was created to teach adolescents with significant ASD to comment using specific vocabulary (i.e., pronouns plus verbs) in both one on one and small group instruction using age appropriate activities. Data collected included a) pronoun use, b) verb use, and c)the the length of the utterances. All students demonstrated communication gains with pronouns post intervention. One student demonstrated gains in the use of verbs.

Direct Instruction (DI) is an evidence-based and empirically tested teaching method that has been found to be very effective in English-speaking countries. DI has been especially effective when combined with fluency building methods. These methods are not generally in use in Iceland although dozens of single-case experiments have indicated that they are very effective when psychology students have used the methods with special ed students. In this project, a group comparison was undertaken to study the effects of reading instruction with DI and fluency building in Icelandic by trained teachers on reading performance of students in 1st and 2nd grade in a traditional classroom. Participants were in total 72 students in 1st grade and 75 students in 2nd grade in two comparable elementary schools in Iceland, one had the experimental group, the other school had the comparison group. Performance in reading was evaluated and comparisons were made within the experimental and comparison groups at the beginning and end of each school year and between the experimental and comparison groups. Results show that students in the experimental groups showed more progress than students in the comparison groups and scored higher on 10 of the 11 variables tested at the end of the study.

The slower rate of learning for students with intellectual disabilities prompted the design of a reading package effective in accelerating decoding skills. Centered on the behavioral analysis of memory (Palmer, 1991), the design incorporated phonetic hand cues as an intermediate behavior, salience of the stimuli (letters) enhanced, competing responses controlled (errorless teaching and short intertrial intervals), and constant stimulus conditions maintained (systematic instructional sequence). The subject was taught to imitate a hand signal associated with the phonetic sound of a letter. Instruction systematically moved from isolated letters to whole word presentation for consonant-vowel-consonant words. Study 1 followed a 6-step instructional sequence across 4 participants (ages 9-10, Down Syndrome and Autism). Study 2 replicated only 3 of the 6 steps across the same 4 participants plus 1 new participant (age 14, Down Syndrome), evaluating the effectiveness of a shorter instructional sequence. A multiple baseline design across participants demonstrated discriminative control of responding by multielement stimuli for printed words in both study 1 and 2 for all participants. A steady increase in decoding words is observed from baseline to intervention. This supports stimulus control procedures as an effective way to enhance phonetic reading in students with intellectual disabilities.

Discrete trial training is a popular teaching method for individuals with autism. It includes many components, which can make it a difficult teaching method for individuals to learn. This meta-analysis examined the impact of different training techniques on individuals’ ability to implement discrete trials with fidelity. Twenty-five studies and 110 cases were included in the analysis. Only single case designs were included, and discrete trial implementation fidelity needed to be the dependent variable for inclusion eligibility. Training length, participant type, maintenance phases, and training type are among some of the variables that were coded and included for analysis. Hierarchical linear modeling, which has the ability to analyze clustered data, was used to estimate the treatment effect. Results showed that trainings are successful in improving both parents’ and teachers’ implementation fidelity of discrete trials. Furthermore, results demonstrated that behavioral skills training has a statistically significantly effect on discrete trial implementation fidelity. The results showed that the number of sessions in the intervention phase is a positive predictor of discrete trial implementation fidelity. Moreover, the results provide evidence that the effects of the trainings last across time. These results have implications for how individuals should be trained to implement discrete trials and other evidence based practices.

In online higher education environments, students present with diverse contextual factors that decrease students’ abilities to engage in timely coursework. There is limited research on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and procrastination within the online educational setting. This investigation explores whether an ACT values-based approach using Ecological Momentary Intervention (EMI) will impact procrastination in an online educational environment. Ten students enrolled in a 10-semester online Master of Psychology program were randomly assigned to either an experimental or control group. Treatment consisted of a short media-based values exploration grounded in ACT and daily EMI prompts delivered to participants’ cell phones. Both groups completed pre-, post-, and follow-up questionnaires, the Academic Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ) and Academic Procrastination Scale-Short Form (APS). Outcome data from the questionnaires, Discussion Boards, and assignment submissions were analyzed across the time periods, contrasting the experimental and control groups via t tests. Results indicate a significant decrease in academic procrastination behaviors in the experimental group between baseline and post-test, which maintained and decreased further by six weeks post-intervention; there were minor and non-significant increases in academic procrastination among control participants. Maintaining an active connection to one’s values appears to result in effective decreases of student procrastination behaviors.

The purpose of the study was to analyze the contingency relations of scientific work as an individual practice in an introductory course to go in the Master in Research in Applied Psychology to Education of the Institute of Psychology and Education of the University of Veracruz. Former authorization, 29 aspirants of both sexes, graduates of the degree in psychology and related disciplines, developed and defended in the face of the Selection Committee a conceptual and empirical article to support a research problem in psychology applied to education. Procedure: The course was divided into two stages. In the first one, the applicants received information and advice to elaborate the article and in the second the academic conditions and physical spaces for the realization of the corresponding activity were established. The behavior of the applicants was observed and recorded in real time in interaction with teachers, students and learning contents in the educational spaces of the aforementioned Institute based on six performance criteria. The results showed that the analysis of the scientific practice as a psychological dimension contributed to the selection of eighteen candidates who met the admission profile to the master's program of twenty-nine who participated in the introductory course.

Abstract: Motivating operations affect the efficacy of reinforcers and the probability of behavior maintained by those reinforcers. Michael (1982) proposed a universal term, establishing operations, to refer to events that either increase or decrease the effectiveness of consequences. Conditioned establishing operations (CEOs) are events that alter the effectiveness of a consequence because of the individual organism’s learning history. Michael (1993) outlined three types of CEOs: surrogate CEOs, which are neutral events that acquire the motivational characteristics of the unconditioned establishing operations (UEO) that they’re paired with; reflexive CEOs, which are those that establish their own termination as a form of reinforcement or punishment; and transitive CEOs, which establish some stimulus as a form of effective reinforcement and evokes the behavior that has produced that other stimulus. Since 1982, the establishing operation concept has been modernized with the addition of the motivating operation umbrella term, incorporating both the concepts of establishing and abolishing operations. In this poster, we review the CEO concept and propose updates in line with the current concepts of motivating and abolishing operations.

Noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) is in evidence based intervention that is easily implemented but is not always sustainable in classrooms. The application of Weber’s Law of Just Noticeable Difference is an efficient method to systematically reduce problem behavior when applied to a fading procedure ensuing a treatment phase. Three participants who were referred to the school’s multidisciplinary data team for behavioral concerns were selected from a rural school district in the South-Central United States. Participants 1 and 2 exhibited a reduction of disruptive behavior from baseline conditions, and experimental control was demonstrated when the same effects were replicated in the second treatment phase. Further, fading the intervention at 25% based on Weber’s Fraction demonstrated to be a sufficient rate to increase the time between each application of NCR and the level of the frequency of disruptive behavior stabilized throughout each fading session. By the final fading session, each participant was receiving teacher attention at the same rate they were at baseline conditions while the frequency of disruptive behavior remained low. NCR did not demonstrate the same effects in Participant 3 as in Participants 1 and 2, likely due to procedural integrity not being maintained by Teacher B throughout the treatment phase.

The current study was conducted to 1) compare and evaluate the effectiveness of feedback at two different temporal locations (immediately after the performance versus immediately prior to the next performance opportunity), 2) investigate what behavior functions(s) that feedback could serve, and 3) identify whether preference of timing corresponded to performance improvement. Three experienced behavior therapists with different baseline levels participated in this study. Their performance in discrete trial training was evaluated in an alternating treatment design. Results indicated that both delayed feedback and immediate feedback were effective in improving discrete trial teaching implementation to the mastery level across all participants with no significant differences across all participants. A correlation between preference for feedback timing and performance was observed with two out of three participants. However, the findings suggest that, regardless of the personal preference of performers, feedback may primarily function as an EO for performers with a higher level of skill acquisition; whereas, feedback may primarily function as reinforcement for performers with a lower level of skill acquisition.

Performance scorecards are an important performance management tool for any organization. They help both staff and managers track and gain a clear understanding of how employees are performing on tasks that are pertinent to their role, as well as the areas in which they may need additional support. They also allow for an objective measure to use when rewarding employee behavior, which when done with motivating consequences, can result in improved performance. The organizational behavior management literature includes few studies evaluating the effectiveness of various preference assessment methodologies on behavioral staff performance (Waldvogel, J.M., & Dixon, M.R., 2008; Wine, B., Reis, M., & Hantula, D., 2014). The current study evaluates the effectiveness of a survey and ranking preference assessment method in identifying potential reinforcers for staff behavior. Effectiveness of preference assessment method is measured by comparing several staff performance measures before and after contingent reinforcer delivery across 21 months. Staff performance measures evaluated in this study include number of appointment cancellations, percent of clinical objectives mastered, and frequency of staff caseload changes.

This paper explores the current rates and correlates of turnover among direct support staff working with individuals with developmental disabilities. While the United State Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics collects data on annual separation rates by a variety of industry sectors, there is not a recognized sector for the field of Applied Behavior Analysis. Other data sources similarly do not include Applied Behavior Analysis as its own industry sector, which produces a gap in knowledge. This study uses data obtained from providers of services for individuals with developmental disabilities in a national online survey to obtain rates of turnover for the field of Applied Behavior Analysis. Results indicate a lower rate of turnover than what is reported in the fields of education, and social services in general. The results also indicate that pay rate and amount of supervision offered increase retention while training offered pre and post hire has little correlation to rate of turnover.

The Performance Diagnostic Checklist – Human Services was evaluated for its applicability and usefulness in the residential group home setting. This study held two purposes; to assess if the PDC-HS would be an effective tool in determining performance deficit areas of staff expected to implement behavior procedures, as well as to determine if indicated versus non-indicated treatment of staff behavior resulted in change in client behavior. Results of this study showed that with Person A, at baseline, frequency of target behavior averaged 3.4 instances per day while staff adherence averaged 41%. After treatment, the average frequency of target behavior reduced to 0 and staff adherence increased to 100% with the same results at follow-up. With Person B, at baseline, frequency of target behaviors averaged 0.6 per day while staff adherence averaged 63%. After treatment, the average frequency of target behaviors reduced to 0 per day and staff adherence increased to 100% with the same results at a one month follow-up.

An area worthy of the attention of behavioral science is the behavior of staff in human service settings. The principles of learning and behavior, as applied to staff and the workplace can enable researchers to analyze what environmental changes can be made to increase staff motivation which can therefore result in increased performance, productivity, efficiency, or a decrease in errors. Although the growing popularity of Organizational Behavior Management has had an effect on the frequency of behavioral interventions used in business, the social importance of the behavior of staff that implement behavioral interventions used in treatment facilities and clinics necessitates further investigation and research. The current study evaluated the effect of the delivery of generalized conditioned reinforcers (tokens) to staff in a center that provides applied behavior analytic educational and behavior consulting to individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and other related developmental disabilities contingent on social interactions with clients not involving demands. This study attempts to contribute to current literature in applied behavioral science with the methodological application of a token economy to staff in human service settings.

Behavioral-focused interventions are common in comprehensive workplace safety programs. The use of behavioral technologies such as positive reinforcement, measurement and feedback, and goal-setting can be effective in helping to establish safe work practices, but the long-term maintenance of these practices proves to be a challenge in industrial settings where competing reinforcement contingencies (e.g., productivity and time pressures) are ever-present. In these settings, the recurrence (i.e., relapse) of at-risk behaviors is a continual threat. The goal of this poster is to summarize the different forms and underlying behavioral principles of relapse (e.g., reacquisition, spontaneous recovery, renewal, reinstatement, resurgence, etc.) and how these contribute to breakdowns in the long-term efficacy of behavioral safety interventions. We conclude that an understanding of these principles will allow occupational safety experts to anticipate the potential for relapse in the design of more effective behavioral interventions.

This treatment evaluation was conducted to assess implementation of a prompting procedure which would be effective in decreasing the rate of prompts per minute with regards to activity engagement for an adult client. Assessments and direct observation were conducted to assess the most preferred reinforcer or reinforcing activity to increase independence in activity completion. Data were collected on staff’s total prompts per minute per session. During baseline, staff attempted to verbally prompt activity engagement (e.g., “it’s time to clean your room”) at a rate of about one prompt per minute. Direct support staff were then trained on specific prompting strategies that consisted of if/then statements as an antecedent and implementation of variable ratio (2 min) schedules of reinforcement. These were then implemented during sessions as a replacement for previous verbal prompting of task reminders only. Data during intervention shows a slight decrease in the rate of prompts per minute, showing an average of ½ a prompt per min (or 1 prompt every two minutes). The results of this treatment evaluation suggest that providing staff training on prompting strategies plus reinforcer delivery is effective at reducing rates of prompting per minute, while still maintaining client activity engagement.

Behavioral treatment of children with feeding disorders has been widely documented; however the research of the treatment of adolescents with feeding difficulties is limited. This study focuses on Brandon, a 13-year-old boy with a history of anxiety symptoms and limited food variety, during his daily outpatient admission in a behavioral psychology feeding program to increase his food variety and decrease gagging in the presence of novel/non-preferred foods. Therapists worked with caregivers and Brandon to develop a list of target foods that Brandon would eat at age-appropriate portions, organized by least-to-most anxiety producing per Brandon’s report, while utilizing coping skills (e.g., deep breathing and muscle relaxation) and food strategies (e.g., alternating bites of non-preferred and preferred foods, taking small bites, and taking sips of water between bites). Brandon’s treatment package included demand fading procedures to decrease anxiety symptoms and gagging behaviors during meals. With exposure to the target foods, Brandon’s gagging decreased across sessions, and on average, resulted in lower levels of gagging during portion challenges. In addition to the five target foods that Brandon wanted to incorporate into his diet, he increased his food variety by 21 novel foods within his six week admission. The methods utilized in this study may be useful to practitioners to extend the behavioral treatment components to older children and adolescents with feeding disorders, and warrants further evaluation in future research.

Previous research has demonstrated that therapist-fed functional analyses can be used to identify the environmental events that maintain inappropriate mealtime behavior of children with feeding disorders (Bachmeyer et al., 2009; Girolami & Scotti, 2001; Piazza et al., 2003) and has indicated the necessity of a matched, function-based treatment to achieve clinically acceptable levels of inappropriate mealtime behavior (Bachmeyer et al., 2009; Iwata et al., 1994; Smith et al. (1993). However, Ringdahl and Sellers (2000) demonstrated that results of functional analyses of problem behavior can vary across caregivers and therapists. If problem behavior is more prevalent during caregiver-conducted sessions, an evaluation of caregiver-fed versus therapist-fed functional analyses of inappropriate mealtime behavior is warranted. Our team previously analyzed functional analysis data for 5 participantsfrom an intensive feeding programand determined that in 78% of cases the function matched across caregiver and therapist. The current investigationextended thesefindings by evaluatingand comparingthe outcomes of a caregiver-versustherapist-fed functional analysisfor 5 additionalparticipants.Overall, we found that the functionsmatchedfor 88% of cases.Implications for function-based treatments and considerations for future research in the assessment and treatment of pediatric feeding disorders are discussed.

Functional analyses are used to better understand the effects of environmental variables on inappropriate mealtime behavior when developing effective interventions for children with feeding disorders (Bachmeyer et al., 2009; Bachmeyer, et al., in press; Piazza et al., 2003). Trained therapists typically serve as feeders during functional analyses and provide previously observed caregiver-delivered consequences following inappropriate mealtime behavior. It is unclear if the same environmental variables would be identified as functions if a caregiver served as the feeder. Previous literature suggests that caregivers can be trained to implement pediatric feeding protocols, including a functional analysis of inappropriate mealtime behavior (Anderson & McMillian, 2001; Najdowski et al., 2008; Mueller et al., 2003). Caregiver-conducted functional analyses could be beneficial, as caregiver-delivered prompts and consequences better mimic the natural mealtime and potentially serve as discriminative stimuli within the mealtime context. We observed correspondence between identified functions for 7 of 8 therapist-fed versus caregiver-fed functional analyses. We discuss implications for creating and implementing function-based treatments.

Variety fading is an antecedent-intervention strategy based on the high-p instructional sequence which is used to increase bite acceptance in the treatment of pediatric feeding disorders. While initial studies have demonstrated its efficacy, only six studies have been published evaluating the components of the high-p instructional sequence in feeding. Additionally, previous studies have focused on bite acceptance, with limited data examining inappropriate mealtime behavior (IMB), such as pushing the spoon away or head turning. The present study is an evaluation of a clinical application of variety fading for children admitted to a day-treatment feeding program for food selectivity. The protocol implemented included the presentation of non-preferred food interspersed with empty spoon (or preferred food) presentations within five-bite sessions. As bite acceptance increased and IMBs decreased, we systematically interspersed additional non-preferred foods, with novel food probes between each phase change. Data indicated that acceptance increased and IMB decreased to low levels once all non-preferred foods were introduced, and remained at low levels during probes of novel foods. Results suggest variety fading may be useful to increase acceptance of nonpreferred food while minimizing bursts in IMB, but more research is needed for replication and to identify specific protocol elements related to efficacy.

Prior citation analyses of research on Relational Frame Theory (RFT) have shown considerable research allocation with adults, with a major emphasis on college student participants. This work has been necessary to establish the theoretical, basic, and translational models that are the foundation of RFT. We extended upon this research by specifically evaluating publication trends within journals that operate primarily within an Applied Behavior Analytic framework, emphasizing the application of behavior principles within socially valid contexts. We compared empirical research published in major behavior analytic journals from 1990-2017 that included child and adult participants. In general, our results show that rates of publication are increasing at a considerable rate with both populations. However, unlike in prior citation analyses, our results indicate that research with child participants is becoming increasingly more prevalent in research published in applied behavior analytic journals. The greatest differentiation is observed in The Analysis of Verbal Behavior, where over 70% of empirical studies have been conducted with child participants. The Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis appeared to nearly equally publish research with child and adult participants and the Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science appeared more likely to publish research with adult participants. The results have implications for understanding current trends in applied behavior analytic research on RFT and equivalence and can provide information to researchers within the field.

Relational Frame Theory and Stimulus Equivalence training technologies are being increasingly applied with children with- and without- intellectual or developmental disabilities. These contemporary accounts of human language emphasize the generativity and emergence of new verbal behavior in the absence of direct reinforcement. We evaluated empirical research published within major behavior analytic journals from 1990 through 2017 to determine the complexity of relational frames and equivalence classes targeted in training. We report the age and mean number of participants in single-subject experimental design research. We also report whether participants have intellectual or developmental disabilities, the types of relations targeted in training (coordination, hierarchical, perspective taking, comparison, distinction, opposition, causality), the level of entailment (mutual entailment, combinatorial entailment), and whether researchers typically probe for transfers or transformations of stimulus function resultant from emergent frames or classes. Our results also compare the use of culturally relevant / socially valid class members against the use of arbitrary stimuli to control for history effects. Taken together, the results have implications for understanding the current state of RFT research with children within a behavior analytic model and may be used to extend research in this area for a more complete account for human language development.

Stimulus control is straightforward when the stimulus is present, but when the behavior occurs after it is no longer present, an explanation is less forthcoming. One interpretation is that mediational responses bridge the gap between stimuli and responses. Some research on covert mediational responses has focused on establishing distractor tasks to block putative rehearsal and look for decrements in performance. When choosing a comparison stimulus in a delayed matching-to-sample (DMTS) task, past studies have suggested that verbal mediation may not be necessary to emit an accurate response after a delay. The current study examined mediational responses in preschool-aged children during a DMTS task. After training participants to tact and select picture cards, experimenters presented three variations of a 60-second distractor task before participants were able to select a specified card from an array of eight. Distractor tasks included (1) a visual card distractor, (2) a vocal interview distractor, and (3) a tangram activity distractor. The results of this study found that accurate performance was highest with the verbal interview distractor, then followed by the tangram distractor, and finally lowest with the visual card distractor. These findings suggest that private verbal mediating responses may not be necessary for accurate responding, but covert imagining may be.

Skinner described self-management or self-control as behavior that manipulates aspects of an environment to allow and individual to change or maintain other behaviors. This account differs markedly from traditional psychological accounts that emphasize internal processes as causal variables that can directly influence overt behavior. The purpose of the present citation analysis was to determine application of self-management or self-control strategies within major behavior analytic journals to treat behavioral challenges. Our results suggest that a number of studies have been published evaluating self-management strategies, with the greatest prevalence found in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. The most common term found was “self-control.” We did not, however, see an increasing trend from 1998 to 2018 in research published using the search terms. We discuss the implications of these findings along with an analysis of challenges addressed with the various self-management strategies, along with suggestions for future research in this area of applied behavior analysis.

On September 6, 2011 Dr. Thomas Broussard suffered a stroke and was left with a severe case of aphasia. Dr. Broussard was not, however, the typical patient. As was his particular habit, he recorded every aspect of his experience in writing, even though his capacity for clear written communication was gone. As he slowly regained his verbal abilities, he went back to his old notes, pictures, and other records to piece together the events during and immediately after his stroke, his rehabilitative experiences throughout his recovery, and his personal and family approaches to augmenting that rehabilitation. This rich record is placed squarely in the context of his diary, consisting of voice records, written records, and rehabilitative exercises. The diary provides an opportunity to analyze his verbal behavior at various stages and to study the unique approach of a patient who spent most of his waking hours augmenting the therapy that he received from professionals. He eventually achieved a truly dramatic recovery. His success makes the details of his approach valuable, both from the perspective of understanding verbal behavior and advancing rehabilitation. This review will highlight particular verbal patterns and recovery strategies that may be interesting to a behavior analytic audience.

According to Benjasuwantep and colleagues (2013), approximately 20-50% of normally developing children and 70-89% of children with developmental disabilities were reported as having some level of feeding problems. For families, feeding challenges range from being a nuisance for parents to having serious medical complications for some individuals. Food selectivity is a common feeding concern that can be somewhat difficult for families to address on their own. Within the literature, several procedures have been shown to improve food selectivity. One of the most common procedures identified were escape extinction procedures (Tanner & Andreone, 2015). While proven effective, escape extinction procedures have been associated with challenging side effects such as response bursts, aggression, emotional responding, and general averseness for both caretaker and client (Bachmeyer, 2009). The purpose of this research study was to investigate the use of an alternative strategy to escape extinction as treatment for food selectivity. In this study, a 10-step graduated exposure hierarchy was used to increase food acceptance in a 13-year-old female diagnosed with autism. Results indicated an increase in number of foods consumed during sessions, as well as during snack breaks in instructional day.

The use and description of response blocking when implementing escape extinction procedures has been well-documented in literature for severe problem behavior. Response blocking is a relatively understudied technique related to treatment implementation for children with pediatric feeding disorders. We identified five studies evaluating treatment for food refusal and also mention the use of response blocking (Ormand, Masler, & Lesser, 2018). Wilkins, Piazza, Groff, Volkert, Kozisek, & Milnes, (2014) provided a procedural description of response blocking including the use of a secondary therapist to block inappropriate mealtime behavior. To evaluate the clinical frequency in which response blocking with a secondary therapist is used in the treatment of pediatric feeding disorders, we completed case reviews for 23 patients admitted to an intensive pediatric feeding disorders program. Of the patients reviewed, 40% required response blocking to decrease inappropriate mealtime behavior. The most prevalent treatment components included in protocols for patients requiring response blocking from a secondary therapist included nonremoval of the spoon, differential reinforcement, physical guidance, and alternative utensil presentation (i.e., nuk brush). Response blocking for these patients was required during sessions to increase compliance with acceptance of all food (67%), regular texture foods (44%), liquids (22%), and novel foods (11%).

Transition-age individuals with disabilities continue to lag behind same-age peers in postsecondary outcomes of education, employment, and independent living skills. The role of self-determination in postsecondary success has been thoroughly researched, acknowledged, and proven to be a predictor of postsecondary goal attainment (Test et al., 2009). Skills of self-determination include goal-setting and attainment, self-observation, evaluation, and reinforcement, and independence (Wehmeyer, 2007). Self-management strategies, such as self-evaluation, are a demonstrated evidence-based practive for students with developmental disabilities (Carr et al., 2014). This multiple baseline across participant dyads study examined the application of self-evaluation on overall work performance ratings for students with developmental disabilities in an authentic work environment. Scores of self-evaluation were compared to ratings by job coaches, and over time, student scores and job coach scores showed an emergence of convergence one prompting was used in conjunction with self-evaluation procedures and then faded. This study incorporated the use of a technology-based self-evaluation form. Social validity results demonstrate both students and job coaches involved in the study found self-evaluation to be beneficial to work performance and expressed enjoyment. Furthermore students felt more independent and in control of their work environments, and job coaches felt the students improved in independent living skills and taking ownership of their actions and work behaviors. Implications for practice suggest the incorporation of self-evaluation in the community work setting can positively benefit work performance and increase skills of self-awareness.

Individuals with dual diagnosis of mental illness and intellectual developmental disabilities experience a higher probability to being predisposed to health disparities such as obesity and other health related chronic conditions. The current study aimed at improving levels of physical activity in order to promote weight loss. This fitness program examined the effectiveness of a multi-component fitness program on adult females who are dually diagnosed. A component analysis was implemented, consisting of positive reinforcement through verbal praise, healthy edibles, healthy food outings, and cash reinforcers for each pound lost. Participants weight and percent of success in the fitness program, were measured before, during, and after the intervention. It was concluded that the combination of reinforcers and positive outcomes were the contributing factors to high performance in their exercise engagement. Findings from the fitness program showed the intervention was effective and exhibits potential for other dually diagnosed individuals.

Small-scale simulations consist of scale-models that include elements of stimuli from the natural environment in a training session. These small-scale simulations are used to create additional practice opportunities of a target behavior. In behavior-analytic research, there have been limited investigations using such simulations to teach skills (e.g., Page, Iwata, & Neef, 1976). The purpose of this investigation was to use small-scale simulations to teach daily living or occupational skills to individuals with developmental or intellectual disabilities. Following several sessions in which other training procedures (e.g., discrimination training, prompting) were efficacious but did not lead to mastery, the small-scale simulations were introduced as additional practice trials. One adolescent was taught an occupational skill using a 3D simulation, and one child was taught a daily living skill using 2D and 3D simulations. Practice trials with the small-scale simulation immediately preceded opportunities to perform the original target task. Upon introduction of practice with the simulation, correct responding during the simulation trials generalized to the original training sessions. Results of this investigation suggested that providing small-scale simulations can help teach daily living and occupational skills to individuals with ASD. Future clinical applications will be discussed.

There are several examples in the literature of successful toilet training for children who are typically developing and those with developmental disabilities. However, minimal research has been conducted on toilet training with children with medical complexities that impact their ability to orally intake fluids, such as those who use gastrointestinal tubes for caloric intake. One component of toilet training, which may not be feasible for those using gastrointestinal tubes, is the component of fluid loading. Fluid loading involves increasing individuals’ fluid intake across the day to increase opportunities for urination (Azrin and Foxx, 1971). For individuals who use gastrointestinal tubes, fluid loading may not be an option due to possible complications including: over-hydration, metabolic complications due to excessive fluid consumption, and electrolyte imbalance (Blumenstein, Shastri & Stein, 2014). A consecutive case series analysis was conducted, where medical records of participants attending an intensive day treatment program for enuresis between 2014 and 2018 were reviewed. Clinical data indicated seven participants were found to have gastrointestinal tubes in use at the time of their admission. Results indicated that four of the seven participants showed considerable improvements in continent voids, and maintained those improvements following one month post discharge.

The Advancement and Transition Services (ATS) at the University of Cincinnati (UC) addresses the needs of participants with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD) as they transition from high school through adulthood to enhance employment, healthy and independent living, and personal growth/life-long learning. ATS house three program: the Transition and Access Program (TAP; a four-year residential post-secondary certificate program for adults with ID/DD), IMPACT Innovation (a day service provider for adults more significantly impacted by Autism), and the Collaboration for Employment and Education Synergy (CEES; a 12-week high school/transition age youth workshop). Approximately 150 young adults and adults with ID/DD access these services on UC's campus each year. The purpose of phase one of this study is to determine the percentage of engagement and level of independence of ATS participants during vocational placements. Three data points were collected via direct observation using momentary time sampling. Data were also collected on the level of prompting provided during each interval. Interobserver agreement were collected on 30% of all data points. Phase two of this study will determine and implement appropriate interventions needed to increase independence and community engagement for ATS participants.

Research has demonstrated the effectiveness of a variety of procedures to increase urinary continence in children with developmental disabilities (for review see Kroeger & Sorensen-Burnworth, 2009). The majority of these procedures include scheduled sittings, reinforcement for continence, and urine alarms. For some children, traditional methods are ineffective and alternative procedures are used to facilitate the transfer of stimulus control. Hagopian and colleagues (1993) demonstrated the use of a water prompt to increase continent voids in a 9-year-old with intellectual disability, which allowed the child to contact reinforcement on the toilet. The current study sought to replicate these findings with a 5-year-old female diagnosed with autism who demonstrated an increase of both incontinent and continent urine voids following traditional toilet training (i.e., scheduled sit, urine alarm, reinforcement). Following the implementation of a water prompt (hands placed in water while on toilet), the participant’s incontinent voids decreased and continent voids increased. Following stable low levels of incontinent voids (3 or less across 3 days), the water prompt was removed, and the original treatment was put back into place. Initial results suggested that incontinent voids remained low and continent voids remained high.

Health and wellness routines such as blood pressure and lung checks at doctor visits, haircuts, and nail trimmings are filled with various stimuli which may be aversive and evoke problem behavior for children. Severe problem behavior that may occur may deter caregivers from following through with routines however these routines are not optional as they contribute to the overall well-being of the child and therefore are vital tasks to be able to tolerate and comply with. We used differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) with resetting time contingencies to teach tolerance of these skills to two children with severe problem behavior. We systematically increased the DRO requirement, such that we required the children to display tolerance for each health and wellness routine for longer periods prior to providing a break with access to preferred items such as toys or milk. We collected data on aggressions, self-injurious behavior, and avoidance movements to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment. Our results showed an overall decrease in problematic behavior and frequency of resets as we systematically increased the length of exposure to each health and wellness routine.

Social inclusion is a strong indicator of successful quality of life outcomes (QOL) for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) (Cobigo, Ouellet-Kuntz, Lysaght & Martin, 2012). Barriers to social inclusion for persons with IDD have been identified in the literature, including functioning level, adaptive living skills, and staff involvement (Abbot & McConkey, 2006). Technology and applied behavior analysis have improved adaptive functioning, skill development, and subsequently QOL outcomes for persons with IDD (Owuor et al., 2018). This project aims to decrease social isolation for eight adults with IDD living in a supported-independent living program. Skills to reduce social isolation were identified and taught using technology (i.e., iPad) and specialized apps. Using behavioral skills training, task analysis, and shaping procedures, support workers were taught to assist skill development and technology. Two multiple-probe designs across participants were delivered concurrently. Data were taken on the total duration of the target skill and the duration of direct support provided. The percentage of direct support for the target skill decreased for two participants, from an average of 69% to 0% following the introduction of technology, while remaining participants continue to require 36%-77% direct support for the target skill during baseline. Data collection is ongoing.

Adults diagnosed with an intellectual disability have a higher rate of obesity in comparison to typical functioning adults in their same age group (Spanos, D., Melville, C. A., & Hankey, C. R. 2013). This study will evaluate the effectiveness and quality of positive reinforcement on the percentage of completed exercise sessions. Through pairing the completion of exercise activities with a preferred healthy food item, researchers expect the individuals will be more motivated to exercise, despite the increased effort required. Completed exercise sessions will be defined by collecting Partial Interval Recording data on if the individual completes 80% of a home workout DVD. The individuals will choose target days and time of activity completion and reinforcement will only be available for participation during those times. Researchers will use paired choice preference assessments to determine a preference hierarchy and deliver identified reinforcers in least-to most order to determine the quality of reinforcement required to motivate an individual to participate in a high effort and sometimes non-preferred activity. This study will discuss the implications for future research related to the effects of varying valued positive reinforcement on continuation of an exercise regiment, healthy eating choices, and weight loss. In addition, a system is developed using healthy options as reinforcement paired with increased exercise and how this can have long-term effects on the individual’s overall health and well-being.

Positive Behaviour Support Plans (PBSPs) are documents based on functional assessments that encompass all components of the bio-psycho-social model related to the individual with a developmental disability and promote positive improvements in the individual’s daily life (QAM, 2008). The purpose of this research was to devise recommendations for the content required in PBSPs and to create tools to facilitate the development and modification of PBSPs to incorporate best practices. This study involved the revision of an evaluation tool based on the review of current literature, legal regulations, and agency policies. The evaluation tool was used to evaluate the adequacy and comprehensiveness of 24 existing PBSPs in a community agency providing services to individuals with developmental disabilities. Overall, the PBSPs adherence average score on the evaluation tool was 70.76%. Furthermore, it was determined that 87.50% of the PBSPs were considered to have had good levels of adequacy, while 12.50% had underdeveloped levels of adequacy. Based on these findings a model PBSP and template with instructions were created to facilitate the development and revision of PBSPs to increase adherence to best practices and current regulations. Discussion of the findings and recommendations to increase PBSP adherence to best practices are also included.

Using a reversal design, the current study evaluated the effects of the high-probability request sequence (HPRS) on the compliance to low-probability requests for a high school student with a moderate intellectual disability. The participant was given three simple discrete prompts to complete tasks with which she had a history of complying (i.e., high-p requests) immediately before given a prompt to engage in requests which she had a history of not complying (e.g., low-p requests). In addition, reinforcement in the form of social praise and attention was provided contingent on compliance with each high-p and low-p request. This study also examined whether the effects observed during each phase of the study would be generalized if conditions were replicated by the classroom special education teacher. The results indicated that a functional relation exists between the implementation of the HPRS on both the increase of compliance with low-p requests and a decrease in the latency to respond to these requests. The findings also demonstrated that the participant engaged in similar levels of compliance when the intervention was implemented by either the investigator or the special education teacher. Limitations, recommendations for future research, and implications for practice are provided.

Showering is important beyond an individual’s physical appearance and odor and extends to an individual’s skin health. Avoiding bathing for an extended period of time may cause serious harm to an individual’s skin, resulting in issues such as skin breakdown that can develop into a serious concern impacting the individual’s skin, muscle, and bone. Self-Monitoring is an intervention that teaches an individual to observe their behavior systematically and record occurrences or non-occurrences of their behavior. The use of Self-Monitoring has been validated through many various applications including reducing overeating, to decrease smoking, and increase appropriate classroom behaviors. One strength of self-monitoring is that it has been shown to be effective in assisting an increase in desired behaviors. This study focused on utilizing a self-monitoring intervention combined with reinforcement to increase showering behaviors in an individual diagnosed with schizophrenia. This project evaluated the quantity as well as the quality of this individuals showering habits. This was done through creating a level-system for the client’s quality of shower and providing feedback to the client on the quality of that shower.

Some individuals with autism and intellectual disabilities engage in tics (e.g., vocal stereotypy, fidgeting, skin picking, and gestures) that might interfere with functioning in their daily lives. According to Long et al. (1999), habit reversal includes a number of components (i.e., awareness training, competing response training, reinforcement strategies, rehearsal, and positive practice) that ultimately lead to appropriate alternatives for tics. Some research has investigated modified, brief habit reversal for the treatment of tics and fidgeting (Miltenberger, Fuqua, & Woods, 1998). The purpose of the current study was to conduct a component analysis of a simplified habit reversal that would reduce maladaptive behavior exhibited by an individual with mild to moderate intellectual disability. The components evaluated in the study were (a) self-awareness training, (b) competing response training, and (c) social support. The results indicate that the individual components alone were not enough to decrease both skin-picking and self-restraint behaviors. All three components worked in tandem to reduce to the targeted behaviors.

In Ontario in 2004, more than half of interventions provided to adults with disabilities with challenging behaviors were found to be informal (i.e., lacked a Behavior Support Plan (BSP); Feldman et al., 2004). In response, legislation was implemented to foster accountability for service agencies (Ontario Regulation 299/10 QAM). The aim of this study was to explore and improve the quality of BSP within Ontario following these revised Quality Assurance Measures. A random sample of 30 BSP was reviewed using the BSP Quality Evaluation II Guide (Browning-Wright et al., 2013). Preliminary results revealed that the majority of the plans received a weak rating (80%). In 2017-2018, a Service Improvement Plan within a Ministry-funded behavioral agency was initiated. This plan included: a) dissemination of the assessment focusing on potential areas of strengths, areas for further improvement, and exemplars; b) revised BSP template; c) a structured Compliance Criteria Checklist; and d) additional training in BSP development for new consultants. This presentation will review the results of the follow-up evaluation including increased quality rating of the BSP, additional measures of effectiveness and improved consumer satisfaction. Additional areas to continue to improve behavioral supports will also be discussed.

The treatment of self-injurious behaviors (SIB) remains common and challenging for practitioners in behavior analysis, especially when those behaviors are not maintained by social reinforcement. Therefore, it is important to study strategies for addressing SIB maintained by automatic positive reinforcement. We conducted a functional analysis (Iwata et al, 1994) to determine the function of SIB in the form of hitting the face, forehead, hands, and body. We then used a combination of non-contingent access to a preferred item, DRO using an iPad every 30 seconds with a progressively increasing interval, and sensory extinction (Roscoe, Iwata, & Goh, 1998) by contingent presentation of gloves to reduce SIB. Results showed a significant reduction in frequency of SIB from baseline, and frequency of SIB remained low for 6 months. This treatment package was later applied to self-pinching that emerged about 2 months after baseline with success. This poster will present the treatment package for practitioners to implement, and we will discuss barriers to implementation along the way.

A systematic review was conducted to synthesize the literature on the use of graduated exposure to treat challenging behavior maintained by escape from aversive stimuli (e.g., aggression, disruption, elopement) with individuals diagnosed with developmental disabilities. This review identified 15 articles through the database search and ancillary searches. Results indicated that graduated exposure can be used to reduce the aversiveness of a wide variety of stimuli (e.g., animatronic toys, medical procedures, sanitary pads, pools) and may be conducted in naturalistic environments (e.g., medical facilities, schools, primary residential space). Additionally, based on What Works Clearinghouse Design Standards (2017), four studies Met Standards with or Met Standards without Reservations. Three of these four articles provided Strong Evidence for the efficacy of graduated exposure. Based on the results of the quality review, there needs to be higher quality research that examines graduated exposure as an intervention to decrease challenging behavior associated with aversive stimuli.

This paper summarizes peer reviewed published reviews that report literature reviews and meta analyses of research conducted on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) interventions for individuals with developmental disabilities (DD). This paper also applies the A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews, revised (AMSTAR-2, Shea et al, 2017) to these reviews to assess their methodological strengths and needs. Overall, reviews in this field demonstrate a number of methodological weaknesses that detract from the strength of the research and inhibit practitioners from accessing high quality reporting of emerging evidence based practices in the field of AAC intervention for individuals with disabilities. Examined over time, published reviews have increased their methodological rigor from 2001 to mid-2018. Interventions with demonstrated positive effect sizes include Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS, Bondy and Frost, 1994), the use of speech generating devices (SGD), using systematic interventions based on principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA), and implementing intervention with naturalistic interventionists, communication partners, and in socially valid settings and contexts.

A systematic review was conducted to assess the types of school-based interventions commonly used for adolescents (10 to 21 years of age) to reduce challenging behavior. A total of 40 articles were identified through the database search and ancillary searches. Participant, implementer, and intervention characteristics were recorded during descriptive coding. This review found that antecedent-based interventions were most commonly used within the school setting. School personnel reported antecedent-based interventions to be acceptable and feasible within the school setting. Results of the descriptive coding found that around 70% of participants were ages 10 to 13 years old, with limited research being conducted with students older than 13; therefore, additional research is needed with this age group. Based on What Works Clearinghouse standards, 25 articles Meet Standards or Met Standards with Reservations and 22 articles provided moderate to strong evidence for the efficacy of these interventions within the school setting.

A systematic review was conducted to synthesize the literature on interventions implemented in the community setting (e.g., playground, restaurant, grocery store) to treat challenging behavior for individuals diagnosed with developmental disabilities. This review identified 18 articles through the database and ancillary search. The result indicated that for most participants the intervention was a function-based intervention, followed by an antecedent-based intervention. The most common assessment procedure to hypothesize the function of the challenging behavior was indirect assessment procedures (e.g., interview, checklists, scales). Additionally, the studies were evaluated on the quality of the experimental design based on the What Works Clearinghouse Design Standards (WWC, 2017). Four of the twenty studies Met Standards, five Met Standard with Reservations, and eleven studies Did Not Meet Standards. Evidence standards were applied to those studies that Met standards or Met standards with reservations. Of the 9 studies, seven received a rating of Strong Evidence. A number of implications and directions for future research were identified.

The behavior principle of extinction involves termination of reinforcement that is observed to maintain the problem behavior. Extinction is one of the most common procedures used to reduce various problem behaviors in children diagnosed with Developmental Disabilities and Autism Spectrum Disorders. The purpose of this current review is to examine the various applications and publications of escape extinction in behavior analysis. The examiners reviewed all the articles from the last 20 years across four major peer reviewed journals in applied behavior analysis: Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (JABA), The Analysis of Verbal Behavior (AVB), Behavior Analysis in Practice (BAP), and Experimental Analysis of Behavior (EAB). The review is still in progress. The results so far suggest that there are more studies on escape extinction to treat food refusal and food selectivity in young children with and without disabilities. There are also some studies on escape extinction to reduce SIB, but often as a component within a treatment package. Escape extinction as a procedure itself and its application to increase compliance in children with diagnosed with Autism is scarce in the literature. The further review across other journals will help us further evaluate the scope of limitations of escape extinction in managing various problem behaviors in children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Self advocacy is defined as the action of representing oneself. A skill that can be affected by individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) due to lack of generalization, language and socialization skills. Self advocacy begins with simple mands and extends to more complex mands as individuals become older. Self Advocacy has also been linked to increase in assertiveness skills, decrease in being bullied by others and a better quality of life. Self advocacy skills for example; use of communication skills in negotiating and compromising and persuasion to obtain goals have been taught in individual therapy sessions and group sessions. The purpose of this review is to examine and compare the effects (rate of acquisiton) of teaching self advocacy skills in group verses individual therapy sessions.

Purpose of study was to determine the overall effect of embedded instruction on child outcomes and whether embedded instruction is an evidence-based practice for young children with disabilities. Database search resulted in 264 unique articles. Each article was screened using the inclusion criteria and the screening process resulted in 24 studies using a single subject experimental design. 24 studies were coded to determine whether they meet the design standards of What Works Clearinghouse for single subject experimental designs. Seven met standards, nine met standards with reservations, and eight did not met standards. Of the 16 studies that met standards with and without reservations, only three met all 21 quality indicators proposed by Horner et al. (2005). The remaining 13 studies met 16-20 quality indicators. Based on visual analysis, of these 16 studies, nine studies were classified as having strong evidence, three studies were classified as having moderate evidence, and four studies were classified as having no evidence. Quantitative analysis continued with the remaining 12 studies. Overall the mean of the treatment effect estimates was 83.8%, 92.4%, and 84.3% for PND, NAP, and Tau-U consecutively. Findings showed that embedded instruction is an evidence-based practice to teach young children with disabilities.

This systematic review evaluates single-case research design studies that investigate the application of applied behavior analytic interventions with individuals with Down syndrome. Articles published in English peer-reviewed journals that presented original empirical data on the effect of applied behavior analytic treatments on individuals with Down syndrome using single-subject research designs were selected for review. One-hundred-twenty-six studies examining the efficacy of applied behavior analytic interventions on increasing skill acquisition and/or decreasing challenging behaviors in individuals with Down syndrome met inclusion criteria. ?We used the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) SCRD standards and Risk of Bias in N-of-1 Trials (RoBiNT) Scale to analyze study rigor, and calculated nonoverlap indices. We will report on the study quality, treatment procedures, and treatment outcomes across the studies. The outcomes of this systematic review demonstrate clinical applications for individuals with Down syndrome and will guide future research in the area of applied behaviour analytic interventions and individuals with Down syndrome.

Behavior analysts use instruments to identify an individual’s competencies and skill deficits in order to develop individualized goals and treatment plans. According to the assessment guidelines for evaluating individuals with disabilities in the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing, assessments should have research to support the validity and reliability of the instrument (American Educational Research Association, the American Psychological Association, and the National Council on Measurement in Education 2014). Additionally, behavior analytic instruments should be aligned with the dimensions of applied behavior analysis set forth by Baer, Rolf, and Risley (1968) which set the foundation for the field. The purpose of this study is to present the results of a systematic literature review on instruments based within the applied behavior analytic framework. The authors will also present information regarding research on the instruments examined within the review that specifically address their reliability and validity. Instruments will also be measured against the dimensions of ABA.

As policies in most states are geared towards increasing inclusion rates, more students with disabilities are receiving their academic instruction in general education settings. However, children with developmental disabilities are more likely to engage in challenging behavior in educational settings than other children, which impedes their independent engagement in instructional activities and access to the general education curriculum. This study aims to (a) systematically review the literature on interventions targeting challenging behavior of students with developmental disabilities in inclusive school settings, (b) evaluate the quality of research in this area based on the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) design standards, and (c) determine the magnitude of effects of interventions that meet quality standards. The search procedures included a keyword search in three databases, followed by a search of related review articles, and finally a reference search of the included articles. Twenty-six studies were included and evaluated based on the WWC design standards, and 16 studies met design criteria. An inter-rater agreement of 87% was obtained on half of the articles. Data were extracted from the studies (with 95% inter-rater agreement) and effect sizes were calculated. Moderating effects of variables such as participant characteristics and intervention components will be presented and discussed.

Interobserver agreement (IOA) was collected on 19% of sessions and IOA was calculated at 93.87%. Results indicate that, upon implementation of the shaping procedure, the student's rates of challenging behavior decreased to near zero rates and tolerance of food increased surpassing the designed phases to include consumption of food. After phase five (5) of the eight (8) phase protocol the student began to consume food independently not requiring the implementation of the last 3 phases. The student transitioned to a new classroom (reported trigger for food refusal in the past) and the protocol was again implemented starting at phase three (3). Within three (3) sessions, the student was again consuming food during lunch periods.

Stereotypic behaviors are repetitive, coordinated, seemingly purposeless, rhythmic behaviors that are most often maintained by automatic reinforcement. Stereotypy can range from mild to severe depending on the topography, frequency, response to interruption, and extent to which they interfere with ongoing activities. Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities are at an increased risk of exhibiting complex stereotypies. Due to the potential negative outcomes associated with stereotypy, it is critical to identify scientifically validated interventions to reduce stereotypy. The purpose of this literature review was to identify and summarize the literature on interventions to reduce stereotypy among individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Additionally, the included studies were evaluated against What Works Clearinghouse (WWC; 2017) Single Case Research Design Standards. A total of 106 experiments met inclusion criteria. Among those, 63 met WWC standards with and without reservations. Interventions fell into three categories. Antecedent manipulations include establishing stimulus control, environmental enrichment, and manipulating motivating operations. Reinforcement-based interventions include differential reinforce of alternative behavior (DRA), differential reinforcement of incompatible behavior (DRI), and differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO). Punishment-based interventions include response interruption and redirection, response blocking, verbal interruption and reprimand, and response cost. Implications for research and practice will be discussed.

This study aimed to teach auditory-visual relations using exclusion training and test the emergence of exclusion responding in novel relations and naming by exclusion in four participants diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The treatment package consisted of multiple exposures to exclusion trials, prompting and reinforcement. Four types of matching-to-sample trials (baseline, control, exclusion and probe trials) and naming trials were used during the study. The auditory-visual matching to sample responses, and naming responses of the new stimuli were tested. Three out of four participants demonstrated positive learning outcomes with the auditory-visual relations that were taught. One out of four participants demonstrated naming by exclusion. Post-test results show that exclusion responses generalized to stimuli used beyond training for the three successful participants. The results indicate that the treatment package can likely be an important teaching technology to establish exclusion responding.

Rumination is defined by repeated regurgitation of food, which may be re-chewed, re-swallowed or spit out, not attributed to other medical conditions. Some individuals with autism or other development disabilities engage in rumination, and it can lead to multiple health issues. Previous research demonstrated that non-contingent presentation of chewing gum could be an effective treatment for reducing ruminations (Rhine & Tarbox, 2009). The current study compared the effects of non-contingent presentation of chewing gum to a novel contingent gum procedure on rumination of an adolescent boy with autism. We measured the rate of rumination across two treatment phases. In the first treatment phase, we compared the rate of rumination in sessions with gum and sessions without gum. In the second treatment phase, we evaluated the effect of presenting chewing gum contingent on ruminations. In phase one, the participant engaged in fewer ruminations when gum was presented. In treatment phase two, ruminations reduced to zero levels across sessions and remained at zero during maintenance and generalization sessions. Results suggest that presenting gum contingent on rumination may reduce engagement in the behavior.

The Behavior Analytic literature provides a theoretical account of verbal behavior outside of the elementary verbal operants. This includes language that is described as sarcasm, deception, metaphors, and humor. By considering the theoretical underpinnings of humor based verbal behavior and utilizing empirically validated instruction methods like Behavioral Skills Training (BST), Multiple Exemplar Training (MET) and Systematic Error Correction (SEC) individuals with language deficits, like those with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) may acquire these advanced verbal skills. Subsequently, these individuals are given access to a richer, verbal community. Results of this project indicated that BST increased joke-telling skills across all participants while two of three participants increased their humor comprehension responses through the application of MET and SEC.

With rates of autism diagnosis continuing to rise, there is an urgent need for dissemination of evidence-based practices to large numbers of families. Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) is considered an established treatment for autism spectrum disorder (ASD); however, a telehealth PRT delivery model has not yet been evaluated. The current study evaluated PRT parent training provided remotely via video conferencing software. Eight children with ASD between 2 and 5 years (M = 3.83; SD = 13.21) and caregivers participated in 12 weekly online sessions. Analysis of home video observations indicated significant change in frequency of child utterances from baseline to week 12 (Z = -2.51, p = .012). Significant improvement was also observed on the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories for receptive (Z = -2.37, p = .018) and expressive language (Z = -2.52, p = .012), and on the Vineland-II Receptive (Z = -2.39, p = .017), Expressive (Z = -2.41, p = .016), and overall Communication subscales (Z = -2.52, p = .012). Core ASD symptoms on the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) also improved (Z = -2.38, p = .017). Findings suggest promise for PRT parent training using telehealth and confirm the need for future controlled trials with larger samples.

The purpose of this study was to test environmental variables that influence disruptive behaviors and to determine the maintaining function of those behaviors. The Trial Based Functional Analysis (TBFA) has been used extensively in school-based programming but has limited research in home-based care. It is possible that further refinements to the procedure may be necessary to adapt the TBFA to home-based settings. This study was designed to expand the TBFA literature by implementing the procedure in home settings and validating the analysis via a reduction in target problem behavior. All participants in the study were diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and engaged in home-based care. For all participants, functional analysis results were interpretable and were used to create interventions to replace problem behavior. Furthermore, relative effects among treatments were accurately predicted by the functional analysis outcomes. Findings indicate that the TBFA procedure can result in differentiated responding outside of experimental settings and subsequent reduction in problem behavior.

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at an increased risk to develop problem behavior, which can have deleterious effects on child and parental well-being. Because of this, parents are often provided with Behavioral Parent Training (BPT). However, attrition rates in behavioral parent training are high, and there is a relative dearth of research investigating factors that influence parental engagement in BPT. Methods We ran seven semi-structured online focus groups with a total of 30 parents of children with autism spectrum disorders and related disabilities. Parents were interviewed in order to gain a greater understanding of variables that enable or pose barriers to parental engagement in behavioral parent training. An inductive qualitative analysis was conducted by two independent authors. Results Our analyses revealed three themes indicating the need for (a) supportive, professional feedback; (b) accessible, flexible, and affordable training; and (c) social-emotional support and community connection in behavioral parent training for parents of children with autism spectrum disorder. Conclusions Results from this study suggest that parental engagement in behavioral parent training for children with autism spectrum disorder may be enhanced if it is relevant to the needs of families, facilitated by responsive professionals, flexible, and readily accessible. Additionally, parents may benefit from behavioral parent training that includes social and emotional support, such as assistance connecting with other families and evidence-based strategies to manage the stress associated with parenting a child with autism spectrum disorder and challenging behavior.

How an individual with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) learns likely impacts performance in daily life. The goal of this study was to determine whether adolescents with ASD who had distinct learning styles during a contextual cueing task differed in educational performance. Twenty adolescents with ASD completed 9 sessions (60 minutes each) of a contextual cueing learning paradigm, in which contextual cues statistically predicted a to-be-found target’s location. Twenty typically developing adolescents also completed the task. Within the ASD group, two non-overlapping subgroups emerged (ASD1 and ASD2). In ASD1 (n=13), participants learned the context similarly to typically developing peers but struggled to disengage from previously learned contexts; in ASD2 (n=7), atypical learning was found across the task. Due to small sample size, subgroup results were assessed with effect sizes. The two subgroups did not differ in overall school performance, reading, writing, or math (Cohen’s d’s<0.158). However, the ASD2 group showed more problematic participation in organized activities, Cohen’s d=0.426. These results suggest that how an adolescent with ASD learns a contextual cueing task may not strongly correspond to educational performance. However, participation in organized activities may be influenced by this learning style, a possibility to be tested in a larger dataset.

For individuals with developmental delays, public disrobing is a highly conspicuous behavior that decreases opportunities for appropriate social interaction and community engagement, and may lead to placement in more restrictive settings or intensive behavior management procedures. Public disrobing may also occasion or co-occur with additional challenging problem behavior such as elopement, aggression, or tantrums. In the current project, we conducted a series of evaluations to decrease public disrobing in an adolescent male with autism. Due to the measurement parameters of disrobing (e.g., limited opportunities to perform the behavior), response latency to disrobing was used as the primary dependent variable across evaluations. First, we identified competing stimuli that effectively increased the latency to disrobing. Next, we assessed if disrobing was a member of the same response class as other topographies of problem behavior (i.e., inappropriate urination, aggression). Finally, we developed a comprehensive treatment using the competing stimuli that successfully increased the latency to disrobing and all problem behavior to clinically significant levels.

Drowning is the primary cause of accidental death for children with autism (Alaniz, Rosenberg, Beard, & Rosario, 2017). This research demonstrates the effectiveness of behavioral strategies to teach basic swim safety. A multiple baseline design across behaviors was used to demonstrate the acquisition of swim skills. Participants were all children who were diagnosed with autism, under the age of 10, who could not pass a basic safety swim skills pretest. All sessions were conducted with a certified swim instructor in the water. Treatment procedures included the use of desensitization procedures, flexible prompt fading, and reinforcement based on a preference assessment. Data currently show a positive correlation, but are in need of further support. The intervention was effective with the first child across four behaviors. Data will continue to be collected as new swim skills are introduced. Baseline data has been collected for three other children who are about to begin intervention. Demonstrating effective procedures to help children with autism learn to swim could help decrease the rate of accidental death. Future research should determine whether the procedures are simple enough so that they can be quickly taught and applied by other swim instructors unfamiliar with behavioral treatment.

This study assessed the differential effects of high- and low-preference stimuli as reinforcement during FCT on resurgence of destructive behavior when the therapist withdrew reinforcement (i.e., extinction). This translational study used a multielement design, with two separate components signaled by color-coordinated stimuli. First, in baseline (Phase 1), analog destructive responding, pressing a pad, resulted in reinforcement in both components. Next, in the treatment phase (Phase 2), the therapist discontinued reinforcement for the analog destructive response. The therapist delivered a high-preference reinforcer for a functional communication response (FCR) in the HIGH component and a low-preference reinforcer for the FCR in the LOW component. Finally, the therapist discontinued reinforcement for both the FCR and analog destructive response (Phase 3). Behavioral Momentum Theory (BMT) predicts that resurgence would be lower in the LOW component, but Resurgence as Choice (RaC) predicts that resurgence will be lower in the HIGH component. For the first two participants, no resurgence of the analog destructive response occurred in Phase 3, but a differential burst in FCRs was observed across components.

Self-monitoring has been used effectively in behavioral programming to reduce challenging behaviors in students with Autism, with intellectual disabilities, and with emotional disturbance. Self-monitoring has also demonstrated positive effects in increasing on-task academic behaviors for student with and without disabilities. This article presents a systematic review of the literature regarding the effectiveness of self-monitoring to improve academic productivity in students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Procedures implemented included the use of technology to provide prompts for student responding, as well as technology to help students record their answers to response prompts. Data collected in the course of the study suggest self-monitoring is effective in increasing on-task behaviors, with Tau-U effect sizes ranging from 0.2712-1. The results also suggest that using auditory prompts with traditional recording methods yield the most significant improvements. However, given the small sample size of articles and the wide variation in experimental design, further research that standardizes self-monitoring procedures for students with ASD are recommended.

Those with autism spectrum behavior can display challenging behaviors that interfere with skill development and negatively impact quality of life. Electrodermal activity (EDA) reflects activation of the sympathetic nervous system, commonly known as the “fight or flight” response. At the Center for Discovery, sensors that measure EDA are worn by adolescent students with autism spectrum disorder who also display maladaptive behaviors such as aggression and self-injury. The purpose of the sensors is to better understand physiological and behavioral responses to contextual variables in the classroom environment. Data gathered through this technology are used in conjunction with more traditional behavioral assessment procedures to develop and evaluate interventions. Because those in a heightened physiological state can be more likely to engage in maladaptive behaviors, including aggression, knowing antecedents to physiological responses and not just behaviors can be particularly helpful in treatment development. Furthermore, interventions that may alter behaviors may not change physiological status resulting in short interresponse times between challenging behaviors. It follows that developing interventions that result in both behavior reduction and decreases in physiological arousal would be most effective. This poster will highlight physiological and behavioral data findings from this innovative assessment process.

Stimulus fading, differential reinforcement and escape extinction have been used to treat feeding issues in individuals with and without autism spectrum disorder. These strategies have been used to increase food and fluid acceptance by gradually introducing the stimulus (food/fluid amount and presentation), providing reinforcement for acceptance of the stimulus, and non-removal of the stimulus contingent on problem behaviour. Additionally, stimulus fading, and differential reinforcement have been used to treat phobias in individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Stimulus fading, differential reinforcement and escape extinction were used to increase drinking milk from a cup in an 8-year-old boy with autism. Prior to beginning treatment, the participant would only accept and consume milk when presented in a baby bottle. If milk were presented in any other way, the participant would engage in disruptive behaviours such as screaming, crying, bolting, flopping, gagging and vomiting. In addition, the participant would engage in self-injurious behaviours including, head hitting, if the cup and/or milk was not removed. Upon beginning treatment, these behaviours were observed to occur upon the presentation of an empty cup. Following the participant receiving the treatment package, the participant tolerated the presentation of the cup with milk and would independently drink the milk from the cup. This responding was generalized by having him accept and drink milk and water from the cup when presented by parents during mealtimes. Additionally, this response has been maintained and the participant continues to accept and drink any liquid from the cup.

This study evaluated a method for training caregivers to implement the Structured Meal protocol designed to treat food selectivity in children diagnosed with autism. A treatment package consisting of resource-light materials including written instructions and video modeling as well as in-vivo prompting and feedback (if necessary) were used to teach participants to conduct the protocol. A multiple baseline design across participants was used to evaluate the effects of training. In addition to the primary dependent variable (i.e., correct caregiver implementation of the Structured Meal protocol), data on three secondary dependent variables (i.e., child bite acceptance, mouth cleans, and inappropriate mealtime behavior) were collected. Results showed that training of the Structured Meals protocol using the resource-light materials only, increased participant implementation of correct steps from baseline, but all participants required in-vivo training and feedback to reach mastery criteria. Thus far, 1 out of 2 children who have completed the study saw an increase in quick acceptance (i.e., bites accepted within 8 seconds of bite presentation) to clinically significant levels using the Structured Meal protocol. Results warrant further investigation of differing training methods to train caregivers using resource-light materials. Furthermore, results suggest the importance of distinguishing between mild and severe food selectivity as interventions used to target either should vary based on the severity of the child's feeding disorder.

Call, Shillingsburg, Bowen, Reavis, and Findley (2013) described a method of assessing the extent to which social interactions were reinforcing or aversive which used time allocation as a dependent measure. We replicated the method described by Call et al. and evaluated several extensions aimed at increasing the feasibility, efficiency, and utility of the assessment results. Seven children diagnosed with ASD participated. Social interaction was concluded to be reinforcing for five subjects and aversive for two subjects. The data for two representative subjects from each of these groups is presented and discussed in detail. Limitations and implication of this study as well as future directions in this line of research will also be discussed.

Researchers have recently begun to evaluate video-based preference assessments; however, only two studies have evaluated the efficacy of this preference assessment modality in assessing preference for social interactions. Four individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder who could not match or identify social interactions participated. We compared picture and GIF-based paired-stimulus preference assessments for social interaction and evaluated the preference assessment hierarchies by conducting a concurrent operant reinforcer assessment including all social interactions. The GIF-based preference assessment produced similar hierarchies to the reinforcer assessment for all subjects, whereas the picture-based preference assessments produced similar hierarchies to the reinforcer assessment for two of four subjects.

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often experience communication challenges. Typically, the presence of ASD rules out selective mutism as a diagnosis. Regardless, children with ASD may present with communication challenges that appear similar to selective mutism. In the current investigation, we conducted a behavioral assessment to identify (a) differential responding as a function of adults present (parent or therapist), and (b) the impact of environmental variables (e.g., tasks, free play) on vocal communication exhibited by a five-year-old male with ASD. Results of the evaluation indicated that vocal communication occurred solely in the presence of the child’s mother. When clinic staff were present, the child did not exhibit vocal communication. As well, the other environmental conditions arranged during the assessment did not affect the likelihood of communication. These results are discussed with respect to their similarities with verbal behavior exhibited by individuals diagnosed with selective mutism, as well as strategies for assessment of these conditions, implications for diagnosis, and relevance to treatment.

The current study examined vocalizations that occurred during training of the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) for three preschool aged participants with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Participants received services in an applied behavior analysis intensive preschool located in a public school. Prior to PECS training, all participants engaged in low levels of functional communication and had limited vocalizations. During training of PECS Phases I-III, no participants vocalized during exchanges. In Phase IV, the protocol incorporates a time delay (a brief pause to reinforcement) in an effort to encourage vocalizations (Frost & Bondy, 2002). When the time delay alone failed to increase vocalizations for these participants, researchers implemented a vocal model after the time delay and continued to measure vocalizations, similar to procedures found in Gevarter et al. (2016). Two of the three participants showed an increase in independent vocalizations after the addition of the vocal model and these vocalizations maintained over time.

Some characteristics of children with autism have significantly hindered them from accessing to regular music education, therefore, the purpose of the current study is to evaluate the effects of equivalence-based instruction (EBI) in teaching piano skills among children with autism, and thus provide guidance to future music curriculum development for this population. Six children with autism have been learning to play corresponding keys on keyboard by reading textual symbols (C, D, E, F, G, A, B) and musical notes, without direct teaching. Then, participants are asked to play a novel song on keyboard by reading combined musical notes. Without direct teaching, participants also have been learning to identify corresponding sounds, textual symbols and musical notes by listening to a key played on keyboard. Current results have shown that stimuli became substitutable for each other and acquired a common behavioral function. Data suggest that EBI is an effective and efficient procedure to teach piano skills to children with autism.

Having difficulties in recognizing complex emotions is one of the central characteristics of ASD. However, objective tools for complex emotion are limited. The purpose of this study is to develop and validate the Yonsei Cambridge Mindreading Face Battery for Children (YCAM-C) by selecting pre-items used in the development of YCAM, a computerized task with 48 video clips measuring complex emotions. The pre-items of YCAM which consist of 113 video clips with 18 commonly used emotional expressions in Korea were evaluated in terms of item discrimination on 438 Asian children aged 8 to 11. As a result, 18 emotions and a total of 54 items (3 items each for an emotion) were included with each item consists of 4 point likert scales. YCAM-C showed a moderate level of internal consistency and item-total correlation coefficients fall within acceptable range. The result showed that YCAM-C had a positive correlation with social interaction ability measured by MESSY and SSIS, but there was no significant correlation with the executive functioning. YCAM-C can be a useful tool to monitor improvements in emotion recognition of ASD children and to promote diagnostic assessment for ASD.

Significant portion of adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) show difficulties in recognizing facial expressions. However, objective instruments measuring emotional recognition ability are hard to find for this population. The purpose of this study is to develop and validate a scale for measuring emotional recognition ability for adolescents, YCAM-A. Comprising 18 widely used complex emotions, 5 seconds-long video clips of emotional expressions were recorded with 56 actors whose age ranged from 20 to 40. A total of 309 middle and high school students completed the first version of YCAM-A. Next, three video-clips of each emotion were selected upon the item discrimination. The YCAM-A was finalized with 51 items of 17 emotions in 7 point Likert scale. Cronbach's alpha for the YCAM-A was .78, indicating adequate internal consistency. Test-retest reliability was also assessed on 20% of participants (n = 61) approximately 2-3 weeks after initial assessment, showing adequate reliability (r = .64). Finally, validity of YCAM-A with 4 other scales showed YCAM-A is a fine-assessment tool for emotional recognition ability for adolescents. Further implications and limitations of this study were discussed.

Individuals with High Functioning Autism (HFA) have impairments in communication, emotion regulation, and social interaction. These difficulties frequently lead to anger outburst and anxiety attack, resulting in injuries and serious adjustment issues. The purpose of this study is to assess usability of two newly developed application-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) programs for persons with HFA: HARU-ASD Anxiety and HARU-ASD Anger. Each program consists of 48 sessions which were divided into five zones (psycho-education, relaxation training, behavioral activation, cognitive restructuring, and problem solving) and required a daily commitment of 10 to 15 minutes. Participants were 13 typically developing adults and were asked to fill out the System Usability Scale (SUS) with 10 items using the 1-5 Likert scale. The average score for the population was 74 out of 100 and ranged from 47.5 to 90.5, suggesting app being profitable and user-friendly to deal with anger and anxiety in ASD population. Also, needs for modification are indicated in terms of integrity and organization of functions and reward system. Continuous efforts should be made to improve both contents as well as UX/UI design parts to develop more effective mobile applications.

Teaching social communication is important for children with ASD because children needs to learn to work in groups, build social relationship and communicate with peers. Social communication in eastern culture, like China may be different from the west. The purpose of this study is: (1) To examine the efficacy of using peer modelling and token economy strategies on behavior changes for a group of children with ASD (2) To explore whether parents can implement strategies on their children after the Behavior Skills Training (BST). Multiple baseline design, with cultural adapted teaching procedure, was utilized on 5 children and 5 parents at an outpatient setting. Considering the cultural differences, the operation definition of the selected target social behaviors were discussed with parents and therapists. Parents’ behavior changes were measured by the percentage of BST steps completed. Children showed improvements in four target behaviors. Parents’ skills of teaching their children also improved after the BST training. However, parents reported the difficulty of dealing with children’s behavior, such as emotional problem and challenging behaviors at home or other community settings.

Vocal stereotypy, a behavior common in individuals with autism, is pervasive as it impedes social and academic learning. The purpose of this case study was to compare the effectiveness of response interruption and redirection (RIRD) to differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) as interventions to reduce vocal stereotypy. The participant was a 13-year-old male diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder who engaged in frequent vocal stereotypy that interfered with typical daily functioning. This study was conducted in a classroom setting at a private school for children with special needs. It was found that DRO was more effective than RIRD at reducing vocal stereotypy. Frequency of vocal stereotypy remained stable in the RIRD condition, even showing a slight upward trend. It is suspected this may have occurred as a result of the increased demands. Vocal stereotypy was lowest, near zero levels, in the DRO condition with the red card present. Likely the visual stimuli aided in discriminating when reinforcement was available in the absence of vocal stereotypy.

Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) has been established as an evidence-based treatment for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of ESDM group training for parents of children with ASD. 18 parents of children with ASD (aged 2-5) were recruited as a group of 3 to 5 people and attended two-hour session once a week for 12 weeks. They were trained for ESDM principles and techniques, and supervised for applying acquired skills to their own children at home. Effectiveness of the training on parent-child interaction was assessed by direct observation scale (PCI-D) as well as 4 questionnaires (BPI, CBCL, Vineland, SCQ). Collateral effects on parents were also evaluated via 3 self-report forms (PSI, MES and BDI). The results of direct observation showed significant increases in positive interaction between children and parents in play. Furthermore, parents reported significantly lower scores on Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) and higher scores on Maternal Efficacy Scale after the parent training program.

The majority of children do not eat the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables daily. Numerous studies have shown children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have problems with food selectivity and are less likely than children without special needs to consume the recommended daily amounts of fruits and vegetables. This study evaluated an intervention for increasing vegetable consumption in children with ASD within a private school setting. Participants included 33 children with a diagnosis of ASD. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups: Group A or Group B. During baseline, the participants were given five bites of two different vegetables, along with their packed lunch. There were no programmed consequences for mealtime behavior. During intervention, the participants in Group A were given access to the vegetables prior to the start of lunch. As with baseline, there were no programmed consequences for mealtime behavior. A multiple-baseline across groups design was used to examine the effects of the intervention. Preliminary analysis of the results shows single-stimulus presentation produced higher participant consumption of food items than the control condition.

Caregiver vocal imitation of infant’s vocalizations have been shown to impact the trajectory of language development. Likewise, contingent motor imitation has been associated with increases of motor imitation skills. The present study investigates the effects of parent contingent imitation across response classes on the development of vocal and motor imitation skills by a 12-month old girl with developmental delays. Parent contingent imitation is a procedure whereby the caregiver imitates the infant’s vocalizations and motor movements. After the implementation of parent contingent imitation, increases in vocalization rates and motor imitation were observed. Deficits in vocal and motor imitation may impede the acquisition of more complex skills, and thus underscore the importance of establishing imitative repertories in early development. While additional research is needed, caregiver vocal imitation may be an effective strategy for increasing imitation across response classes for infant’s with developmental delays.

Reports suggests that 50% of individuals with autism engage in aggressive behaviors (Mazurek, Kanne, & Wodka, 2013). Video Self-Modeling (VSM) is an evidence-based intervention for individuals with ASD, often producing substantial changes in student behavior without the need for intensive services (Bellini & Akullian, 2007). Some research has suggested that VSM can decrease aggression without the need for intensive supports (Buggey, 2005; Cihak, et al., 2010; Cihak, et al., 2012; Sadler, 2019). This study contributes to the literature by evaluating a function-based VSM (FB-VSM). An FB-VSM uses a traditional VSM to depict a functionally equivalent replacement behavior. In the current study, the self-video model was created using the results from an Interview Informed Synthesized Contingency Analysis (IISCA). The FB-VSM offers an alternative to traditional procedures such as a functional communication training (FCT). The following research questions guided this study: (1) To what degree does a function-based VSM impact aggressive/disruptive behavior? (2) To what degree does a function-based VSM impact replacement/alternative behavior? Results for three male participants with autism (ages 8, 16, and 21) showed decrease in aggressive/disruptive behavior and increases in the replacement/alternative behavior. The preliminary results suggest that the IISCA-informed VSM intervention is a viable clinical approach.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has two core characteristics: (a) difficulty in social interactions and communication and (b) repetitive behaviors, interests, and activities (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). The repetitive behaviors of them may prevent their participation into social life as well as to catch the learning opportunities. Utilizing reinforcement-based interventions to intervene the repetitive behaviors create a motivating learning environment. Noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) is one of these interventions. During NCR, the interventionist presents reinforcement for the absence of behavior during specified time intervals. This study was planned to decrease the repetitive behaviors (inappropriate motor behaviors and verbal behaviors) of a school age child with ASD by using contingent fixed interval reinforcement schedule. AB model was used. Interval recording was used to collect data and graphical analysis was used for data analysis. The researchers collected baseline data in various settings and 1-minute interval was used during intervention for delivering reinforcement for the absence of inappropriate behaviors. Dependent variable reliability was collected once in two months. So far, the findings have shown that NCR seems to be an effective strategy to decrease repetitive behaviors. This is an ongoing study and the findings will be shared with the audience during the session.

Two young men with autism who were students a behaviorally based residential program were taught to cooperate with medical procedures (an ear exam with an otoscope or application of an anesthetic mask). Both individuals had a history of severe problem behavior in the context of medical procedures, which previously had required sedation or physical restraint. Attempting to implement escape extinction in this context would not be safe for the students or therapists. To teach cooperation we used stimulus fading without extinction and placed emphasis on errorless learning by fading gradually across multiple dimensions (duration and evocativeness). IOA was calculated for 33% of sessions with 97% agreement. Both students refused to cooperate or engaged in challenging behavior during baseline. The teaching procedure was efficient in terms of the number of sessions to mastery (42 and 48) and the total amount of time in training (21 and 39) min). Following completion of the teaching steps, both students cooperated with the targeted medical procedures with their teachers and with a less familiar medical professional.

For very young learners, sitting is a socially significant behavior that is a prerequisite for the acquisition of other skills and inclusion in mainstream educational settings. When young learners can sit and attend to the instructor, they are then able to be exposed to additional opportunities for learning and reinforcement (Olley, 1999). Unfortunately, many sitting tolerance programs include an element of forced compliance or escape extinction (Phillips, Briggs, Fisher, & Greer, 2018). These strategies can result in the establishment of common instructional stimuli as CMO-Rs, increasing the probability of maladaptive behaviors that remove these aversive stimuli. Many studies have noted the emergence or exacerbation of problem behaviors when using EE (Lerman & Iwata, 1995). This study looked at the use of concurrent schedules of reinforcement in the absence of escape extinction as a way to increase sitting duration in a 2-year old child with ASD and developmental delays. Using a changing criterion design over 20 sessions, the student increased sitting duration, decreased inter-session variability, and also demonstrated generalization. Results suggest the use of concurrent schedules of reinforcement in EI settings may be a non-coercive method of improving early learners’ ability to sit and attend to instructional stimuli. Lerman, D. C., & Iwata, B. A. (1995). Prevalence of the extinction burst and its attenuation during treatment. Journal of applied behavior analysis, 28(1), 93-94. Olley, J. G. (1999). Curriculum for Students with Autism. School Psychology Review, 28(4), 595. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.lindenwood.edu:2048/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=2676682&site=eds-live&scope=site Phillips, L. A., Briggs, A. M., Fisher, W. W., & Greer, B. D. (2018). Assessing and Treating Elopement in a School Setting. Teaching Exceptional Children, 0040059918770663.

Results of prior research on the effects of reinforcer variation on rates of responding have been inconsistent. Some studies have shown higher rates of responding when reinforcers were varied (e.g., Egel, 1981) while others have shown higher rates when the reinforcer was held constant (e.g., Keyl-Austin, Samaha, Bloom, & Boyle, 2012). The purpose of the current study is to determine if there are any differences between variable and constant reinforcement delivery on trials to criterion in skill acquisition programs for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Specifically, participants were taught three sets of three targets in an alternating treatments design. Consequences for correct responses for each set were as follows: highest ranking reinforcer only, variation of three highest ranking reinforcers, and social praise (control). Results from two participants have not shown little to no difference in trials to criterion for each of the three conditions. These preliminary results suggest that there may be differences on the effects of reinforcer variation on restricted vs. free-operant conditions.

Although there have been several relatively large-N studies reporting functional analysis (FA) outcomes and assessing clinician reports of assessment methods used, relatively little is known about the treatments that are derived from those assessment outcomes. We collected data on the components of treatment packages at a large school for children diagnosed with autism and related disabilities. Participants included children and adolescents ranging from ages 13-20 years from a residential program. Participants engaged in problem behavior ranging from mild to severe, had verbal and listener behavior of a variety of levels of complexity, and communicated using a variety of modalities including vocally, using picture exchange, and using communication devices. We analyzed the data with regard to the inclusion of FA informed differential reinforcement, differential arbitrary reinforcement, extinction, various types of punishment procedures, and visuals signaling the availability of reinforcement. Our data shows the use of multiple components of the aforementioned used for the treatment of problem behavior. The findings are summarized and discussed in relation to FA outcomes and the prevalence of treatment components in addition to those informed by FA.

ASD is typified by impairments in the domains of communication, language, and restricted interests (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Beyond an important and socially valid target for improvement, conversational skills may be used as sensitive measure to monitor changes and growth in these domains, as the skill itself requires many “at strength” component social repertoires and remediation of hallmark deficits (Hood et al., 2017) to be effective. A lit review was conducted to identify target conversational behaviors and methods of assessment and training. General concerns and limitations of conversational training for individuals with ASD are noted with an emphasis on the lack of direct assessment measures for identifying and evaluating treatment outcomes (Reichow & Volkmar, 2010). A modified conversational skills assessment protocol (Hood et al., 2017) utilizing permanent product from social presses and a partial interval recording system was conducted to assess and evaluate conversational skills exhibited by a teen diagnosed with ASD and evaluate the protocol’s clinical utility. Data reviewed and analyzed suggested clinical utility of the protocol in selecting relative conversational skills deficits for intervention and continued monitoring for generalization of those targets. Future steps in the development of a standardized conversational skills assessment are noted.

Despite the importance of identifying the function of a problem behavior through experimental functional analysis, not all teachers have the skills needed to address such behaviors in children who have autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or other developmental disorders—particularly in countries that are home to few trained behavioral analysts or in which cultural mores are strongly averse to occurrence of problem behavior, therefore the procedures of a functional analysis are rarely approved. Seven Japanese teachers of students who have ASD, participated in this study. The researcher trained the teachers to identify precursor behaviors and problem behaviors using Behavior Skills Training (BST). The results showed that the training was successful in teaching the participant to identify precursor behaviors. Discussion of the cultural significant of evaluating precursor behaviors vs. problem behavior will also be included.

We are using a combination of task analysis and prompt fading to teach adults with a mild intellectual or developmental disability how to use Google Maps to navigate the Richmond City bus system. We began the study by recruiting and obtaining consent from two individuals in the Richmond community who live on the bus line. A pre-training on how to use Google Maps on their mobile devices was conducted as well as a safety training. Baseline was then conducted and then the task analysis started until 100% criteria was met. Once criteria is met we plan to fade the presence of the researcher and meet the participant at an assigned location. Finally we will conduct a probe to test for generalization and ask the participant to travel to a novel location of their choosing using Google Maps. Inter-observer agreement is being collected interval by interval and currently have an IOA mean of 100% for the first participant and 92% for the second participant. IOA was collected on 50% of sessions for participant one and 60% for participant two. We plan to have at least one more participant in January and have completed all sessions in March.

Although evidence-based practices (EBPs) for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exist, implementation in schools is limited and research suggests that differences in services exist between Urban and Rural school districts such as staff retention and access to services (Knapczyk, Ghapman, G, Rodes, & Ghung, 2001; Murphy & Ruble, 2012). Understanding systematic variability in factors that support EBP use will inform implementation efforts that are tailored to school district characteristics. To identify district factors related to implementation and sustainment of EBPs for ASD, six focus groups were conducted. Participants worked in Urban (n=20) and Rural (n=10) school districts and 93% female. Transcriptions were independently coded by research associates, and inter-rater reliability was assessed by comparing coding and discussing discrepancies to arrive at agreement. N*Vivo software was used to evaluate code frequency and identify themes across district types. Results identify common and varied barriers and facilitators across district types. Although both groups identified district structure as a barrier, Urban participants emphasized policy, communication with leaders, and growth as concerns, whereas Rural participants discussed travel time and high staff turnover. These clear differences across Urban and Rural districts indicate support for tailored implementation plans to maximize EBP use and sustainment.

This project will look at improving social play interactions between two siblings diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Specifically, the project focuses on utilizing the combination of modeling and contingency management to increase the frequency of requests and relinquishing of items and decreasing the frequency of problem behaviors between siblings during turn taking exchanges. Past research reviewed (Rieth, S., et.al., 2014) concentrated on improving social behaviors, including turn taking, by utilizing a combination of modeling and contingency management implemented by a therapist. An additional study reviewed (Tsao & Odom, 2006), utilized typical siblings as peer models to increase pro-social behaviors in an individual with ASD. This project will add to existing literature by examining the effects of intervention on two siblings diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

We conducted a customized experimental functional analysis to identify the consequences maintaining vocal stereotypy of a 30-month old boy diagnosed with autism. Vocal stereotypy was defined as the emission of nonsense or out of context sounds not directed to a listener. Participant’s vocalizations were recorded across 10-min sessions for each of the following conditions: 1. control (on the floor, preferred toys/materials, social interaction only if required by the child); 2. demand (at the table, teaching programs tasks of child’s daily routine, praise as consequence for correct responses, i.e., no tangible reinforcers); 3. ignore (on the floor, low-preferred toys/materials, no social interaction); and 4. social demand (at the table, puzzles, books and other materials, tasks of participant’s routine that required social interactions). We conducted five sessions per condition while the child was receiving ABA services (40-hour treatment per week, in a center-based service). Response rates (total number of vocalizations divided by minute) were higher during ignore and control conditions, indicating that vocal stereotypy was automatically maintained. IOA was higher than 80%. Data showed that demands competed with vocal stereotypy suggesting the possible effectiveness of response interruption and redirection (RIRD). Data collection will continue to evaluate the effects of RIRD.

Full naming is a higher order behavioral relationship in which the individual responds to a class of objects and/or events by combining the listener and speaker functions without direct training. Some individuals do not develop this ability in a natural way, so it is necessary to develop strategies to make this learning viable. Recently, the Stimulus Pairing Observation Procedure (SPOP) has been shown to be an alternative to develop naming in individuals who do not yet have such ability. The SPOP consists of successive presentations of pairs of stimuli, requiring only the observation of the pairings, without differential reinforcement of any additional response. This study evaluated the effect of the SPOP in the emergence of full naming, with a multiple probes design between four children with autism spectrum disorder.The study consisted of: 1) Evaluation of syllable articulation; 2) Tact and selection pre-tests, 3) Bidiretional Naming Test; 4) Full Naming Probe; 5) Baseline; 6) Implementation of treatment; 7) Generalization test; 8) Maintenance test. Results showed the efficacy of SPOP in tact and listener response acquisition, but not for the emergence of full naming. Repertoires and prerequisites of participants were discussed as possible variables that influenced the results.

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder often display restricted behavior patterns, including stereotypy or repetitive forms of engagement. We assessed levels of item engagement across multiple leisure items in an 18-year-old male with autism spectrum disorder, who repetitively engaged with an iPad to the exclusion of other activities. During response restriction preference assessments, when the iPad was restricted, we did not observe increases in item engagement to the other items. As a result, we conducted leisure item training that included prompting alone and in combination with reinforcement. A multiple baseline design across leisure items was used to evaluate the effects of training on simple and complex forms of engagement. Prompting was effective in increasing simple engagement to criterion levels, whereas prompting combined with differential reinforcement was necessary for increasing complex forms of engagement. Following training, when the response restriction preference assessment was reimplemented, increases in complex item engagement with leisure items targeted in training were observed. Interobserver agreement was calculated during 33.3% of sessions and averaged 98%.

Relational Density Theory (Belisle & Dixon, in press) was put forward as a model to predict the self-organization of equivalence classes. Early research suggests that two emergent properties (resistance and gravity) can be predicted by modelling relational mass as a function of relational volume (class size, nodal distance) and relational density (relational response strength). In the present study, we sought to evaluate a transformation of stimulus functioning within a common word puzzle that result from relational gravity as predicted in RDT. In a baseline training phase with three children with autism, we established 4 arbitrary 3-member equivalence classes. Of the four classes, two contained a familiar stimulus (dog, truck) and the other two contained exclusively arbitrary symbols. We predicted that the classes with the familiar high mass stimuli would emerge at greater density that the class containing unfamiliar lower mass stimuli. This initial prediction was generally supported in our results. In a subsequent transformation test, we provided the participants with word search containing CVCs from the new classes along with two familiar words. Results showed that participants identified the words that operated at greater density along with the familiar words at a faster rate compared to unfamiliar words that operated at lower density. These results suggest that RDT may have immediate implications for relational training with children with autism.