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| Toilet Training Children with Autism: Case Studies and Procedures. |
| Friday, May 23, 2008 |
| 10:00 AM–1:00 PM |
| 4F |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Research |
| CE Instructor: Leigh Karole Grannan, M.S. |
| LEIGH KAROLE GRANNAN (Scarab Behavioral Health Services, LLC), MELANIE ALLISON ROSE (Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders) |
| Description: Various toilet training interventions have been identified and discussed in the literature. This workshop will present an overview of toilet training procedures used with children with disabilities. Common elements of effective programs will be discussed. The Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale is a comprehensive applied behavior analysis regional center for children with autism, their families, and service providers. Consistent with findings in the literature, needs assessments have identified toilet training to be a parent need and priority for children receiving autism intervention services through the Center. Case studies of family consultations, including video footage of parent implementation of interventions, will be presented. |
| Learning Objectives: 1. Identify effective toilet training interventions 2. Recognize toileting readiness skills. 3. Arrange an environment to promote toileting success. 4. Pin point barriers to implementing a successful toilet training program. |
| Activities: Case study film footage will be reviewed and effective toilet training procedures will be discussed. |
| Audience: Professionals and parents interested in toilet training children with autism. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
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| Caregivers as Therapists: How to Train Caregivers to Conduct Functional Behavioral Assessment and Develop Treatments |
| Friday, May 23, 2008 |
| 10:00 AM–1:00 PM |
| 4C |
| Area: CBM; Domain: Applied Research |
| CE Instructor: Julia T. O'Connor, Ph.D. |
| JULIA T. O'CONNOR (The Kennedy Krieger Institute), DIPTI MUDGAL (The May Institute) |
| Description: As the functional behavior assessment methodology extends from the highly controlled clinical context to homes, schools, and community settings, involving family and caregivers in this process is an area has generated much attention and interest. Caregiver participation in behavioral assessment allows the clinician to establish a context that more closely replicates the natural environment. Involving caregivers also aides in providing skills that may be needed when implementing the treatment in more naturalistic settings. This workshop is designed to prepare professionals how to train caregivers in the functional analysis and treatment development process. The primary focus will be to assist the professionals in training parents and caregivers of children with developmental disabilities about analyzing behavior and developing treatment strategies based on the function of behavior. Besides didactics, participants will have the opportunity to practice in small groups and receive feedback from the presenters. Materials provided during this workshop will include questionnaires about defining target behaviors, identifying target situations, and conducting stimulus preference assessment. In addition, sample data collection sheets, handouts describing the principles of applied behavior analysis and conducting functional analysis will be provided. |
| Learning Objectives: 1. The participant will be able to train caregivers how to identify and define target maladaptive behaviors. 2. The participant will be able to train caregivers to conduct stimulus preference assessments and functional analyses in home and community settings. 3. The participant will be able to train caregivers how to link functional analysis outcomes to possible treatment strategies. 4. The participant will be able to train caregivers to identify appropriate alternative/adaptive behaviors. 5. The participant will be able to assess caregiver�s procedural integrity on implementation of the functional analysis and treatment. |
| Activities: Participants will be involved in didactic presentation, discussion, and interactive activities (e.g., role-play). |
| Audience: Clinicians working with parents with developmentally disabled children with behavior problems. Masters level therapists, psychologists, and family members are welcome. Participants should have a fundamental understanding of the principles of applied behavior analysis. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
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| Developing a Comprehensive Program for Social Skills Instruction within a Public School Environment. |
| Friday, May 23, 2008 |
| 10:00 AM–1:00 PM |
| PDR 2 |
| Area: CSE; Domain: Applied Research |
| CE Instructor: James T. Ellis, Ph.D. |
| JESSICA R. EVERETT (Melmark New England), JAMES T. ELLIS (Melmark New England), LORI HODGINS BRAZELL (Newton Public Schools), JENNIFER MCGOWAN (Newton Public Schools), CHRISTINE D. ALMEIDA (Newton Public Schools) |
| Description: Students with autism spectrum disorders present with a wide variety of needs related to social functioning. An overview of social functioning in students with autism will be presented that highlights specific skill deficits (e.g., greeting others) and more global skill deficits (e.g., social referencing). A method for assessing and operationalizing social skills, developing intervention geared towards individual student needs and incorporating social skills instruction within the school day will be presented. Various strategies such as assessment of skill acquisition through formative evaluation, generalization of skills from direct instruction to the natural environment, incidental teaching of social skills, prompting within group instruction, and embedding targeted skills within age-appropriate and naturally reinforcing activities will be discussed. Participants will be presented with a model of social skills instruction that has been effectively implemented within a public school environment from preschool through elementary age programs. |
| Learning Objectives: At the completion of the workshop, participants will be able to: 1. Identify tools used to assess social skills in the school environment with children with autism. 2. Develop operational definitions of complex social skills as well as data collection strategies to measure the acquisition of these skills. 3. Describe prompting procedures used within group instruction. 4. Describe a continuum of instructional approaches that promote the generalization of social skills to the natural environment. 5. Implement at least 3 activities that facilitate the use of social skills through an incidental teaching approach. |
| Activities: Workshop activities include didactic instruction, discussion, and video clips demonstrating activities that facilitate social skills instruction. Participants will have the opportunity to practice data collection and engage in small group activities that focus on the operationalization of complex social skills and the facilitation of group instruction of social skills. |
| Audience: Target Audience: Individuals working in public school environments such as psychologists, special education teachers, or speech and language pathologists. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
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| Asperger's Syndrome: Behavioral Characteristics and Treatment in Schools and the Community. |
| Friday, May 23, 2008 |
| 10:00 AM–5:00 PM |
| Boulevard B |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Research |
| CE Instructor: C. Baker Wright, Ph.D. |
| C. BAKER WRIGHT (Behavior Management Consultants, Inc.) |
| Description: This workshop will be presented in four sections: 1) description and discussion of the diagnostic criteria for Asperger's Syndrome, 2) specific behavioral considerations and treatment options, and 3) reviews of individual cases from assessment to treatment 4) video analysis of teaching social skills in community settings. This will be an interactive workshop where attendants will participate individually and in small groups in each of the core areas presented. |
| Learning Objectives: 1. Attendants will be able to recognize key diagnostic behaviors symptomatic of Asperger's Syndrome. 2. Attendants will be able to recognize certain environmental components that are common triggers for the difficult behaviors exhibited by children with Asperger's Syndrome. 3. Attendants will be able to better assess and treat difficult behaviors exhibited by children with Asperger's in the community and in school settings. 4. Attendants will be able to proceed with "prevention" strategies, "management" strategies and "treatment" strategies for maladaptive and replacement behaviors common to children with Asperger's. 5. Attendants will be able to discuss common academic challenges and strategies for children with Asperger's. 6. Attendants will be able to discuss common school accommodations made for students with Asperger's Disorder. 7. Attendants will be able to provide in vivo training for social interaction skills specific to children with Asperger's Syndrome. |
| Activities: 1. Review and assessment of diagnostic information / referrals for children thought to have Asperger's Syndrome. Attendants will review specific cases and evaluate for behavioral symptoms of Asperger's Syndrome in addition to the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria. 2. Review specific scenarios of real life cases and determine treatment options. Attendants will receive case studies and will be asked to review the information, determine the essential behavioral symptoms, pose questions for further data collection and provide interaction guidelines for treatment. 3. Attendants will review other cases from beginning to end and will participate in a "beginning to end" case study / case management of other real-life cases. Attendants will be encouraged (and will receive documentation at the beginning of the workshop) to review cases in which they have been involved. These cases will also be reviewed. |
| Audience: Behavior analysts, behavior specialists, teachers, social workers, speech-language pathologists, parents, caregivers working with children with Asperger's Syndrome or those who have the opportunity to do so in the future. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Basic |
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| Developing Effective School-Based Programs for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder. |
| Friday, May 23, 2008 |
| 10:00 AM–5:00 PM |
| Boulevard C |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Research |
| CE Instructor: Sharon A. Reeve, Ph.D. |
| SHARON A. REEVE (Caldwell College), MARY ELLEN MCDONALD (Hofstra University) |
| Description: Effective school-based programs for individuals with autism spectrum disorders are greatly needed, yet development of such programs is no easy task. Many components are necessary to ensure success of a program and this workshop will thoroughly review all of these components, from the very broad and generic topics, such as curriculum development, to the very specific topics such as classroom set-up and daily staff rotation. To that end, an overview will be presented on individualized assessment, goal selection, skill assessment and curriculum development. In addition, staff development, staff retention, and training strategies will be thoroughly discussed. Classroom management, make-up, and effective classroom systems, such as protocols for staff rotation, specific training requests and analysis of a childs performance, as well as the arrangement of the instructional space will be reviewed. In addition, inclusion opportunities and necessary pre-requisite skills for particular inclusive settings will be analyzed. Strategies for collaboration with parents and related service providers will be discussed. Finally, strategies for program evaluation and overcoming obstacles in public schools and non-profit organizations will be presented. |
| Learning Objectives: 1. list five necessary components for an effective school-based program for individuals with autism 2. describe effective assessment procedures and goal selection 3. describe three ways in which to train staff 4. describe three ways to maintain staff morale 5. describe four effective classroom systems 6. describe three ways in which to effectively collaborate with parents and related service providers 7. describe four pre-requisite skills necessary for a successful inclusion experience 8. describe an inclusive programmatic evaluation system |
| Activities: Participants will receive extensive handouts and will have opportunities to participate in didactic presentations, problem solving discussion, and the exploration of various situations that arise when developing and consulting for school-based programs, through the use of video-based scenarios. Role- playing will be used for various topics such as the effective application of behavior analytic principles in the workplace. Participants will also have the opportunity to develop strategies designed to retain staff and maintain staff morale. Engagement in various additional activities such as arranging instructional space and designing classroom management procedures will also be practiced. |
| Audience: This workshop is appropriate for behavior analysts who are interested in consulting in school-based programs and/or has ABA experience consulting/teaching individuals with autism in various clinical settings. It is also appropriate for parents who would like to develop skills in the assessment of various components of school-based programs. In addition, public/private school administrators and members of child study teams who wish to develop a new program or expand upon an already established program may also find this workshop helpful. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
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| Functional Assessment and Intervention for Children, Adolescents, and Adults with Autism. |
| Friday, May 23, 2008 |
| 10:00 AM–5:00 PM |
| Stevens 3 |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Research |
| CE Instructor: Diane Bannerman Juracek, Ph.D. |
| DIANE BANNERMAN JURACEK (Community Living Opportunities, Inc.), NANETTE L. PERRIN (Early Childhood Autism Program, Community Living Opportunities, Inc.), AMANDA L. LITTLE (Community Living Opportunities, Inc.) |
| Description: Individuals who exhibit challenging behavior can present challenges to teams, including both general and special education teachers, families and caregivers. Individuals with disabilities and their caregivers may be engaged in coercive patterns of behavior (Lucyshyn, Dunlap, & Albin, 2002). Individuals may be reciprocally reinforced for their behavior within an environmental context. FBA is a tool that gathers information to identify factors that set the occasion for and maintain challenging behavior (Horner, 2000). Without dedicating time to assessment, ad hoc interventions may not decrease challenging behavior and may cause harm (Horner, Albin, Sprague, & Todd, 2000). Behavior interventions based on functional assessment are three times more likely to be effective in reducing problem behavior and encouraging more appropriate behavior (Carr et al., 1999). This workshop will provide participants with practice in the components of functional behavior assessment and intervention planning in a variety of settings. |
| Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the workshop, participants will be able to: * Operationally define a target behavior and determine how best to measure it. * When given a scenario, identify antecedents, etting events, and consequences of a target behavior * Describe the components of a functional assessment * Understand how to use at least one indirect assessment method to obtain relevant information about the target behavior * Understand how to use at least one direct assessment tool to obtain observable, objective data regarding the antecedents, setting events, and consequences of a target behavior. * Describe how to implement functional analysis in* natural settings * Describe how to support families, teachers, and other support providers in assisting with functional assessment in family homes and school and care settings * Use the results of a functional assessment to identify the function(s) of a target behavior * Develop a multi-component intervention that addresses prevention, crisis intervention, teaching replacement behaviors, and consequence intervention |
| Activities: Using three multimedia scenarios, participants will engage in the practice of conducting Functional Behavior Assessment, including development of an operational definition for a target behavior, determine how best to measure that behavior, describe and practice implementation of FBA, identify setting events, antecedents, and consequences, and development of a multi-component intervention plan based on results of the FBA. This multi-component intervention plan will focus on setting event interventions, antecedent interventions, teaching new skills, and consequence interventions. Participants will also practice strategies to assess contextual fit and plan for sustainability. |
| Audience: Behavior Analysts, professionals, parents, teachers and others who support individuals with autism and are interested in learning more about functional behavior assessment and intervention strategies. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
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| Social Skills Groups Utilizing the Principals of Applied Behavior Analysis for Students with Autism. |
| Friday, May 23, 2008 |
| 10:00 AM–5:00 PM |
| Stevens 2 |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Research |
| CE Instructor: Jill E. McGrale Maher, M.S. |
| JILL E. MCGRALE MAHER (McGrale and Associates), CHERYL J. DAVIS (Crossroads School for Children Consultant), JOSH PLAVNICK (McGrale and Associates), LINDA J. LOCKHART (McGrale and Associates) |
| Description: The recent increased diagnosis of Autism has rapidly inflated the demand for social skills training and instruction for children on the Autism spectrum. As a result, methods and strategies for teaching social skills that utilize the principles of applied behavior analysis have been developed. These programs have increased the opportunities for children with Autism to gain social behaviors that enhance peer interactions. However, clear and comprehensive programs are difficult to find that meet the needs of specific students, especially those designed to be taught in applied settings in small homogenous groups. Furthermore, available resources are often lacking in programs with strong procedural integrity; comprehensive skill assessment; instruction for the staff who will actually be implementing the programming; systematic teaching procedures and prompt fading strategies; repetitive learning opportunities; and clear, accurate data collection systems. This workshop will provide participants with a comprehensive model intended to teach a systematic method of designing, implementing, and evaluating homogenous social skills groups for children on the autism spectrum. Skills acquired will be generalizable across all age groups as participants will review the process from development of the social skills assessment, grouping students, writing lesson plans, running groups, designing data collections systems,, trainings staff, and evaluating progress. |
| Learning Objectives: Participants will be able to: 1. Identify skill domains and develop and an initial scope and sequence including behavioral definitions to create a social skills assessment. Participants will also leave with a format to expand on their Social Skills Assessment. 2. Create guidelines for constructing homogeneous groups. 3. Identify key components of a staff-training program. 4. Write a lesson plan for a group to include selection of appropriate activities for teaching skills 5. Create a format for teaching groups with empirically based group management techniques and interventions for addressing challenging behaviors. 6. Determine empirically based teaching techniques including prompting strategies and reinforcement systems. 7. Develop data collection systems that target up to three behaviors for individual students . 8. Develop a plan to teach strategies for generalization to family members of the students. 9. Promote the use of best practices and ethical standards into social skill groups. |
| Activities: - Didactic instruction - Role play - Development of lesson plans - Development of staff training program - Development of data collection procedures |
| Audience: Directors, supervisors and instructors of social skills for children with autism and related disabilities. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
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| Teaching Outside "The Box": Challenges in Implementing Emperically-Based Strategies in the Classroom. |
| Friday, May 23, 2008 |
| 10:00 AM–5:00 PM |
| Marquette |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Research |
| CE Instructor: Cara M. Cappalli, M.S. |
| JAMES A. HOKO (ACES, Inc. - EIBI), CARA M. CAPPALLI (ACES, Inc. - EIBI), JILL G. EMMERICH (ACES, Inc. - EIBI), KRYSTL GIORDANO-PADILLA (ACES, Inc. - EIBI), CORAL E. LEE (ACES, Inc. - EIBI), CARYN MELLO-KENNEDY (ACES, Inc. - EIBI), LISA TERESHKO (ACES, Inc. - EIBI), MENIKA S. SCHULTE (Eastern Connecticut State University) |
| Description: The use of Applied Behavior Analysis to educate children diagnosed with autism has gained wide acceptance due to the large body of research documenting its effectiveness. However, there continues to be a variety of viewpoints regarding the structure of an ABA classroom. Many ABA programs have relied on Discrete Trial Instruction as the primary means to educate children. This has led some to the mistaken assumption that ABA and DTI are synonymous. Now, it is well established in the field that there exist numerous instructional methods which are useful and recommended for teaching skills to children with Autism. What exactly are these techniques? Which of these methods should be selected and implemented in a ABA classroom? How does a program incorporate this variety of methods, which are each empirically sound yet greatly different from each other, into a single cohesive classroom model? With a population of 43 students with autism and related disabilities and a staff of 53 individuals working in a public school setting, the complexity of this challenge is apparent to our ACES - EIBI program. In this workshop we will share our own program's experience getting out of the box", going beyond discrete trial instruction to implement the fields most current research into our classrooms. |
| Learning Objectives: �Demonstrate familiarity with a range of empirically-validated methods other than DTI for teaching children on the autism spectrum �Analyze video demonstrations of these techniques within our program �Describe models of classroom improvement via program improvement initiatives �Discuss staff training and supervision needs to ensure procedural fidelity �Develop data collection systems which are instructionally valuable yet feasible for busy classrooms �List strategies for working in transdisciplinary teams in public school settings �Characterize general challenges faced in the implementation of empirically-based instructional strategies in the classroom |
| Activities: Attendees will participate in didactic lecture, discussion, and question and answer session. Video and graphic illustration will be utilized throughout. Accompanying CD and handouts will be provided. |
| Audience: Behavior analysts, administrators, special education teachers, and other professionals (from a variety of disciplines) working in public or private educational settings with students diagnosed on the autism spectrum or other developmental disabilities. This workshop is primarily geared to those working to establish or improve programming in environments with similar concerns to those described. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
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| The Language Matrix in Intensive Early Intervention: Developing Generative Natural Social Language in Challenging Cases. |
| Friday, May 23, 2008 |
| 10:00 AM–5:00 PM |
| International North |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Research |
| CE Instructor: Eric V. Larsson, Ph.D. |
| ERIC V. LARSSON (Lovaas Institute Midwest) |
| Description: In intensive early intervention with young children with autism, a great number of language skills are often taught. This workshop will show how such skills can be developed in a coherent conceptual framework, enabling productive treatment planning, trouble-shooting, and program evaluation. A four-dimensional matrix of social language skills will be used to design an overall generative process of language development. The matrix of skills is addressed across generalization modalities, syntax forms, conditional discriminations, and functional communicative relationships. After receptive and expressive skills are developed, the matrix naturally flows into auditory comprehension and creative language production skills. The organization of the language curriculum can be used to control the pacing of related social skills in a systematic manner. Complex social contingencies will be addressed to ensure that the child is not only acquiring social skills, but is using those skills functionally throughout the child's 24-hour and 7-day life. Data obtained from children in intensive early intervention will be presented to demonstrate how the generative curriculum can improve the progress of children with severely challenging language disorders. |
| Learning Objectives: 1, Detail information necessary to plan and program children�s language curriculums into a coherent whole. 2, State how to develop generative language skills rather than rote language skills. 3, Implement conditions that promote the production and comprehension of generative language learning. 4, Program across generalization modalities, syntax forms, conditional discriminations, and functional communication relationships. 5, Implement programs that promote creative language production and auditory comprehension through generative language learning. 6, Program genuinely functional social language skills. |
| Activities: Didactic instruction, video taped presentations, demonstrations. |
| Audience: Parents, lead therapists, line therapists, consultants, and students. Participants should have a basic understanding of behavioral terms used in intensive early intervention. At least one-month's experience with intensive early intervention is preferable. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
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| Training the Mand: Intervention Strategies and Tactics for Use with Students with Autism. |
| Friday, May 23, 2008 |
| 10:00 AM–5:00 PM |
| 4A |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Research |
| CE Instructor: Amiris Dipuglia, M.D. |
| AMIRIS DIPUGLIA (ABACARD, LLC), MICHAEL MIKLOS (Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network) |
| Description: The Pennsylvania Verbal Behavior Project has provided intensive behavioral interventions for children with autism for the past six years through behavioral consultative support to public school special education classrooms. Over that period, a central focus of consultative support to teachers has been on mand training. Mand training is an often overlooked but critical component of effective language programming for children with autism. Teaching the mand, while often fun for both trainers and students, is also a challenging and technical process. The mand repertoire necessary for effective social functioning includes skills beyond asking to obtain preferred items and events. Conversational interactions involve frequent mands for information and mands for specific social behaviors of the listener. Effective instruction of mand skills requires careful sequencing of instruction. This session will include a review of the literature on mand training for children with autism. Conceptual foundations including differentiation of subtypes of motivative operations and issues related to the multiple control of verbal behavior will be discussed in relation to formulating mand training tactics and strategies. Assessment protocols for the mand repertoire will be reviewed included skill sequences from both the VB-MAPP (Sundberg, 2008) and the ABLLS-R (Partington, 2006.) Basic teaching procedures to be presented include establishing and maintaining motivation, response form selection, prompt and prompt fade procedures, and discrimination and broadening of responses repertoire. Specific protocols for teaching mands for items, for actions, mands for information, mands of assertion and negation will be presented. This workshop will include providing participants with training materials including a training manual. Methods for assessing student outcomes and treatment fidelity will be reviewed. Video examples will be shown. |
| Learning Objectives: 1.Participants will define what a mand is, how it is similar to terms such as asking, requesting, demanding, commanding and so on, and how it uniquely describes a relationship between the conditions in a child�s environment and the child�s tendency to initiate interactions with other people. 2.Participants will discuss evocative and function altering effects of various stimuli in relation to motivative variables in the mand frame. 3.Participants will differentiate variables related to response form selection in mand training. 4.Participants will identify student performance patterns suggestive of entry point in mand training skill sequence. 5.Participants will demonstrate instructional behaviors specific to various mand training protocols. |
| Activities: 1.Lecture and demonstration of various conceptual and teaching procedures will be provided. 2.Guided practice sessions for various mand protocols. 3.Protocol review of mand skill sequence assessments 4.Practice in formulating response form selection from assessment protocols. |
| Audience: 1.Behavior analysts providing consultation and program design of behavioral interventions for students with autism 2.Direct instructional staff serving students with autism 3.Others interested in application of the analysis of verbal behavior |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
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| A Functional Approach to Behavioral Activation in Adult Depression. |
| Friday, May 23, 2008 |
| 10:00 AM–5:00 PM |
| 4D |
| Area: CSE; Domain: Applied Research |
| CE Instructor: Jonathan W. Kanter, Ph.D. |
| JONATHAN W. KANTER (Dept. of Psychology, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee), KERI R. BROWN POPP (Dept. of Psychology, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee), ANDREW BUSCH (Dept. of Psychology, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee), LAURA C. RUSCH (Dept. of Psychology, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee), RACHEL MANOS (Dept. of Psychology, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee), CRISTAL E. WEEKS (Dept. of Psychology, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee), WILLIAM BOWE (Dept. of Psychology, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee) |
| Description: Depression in clients and family members of clients may be a primary clinical complaint or a secondary concern that impedes treatment progress and follow-through. Several versions of Behavioral Activation for depression have been developed over the years, and all focus to one degree or another on activity scheduling to reinstate and maintain contact with positive reinforcement. Missing from each of these treatments, however, is a comprehensive analysis of the full range of depressive behaviors and reactions at the level of function and clearly articulated links to treatment techniques. This workshop will focus on the treatment of depression with Behavioral Activation and will provide a comprehensive behavioral analysis of depression that clearly articulates when and how specific techniques should be implemented. The workshop will provide detailed training in this version of Behavior Activation, which is easy to implement, functionally based, inclusive of many current Behavior Activation techniques, and consistent with the versions of Behavioral Activation that have been shown to be empirically-supported in large, randomized trails. We will also discuss the relationship of Behavioral Activation to other approaches including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Functional Analytic Psychotherapy. |
| Learning Objectives: Workshop attendees will learn the following: *A behavioral and functional model of depression *How the function of depressive behaviors relates to treatment alternatives *An overview of current versions of Behavior Activation *The theory behind a functionally-based version of Behavior Activation *How to implement Behavior Activation |
| Activities: Workshop attendees will participate in didactic learning as well as observe videotaped clinical interactions demonstrating techniques and participate in role-playing activities and group discussions. |
| Audience: Anyone with an interest in Clinical Behavior Analysis, a behavioral conceptualization of depression, or behavioral treatment of depression. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
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| Emotional Difficulties in Children: Increasing Maintenance & Generalization of Treatment Gains by Focusing on Emotional Development. |
| Friday, May 23, 2008 |
| 10:00 AM–5:00 PM |
| Stevens 1 |
| Area: CSE; Domain: Applied Research |
| CE Instructor: Jeannie A. Golden, Ph.D. |
| JEANNIE A. GOLDEN (East Carolina University) |
| Description: Many children in the child welfare system develop the symptoms of childhood psychiatric disorders, such as ADHD, ODD, conduct disorder, bipolar disorder and RAD, due to early abuse/neglect and multiple placements/caregivers. Often, the treatment focus follows the medical model with the assumption that behavioral symptoms are the result of underlying psychopathology. Instead, behavior analysts conduct observations of behavior in a variety of settings to determine the effect of various stimulus conditions and setting events, functional assessments to determine the causes and maintainers of various behavioral symptoms, and careful analysis of learning histories to determine the efficacy of various reinforcers and punishers. Behavior analysts are also able to provide assessment-driven treatment approaches, to design therapeutic environments that support the learning of appropriate replacement behaviors and to facilitate typical emotional development rather than psychopathology. However, although these children function well within these structured settings, once this structure is removed they often fail to maintain or generalize their behavioral changes. Several techniques that can be used to increase maintenance and generalization of treatment gains by focusing on emotional development will be presented in this workshop. Case examples will be provided, along with opportunities to get feedback on the cases of participants. |
| Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the workshop, the participant will be able to: 1. tell how the learning histories of children with emotional difficulties effect their emotional development and subsequent responses to several behavioral interventions 2. tell why intervention gains are difficult to maintain and generalize outside of the structured setting where the behavioral interventions have been implemented 3. describe several techniques that can be used to increase maintenance and generalization of treatment gains by focusing on emotional development 4. provide several case examples of children with emotional difficulties who have benefited from the inclusion of these techniques along with other behavioral interventions 5. describe how to apply these techniques to assist children with emotional difficulties in their own professional settings |
| Activities: Participants will listen to didactic information and real-life case histories in homes, schools and community settings, take notes, ask questions, view a power point presentation, present their own cases for feedback, and participate in role-play situations. |
| Audience: Participants would include board certified behavior analysts, psychologists, counselors, health care providers, social workers and/or teachers who serve children with developmental disabilities or children who typically-developing who have emotional difficulties and/or have been given psychiatric diagnoses. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
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| Running Effective Behavior Analytic Social Skills Groups. |
| Friday, May 23, 2008 |
| 10:00 AM–5:00 PM |
| 4B |
| Area: CSE; Domain: Applied Research |
| CE Instructor: Katherine A. Johnson, M.S. |
| KATHERINE A. JOHNSON (Advances Learning Center), ELIZABETH PAIGE ADAMS (Advances Learning Center), JENNIFER BLANKENSHIP (Advances Learning Center) |
| Description: Teaching social skills in a group setting requires a multitude of skills: grouping students in effective clusters, using group contingencies, taking data on multiple students at once, and individualizing prompt levels and reinfocement schedules while running effective activities that provide students with frequent opportunities to respond to social stimuli. This workshop will teach specific learning activities that target skills in the domains of body language, conversation, independent, pretend, and cooperative play, social conventions, and perspective-taking. It will also provide training on how, when, and why to use group contingencies and give strategies for individualizing social instruction in a group setting. |
| Learning Objectives: Participants will be able to: 1. Use a variety of activities designed to provide students with frequent opportunities to respond to social cues. 2. Facilitate activities that teach body language, conversation, independent, pretend, and cooperative play, social conventions, and perspective-taking. 3. Group students into effective learning clusters. 4. Use several different group-oriented contingencies and identify the reasons behind using each type of contingency. 5. Collect data on multiple students. 6. Individualize prompt levels and reinforcement schedules while running an instructional activity with several students. 7. Take procedural integrity and reliability measures on social skills group leaders. |
| Activities: Alternating between lecture and hands-on activities, participants will work in groups to complete guided notes and case studies and participate in video-modeled activities and role-plays. |
| Audience: --BCBAs who train staff to run social skills groups --Teachers, SLP's, behavioral instructors, or therapists who run social skills groups --School staff intending to implement social skills instruction as a part of their curriculum --Anyone currently running social skills groups or wishing to run them in the future |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
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| Using Signs Rather than Picture Selection as the Primary Communication Response Form for Hearing Children and Adults with Developmental Disabilities Including Autism. |
| Friday, May 23, 2008 |
| 10:00 AM–5:00 PM |
| Continental B |
| Area: DDA; Domain: Applied Research |
| CE Instructor: Patrick E. McGreevy, Ph.D. |
| PATRICK E. MCGREEVY (Patrick McGreevy, Ph.D., P.A.), COLLEEN CORNWALL (ABLE, Inc.), TROY A. FRY (The Holland Center) |
| Description: Many children and adults with developmental disabilities, including autism, do not exhibit spoken words or do not communicate clearly and effectively using spoken words. At the present time, the most popular alternative, primary, communication response forms for these learners PECS and augmentative communication devices -- include selecting pictures. This workshop makes the case for signs, rather than selecting pictures, as the primary communication response form for learners who are ambulatory and who exhibit some variation in motor responses. |
| Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this workshop, the participant will be able to: (1) describe the importance of the echoic repertoire, (2) describe when an alternative communication response form � signing, pictures, or augmentative devices � is necessary, (3) describe the advantages and disadvantages of various alternative communication response forms, (4) describe and implement effective procedures for teaching sign mands, (5) transfer sign mands to tacts and intraverbals, (6) collect data while teaching sign mands, tacts, and intraverbals, and (7) adjust teaching procedures when common problems occur in teaching sign mands, tacts, and intraverbals. |
| Activities: This workshop will provide written descriptions, videotape and live demonstrations, and practice activities for participants. |
| Audience: The target audience for this workshop includes teachers, behavior analysts, speech-language pathologists, and others who work with children and adults with developmental disabilities, including autism. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Basic |
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| Precision Teaching & Standard Celeration Charting. |
| Friday, May 23, 2008 |
| 10:00 AM–5:00 PM |
| PDR 3 |
| Area: EDC; Domain: Applied Research |
| CE Instructor: John W. Eshleman, Ed.D. |
| CLAY M. STARLIN (University of Oregon), JOHN W. ESHLEMAN (The Chicago School of Professional Psychology), HENRY S. PENNYPACKER (University of Florida), JESUS ROSALES-RUIZ (University of North Texas), ABIGAIL B. CALKIN (Calkin Learning Center) |
| Description: This workshop will teach participants the steps of Precision Teaching with particular emphasis on reading and charting human performance on the Standard Celeration Chart (SCC). Participants will learn: to write precise performance statements (pinpointing), the three important dimensions of behavior to monitor, the features of the SCC, standard charting conventions,, and how to analyze performance on the chart to assist in making data-based decisions. The instructors will draw from long and varied histories of success using the SCC in a range of setting to illustrate key concept taught in the workshop. Examples from: university teaching, educational intervention with special needs and regular education students, and the monitoring of private events will be used. Participants will receive: a copy of: the Handbook of the Standard Celeration Chart, all materials used in the workshop and a CD containing: selected articles and an electronic version of the SCC. |
| Learning Objectives: 1. Write precise performance statements (pinpointing); 2. Read performance data charted on the SCC; 3. Chart performance data charted on the SCC; 4. Describe data on the SCC in terms of its frequency, celeration, and bounce; 5. Describe change in performance using SCC change terminology; 6. Describe appropriate data-based change decisions. |
| Activities: Applying principles derived from behavior analysis of well-designed instruction, our world-class group of workshop instructors will use a range of activities to ensure participants learn the skills targeted in the objectives. Participants will engage in choral responding and paced practice, timed practice on key concepts and skills, and both small and large group discussions. |
| Audience: Anyone seeking an introduction (or refresher) to Precision Teaching & Standard Celeration Charting, including persons interested in using the SCC to improve their teaching or clinical practice and individuals planning to take the BACB examination. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Basic |
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| Prevent-Teach-Reinforce (PTR): A Protocol for Tertiary Level Supports that are Manageable and Effective in Classrooms. |
| Friday, May 23, 2008 |
| 10:00 AM–5:00 PM |
| Stevens 4 |
| Area: EDC; Domain: Applied Research |
| CE Instructor: Patricia Oliver, M.S. |
| PATRICIA OLIVER (University of Colorado at Denver), PHILLIP S. STRAIN (University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center), KELLY WILSON (University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center), ROSE IOVANNONE (University of South Florida/Florida Mental Health), CARIE L. ENGLISH (University of South Florida) |
| Description: The demand for supporting children with significant behavior problems in classrooms has increased dramatically throughout school districts in our nation. Schools struggle with limited resources to provide effective, individualized, tertiary level supports as needed. In addition, most schools deplete their resources in reaction, instead of prevention, for challenging behaviors. In this workshop, participants will learn a process of providing effective, individualized behavior support at the tertiary level. Prevent-Teach-Reinforce is a prescriptive, yet easily replicable, five-step positive behavior intervention process aligned with the principles of applied behavior analysis. Currently, data are showing that this process is more effective than typical interventions. PTR is a U.S. Department of Education behavior research project being conducted with 200 school-based teams enrolled in Colorado and Central Florida school districts. This randomized control study is designed to: first, investigate the effectiveness of the PTR intervention implemented by typical school personnel as compared to control conditions defined as business as usual; and second, to investigate variables impacting effectiveness of tertiary behavior interventions. The sample represents a broad range of grade levels (K-6), demographics, and educational placement with approximately 50% of students having a disability requiring an IEP. |
| Learning Objectives: 1. At the conclusion of this workshop, the participants will be able to use the PTR goal sheets and assessments and model how to apply them to their settings enhancing the capacity among school staff. 2. At the conclusion of this workshop, the participants will be able to implement strategies for identifying functions of behavior and linking them to intervention strategies. 3. At the conclusion of this workshop, the participants will have developed fidelity rating scales to monitor implementation of strategies by school staff. 4. At the conclusion of this workshop, the participants will be able to apply principles of PTR to students needing tertiary level supports. |
| Activities: This interactive workshop will demonstrate the PTR process in a �train the trainer� format. Participants will utilize case studies to go through the PTR process which consists of three core components: (1) preventing problem behaviors from occurring, (2) teaching proactive replacement/desired skills, and (3) reinforcing the new skills. We will look at strategies for aiding school staff in developing short term goals as well as identifying pivotal behaviors. Participants will also use PTR assessments as tools to link functions to behaviors and to develop hypotheses with school staff providing opportunities for building capacity within existing resources and staff members. Intervention plans will be developed with a strategy from each core component. Participants will develop fidelity rating scales used to monitor implementation of strategies by school staff. Effective coaching components will also be discussed. Presenters will share data illustrating the effectiveness of this process and social validity ratings. |
| Audience: Although there is ample evidence showing tertiary, individualized behavior support systems for students with significant problem behavior are effective, teachers and systems do not always accept and implement interventions the way they were intended. This workshop will focus on gaining buy- in from teachers and school staffs, demonstrate the value of contextual fit, and teach a prescriptive process that is effective and easily replicable. The targeted audience includes behavior specialists, psychologists, educators and researchers. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
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| Developing the Private Practice Model. |
| Friday, May 23, 2008 |
| 10:00 AM–5:00 PM |
| Boulevard A |
| Area: OBM; Domain: Applied Research |
| CE Instructor: Terence G. Blackwell, M.S. |
| TERENCE G. BLACKWELL (Verbal Behavior Institute), WHITNEY PUBYLSKI (Verbal Behavior Institute) |
| Description: The Private Practice Model presentation expands on prior year's workshop. Participants will learn to identify markets, establish pricing strategies, review contract strategy, tax considerations, develop a basic operating budget and outline a basic marketing plan. The day is presented in two sections, the first portion of the day addresses obstacles to entering into your own business and overcoming them. The second portion of the presentation is devoted to looking at the specific content areas that all new professionals address (either by planning or through experience) in developing their own practice. |
| Learning Objectives: 1. Identify obstacles to starting a private practice. 2. Create an operating budget for a small private practice. 3. Create contracts for services that reduce risk and increase efficiency in business practices. 4. Review and apply the IRS form SS-8 tax form to small private practice planning. 5. Identify and define a unique marketing position (USP) as a Behavior Analyst in private practice. 6. Define a "niche" market for specific skills and develop a prototype marketing plan. 7. Apply cash flow analysis for use in sub-contracting of services, interactive review of private practice model expanded. |
| Activities: 1. Review of literature regarding successful entrepreneurial development and application to ABA practitioners. 2. Interactive development of a start up budget including a review of the do's and don'ts of subcontracting. 3. Review of techniques to minimize risk and maximize revenue through review of contracting documents as a private practitioner. 4. Question and Answer forum for analysis of live examples of participant business development. |
| Audience: Behavior Analysts who are either Board Certified and interested in expanding their work part time as entrepreneurs, or those interested in developing a full time private practice in the next 6-12 months. Participants should have a familiarity with reimbursement rates for Analysts in their geographic area. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
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| Human Performance Engineering to Achieve Desired Results. |
| Friday, May 23, 2008 |
| 10:00 AM–5:00 PM |
| 4G |
| Area: OBM; Domain: Applied Research |
| CE Instructor: Guy S. Bruce, Ed.D. |
| GUY S. BRUCE (Appealing Solutions, LLC) |
| Description: Behavior analysis has spawned powerful technologies for helping people, but human service agencies often have difficulties implementing those technologies, a problem which limits their success. The most effective technologies will fail if they are not implemented correctly. This failure is a problem at the organizational, process and individual levels of performance. Human Performance Engineering is the application of behavior analysis to solve human performance problems so that individuals and organizations can achieve desired results. The process is called PARSE, an acronym which stands for 1) Pinpoint performance problems worth solving, 2) Analyze their causes, 3) Recommend the best solutions, 4) Solve the problems by designing and implementing the best solutions, and 5) Evaluate the effectiveness, efficiency and return on investment of the solutions that you implemented. The PARSE process is cybernetic or self-correcting, because human performance engineers use data on the effectiveness, efficiency, and return on investment of their solutions to redesign their solutions until they have achieved their desired results at an acceptable cost. The skills you acquire in this workshop will allow you to solve performance problems at the individual, process or organizational level. |
| Learning Objectives: 1) After collecting information about a client�s desired results and the performance necessary to achieve those results, the designer will pinpoint the client�s performance problems by a) defining the client�s desired results and performance and b) evaluating current results and performance to decide whether the problem is worth solving. 2) Given information about the causes of a client�s performance problems, the designer will analyze those problems, classifying them as �can-do,� �know-how,� and/or �want-to� problems and identifying their causes as defective resources, training programs, and management practices. 3) Given an evaluation of the client�s current performance problems and an analysis of their causes, the designer will list possible solutions, considering the estimated value, cost and compliance of each solution with ethical standards, and recommend those solutions with the best return on investment. 4) Given a list of recommended solutions to a performance problem which may include resources, training, and performance management, the designer will solve the problem by designing and implementing the solutions which may include more efficient resources, training, or performance management practices. 5) After collecting measures of improvement in performance and results, the time and costs to produce the improvement, the designer will evaluate solution effectiveness, efficiency, and return on investment, and recommend design changes needed to produce further improvements. |
| Activities: 1) Fluency practice. Participants will gain fluency in component skills of human performance engineering by practicing with flashcards, measuring and graphing their own learning efficiencies. 2) Practice solving human performance problems. Participants will practice solving human performance problems with case studies provided by the instructor. 3) Engineer solutions to human performance problems. Each participant will pinpoint a human performance problem, analyze its causes, recommend the best solutions, solve the problem, and evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the solutions. 4) Discuss performance engineering projects. Participants will discuss their performance-engineering projects, presenting their work to the instructor and fellow students and helping their fellow students solve project-related problems. |
| Audience: This workshop will be of interest to anyone responsible for solving human performance problems, whether these exist at the organizational, process, or individual levels. It can help agency directors change the flow of resources and feedback to and within their organizations so that their agencies can achieve their missions of helping people. It can help agency managers redesign work processes so that staff are able to work together more efficiently to help people. It can help agency supervisors and trainers provide more efficient resources, training, and management practices so that individual staff will be more effective in helping people. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
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| Using Behavioral Systems Analysis to Design Sustainable Interventions. |
| Friday, May 23, 2008 |
| 10:00 AM–5:00 PM |
| 4E |
| Area: OBM; Domain: Applied Research |
| CE Instructor: Caio F. Miguel, Ph.D. |
| HEATHER M. MCGEE (Western Michigan University), LORI H. DIENER-LUDWIG (Ardent), CAIO F. MIGUEL (California State University, Sacramento) |
| Description: This workshop will equip participants with the necessary skills and knowledge to apply behavioral systems analysis tools to design sustainable performance improvement interventions in their organization, classroom, team, and/or other systems the participants choose to impact. This workshop contains three parts: (1) Part One will focus on the value of using behavioral systems analysis tools, an overview of the tools, and building fluency in the fundamentals of system thinking; (2) Part Two will include guided practice in the use of behavioral systems analysis tools to design a clear performance management system to sustain relevant behaviors of various individuals in the organization connected to a performance improvement intervention with a critical business need; (3) In Part Three, participants will develop an action plan for transferring the tools and skills learned in the workshop to their work environment. |
| Learning Objectives: � Describe the value of using behavioral systems analysis tools � Fluently identify the components of a system and the impact of disconnects � Ask the right questions to focus on the right performance variables at various levels using behavioral systems analysis tools � Align management team missions, functional team missions and job missions with the organization�s mission � Design an effective performance management system to support a performance improvement intervention � Apply behavioral systems analysis tools immediately following the workshop to your own organization |
| Activities: The aim of this workshop is to ensure that participants will be able to accurately apply behavioral systems analysis tools to their own organization. To meet this aim, the workshop will include fluency building exercises and numerous practice opportunities in analyzing, specifying and designing appropriate performance management system components through large and small group work on case studies. Participants will complete human performance system diagrams, identify disconnects, write effective mission statements, and identify competing factors in achieving missions, resulting in a realistic design of a comprehensive performance management system. |
| Audience: Teachers, managers, trainers, anyone interested in behavioral systems analysis |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Basic |
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| Using Performance Improvement Methods to Start and Manage an ABA Human Services Organization. |
| Friday, May 23, 2008 |
| 10:00 AM–5:00 PM |
| PDR 4 |
| Area: OBM; Domain: Applied Research |
| CE Instructor: Michael Weinberg, Ph.D. |
| MICHAEL WEINBERG (Orlando Behavior Health Services, LLC), JOSEPH D. CAUTILLI (Children Crisis Treatment Center/St. Joseph's University), SHANE D. ISLEY (FEAT of Washington) |
| Description: With several decades of research data and implementation outcomes to support its use, Performance Improvement has become a key OBM methodology in many companies. In this workshop, particpants will receive up-to-date information and instruction in use of this methodology to start and manage an ABA human services organization. Examples of areas that will be covered include employee selection methods, pinpointing, setting targets, functional assessment to address problem performance, reinforcement of employee performance, using behavioral anchors, assessment centers, behavioral coaching, six sigma methods, and others. |
| Learning Objectives: By the end of this workshop, participants will learn to: 1) State three key approaches for selecting staff 2) State and describe three methods to evaluate staff performance 3) State examples of staff improvement goals and improvement approaches 4) Identify and discuss the research base for performance improvement methods (at least 3 studies or references that are empirically derived) 5) state key expected performance outcomes and ABA service delivery standards 6) State methods of assessing bases of problem performance and approaches to rectify these problems 7) state and demonstrate key data collection and display methods for staff performance 8) State three key behavioral coaching methods for performance improvement purposes |
| Activities: 1) Identify the type and nature of service organization participants may wish to establish, or learn to manage using PI methods 2) Identify systems to establish the organization and how it will carry out its mission. Participants will write sample mission and vision statements 3) create a basic business plan for carrying out the mission and type of staff needed to carry it out, and create basic systems for staff selection using methods presented 4) participants will draft standards of performance and behavior analytic service delivery expected of their staff and organization 5) create systems of staff performance measurement and goal setting, along with means of reinforcing desired and improved performance (and how it will be measured) 6) small group activity to conduct functional assessment and devise a plan or approach in a work setting for addressing problem performance 7) Practice devising and conducting behavioral interview method for selecting new staff |
| Audience: Applied Behavior Analysts, Organizational Behavior Management specialists (entry or intermediate level), human services managers, current and would-be founders or directors of a program, entreprenuers in establishing ABA based service organizations. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
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| Incorporating Relational Frame Theory into EIBI Programs for Facilitating Generative Verbal Behaviour. |
| Friday, May 23, 2008 |
| 10:00 AM–5:00 PM |
| Williford C |
| Area: TPC; Domain: Applied Research |
| CE Instructor: John D. McElwee, M.S. |
| JOHN D. MCELWEE (HASD), IAN T. STEWART (National University of Ireland, Galway) |
| Description: Early Intensive Behavior Intervention (EIBI) is evidence based effective treatment for children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). EIBI is characterized by the application of basic principles of behavior change and a detailed sequence of instructional programs for the training of students. The ultimate outcome for a student is inclusive education placement with no supports. A key element in the facilitation of this outcome is that students should be able to demonstrate generative verbal behavior (GVB). However, achieving GVB has been extremely difficult for a large number of youngsters with ASD. Relational Frame Theory (RFT) may constitute an important resource for the training of GVB for individuals designing EIBI instructional programs. RFT is a behavior analytic approach to human language and cognition that conceptualizes generalized or derived relational responding as the core process underlying these phenomena. This theoretical approach also incorporates an important expansion of Skinner's influential analysis of verbal behavior. The purpose of the workshop is to demonstrate how RFT concepts can be brought to bear in the design of instructional program sequences for early to advanced learners. The first part of the workshop will involve a brief demonstration of the core concept of GVB. This will be followed by a prcis of Relational Frame Theory as a behavior analytic account of this phenomenon. The workshop will explain and provide examples of generalized operants and the learning history needed for their development. The crucial distinction between non-arbitrary and arbitrary relations will be emphasized using examples from EIBI curricula. The defining characteristics of an established relational frame, namely, mutual entailment, combinatorial entailment and transformation of stimulus functions, will be explained. This section will conclude with a review of the variety of patterns of derived relational responding or relational framing from coordination to hierarchy. The second part of the workshop will introduce participants to the TARPA (Training and Assessment of Relational Precursors and Abilities). The TARPA is a computer-based protocol designed to enable the systematic assessment and training of relational framing skills. The TARPA consists of several stages as follows: (i) basic discrimination; (ii) non-arbitrary relational responding; (iii) arbitrary relational responding; (iv) mutual entailed relational responding; (v) combinatorial entailed relational responding; (vi) transformation of functions; (vii) flexible contextually controlled SAME / DIFFERENT relational responding; (viii) multiple relational framing. Attendees will be provided with guided practice in the use of the TARPA and will also receive individual copies of the protocol on computer disk. In addition to the demonstration of the TARPA, the second half of the workshop will also provide (i) discussion of specific instructional programs, their sequencing to facilitate GVB plus means of assessing relevant learning outcomes and (ii) an analysis of intermediate to advanced relational framing. |
| Learning Objectives: (1) Be able to understand the core concepts of Relational Frame Theory's approach to language (2) Be able to understand the key theoretical concepts of Mutual Entailment, Combinatorial Entailment and Transformation of Stimulus Function (3) Be able to identify and develop instructional programs to teach higher order operants (4) Be familiar with several areas of basic RFT research and the implications for EIBI instructional design (5) Be able to assess and train students using the TARPA (6) Be able to design instructional programs to teach non-arbitrary derived relational responding (7) Be able to design instructional programs to teach derived verbal operants (e.g., derived naming) (8) Be able to design instructional programs to teach intermediate to advanced derived verbal operants (e.g., spatial, comparative and hierarchical relations) |
| Activities: -Didactic instruction -Audience participation exercises -Practice activities designing EIBI programs using the TARPA |
| Audience: The audience will be behavior analysts with expertise in the understanding of verbal behavior and designing instructional sequences for clients enrolled in EIBI. Prospective audience members are encouraged to bring their notebook computer as a download of the presentation and additional resources will be made available. Also, it is suggested for enrollees to consult the tutorial on RFT at the following URL: www.ContextualPsychology.org |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
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| Toilet Training for ASD Children and Encopretic Children: Data based Bio Behavioral Intervention |
| Friday, May 23, 2008 |
| 2:00 PM–5:00 PM |
| 4F |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Research |
| CE Instructor: Michael Ben-Zvi, M.A. |
| MICHAEL BEN-ZVI (Private Practice) |
| Description: While early intensive interventions are widely used to improve communicative, cognitive and other skills, toilet training for autistic children is still a challenge to behavior analysis. Early achievement of independent urination and defecation is rare, and failure is socially inhibiting and a parental burden. Encopresis* is a very disturbing illness, not so rare with normal children. The combination of those two is even worse to treat. The use of Reflexes and Respondent conditioning (in combination with operant conditioning) is needed for complex behaviors that are reflexive in origin and only partly Operant. The purpose of this workshop is to address that need, especially for the acquiring of proper bowl movement on toilet, both for Encopretic and Autistic children. The workshop will cover the theoretical assumptions behind the interventions, the protocol of treatment and its accommodations to each child. Ethical considerations, Data collection and decision making in the course of intervention will be discussed. Case studies will be presented, and the toilet training of urination will be addressed too. |
| Learning Objectives: At the completion of the workshops, participant will be able to: .Know and understand the protocol of interventions for both target behaviors .Explain the intervention to parents of non trained child .Gather the required data for decision making before and through the intervention .Detect the relevant symptom of Encopresis and apply the proper intervention. .Address ethical considerations and rejections. .Support parents through implementation of the interventions. |
| Activities: Activities will include presentation of both rational and practical issues, analyzing data records, practicing the collection of data on relevant Data sheets, and discussion of questions. |
| Audience: Behavior analysts, Consultants and program managers of interventions with autistic population, clinicians who address Encopresis, Parent of Encopretic and autistic children. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
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| Professional Consulting: 25 Essential Skills & Strategies for Behavior Analysts. |
| Friday, May 23, 2008 |
| 2:00 PM–5:00 PM |
| 4C |
| Area: OBM; Domain: Applied Research |
| CE Instructor: Jon S. Bailey, Ph.D. |
| JON S. BAILEY (Florida State University, BMC, FABA), MARY R. BURCH (BaileyBurch.com Workshops) |
| Description: Professionals who desire to serve as behavioral consultants in the autism, DD, or education community or with businesses and organizations need to have a huge repertoire of skills in order to be effective; simply having mastered the science and technology of behavior and is not sufficient to guarantee success. We are in direct competition with a number of other related professional fields which train their consultants much more rigorously than we do and we stand to become a second-class profession by comparison. I interviewed executive coaches, senior consultants, internship supervisors, and behavioral faculty to determine the skills necessary to make a consultant successful in todays market. In addition I asked them to provide me with scenarios which would capture the range of challenges that consultants are expected to deal with on a daily basis. These scenarios were carefully analyzed to determine the necessary skills and strategies one would need to be a successful consultant. In this presentation we will describe what experts in the field consider to be the 25 Essential Skills and Strategies for Behavior Analysts. These 25 skills are grouped into the following five categories: I. The Basic Consulting Repertoire, II. People Skills, III. Applying Behavioral Skills, IV. Essential Work Habits, V. Advanced Consulting Skills. Participants will learn how to apply these skills using real-world scenarios submitted by professional behavioral consultants. |
| Learning Objectives: 1. Participants will be able to describe the 25 Skills necessary to be effective behavioral consultants. 2. Participants, given a real-world scenario, will be able to describe the skills necessary to overcome the challenge(s) described. 3. Participants will troubleshoot situations that are presented and describe how they can be prevented in real-world consulting situations. |
| Activities: 1. Slideshow presentations describing the 25 Skills and how they are applied 2. Participants will submit consulting problem scenarios and learn to analyze and suggest solutions. 3. Participants will work in groups to analyze situations and role-play solutions to common problems in consulting. |
| Audience: New BACBs and experienced professionals who are interested in improving their effectiveness in dealing with common consulting problems in autism, DD, education, and business consulting situations. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
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| RFT 101: An Introduction to Relational Frame Theory |
| Friday, May 23, 2008 |
| 2:00 PM–5:00 PM |
| Waldorf |
| Area: TPC; Domain: Applied Research |
| CE Instructor: Daniel J. Moran, Ph.D. |
| DANIEL J. MORAN (Trinity Services), PATRICIA BACH (Illinois Institute of Technology) |
| Description: Arbitrarily applied what? Derived relational who? If you started learning about Relational Frame Theory (RFT), and then stopped when you read: Crel {ArxB and BrxC}, or have just been interested in learning the basics of RFT, this is the introductory workshop for you. This workshop will outline and explain the basic concepts of RFT and help the audience members understand an expanded functional approach to verbal behavior. We will discuss, from a behavior analytic point of view, how people can listen with understanding and speak with meaning. The workshop will simplify functional contextualism principles and discuss the basic RFT research methods and results in a manner that will help people who are new to RFT to begin applying the concepts to their own behavior analytic endeavors. We plan to make clear the core assumptions of functional contextual behavior analysis and how they apply to discussing language and cognition. We aim to not let your eyes glaze over as we discuss transformation of stimulus functions, generalized operants, and the different types of derived relating. Most importantly, we plan to help everyone have an enjoyable time while framing events relationally about RFT. |
| Learning Objectives: 1) Workshop attendees will be able to list and describe six basic principles of functional contextualism, and also contrast those principles from mainstream psychology principles. 2) Attendees will be able to compare and contrast conditioned discrimination and derived relational responding, in research contexts and in daily use. 3) Attendees will be able to define arbitrary applicable relational responding, along with mutual entailment and combinatorial entailment. 4) Attendees will be able to define �relational frame� in behavior analytic terms, and give 6 examples of relational frames. 5) Attendees will be able to describe transformation of stimulus functions regarding relational frames. 6) Attendees will be able to explain an expanded view of �verbal behavior� using RFT principles. 7) Attendees will generate examples of how to apply RFT principles to their own research or application questions. |
| Activities: The workshop will be guided by an animated slide show and will be punctuated with audience participation, and small group participation. |
| Audience: This workshop is for people with limited exposure to Relational Frame Theory. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Basic |
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| Analyzing Autism Interventions: Critiques of Popular Autism Interventions and Combinations that Work |
| Friday, May 23, 2008 |
| 6:00 PM–9:00 PM |
| 4F |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Research |
| CE Instructor: Steven J. Ward, M.S. |
| STEVEN J. WARD (Whole Child Consulting), TERESA A. GRIMES (Whole Child Consulting), CINDY COOPER (Private Practice) |
| Description: Whole Child Consulting, LLC is a private company with clients across the United States. The presenters have experience with adults and children with autism. The presenters will describe both critical and variable attributes of various instructional paradigms, including NET, DTT, VB, PT, Association Method, and RDI. Components of each paradigm are matched with appropriate learner profiles. Components of various programs will be compared for compatibility or incompatibility. Practical recommendations will be provided for deciding when to favor one component over another. |
| Learning Objectives: By the end of the workshop, each participant will be able to: 1. Clearly define at least 3 components of 6 different instructional paradigms. 2. Assess learner repertoires in a manner that facilitates selection of appropriate paradigm components. 3. Employ at least 3 different data collection methods. 4. Make programmatic recommendations matching learner strengths and weaknesses with appropriate paradigm components. 5. Provide a conceptually systematic rationale for assigning program components. |
| Activities: Flash card activities to associate intervention names with the critical variables of each program. Participants will have opportunities to practie a variety of data collection methods throughout the workshop. Helpful websites will be provided. Guidelines will be provided for developing programming based upon individual needs. (case studies) |
| Audience: Professionals and parents with advanced experience in the instruction of individuals with autism, who want clear, unbiased information regarding the treatment benefits and pitfalls of various autism interventions. The presenters have direct experience in the area of Precision Teaching, DTT, Verbal Behavior, Greenspan, Association Method, RDI and various NET applications. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Advanced |
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| Assessment and Treatment of Feeding Problems in Children with Autism. |
| Friday, May 23, 2008 |
| 6:00 PM–9:00 PM |
| PDR 1 |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Research |
| CE Instructor: John D. Molteni, Ph.D. |
| JOHN D. MOLTENI (The Center for Children with Special Needs), KRISTEN POWERS (The Center for Children with Special Needs), MARK J. PALMIERI (The Center for Children with Special Needs) |
| Description: Parents and caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorders often report feeding difficulties (Ahearn, Castine, Nault, & Green, 2001). DeMeyer (1979) notes the prevalence of feeding difficulties as reported by the parents of children with autism spectrum disorders at 94% as compared with 59% for typically developing preschoolers. Ahearn et al. (2001) reported aberrant feeding behaviors, including restrictive food selectivity, liquid refusal and unusual mealtime behaviors. There have been careful analyses of mealtime behavior to examine the function that these behaviors may serve the child in avoidance of mealtime opportunities (Munk & Repp, 1994; Piazza et al., 2003). The impact of oral-motor skill deficits on adequate nutrition is also a concern for children who present with feeding difficulties (Collins et al., 2003), although this is not as well described in the available literature. Given the combination of behavioral and oral-motor challenges faced by children with autism, families and caregivers face special difficulties in their attempts to provide typical experiences around mealtimes. A model for a community based treatment to address behavioral and oral-motor components of feeding with components of direct intervention and parent training will be discussed with activities to include attendees engaging in didactic and hands-on activities related to feeding interventions. |
| Learning Objectives: Participants will be able to identify: 1. Behavioral and oral motor components of feeding 2. Challenges involved in feeding with children with autism 3. Assessment procedures for identifying behavioral and oral motor aspects of feeding 4. Intervention procedures for addressing feeding problems 5. Social validity assessment procedures for community based interventions. Participants will demonstrate: 1. Ability to execute behavioral assessments of feeding (e.g., functional assessment, preference assessment) 2. Appropriate food selection and/or utensil selection to address feeding problems 3. Data collection procedures for monitoring progress of feeding interventions |
| Activities: Lecture Video examples Vignettes Data collection Case discussion Modeling |
| Audience: Behavior Analysts Psychologists Occupational Therapists Speech Pathologists Other community based practitioners |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
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| Getting Children with Autism and their Teachers Started in Fluency Based Instruction. |
| Friday, May 23, 2008 |
| 6:00 PM–9:00 PM |
| Williford C |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Research |
| CE Instructor: Kelly J. Ferris, M.Ed. |
| KELLY J. FERRIS (Organization for Research and Learning), HOLLY ALMON (Fabrizio/Moors Consulting), KATHLEEN S. LAINO (Organization for Research and Learning), KRISTA ZAMBOLIN (Fabrizio/Moors Consulting) |
| Description: Fluency based instruction is becoming more widely used as a teaching arrangement for delivering behavior analytic services to students with autism. Teachers new to Fluency based instruction or teachers new to children with autism face a gambit of questions related to the logistics of getting instruction started. The questions frequently asked are, how do you get them responding? How do you get them staying at the table through the timing? how do you get their rate of responding to increase? This workshop will present procedures for getting programs started for new learners as well as for experienced learners new to Fluency based instruction teaching arrangements. The presentation will include charted examples of student and teacher performance data, as well as video of our staff working to shape both teacher and student repertoires necessary in Fluency based instruction. |
| Learning Objectives: The objectives are for participants to leave with 1) knowledge of measurement techniques for shaping early learning, 2) teaching procedures helpful for getting students ready for timed practice, 3) staff training procedures to get teachers ready to implement fluency based instruction, and 4) simple data based decision making rules related to potential challenges. |
| Activities: Practice generating relevant rapport building pinpoints, practice designing measurement tools for evaluating teacher and student readiness |
| Audience: Parents and professionals interested in beginning fluency based instruction programs for students with autism and related disabilities |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Basic |
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| Helping Parents of Children with Autism or Developmental Delays: An Acceptance and Commitment Training Approach. |
| Friday, May 23, 2008 |
| 6:00 PM–9:00 PM |
| Astoria |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Research |
| CE Instructor: Daniel J. Moran, Ph.D. |
| DANIEL J. MORAN (Trinity Services), JOHN TANNER BLACKLEDGE (University of Wollongong), PATRICIA BACH (Illinois Institute of Technology) |
| Description: The parents of developmentally disabled children experience high levels of chronic stress (DeMyer, 1979; Holroyd, Brown, Wikler, & Simmon, 1975), and have high rates of depressive and anxiety disorders (Breslau & Davis, 1986). While most researchers understand that such concerns are largely secondary or reactive to the stress and special non-normative adaptations these children require (Konstantareas, 1990, p. 60), the fact remains that high levels of distress in these contexts both decrease quality of life and impose significant barriers to the parents successful & consistent implementation of behavioral treatment programs. It thus appears prudent for ABA consultants to also be prepared to help the parents of the referred client. This workshop will help ABA consultants be aware of signs of significant parental psychological distress, and help them make appropriate referrals. In addition, this workshop will also discuss an Acceptance and Commitment Training approach to helping these parents with their distress and challenges. Results, for example, from Using Acceptance and Commitment Training in the Support of Parents of Children Diagnosed with Autism (Blackledge & Hayes, in press) showed that general distress (as measured by the Brief Symptom Inventorys G) and depression levels (BDI-II) decreased significantly after group ACT training, and that these changes were maintained 3 months after the treatment was delivered, and that these changes were mediated by ACTs core processes. The workshop will focus on the ACT consistent assessment and the pertinent ACTraining exercises and interventions that can be helpful to distressed parents. The workshop will cover values assessment, barriers to values-based behavior and relevant mindfulness exercises. A significant portion of the workshop will focus on applying ACT interventions. |
| Learning Objectives: 1) Attendees will become more aware of how parental distress interferes with the successful implementation of behavioral programs. 2) Attendees will learn to recognize and functionally analyze problematic behavior on the part of the caregiver. 3) Attendees will be introduced to the ACT approach to addressing problematic experiential avoidance exhibited by distressed caregivers. 4) Attendees will understand the reasons for and usefulness of values assessment in helping parents improve their functioning when helping their children, and also to improve their own quality of life. 5) Attendees will be introduced to acceptance and defusion exercises (e.g., mindfulness exercises) applicable to the distress they and parents of their child clients experience in the process of working with developmentally disabled children and adults. |
| Activities: A significant portion of this workshop will focus on the application of ACT exercises and interventions. We will discuss the major areas in the ACT model for behavioral flexibility and how it relates to being a parent with a child with disabilities. The participants can choose to engage in exercises in developing their own value system, and then learn what barriers impede value-guided behaviors. The workshop will also be guided by a slide show. |
| Audience: This workshop is for behavior analysts who work with children with developmental disabilities or autism-spectrum disorders. This will also be worthwhile for parents of children with disabilities. The presenters plan a comfortable pace to introducing ACTraining and this workshop will be useful to anyone interested in the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy approach. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Basic |
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| Interventions for Adolescents with Aspergers Syndrome. |
| Friday, May 23, 2008 |
| 6:00 PM–9:00 PM |
| Stevens 4 |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Research |
| CE Instructor: Robert K. Ross, M.S. |
| ROBERT K. ROSS (BEACON Services) |
| Description: Adolescents with a diagnosis of Aspergers Syndrome present a wide array of unique challenges to teachers and parents. This workshop is designed to provide participants with a clearer understanding of the markedly different learning profile of learners with Aspergers Syndrome. Additionally the participants will be taught how to identify effective instructional procedures as well as commonly used but often highly ineffective practices. We will then focus on how to modify instructional practices to enable acquisition and importantly, the reliable demonstration of a broad range of skills including social skills, conceptual knowledge and adaptive behavior. Frequently encountered issues such as near constant arguing, limited flexibility, the seeming need to be right all of the time, challenges related to honesty and limited empathy for others will be directly addressed from both an intervention and etiology perspective. |
| Learning Objectives: Learning Objectives: 1. Participants will be able to state at least three differences in the learning profile of persons with Aspergers Syndrome from that of "typical" learners. 2. Participants will be able to discriminate the difference between verbal knowledge and physical performance of skills in persons with Aspergers Syndrome 3. Participants will be able to describe at least two effective and ineffective instructional practices in instruction of person with Aspergers Syndrome 4. Participants will be able to develop instructional programs to teach social skills or social behavior to a person with Aspergers syndrome. |
| Activities: Aspergers Syndrome Workshop Proposed Schedule .5 Overview of Aspergers Syndrome History Core symptoms Differential Diagnosis .75 Understanding the Learning Profile: Visual learning strengths Response to language instruction Instructional support "Critical Keys" What we would like to Help- versus what actually helps Perspective taking issues (including Theory of Mind) Concrete and abstract thinking and learning Knowing versus doing (how to demonstrate comprehension Desire to always be "right" and its implications for those who support them .25 Break .75 Misconceptions regarding reasons for some of the learning and behavioral challenges Kids with AS can't learn social skills They have and inability to process and understand complex social rules They do not have the ability to emphasize with the "feelings" of others No we just teach them this skill very badly and in ways that do not result in learning the skills The effects of verbal correction .75 Specific teaching methods and supportive strategies for addressing: Improving Social Interactional skills With peers With adults Isolative or stigmatizing behavior: Why it happens and what you can do about it Oppositional behavior: or why I like to argue Rigidity: Building flexibility and interest in change Control Issues: Why I need to learn to let others be "in charge" and specific strategies to accomplish this. |
| Audience: Clinicians, teachers, working with children with AS and parents of children with AS |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
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| Using Neurotypical Children to Determine Appropriate Social Skill Objectives for Children with Autism. |
| Friday, May 23, 2008 |
| 6:00 PM–9:00 PM |
| Continental B |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Research |
| CE Instructor: Kelly McKinnon, M.A. |
| KELLY MCKINNON (Kelly McKinnon & Associates) |
| Description: Social Skills, a term commonly used among practitioners treating children with autism, denotes different meanings for different people. Without specific breakdown and understanding of what social skills look like for neurotypical children of various ages, social skill objectives and programming written for children with an autism spectrum disorder are often unrealistic, not data-based, and not in line with what a neurotypically developing peer might display. This workshop will present video clips and data collections of neurotypically developing children across various ages and social skill areas following the Module System of Social Skills development, addressing specific social skills of joint attention and social referencing, social play skills, social behavior skills and social language skills. Participants of this workshop will observe video clips and receive social skill data of neurotypically developing students obtained from this study and learn how to breakdown social skills into measurable goals with appropriate social aims to teach children on the autism spectrum. |
| Learning Objectives: Participants of this workshop will learn: �How to consider developmentally appropriate social skills for children with autism that match diagnostic criteria �How to break social skills into measurable objectives �Observe typically developing children�s social skill behavior �How to determine appropriate social skill aims and objectives based on the skills of neurotypically developing children �Learn to teach social skills using ABA techniques |
| Activities: *Lecture *Video observation *Breakout sessions |
| Audience: Practitioners of children working with school-aged children diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
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| Behavioral Counseling: Assessment and Intervention Techniques. |
| Friday, May 23, 2008 |
| 6:00 PM–9:00 PM |
| 4C |
| Area: CBM; Domain: Applied Research |
| CE Instructor: Joseph D. Cautilli, Ph.D. |
| JOSEPH D. CAUTILLI (Children Crisis Treatment Center/St. Joseph's University), MICHAEL WEINBERG (Orlando Behavior Health Services, LLC) |
| Description: This workshop will provide participants an opportunity to learn essential clinical skills necessary for individual behavior counseling assessment and intervention treatment approaches. Basics will be reviewed including identifying client behavior, teaching clients to collect data, goal-setting, functional assessment interviews, use of FA data to determine effective treatment, contingency management, self-management, covert sensitization, systematic desensitization and others. Participants will engage in small group activities to practice use of behavioral counseling methods for use in individual therapy sessions using behavioral methods and approaches. |
| Learning Objectives: 1) State the difference between "behavioral counseling" and other behavioral approaches 2) What types of behavioral problems are best suited to behavioral counseling approaches 3) Identify at least three behavioral counseling intervention methods 4) Define "behavioral counseling microskills." 5) State how is functional assessment integrated into microskills 6) Describe how to use functional assessment in therapy sessions 7) Explain how clients are taught and encouraged to take and report data on behaviors 8) Describe effective implementation of techniques such as self-management, systematic desensitization, and other behavior management approaches in behavior counseling sessions |
| Activities: Group break-out activities to practice the various techniques (as time permits) 1) Identifying behaviors 2) Goal-setting in sessions 3) shaping client to shift from "feelings" to behavior 4) encouraging data collection and use of self-report and data monitoring 5) use of "microskills" 6) interviews for functional assessment 7) incorporating FA results into intervention 8) Altering consequences of client behavior 9) Use of reinforcement; being solution-focused 10) self-management techniques 11) systematic desensitization vs. flooding 12) Covert sensitization |
| Audience: behavioral practitioners, behavior therapists, outpatient counselors, applied behavior analysts |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
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| Behavioral Diagnostics In Mental Illness. |
| Friday, May 23, 2008 |
| 6:00 PM–9:00 PM |
| Stevens 1 |
| Area: CBM; Domain: Applied Research |
| CE Instructor: Keven M. Schock, M.A. |
| KEVEN M. SCHOCK (Rplus), HOLLY AYN WHITE (University of the Pacific) |
| Description: This workshop will provide an overview of a function based diagnostic system for target behaviors and replacement behaviors. This workshop will teach participants a pragmatic system both for new behavior analysts, in developing effective interventions and for experienced behavior analysts in dealing with difficult cases. The primary focus of this workshop will be on applying this system to people with problems of mental illness. |
| Learning Objectives: 1. Participants will identify the four major function based diagnostic categories of problem behavior 2.Participants will discriminate the function based diagnostic category of problem behaviors presented in case examples. 3. Participants will identify specific function based diagnostic sub-categories of problem behavior and identify at least two options for behavioral interventions based on that diagnostic category. 4. Participants will identify the three diagnostic categories for assessing the strength and breadth of the current replacement behavior in the repertoire of the client |
| Activities: 1. Introduction, course overview, handouts 2. Presentation of the Utility of this diagnostic system, 3. Presentation of Socially mediated access category, subcategories 4. Presentation of Direct access category, sub-categories 5. Presentation of Direct & Socially mediated escape categories, sub-categories 6. Presentation of Replacement behavior options for major diagnostic categories 7. Presentation of a Diagnostic system for Replacement behavior 8. Modeling of the application of the diagnostic system 9. Participant application of the diagnostic system to case examples 10. Application to case examples from the participants |
| Audience: Behavior analysts of any experience level who are working with people diagnosed with symptoms of mental illness. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Basic |
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| Efficient Use of Microsoft Excel for Behavior Analysis and Practitioners to Graphically Communicate Outcomes. |
| Friday, May 23, 2008 |
| 6:00 PM–9:00 PM |
| 4D |
| Area: CBM; Domain: Applied Research |
| CE Instructor: Bryan J. Davey, Ph.D. |
| BRYAN J. DAVEY (ACCEL), DONALD M. STENHOFF (University of Kentucky), ELEAZAR VASQUEZ, III (Utah State University) |
| Description: Visual display of data is imperative when communicating functional relationships and intervention outcomes with consumers and fellow practitioners. BCBAs are expected to have knowledge in using graphs to convey results. However, simply possessing knowledge of visual displays may not transfer to effective or efficient software use. Excel is an efficient way for behavior analysts to create graphs. Excel graphs convey effect across multiple-baseline, alternating treatment, and reversal designs. In addition, standard celeration charts and cumulative review graphs are often used to display client progress. These graph types are often used to display interview results (e.g., FAST, MAS), preference assessment, structural and functional analyses, treatment (i.e., DRA, DRNO, FCT, etc) and discrete trial program outcomes. While Microsoft Excel 2003 and 2007 can be difficult to use, this workshop will provide participants with hands on training promoting effective use. Workshop mini-lessons include creating spreadsheets and data sets, graph construction, manipulation of graph components (e.g., axes, phase change lines). Instructors will provide several models, followed by opportunities for participants to practice with feedback. Additionally, workshop instructors will provide an Excel CD tutorial that will assist participants in future Excel projects. Participants are required to bring a laptop with the Excel application. |
| Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this workshop participants will be able to 1. Setup specific spreadsheets, input and manipulate data within an Excel 2003 and 2007 spreadsheet 2. Create graphs for alternating treatment, reversal, multiple-baseline designs, standard celeration, and cumulative records 3. Use the chart wizard, construct graphs of all data or select data sets within a spreadsheet, and update databases and graphs as data collection continues 4. Manipulate graph components (e.g., axes, data points, data paths, secondary axis), and use drawing tools to insert additional components (e.g., arrows, data labels, phase change lines, boxes) |
| Activities: Participants will be provided concise instruction and several models, followed by two case examples completed with instructor support to ensure skill acquisition. Finally, participants will complete case example that provides opportunities for participants to solve challenges inherent in the Excel 2003 and 2007 applications. The case examples will consolidate and increase fluency of the skills taught during the instructional phase of the workshop. |
| Audience: Behavior analysts, practitioners, students, researchers, educational service providers, and others interested in visual display of data in single-subject research and program progress. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Basic |
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| Helping Timmy Tact Toys: A Systematic Approach to Teaching Concepts for Applied Behavior Analysts. |
| Friday, May 23, 2008 |
| 6:00 PM–9:00 PM |
| International North |
| Area: CBM; Domain: Applied Research |
| CE Instructor: Eric J. Fox, Ph.D. |
| ERIC J. FOX (Western Michigan University), JEANA L. KOERBER (Western Michigan University), SARAH VANSTELLE (Western Michigan University), SCOTT LATOUR (Western Michigan University) |
| Description: Knowing how to correctly name, tact, and categorize the objects, people, and events in the world is a vital component of a functional verbal repertoire. In fact, most behavior analysts working with individuals with language delays devote a considerable amount of time to establishing or expanding this repertoire with their clients. When we teach individuals how to name objects or events in their environment, however, we are rarely teaching them to name one specific object or event. Rather, we are teaching them a name for a class of objects or events a category. The response toy, for example, will be reinforced by the verbal community in the presence of a wide array of objects. Toy is a tact, label, or name for a category of objects that share certain features. Such categories have historically been referred to as concepts. Behavior analysts generally consider a concept to be a class of stimuli that occasion common responses in a given context. Concept learning, then, involves generalization within classes and discrimination between classes (Keller & Shoenfeld, 1950, p. 155). When developing behavior plans to teach tacts or concepts, many applied behavior analysts do not follow a systematic approach to selecting the type, range, or number of stimuli to be used in training and testing. When teaching toy, for example, a behavior analyst may simply select an arbitrary number and range of toys based on what is available in the current setting. This lack of a systematic approach to selecting and presenting stimuli can lead to treatment programs that are less efficient and effective than they could be, and may result in less generalization than is desired. The behavioral view of concept learning has led to a robust and powerful technology for teaching concepts. This technology is based on research on stimulus generalization and discrimination, and stresses exposing learners to a carefully selected and sequenced series of examples and non-examples to prevent classification errors such as overgeneralization, undergeneralization, and misconceptions. Many of these techniques were formalized in the development of programmed instruction and direct instruction, and are significantly influenced by the work of behavioral educators such as Susan Markle and Siegfried Engelmann. This workshop will teach these instructional methods, with an emphasis on their use in early intervention programs. Workshop participants will learn how to conduct formal concept analyses, and how to use these analyses to guide the selection of stimuli to be used in training and testing. By following these procedures, participants will learn to develop concept training that promotes optimal generalization and discrimination. |
| Learning Objectives: 1) Conduct a formal concept analysis (identify the critical and variable attributes) for any given concept 2) Use a concept analysis to assemble a �minimum rational set� of examples and non-examples to be used in training and testing 3) Provide a rationale (based on the concept analysis) for the inclusion of each example and non-example to be used in concept training and testing 4) Identify and correct the weaknesses in sample concept analyses and training/testing stimulus sets |
| Activities: With the guidance and assistance of workshop presenters, participants will use worksheets to construct formal concept analyses for concepts relevant to their applied work and generate minimum rational sets of examples and non-examples to be used in training and testing. Participants will also review given concept analyses and stimulus sets for weaknesses, identify the types of errors the weaknesses may lead to (e.g., undergeneralization, overgeneralization, misconception), and then correct the analyses and stimulus sets. |
| Audience: Any applied behavior analyst who develops training or treatment programs to establish naming, tacting, or categorization repertoires. Individuals interested in instructional design in general will also find the workshop of interest. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
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| Supervision: Theories and Practices for Behavior Analysts. |
| Friday, May 23, 2008 |
| 6:00 PM–9:00 PM |
| Boulevard C |
| Area: CBM; Domain: Applied Research |
| CE Instructor: Rita Honan, Ph.D. |
| RITA HONAN (Trinity College Dublin) |
| Description: Few behaviour analysts have received formal instruction in how to conduct effective supervision of associate behavior analysts, students and behavioral staff. This session will present various theories of supervision from the published literature and how they can contribute to best practice procedures by BCBAs providing supervision. Participants will analyse their own practices and articulate their (emerging) personal theory of supervision, specifying key characteristics of supervisory practices in applied behavior analysis. Each attendee will complete a draft supervisor-supervisee contract. Relevant data and forms will be distributed to participants in both paper and word.doc format for their adaptation and use in their work. |
| Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the workshop the participant will be able to: Name 3 theories of supervision and their core components. State their own (emerging) personal theory of supervision. Specify key characteristics of supervisory practices in applied behavior analysis. Complete a supervisor-supervisee contract. |
| Activities: Following didactic presentation of the foremost theories of supervision in clinical practice, attendees will re-assess their own supervisory practices as applied behavior analysts, generate a personal theory of supervision to guide their work in light of behavioral theories and practices, and finally translate this into a clear, written supervision contract to be entered between them and each of their supervisees. Issues relating to supervision within organisations will also be addressed. |
| Audience: Recommended for BCBAs and BACB Approved faculty members. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Advanced |
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| Applying Behavior Analysis to Improve Health, Fitness, Diet, Healthy Lifestyles and to Optimize Athletic Performance |
| Friday, May 23, 2008 |
| 6:00 PM–9:00 PM |
| Boulevard B |
| Area: CSE; Domain: Applied Research |
| CE Instructor: Stephen Ray Flora, Ph.D. |
| STEPHEN RAY FLORA (Youngstown State University) |
| Description: As obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, and other health problems are at epidemic proportions for many populations, including populations served by Behavior Analysts, it is vital that Behavior Analysts learn to apply behavior analysis to ameliorate these problems and to promote healthy lifestyles as effectively as possible. Medical, behavioral, and psychological benefits of exercise, athletic participation, physical fitness and healthy living are covered. The workshop will teach participants to use applied behavior analysis principles to objectively access, and optimally improve their own, or their clients physical fitness, health related lifestyles, and, if desired, athletic performances. Emphasis will be placed on Behavior Analytic gradual change techniques; optimal goal setting parameters; objective, data based analysis and decision making; and on how the use of Behavioral Analytic Experimental Designs, such as Multiple Baselines Across Situations and Bounded Changing Criterion Designs, may not only be used to measure change, but actually facilitate effective behavioral change. Finally, participants will learn how improved health and physical fitness allow individuals to live a valued life and aid in the pursuit of chosen life directions. |
| Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the workshop, participants will be able to: � State many of the behavioral, psychological, and medical benefits of physical fitness, athletic participation, and living a healthy lifestyle. � Perform functional assessment of current health and fitness related behaviors. � Perform task analyses of healthy eating behaviors; safe, effective exercise; and skilled athletic performances. � Identify personalized reinforcers, motivations, incentives, and values for healthy lifestyles, physical fitness and athleticism. � Understand the importance of, and how to effectively use goal setting, task analysis, pinpointing; how to identify skill gaps; how to set realistically achievable goals; and how to effectively use publicly posted goals to achieve fitness and optimal athletic performance. � Use the concepts of optimal physiological arousal, periodization, and super compensation in designing a personalized training program. � Use data collection, charting, and graphing to optimize fitness and improve eating related behaviors. � Use Behavior Analytic Experimental Designs to not only measure and access behavioral change but to facilitate health, fitness and athletic behavioral changes. |
| Activities: Participants will be guided though presented information with PowerPoint slides, worksheets and lecture handouts that will provide participants with the information necessary to develop effective programs for improving health, physical fitness, diet behaviors, healthy lifestyles; develop effective programs to optimize athletic performance; and to use Behavior Analytic Experimental Designs to access and facilitate desired behavioral change. |
| Audience: The target audience is BCBAs, BCABAs and others interested learning how to use behavior analytic procedures to promote healthy lifestyles, fittness, or to optimize athletic performance. Professionals with a strong interest in behavioral medicine, or health and fitness training will also benefit. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
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| Behavioral Relaxation: Training and Scale. |
| Friday, May 23, 2008 |
| 6:00 PM–9:00 PM |
| 4E |
| Area: CSE; Domain: Applied Research |
| CE Instructor: Victoria Stout Kubal, M.S. |
| VICTORIA STOUT KUBAL (UCSF - Fresno Dept. of Family & Community Medicine), VANESSA STOUT HUAMAN (Fitness Supervisor, ACSM Certified, Loyola Center for Health and Fitness at Loyola Medical Hospital) |
| Description: Relaxation techniques are an integral part of the successful treatment of those exhibiting anxiety-related, pain-related, and/or anger-related behaviors. The sooner a client learns relaxation and other types of self-control techniques, the safer his/her internal and external environments may become. In addition, due to limitations in funding, providers must often demonstrate that extensive treatment progress has been made within a relatively short period of time. Poppens (1998) Behavioral Relaxation Scale (BRS) is an assessment tool for measuring the progress of an individual demonstrating the 10 overt relaxed behaviors taught to criterion with Behavioral Relaxation Training (BRT). BRT can be an effective part of treatment for individuals with emotional/mental disorders, hyperactivity, schizophrenia, traumatic brain injury, physical limitations, and/or restricted cognitive/intellectual capabilities. This workshop will provide an opportunity to experience Poppens (1998) Upright Behavioral Relaxation Training (URT) by means of labeling, modeling, imitation, practice, and corrective feedback. Once workshop participants are proficient in demonstrating URT and can verbally describe these 10 relaxed behaviors and corresponding examples of unrelaxed behaviors, they will be taught how to assess URT using the BRS. |
| Learning Objectives: �Position his/her own body in alignment with the 10 overt relaxed behaviors from Upright Behavioral Relaxation Training (URT). �Write a description of each of the 10 overt relaxed behaviors from URT in his/her own words and provide corresponding examples of unrelaxed behaviors. �Give another individual appropriate feedback so that the other individual can correct himself/herself according to the 10 URT postures. �Observe, record, and assess another individual�s performance of the 10 relaxed behaviors from URT by accurately using the Behavioral Relaxation Scale (BRS). |
| Activities: Verbal Behavior: Listen to a presentation regarding the physiological effects of relaxation, the history of using relaxation training to treat psychological and physical disorders, and Poppen�s development of Behavioral Relaxation Training and the Behavioral Relaxation Scale. Labeling and Modeling: View a live demonstration of the 10 postures included in Upright Behavioral Relaxation Training (URT). Each relaxed posture will be labeled, described topographically, and demonstrated physically. Modeling and Imitation: Learn how to breathe diaphragmatically, then imitate the other 9 relaxed behaviors of URT while viewing an instructor as model. After each participant has proficiently demonstrated each posture separately, he/she will practice relaxing all 10 areas at the same time. Feedback: Practice silently while the instructors are giving each participant individual corrective feedback. Later, workshop participants will form pairs and alternate practicing URT and giving each other corrective feedback. Criterion Tests: Take URT Written Criterion Test; score one another�s criterion test. Take BRS Written Criterion Test; score one another�s criterion test. Assessment: Behavioral Relaxation Scale (BRS) scoring methodology will be explained and demonstrated. All observers, including the instructor, will simultaneously score the BRS for the model. |
| Audience: The target audience for this workshop is comprised of BCBAs and BCABAs who work with the following populations: clients with anxiety disorders, pain-related difficulties, or anger management problems; individuals with traumatic brain injury or developmental disabilities; persons exhibiting hyperactive or repetitive behaviors; clients exhibiting schizophrenic behaviors; and persons who experience an extreme amount of stress. Professionals with a strong interest in Behavioral Medicine, Clinical Behavior Analysis, Family and Child Therapy, and/or Health and Fitness Training will also benefit from attending this workshop. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Basic |
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| Developing Effective Class-wide Positive Behavior Support Interventions in Public Schools. |
| Friday, May 23, 2008 |
| 6:00 PM–9:00 PM |
| 4A |
| Area: CSE; Domain: Applied Research |
| CE Instructor: Robert F. Putnam, Ph.D. |
| ROBERT F. PUTNAM (The May Institute) |
| Description: This workshop will provide behavior analysts with an evidence-based approach to designing effective classroom interventions. It includes the use of functional assessment as a method to systematically evaluate the classroom environment in order to design, implement and evaluate effective classroom-wide behavioral support practices. Once the environment is assessed, the model incorporates both indirect (i.e., lecture, written training materials) and direct (i.e., modeling, performance feedback) instruction. Finally, participants will learn how teachers participate in a data-based decision making process in order to establish more effective practices, procedures, and interactions with students. Data will be presented supporting the need for a comprehensive training method that includes both indirect and direct instruction in for teachers to adequately implement classroom-wide behavior support practices. |
| Learning Objectives: Learning Objective 1: Participants will learn how to apply functional assessment strategies to the selection and implementation of effective classroom-wide practices. Learning Objective 2: Participants will learn evidence-based methods used to train teachers in classroom-wide behavior support practices. Learning Objective 3: Participants will learn a data-based decision process used with teachers to modify classroom behavior support practices. |
| Activities: Participants will have an opportunity to analyze sample data, draw conclusions about relevant classroom-wide interventions, and role play the direct instruction (e.g., performance feedback) provided to teachers. |
| Audience: Behavior analysts who provide training and consultation to school teachers or paraprofessionals. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
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| Inner Behavior: Changing Thoughts, Feelings & Urges. |
| Friday, May 23, 2008 |
| 6:00 PM–9:00 PM |
| Joliet |
| Area: CSE; Domain: Applied Research |
| CE Instructor: Abigail B. Calkin, Ph.D. |
| ABIGAIL B. CALKIN (Calkin Consulting Center), EMMA F. DOUGLAS-COBANE (TreeHouse School) |
| Description: This workshop looks at thoughts, feelings, and urges as inner behaviors that a person can observe, count, and change. It reviews the history of private events and inner behavior, and includes some charts of people who have counted inner behaviors in the past 40 years. The workshop also teaches how to use the Standard Celeration Chart to record the frequencies and changes of any inner behavior. |
| Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the workshop, the participants will be able to: . State the research background and their familiarity with research on observing and changing inner behavior. . Define thoughts, feelings, and urges and name specific examples of each. . Practice writing positive thoughts, feelings, and/or urges at 30-35 per minute and saying them at 50-75 per minute. . Count and record some specific inner behaviors for the duration of the workshop. . Discuss and develop a plan to change inner behaviors of self or clients. |
| Activities: The primary focus is to identify, list, count, record, and change inner behavior and to practice these skills. There is a minimal amount of lecture on the literature and successes of this technique. |
| Audience: Psychologists, clinical behavior analysts, parents and teachers of regular or special education children, including those with behavior disorders. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
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| More Case Studies in Ethics for Behavior Analysts. |
| Friday, May 23, 2008 |
| 6:00 PM–9:00 PM |
| PDR 2 |
| Area: CSE; Domain: Applied Research |
| CE Instructor: R. M. (Duke) Schell, Ph.D. |
| R. M. (DUKE) SCHELL (J. Iverson Riddle Developmental Center) |
| Description: Behavior analysts may believe that they are distanced from ethical issues because behavior analysis is a science-based approach. This workshop will use didactic instruction and small group interactions to review case studies of ethical dilemmas and their possible resolution in order to reinforce the everyday ethical behaviors of professionals that enhance habilitation and life quality of those served. |
| Learning Objectives: 1. The participants will be able to describe concepts of ethics as viewed by behavior analysts working in mental retardation and related disabilities. 2. They will be able to determine everyday situations in the case studies and behaviors of clinicians that can be viewed as ethical or unethical and also those behaviors that are less readily placed at either end of the continuum. 3. They will be able to review and analyze their behavior and the culture of their clinical settings to recognize where ethical issues may arise. 4. They will be able to use colleagues, written ethics materials, and other sources to resolve ethical issues. |
| Activities: Parts of the workshop will involve the presentation of information about ethics issues in behavior analysis. Most of the workshop will involve the review of actual or composite ethical dilemmas faced by behavior analysts in daily practice. Participants will be asked to work individually and in small groups to discuss actions that can be taken to resolve ethical issues. |
| Audience: Professional and para-professional clinicians, graduate students in psychology/behavior analysis/special education and others interested in discussing ethics issues in applied settings. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
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| Schedule-Induced Behaviors: Origins of Problem Behaviors & Procedures to Minimize their Influence. |
| Friday, May 23, 2008 |
| 6:00 PM–9:00 PM |
| Marquette |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Applied Research |
| CE Instructor: Jeff Kupfer, Ph.D. |
| JEFF KUPFER (Jeff Kupfer, PA) |
| Description: Adjunctive or schedule-induced behaviors (sometimes maladaptive and always excessive) are behaviors that are maintained at a high probability by stimuli that derive their reinforcing properties as a function of parameters governing the availability of some other class of reinforcement. In non-human subjects, some schedules of reinforcement have been shown to generate strange behaviors such as: polydipsia, attack against members of its own species, self-induced escape, pica, and hyperactivity; In human subjects, these same schedules can exaggerate behaviors such as fluid intake, aggression, pacing, grooming, eating, stereotyped behavior, smoking and, quite possibly-- wretched excess. This presentation is an introduction to schedule-induced behaviors. A video-tape will be shown demonstrating various types of schedule-induced behaviors in a rat, pigeon and squirrel monkey. Both human and non-human studies describing functional relationships with reinforcement schedules and generator schedules (i.e., schedules that promote schedule-induced behaviors) will be reviewed, as well as functional assessment and measurement strategies. Alternative reinforcement strategies in applied settings will be reviewed and case studies will be presented comparing fixed- vs. variable-DRO schedules. |
| Learning Objectives: Upon completion of the course, participants will be able to: (1) Identify 4 defining features of schedule-induced behavior (2) Assess and measure schedule-induced behavior (3) Describe 3 possible pitfalls in using some schedules of reinforcement (4) Describe 3 alternatives to minimize the influence of schedule-induced behaviors |
| Activities: Literature review of the history of schedule-induced behavior research, influential variables, and theoretical considerations for their adaptive significance in the evolution of behavior. Applied research will be reviewed. An Adjunctive Behavior Survey will be provided to participants to be used along with other functional assessment tools. |
| Audience: This is an intermediate workshop for behavior analysts and practitioners interested in expanding functional analysis into new areas, and examining environmental determinants that might account for excessive problem behavior that cannot be adequately isolated using traditional functional analysis procedures. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
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| Creating and Evaluating Educational Opportunities in Applied Animal Behavior. |
| Friday, May 23, 2008 |
| 6:00 PM–9:00 PM |
| Williford A |
| Area: EDC; Domain: Applied Research |
| CE Instructor: Jennifer L. Sobie, None |
| JENNIFER L. SOBIE (ASPCA), ELIZABETH ANNE MCBRIDE (University of Southampton) |
| Description: The purpose of this workshop is twofold: first, to present participants with information and tools necessary for critical evaluation of existing educational opportunities in applied animal behavior according to their relevance to obtaining employment in the various professional sectors; second, to provide participants with a guide to the proficiencies necessary for designing personalized applied animal behavior programs of study under the umbrellas of existing university programs. The first half of the workshop will offer participants an overview of the following areas: Employment opportunities: Participants will be presented with information about the different employment sectors in Applied Animal Behavior and the current job market relevant to each sector. Discussion and materials will highlight educational, skill level, and internship requirements, and will provide practical job descriptions for the different sectors. Certification: Participants will review the certifying bodies in Applied Animal Behavior. They will discuss practical benefits of attaining certification depending on their goals for employment, and they will be given tools for effective evaluation of the advantages and disadvantages of obtaining certification. Nonaccredited training in Applied Animal Behavior: With the goal of development of critical thinking skills related to evaluation of the multitude of nonaccredited or self-accredited programs in Applied Animal Behavior, participants will be provided with tools for assessment of both the content and practical merit of the various programs. Accredited Programs in Applied Animal Behavior: Participants will be provided materials and information describing the existing accredited programs in Applied Animal Behavior and related disciplines. The second half of the workshop will focus on development of skills relevant to pursuing an education in Applied Animal Behavior. Participants will be provided training in the following areas: Choosing an Applied Animal Behavior Advisor: In recognition of the fact that established educational opportunities in Applied Animal Behavior are few, participants will be provided materials that will assist them in evaluation of an advisors capacity to mentor a project in Applied Animal Behavior. Included will be information packets designed for presentation to potential advisors describing areas of study and likely avenues of involvement when advising a student in Applied Animal Behavior. Packets will include the names of qualified individuals willing to participate as extra-departmental mentors. Designing a Thesis in Applied Animal Behavior: Participants will be provided basic information relevant to design of an Applied Animal Behavior thesis or research project. Included will be material relevant to obtaining funding. |
| Learning Objectives: 1. Participants will be familiar with the existing options in pursuit of an education in Applied Animal Behavior, and will be able to differentiate certifying bodies in terms of their personal employment goals. 2. Participants will understand and be able to articulate the necessary components of a program of study in applied animal behavior. 3. Participants will be able to evaluate existing programs with a knowledgeable eye toward choice as a program of study, assessing the program�s ability to support a personalized Applied Animal Behavior study agenda and research objective. |
| Activities: � Employment opportunities: Participants will discuss their individual interests and personal fit in the different employment sectors of Applied Animal Behavior. Discussion will include relevance and/or necessity of certification and education by sector. � Choosing an Applied Animal Behavior Advisor: Participants will engage in hypothetical evaluations of program strengths and weaknesses in regards to Applied Animal Behavior. � Designing a Thesis in Applied Animal Behavior: Participants will engage in critical thinking exercises designed to guide them in realistic choice and design of thesis or research projects in Applied Animal Behavior. |
| Audience: Students or potential students seeking an education in Applied Animal Behavior, faculty members interested in creating or expanding programs in Applied Animal Behavior. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Basic |
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| www.AimChart.com: Celeration Charts Over the Web. |
| Friday, May 23, 2008 |
| 6:00 PM–9:00 PM |
| 4G |
| Area: EDC; Domain: Applied Research |
| CE Instructor: Charles T. Merbitz, Ph.D. |
| CHARLES T. MERBITZ (Chicago School of Professional Psychology), BEN MERBITZ (aimchart.com) |
| Description: Sometimes we need to share Charts with multiple stakeholders, such as parents, team members, administrators, and distant consultants. When staff or learners plot data in teaching settings, the paper Chart is not easily accessible. In residential settings, Charts should be available to each shift and to supervisors anywhere. Also, it is often revealing to stack Charts from several learners or several pinpoints from one learner, and see bigger patterns. WWW.AimChart.com answers these needs and many more. |
| Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the workshop, the participant will be able to: 1. Set up AimChart accounts for students, clients, teachers, and schools 2. Define behaviors to count and set goals for acceleration, deceleration, both (for comfort pairs), or neither. 3. Access the site as a student or other user and enter data 4. View data on Daily or Weekly Charts 5. Set and remove phase lines & celeration lines, AimStars, and notes. 6. Select combinations of Charts (across persons and pinpoints) to view as overlays 7. Set the system to any Sunday as a Zero date for data entry and display 8. Set controls on access to the information in the AimChart database. 9. Export AimChart data to Excel. 10. List at least: -one way to maintain confidentiality -one minimum system requirement for AimChart |
| Activities: Attendees will be guided in setting up AimChart accounts, with learners, Actions, and data, and will access learner security features. Attendees will exercise data analysis and display routines. After instruction, learners will practice entering and sharing data and controlling access to view and edit data. |
| Audience: Interested professionals may include BCBAs, academic behavior analysts, teachers, and administrators; AimChart supports data collection across agencies, consulting practices, schools, classroom, and other organization where it is desirable for key people to have 24/7 access to learning and performance data for clients and students. Parents, students, and other persons may set up AimChart accounts as individuals simply for convenient Charts, or for easier data analysis. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Basic |
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| Motivating Human Service Staff: Maximizing Work Effort and Work Enjoyment. |
| Friday, May 23, 2008 |
| 6:00 PM–9:00 PM |
| 4B |
| Area: OBM; Domain: Applied Research |
| CE Instructor: Dennis H. Reid, Ph.D. |
| DENNIS H. REID (Carolina Behavior Analysis and Support Center Ltd.), CAROLYN W. GREEN (JIRDC) |
| Description: This workshop will describe strategies for maximizing work effort and enjoyment among support staff in human service agencies. Initially, an evidence-based, behavioral process for training and managing staff performance will be presented in terms of step-by-step procedures for supervisors and staff trainers. The focus will then be on how to ensure staff not only work diligently and proficiently, but also enjoy their day-to-day work. Strategies to be discussed include staff training procedures that are most preferred by staff, how to monitor staff performance in a manner acceptable to staff, providing supportive and corrective feedback in a manner generally preferred by staff, and how to make a supervisors feedback more reinforcing to staff. Routine procedures supervisors can implement to enhance the overall enjoyment of staffs work environment will likewise be described. The latter procedures are based on research that assessed the desirability of respective management strategies from staffs perspective, a survey of over 1,000 experienced supervisors (and former support staff) regarding their views on the best and worst things supervisors can do to motivate staff, and recent research demonstrating how to make highly nonpreferred work tasks more desirable for staff. |
| Learning Objectives: a. At the conclusion of the workshop, the participant will be able to describe six key steps of a behavioral approach to staff training and supervision. b. At the conclusion of the workshop, the participant will be able to describe what research has shown regarding the type of performance feedback that is usually most and least acceptable to staff. c. At the conclusion of the workshop, the participant will be able to describe a means of systematically monitoring staff performance that typically is well received by staff. d. At the conclusion of the workshop, the participant will be able to describe three supervisory actions that survey research has shown to enhance staffs� enjoyment with their work environment and three actions shown to impede enjoyment. e. At the conclusion of the workshop, the participant will be able to describe an evidence-based strategy a supervisor can use to enhance staff preference for a strongly disliked work task. |
| Activities: Activities of participants will include: (1) listening to instructor lecture/presentations, (2) viewing power point summaries of key points, (3) completing pencil and paper activities relating to scenarios depicting applications of key points, (4) viewing role-play demonstrations of target procedures by instructors, (5) practicing target procedures in role-play situations with performance feedback by instructors (provided until individual participants demonstrate competency in accordance with performance checklists employed by instructors) , and (6) opportunities to ask questions of instructors and receive instructor answers. |
| Audience: The target audience includes anyone who either supervises staff or is dependent on staff for carrying out programmatic procedures (e.g., authors of behavior support plans). The workshop will be most relevant for supervisors and managers in group homes and related residential settings, adult day treatment sites for people with developmental disabilities, consultants, and supervisors in school settings serving people with special needs. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
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| Motivating Learner Participation Without the Use of Escape Extinction. |
| Friday, May 23, 2008 |
| 6:00 PM–9:00 PM |
| Continental C |
| Area: VBC; Domain: Applied Research |
| CE Instructor: Robert Schramm, M.Ed. |
| ROBERT SCHRAMM (Institute Knopse - ABA (Germany)) |
| Description: Through the principles and considerations of the Verbal Behavior approach to ABA, learn an invaluable seven step procedure for earning motivated learning from even the most unwilling participants without the use of forced physical prompts or escape extinction. Although this seven step format was originally developed for use by parents and therapists involved with "in-Home" interventions for non-verbal children with autism, the "Seven Steps to Earning Instructional Control" can be remarkably functional in all forms of school, clinic, and public settings for intermediate and advanced learners as well. |
| Learning Objectives: Participants will learn... to value the importance of learner assent in home, clinic and education settings. creative and practical methods for controlling the access to reinforcement in the environment as a tool for earning Instructional Control. the value and process of Pairing oneself with reinforcement in the eyes of the learner as a tool for Instructional Control. the value and process of being meticulously contingent with words and actions as a tool for earning Instructional Control. the differences between positive and negative reinforcement and why one is valued over the other in earning instructional control with an unmotivated or unwilling learner. to effectively use a Variable Ratio of Reinforcement and how to increase that ratio over time as a tool for earning Instructional Control. to prioritize learning objectives "on the fly" and use differential reinforcment effectively as a tool for earning Instructional Control. to how to best use Extinction and Negative Punishment procedures as a tool for earning instructional control while preparing for and protecting against the extinction burst. the concept of a Teaching Arc and how you can prolong the value of your teaching over several different reinforcing teaching settings for the length of your teaching interactions. |
| Activities: Following a detailed explanation of the Seven Steps to Instructional Control. Watching 9 separate videos demonstrating these steps in action (both individually and in combination). Participate in open discussion and questions about the Seven Steps to Instructional Control. Role play participation in a Teaching Arc (if time permits). |
| Audience: Parents, Teachers, Therapists, and Behavior Analysts working to encourage motivated learning from children with autism spectrum disorder or other unmotivated or unwilling learners. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |