Association for Behavior Analysis International

Delay discounting describes how the value of an outcome is affected by how quickly it is delivered. How rapidly reinforcers are discounted differs across species as well as individuals, and this phenomenon has been widely studied over the past 30 years using a variety of procedural assays. Despite methodological differences, many methods of assessing discounting have impressive internal reliability and external validity. The current study assesses the validity of several abbreviated measures to examine how quickly discounting rates can be determined. In a counterbalanced order, rats experienced several discounting procedures. These included an adjusting delay procedure, in which amounts to a larger reward were manipulated across conditions, and several increasing delay procedures, in which the delay to the larger reward was manipulated either across days or within trial blocks in a session. Post-hoc analyses examined validity across measures and also whether reliable results could be attained in time spans as short as one week. Ideally, such results can lend confidence in using abbreviated discounting assays when examining potential correlates with other time-sensitive variables in behavioral, pharmacological, or aging research.

It is often a good strategy to "stand in the other person's shoes" to see a situation from a different perspective. People frequently attempt to infer what someone else would recommend when no advisor is available to help with a decision. The aim of our study was to determine if we can change participant's intertemporal and risky decisions by asking them to take the perspective of a peer, an expert or an entrepreneur. To test whether we can change participant's choices we have measured the behavior of 227 participants in Study 1 and 186 participants in Study 2. In out studies University students made choices using computerized multiple staircase discounting task. In a series of two experiments, we found that taking the peer's perspective made participants behave more impulsively and more risk aversely in relation to the participants' own perspectives. Taking the peer's perspective made participants behave more impulsively and more risk aversely in relation to an expert's or entrepreneur's perspective. Taking an expert's or an entrepreneur's perspective did not change participants' own intertemporal and risky decisions.

The purpose of the present study was to examine a relation between delay discounting and texting while driving from a behavioral economic perspective. A sample of 64 college students completed a survey to assess how frequently they send and read text messages while driving. Based on this information, groups of students who frequently text while driving and students who infrequently text while driving were identified. The groups were compared on the extent to which they discounted a putative social reinforcer obtained through exchanging text messages. In a novel discounting task using a hypothetical scenario in which students receive a text message while driving, they rated their likelihood of replying to a text message immediately versus waiting to reply for a certain period of time from 30 s to 6 h. The results show that the rate at which the likelihood to wait decreased as a function of delay was greater for students who frequently text while driving than students who infrequently text while driving. The results also show that the decrease in the likelihood to wait is well described by a hyperbolic delay-discounting function, which has descriptive and predictive utility in understanding texting while driving and other impulsive behaviors.

Impulsivity predicts obesity and binge-eating disorder (Thamotharan, Lange, Zale, Huffhines, & Fields, 2013; Pearson, Zapolski, & Smith, 2015); however, not everyone with binge-eating disorder is overweight, and many overweight individuals do not meet the criteria for binge-eating disorder. Obesity and binge-eating have also been demonstrated to occur independently in a rat model (Boggiano, Artiga, Pritchette, Chandler-Laney, & Eldridge, 2007). In the current experiment, 10 male Wistar rats completed three conditions in counterbalanced order: (1) binge-eating measured by consumption of intermittently available Double Stuf Oreo cookies, (2) diet-induced obesity proneness measured by weight gain when provided with a sweet high-fat diet ad libitum for 2 consecutive weeks, as well as (3) impulsivity assessed with a delay discounting task. Findings indicate that impulsivity predicted binge-eating but not diet-induced obesity, and that binge-eating and proneness to diet-induced obesity were unrelated to each other. Binge-eating disorder and obesity are serious, unresolved societal issues; a more complete understanding of the psychological, physiological, and behavioral components of these conditions is needed in order to develop more effective and targeted treatments.

Previous research showed that delay discounting is a unique predictor of obesity in young adults, as measured by body-mass index (BMI). Outside of impulsivity, eating and overeating occurs in a social setting spanning close friends and relatives, along with a larger cultural context. Social discounting is a measure that is related to impulsivity, but also uniquely measures aspects of sharing as a function of social proximity. A total of 804 college students completed both demographic and discounting measures across two online studies. Table 1 shows the Pearsons r correlation coefficients for the relationships between measures. Unlike previous research, neither study showed a relationship between delay discounting and BMI. Likewise, there was no direct relationship between social discounting and BMI. However, consistent with previous research, there were significant relationships between delay and social discounting, and age and BMI. In addition, BMI was sensitive to self-reported exercise patterns, suggesting that BMI was a valid predictor of obesity in the current study. We discuss why there may have been discrepancies between our results and those that had previously shown a relationship between BMI and discounting measures.

The gambling literature suggests a relation between how one answers discounting questions (assessments of risk and impulsivity) and the degree one is identified as having problems with gambling. One area of skilled gambling, poker, may defy conventional wisdom in that poker players may be potentially identified as being problem gamblers, given their commitment and investment to the activity, even though their actions may be risk-averse and non-impulsive. This study seeks to start a series of investigations into the relation between poker players' discounting assessments and measures with respect to problem gambling as a function of their level of expertise. This will be accomplished through several measures and poker scenarios delivered in an online format, and measures of delay and probability discounting. The discounting questions cover a variety of topics, and the poker scenarios a variety of in-game situations. In this initial study a relationship between answering the poker questions correctly and discounting is suggested.

We has been studying on the relation between response cost and reward amount in a self-control task. Tajima (2007, 2014) reported the need for the schedule thinning procedure to increase high-cost high-reward choices over low-cost low-reward choices. But in our last experiments, all participants continued to choose high-cost high-reward alternative from the beginning (Baba & Mochizuki, 2015). In this experiment we removed the forced choice trials to equalize the procedure to Tajima's experiment, and tried to replicate Tajima's results. University students experienced five sessions of concurrent-chains procedure. The concurrent-chains has two alternatives and they were different in fixed-ratio (FR) value and reinforcement amount. The schedules of terminal links were concurrent (conc.) FR 5 (5) FR 40 (60) in the first session and changed to conc. FR 20 (20) FR 20 (20), conc. FR 16 (16) FR 24 (36), conc. FR 10 (10) FR 30 (45), and conc. FR 5 (5) FR 40 (60) (Values in parentheses show reinforcement points which was exchangeable for money). Three of four participants always chose high-cost high-reward, and only one showed gradual increase in high-cost high-reward choice. Experiment is ongoing with more participants and some other values of FR and reinforcement points.

Gambling persistence can be considered as the duration an individual continues to gamble after the gambling activity no longer produces wins. Factors that increase gambling persistence are important to identify for understanding maladaptive gambling behavior. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of response-independent food and drink delivery on gambling persistence with a focus on single-subject analysis. Six female undergraduate students from a Midwestern university each attended two sessions and participated in two of three conditions. The participants played on a simulated slot machine which only produced wins during the first 30 plays, afterwards all plays only produced losses. As the participants began their 30th play they were informed of the status of food and drink delivery for that session, as well as given food and drink if applicable. Participants were able to eat and drink as per their leisure, and were informed they could leave at any time. All four participants who compared food and drink conditions to the no food and drink condition persisted longer when food and drink were available, and the two participants who completed food and drink conditions in both sessions persisted longer when they consumed more food and drink.

The Powerball lottery has been available for over two decades, producing significant income for its 47 participating member states (over $2 billion in 2014) with jackpots sometimes exceeding $600 million. To assess the association of jackpot size and ticket demand, sales and jackpot records were collected for all Powerball drawings held between April 1992 and May 2015 (n=2393). With each successive occurrence of the same prize level, per capita sales attracted by all prize levels tended to decline, and this public discounting of prize value was greatest for the largest prizes. Jackpot devaluation exceeded that of inflation, as measured by the consumer price index (CPI-W). At the same time, very large jackpots (>$150M), once claimed, were associated with induction of demand for the subsequent game, even though its jackpots were reset to beginning levels (e.g., $20-40M). While demand tended to increase as prizes rose above $50 million, time series suggest that first-instance jackpot sizes of $151-175M, $226-250M, and $276-300M commanded the highest break and run sales. Overall, ever-larger jackpots are needed to maintain demand for lottery games.

Single-case research methodology was used to evaluate short term outcomes from parent- implemented literacy instruction for children with intellectual disabilities. The present study investigated the impacts of a parent-implemented direct instruction curriculum on phonological awareness and phonics of children between the ages of 4 and 12 who were diagnosed Down syndrome. Additional behavioral measures of were used to identify potential collateral effects of the intervention on home behaviors. The study included 12 parent-child dyads and was implemented over 18 weeks. 33% of participants showed significant increases on decoding (nonsense word reading and oral reading fluency). Those who showed significant progress on decoding also improved on phoneme segmentation and rapid picture naming. All children improved on at least one literacy skill during the intervention. Overall, the intervention study presented here demonstrates that the same components of reading in children with typical development, also apply to individuals with Down syndrome. This study contributes to the literature in several ways. First, it demonstrated that parents can implement reading interventions with fidelity that are effective for this population. Second, it demonstrated that improvements on minimal verbal repertoires (i.e., phonemic awareness) contribute to decoding. These results will be discussed in further detail during the poster presentation.

Brief experimental analysis (BEA) utilizes single case design methodology to test drive interventions in order to select an effective intervention for an individual student (Burns & Wagner, 2008). Used in this way, BEA can guide intervention selection for learners who have failed to respond to standard instruction (Coolong-Chaffin & Wagner, 2015). This project examined how BEA procedures could be used to identify potentially effective skill and/or performance-based interventions targeting reading fluency for 12 students (grades 2-7) who demonstrated inadequate reading performance during the school year. In addition, an extended analysis was conducted to determine the effectiveness of the indicated intervention over time when used within the context of a comprehensive reading instructional package delivered during a summer reading program. Results indicated that a promising intervention was identified for each participant. In addition, the intervention led to large gains in words read correctly per minute during the reading program on intervention passages. Variable results were seen on generalization passages. These results extend the literature on BEA by demonstrating its use with interventions utilizing skill and/or performance-based interventions. The results also demonstrate how BEA-indicted interventions can be used within the context of a comprehensive instructional package for struggling readers during the summer.

The use of self-questioning strategies with prompt fading is examined as a way to support at-risk third graders in comprehending expository text. Self-questioning strategies are designed to aid children to monitor their understanding of text, to recognize elements of text, and to make inferences about text (Crabtree, Alber-Morgan, & Konrad, 2010). Explicit instruction of comprehension strategies, such as self-questioning, has been linked to learners' development of comprehension skills and improvement in assessment-taking skills (Chall, 1983; Goldman & Rakestraw, 2000; Kintsch, 2005; Pearson & Johnson, 1978). Prompt-fading techniques are used with self-questioning strategies to promote independence and prevent prompt-dependence. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of a structured self-questioning strategy on the reading comprehension of third graders at-risk for academic failure due to reading comprehension difficulties.

Despite the fact that Iceland spends more on the educational system than most of the neighboring countries the need for special education is rising. Most students that receive special education need reading instruction. It is important to use methods that are effective and accelerate learning. Direct Instruction (DI) and Precision Teaching (PT) have been shown to be very effective with English-speaking students. In this study multiple baseline across participants and changing criterion design was used to assess the effects of using DI and PT in reading instruction with Icelandic students who had reading difficulties. The participants, 5 students aged 8 to 13, had reading skills below the average of their age. Most of them had been in special education in reading for some time without showing much progress. Every participant showed progress when DI and PT were used. These results indicate that these methods are effective in reading instruction with Icelandic speaking students.

Response to Intervention (RtI) is a general education initiative, however, general education teachers may not have extensive training or knowledge about the systematic interventions characteristic of Tier 2 or the systems approach to assessment and intervention within RtI (Spear-Swerling & Cheesman, 2012). We will share an intervention study of one private elementary school that began implementing an RtI model, with a focus on the delivery of a standard protocol Tier 2 reading intervention (e.g., student intervention data, teachers social validity data). Participants included first- through sixth-grade students with learning disabilities or who were at risk for reading failure. Data revealed greater effectiveness for students who were at risk. Social validity data from the teachers revealed benefits regarding student independence, interest and choice, and concerns with individualization and time for the general curriculum. These results point out the need for general education teachers to receive sustained support in their efforts to implement interventions and monitor student progress (Richards, Pavri, Golez, Canges, & Murphy, 2007). The intervention data also suggest that certain methods may be more effective with at-risk students as opposed to students with learning disabilities. Teachers must provide these learners with effective, evidence-based interventions to improve student outcomes.

Language and behavioral disorders tend to be highly comorbid in students with mild/moderate disabilities (Hollo, Wehby, & Oliver, 2014). One intervention shown to be successful at remediating communication-based problem behavior is functional communication training (FCT). FCT is typically utilized for individuals with moderate to severe developmental or intellectual disabilities; however the core components of FCT (i.e., functional assessment of problem behavior and differential reinforcement of a functionally equivalent communicative replacement behavior) are often utilized in intervention packages for students with EBD. This poster will present the results of a literature review of functional assessment based interventions for students with and at risk for high incidence disabilities to determine the extent to which these interventions address language based behavioral concerns using techniques aligned with FCT.

The purpose of this poster is to present a review of published research along with a current study that explores the effects of implementing a systematic process of de-intensifying interventions using most to least prompt procedures as students achieve performing tasks independently. For instance, a current study will be presented on exploring the effects of a most to least verbal plus visual prompt procedure using sound box to teach preschoolers to segment phonemes. Most to least prompt procedures consisted of modeling, guided practice, and corrective feedback while using sound boxes and then systematically removing modeling and guided practice and then subsequently the sound boxes as students approximated mastery. A multiple probe design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the most to least prompts using sound boxes on the acquisition, maintenance, and generalization of the preschoolers� phoneme segmentation performance. Findings are displayed on a graph, and they revealed that all children improved their performance on phoneme segmentation tasks during the implementation of sound box intervention over and above their performance during baseline conditions. Results also showed that all children were able to maintain their high phoneme segmentation performance levels after prompts were systematically removed.

This study examined the effects of positive peer reporting on social interactions of two socially withdrawn children as part of a larger study. The study was conducted in two 4th grade general education classes using a multiple baseline design across participants. All children in the classes (65 children) participated in the intervention, and in this study we analyzed social interactions of two girls who rarely interacted with peers. We used an event recording procedure to record the girls social interactions during 10-min recess. After the baseline, the positive peer reporting was introduced as the intervention. At the beginning of the intervention phase, teachers conducted a review session about what are good behaviors. Children were told to find each others good behaviors in the school and report it by writing a card. The teachers collected the cards and read them in front of the classes at the end of a day. The teachers praised children who wrote cards as well as children who practiced good behaviors. During the intervention, both girls wrote and received cards, and their social interactions increased. We continue to observe if the girls social interactions are maintained after the formal withdrawal of the intervention.

This study implemented and evaluated a training program for students acquiring field supervision hours toward their BCBA certification, specifically in conducting effective supervisions (effective use of didactic, modeling, feedback, and performance management systems). The study identified the behavior of the supervisor as well as the para-professional charged with implementing behavioral procedures (including both currently credentialed Registered Behavior Technicians and who had not completed the RBT training). The students, each paired with a technician/trainee and a preschool-aged child (2 1/2 7 yr old), were each trained to criteria on a set of supervision objectives for implementation following a Supervision Skills Checklist (including both in-vivo observation of implementation and direct competency assessment). Each item of the implementation skills checklist identified were evaluated in baseline for the technicians, and both pre and post-training implementation treatment fidelity was measured. A multiple-baseline design across subject pairs (BCBA Student/Technician) demonstrated that after direct training of supervision skills with BCBA students both completion of supervision tasks and treatment fidelity increased, and maintenance of target skills occurred with ongoing supervision.

The prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is approximately 1 in 68. In many cases, the number of individuals requiring treatment surpasses the availability of service providers, such that children must wait to receive treatment. The purpose of my study is to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of a self-training program intended to teach basic reinforcement techniques to parents of children with ASD who have been placed on a waitlist. The self-training program will be available through an online Computer-Aided Personalized System of Instruction (CAPSI), and will consist of 2 modules that will include: (a) reading materials, (b) demonstration videos (c) study questions, (d) practice exercises, and (e) direct observation sessions. A multiple-baseline design across training modules will be used, with evaluations at baseline, training, post-training, and follow-up. I predict that scores from the study questions and direct observation sessions will improve from baseline to post-training, and that the improvements in study question scores will maintain at follow-up.

The purpose of this research was to provide an data-basedl method of gauging candidate progress through a teacher special education preparation program. A vocabulary assessment was created and is framed with the CBE and RtI models that have a 30-year research base. Curriculum-based measures were used in order to monitor the progress of candidates as they proceeded through the special education program. Further, the technology appears to hold promise for identifying candidates who were likely to need support; the results showed a difference in candidate acquisition of vocabulary from the beginning of the program to the end of the program. The assessments also accurately identified candidates within the program who were experiencing academic difficulty with program content.

Though the dairy industry in California is an extremely important component of the state?s agriculture, it is faced with significant financial hardships. Our preliminary study conducted in 2015 shows that dairy farmers intended to reduce cost risks and to maintain a price over cost margin. However, farmers were found lack of knowledge about risk management instruments. In this study agribusiness researchers developed an interactive online teaching course in November 2015. The course is pre-tested with 135 agribusiness college students and the discrete choice model results suggest that: 1) senior students who have previously taken an online course tend to rate low for the online learning experience. 2) Female students are found to be less likely to rank high for the online course because they feel the course required more work and more time. And 3) participating students believed the online coursework is more difficult than a face-to-face course. The revised course should focus on the development of interactive course activities; should provide additional course work help to female participants; and should propose appropriate instructive methods to better explain risk management concepts.

Organizational Behavior Management (OBM) has become a highly sought after area of interest in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis, and for good reason. The majority of behavior analysts have careers in which they make their impact on consumers through the coaching and management of others, a skill that is enhanced substantially through OBM Training. However, only 21 out of 291 BACB approved course sequences offer graduate training in OBM and even fewer offer a hands-on learning, or practicum experience. This situation is unlikely to improve, as there are few faculty positions in behavior analysis programs that call for an OBM background. This poster will review options that behavior analysts have for obtaining training in OBM. A case study of a new course at Florida Institute of Technologys online ABA program that blends distance learning with hands on experience in OBM will be featured. The potential for programs such as these to bridge the educational gap in OBM for behavior analysts will be explored.

Behavior Analysis Concepts are commonly cited in academic and scientific environments, usually under control, but there is little information on introducing basic concepts in a mid-size company with over 800 employees that attends the control of transit in a 400,000 inhabitants city (an uncontrolled environment, in this case). The trigger of the study was an accident with one of the transit agents, that turned into a strike of the formers, that showed a need to change the paradigm of simply training the agents and other staff personnel into a Behavior Oriented paradigm because of the number of variables involved, from media people, urban population to employees (agents and staff). The environment was very dynamic (many transit situations every day and the media news promoting reactions inside the company and in the relation to towns population). A series of encounters were conducted at different levels within the company to introduce Behavioral Concepts, to establish empirical correlations with the facts common to their daily work and to change behaviors from transit agents to staff. The learning evaluation was made as the company members produced real time in the company responses based on the new operants produced instead of the respondent concepts.

Supervisors must provide training and supervision that results in the accurate implementation of behavior analytic practices. The present study is designed to investigate the effects of interdependent group contingencies on the generalization of behavior analytic skills to treatment settings. A multiple baseline design will be used to evaluate the generalization of Discrete Trial Training (DTT), Natural Environment Teaching (NET), and prompting. A trained observer will observe eight staff members working in school for children with developmental disabilities. All staff members are currently pursuing Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) certification. Data will be based on the percent completion of a predetermined number of steps the participant implemented in the naturalistic environment. Interdependent group contingencies will be implemented across behaviors utilizing a 90% group average criterion for three consecutive days to access reinforcement. If the group criterion is not met for 4 consecutive days a second phase of intervention utilizing modeling and daily performance feedback daily until 90% implementation is reached for 3 consecutive days at which time fading will begin. The results from the present study can be applied to the generalization and maintenance of behavior analytic techniques in a school-based, treatment environment. Data is currently being collected.

Although time-out is a widely used term and technique in behavior analysis and in the culture at large, its origins and evolution have not been accurately or completely described. According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), its origins lie in turn-of-the-20th century vernacular use such as “the suspension in play” in sports and “an imperative, calling for a break.” These are accurate. The OED’s first behavior-analytic use is “a period of enforced seclusion, or of withdrawal of a stimulus…as a means of modifying behavior,” which it attributes to Ferster (1957). This is inaccurate. Based on original research, we describe the first documented use of time-out (a) as a term and a method in basic behavior-analytic research with nonhumans (e.g., to reduce schedule interactions; see Ferster, 1954), (b) as an aversive stimulus in basic research with nonhumans (see Herrnstein, 1955), (c) as an aversive stimulus in basic research with humans (see Baer, 1960), and (d) as a term and an intervention in applied behavior analysis (see Wolf, Risley, & Mees, 1964). After describing time-out’s origins and evolution, we address alternative claims (e.g., Staats’s use of the term and the intervention in childrearing) and priority claims in general.

Child raising practices adoption based on empirical evidence to community places promise antisocial behavior prevention in Mexico. The goal of the study was to describe the relationship between implementation level of the child raising practices promoted by psychologist in community settings and the parental behavior and reports of their behavior and their children in public health institutions. We worked with 18 psychologists with a 32 years old mean that worked too with 128 parents from 8 Mexican republic entities. We used psychometrical instruments for the parental and children behaviors reports and a direct observational system for the children raising practices implementation assessment (categories: identifying, correction, interaction and stimulus control). The study consisted in three phases: activities programming in Moodle platform, Distance psychologist training on child raising practices, and implementation phase. A factorial design of two (before and after assessment) per two (low and high implementation) was used. The results suggest parental behaviors changing in function of higher implementation of the child raising practices are praising, social interaction and instructions following. Higher implementation also was associated with less punisher reporting, more ignoring technique, problems solving, rules establishment and academic social interaction reporting.

Bumblefoot, or pododermatitis, is a bacterial infection of the foot that commonly occurs in captive birds, including penguins (AZA, 2014). The lesions, or bumbles, occur from excessive pressure on the plantar surface and have been linked to many factors in penguins, including sex, weight, enclosure substrate and behavioral factors (Erlacher-Reid, et al., 2012). Recent research has found that bumblefoot lesions can be reduced through the use of environmental enrichment (Reisfield, et al., 2013). This research validates the efficacy of behavioral interventions in decreasing or eliminating lesions, but fails to provide any behavioral data. The goals of this research are to quantify the behavioral changes necessary in order to decrease or eliminate bumblefoot lesions, as well as determine the necessary behaviors in order to prevent its re-occurrence. Five Little Blue penguins (Eudyptula minor) suffering from bumblefoot will serve as subjects. Behavioral measures include the daily amount of time spent swimming and standing on various substrates. Physical measures include the diameter of lesions (Reisfield, et al., 2013). Using a multiple baseline design, different lengths of daily swim bouts will be implemented for each penguin while lesions are measured daily. Results pending.

Gastrointestinal (GI) complications are common in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and are often accompanied by several aversive symptoms including, but not limited to, abdominal pain, constipation, and vomiting (Molloy & Manning-Courtney, 2003). In the current study, a 16 year-old male with ASD and enteral tube dependence had a history of excessive vomiting due to a GI lesion. He was admitted to an inpatient pediatric feeding disorders program to decrease spitting and drooling of saliva and it was hypothesized that an aversion to vomiting facilitated the patients avoidance of orally consuming food, drinks, and saliva into his stomach. The present study evaluated the effects of differential reinforcement of closing and clearing his mouth of saliva (i.e., swallowing) (DRA) and differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) to decrease spitting behavior. The treatment was gradually implemented throughout the day until no spitting or drooling was observed during all waking hours. Drink and food were successfully introduced using a similar DRA/DRO procedure. The volume of food and drink were increased to meet his daily caloric needs and all enteral tube feedings were discontinued. The present study supports the use of reinforcement-based behavioral interventions to treat maladaptive spitting/drooling behavior.

This poster will focus on highlighting prior research on Quality of Life (QoL) between 1990-2016 with an aim to identify predictors and patterns in QoL in individuals with Autism (ASD). Our aim is to be able to propose future directions in research in this field and derive suggestions to ameliorate QoL in individuals with ASD. The World Health Organization (1997) defines Quality of Life as the individuals perception of their position in life, in the context of culture and value systems in which they live, and in relation to their expectations, standards and concerns ranging from the persons physical health, psychological state, level of independence, social relationships, personal beliefs, and their relationships to salient features of their environment. Adolescence is a period in which it might be expected that a person with ASD would be likely to be able to evaluate aspects of their life experiences as well as integrate peer evaluations of social competence as a predictor of successful integration. As a result of their difficulties in the area of social interaction, adolescents with ASD may be expected to be particularly vulnerable to poor integration and social outcome, which may be expected to affect perceptions of QoL. These patterns are expected to continue into adulthood.

Despite ample research on evidence-based practices for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), there is limited empirical evidence of best practices for training therapists who implement manualized interventions. Passive training (self-directed reading) is a commonly used strategy, which often leads to an ability to report vs. perform intervention procedures. Therefore, additional active strategies (behavioral rehearsal) may be required to implement procedures accurately. We conducted a modified multiple baseline design across three pairs (n=6) of graduate student therapists recruited to implement a manualized intervention for youth with ASD. Therapists first completed 3 hours of passive learning (self-directed reading) followed by 3 hours of active learning (Behavioral Skills Training). Trained observers coded therapists' performance in each phase on two outcome measures: (1) fidelity, scored as percent correct on session checklists (IOA M= 95.76%, R= 86.67%-100%); and (2) quality, rated on a 5-point Likert scale (IRR M= .92 R= .84-.99). Five of the six therapists demonstrated an increase in fidelity after active training (M = 4.76% change, R= -1.57-8.77%), and four of the six therapists showed an improvement in session quality (M=0.30 change R= -0.20-1.28). Evaluation of training strategies that lead to increased fidelity and quality of evidence-based interventions for individuals with ASD is highly warranted.

Pain and discomfort associated with physical illness mediates the presentation of serious problem behaviors. Nonverbal children with autism often have pain that is ignored or under-treated (ref). Inability to report and describe pain results in improper treatment. Pain can also be a setting event for problem behavior. Self-injury may be a clue that there is pain and provide information on where the pain is located. Patterns of self-injury can be used to help determine if pain is present, where it is located and how it impacts the individual. The Non-Communicating Children Pain Checklist is a measurement tool used to identify pain behavior in nonverbal children with intellectual impairment. In the current study, the reliability and validity of the checklist was evaluated in a residential treatment facility by completing the checklist by two simultaneous observers following a 2 hour observation period. The pain scale data were compared to graphs of self-injurious behavior, medical exams, and direct observation of behavior at regularly scheduled intervals and when pain was hypothesized. Although the scale completion by some observers were consistent with pain identified by medical professionals, the interobserver agreement was very low.

Adults with developmental disabilities are significantly more likely to be in fair or poor general health status when compared to the general population (Sullivan et al., 2011). One of the main reasons is the lack of preventive health services within the developmental disabilities population (Yen et al., 2014). Many studies that have used behavioral treatment package to increase medical compliance involved children (Cuvo et al., 2010; Allen et al., 1992), but very few were with adults. The first purpose of the present study was to investigate the use of a behavioral treatment package that included choice-making, chaining and shaping with percentile schedules to increase physical health exam compliance in adults with developmental disabilities. The second purpose was to investigate whether or not carry-over effects were present across physical health exam components when training two physical health exam components simultaneously. Last, it evaluated whether generalization of physical health exam compliance occurred across time and settings. The physical health exam components included blood pressure, body temperature, ear, heart and lung, height, glucose, mouth/throat, and weight. The present study found that the behavioral treatment package was successful in increasing physical health exam compliance in adults with developmental disabilities.

There is increased use of off label psychotropic medications to treat behavior challenges for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (Crystal, et al., 2009; Williamson, & Martin, 2012). Although the treatment efficacy is not promising (Crystal, et al., 2009; Deb, et al., 2007; Mandell, et al., 2008; Matson, & Neal, 2009; Tyrer, et al., 2000), the use of psychotropic medications is one of the common treatments for the population. Although On the other hand, other evidence based treatments such as behavioral interventions have been underutilized despite of previous studies demonstrating successful outcomes to reduce behavior challenges (Brosnan, & Healy, 2011; Hanly, et al., 2005; Matson, 2007; Matson, & Neal, 2009). This trend also changed the regulation for services in special education and behavioral health industries. In the current study, 128 adults were separated into two groups (with or without behavior reduction procedures prior to 2009) and the number of psychotropic medications prescribed for them before and after the removal of behavior reduction procedures was analyzed. It was found that there was a statistically significant increase in the number of psychotropic medications after the removal of behavior reduction procedures for the group with those procedures.

Previous research has demonstrated that manipulating the response effort associated with eating may increase appropriate feeding behaviors (e.g., acceptance, swallowing) and decrease inappropriate mealtime behavior. For example, Kerwin, Ahearn, Eicher, and Burd (1995) decreased the response effort associated with eating by decreasing the volume of food on the spoon. Wilkins, Piazza, Groff, and Vaz (2011) showed that decreasing the response effort associated with swallowing and increasing the response effort for expulsion by implementing a chin prompt to close the childs mouth during drink deposits decreased rates of expulsion in 4 children diagnosed with a feeding disorder. We extended the findings of Kerwin et al. (1995) and Wilkins et al. (2011) in the current study by using a bolus manipulation (i.e., 2 cc vs. 4 cc) and a chin prompt as antecedent interventions to treat the liquid expulsion of a 14-month-old girl. Use of the chin prompt effectively decreased expulsion for both bolus sizes relative to baseline, but the largest decrease in expulsion was with the smaller bolus size. We discuss the results in terms of changes in response effort associated with swallowing.

Background: Approximately 69-95% of children with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) engage in chronic skin picking (Morgan et al., 2010). Habit reversal training (HRT) is an effective treatment for skin picking in a variety of populations. There is limited information on the implementation of HRT for reducing skin picking in individuals with PWS. HRT involves self-monitoring and reinforcement of competing responses to decrease the target behavior. Competing responses sometimes become problematic and a more socially valid replacement behavior must be identified; there is little guidance on the procedures to do this. Methods: The current study focused on identifying an alternative competing response for a child with PWS and skin picking in an outpatient setting. HRT was previously successful and led to high rates of the competing response (crayon peeling); however, crayon peeling became socially inappropriate. A Competing Stimulus Assessment (CSA) was used to identify a more socially appropriate competing response. Functional assessment data indicated skin picking was maintained by automatic reinforcement. Results: A traditional CSA (Piazza et al., 1998) was ineffective in identifying a competing response and further modifications are needed. Future data collected will clarify the most appropriate method to identify new competing responses. Limitations and clinical considerations will be discussed.

Children with severe feeding problems engage in a variety of refusal behaviors to avoid or escape food and or liquids. This often results in parents engaging in a variety of unconventional methods and utensils in order to increase their childs food and/or liquid consumption such as syringes, bottles at inappropriate ages, dream feeds, walking around, etc. However, this may lead to long meal durations in which the child consumes food and/or liquid for the majority of waking hours which impedes caloric intake and nutritional needs. Furthermore, long meal durations with one aspect of eating such as drinking may leave less time for other aspects such as solids. The purpose of this study was to decrease the duration of milk consumption by comparing the effects of a escape extinction and positive reinforcement procedures between two different drinking utensils (straw bottle and open cut-out cup) in an intensive interdisciplinary home-based feeding program for a 15-month-old girl diagnosed with pediatric feeding disorder, failure to thrive (FTT), ventricular septal defect (VSD), gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). A multiple treatment reversal design was used to evaluate the treatment protocols. Results found that escape extinction and positive reinforcement paired with the open cut-out cup was the most successful procedure for increasing milk acceptance and decreasing the duration of milk consumption. Since duration of milk consumption decreased there was more time for solid intake. Furthermore, since all nutrition was obtained via solids and liquids multivitamins and iron supplements were no longer necessary. These data are discussed in relation to the importance of meal duration as a dependent variable and how it relates to overall health.

There is evidence to support that behavioral interventions result in significant improvements in feeding behavior in children with pediatric feeding disorders (Sharp et al., 2010; Williams et al., 2007). Despite increase in empirical evidence supporting the role of behavior analysis in treating severe feeding problems, evaluation of interdisciplinary program outcomes have been somewhat limited. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the treatment outcomes of an interdisciplinary feeding program for 23 children diagnosed with pediatric feeding disorders. A retrospective chart analysis indicated these children were treated successfully overall with high levels of parent satisfaction. The program was found to be cost-effective when compared to the cost of outpatient therapy or long-term supplemental feeding.

With the growing number of adults suffering from aphasia every year, having effective treatment methods that improve quality of life and help regain communication abilities is highly important. Aphasia is an impairment of language that affects all language modalities (National Aphasia Association, 2011) and leads to loss of communication abilities and reduced life quality (Beeson & Bayles, 1997; Groher, 1989). Applied Behavior Analysis presents principles that are used for analyzing and modifying communicative behavior, which makes it an ideal foundation for aphasia rehabilitation (Goldfarb, 2006). Some of the behavioral treatment methods that have been used with aphasia are precision teaching, fluency training, and errorless learning. Precision teaching evaluates the effectiveness of teaching strategies (Chapman, 2005), fluency is a measure of speed and accuracy of responding (White, 1986), and errorless learning is a technique that focuses on decreasing the number of errors during skill acquisition (Fillingham, 2006). These behavioral techniques have shown to improve skills associated with aphasia, including the generalization of those skills (Ayers, 1975; Chapman, 2005; Sigurardttir, & Sighvatsson, 2006, 2012). This poster will provide an overview of the small body of research on the above mentioned behavioral techniques as effective treatments for aphasia, describe specific areas for further research, and provide guidelines for practice.

The visual scanning patterns of 5 Mother-Infant dyads (4 biological; 1 adopted) were assessed while attending to pairs of face stimuli. The infants ages were 4 months (n = 2), 7 months (n = 1), and 10 months (n = 2). Each stimulus pair were of the same face, however one of the faces was manipulated so to represent infantile schema features (e.g., larger, more round). There were 6 stimulus face pairs; 2 adult male, 2 infant, and 2 inanimate faces. For the Mothers, each stimulus pair was presented for 5 seconds whereas for the Infants each stimulus pair was presented until the infant accumulated 5 seconds of attending to either or both of the faces. Although individual differences between the infants and between mothers were evident, there was a significant relationship between the Mother-Infant dyads scanning patterns. The number of fixations and the number visual shifts, within and between face stimuli, were correlated within the mother-infant dyads. It is argued that the similarity of an infants visual behavior to that of its mother is a function of what mother attends to in the environment, interprets, and transfers, via verbal and overt behaviors, to the infant during dyadic interactions.

There is a direct relationship between multiple parents characteristics and their context, such as stress in parenting, parents and children interaction, marital conflicts, poverty, unemployment, single parenthood, social exclusion and low educational levels (Salles & Ger, 2011) which determine disruptive behavior of children. The aim of the study is to compare the disruptive behavior of children in relation to parents characteristics, as socioeconomic status (poverty, poor class, lower middle class, middle class, upper class and wealthy class), scholar level (No education, Elementary school, Junior High School, High School and University) and sex. 332 caregivers between 18 and 71 years old participated. Participants answered the Child Behavior Inventory (CBI). The results show that parents without education report higher amount of aggressive behavior on their children (M: 26.6) compared to parents with university degree (M: 18.9). Parents without studies report children with many problems in school (M: 29.9) compared to parents with university degree (M: 18.3); moreover, the parents with extreme poverty reported children with less severe problems in school (M: 15.5) unlike rich class parents (M: 41.6). Therefore, sociodemographic variables can be interacting in more complex forms, it�s important to extend their study.

The purpose of this study is to determine if there are differences in stage and Holland interest between researchers who are currently Principal Investigators (PIs) and those who aspire to be Principal Investigators, such as Postdoctoral fellows and Graduate Students. We hypothesize that there would be significant differences between researchers, who become PIs and those that dont. We further hypothesis that these differences would be detectable even at an incipient stage. We hope to investigate these differences by examining the reasoning and perspective taking skills of these researchers and their Holland interests. The relevance of such a study is manifold. Understanding the unique combination of the variables of what it takes to be a successful Principal investigator would help graduate students make better life choices, hone their tangential skills and significantly improve their planning as well as long and short term goal setting. Furthermore such knowledge would enable companies to build products that would help researchers achieve fulfilling careers, both in and outside academia.

Behavioral Developmental stage is shown to interact with how discounting value of reinforcers works. Before the age of three and when children enter the preoperational behavioral stage 6, children will choose 1 M&M over getting 5 a few minutes later. At the preoperational stage, children will wait 5 minutes to get 5 M&M's as opposed to getting one immediately. This because they comprehend a two part story with one part being the not wanting the outcome of just 1 M&M and the other part being the waiting and getting 5 M&Ms. This demonstrates transition from Sentential Behavioral Stage 5 to Preoperational Behavioral Stage in children. This observation allows for understanding of a key transition between Stages. By understanding behavioral developmental stage and value of reinforcers, it can be possible to observe all sorts of key behaviors that indicate the successful completion of a Stage. Using this methodology can lead to better understanding of one's place in a behavioral development sequence and an increased ability to train new behaviors.

While children seem to progress with relative ease from rudimentary counting to true counting, the literature on animals suggests that even primates struggle in this transition and may not ever progress to true counting. Due to the manner in which studies on animals have been conducted, it is difficult to ascertain the Stage of different species. Whether or not any species besides humans has the capability of true counting is unclear, but a review of the evidence indicates that there is nothing that suggests that they can. The difficulty lies with the fact that they cannot get to big numbers. Illiterates can also not count high, which demonstrates that there may be a correlation between symbolic language use and counting to high numbers. One point that will be addressed is at what behavioral development stage can human children count to higher numbers. This will help understand the behavioral developmental stage that other animal species have reached.

Abstract: The present study examined the effects of manipulating establishing operations on teaching children with Autism to mand using how? Methods: A multiple baseline across activities was implemented, while one activity was in mand training the rest remained in baseline. Data was collected on independent mands how? Across all conditions of the experiment. Which were baseline, initial mand training, 5s delay of prompt, 5s delay of partial prompt and generalization probe to novel people. Results: Results show that manipulating establishing operations did have an affect on the participants learning to mand using how?. Both participants learned to mand how? independently even though they only received direct training for two out of the five activities. Generalization to novel people also occurred for both participants. Discussion: Some of the limitations were: - There was no baseline data on the occurrence of independent mands how? when the participants mother ran the session. - The number of participants was a slight increase from original study (only 2 original had 1) - A minor limitation was the time between one session and the next was not constant.

Children with autism who do not fully develop speech are often taught to use speech-generating devices (SGDs) as an alternative communication mode. Intervention with SGDs often begins by teaching the child to mands for preferred object. To date there is limited research investigating the use of speech-generating devices to make advanced mands. The current study aimed to extend the literature on teaching advanced manding skills by evaluating methods for teaching mands for actions using an iPad-based SGD. Using behavior chain interruption strategy, we taught three nonverbal children with autism to mand for actions. We also assessed for generalization to a novel stimulus. Specifically, a behavior chain interruption (blocking assess format) was used to contrive the motivating operation. A multiple probe across participants design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of this intervention. All three participants acquired the target mand, however generalization to a novel stimulus only occurred for one participant. These results suggest that mands for actions can be taught to children with autism using SGDs and the behavior chain interruption strategy.

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit deficits in appropriate functional play as well as social communication during play. Studies show typical play skills can foster social interactions with peers (Pierucci, Barber, Gilpin, Crisler, & Klinger, 2015). Without intervention play of children with autism is often ritualistic and void of social engagement (Wing, Gould, Yeats, & Brierly, 1977). The current study used script fading as a method of prompting item-specific spontaneous vocal initiations during play. Three play activities each with 4 toys items that were categorically related (i.e. Doctors Kit: thermometer, stethoscope, syringe, and plessor) were selected. For each toy item within the play activity, 3 vocal responses were selected and included the name of the item, a feature of the item, and the function of the item. The toy items and the vocal responses were arranged in a matrix resulting in 3 matrices (i.e., play activities) each consisting of 4 items and 3 vocal response types. During baseline, vocalizations were recorded during play with the play activities. Following baseline, intervention for Matrix 1 was conducted. The diagonal targets were taught, as together they a contained a component of every response. Following mastery of the diagonal targets, the non-diagonal targets were probed to measure emergence of non-targeted vocal initiations during play. Next the untrained Matrix 2 and Matrix 3 were tested. Results demonstrated emergence of untrained vocal responses in all 3 matrices.

The current pilot study aimed to directly assess the communication repair strategies of a 6-year-old girl with autism spectrum disorder in the context of a communication breakdown. The child had previously been taught to use an iPad-based speech-generating device to mand for preferred foods and was also able to request by speaking approximations of words (e.g., snack, please). After preferred snacks were presented to the child, repair strategies were assessed across conditions where the child either did, or did not have access to the speech-generating device under varied schedules of reinforcement. The assessment included three types of trials presented in a random order: (a) the childs initial mand form, which, was reinforced immediately (T1), (b) the experimenter requested clarification once and then reinforced the first mand form that occurred after that request for clarification (T2), or (c) the experimenter requested clarification twice and then reinforced the first mand form that occurred after the second request for clarification (T3). The results suggest that across both phases, the childs response class hierarchy was comprised of primarily response modifications where the individual combined modalities of communication (e.g. speech-generating device activation with speech, or prelinguistic communication with speech) to repair initial mands.

Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often have limited speech abilities and may require the use of alternative communication systems in order to effectively communicate with others. A few studies have compared different communication modalities in an effort to determine which form of communication may be most effective when teaching requesting skills (Tincani, 2004; Barlow, Tiger, Slocum, & Miller, 2013). The current study is a replication and extension of the comparison study conducted by Barlow and colleagues in 2013 and consists of a multiple probe design across behaviors (mands) with an embedded alternating treatments design. In this study, experimenters simultaneously taught the modified sign and picture touch for one preferred item while two additional items remained in baseline. Once mastery criteria were met for a mand item a post-test consisting of correspondence checks between the indicating response (i.e., pointing to preferred item), mand, and item consumed was conducted for all three mand items. Preliminary data suggest mands taught using picture touch may be acquired more rapidly than modified sign, are discriminated from other mands, and generalized this skill with untaught items. These data and their clinical implications will be discussed.

Tact training is a common procedure in early intervention programs for children with autism. Previous research has compared tact training with and without a supplemental question (e.g., What is it?) on the number of tacts acquired and has found that results are idiosyncratic across individuals with autism. The current study replicates previous research by comparing two tact training interventions and extends the literature by including a naturalistic pre and post probe to determine if the different procedures have an effect on tacts emitted in a naturalistic setting (i.e., during play). A repeated acquisition design was used to evaluate two instructional procedures on percentage of correct tacts during discrete trial training. In addition, each participant completed discrete trial and naturalistic pre and post probes for sets of stimuli to determine if the instructional procedures had an effect on rates of spontaneous tacts during a play condition with a therapist. Implication for clinical practice and potential collateral effects of different procedures to teach tacts will be discussed.

Sport psychologists claim self-motivation is key to becoming a successful athlete. Plus, behavioral scientists have found that perceptions of autonomy, competence, and relatedness enhance self-motivation. Question: How does the verbal behavior of coaches benefit or stifle the self-motivation of college athletes? We explored empirical answers to this question by systematically observing verbal interactions between college wrestling coaches and wrestlers during practice and during inter-collegiate competition. We have developed and applied a behavioral checklist to categorize a coach's statements as potentially increasing or decreasing a wrestler's perception of autonomy, competence, and/or relatedness, and used a semantic differential to assess wrestlers� perceptions of autonomy, competence, and relatedness, as well as their overall self-motivation before and after practice and a competition. Preliminary data after just two weeks of observations show that 65% of coaching feedback is corrective and of the 35% supportive feedback behaviors, 68% were general rather than behavior-based feedback. We believe more data and an in-depth analysis of our findings have potential to show connections between coaching behavior and self-motivation is worthy of an ABAI poster presentation and interactive discussion with conference attendees.

In order to better understand the possible relationship between tacts and intraverbals, a systematic review of the existing literature on the use of tact interventions to establish intraverbal response skills was conducted. There were seven articles identified. The articles found were then analyzed to determine the types of prompts or training that had been implemented. Studies designed to compare the effectiveness or efficiency of different intraverbal training procedures were also identified and analyzed. The existing literature shows that tact prompting (transfer of tact stimuli) is the most common tact intervention used to produce emergent intraverbals. When compared to the efficiency and effectiveness of other styles of intervention, including echoic prompting, cue-pause-point prompting, textual prompting, and prompt delay, the results are inconclusive. Furthermore, no articles were found that compared tact prompting to tact training. More research is needed in this area to better establish the potential role of tact interventions for intraverbal response skills.

Imitation is a prerequisite skill which is often necessary to prompt and teach more complex behaviors. The goals of the current study were to (a) teach a 5 year-old child diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) the prerequisite skill of imitation; (b) teach fine motor, gross motor, and object targets across structured and unstructured teaching environments simultaneously; and (c) replicate the teaching model of Striefel (1974) using a most-to-least prompting hierarchy. The components of Striefels protocol were replicated: assessing and teaching prerequisite skills for imitation, selecting training targets, presenting the predetermined targets, choosing the order in which targeted will be trained, and training the chosen targets. In addition, two sets of generalization probes were presented to determine if the imitation skill had generalized to nontrained targets. This study was completed within a multielement design between trained targets and generalization probes. Data were collected on correct responding per trial and mastery criteria were 80% correct responding. Results demonstrated that the training program was effective in teaching the trained imitation targets (n=84) when compared to untrained targets (n=30). After training targets to mastery, the child began engaging in the nontrained targets across all types of targets and across teaching environments.

Individuals who engage in escape-maintained problem behavior may find specific aspects of demands aversive, such as the type of feedback given. Over the years several procedural modifications within functional analyses have been described to best capture problem behavior during demands (Beavers et al., 2013; Hagopian et al., 2013). The current study explored an assessment to determine if corrective feedback was the aversive factor maintaining problem behavior. Two individuals aged 7 and 12-years-old, admitted to an inpatient unit for the assessment and treatment of severe aggressive behavior, participated in this study. Error correction and no error correction conditions were evaluated in either a multi-element or reversal design. In both demand conditions, a subjective task (i.e., folding clothes, sweeping) was selected to minimize teaching inaccuracy and 30 s of escape was provided for problem behavior. During error correction sessions, regardless of whether the response was accurate, the participants were told that a mistake was made (i.e., nice try, but fold it this way). During the no correction condition, only verbal prompts were delivered. Reliability data were collected for 43% of sessions and interobserver agreement averaged 99%. For both participants, problem behavior was observed when corrective feedback was delivered. Treatment implications will be discussed.

Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) may exhibit noncompliance or avoidance behaviors in the presence of specific events or stimuli. The occurrence of problem behavior may impact completion of health-related tasks, such as brushing teeth, haircuts, clipping nails, and wearing glasses or hearing aids. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate progressively more intrusive interventions to increase passive compliance during health-related tasks. Levels of problem behavior and passive compliance were measured during noncontingent reinforcement (NCR), NCR with escape extinction, and differential negative reinforcement of other behavior (DNRO). NCR resulted in decreased problem behavior and increased passive compliance during toothbrushing compared to baseline, but not to clinically relevant levels. NCR with escape extinction resulted in increased problem behavior and similar levels of passive compliance. Next, the use of DNRO will be evaluated to increase passive compliance during toothbrushing. Implications of results for practitioners will be discussed.

Restrictive and repetitive behavior (RRB) is a core feature of Autism Spectrum Disorder, which can interfere with functioning across several contexts. The current study evaluated the occurrence of RRB across academic and leisure contexts in eight individuals admitted to Inpatient-Neurobehavioral Unit (IP-NBU) of the Kennedy Krieger Institute. Thirty minutes of each context were video-recorded and scored by trained observers. In 75% of cases, RRB was most likely to occur in the leisure context when the individual had physical contact with a toy (mean= 90.93%). Of those cases with high rates of RRB during toy contact, 50% demonstrated a decrease RRB, although still elevated, once engaging with the item. In the academic context, three out of eight individuals engaged in high levels (>50%) of RRB during demand presentation, and 75% of cases engaged in higher levels of RRB during demand presentation compared to their mean RRB during academics. In 25% of cases, high levels of compliance (mean=84.46) were observed despite elevated rates of RRB (mean=66.4) during the demand presentation. These data demonstrate the variability of restricted and repetitive behavior across leisure and academic contexts, in addition to the ability of toy engagement and academic demand presentation to compete with such behavior.

Functional Communication Training (FCT) has been shown to be an effective treatment for problem behavior engaged in by individuals with developmental disabilities by teaching them to make a functionally equivalent communicative response (Carr & Durand, 1985). However, FCT is often not a practical treatment for long-term use by families if the individual requests reinforcement at a high rate. Hanley et al. 2001 demonstrated that multiple schedules effectually thinned schedules of reinforcement while maintaining low rates of disruptive behavior. The current study examined the use of multiple schedules as a schedule thinning methodology for two participants diagnosed with autism who engaged in severe disruptive behaviors. For both participants, a functional behavioral assessment (FBA) was completed via interview or functional analysis and positive reinforcement was identified as maintaining disruptive behaviors. Subsequent to the FBA, FCT was evaluated using an ABAB design. Following replication of the treatment effects, a multiple schedules arrangement was used to thin the schedule of reinforcement from 10 seconds to 180 and 200s respectively while maintaining low rates of disruptive behavior. These results partially replicate previous research on methods to thin reinforcement schedules following FCT to make the treatment implementation practical for care providers

The purpose of the current investigation was to evaluate one 6-year-olds preference for dimensions of reinforcement to inform a token economy. Inter-observer agreement was above 80%. A functional analysis showed noncompliance was maintained by negative reinforcement. During Experiment 1, conducted within a concurrent schedules design, a paired stimulus preference assessment for rate, immediacy, quality, and magnitude of reinforcement occurred. Results showed the participant most preferred a high rate of token delivery and high-quality reinforcement. In Experiment 2, conducted within an ABAB reversal design, the more-preferred token economy was compared against a less-preferred token economy. The more-preferred token economy delivered tokens according to a high rate of reinforcement to earn a high-quality reinforcer for 2 min (low magnitude) after a 5-min delay (delayed reinforcement) The less-preferred token economy delivered tokens according to a lower rate of reinforcement to earn a lower-quality reinforcer for 6 min (high magnitude) immediately after finishing work (immediate reinforcement). Results showed elevated levels of noncompliance when the less-preferred token economy was implemented. Near zero levels of problem behavior occurred when the more-preferred token economy was implemented. Task completion was higher for the more-preferred token economy. Results will be discussed to assist practitioners when developing token economies.

Dr. Wayne Fuqua, Ph.D., BCBA-D and Dr. Stephanie Peterson, Ph.D., BCBA-D are co- investigators of the Autism Center of Excellence (ACE) grant funded by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to enhance services for children, adolescents, and adults with autism spectrum disorder. The field of applied behavior analysis continues to emphasize the need for finding effective training methods for behavior analytic practitioners (e.g. RBT, BCaBA, BCBA) in evidence-based practices. As part of the grant initiative, Western Michigan University has developed a series of video interviews with supplemental materials from national experts in applied behavior analysis (ABA), autism, and behavioral pediatrics. These practitioner resources are designed to enhance the ability of practitioners and students in training them to better understand and implement behavior analytic assessments and evidence-based behavioral interventions (EBBIs). Viewing data from the practitioner resource video interviews will be reported.

The Challenging Behavior Service (CBS) is a 6-year project in which the Iowa Department of Education contracted with experienced behavior analysts at the Center for Disabilities and Development (CDD) at the University of Iowa Childrens Hospital to consult with and train school-based challenging behavior specialists to independently conduct experimental analyses and preference assessments. Across the years of the project, trainees have increased their use of these assessments. Given the increase in valid behavioral assessments in the schools, school referrals to CDD behavior clinics often involve more complex analyses of problem behavior that go beyond standard functional analyses. We present a case example to illustrate. Lucy, an 11-year-old girl diagnosed with autism and intellectual disability, exhibited self-injurious behavior (SIB). A structural analysis and a functional analysis conducted by the CBS Team yielded undifferentiated results. She was then seen at the CDD BioBehavioral Day Treatment clinic for an extended analysis. A four phase functional analysis was conducted to determine the specific environmental variables mediating Lucys SIB. Results indicated that Lucys SIB was automatically maintained, however, physical attention modulated the rate of SIB. This case provides an example of the partnership occurring between school-based consultants and clinicians following an extensive state training initiative.

While there is substantial research on various interventions to reduce maladaptive behavior in individuals with autism, fewer studies focus on how to successfully fade such interventions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of systematically fading the Differential Reinforcement of Low Rates (DRL) component of a multi-component behavior reduction procedure on the rates of noncompliance in an adolescent with autism across his school day. This procedure was initially teacher-monitored and required the use of a rule board containing three stickers and a timer which were visible to the student at all times. Low rates of the target behavior were reinforced with access to a highly preferred activity at the end of each time interval. Data were collected in three-minute partial intervals across the school day. Over the course of more than 24 months, the DRL procedure was successfully faded to a student-monitored system in which the student wears a watch containing a single sticker and the time interval has been incrementally increased while target behavior has maintained at near zero rates. Data suggest that systematic strategies can be used to successfully fade a restrictive behavioral intervention in a school setting.

The prevalence of autism has risen significantly with as many as 1 out of 68 children are diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. The underlying cause of stress or post-traumatic stress symptoms experienced by parents is not clear but some evidence of these symptoms can be found in reports of strain, pressure, and tension revolving around the task of day to day parenting a child with autism, a lack of support by professionals, receiving a diagnosis, communication difficulties with the child, inappropriate behaviors exhibited by the child, and an over reliance on maladaptive coping strategies incorporated by parents can also impact the amount of stress. The participants in this study consisted of 83 fathers of children diagnosed with autism from across the United States. The current study isolated respondents to only fathers in an effort to determine if the results of the 2012 Casey et al study (1 in 5) would hold true with a larger N consisting of only fathers. Such clarification may help to potentially differentiate therapies for such fathers and to examine the methods used to provide services, education, and therapies to them. To ensure replication, the LASC was the selected instrument, recruiting efforts, and on-line format was utilized so that comparisons could logically be made from this study to the 2012 study. Data specifically on how the diagnosis impacts fathers may help to potentially differentiate therapies and increase the quality and/or scope of the treatment methods used to provide services, education, and therapies to the dads in the childs life. Results from the LASC show that seventeen (21%) of the fathers scored moderate to extreme in all three subscales: re-experiencing trauma (Category B), avoidance and numbing (Category C), and increased arousal (Category D). Results also show that twenty-two additional fathers (27%) experienced moderate to extreme stress in at least two of the categories mentioned above. The findings from the study noted that fathers in the non-stress group have difficulties keeping a job, exhibit pervasive disgust, are easily fatigued, show marked self-consciousness, have difficulty with keeping friends of the same sex, and show signs of depression. Implications for practice for caregivers, therapists, and medical personnel are discussed to further help fathers of children diagnosed with autism who maybe experiencing stress or post-traumatic stress symptoms.

Increased rates of students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are documented throughout the world. In Turkey, there are currently 100,000 students under the age of 14 with ASD and increasing each year by approximately 5,000 students. As a result of the current population and increased prevalence, special education and general education teachers are providing educational services and supports to increasing numbers of students with ASD. The purpose of this study is to examine teachers perceptions of students with ASD. The Autism Attitude Scale for Teachers (AAST) was administered to 117 general education (n= 53) and special education (n= 63) teachers in 19 Education Centers for Children with Autism in Turkey. Results indicate that both groups are receptive to students with ASD, but special education teachers have more positive perceptions of students with ASD. Implications for teacher certification programs and continued professional development initiatives are presented.

It is apparent that society views employment as a highly valued outcome. Being able to provide for your self and add meaningful work to a community is viewed as a key component to being an independent individual. Despite the apparent need for tactics and procedures to teach quality job skills to individuals with autism there is a paucity of empirical data. This study evaluated behavioral skills training, in a multiple baseline across behaviors design, for teaching four employable restaurant skills to an 18 year old individual diagnosed with autism. The restaurant skills were taught in the natural environment of a fully functioning and open restaurant. The four skills including setting up and running a commercial dishwasher, polishing and rolling silverware, cleaning a bathroom, and bussing a table were selected based on feedback provided from the restaurant as being the most difficult skills to teach. The present study demonstrated that behavioral skills training was immediately effective in teaching the participant all four restaurant skills.

Federal legislation calls for educators serving students with autism spectrum disorder to use evidence-based practices, however it is increasingly demanding for educators to access capacity-building professional development required to implement such strategies with high fidelity. The assessment in the current study evaluated the perception of 535 special educators in preschool through high school settings on the importance and level of preparedness across instructional areas, use of instructional practices, access to training or resources on evidence-based practices, and perceived comfort implementing these practices before and after professional development. A survey was emailed on the frequency of usage of evidence-based practices as defined by the National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorder, sources of training on these practices, factors influencing the selection of practices, and instructional skills. The preliminary results indicate educators recognize the importance of instruction in core content and non-academic areas for students with autism spectrum disorder, but indicate inadequacy in preparation and access to training and resources. Reported levels of confidence decreased immediately after receiving training indicating educators may not be implementing with fidelity or accurately understand implementation of strategies. Results strongly indicate the need to provide ongoing training and support is crucial.

A within-subject multiple baseline probe design across skills was used to evaluate the efficacy of lesson plans designed for teaching foundational skills. Nineteen students at a behavior-analytic school for children with autism served as participants. Three skills were selected for each participant from the New England Center for Children-Core Skills Assessment (NECC-CSA), and corresponding lesson plans were sourced from the Autism Curriculum Encyclopedia (ACE). Lesson plans specified teaching formats (e.g., discrete trials, task analysis), contexts (location and stimuli), and steps for implementing and fading prompts. Weekly probe sessions were conducted over approximately 15 weeks. Daily teaching sessions for the 3 skills began in weeks 2, 6, and 10. Performance improved in 2 or 3 skills for 16 participants. These results demonstrate the efficacy of the teaching strategies employed and the study serves as a potential model for experimental evaluation of curricula. Approaches for troubleshooting areas of slow progress are discussed.

This report chronicles lessons learned in the integration of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), early childhood education, special education, and early intervention paradigms for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or Social Communication Disorder (SCD). Early Learning Support for Children with Autism (ELSA) emerged as Easter Seals Childcare Development Center in the District of Columbia harmonized their ongoing inclusive program with early intervention services (under IDEA Part C) for their children with autism. Easter Seals added ABA to their in-house therapeutic services to provide 2:1 ABA support for children with autism 6 hours per weekday to reap the benefits of inclusion. ELSA children access the general curriculum rather than have 1-on-1 pull-out sessions to address skill deficits or be placed in special segregated classrooms. ELSA combines evidence-based therapies for Naturalistic Teaching Strategies, Pivotal Response Training, transdisciplinary delivery, multidisciplinary collaboration, and parent coaching under the early intervention paradigm that emphasizes routine-based intervention and capacity building among caregivers. This hybrid approach uses push-in strategies to encourage functional communication, engagement with activities, social interaction with others, and achievement of smooth transitions. Intervention program outcomes are measured through aggregate and individual success, anecdotal comments indicating generalization of skills, and improvements across therapies and domains.

An impaired development in social skills is one of the core-defining characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In clinical practice, behavioral interventions are widely used as a treatment for increasing social skills for successful everyday interactions and the development of meaningful friendships. The current study employed a multiple-baseline design across behaviors to evaluate the use of Model Me Kids' to teach social skills to five children with a diagnosis of ASD. Model Me Kids' is a social skills curriculum that employs video modeling and role-play to teach behaviors imperative to a child's social development. Results of the current study show increases in knowledge and demonstration of targeted social skills across all five participants, with some evidence of generalization to natural contexts. The findings of the current study indicate that, in clinical practice, supplemental procedures that program specifically for generalization may be necessary to enhance the practice of acquired skills in the natural environment. Such procedures could increase the attainment of individuals who avail of the curriculum.

Two Dyads comprised of one child with autism and one typically developing peer were exposed to three conditions in order to observe effects on communication and engagement. Preschool age peers were trained using a peer mediated intervention protocol and paired with a child who had autism. Three conditions were employed to observe the relationship between the materials and communication of the dyads. The first condition involved a shared active surface, which functions like a large tablet for multiple and simultaneous users. The device uses touch point user interface and can accommodate 40 simultaneous touches (i.e., 4+ users). The shared active surface device allows for multiple children to simultaneously interact with digital content in ways that traditional tablets and mobile devices do not. The device was set to run an art application that allowed for free/non-directive exploration and expression by the users. The second condition involved giving each participant in the dyad a tablet computer and seating both children immediately next to each other. Both apps were set to run an art application similar to the app used in the shared active surface condition. Controls were customized to prevent users from leaving the app during the session. The third condition involved peers standing at a kidney table with art materials (paint, oversized paper, brushes, water) that allowed for free painting. Dependent variables were operationalized and sessions were video recorded for 10s partial interval data collection. Results indicated participant 1 had higher rates of communication during the shared active surface condition, but engagement during shared active surface and tablet conditions were similarly higher than during traditional paint. Participant two showed no differences in engagement across the three conditions, but the tablet condition yielded lower communication when compared to the remaining two conditions. The main finding is that a self-directed art activity on a tablet correlated with lower peer communication. One implication is that tablet computers may interfere with social communication of children with autism, even when peer-mediated intervention is activated.

Parents homeschooling children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) largely do not implement evidence-based practices and reported concern with increasing their childs on-task time and independent work completion (Simmons & Campbell, 2014). No published study has applied self-management for on-task behavior with individuals with ASD in the home or included parents as interventionists. This study employs a single-case A-B-A-B withdrawal design across three participants to evaluate the effect of a self-management intervention implemented by homeschool-parents, including participant self-monitoring and self-evaluation, on on-task time during independent work. The intervention addresses an established difficulty for individuals with ASD and an identified challenge to homeschooling this population. Furthermore, this study extends the use of live video technology for parents to collect data during intervention. Correspondence between caregiver and participant ratings is assessed. Results indicate that parents implemented intervention procedures with high fidelity, intervention led to increased on-task time across participants, parents and children rated procedures as high in social validity, and video technology resulted in high correspondence between parent and child ratings. Visual analysis methods were modified to incorporate a mechanism to control for Type I error (i.e., masked visual analysis) to increase the internal validity and scientific credibility of this single-case design study.

A literature review of studies targeting the effects of diverse alternative therapies, including animal-assisted, music, sensory integration and art therapy, on the behavior of children with ASD was conducted. Accessible databases were searched for peer-reviewed articles using specific key terms. Only data-based articles identified were scored according to the 21 quality indicators outlined by Horner, et al (2005) for single-subject design studies. The search resulted in over 120 articles identified as data-based and specifically related to animal assisted therapy, music, sensory integration, art and Autism Spectrum Disorders. Only 85 of these articles could be scored for quality indicators with 100% agreement by two independent reviewers. Reviewers scored and compiled the articles into a database with reliability and were deemed acceptable if the article included between 18 - 21 quality indicators (including all internal validity criteria). Articles that did not meet these criteria were deemed not acceptable (i.e. 17 or fewer quality indicators). The results varied for each therapy; only three empirical articles investigating animal assisted therapy, 12 articles investigating music therapy, 24 articles investigating sensory integration, and two articles investigating art therapy with individuals with an Autism Spectrum Disorder were found to be acceptable, according to the Horner, et al. guidelines for evidence-based practices. These results suggest that there is some emerging empirical support for some of these therapies with individuals with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. However, there are many issues that need to be addressed in future research including; issues in diverse methodologies, what constitutes therapy versus an activity, and similar dependent variables.

Preference assessments have been extensively researched for children with autism. Less research has been conducted regarding childrens preferences for staff. Since children with autism spend a large part of their day with teachers in school or therapeutic environments, it seems fitting that they would develop a preference for teachers. If this occurs, it would also make sense that these preferences may have an effect on the students behavior. Two students with autism and their everyday teachers participated in this study. A multiple-stimulus without replacement preference assessment using pictorial presentation established a hierarchy for the students preference for particular teachers. Teachers were ranked as either high or low preference for each student. The effect of each student's preference for a particular staff member on the students behavior was compared in an alternating treatment design. Participants worked in a 1:1 instructional setting for 5 minute intervals. A 10-second partial-interval recording method was used to document the occurrence of problem behavior. As hypothesized, both students engaged in lower rates of problem behavior while working with their highest preferred teacher. Further research is necessary to elucidate the cause of this relationship.

The purpose of this study is to extend the research investigating the impact of session length on the outcome of functional analyses. Hanley, Iwata and McCord (2003) indicated conducting brief functional analysis with10 minute sessions, is considered best practice within the field of applied behavior analysis. Wallace and Iwata (1999) showed that the efficiency of functional analyses could be increased with little loss of clarity when conducting sessions as brief as 5 minutes in length. The current study is a post-hoc analysis of the within session data from functional analyses conducted using 10 minute sessions. The within session data was analyzed to determine whether conducting 1 minute, 2 minute or 5 minute sessions could establish the function of the target behavior more efficiently than 10 minute sessions. The data from the tangible and escape conditions that had previously been determined to serve as the function for the target behaviors were utilized for the purpose of this study. This study extends previous research by utilizing reversal and pairwise designs, in addition to data from standard functional analysis. The results of this study indicate functions of the target behavior could be determined using session of lengths of less than 10 minutes.

Discrete trials teaching (DTT) is one of the most commonly used teaching technologies in early intensive behavior intervention (EIBI) programs. Despite the clinical utility of DTT and their use in the research literature, surprisingly little is known about the relative efficacy of different DTT teaching methods (e.g. massed-trial and task interspersal). The present study adds to the literature by conducting an analysis of the archival data for two young children with autism enrolled in an EIBI program. Specifically, trials to acquisition and performance in maintenance and generalization programming will be evaluated for responses taught using three different DTT methods: 1) Progressive, in which a single target response passes through three phases of instruction that gradually introduce increasing amounts of mastered responses, 2) Modified, in which multiple target responses are taught simultaneously to accuracy before adding mastered responses, and 3) Distributed, in which single target response is taught in isolation and then presented randomly and unpredictably throughout the treatment session. The terminal mastery criterion was the same across methods. Preliminary results suggest that the Progressive method consistently required the most trials to mastery while Distributed required the least. Additional analysis on archival maintenance and generalization data will be conducted.

Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) find it difficult to acquire deictic verbs. Recent research in Relational Frame Theory has developed an analysis of deictic relations in regards to I-You, Here-There, and Now-Then. The purpose of this study was to examine whether training based on complexity of deictic relations promotes acquisition of deictic verbs. The participant was Kena 5- years- and 10- months- old boydiagnosed with ASDs. He was required to walk to a teacher, and give or receive the object in response a certain type of sentence; the sentences were classified by three levels of relational complexity. For example, Ken gives/receives an apple to the teacher. was presented as simple relations. The teacher gives/receives an apple to Ken. was presented as reversed relations. Reversed relations reverse the relations between verbs and Kens behavior. Moreover, sentences used in simple and reversed relations were randomly presented as multiple relations. ABCDA design was used, with A representing pretest/probes of multiple relations, B representing training of simple relations, C representing training of reversed relations, and D representing training of multiple relations. The results demonstrated that the participant learned all types of complexity of deictic relations.

Rapid eating is exhibited by both typically developing persons as well as individuals with developmental disabilities and is considered to be a potentially dangerous and socially inappropriate behavior (Favell, McGimsey, & Jones, 1980). The rather limited behavior analytic research on rapid eating has demonstrated that the use of verbal prompts and vibrating pagers (MotivAider) may be an effective intervention package in the reduction of eating pace (Anglesea, Hoch, Taylor, 2008; Echeverria & Miltenberger, 2013). This study evaluated the effectiveness of a vibrating pager combined with a rule for reducing the pace of eating in one adolescent female diagnosed with autism in a multiple probe design across two different settings (clinic and home). The primary dependent variable was inter-response time between bites. Results indicated that inter-response time did not increase from baseline levels until after a verbal prompt was introduced. The participants pacing quickly came under control of the vibrating pager and prompts were naturally faded from the treatment package. Implications for promoting autonomy in individuals with developmental disabilities are discussed.

Sleep problems affect many individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), but little has been researched regarding its behavioral treatment in adolescents with ASD. In this study, 20 adolescents, ages 11-18 years with sleep onset delay and/or night wakings received intervention through 2 sessions and 2 follow-up phone calls. Sessions focused on antecedent strategies of researched components of successful sleep, relaxation, and distraction, and consequence-based strategies of extinction and differential reinforcement. Through actigraphy data, significant improvement was observed in sleep latency (p=0.007) and efficiency (p=0.030). In parent and adolescent reports of the Adolescent Sleep Wake Scale, significant improvement was seen in total score (p<0.001 and p=0.006) and all subscales. In parent and adolescent reports of the Adolescent Sleep Hygiene Scale, significant improvement was seen in total score (p<0.001) and 4 of 5 subscales. Significant improvement in total score was seen in adolescent report of the Modified Epworth Sleepiness Scale (p=0.002). 50% of the sample was contacted 3 months later and gains were maintained for all based on verbal report. Parents reported high satisfaction, understanding, and comfort regarding the intervention. Findings offer promising results in improving sleep for adolescents with ASD through a brief intervention.

With ABA services unavailable or misunderstood in many parts of the world, it is of great importance that accurate and updated information is disseminated to allow for effective interventions for all individuals with autism. To address the lack of services, specialists and information available in Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan, the primary researched completed a two month service project on site. The objectives of this trip included training the parents in the basics of ABA and providing a framework to addressing problematic behaviors. PECS was introduced and after a 4 hour group training session, nine mothers successfully taught their children to communicate with PECS. A nine question 5 point Likert Scale Social validity questionnaires demonstrate a high satisfaction rate with PECS and indicated that the mothers will continue to use and promote this intervention in the future. This project revealed that despite cultural and language differences, ABA was accepted by the parents and very successful in application.

Previous studies have examined training effect for speech intelligibility in children with autism. Further studies, however need to evaluate the effect. The purpose of this study was to examine whether nonvocal child with autism improved speech intelligibility through using imitation training. Participant was one boy who was 8 years 11months old (MA: 2years 4months old). We used multiple baseline design across behaviors to evaluate treatment effect for speech intelligibility. Target behaviors were (1) widely mouth open, (2) speech loudness, and (3) sustained sound. In baseline, experimenter modeled target behavior and provided verbal praise and some snacks after child all response, regardless of correct or incorrect. In training, experimenter conducted shaping and was taught to imitate target behaviors. When child response correctly, experimenter provided verbal praise and some snacks. Follow up was same procedure as baseline. Prior to training and post, experimenter showed picture cards to child and elicited to say the name of the card. The result showed that correct responses of training and follow up were increased compared to baseline phase. Child also improved speech intelligibility in post assessment. The result suggested that three of target behaviors were the necessary conditions for promoting speech intelligibility in child with autism.

Functional analysis (FA) procedures have become the gold standard of behavioral assessment of severe and challenging behavior (Vollmer, Roane, and Rone, 2012). With an increasing demand to identify evidence-based practice through randomized clinical trials, a multi-site NIH-funded study is currently underway to determine the efficacy of FA procedures for reducing problem behavior in children with autism. The main objective of this study is to establish the most efficient way for families to reduce problem behavior in their children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by establishing validity of FA procedures. Participants are children, 18-83 months of age, with a confirmed ASD diagnosis, and have severe and/or challenging behavior. Participants in this study are randomly assigned to receive an FA and functional communication training (FCT) tied to the FA results or a pragmatic assessment with corresponding FCT. This poster presents a preliminary comparison between the standard FA and the pragmatic FA results for one of the sites. Both packages were implemented by parents in their homes within multi-element designs. Coaching was provided via telehealth. IOA was collected on 30% of sessions and averaged 80%.The results of this comparison will be discussed, as well as future implications of the assessment of children with autism.

Individuals who engage in severe problem behavior may engage in differentiated rates of problem behavior depending on the caregiver that is present. Previous research has indicated that higher and more clearly differentiated rates of problem behavior may be observed when the primary caregiver is present compared to times when clinical staff members are present (Kurtz et. al, 2013). It may be difficult to generalize treatment effects to the primary caregiver when the individual engages in significantly higher rates or more intense levels of problem behavior in their presence. The current study includes 2 participants, a 5 year old male diagnosed with Autism and a 4 year old female diagnosed with Smith-Magenis Syndrome. For each participant, rates of problem behavior increased significantly each time the primary caregiver was introduced in to the treatment evaluation sessions. Thus, caregiver fading procedures were initiated so that the primary caregiver implemented treatment procedures for systematically increasing durations during the sessions. Lower and more stable rates of problem behavior were observed when the primary caregiver was gradually and systematically introduced into the treatment sessions across time.

Individuals with autism spectrum disorders often engage in stereotypical behavior, such as mouthing or consuming inedible objects. The empirical literature has indicated that the use of competing items and response interruption and redirection (RIRD) can be effective for addressing these forms of behavior (e.g., Horner et. al., 1991; Piazza et al., 2000; Zhou et al., 2000). In the current investigation, we assessed the use of an alternative item (bracelet) and RIRD for a 15 year old adolescent male diagnosed with ASD using a reversal design. The student engaged in high levels of object mouthing throughout his school day during baseline. During intervention, the student was given continuous access to an alternative source (silicone bracelet) and was taught an alternative response (biting the bracelet) with RIRD in place in the event that mouthing occurred. The implementation of the alternative item reduced mouthing non-edible objects to approximately 80% from baseline.

This study compared no-no prompting (delayed prompting) and errorless learning (simultaneous prompting) error correction methods on maintenance responding of previously taught skills with three children on the autism spectrum. An alternating treatments design (ATD) with baseline and best treatment was used to compare the effectiveness and efficiency of each prompting system on maintenance responding. Previously acquired skills that had dropped below acquisition criteria due to off-task behaviors were used as training targets during discrete trial training sessions. IOA averaged 98% (range=95-100% for both occurrence and non occurrence) for all three participants. Treatment fidelity also was high averaging above 98% across all participants with TF IOA also averaging near 100%. Results indicated that both prompt methods increased independent correct responding; rate of acquisition was varied across participants. No-no prompting resulted in more independent correct responding without any response prompts provided as well as more stable correct responding on future trials. Off-task behaviors were decreased more significantly with the use of no-no prompting for all participants. Staff and participants reported a preference for the use of no-no prompting with previously taught skills except for one participant who reported a preference for errorless learning.

We present data from a 13 year-old boy diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder referred to a partial-hospitalization program for the assessment and treatment of inappropriate vocalizations occurring at school. Inter-observer agreement was calculated for 16% of sessions and was 100%. A functional analysis of inappropriate vocalizations showed attention as the maintaining variable for inappropriate vocalizations. Within an ABAB reversal design, we evaluated the effectiveness of a functional communication training (FCT) program. During baseline, inappropriate vocalizations were reinforced with adult redirection and, often times, peer attention, in the form of laughter. During FCT, a functional communicative response (FCR) for attention was reinforced following a period of appropriate behavior. That is, the participant would need to participate in independent or group activities for a predetermined period before the FCR would result in reinforcement. Results showed elevated rates of inappropriate vocalizations during baseline sessions and near zero rates of inappropriate vocalizations during FCT. We gradually thinned the schedule of reinforcement for the FCR to 20 minutes. Results will be discussed in terms of their influence on the treatment of problem behavior in a classroom setting.

Children who are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) appear to be at higher risk for obesity than the general child population (Hill, Zuckerman, & Fombonne, 2015). This pattern may be due to children with ASD having selective eating habits and the therapists and parents use of food as a reward (Hudson & DeMyer, 1968). In the present study, a multiple baseline design across nine participants was used to assess the effects of stimulus novelty introduction upon childrens snack choices. Baseline consisted of a presentation of typical snack choices based on child and parent desirability reports (chips, cookies, juice, etc.). Intervention included healthy snacks (i.e., butter free popcorn, graham crackers and water) embedded in the presentation of the previous snack choices on the snack tray. During baseline, participants were consistent in their choices and did not request a healthier selection. To date, preliminary results indicate that one child displayed an increase in healthy choices following the introduction of healthy options. This study will be concluded by the time of the conference. The observed shift in choice may be due to stimulus novelty. With obesity on the rise, it is important to provide and promote healthy alternatives to high risk groups.

Although international best practice guidelines state that phonics instruction should be, in part, direct and systematic in its delivery, current Western Australian educational curricula and practise does not reflect this in relation to teaching phonics to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). As such, there exists a large reading gap between children with ASD and their same age neurotypical peers; a gap that may start off relatively small at school entry but widens significantly over the course of primary schooling. It was therefore of interest to investigate whether children with ASD could learn phonics when taught using well evidenced direct, systematic techniques based on the principles of applied behaviour analysis. A multiple baseline with multiple baseline across participants (with concurrent measurement). 10 primary school children aged between 5-13 were recruited and split into three groups: Phonics, Numeracy and Control. 4 children were allocated to the phonics group and received discrete trial training (DTT) with progressive time delay prompting (PTD) over an 8 week period to teach phonics, while 4 children were allocated to the numeracy group and taught numerals in the same manner. 2 children were allocated to the control group and received treatment as usual (exposure to the pre-existing classroom curricula to learn phonics or numerals. Results indicated that all participants in the numeracy and literacy groups acquired stimuli as a function of exposure to DTT and PTD, as evidenced by change in level and trend during intervention following a stable low level baseline period. Further, 3 our of 4 participants in the literacy group also demonstrated an ability to transfer their mastered phonemes to the ability to blend consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) words. All skills mastered spontaneously generalised to people, time and place during probe sessions, and skills were maintained over a 4 week period. Participants in the control group acquired significantly less stimuli over a significantly longer period of time, and were not able to transfer their learned stimuli to blending CVC words. These results indicate that a) current classroom curricula is not effective in teaching core literacy and numeracy skills, b) children with ASD are capable of learning core literacy and numeracy skills when taught in a systematic, evidence based manner and c) learned phonemes can transfer to the ability to blend CVC words in children with ASD.

The shortage of opportunities to access effective intervention to autism in developing countries is a major concern. The advancement of parentimplemented intervention seems to be critical. We evaluated the efficacy of a parent-implemented intervention program offered to low-income families in Northern Brazil. We systematically tracked the evolution of childrens performance and integrity of implementation by their parents. The data show positive impact of the program on skill acquisition by the children and confirms the potential for parent-implemented autism intervention programs.

For individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder and significant communication and behavior challenges, finding and sustaining community-based employment is a daunting challenge. Traditional pathways to employment that have proven successful for individuals with other developmental disabilities are not able to meet the challenges faced by those with Autism Spectrum Disorder. We describe an inclusive program designed to systematically build social and employment skills for adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder in community settings. The goal of this program is permanent integrated employment for all participants. Data will be presented on the impact of the inclusive program on targeted social skills for one adolescent with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Program elements include video-modeling, task-analyses, and prompting hierarchies. We will use a multiple baseline across settings to evaluate the effects of the intervention on verbal initiations, responses, and continuations. The findings from this study will contribute to the growing body of evidence for best practice in the support of adults with autism in inclusive employment settings.

Research exists reporting the prevalence of inappropriate sexual behavior (ISB) by people with autism and intellectual disability. Currently, a lack of research exists suggesting how to manage this problem behavior in school settings. This problem behavior creates a barrier in accessing the community, and ethical considerations in treatment should be considered. Consistent with the field, reinforcement based strategies should be implemented first. At a private day school, two students were selected to participate in the current study. Both students were diagnosed with intellectual disability and one was also diagnosed with autism. Both students engaged in ISB in the form of masturbation frequently throughout the day. Blocking and redirection were unsuccessful and represent the baseline in this study. After the implementation of a differential reinforcement of other behaviors (DRO) program, ISB decreased substantially. Staff were able to systematically lengthen the DRO interval while maintaining low levels of problem behavior. Staff report that the procedures were easy to implement and effective. This study shows a reinforcement-based approach to decreasing ISB in school settings.

Noncompliance is one of the most frequent and troublesome behaviors exhibited by students. Students who are noncompliant with teacher directions are at risk of not benefiting from academic instruction. In addition, teachers must spend valuable instruction time redirecting students who do not comply with directions and rules. Schools and teachers need proactive, success based strategies to increase the rate of compliance in noncompliant students. One such strategy is Errorless Compliance Training (ECT). Unlike other strategies that use punishment to decrease compliance, ECT focuses on establishing and strengthening compliance with reinforcement only. Although previous research demonstrates that ECT can increase the rate of compliance in formerly noncompliant participants, generalization to individuals other than the trainer does not always occur and generalization to other settings has not been assessed. The current study used a multiple baseline across subjects design to examine the impact of ECT on compliance and to assess generalization of the intervention to non-training settings. ECT was administered to four participants with severe developmental disabilities. Overall, compliance and consistency of compliance to previously low-probability requests increased. Results were mixed with respect to the generalization of the ECT intervention to settings other than the training setting.

Early numeracy skills (e.g. numbers, counting, and simple addition) are crucial for higher math skills and generalization of math skills to life settings. However, children with autism may often have limited early numeracy skills (Jimenez & Kemmery, 2013). The flash card is a convenient, and popular format for presenting discrete stimulus items (e.g. numbers) (Kupzyk, Daly, & Anderson, 2011). Among the flash cards interventions, the Incremental Rehearsal (IR) was the most effective one (Varma & Schleisman, 2014). However, there is limited research that has examined the effectiveness of IR on letter recognition of children with autism as well as other disabilities, such as ADHD and Intellectual Disabilities. Thus, the purpose of this is to examine the effect of the IR on number identification of a child with autism, ADHD, and ID. The intervention results showed that the IR improved participants number identification dramatically. The percentage of nonoverlaped data was 100%, which indicated that the intervention was very effective. As for the progress monitor, the student achieved mastery level in his instructional level.

What are some challenges faced by children and youth with an autism spectrum disorder attending public school? What causes heightened senses of anxiety in the school setting? What can teachers do to be proactive in setting up their classroom or transition times to best support those with an autism spectrum disorder? This poster provides an opportunity to learn from a sample of verbal youth experiencing this world on a daily basis. This qualitative study investigated the perspectives of 10 children in middle and high school concerning what causes sensory arousal in the general education environment. Children were interviewed about their experiences and then data were coded for themes and trends. Findings revealed those on the spectrum struggled the most with sights, sounds, noises, smells, and dealing with the behaviors of typical peers. Specific episodes and occurrences are expanded upon in this study and will be presented on the poster. Participants were also eager to share effective practices that have helped them in the school setting.

Physical guidance is a common component in many instructional strategies; however, for some individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), physical guidance may be aversive, thus evoking problem behavior that may directly compete with skill acquisition. The current study evaluated three strategies to teach chained tasks to an eight-year-old male with ASD in a day treatment clinic for individuals with severe problem behavior. A multiple baseline across tasks was used to compare: (a) a multiple opportunity probe with noncontingent reinforcement, (b) three-step guided compliance with differential reinforcement, and (c) a single opportunity probe with noncontingent reinforcement. Tasks were equally matched in number of steps, difficulty level, and completion time. Data were collected on percentage of steps completed independently, completion time, and frequency of problem behavior. Preliminary results indicated that the multiple opportunity probe was the only strategy that led to task acquisition (i.e., 3 out of 4 sessions >80%). When this procedure was applied to the other two tasks, similar trends in acquisition were observed. Performance maintained with both acquired tasks. The current evaluation demonstrated: (a) an efficient procedure for evaluating alternative strategies for acquisition and (b) showed that alternative strategies may be preferable for clients when physical guidance evokes aggression.

Hanley, Jin, Vanselow, and Hanratty (2014) proposed functional analysis procedures in which multiple contingencies, based on interviews and observations, are tested in a single pair of test and control conditions. The purpose of the current series of analyses was to systematically replicate the assessment procedures in different settings and with a range of problem behavior. Ten participants who engaged in problem behavior participated in the study. Participants were nine to 14 years old and were diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. All sessions were conducted in the participants typical daily environments. An experimenter delivered the putative reinforcers for problem behavior during test conditions. Reinforcers were different for each participant depending on the outcome of the interview and initial observation (e.g., unique tangible items or escape from experimenter interaction). Reinforcers were delivered non-contingently during control conditions. Each analysis was conducted quickly (average of 8 five-minute sessions) and all analyses demonstrated control over problem behavior. This study supports the procedures proposed by Hanley et al. (2014) and extends the generality of these procedures to additional settings, problem behavior, and types of reinforcers.

Repetitive and stereotypic motor movements or vocal behavior are one of diagnostic characteristics of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Motor stereotypy can interfere with the acquisition and demonstration of many adaptive skills. Additionally, the occurrence of repetitive motor behavior in young children with ASD may socially stigmatize individuals and limit the development and maintenance of peer relationships. The current study evaluated the effects of a differential reinforcement procedure used to establish control over motor stereotypy in one instructional context in a childs home. The child was given a bracelet to signal that reinforcement was available only if motor stereotypy did not occur during the specified activity. Once control over motor stereotypy was established in the training condition (playing with an IPad while wearing the bracelet), its use was then expanded to non-training conditions. The data indicate that the procedure was effective in decreasing the occurrence of motor stereotypy across all evaluated settings. However, motor stereotypy continued to occur at a low level and was not completely eliminated by the procedure. The findings are discussed in terms of function of behavior as well as establishment and transfer of stimulus control.

Rumination is defined as the chronic regurgitation, rechewing, and reswallowing of previously ingested food and is estimated to occur in 6 to 10% of individuals with developmental disabilities (Rast, Johnson, Drum, & Conrin, 1981). Rumination that occurs over long periods of time can result in serious health risks including, malnutrition, weight loss, dehydration, tooth decay, choking, gastrointestinal bleeding, and even death (Starin & Fuqua, 1987; Winston & Singh, 1983). Previous research has demonstrated the effectiveness of non-contingent juice, supplemental feeding, gum, flavor spray and chew rings as a treatment for rumination in children with developmental disabilities. The current study compared these interventions as treatment for a 9-year old boy diagnosed with autism who exhibits post-meal rumination. The results suggested that the majority of these treatments effectively decreased rumination to lower levels. However, juice was shown to increase rumination up to 50%. This study not only discusses the effectiveness of these treatments, but also their social significance.

Positive behavior support (PBS) is an applied science that uses educational and systems change methods (environmental redesign) to enhance quality of life and minimize problem behavior. (Carr, Dunlap, Horner, Koegel, Turnbull, Sailor, Anderson, Albin, Kern Koegel, & Fox, 2002). The objective of this multi-tiered support system (MTSS) is to arrange the environment to be conducive to teaching and learning (Sugai, 2015). PBS consists of three tiers and the present study was intended to evaluate the effectiveness of a Tier 1 system in reducing behavior problems and teaching adaptive social and life skills to 4 adult females with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder living in a community residence and 2 females and 7 males with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder working in a day habilitation program. Behavior expectations unique to each setting were established based on baseline observations of the individuals problem behaviors (e.g., physical aggression) and general requirements of the setting (e.g., wash hands after going to the bathroom). A motivation system was established in each setting for adhering to behavioral expectations and all staff persons were instructed in behavior skill training to teach replacement behaviors to individuals when they did not display behavior expectations. Finally, person centered input is provided through scheduled meetings at the residence and the day program with individuals and staff to discuss problematic issues among the individuals, encourage choice making decisions, and improve peer relations. Interval data collected on behavioral expectations are reviewed by the full PBS team monthly. Initial results indicate an increase in the individuals adherence to behavior expectations and a decrease in problem behaviors in the Day Program but considerable variability in the Residential Program(see attached graph). Since this is the first attempt at a PBS intervention with adults with autism in a residential setting and a day setting additional interventions will be explored in both settings

The rock-paper-scissors game (RPS) is a zero-sum game that is widely played by children in Japan. Although most children acquire the skills of playing RPS before school age, some children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show certain peculiar responses in RPS beyond the school age. For example, once children with ASD form a certain shape with their hand, they change their shape to match that of the other person. This study aimed to reduce this inappropriate imitation in RPS in a 10-year-old boy with ASD, by differentially reinforcing certain incompatible alternative behaviors (DRA). First, the participant was required to discriminate among the three RPS elements by interacting with two hand shapes presented on a computer. After the participant acquired some basic skills of RPS (e.g., participant could respond appropriately after being presented with scissors and paper and asked, "Which is the winner?"), backward chaining and DRA were introduced to actual RPS behavior. Finally, the RPS-matched contingency was introduced to a RPS game between the participant and the therapist. The interim results show that reducing inappropriate imitations in RPS games requires more than understanding the rules of the game and that it is necessary to modify the actual behavioral chain.

Valid assessments are needed to develop individualized behavioral treatment. The latency-based functional analysis is an expedited functional analysis of challenging behavior. Length of the latency-based functional analysis is predicated on the amount of time required to evoke and reinforce challenging behavior until differentiation is replicated between one or more test conditions and the control condition. Within a randomized controlled trial assessing for potential cost-benefit of behavior analytic services within inpatient hospital settings, we conducted latency-based functional analyses of the challenging behavior of 18 children and adolescents diagnosed with autism exhibiting varying communicative abilities. Patients utterances were rated based upon observations by behavior analysts during interviews, assessments, and informal observations within the hospital. Patient expressive language was sorted into two categories: limited vocal or fully vocal. We evaluated the degree to which expressive language rating predicted the number of series needed to evoke challenging behavior within the functional analysis using a point-biserial correlation. Results indicated expressive language rating was positively correlated with the number of series needed to evoke challenging behavior (rpb = .58). Higher verbal ability predicted a higher number of series, although these findings represent preliminary evidence that further inquiry may be warranted. Limitations and future directions are discussed.

Deficits in derived relational responding experienced by individuals with autism may explain some of the behavioral and intellectual deficits that are co-morbid with this neurodegenerative disorder. The present study evaluated the derived relational abilities of 46 children with autism and compared the assessment results with participants autism severity and intelligence. Each of the participants were assessed using the Promoting the Emergence of Advanced Knowledge Equivalence pre-assessment as a measure of their relational abilities, the Gilliam Autism Rating Scale Second Edition (GARS-2) as a measure of autism severity, and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) as a measure of intelligence. The results of the study suggest a strong correlation between the PEAK-E pre-assessment, the GARS-2, and the WISC-IV, suggesting that there is a relationship between derived relational responding, autism severity, and intelligence. The results have implications for the treatment of both problem behaviors and intellectual deficits experienced by this population.

The NGO Children of Georgia in the country of Georgia-Sakartvelo, together with James Madison University in the USA, examined the effectiveness of communications technology for distance training and coaching of ABA therapeutic skills. Within a multiple baseline design across participants, it was demonstrated that distance coaching increased the use of therapeutic skills by the therapists and improved verbal operants by children with autism. With grant support from the Society for the Advancement of Behavior Analysis and the Georgia-Sakartvelo Ministry of Science and Education, this research became a model for developing ABA services in underserved remote areas in the country of Georgia-Sakartvelo. Three teachers in two public schools in a small town in western Georgia received training where they learned the basic principles of Applied Behavior Analysis. Subsequently, these teachers were supervised and coached on practice skills via communications technology incorporating classroom-based tablets and internet connections with Children of Georgia consultants in Tbilisi.

Parent-implemented interventions are cost-effective and ecologically valid means of increasing access to evidence-based intervention for children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Parental satisfaction is critical for treatment fidelity and the subsequent success of parent-implemented interventions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate parent satisfaction with two adjunctive, parent-implemented treatments for ASD, Applied Behavior Analysis/Verbal Behavior Approach(ABA/VB) and Relationship Development Intervention (RDI). Eleven parents received 16 in-home sessions in which they were taught to implement the assigned intervention. Parents were provided with a survey that contained 29 questions using a 5-point Likert scale to evaluate their satisfaction with the intervention and the outcomes for their child. At the end of treatment, parents reported moderate satisfaction with both RDI (range 3.6-4) and ABA/VB (range 2.8-3.8) with parents receiving the ABA/VB intervention reporting slightly lower and more variable ratings. After the 3-month follow-up, parents in the RDI condition reported an increase in satisfaction (range 3.8-4.4) while parents in the ABA/VB condition reported lower ratings than parents in RDI and from the previous assessment with the exception of an increase in use of and speed of learning spontaneous speech. All parents reported that they would recommend the study to other parents.

Differential reinforcement of lower intensity (DRLi) and higher intensity (DRHi) are procedures developed to address problems in decibel levels of vocalization in individuals with autism. A reversal design was used to test the effectiveness of each of the developed protocol across six children with autism. Protocol involved a visual decibel meter (VDM) that measured the decibel level of speech. Red marks were placed on the VDM to indicate appropriate range. Prior to baseline, researchers demonstrated and modeled how the meter worked. In addition, the researchers modeled reinforcement procedures. The reinforcement procedures consisted of access to preferred items when vocalizations were within the appropriate decibel range per vocalization. Preferences were identified using a multiple stimulus without replacement assessment and confirmed during free operant observations. Data were gathered and the mean vocalization decibel level per 30-minute session was plotted. Data indicated that the implementation of the DRL resulted in a decrease of the vocalization decibels to within the range of typical conversations. In addition, the DRH procedures resulted in an increase of the vocalization decibels to within the range of typical conversations.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by repetitive behaviors and lack of symbolic play. For children with ASD, video modeling is a promising method for promoting symbolic play, often with an adult or typically developing play partner (MacDonald, Sacramone, Mansfeld, Wiltz, & Ahearn, 2009; Nikopoulos & Keenan, 2007; Reagon, Higbee, & Endicott, 2006; Taylor, Levin, & Jasper, 1999). However, there is a limited research on the utility of video modeling training when all participants have ASD. The current study employed a multiple probe design across behaviors (pretend play scenarios) to evaluate the effects of video modeling training for two pairs of children diagnosed with ASD. During all sessions, thematically relevant vocalizations and play actions were scored for both participants in the pair. Following baseline, video modeling treatment was simultaneously provided to each pair. Maintenance probes were conducted to evaluate play in the absence of video modeling. Results indicate that video modeling led to an increase in scripted and unscripted play for all participants. Further, video modeling led to increased variety in unscripted vocalizations for all participants. These results extend the video modeling research by demonstrating that the intervention can successfully be simultaneously provided to two children with ASD.