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| Sports Health and Fitness Special Interest Group: Yoga & Pilates Workout |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 7:00 AM–7:50 AM |
| Lone Star Ballroom Salon E (Grand Hyatt) |
| Chair: Kim D. Lucker (Behavior Management Consultants) |
| Presenting Authors: |
| Relax and rejuvenate with a pilates and yoga workout. This popular event is back for another year. No experience necessary. Wear comfortable clothes and come prepared to have a great time. |
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| Society for the Quantitative Analyses of Behavior |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 7:00 AM–11:00 AM |
| Lone Star Ballroom Salon A-D (Grand Hyatt) |
| Chair: Alliston K. Reid (Wofford College) |
| ABAI thanks the Society for Quantitative Analyses of Behavior (SQAB) for sponsoring tutorials focusing on quantitative analysis. ABAI encourages its members to take advantage of the SQAB program that occurs immediately before the ABAI program. The SQAB program includes many presentations on quantitative applications in behavior science. A separate registration fee and badge are required to attend the SQAB meeting. |
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| The Case of the Noncompliant Child |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 8:00 AM–11:00 AM |
| Republic B (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| CE Instructor: Gilah Haber, M.Ed. |
| MICHELLE GARCIA-THOMAS (Michelle Thomas, Psy.D), JENNIFER CRAWFORD (The Learning Lane), STEPHANIE ANN HULSHOF (The Learning Lane) |
| Description: In this interactive, fun presentation you will be the SPY to solve the mystery of how to achieve success when working with a noncompliant child. You will learn how to investigate the variables surrounding this behavior and unlock clues to determine the underlying purpose so that you can crack the case and achieve compliance with the child. |
| Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this workshop, participants will be able to do the following:
1. identify the variables surrounding a child's noncompliant behavior,
2. create a successful behavior treatment plan. |
| Activities: The workshop will include role-playing, group discussion, and a behavior planning worksheet. |
| Audience: Professionals. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Basic |
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| See What I Mean: Using Visual Cues and Concrete Adaptations to Support Abstract Concept Development |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 8:00 AM–11:00 AM |
| Seguin (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: AUT/EDC; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| CE Instructor: Ruth Hurst, Ph.D. |
| KATHLEEN MCCABE-ODRI (Advance, Inc.), LAURA KENNEALLY (Advance, Inc.), LORI A. LORENZETTI (Advance, Inc.), JENNIFER CORNELY (Partners in Learning, Inc.), NICOLE M. SWANFELD (Partners in Learning, Inc.) |
| Description: Students with autism often experience challenges in the comprehension of abstract information. Typically, general education environments provide the majority of learning opportunities for these concepts via spoken word, conversation, or group settings. It is difficult to for students on the autism spectrum to discriminate relevant information for higher-order concepts during these language-based presentations.
This workshop offers a variety of approaches to assist students with autism to develop comprehension for abstract concepts in classroom settings. Through demonstration, video samples, and data-based models, participants will receive cohesive strategies that can be applied to students of various ages and abilities in improving and developing abstract concept comprehension. |
| Learning Objectives: At the end of this workshop, participants will be able to do the following:
1. identify areas of weakness of abstract concept comprehension,
2. develop concrete and visual systems to assist in concept development,
3. measure improvements in concept comprehension. |
| Activities: This workshop will include a lecture, video samples, and hands-on curriculum development and adaptations. |
| Audience: BCBAs; behavior consultants; and child study team members including teachers, learning consultants, classroom assistants, and instructors. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
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| Supporting Parents of Children Diagnosed With Autism Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 8:00 AM–11:00 AM |
| Bonham C (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: AUT/CBM; Domain: Service Delivery |
| CE Instructor: Anna Matchneva, M.Ed. |
| DANIEL J. MORAN (Trinity Services, Inc.) |
| 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 and consistent implementation of behavioral treatment programs. It thus appears prudent for applied behavior analysis (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 (ACT) approach to helping these parents with their distress and challenges.
The workshop will focus on the ACT consistent assessment and the pertinent ACT 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: This workshop has the following 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 ACT 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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| Systems for Identifying Levels of Procedural Integrity and Steps Towards Increasing Levels of Integrity |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 8:00 AM–11:00 AM |
| Presidio A (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: AUT/CSE; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| CE Instructor: James Carr, Ph.D. |
| PAULA RIBEIRO BRAGA-KENYON (The New England Center for Children), SHAWN E. KENYON (New England Center for Children) |
| Description: The term procedural integrity refers to the implementation of an intervention as intended (Codding, Feinberg, Dunn, & Pace, 2005) or as the interobserver agreement measures on the occurrence or nonoccurrence of the independent variables (Billingsley, White, & Munson, 1980). High procedural integrity involves an experimenter measuring what they intended to measure, or implementing a treatment plan exactly as it was intended. The current workshop addresses the issue of procedural integrity with respect to treatment programs. Participants will learn to develop systems to measure levels of procedural integrity in implementing behavior programs as well as interventions to improve it. Participants will learn to analyze behavior plans while breaking down components in order to compose checklists that can be used to measure overall procedural integrity. Methods for analyzing results will also be reviewed. Additionally, a few studies using different methodologies to improve procedural integrity in implementing treatment programs will be presented. |
| Learning Objectives: This workshop has the following objectives:
1. Participants will learn to analyze behavior plans while breaking down its components in order to compose checklists that can be used to measure overall procedural integrity.
2. Participants will learn to develop systems to measure levels of procedural integrity in running behavior programs.
3. Participants will learn to develop interventions to improve procedural integrity. |
| Activities: Participants will be presented with samples of behavior plans and will be asked to break the plan into components. Participants will also be asked to fill in checklists breaking down the components of the plan and will view a video sample and score procedural integrity. Participants will develop interventions to address low levels of procedural integrity |
| Audience: This workshop targets professionals in the field of behavior analysis who provide services for children receiving special education services. Lead teachers, coordinators, specialists, and consultants will be introduced to systems to access current levels of procedural integrity while implementing behavior programs as well as ways to increase levels of procedural integrity when those are not satisfactory. Easy to create data sheets will be described, and those can be used at private organizations as well as public schools. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
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| Promoting Appropriate Independent and Interactive Play Skills for Children With Autism via Activity Schedules |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 8:00 AM–11:00 AM |
| Bonham B (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: AUT/EDC; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| CE Instructor: Frank Cicero, Ph.D. |
| KRISTEN KELLEY (Utah State University), KATIE SNYDER (Utah State University), THOMAS S. HIGBEE (Utah State University) |
| Description: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) frequently have behavioral deficits and excess in the area of appropriate play skills, often isolating themselves and engaging in repetitive, atypical play actions and stereotypy. Researchers have demonstrated that using independent and joint activity schedules (photographic sequences of leisure activities) can increase a child's ability to complete leisure tasks and engage in appropriate social interactions and play with adults and peers. In this workshop, recent research involving activity schedules will be presented and discussed. Participants will learn the skills necessary to assess, develop, implement, monitor, and problem solve the use of activity schedules for individuals with ASD by creating a mock, individualized activity schedule for a variety of student profiles. Information presented in this workshop is at the intermediate level and is appropriate for teachers, parents, and other professionals working with individuals with ASD or other disabilities resulting in deficits in play and leisure skills. |
| Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the workshop, the participant will be able to do the following:
1. choose appropriate activities based the needs and current skill level of the individual,
2. successfully prompt the individual to increase independence using a prompting hierarchy,
3. collect data and incorporate scripts to promote spontaneous language. |
| Activities: The workshop will include prompting activities, a data collection activity, and application scenarios. |
| Audience: Teachers, practitioners, clinical directors, graduate students, and BCBA's. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Basic |
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| Behavioral Parent Consultation and Support: A Strengths-Based Perspective |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 8:00 AM–11:00 AM |
| Bowie A (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: AUT/CBM; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| CE Instructor: Linda Hayes, Ph.D. |
| BARBARA O'MALLEY CANNON (Melmark New England), JESSICA R. EVERETT (Melmark New England) |
| Description: Empirical research has reliably demonstrated that the parents of children with autism spectrum disorders experience higher levels of stress related to parenting than do parents of children with a variety of other disabilities, health concerns, and parents of typically developing children. In contrast to earlier research, more recent research has taken a strengths-based perspective and investigated what aspects of parenting promote resiliency and help to moderate the effects of stress. Best practice in the education of students with autism includes parent involvement. Often times, a parent training component is included to enhance generalization of skills and to give parents the needed skills to effectively intervene with their children. This skill-focused approach to working with parents has been shown to be effective in increasing parenting skills and reducing stress related to parenting. However, behavioral parent consultation should also consider the role that preexisting parenting strengths play as setting events and incorporate these strengths into individually designed intervention strategies. The present workshop will explore strengths-based approaches to behavioral parent consultation. Various assessment strategies will be reviewed to assist in the identification of parenting strengths, variables that moderate parenting stress will be reviewed, as will strategies for working directly with parents taking this approach. |
| Learning Objectives: At the completion of the workshop, participants will be able to do the following:
1. identify tools used to assess parenting strengths,
2. identify variables that moderate stress related to parenting and detail how these variables can be incorporated into behavioral parent training,
3. identify a variety of parenting strengths and demonstrate how to incorporate strengths into intervention techniques. |
| Activities: Workshop activities include didactic instruction, discussion, and role-play. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in small group activities that focus on designing intervention and practicing described techniques for behavioral parent training. |
| Audience: Individuals working with parents in home, school, or clinic-based settings such as psychologists, special education teachers, or behavior analysts. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
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| Evidence-Based Error Correction Strategies for Children With Autism |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 8:00 AM–11:00 AM |
| Mission B (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: AUT/VBC; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| CE Instructor: Christina Lovaas, M.A. |
| MICHELLE TURAN (University of Windsor), NATALIE P. CROTEAU (Surrey Place), LIANNE M. MOROZ (Surrey Place Centre) |
| Description: This workshop will give participants an overview of the literature surrounding error correction strategies in discrete trial training and applied verbal behaviour programs. Specific strategies will be recommended regarding the selection of error correction strategies for the individual learner. Participants will view video examples of different strategies, practice particular strategies, and receive data collection materials to track error correction data. It is expected that participants will have some knowledge and practice of discrete trial training. |
| Learning Objectives: This workshop has the following objectives:
1. Participants will be able to describe the steps involved in implementing several error correction procedures.
2. Participants will be able to demonstrate the use of several error correction procedures within discrete trial training.
3. Participants will be able to summarize the current empirical evidence surrounding error correction procedures.
4. Participants will be able to describe various methods to match error correction strategies to individual learners.
5. Participants will learn to use data sheets to track the results of error correction procedures. |
| Activities: The workshop will include lectures, role-playing, video modeling, and discussion. |
| Audience: Instructors, therapists, and others who are responsible for designing and implementing applied behavior analysis programs for children with autism. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
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| Behavioral Training for Siblings of Children With Autism |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 8:00 AM–11:00 AM |
| Presidio B (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: AUT/VBC; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| CE Instructor: Michael Weinberg, Ph.D. |
| JAMIE HUGHES (Summit Autism Services), KAREN E. FLOTKOETTER (Summit Autism Services) |
| Description: Young children with autism spend the majority of their time in the home and community environments. Siblings in these environments might well be able to support the social development of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Several researchers have examined the feasibility of using typically developing siblings to promote the skills, development, and participation of children with autism, with siblings most often filling a “teacher” role.
The participants in this study were four sibling pairs, with one child in each pair diagnosed with autism. All sessions were conducted in the children’s homes and/or community settings. The typically developing siblings observed the behavior analyst and child with autism during training sessions, and then were active participants in structured training sessions. In addition to the structured training sessions, the siblings were involved in various sessions conducted in the natural environment to promote the generalization of skills acquired.
Results indicated that the siblings learned to use the behavioral procedures at a proficient level, they used the procedures in a generalization setting, and there were observed improvements in the behavior of the children with autism. |
| Learning Objectives: The workshop has the following objectives:
1. To teach professionals working with siblings of children with ASD how to develop positive instructional control.
2. To teach professionals working with siblings of children with ASD how to structure situations so as to encourage desired behavior and avoid unwanted behavior.
3. To teach professionals working with siblings of children with ASD how to capture and/or contrive language development during play activities. |
| Activities: Participants will review video segments of four sibling dyads (children diagnosed with ASD at varying developmental levels) involved in the training sessions. Participants will also develop teaching plans to promote sibling interaction during structured sessions and during play and social activities. |
| Audience: Practitioners (e.g., BCBA, BCaBA, SLP, OT, special education teachers) who work with children diagnosed with ASD in applied settings. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Basic |
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| Practical Applications of Token-Based Motivational Systems and Basic Behavior Intervention Plans |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 8:00 AM–11:00 AM |
| Travis D (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| CE Instructor: Maria Ruiz, Ph.D. |
| MELISSA ANDRETTA (Andretta Behavior Analysts) |
| Description: Practical applications and examples of token-based motivational systems and basic behavior plans (BIPs) will focus on using token systems to increase academic skills, appropriate social behavior, and habilitative responses (academically, behaviorally, and socially). We will also present examples of behavior plans and contracts and will discuss developing and implementing BIPs based on the results of a functional analysis. Examples of specific token systems and behavior plans will be demonstrated and discussed during the presentation. The attendees will be given materials in order to develop a token board or behavior contract (and will also develop a corresponding data collection tool) during the workshop. |
| Learning Objectives: This workshop has the following objectives:
1. At the conclusion of the workshop, the participant will be able to develop a token system in order to increase (a) habilitative behavior(s).
2. At the conclusion of the workshop, the participant will be able to develop a data collection system designed to measure the effectiveness of the token system they developed.
3. At the conclusion of the workshop the participant will be able to conduct and analyze a functional assessment in order to develop a corresponding BIP.
4. At the conclusion of the workshop, the participant will be able to develop a BIP in order to decrease (an) inappropriate target behavior(s) while simultaneously increasing (an) appropriate replacement behavior(s).
5. At the conclusion of the workshop, the participant will be able to develop a data collection system designed to measure the effectiveness of the behavior contract they developed. |
| Activities: During the workshop, the participant will develop a token system in order to increase (a) habilitative behavior(s), develop a data collection system designed to measure the effectiveness of the token system they developed, conduct and analyze a functional assessment in order to develop a corresponding BIP, develop a BIP in order to decrease (an) inappropriate target behavior(s) while simultaneously increasing (an) appropriate replacement behavior(s), and develop a data collection system designed to measure the effectiveness of the behavior contract they developed. |
| Audience: The target audience for this workshop would include teachers and other educational staff who are responsible for the development of token systems, assessing the function of behavior(s), and the development of corresponding BIPs. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Basic |
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| POWER-Solving: A Systematic Approach to Teaching Social Skills |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 8:00 AM–11:00 AM |
| Bowie C (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: AUT/CBM; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| CE Instructor: Amy Lackey, Ph.D. |
| STEVEN GORDON (Behavior Therapy Associates), MICHAEL C. SELBST (Behavior Therapy Associates) |
| Description: Youth with social skills impairments include those with a range of DSM-IV diagnoses such as autism, asperger’s disorder, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Social skill deficits have been associated with negative outcomes in future adjustment (e.g., educational achievement, interpersonal relationships, and psychological well-being). The scientific research on social skills training has generally found a weak effect with limitations as to the manner in which it has been implemented. POWER-Solving has been adapted from the social information processing literature related to improving problem solving skills. POWER-Solving is an acronym that addresses the core deficits seen in many of these children: Put the problem into words. Observe and measure feelings. What is the goal and how strongly is the goal desired? Explore and evaluate solutions. Review and reward.
POWER-Solving was implemented in a six week summer day program for children with social skills impairments known as HI-STEP (helping improve social-skills through evidence-based practices). Principles associated with applied behavior analysis (ABA) such as pinpointing target behaviors, functional behavior assessments, positive behavior supports, antecedent and consequence interventions ,and data collection are the “backbone” of the summer program. This workshop is at an intermediate level and assumes participants have prior knowledge of ABA principles. |
| Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the workshop the participant will be able to do the following:
1. identify the five steps associated with POWER-Solving,
2. identify the components of applying POWER-Solving social skills,
3. identify evidence-based strategies that contribute to success in social skills and problem-solving,
4. apply POWER-Solving to a specific social skill of their choosing. |
| Activities: Participants will view a PowerPoint presentation regarding the history and concepts of POWER-Solving. Videotapes of learners using POWER-Solving will also be viewed. Opportunity to apply behavioral strategies to teaching a social skill of their choosing will be provided. |
| Audience: Teachers, paraprofessionals, parents, and mental health professionals. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
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| The Lucky 7 Game: A Motivational Intervention for Teaching Replacement Behaviors |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 8:00 AM–11:00 AM |
| Independence (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: AUT/DDA; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| CE Instructor: David Adams, M.Div. |
| CYNTHIA P. REKORT (Behavior Change Consultants, LLC), MELANIE B. WAGNER (Behavior Change Consultants, LLC) |
| Description: The Lucky 7 Game is grounded in the principles and procedures of applied behavior analysis (ABA). The game manipulates motivating operations in order to positively teach the core replacement behaviors. The game programs for positive change through 1) interspersing easy and difficult tasks, and 2) demand fading. Through the demand fading procedure, response persistance with difficult tasks occurs as a result of a high rate of reinforcement during game sessions, generating behavioral momentum. The game also programs for transfer (generalization) of skills to the natural environment. |
| Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the workshop, participants will be able to do the following:
1. apply principles and procedures involved in a motivational intervention for teaching replacement behaviors;
2. apply behavioral principles for individuals who have learned to gain access to reinforcers through challenging behaviors, and who lack motivation to learn alternative replacement behaviors;
3. develop a basic verbal repertoire regarding core socialization skills that many individuals with behavior challenges have not yet learned;
4. develop a basic verbal repertoire regarding replacement behaviors for individuals whose challenging behaviors are a function of social positive reinforcement and social negative reinforcement;
5. apply skills in teaching clients to ask the question (i.e., mand), accept “no,” wait, and share. |
| Activities: Participants will learn to identify the components of the Lucky 7 Game as well as the priciples and procedures of ABA being used. Participants will alsp break into small groups to practice game set up using a hypothetical case study. There will be a discussion on the rationale for proposed game set ups. There will be practice playing the game using the roles of trainer and learner. Participants will receive their own Lucky 7 Game as part of their workshop registration. |
| Audience: BCBAs and BCaBAs who provide services to individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Basic |
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| First Three Months of Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention for a Child With Autism: Major Goals and Challenges |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 8:00 AM–11:00 AM |
| Bonham E (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Service Delivery |
| CE Instructor: |
| MONIKA M. SUCHOWIERSKA (Warsaw School of Social Psychology) |
| Description: The first three months of early intensive behavioral intervention are a crucial period for a young learner with autism. This workshop will show how this period can be planned so that 1) therapeutic goals are chosen and arranged in the order of importance, 2) relation between the child and the therapist is developed, 3) instructional control is established, 4) pivotal behaviors are taught, 5) communication is established, and 6) collaboration with parents is built. Apart from goals for this period, major challenges will also be discussed. Video material will be used. The workshop will conclude with some suggestions for the next moths of therapy. |
| Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the workshop, participants will have the following information presented to them:
1. methods of choosing and prioritizing therapeutic goals for the first three months of therapy,
2. methods of establishing a mutually reinforcing relation between the child and the therapist,
3. methods of establishing instructional control,
4. choosing and teaching pivotal behaviors,
5. methods of establishing communication,
6. strategies for establishing a truly collaborative model of working with the parents,
7. challenges facing therapists and parents in the first three months of therapy. |
| Activities: The workshop will include didactic instruction, video taped presentations, and demonstrations. |
| Audience: Parents, lead therapists, line therapists, consultants, and students. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Basic |
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| Billing Insurance for Applied Behavior Analysis Based Therapy for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 8:00 AM–11:00 AM |
| Bonham D (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Service Delivery |
| CE Instructor: Richard Meisch, Ph.D. |
| KRISTIE M. FRISSEN-THOMPSON (OptumHealth Behavioral Solutions) |
| Description: The workshop will describe strategies for maximizing a successful claim submission to third party payors. In addition, participants will come to understand that while many states have passed legislation mandating that services for autism and applied behavior analysis (ABA) be covered by third party payors, coverage is dependent on group size and whether the employer has selected a self-funded or a fully-insured plan, among others. That is, third party payors are required to reimburse for ABA-based therapy for autism in certain circumstances, not just as a result of the state mandate. As more self-funded plans are deciding to purchase a supplemental autism benefit and as more states pass mandates for autism, it is essential that anyone working as a certified behavior analyst (BCBA or BCBA-D) learn their way around a standard claim form, billing and diagnostic codes, and collect the member's insurance information.
Correctly billing insurance companies and other third party payors for autism-related ABA services is an imporant step to ensure reimbursement for those services. Correct billing will decrease denials, wait time, and overall frustration with the insurance industry. The presenter currently works for a large for-profit behavioral health insurance company managing an autism benefit which pays for ABA-based therapies. The information provided in this workshop is based on the presenter's experience in private practice and working in the insurance industry and will provide information related to general billing of third party payors, not just the presenter's employer. The presenter is not receiving commercial or financial support for the workshop. |
| Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the workshop, the participant will be able to do the following:
list which states currently have state mandates for autism and/or ABA,
1. describe who is affected by state mandates,
2. describe the difference between state mandated services for autism and self-funded programs,
3. describe the essential components of and how to complete the CMS-1500 billing form,
4. know what the ICD-9 and DSM-IV diagnostic codes are for the pervasive developmental disorders, and
5. know the difference between the CPT billing codes. |
| Activities: The workshop will include a direct presentation of information, solicited and directed questions to participants about their own experiences with billing insurance companies and other third party payors, and actual completion of claim forms. |
| Audience: This workshop is intended for professional clinicians including BCBA-Ds, BCBAs, BCABAs, and office administrators concerned with understanding the billing practices for ABA services for children with autism spectrum disorders. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Basic |
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| Operant-Based EMG Biofeedback for the Treatment of Cerebral Palsy and Spinal Cord Injuries |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 8:00 AM–11:00 AM |
| Presidio C (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: CBM; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| CE Instructor: Jennifer Crockett, Ph.D. |
| GARY AMES (Behavior Analysis and Therapy Partners), RICHARD WEISSMAN (Behavior Analysis and Therapy Partners), JOSEPH D. CAUTILLI (Behavior Analysis and Therapy Partners) |
| Description: In the late 1960s, Bernard Brucker developed an electromyography (EMG) biofeedback system method to progressively re-educate muscle response. EMG biofeedback is an operant conditioning method which detects subtle physiological signals and provides information about that signal to trainees as audio or visual feedback. With repititon, trial and error, and reinforcement, the rewarding stimuli gradully build new behavioral repetiores. In the case of those with impaired motor functioning, this retraning permits quieting of spastic muscles and discovering new neural pathways for muscular function. Through biofeedback, operant conditioning techniques help the patient learn greater control over the EMG signals to the muscle. In this way biofeedback can restore functional control over paretic or damaged muscles. Some research has shown that biofeedback of motor neuron activity can allow individuals with spinal cord injury to regain lost neuromuscular function and those with cerebral palsy to develop functioning they did not have prior to the intervention. This treatment received a lot of research during the 1990s and has been shown to be effectve in establishing new responses. Once learned, these increases in and coordination of motor neuron recruitment are permanent. |
| Learning Objectives: The workshop has the following learning objectives:
1. Particpants will grasp the research basis of neuromuscular re-education with EMG biofeedback.
2. Particpants will describe several ways damaged motor neuron connections can be rehabilitated.
3. Participants will get a beginners expereince with treatment using EGM biofeedback.
4. Participants will place EMG biofeedback into the larger model of behavioral medicine that helps identify voluntary muscle control. |
| Activities: Activities will include a lecture and hands-on biofeedback training. |
| Audience: Applied behavior analysts, behavioral psychologists, and rehabilation specialists. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Basic |
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| Inner Behavior: Changing Thoughts, Feelings, and Urges |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 8:00 AM–11:00 AM |
| Travis C (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: CBM/CSE; Domain: Service Delivery |
| CE Instructor: |
| ABIGAIL B. CALKIN (Calkin Consulting Center), EMMA F. DOUGLAS (The Treehouse Trust) |
| Description: Thoughts, feelings, and urges are inner behaviors that a person can observe, count, and change. Substantial research from about 1,000 charts over the past 40 years shows that behavioral observation and methods can change a person's inner behaviors. Therapists and teachers encounter the need to make or help others use these techniques in therapeutic, educational, and home settings. The workshop reviews the history of of this particular field and includes charted examples from people who have counted and changed their inner behaviors, as well as a brief look at the statistics that support the similarities between inner and outer behaviors. There are some data from soldiers with posttraumatic stress disorder. The workshop also teaches how to use the standard celeration chart to record the frequencies and make the correct decisions to change these inner behaviors. |
| Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the workshop, participants will have learned to do the following:
1. state the theoretical and research background on observing and changing inner behavior;
2. define thoughts, feelings, and urges and name specific examples of each;
3. practice writing positive thoughts, feelings, and urges at 30-35 per min and say them at about 50-75 per min;
4. count and record some specific inner behaviors for the duration of the workshop, which can be continued or revised later;
5. discuss and develop a plan to change inner behaviors of self or client. |
| Activities: The primary focus is to identify, list, count, and record inner behaviors, and then to learn how to practice daily and thus change to the desired behavior. Each participant will develop a written plan to use this technique with a person or group. |
| Audience: This workshop is for clinicians and graduate students in behavior analysis and psychology, special education teachers who work with students with behavior disorders, and others interested in changing inner behaviors. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
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| Ethics and Autism: Making the Puzzle Without Bending the Pieces |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 8:00 AM–11:00 AM |
| Crockett A (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: CSE/AUT; Domain: Service Delivery |
| CE Instructor: W. Wyatt, Ph.D. |
| CARA M. CAPPALLI (ACES, Inc.), KRYSTL GIORDANO-PADILLA (BEACON Services of Connecticut), JAMES A. HOKO (ACES, Inc.) |
| Description: The growing demand for behavior analysts working in educational contexts has been both significant and rapid. This need has been most evident in the delivery of services to children diagnosed on the autism spectrum.
The variety of settings and needs involved in service delivery to this population creates unique and varied responsibilities for behavior analysts. This in turn puts a greater emphasis on our professional and ethical conduct.
This workshop will focus on the application of the BACB guidelines for ethical conduct by service providers working in early intervention (ages birth to 3), school-based, and home-based settings for children with autism. Rather than lecture format, the workshop will be based on active attendee participation. A variety of situational vignettes will be used to structure discussion within small and large groups. Participants are encouraged to offer their own examples and scenarios for discussion and feedback. |
| Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this workshop, participants will be able to do the following:
1. define ethics and relate historical events leading to the BACB's current ethical code;
2. identify and provide examples for the BACB guidelines for ethical conduct;
3. discuss ethical responsibilities with respect to the varying roles of a behavior analyst working with children on the autism spectrum;
4. determine requirements for functional assessment and appropriate delivery of services in early intervention (ages birth to 3), school-based, and home-based settings;
5. outline the ethical considerations for conducting research involving children on the autism spectrum;
6. list the established procedures for dealing with perceived ethical violations;
7. make decisions regarding professional competence, family involvement, environmental appropriateness, and treatment termination. |
| Activities: The workshop will include an audio-visual presentation and emphasize audience participation through large and small group discussions. Worksheets will be used to assess current skill base and provide a follow-up measure. |
| Audience: Behavior Analysts and other professionals working with children diagnosed on the autism spectrum. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
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| Communication-Based Behavior Interventions: A Review of Functional Communication Training and Interdisciplinary Collaboration |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 8:00 AM–11:00 AM |
| Travis A (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: DDA/AUT; Domain: Service Delivery |
| CE Instructor: Erik Mayville, Ph.D. |
| JOHN POKRZYWINSKI (Woodward Resource Center), EVELYN JO HORTON (The Homestead), JAMES R. PRICKETT (Woodward Resource Center) |
| Description: Communication-based behavior interventions are some of the most common and effective procedures for treating severe challenging behaviors. While the basic principles presented in this workshop are not new, this workshop attempts to review how an interdisciplinary team and consultants can collaborate to create communication-based behavior interventions using principles that are consistent with those of positive behavior support. Since the initial description of functional communication training (FCT) by Carr and Durand (1985), various aspects of the FCT treatment process have been evaluated, and from this research, best practices have emerged. This workshop emphasizes positive reinforcement of alternatives to reduce problem behaviors (replacement behaviors). It encourages procedures that increase the contextual fit of behavior support plans and presents procedures that allow identification and manipulation of setting events and discriminative stimuli. Discussion includes procedures to encourage a communication-based environment. The procedures described in the workshop are designed to emphasize nonaversive and naturalistic procedures to reduce the likelihood of problem behaviors; increase the acceptance of behavior support plans, and thus the likelihood of success and generality; and increase collaboration between professional disciplines and direct-support staff. |
| Learning Objectives: The workshop has the following objectives:
1. At the conclusion of the workshop, the participant will be able to identify and discuss eliminative versus educative approaches in treating challenging behaviors.
2. At the conclusion of the workshop, the participant will be able to identify the primary outcomes of the functional analysis process.
3. At the conclusion of the workshop, the participant will be able to describe and discuss procedures to encourage a communication-based environment.
4. At the conclusion of the workshop, the participant will be able to identifythe advantages and disadvantages of discrete trial training (DTT) and natural environment training (NET).
5. At the conclusion of the workshop, the participant will be able to identify procedures for implementing a functional communication dictionary.
6. At the conclusion of the workshop, the participant will be able to identify and discuss procedures to increase collaboration between all team members and direct-support staff. |
| Activities: Workshop activities include examples and discussions of eliminative versus educative strategies to deal with problem behaviors; antecedent events and contextual variables; functional behavior assessment and replacement behavior development; DTT and NET; verbal behavior considerations; communication dictionaries that include DTT and NET procedures; and interpersonal communication skills training that include DTT and NET procedures. |
| Audience: Board Certified Behavior Analysts, Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analysts, speech and language pathologists, educators, nurses, advocates, independent support coordinators, and others working with individuals with intellectual deficiencies or autism. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Basic |
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| Toward an Understanding of Programming Generalization: An Application of the Stimulus Control Interpretation |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 8:00 AM–11:00 AM |
| Crockett B (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: DDA/EDC; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| CE Instructor: Florence DiGennaro Reed, Ph.D. |
| JESSICA LYNN DOUCETTE (Melmark New England), HELENA MAGUIRE (Melmark New England) |
| Description: The generalization of skills acquired within academic and therapeutic settings is a concern for many applied practitioners. Systematic and reliable programming generalization can only occur once the principles responsible for the production of generalization are identified and their role in producing generalization is fully understood. This workshop will present an analysis of generalization by discussing the principles of stimulus control and reinforcement and their role on the production of generalization first discussed by Kirby and Bickel (1988). This workshop will then further expand on this analysis by reviewing the literature on current teaching strategies used within applied behavior analysis and their effects on generalization of target responses. Lastly, a case study will be reviewed identifying key components of a treatment plan to promote generalization in the acquisition of sight word identification in a student with autism. |
| Learning Objectives: At the completion of the workshop, participants will be able to:
1. provide a brief overview of the literature on generalization;
2. describe the role behavior analytic principles (i.e., stimulus control and reinforcement) have in the analysis of the production of generalization;
3. identify key antecedent events in programming generalization within an educational setting;
4. identify teaching strategies that both support and do not support generalization;
5. apply the above to a provided case study as well as to one of their own. |
| Activities: Workshop activities include discussion, material and lesson plan development, and role plays. The focus will be on developing curriculum which systematically outlines how generalization will be programmed and tested. Participants will have the opportunity to work in small groups to foster discussion about the presented material as well as work together to develop lesson plans and materials. |
| Audience: The target audience includes professionals working within residential and day programs for students with disabilities. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Basic |
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| Using the Vineland-II to Measure Adaptive Skill Development and Inform Goal Selection |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 8:00 AM–11:00 AM |
| Crockett C (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: DDA/AUT; Domain: Service Delivery |
| CE Instructor: Kimberly Sloman, Ph.D. |
| JAMES CHOK (Melmark New England), DEREK D. REED (Melmark New England) |
| Description: The Vineland-II (Sparrow, Cicchetti, & Balla, 2005) is a widely-used normative rating scale of adaptive behavior that measures functioning across the areas of communication, daily living skills, and socialization. The individual behaviors that constitute these broader domains are often targets for intervention in school, residential, and other clinical settings that serve individuals with developmental disabilities. Adaptive skills identified using the Vineland-II can be integrated into the development of individualized education plans and the scale can serve as a measurement of adaptive skill development over time. The use of the Vineland-II can also play an important role in establishing the appropriateness of the need for guardianship and eligibility for state-funded services. This workshop will provide an overview of the various rating forms of the Vineland-II (e.g., parent/caregiver, teacher), review rating procedures, and highlight the ways in which the scale can be used (e.g., research, goal selection, tracking progress over time, etc.). |
| Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this workshop, the participant will have learned the following:
1. how to accurately score and provide ratings for the Vineland-II,
2.how to select target behaviors for intervention using items from the Vineland-II, and
3. to have an appreciation for the role the Vineland-II can serve in measuring progress over time and determining the appropriateness of the need for guardianship and eligibility for state-funded services. |
| Activities: Workshop activities will include completing the parent/caregiver and teacher rating forms using case study descriptions, scoring the Vineland-II forms, determining strengths and limitations both within and across assessments using basic statistical analysis, and creating well-defined behavioral goals using items from the Vineland-II. |
| Audience: This workshop is intended for individuals with a Master's degree (at minimum) working within public and private school settings, and other clinical service delivery settings. The workshop is intended for professionals such as psychologists, special education teachers, social workers, speech and language pathologists, behavior analysts, occupational therapists, and physical therapists. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
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| Be a Better Assessor: Revitalizing Data-Based Methods for Assessment |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 8:00 AM–11:00 AM |
| Crockett D (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: DDA; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| CE Instructor: Gordon Paul, Ph.D. |
| LISA N. BRITTON (Spectrum Center), AMY CRYE (Spectrum Center), JOHN J. HEALEY (The Columbus Organization) |
| Description: Staff responsible for conducting functional assessments may be initially trained in several methods for conducting these assessments; however, due to expectations of their employer, competing contingencies, or drift, the assessor may not employ the necessary rigor when conducting these assessments. This workshop is designed to improve skills in various methods for conducting indirect and descriptive assessments and in analyzing the data from those assessments. The workshop highlights when to use particular types of assessment and how to do so appropriately. The indirect assessments discussed within this workshop include the motivational assessment scale (Durand & Crimmons, 1988) and the functional analysis screening tool (Iwata & DeLeon, 1995). The descriptive assessments discussed within this workshop include scatterplots, activity assessments, narrative recording, structured ABC, interval ABC, and antecedent assessments. Attendees will learn about these assessments and data collection methods associated with them. Participants will practice collecting assessment data and learn how to analyze the results. The data analysis component will include information regarding calculating conditional probabilities and background probabilities. Finally, the workshop will cover graphical display and data interpretation. |
| Learning Objectives: At the end of the workshop, attendees will be able to do the following:
1. state the benefits and limitations of indirect assessments;
2. list several types of descriptive assessments and how to collect data with those assessments;
3. analyze data utilizing probabilities and background probabilities. |
| Activities: The workshop will include practice using indirect assessments, collecting descriptive assessment data, conducting probabilities and background probabilities, and looking at graphs and making data-based decisions based on those graphs. |
| Audience: Practitioners with a degree in behavior analysis who are responsible for conducting functional assessments. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Basic |
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| Creating a School-Wide Social Thinking Model Where No Child Is Left Behind |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 8:00 AM–11:00 AM |
| Republic A (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: EDC/DDA; Domain: Service Delivery |
| CE Instructor: M. Shillingsburg, Ph.D. |
| VALORI N. BERENDS (Academy for Precision Learning), LOVELLE T SUAREZ (Academy for Precision Learning), ALISON L. MOORS (Academy for Precision Learning) |
| Description: While including students with special needs, many public and private schools across the country are aligning with best practices outlined in federal law which overwhelmingly requires educating all students in their least restrictive environments. For many students, that least restrictive environment is in a classroom setting alongside their typically developing peers. However, students with special needs who may be academically capable often need specially designed instruction for navigating their social world successfully. Practitioners from multiple human service fields have a history of producing effective curricula for teaching social thinking, self-monitoring, problem-solving, and constructive behavior management techniques to students with social language deficits. However, the majority of resources available use individualized instruction as the teaching modality which proves quite difficult when trying to adapt the strategies within larger group settings. This workshop will identify the next steps necessary for creating school-wide classroom management and behavior management systems by extrapolating information from a variety of existing published resources. The presenters will show data and videotaped examples of applying the techniques in classrooms with a variety of students with learning labels ranging from autism, attention deficit disorders, social cognitive deficits, emotional behavior disorders, oppositional defiance, and nonverbal learning disability. |
| Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the workshop, the participant will be able to do the following:
1. write individualized goals and objectives targetting social thinking skills,
2. identify task analyses for teaching social thinking behavioral targets,
3. describe data collection procedures targetting social thinking skills which are useful in classroom settings,
4. define classroom management pinpoints helpful for targetting social thinking objectives. |
| Activities: The workshop presenters will use a combination of small group activites, lecture, discussion, and video taped representations of the targeted information. Participants will practice the concepts using hands-on activities aligning to their own clents' needs. |
| Audience: Any professional teaching and/or designing protocol for clients with regard to pragmatic language concepts and the real life requirements of social navigation skills. The participant should be supervising clients within a group setting currently, or hope to in the future. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Basic |
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| Implementing Applied Behavior Analysis in the School: A Public School District’s Approach |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 8:00 AM–11:00 AM |
| Republic C (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: EDC/AUT; Domain: Service Delivery |
| CE Instructor: Anthony DeFulio, Ph.D. |
| CARIN THOMPSON (Lewisville Intermediate School District), KELLE M. WOOD RICH (Central Texas Autism Center, Inc.) |
| Description: Under No Child Left Behind and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, federal law requires school districts to provide instruction using evidence based, peer-reviewed methodologies. Public school systems struggle to implement quality interventions due to lack of properly trained individuals and staff attrition. Applied behavior analysis (ABA) and verbal behavior (VB) are both scientifically based practices proven effective for students with autism. A large urban school district’s effective approach of implementing ABA and VB in the classroom based on staff retention and student achievement over the last 10 years will be presented which includes the following aspects: staff training using an expert consultant to develop a trainer of trainers model, providing on-going training and support to classroom teachers, collaborating with parents using various parent training models to meet the individual needs of students, and ideas for problem solving conflicts that arrive and the limitations—including training new staff, training assistants, scheduling, and lack of support by teachers, administrators, or parents. |
| Learning Objectives: The workshop has the following objectives:
1. At the conclusion of the workshop the participant will be able to identify an effective training model for school staff.
2. At the conclusion of the workshop, the participant will be able to name effective methodologies of applied behavior analysis and verbal behavior used in the classroom setting as they apply to individual and group instruction.
3. At the conclusion of the workshop, the participant will be able to identify systems of data collection for the public school setting.
4. At the conclusion of the workshop, the participant will be able to identify the procedures used to ensure integrity of interventions used with students from school to home. |
| Activities: Activities will include a review of ABA and VB theory, outlining staff training approach using an expert consultant to develop a trainer of trainers model, and video models of implementation of methodology and supporting data. |
| Audience: This workshop is targeted for professionals that are direct stakeholders in implementing ABA in the public school setting including teachers, administrators, psychologists, and behavior analysts. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
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| Measuring Fidelity in Single-Subject Case Studies: Practical Approaches for Implementing Evidence-Based Interventions |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 8:00 AM–11:00 AM |
| Bonham A (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: TBA/EAB; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| CE Instructor: |
| SHELLEY CLARKE (University of South Florida), MICHELLE A. DUDA (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) |
| Description: This workshop will provide an overview of the rationale for more precise and accurate measurement and implementation of the independent variable. This includes ensuring proper documentation and accountability by linking assessment to intervention. The content of the workshop will reflect the current interest in implementation science within applied research that also relates to recent legislative requirements concerning treatment integrity. Presenters will introduce the body of literature within applied behavior analysis that has promoted the need for measurement beyond change in the independent variable. Treatment integrity will be described both from the conceptual and practical viewpoint. Case studies demonstrating implementation measures and direct instruction in how to develop fidelity tools for researchers and consumers will be shared. |
| Learning Objectives: This workshop has the following objectives:
1. At the conclusion of the workshop participants will be able to define and describe the elements of treatment integrity and procedural fidelity.
2. Participants attending the workshop will gain an understanding of the importance of including treatment integrity measures within applied studies.
3. Participants will be given information and practical approaches to develop treatment integrity measures supplemented with actual case studies. |
| Activities: Activities will include an overview of implementation literature in the field of applied research, sharing case studies from the field of intervention research that include measures of treatment integrity via videotape, participants instruction on how to measure treatment integrity, small group practice with videos of case studies, instruction on how to develop treatment integrity measures for use in the field,
structured group discussion about individual measures developed, and a question and answer period with presenters. |
| Audience: Researchers, behavioral consultants, program developers, and purveyors who may be involved in conducting applied intervention research. |
| Content Area: Methodology |
| Instruction Level: Basic |
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| Software Tools for Direct Observation: Hands on Learning of the Best Tools for BCBAs, Clinical Practitioners, and Faculty Researchers |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 8:00 AM–11:00 AM |
| Travis B (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: TBA/EDC; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| CE Instructor: Elizabeth Martineau, Ed.S. |
| TOM SHARPE (Educational Consulting, Inc.), JOHN KOPERWAS (Educational Consulting, Inc.) |
| Description: The workshop will provide hands-on application of a user friendly software package designed to collect and analyze discrete and time-based behavioral data for a wide range of evaluation and feedback applications in direct observation client settings. The program and compatible materials are particularly useful to graduate students, behavioral psychologists, BCBA and BCABA professionals engaged in assessment and behavior plan activities, and experimental analysts. Specifically, this workshop will be valuable to anyone interested in analyzing complex configurations of behaviors which are emitted at high rates, often overlap in time, and which are context dependent. Discussion includes an introduction to (a) recommended procedures when collecting time-based data in the live setting and from videotape records, and (b) computer generated behavior descriptions, graphic displays, statistical analyses, and reliability comparisons of data files when engaged in staff training and assessment of data integrity. As a function of workshop participation, attendees will be provided with all workshop presentation materials, a complimentary copy of the complete software package, and a .pdf file summary of compatible research methods published by Sage Publications.
It is recommended that workshop participants bring their own IBM compatible laptop hardware to facilitate hands-on workshop interactions. |
| Learning Objectives: Workshop participants will exit with software-based data collection and analysis competencies: 1. ability to construct and apply systemic observation systems,
2. ability to generate a time-based behavioral record using an inclusive overlapping category system,
3. ability to construct graphic representations, 4. ability to perform traditional and sequential analyses using multiple measurement methodologies,
5. ability to edit graphic data representations and apply relevant visual and statistical analyses,
6. ability to conduct reliability and treatment fidelity analyses, and
7. ability to apply a variety of data record edit and merge functions when operating with complex multiple event category systems.
This workshop has several learning objective:
1. Participants will be able to discuss the principles and practice of discrete and sequential behavior analysis methods.
2. Participants will be able to apply a range of computer-based data collection, reliability, and measurement techniques to their particular behavior analysis interests.
3. Participants will be able to understand and apply a range of computer-based descriptive and statistical data analysis techniques in relation to discrete and sequential measurement sets.
4. Participants will be able to construct a variety of behavior graphs and apply appropriate analysis techniques to the graph types covered, and in relation to research and behavior service application example. |
| Activities: Activities include (a) a review of traditional behavior analysis recording methods; (b) an introduction to, and hands-on application of, a computer-based package designed to enhance behavior analyses of complex interactive settings; and (c) a detailed hands-on demonstration of data collection features, discrete and sequential analysis capabilities within and across data-file graphic representations, and a variety of reliability, treatment fidelity, and data manipulation and editing functions—all designed to facilitate applied activities in assessment, behavior planning, treatment, and ongoing observation of a variety of settings and environments. |
| Audience: Graduate students, behavior analysts, BCBA, BCABA, and related therapists working in a variety of applied and experimental settings who are interested in the interactive nature of behavior in situations where study of multiple behaviors and events, multiple participants, and changing setting variables are present. Those working in educational and social science settings and who are challenged with how to describe and analyze highly interactive behavioral transactions should find the workshop experience and complimentary software particularly appealing, as they will be useful in wide range of research and assessment applications. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Basic |
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| Closed Meeting: Special Interest Group Leadership Training |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 8:00 AM–10:00 AM |
| 007AB (CC) |
| Chair: Raymond G. Miltenberger (University of South Florida) |
| Representatives of ABAI Special Interest Groups (SIG) will participate in SIG development training and advocacy for the field. This event is closed; attendance is by invitation only. |
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| Closed Meeting: Affiliated Chapters Leadership Training: Policy Making and Chapter Management |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 8:30 AM–11:00 AM |
| 006CD (CC) |
| Chair: Gordon Bourland (Trinity Behavioral Associates) |
| Chapter leadership trainings are great opportunities for chapter leaders to gain knowledge and expertise on issues of the utmost importance to their ABAI affiliated chapters. In January, ABAI conducted a full day training session in Chicago. Feedback was very positive. The chapter training evaluation survey indicated that 100% of respondents found the training to be valuable. As part of our commitment to the continued growth and development of affiliated chapters, ABAI is pleased to offer all affiliated chapters another leadership training opportunity to be held in San Antonio on May 29th. The San Antonio Chapter Leadership Training will build upon the positive feedback and suggestions received from previous attendees. This training is for chapter leaders only and will feature a policy making session with a coaching component. Attendees will be grouped by region and will have the opportunity to discuss strategies for policy making in their regions. A second session will address chapter management, illustrating issues for new, mid-sized, and large chapters. Although the chapter training is free for up to three representatives per chapter, registration is required. |
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| Parents and Other Caregivers: Welcome to the ABAI Convention |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 10:00 AM–10:50 AM |
| 213A (CC) |
| Chair: Audrey Meissner (New Haven Learning Centre) |
| Parents and other caregivers of individuals with special needs are attending the ABAI convention in increasing numbers but may have questions about how to make the most of the experience. Furthermore, an event as large as the annual convention may seem overwhelming to newcomers. Parents who may be attending for the first time are encouraged to participate in this convention orientation and visit our webpage at www.PPPSIG.org. We will provide an overview of ABAI and its convention and highlight the types of events that parents will encounter. |
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| Opening Event and Society for the Advancement of Behavior Analysis Award Ceremony
Chair: William L. Heward (The Ohio State University) |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 11:30 AM–12:50 PM |
| Ballroom A (CC) |
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| Behavior Analysis as a Biological Science |
| Abstract: My favorite components of my work in behavior analysis are rooted in biology. I use this opportunity to illustrate ways in which we can learn from the biological sciences. My research on inhibitory interactions among operant classes was inspired by analogous interactions in sensory systems. I have also been powerfully influenced by parallels between Darwinian natural selection and operant shaping, as noted by Skinner in 1953. Those parallels are relevant to the shaping of operant classes and to language evolution. Selection by consequences operates at the levels of phylogeny, ontogeny and culture. It has also entered into my service to our field, in that many of us began to think explicitly about the contingencies that enter into the survival of our behavior analytic practices. Our origins are mainly traceable to psychology and philosophy, but as we seek niches within which subsets of our discipline can thrive, we must not overlook biology. A science of behavior is necessarily part of the biological sciences. Organisms evolve based on what they can do; all of their physiological systems evolved in the service of behavior. The expanding range of our applications makes our applied science increasingly secure; we cannot say the same for our basic science. The neurosciences provide one entry, but we must look far more broadly into possible alliances with the biological sciences. |
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| A. CHARLES CATANIA (University of Maryland, Baltimore County) |
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 A. Charles Catania is Professor Emeritus at UMBC, where he co-founded its MA track in Applied Behavior Analysis. He is Past-President of ABAI and of Division 25 of the American Psychological Association and has served as Editor of the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior. He had the great good fortune to start his career in Fall 1954 in Fred Keller’s introductory psychology course, which included a weekly rat lab, and later to serve as TA in Nat Schoenfeld’s Experimental Psychology sequence. He earned his Ph.D. at Harvard, where he then conducted postdoctoral research in Skinner’s pigeon laboratory. Catania continued working with rats and pigeons and other organisms over subsequent decades, during which he became increasingly impressed by striking parallels between biological accounts of evolution in terms of Darwinian natural selection and behavior analytic accounts of operant behavior in terms of the selection of behavior by its consequences. He sees the methods and concepts of the biological sciences as having much to offer to our field and has argued that the science of behavior might best be regarded as a component of the biological sciences. The lesson that the study of nonhuman behavior is essential to our understanding of verbal behavior also came from Columbia, where in Spring 1957 Catania took a seminar on verbal behavior jointly taught by Fred Keller, Nat Schoenfeld and Ralph Hefferline. The course began by covering Skinner's William James lectures and then, when Skinner's Verbal Behavior was published midway into the semester, by comparing the older and newer versions. Though virtually all of Catania’s early experimental work was devoted to nonhuman learning, the concentration on behavior without words was critical; a pigeon’s behavior is hard to understand precisely because it doesn't involve words. Behavior without words reveals what is special about human verbal behavior, which is necessarily built upon a nonverbal foundation. Catania’s earlier work on learning without words was highly appropriate preparation for teaching courses on verbal behavior, because it made some special features of verbal behavior stand out clearly. One function of his textbook, Learning, is to integrate the topics of nonverbal and verbal behavior, which have too often been given separate treatments. |
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| Award for International Dissemination of Behavior Analysis |
| Abstract: Behavior analysis has a great deal to contribute to the world community, and its progress is some areas is stunning. For it to assume its rightful role in the mainstream of behavioral science, behavior analysis needs to be more fearless, self-critical, accessible, and fun. By fearless I mean that there should be no place off limits; every issue and every problem is open for behavior analytic exploration. By self-critical I mean that interpretation will not be accepted as a permanent substitute for data, and there needs to be more flexibility in methods and ideas, constantly reviewing whether we are yet where we need to be empirically and conceptually. By accessible I mean that we need to abandon the silly idea that the world needs to talk like behavioral scientists to benefit from behavioral science, and we need to get comfortable with multiple language systems for different purposes. By fun I mean that we need to create a culture that is lighter and more open so as to allow nonbehaviorists in to play with us without demanding that they first confess their mentalistic sins or feel shame over the inadequacy of their beliefs.
The dissemination of acceptance and commitment therapy and relational frame
theory worldwide reflects the usefulness
of these attributes. |
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| STEVEN C. HAYES (University of Nevada, Reno) |
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 Steven C. Hayes is Nevada Foundation Professor at the Department of Psychology at the University of Nevada. An author of 32 books and over 400 scientific articles, his career has focused on an analysis of the nature of human language and cognition and the application of this to the understanding and alleviation of human suffering. Dr. Hayes has been President of Division 25 of the APA, of the American Association of Applied and Preventive Psychology and of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy. He was the first Secretary-Treasurer of the Association for Psychological Science, which he helped form and has served a 5 year term on the National Advisory Council for Drug Abuse in the National Institutes of Health. In 1992 he was listed by the Institute for Scientific Information as the 30th "highest impact" psychologist in the world. His work has been recognized by the Exemplary Contributions to Basic Behavioral Research and Its Applications from Division 25 of APA, the Impact of Science on Application award from the Society for the Advancement of Behavior Analysis, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy. |
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| Award for Impact of Science on Application |
| Abstract: Among the earliest translations of findings from the behavior laboratory to improve the human condition was the effort more than 50 years ago to define “a technology of teaching.” This technology was multi-faceted, encompassing the general area of programmed instruction, teaching machines, the personalized system of instruction, and other systematic teaching approaches. These efforts established goals and directions for further technological development by behavior analysts interested in teaching. I will suggest, however, that pursuit of those goals and directions went off course during “the cognitive revolution.” While efforts to develop a technology of teaching continue in certain sites, I think it is beyond dispute that behavior analytic influence in teaching practice is much less than it could and should be. This situation is due to many social and logistical challenges. I will suggest, however, that one way to mitigate these challenges will be offering technological solutions that produce learning outcomes that are unarguably superior to other approaches. To that end, I will discuss how behavior analysts can collaborate with scientists and engineers from other disciplines to realize a technology of teaching that is true to the vision of Skinner, Keller, Sidman, and the many behavior analysts inspired by them. |
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| WILLIAM J. MCILVANE (University of Massachusetts Medical School) |
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 Dr. McIlvane is Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and Director of the UMMS Shriver Center and the UMMS Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center. Dr. McIlvane directs a multi-focus program that addresses a number of scientific problems relevant to understanding and ameliorating behavior deficits of persons with neurodevelopmental disabilities. One focus is development of procedures to encourage progressively more rapid learning of behaviors involved in symbolic communication. Another is to adapt behavioral neuroscience methods – including animal modeling – to further understanding of brain processes involved in symbolic behavior. A third focus is to develop valid nonverbal neuropsychological testing methods for use with individuals and populations that do not understand verbal instructions. In addition, Dr. McIlvane's program has a strong research-to-practice emphasis. Methods translated from laboratory research are being used to teach practical skills in regular and special education classrooms in both the United States and in Brasil. His presentation will discuss translational behavior analysis as both a concept and an objective. In particular, he will discuss possibilities for more fully realizing the expansive visions of Skinner, Keller, Sidman, and others concerning the development and dissemination of a true technology of teaching. |
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| Award for Effective Presentation of Behavior Analysis in the Mass Media |
| Abstract: Psychology’s contribution to society includes elaborating the scientific underpinnings of human functioning and translating that knowledge in ways that improve everyday life. Behavior analysis plays a very special role. For decades now, gains from applied behavior analysis have been evident in multiple settings (e.g., the home, schools, community, business, the military, hospitals, and rehabilitation facilities), with impact on broad goals of society (e.g., education, mental and physical health, safety), and with populations too numerous to list. These advances underscore a key challenge, namely, to integrate our work better into mainstream psychology and public life. Behavior analysis is more relevant than ever. Advances in many areas (e.g., climate change, epigenetics, neuroscience) underscore the importance of behavior change and its impact (e.g., on the environment, gene expression, overcoming trauma). There are historical reasons for isolation within psychology and perhaps current ones as well, but isolation has deleterious consequences for all parties, especially the public. Increased attention is needed to identify novel ways to integrate behavior analysis into public life and into psychology and perhaps to be influenced by that integration as well. |
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| ALAN E. KAZDIN (Yale Parenting Center and Child Conduct Clinic) |
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 Alan E. Kazdin. Ph.D. is the John M. Musser Professor of Psychology and Child Psychiatry at Yale University and Director of the Yale Parenting Center and Child Conduct Clinic, an outpatient treatment service for children and families. He received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Northwestern University. Before coming to Yale, he was on the faculty of The Pennsylvania State University and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. At Yale, he has been Chairman of the Psychology Department, Director of the Yale Child Study Center at the School of Medicine, and Director of Child Psychiatric Services, Yale-New Haven Hospital. Kazdin is a licensed clinical psychologist, a Diplomate of the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP), and a Fellow of the Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Psychological Association (APA), and the Association for Psychological Science. His honors include Research Scientist Career and MERIT Awards from the National Institute of Mental Health, Outstanding Research Contribution by an Individual (Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies), the Award for Outstanding Lifetime Contributions to Psychology (American Psychological Association), and the James McKeen Cattell Award (Association for Psychological Science). In 2008, he was President of the American Psychological Association. Currently, he teaches and supervises graduate and undergraduate students and runs a clinical-research program for children and families. His work focuses on child-rearing practices and the treatment of oppositional, aggressive, and antisocial behavior among children and adolescents. He has authored or edited over 650 articles, chapters, and books. His 45 books focus on child and adolescent psychotherapy, parenting, aggressive and antisocial behavior, and methodology and research design. |
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| Efficacy and Effectiveness Research Evidence in Applied Behavior Analysis |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 1:00 PM–1:20 PM |
| Seguin (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: CSE |
| Chair: Oliver C. Mudford (University of Auckland) |
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| Efficacy and Effectiveness Research Evidence in Applied Behavior Analysis |
| Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| OLIVER C. MUDFORD (University of Auckland) |
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| Abstract: Potential consumers of applied behavior analytic research findings (e.g., service providers, funding agencies, and government departments) may request information about the extent to which ABA constitutes evidence-based practice for their population of interest. Typically, their requests concern the effectiveness rather than the efficacy of interventions. In 2008, the majority of behavior analysts in New Zealand cooperated to provide a review of the evidence concerning the efficacy of ABA with people with autism spectrum disorders for the Ministries of Health and Education (Mudford et al., 2009). Our methods were based on those of the National Standards Project (National Autism Center, 2009). Although I will review the findings briefly, the main aim of this presentation is to examine the extent to which typical ABA research can contribute to evidence-based practice across a range of populations, and how those contributions could be improved. |
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| Conceptual Analyses of Controversial Autism Treatments |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 1:00 PM–1:50 PM |
| 207AB (CC) |
| Area: AUT |
| Chair: James T. Todd (Eastern Michigan University) |
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| The "Erroneous Baseline Design" and Other Methodological Misadventures of Facilitated Communication Advocacy |
| Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| JAMES T. TODD (Eastern Michigan University) |
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| Abstract: While still relying primarily on testimonials in the popular media to promote their discredited intervention, the advocates of facilitated communication (FC) now routinely claim that FC is an empirically supported method. However, of the dozen or so studies commonly cited by FC advocates as providing empirical support, few qualify as genuine controlled analyses. Not one provides methodologically sound evidence that even one person has communicated reliably through FC. The methodological errors made in these studies are astonishingly basic, ranging from the intentional exclusion of necessary controls to providing ongoing feedback about response accuracy to subjects in “blind” conditions. In addition to raising questions about the quality of peer-review in some journals, the existence and ready acceptance of such poorly executed studies suggests a fundamental obliviousness to, or repudiation of, basic standards of empirical proof among many developmental disabilities academics. |
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| Rapid Prompting, Facilitated Communication, and the Dangers of the Reverse Eureka Error |
| Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| JAMES T. TODD (Eastern Michigan University) |
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| Abstract: The Rapid Prompting Method (RPM), sometimes called "Informative Pointing," has been promoted through the media and workshops as a "revolutionary" new intervention for establishing pointing- and writing-based communication in people who are otherwise non-verbal. Superficially resembling discrete-trial training, RPM actually seems to be an alternative form of facilitated communication (FC) in which the putative communicator is taught to respond directly to subtle non-physical prompts and matching cues provided by the facilitator rather than being manually guided. As in FC, authorship validation, ongoing data collection, and other controls are vigorously avoided and discouraged. But, because the students' responses are typically made without physical contact with the facilitator, they appear to be more genuinely independent than the manually guided responses of FC. Because of the enhanced apparent independence, and claims of RPM promoters that RPM is not FC, false accusations mediated by RPM are potentially more dangerous than those made through FC. Some behavior analysts seem to be taking an interest in RPM as an adjunct to behavioral methods or an effective intervention in its own right, ignoring its methodological shortcomings, introductory textbook-level conceptual foundations, and complete lack of empirical support. |
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| Utilizing Behavior Change Strategies to Achieve Political Change |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 1:00 PM–1:50 PM |
| Ballroom A (CC) |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Service Delivery |
| Chair: Rita M. Gardner (Melmark New England) |
| JOHN SCIBAK (Massachusetts House of Representatives; The Vice-C) |
 State Representative John Scibak has served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives since January, 2003. He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, where he received a B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology with a specialization in developmental disabilities and applied behavior analysis. Previously, Rep. Scibak worked for many years in health care and human services and held academic positions at Indiana University, the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and Westfield State College. His research focused on the analysis and treatment of severe inappropriate behaviors and functional skills training. Rep. Scibak currently serves as the Vice-Chair of the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies and the Co-Chair of the Oral Health Legislative Caucus. Since his election in 2002, Rep. Scibak has been actively involved in the development and passage of significant legislation. He was the key sponsor of legislation to establish a comprehensive, statewide program to prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome in Massachusetts and, played an important role in the development of Massachusetts’ pioneering health care reform legislation. He also sponsored legislation this session to establish a licensure process for behavior analysts in Massachusetts and to require greater safeguards for treatment interventions which utilize aversive consequences in Massachusetts. |
| Abstract: For over 40 years, professionals have relied on the theory and practice of applied behavior analysis to address a multitude of behavioral issues. From the early studies which targeted problem behaviors in autistic children to more recent applications focusing on seat-belt use and improving sports performance, behavior analysis has provided a foundation for behavior change across different populations and settings. Today, there even are a number of television shows (e.g., Dog Whisperer, SuperNanny) which utilize behavior analytic principles to address everyday problems.
Despite these widespread applications, behavior analysts have yet to recognize politics as a viable area for research and practice. Candidates spend tremendous sums each year trying to influence the behavior of individual voters, yet never analyze why their specific strategies worked or not. This presentation will review some of the most common tactics from a behavior analytic perspective as well as provide specific examples from recent political campaigns.
The presentation will also address how behavior analysts can become more effective advocates by relying on strategies employed in their clinical practice and applying them with their own elected officials. |
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| SQAB Tutorial: Dynamics of Response: Uninterrupted Measurement of the Behavior Stream |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 1:00 PM–1:50 PM |
| 007CD (CC) |
| Area: EAB/BPH; Domain: Experimental Analysis |
| Presenting Authors: : STEPHEN FOWLER (University of Kansas) |
| Abstract: This tutorial will show 1) how the behavior analytic reach of operant conditioning methods can be increased by examining force, duration, and time integral of force (effort) of individual operant responses and 2) will describe a non-video method (i.e., force-plate actometer as the floor of an operant chamber) for tracking and otherwise quantifying behaviors that occur during interresponse times. Measurement of operant response force, duration and effort introduces new levels of complexity and apparatus considerations that are not present when responses are treated as intermittent, dimensionless events. These issues will be addressed in the context of selected behavioral pharmacology experiments with emphasis on drugs that affect brain dopamine systems. Tracking and measuring drug-induced behaviors with a force-plate as the floor of an operant chamber will be illustrated in two different paradigms: 1) rats self-administering cocaine and 2) rats performing on a 72-s differential reinforcement of low rate schedule of reinforcement under baseline and amphetamine-treatment conditions. Recent pertinent work conducted between the writing of this abstract and the convening of the annual meeting may also be described. |
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| STEPHEN FOWLER (University of Kansas) |
 In 1966, Stephen C. Fowler received his BS in Mathematics and Physics (undeclared major in Psychology) from the University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa). That same year he joined the laboratory of Joseph Notterman at Princeton University and earned a doctorate in Experimental Psychology in 1970. Notterman received his Ph.D. from Columbia and worked closely with both Keller and Schoenfeld. Notterman and collaborator Don Mintz are remembered for their pioneering work on the force, duration, and time integral of force (effort) of operant responses as complementary to the response rate variable. In 1973, Dr. Fowler joined the Psychology Department at the University of Mississippi. While there, he built his laboratory, served a 3.5-yr term as department chair, and received several awards, including being named an “F.A.P. Barnard Distinguished Professor.” He moved to the University of Kansas in 1994 to accept appointments in Human Development and the Life Span Institute. Since 2002, his home academic department has been Pharmacology and Toxicology (where “molecular” is not a metaphor). Fowler has spent much of his research time developing the use of force measurements in biobehavioral research, especially in behavioral pharmacology and behavioral neuroscience. Dr. Fowler has authored/coauthored, with dozens of collaborators, over 120 refereed publications, and has enjoyed nearly continuous NIH research support (his current NIMH grant is in its 21st consecutive year). |
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| Inclusion: Effective Behavioral Practices and Interventions in the Classroom |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 1:00 PM–1:50 PM |
| Texas Ballroom Salon A (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: EDC/DDA; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| Chair: Christina M. Countie Rodd (Simmons College) |
| SARA C. BICARD (University of Memphis) |
| MICHAEL J. CAMERON (Simmons College) |
| JAMES J. FOX (East Tennessee State University) |
| Abstract: The classroom is a fundamental part of the learning process; not only for the academics, but also for socialization. In an inclusive classroom, children with special needs are given the opportunity to learn in the same environment as their peers, while their peers are given the opportunity to learn with and include their atypical peers in their daily activities. Often, an inclusive classroom is structured so that different styles of learning are used; small groups, partnered learning, and peer modeling are some of the ways special needs children are taught and included in the classroom. As behavior analysts, it is our job to facilitate not only the appropriate learning environment for academics and social skills, but also apply behavioral interventions to cope with and overcome the behavioral obstacles that often come between a special needs child and this/her learning. Michael Cameron, Jim Fox, and Sara Bicard are experts on the topic of inclusion and will be educating us on effective behavioral interventions and practices in the classroom. |
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| Old Friends: Organizational Behavior Management and Developmental Disabilities |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 1:00 PM–1:50 PM |
| 103AB (CC) |
| Area: OBM; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| Chair: Alicia M. Alvero (Queens College, The City University of New York) |
| PETER STURMEY (Queens College, The City University of New York) |
 Professor Peter Sturmey is Professor of Psychology at The Graduate Center and The Department of Psychology, Queens College, City University of New York. He is a member of both the Learning Processes and Behavior Analysis, and Neuropsychology Doctoral programs. His research interests include applied behavior analysis and caregiver training and developmental disabilities and behavior analytic conceptualization to psychopathology and clinical case formulation. |
| Abstract: When behavior analysts left their labs in the 1950s, where experimental environments were highly controlled, they met staff and family members of children and adults with developmental disabilities. Behavior analysts soon observed that staff and family members differed from Skinner boxes. Hence, the earliest applied behavior analytic studies immediately began to address caretaker behavior. This interest has been sustained and, indeed, has intensified as more human services attempt to adopt applied behavior analysis. This address will review the overlapping fields of organizational behavior management (OBM) and developmental disabilities to highlight common areas of focus, concern, and future directions.
There are several robust technologies of training caregivers—such as behavioral skills training, task clarification, and feedback—which have addressed a wide variety of socially significant behavior. Sometimes these approaches have also shown beneficial changes in client behavior. Some studies have also conducted large-scale behavior change through pyramidal training, in which routine supervisors train caregivers to behave more effectively to produce beneficial changes in client behavior.
Despite this progress, several important issues have not been addressed as rigorously as they could be. These issues include developing robust technologies to assess and prioritize caregiver training needs, developing comprehensive caregiver training curricula, demonstration of generalization of caregiver and supervisor behavior in pyramidal training with concurrent benefits to client groups, maintenance of change, greater use of basic behavior analytic concepts to explain and refine applied technologies, and wide-scale adoption of OBM practices in large organizations. The field of developmental disabilities can also benefit from other areas of OBM, such as behavioral safety. Future research and practice should continue to expand and refine the interplay between OBM and the field of developmental disabilities. |
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| Translating the Vocabulary of the Science of Behavior Analysis |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 1:00 PM–1:50 PM |
| Texas Ballroom Salon F (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: TBA |
| Chair: Raul Mendoza (Florida Institute of Technology) |
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| The Demystification of Behavior Speak Delivered to Public School Team Teachers via Independent Consultation |
| Domain: Service Delivery |
| RAUL MENDOZA (Walden University), Cheryl Ann Fielding (University of Texas-Pan American), Valerie Nicole Moreno (University of Texas-Pan American), John Loudermilk (University of Texas-Pan American) |
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| Abstract: While independently contracted to conduct a functional behavioral assessment (FBA) for a public school, we incorporated the use of laymen’s terms—specifically using the vernacular of the local area and thereby providing a more effective overall delivery of service.
A local education agency (LEA) contracted us to provide an independent FBA for parent s of a child who did not agree with the findings of the assessment conducted by the LEA’s individual education plan team. Parents agreed and while we presented our findings at an admission, review, dismissal meeting, we noticed everyone’s perplexed looks while we read our report.
In our report, we were sure to clearly and concisely define our terms like most good behavior analyst do, but knew that our professional staff development needed to be put into terms that staff members could relate to. However, we still had to address the complexities of reinforcement, stimuli, antecedents, consequences, operant behavior, contingency, and other terms we as behavior analysts use on an almost daily basis.
This paper will discuss how we covered both the human emphasis of addressing socially significant behaviors while simultaneously achieving behavior and academic goals via applied behavior analysis and incorporating laymen’s terms. |
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| Development of Dictionaries of Behavior Analysis in Finnish: A Dictionary of Experimental Analysis of Behavior and a Dictionary of Applied and Clinical Behavior Analysis |
| Domain: Theory |
| MARTTI T. TUOMISTO (University of Tampere), Lauri Parkkinen (Department of Psychology, University of Tampere) |
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| Abstract: Behavior analysis is spreading its influence around the world. With this dissemination and advancement it will be necessary to translate or develop behavioral terminology into more languages. We are aware of many projects in which behavioral terminology and concepts are being translated into different languages and developed within these languages. They include French, Icelandic, Italian, and Polish. We have developed the first dictionaries of behavior analysis in Finnish with the first one having appeared in 2008. The other dictionary was approaching its final editing stages at the end of 2009. It contains terms of applied and clinical behavior analysis. We will describe the processes of constructing and editing the dictionaries, the difficulties, and possibilities. One such difficulty has been the difference of the Finnish language from English. On the other side, it has offered many advantages. Finnish is a Uralic language (the Finno-Ugrian branch) and it differs from the Indo-European languages that are more well-known to most people. In these comparisons, we find many similarities and many differences. This development is challenging and interesting. |
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| Behavioral Profiles of Children With Autism: Determining Priorities for Intervention |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 1:00 PM–2:20 PM |
| 204AB (CC) |
| Area: AUT/VBC; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| Chair: Jessica Hetlinger Franco (University of Texas at Austin) |
| Discussant: Jessica Hetlinger Franco (University of Texas at Austin) |
| CE Instructor: Nancy Champlin, M.S. |
| Abstract: Treatment of children with autism can be maximized by focusing on skills that will provide the greatest improvements in the child’s overall functioning in the shortest amount of time. However, it is often difficult to decipher what behaviors are going to be the most critical for the future success of the child. These studies investigated the results of developmental and behavioral assessments of children being evaluated for potential autism spectrum disorder. The results suggest that each assessment tool presents a unique profile of the behavioral characteristics associated with autism. Further analysis of the profiles offers suggestions about the most appropriate intervention priorities for these children. |
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| Using the VB-MAPP Barriers Assessment to Identify Language and Learning Barriers in Children |
| LUPE CASTANEDA (Behavior Analytic Solutions, LLC) |
| Abstract: The Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program (VB-MAPP) Barriers Assessment (Sundberg, 2008) examines 24 different areas that are potential barriers to learning. The assessment includes areas that may be deficit, such as manding, and areas that may be in excess, such as self stimulation. Once barriers are identified, intervention can focus on the key areas inhibiting learning. In this study, the Barriers Assessment was administered to 80 young children with autism. Summary of the results and corresponding profiles are discussed. |
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| Using the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers to Identify the Strongest Predictors of Autism |
| JUSTIN GARCIA (Treehouse Pediatric Center) |
| Abstract: The Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT) is a screening tool used to identify children at risk for autism. In this study, the M-CHAT was administered to 150 children receiving an interdisciplinary autism evaluation. The number of children failing an autism screening using the M-CHAT was compared with the the number of children diagnosed with ASD. Specific items were analyzed to examine the predictive validity. Several items were identified that were consistently scored for children diagnosed with autism. |
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| The Importance of Developmental Quotients in the Diagnosis of Autism and Identification of Core Deficits |
| AMIT NADKARNI (Autism Community Network) |
| Abstract: A Developmental Quotient (DQ) is the resulting number when a child's developmental age is compared with his or her chronological age. For example, a DQ of 100 would suggest that the child is functioning developmentally at exactly his chronological age. Comparison of DQs across skill areas (motor, social, language) can aid in the diagnosis of autism as well as in treatment planning. Developmental quotients of children with autism are compared with children without autism. Results suggest that for children with autism, DQs for social and language skills will be significantly lower than DQs for cognitive, motor, and self-help skills. |
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| How Much Is Enough? — Determining Normative Levels of Social-Communicative Behaviors in Preschoolers |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 1:00 PM–2:20 PM |
| 205 (CC) |
| Area: AUT/VBC; Domain: Service Delivery |
| Chair: Lisa J. Stoddard (FirstSteps for Kids, Inc.) |
| Discussant: Sebastien Bosch (California Unified Service Providers) |
| CE Instructor: Peter Sturmey, Ph.D.Ph.D. |
| Abstract: In addition to a restricted range of interests, autism spectrum disorders are defined by deficits in language and social skills. Consequently, a considerable focus in autism intervention and research is the development of social and communicative repertoires. Given the current body of literature, clinicians now have a wide variety of empirically-validated tools at their disposal when designing individualized intervention plans for their clients. While the goal of these strategies generally is to increase some given social / communicative skill (e.g., increase spontaneous mands, increase eye contact), clinicians often do not have prescribed normative levels upon which to base their ultimate goals for clients. As such, the purpose of this symposium is to review the limited research to date regarding norms for some of the most commonly targeted skills, as well as describe the results of our own observational studies on the levels of mands and tacts, eye contact, and social initiations and responses among typically developing preschoolers. These results will assist behavior analysts in the generation of developmentally appropriate and measurable treatment goals and outcomes. |
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| Determining Normative Quantity and Quality of Mands and Tacts in Typically Developing Preschoolers |
| Kristen Carmi (FirstSteps for Kids, Inc.), Lisa J. Stoddard (FirstSteps for Kids, Inc.), Debra Berry Malmberg (California State University, Northridge), JENNIFER L. HARRIS (FirstSteps for Kids, Inc.) |
| Abstract: There is no shortage of empirical literature supporting verbal behavior training as a highly efficient and effective tool in developing and maintaining functional communication across populations, particularly as an early intervention for children with language delays and developmental disabilities, including autism. There is also an abundance of developmental research quantifying normative levels for sentence structure and vocabulary acquisition rates. However, the developmentally appropriate ranges of manding and tacting per interval for typically developing children have yet to be reported. As such, we sought to observe typically developing toddlers, ages 2-3 years old, across multiple conditions in the natural environment to determine normative, developmentally appropriate and unprompted ranges of manding and tacting behavior. The current presentation will extend our previous findings regarding total and novel mand rates by reporting additional variables measured, such as mean length of utterance (MLU), gender differences, and mand classification (e.g., mands for tangibles, activities, cessation, information, etc.). Interobserver reliability, utilized for mand and tact topography as well as mand and tact frequency, was within acceptable ranges. The implication of this study is that normative levels and quality of verbal behavior will inform developmentally appropriate expectations and targets for intervention for children with autism and other disorders. |
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| Determining Typical Levels of Eye Contact in Children 2-4 Years Old |
| COURTNEY LANAGAN (FirstSteps for Kids, Inc.), Elizabeth Sue Monday (FirstSteps for Kids, Inc.), Lisa J. Stoddard (FirstSteps for Kids, Inc.) |
| Abstract: It is widely known that eye contact plays a crucial role in human development and learning. Children with autism often struggle to establish and maintain eye contact from the early stages of development and into later years when eye contact is socially expected during interactions with peers and adults. However, little is known regarding the usual frequency with which typically developing children establish eye contact with their interlocutors during these social interactions. As such, intervention goals for children with autism are often designed based on what is assumed to be typical and may overestimate or underestimate the actual behavior that typically developing children display. Thus, the current study sought to extend upon previous research and determine normative levels of eye contact by directly observing typically developing children aged 2-4 years old while engaged in play with peers and measuring instances of eye contact. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for designing data-driven goals for children with autism. |
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| Determining Normative Levels of Social Interaction in Typically Developing Preschoolers |
| LISA J. STODDARD (FirstSteps for Kids, Inc.), Jennifer L. Harris (FirstSteps for Kids, Inc.) |
| Abstract: By definition, social deficits are observed in children with autism spectrum disorders. Numerous studies have described the use of behavior analytic technology and procedures to increase social behavior in children with autism. The focus of much of these studies is participants' use of independent social initiations toward peers, as well as responses to peers' initiations. However, relatively little research has described normative levels of initiations and responses in typically developing children. The purpose of the present address is to review the published studies to date that report levels of at least one form of social interaction in typically developing children, and limitations of these studies will be discussed. To extend the current body of research in this area, the presentation will also review the results of our own observational investigation of social interactions among typically developing preschoolers during multiple group free-play opportunities. Recorded levels of social initiations and responses to others' initiations will be reported via percent of intervals and percent per opportunity, and the implications of these data on the development of measurable goals for children with autism will be discussed. |
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| The Importance of and Some Issues Related to Comprehensive Measurement Systems When Serving Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 1:00 PM–2:20 PM |
| 206AB (CC) |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Service Delivery |
| Chair: Michael A. Fabrizio (FEAT of Washington) |
| Discussant: Peter F. Gerhardt (Organization for Autism Research) |
| CE Instructor: Francis Mechner, Ph.D. |
| Abstract: This symposium will address topics related to developing and implementing comprehensive measurement systems within the context of service programs for adolescents with autism spectrum disorders. Topics will include developing measures for use in a service learning program serving teens with high functioning autism and Asperger’s Disorder; measures of performance in both component skill instruction and community based instruction and designing broader measures of learner achievement within the context of a service program for adolescents with autism spectrum disorders; and designing measures of social validity for both direct and indirect consumers of a service program for adolescents with autism spectrum disorders. Examples of measures and charted data will be presented. |
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| Development of Measurement Systems for a Service Learning Program for Highly Skilled Teens with Autism |
| ANDREW M. SYVERTSEN (FEAT of Washington), Carrie Syvertsen (FEAT of Washington), Michael A. Fabrizio (FEAT of Washington) |
| Abstract: Families for Effective Autism Treatment (FEAT) of Washington provides clinical services to adolescents with high functioning autism and Asperger's syndrome through the Experience Learning Project (ELP). ELP is a service and experiential learning program focusing on improving teens’ skills in social problem solving and social thinking as well as improving teens’ knowledge of the concept of service and service provision. This presentation will focus on 1) presenting data on the implementation of critical daily activities; 2) examples of data collection procedures, instructional arrangements and goal setting used to target specific social skills; 3) promising outcome data; and 4) challenges to developing measurement systems for this program. |
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| Developing and Implementing Measurement Systems With Appropriate Breadth and Depth Within a Service Program for Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders. |
| JAMIE ROSE FEDDOCK (FEAT of Washington), Andrew M. Syvertsen (FEAT of Washington), Michael A. Fabrizio (FEAT of Washington) |
| Abstract: Families for Effective Autism Treatment of Washington provides clinical services to adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) through the Transitions for Teens program. Transitions for Teens utilizes two instructional arrangements (community based instruction and component skill instruction) to address performance toward learning objectives for adolescents with ASD and the standard celeration chart to display and analyze data related to learner performance. Performance is measured and data are analyzed at the micro, meta and macro levels. This presentation will focus on providing 1) examples of learner data from both instructional arrangements, 2) a discussion of the relationship between component skill instruction and community based instruction, and 3) a discussion and examples of measures developed to assess change in broader repertoire areas. |
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| Comprehensive Measurement of Social Validity Within a Service Program for Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorders |
| ALISON J. MCMANUS (FEAT of Washington), Michael A. Fabrizio (FEAT of Washington), Jamie Rose Feddock (FEAT of Washington) |
| Abstract: Families for Effective Autism Treatment (FEAT) of Washington provides clinical services to teens with autism spectrum disorders through the Transitions for Teens (TFT) program. FEAT of Washington aims to serve persons with autism as well as their families by providing effective intervention that produces positive outcomes for both the direct and indirect consumers. The TFT program seeks to increase skills across a variety of repertoire areas. Learning objectives are identified through the person centered planning process as well as from family feedback and intervention is developed to address these objectives. This presentation will focus on providing 1) a discussion of the development of program objectives for learners, 2) a discussion and examples of measures of indirect consumer satisfaction, and 3) a discussion and examples of measures of direct consumer satisfaction. |
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| Advances in Skill Acquisition Techniques for Children With Autism: Empirical Evidence for Emerging Practice |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 1:00 PM–2:20 PM |
| 202AB (CC) |
| Area: AUT/DDA; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| Chair: Amanda N. Adams (California State University, Fresno) |
| Discussant: Rachel Findel-Pyles (The Chicago School, Los Angeles) |
| CE Instructor: J. Hughes, Ph.D. |
| Abstract: Some techniques in early intervention for young children with autism are common practice and some are emerging. Either are at risk for occasionally lacking empirical support. Three papers in this symposium will examine skill acquisition techniques for quickly advancing skills with children in early intervention programs. |
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| The Effect of Errorless Learning Procedures on Rate of Skill Acquisition in ABA |
| HANNA WOLDE (California State University, Fresno), Amanda N. Adams (California State University, Fresno) |
| Abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of errorless teaching procedures in skills acquisition of children with autism in early intensive behavioral treatment based on principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA). The study compared two teaching strategies, an error correction (‘no’, ‘no’ prompting) and errorless teaching procedures (delayed cue, stimulus fading, and superimposition and fading), using alternating treatment design to teach various skills to four children with autism (age 3-5 years). Two programs or skills were selected for each participant, including reading sight words, answering “what” and “where” questions, receptively identifying actions, shapes, objects, and animals. Two targets (e.g., dog and cat for receptively identifying animals) were selected for each program. One target (cat) was taught using errorless teaching procedure and the other (dog) was simultaneously taught using error correction method. Participants had to perform 80% or higher for three consecutive probe sessions in order for the skill to be mastered. Results indicated that all four participants, on average, acquired skills 44% faster using errorless teaching procedure than with error correction method. Moreover, on average, it took participants 4.25 probe sessions to master a program using errorless procedure compared to 7.6 sessions with error correction. However, one of the participants, who was high functioning, showed no difference in skill acquisition between the two procedures in one of the programs (“where” questions). In general, these results indicated that errorless teaching procedures were superior to error correction in skills acquisition for all four participants. |
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| The Effects of Expansions at the End of Discrete Trials: Child Language Outcomes |
| MELISSA L. OLIVE (Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Inc.), Elizabeth Cage (Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Inc.), Jonathan J. Tarbox (Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Inc.), Chia Jung Chiang (Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Inc.), E. Amanda Boutot (Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Inc.) |
| Abstract: Werts and colleagues examined the outcomes of unrelated instructional feedback at the end of discrete trials (Werts, Wolery, Holcombe, & Frederick, 1993). They reported positive learning outcomes for children. Expansions are more sophisticated related utterances provided in response to child utterances. Expansions have been shown to have positive changes in children’s language outcomes (Girolametto et al. 1999). The effects of expansions at the end of discrete trials on language outcomes for children are unknown. Thus, the purpose of this study is to examine the effects of expansions at the end of discrete trial on language skills of children with autism. A multiple baseline across expressive language lessons was used to evaluate the outcomes of this study. This was replicated with three children. Data collected included percent correct trial by trial data, spontaneous initiations, and use of targeted phrases. Generalization data were collected during natural environment sessions. Results demonstrated that expansions at the end of discrete trials resulted in rapid acquisition of new language targets that generalized to untrained environments. |
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| Teaching Bidirectional Intraverbal Relations to Children With Autism in a Service-Delivery Setting |
| MARLA SALTZMAN (Autism Behavior Intervention, Inc.), Rachel Findel-Pyles (The Chicago School, Los Angeles), Caio F. Miguel (California State University, Sacramento), Sebastien Bosch (California Unified Service Providers of California State University) |
| Abstract: Given that one of the primary goals of Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention (EIBI) is to accelerate the rates of learning for children with autism, the application of procedures demonstrating relative efficiency is of significant applied importance. Especially in the intermediate pieces of EIBI language curricula, many intraverbal relations related to functions, features, categories, locations, occupations, etc. are taught. Many of these intraverbal relations are bidirectional. A bidirectional intraverbal relation is comprised of an original A-B relation (e.g., “What do you drive?” – “car”) and a reverse B-A relation (e.g., “What do you do with a car?” – “drive”). One way of increasing efficiency of training may be to establish bidirectional intraverbal responding. Two types of intraverbal training procedures were used with young children with autism to examine relative efficiency in terms of response acquisition and the emergence of intraverbals. Delayed reversal training, in which a number of original intraverbals were taught, followed by the teaching of the corresponding reverse intraverbals was compared to immediate reversal training, in which each reverse intraverbal was taught immediately after the corresponding original intraverbal. An alternating treatments design, alternating between delayed and immediate reversal training was used and trials to criterion and emergence of original and reverse intraverbals was tested. Results will be discussed in terms of the challenges of and implications for conducting research in a clinical setting. |
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| International Service Development for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders: Creating Sustainable Service Delivery Systems |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 1:00 PM–2:20 PM |
| 203AB (CC) |
| Area: AUT/TBA; Domain: Service Delivery |
| Chair: Molly Ola Pinney (Global Autism Project) |
| Abstract: Recent figures note the prevalence and incidence of autism spectrum disorders increasing worldwide. As a result, service development efforts have increased internationally as governments, universities, and families prioritize the creation of effective services for the growing number of children diagnosed with these disorders. International program development efforts often begin in regions inaccessible to university training programs and without the benefits of exemplary program models or . For those involved in these efforts, resources are challenging to access, peer networks are limited, and cultural differences may challenge efforts to create sustainable service delivery systems. Distance, language barriers, and unfamiliar traditions may impede efficiency and impact the stability of |
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| Using the Principles of Applied Behavior Analysis to Build Sustainable Business Practices in an International, Nonprofit Organization |
| MOLLY OLA PINNEY (Global Autism Project) |
| Abstract: The Global Autism Project is a nonprofit organization that partners with existing organizations in underserved populations around the world to increase their capacity to provide applied behavior analysis services and increase awareness of autism spectrum and related disorders throughout their community. To that end, the project has employed a two-prong mission: the provision of clinical training provided by Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA) and training in development and maintenance of sustainable business practices. Such practices include daily operational tasks designed to increase the efficiency of services as well as long-range strategic planning for organizations. The involvement of the Global Autism Project is designed to be temporary and clear exit criteria are established for each location. This paper will describe the Global Autism Project and several of its international service efforts, examine the important of sustainable business practices in teaching ABA methodologies internationally, and present the unique challenges encountered in international service development. |
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| Teaching Behavior Analysis in International Settings: Bringing the Science of Applied Behavior Analysis Abroad |
| SUSAN AINSLEIGH (Dar Al Hekma College) |
| Abstract: Service development efforts for children with autism spectrum disorders in international settings rely on the professional development of practitioners, administrators, and clinicians in the local community. Teaching others the science of applied behavior analysis becomes a continuous, daily task upon which the development of quality, sustainable services depends. This teaching begins in settings that may have had little exposure to behavioral science, principles or programming; misconceptions about the science may prevail. Students may include business owners as well as teachers, operations personnel as well as practitioners. Global examples of successful programming may not be well-disseminated and local examples may be non-existent; service development, therefore, must occur concurrently with education. Differences in language and culture presented additional challenges in communication and sharing. And yet, technology provides the world access to a science that has offered tremendous benefit to families and their children with autism spectrum disorders. As a result, global citizens are driven to seek this knowledge and develop effective service systems based upon its acquisition. This paper describes a unique partnership between a university and a non-profit organization serving children with autism spectrum disorders developed for the purpose of bringing the science of applied behavior analysis to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. |
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| Supervision of Behavior Analytic Services in International Programs |
| KAREN MASSEY (Private Practice) |
| Abstract: A key challenge in the provision of applied behavior analysis (ABA) services to children and families with autism spectrum disorders in international settings is the provision of on-going, meaningful supervision to practitioners. Often, in the absence of locally trained behavioral personnel, organizations and families recruit foreign experts to assist with program development and implementation. Once created, programs and systems need on-going attention and care to continue achieving satisfactory results. Developing supervisory systems in international settings presents a number of immediate and long-term challenges, including limited access to personnel, language and cultural barriers that challenge communication and credibility, experiential differences, cost and travel requirements, and technology challenges. This paper describes ABA services developed for children with autism spectrum disorders in the Russian Federation, focusing on initial and on-going systems for supervision of newly trained practitioners and families. Systems for providing face-to-face and distance supervision are presented and compared. Strategies for maintaining adequate levels of supervision to behavior analytic programs located in remote areas are shared. |
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| Developing Language Programs in Multi-Lingual and Multi-Cultural International Settings |
| BRIDGETTE A. GAUTHIER (Ontario Association for Behavior Analysis) |
| Abstract: Many children with autism spectrum disorders demonstrate delays in language skills. Service providers, consequently, regularly develop language programs for these children. In international, multi-cultural settings, unique challenges impact language instruction. Assessment tools in the native language are often not available. Service providers may not be familiar with the native or mother tongue, and families often speak multiple languages in the home. Schools may instruct in a language different from the family language. Decisions regarding language selection are frequently required. Cultural differences and traditions also impact language instruction. This paper presents the many challenges associated with language instruction for children with autism spectrum disorders, specifically, the challenges faced in developing such programs in international, multi-cultural settings, and successful strategies for overcoming these challenges. |
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| Employment Preparation in the Therapeutic Workplace:
Reinforcement-Based Training for Unemployed Drug Users |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 1:00 PM–2:20 PM |
| Travis C/D (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: BPH; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| Chair: James H. Boscoe (Johns Hopkins University) |
| Discussant: Jesse Dallery (University of Florida) |
| CE Instructor: Nirvana Pistoljevic, Ph.D. |
| Abstract: The Therapeutic Workplace is an employment-based intervention for chronic unemployment and drug addiction. Therapeutic Workplace participants are unemployed and have little or no work experience. Many of the Therapeutic Workplace participants have less than a 12th grade education. In preparation for employment, the Therapeutic Workplace intervention offers training in keyboarding and other computer skills, GED preparation, and appropriate interpersonal behavior in the workplace. To promote attendance and active participation in the training programs, participants receive monetary vouchers contingent on attendance and training performance. This symposium will describe recent research on several of the employment and academic training programs used in the Therapeutic Workplace. Our first presentation will focus on the reinforcement effects of voucher payments on attendance and typing performance. Another presentation will describe skill acquisition on a self-paced computerized math training program (iPass) as an initial step in preparation for the high school equivalency examination. A final presentation will describe a system for monitoring and modifying interpersonal and customer service behaviors during patient interactions with staff and peers. All presentations will include data to demonstrate the effects of the interventions on the target behaviors and discuss future directions for expansion of the employment training programs in the Therapeutic Workplace. |
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| Positive Reinforcement Improves Attendance and Achievement on Self-Paced Typing Training Programs in a Therapeutic Workplace for Alcohol Dependence |
| MIKHAIL KOFFARNUS (University of Michigan), Conrad J. Wong (University of Kentucky), Karly N. Diemer (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine), Michael Fingerhood (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine), George Bigelow (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine), Kenneth Silverman (Johns Hopkins University) |
| Abstract: The Therapeutic Workplace is an effective drug abuse treatment that integrates abstinence reinforcement into a work setting, using wages that drug abusers earn for work to reinforce abstinence. In the current study, individuals who were homeless, unemployed and dependent upon alcohol were assigned to a "work only" (n = 42), "abstinence and work" (n = 43) or "no voucher" (n = 39) group. All participants were invited to work in the Therapeutic Workplace four hours per weekday for 26 weeks. Participants in the "work only" and "abstinence and work" groups could earn up to $5 per hour in base pay and additional earnings for performance on computerized, self-paced typing training programs. "Work only" and "no voucher" participants could work independent of daily and random breath results, while "abstinence" and "work" participants could work only when their breath samples demonstrated alcohol abstinence. The differential reinforcement contingencies in place impacted attendance and typing training performance, with the"no voucher" group making significantly less progress than the "abstinence" and "work" and "work only" groups. This demonstrates that performance-based contingencies can improve attendance and training program progress. Training program results in relation to the attendance and performance-based contingencies and alcohol use will be discussed. |
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| Academic Training in the Therapeutic Workplace |
| JAMES H. BOSCOE (Johns Hopkins University), Anthony DeFulio (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine), David A. MacQueen (University of North Carolina, Wilmington), Mick J. Needham (Johns Hopkins University), Kenneth Silverman (Johns Hopkins University) |
| Abstract: The Therapeutic Workplace intervention has traditionally included self-paced computerized training designed to teach participants to become data entry operators in preparation for employment. Many of the participants attending the Therapeutic Workplace have not earned a high school degree or equivalent which may be a barrier to employment. Therefore we have expanded our training curriculum to include training in basic math skills (iPass) as an initial step in preparation for the high school equivalency exam. As with the typing training program the math training is delivered via computer which simplifies the process of tailoring training to individual patient needs. The present discussion will provide an overview of the math training program. Data will be presented to (1) demonstrate the effect of the training program on the Wide Range Achievement Test scores and (2) provide description of earnings and progress through the training. Future plans for expansion of the academic training curriculum in the Therapeutic Workplace will be discussed. |
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| Professional Demeanor in the Therapeutic Workplace: Monitoring Interpersonal and Customer Service Behaviors |
| BRANDON RING (University of Maryland, Baltimore County), Sigurdur Oli Sigurdsson (University of Maryland, Baltimore County), Mick J. Needham (Johns Hopkins University), James H. Boscoe (Johns Hopkins University), Kenneth Silverman (Johns Hopkins University) |
| Abstract: Developing interpersonal work skills (e.g., making eye contact, orienting your body towards others you are conversing with) and customer service type skills (e.g., saying thank you when appropriate, not interrupting an ongoing conversation) are potentially important factors of vocational training. We monitored trainee behaviors on closed circuit cameras located at two different rooms in the Therapeutic Workplace which had multiple staff and trainee interactions during the day. Behaviors monitored included trainees’ first entrance greetings; respectfulness toward staff members (i.e., body orientation); ID card exchanges (e.g., handing the card to a staff member; saying “thank you” in appropriate situations); voucher exchange and making eye contact with Classroom staff and Lab staff during three separate interactions occurring each workday. A need for developing these skills was determined based on a large subset of participants consistently obtaining low scores on three professional demeanor dimensions measured with the Work Behavior Inventory, (i.e., social skills, cooperativeness, personal presentation). Planned interventions and preliminary data will be presented. |
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| The Advancement of Functional Analysis Methodology in Outpatient Clinic Settings |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 1:00 PM–2:20 PM |
| Texas Ballroom Salon C (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: CBM/DDA; Domain: Service Delivery |
| Chair: Brenda J. Bassingthwaite (University of Iowa Children's Hospital) |
| Discussant: Mark F. O'Reilly (University of Texas at Austin) |
| Abstract: The functional analysis methodology developed by Iwata et al. (1982/1994) has been modified to increase its applicability to different settings. Wacker et al. (1994) outlined the use of “brief functional analyses” for evaluations in outpatient settings. The methodology continues to be employed in outpatient settings and is being extended into other venues as needs arise and technology allows. Papers in this symposium will highlight recent extensions of functional analysis in outpatient clinics and current adaptations of the outpatient model to other settings. Kelly Schieltz will present extensions of functional analysis in an outpatient setting by describing a treatment assessment that used discriminative stimuli for positive reinforcement to improve children’s compliance to work activities. Presentations by Andrew Lightner and Wendy Machalicek will highlight the extension of the outpatient model to other settings. Andrew Lightner will present the results of a four-phase project studying the generalizability of behavioral assessment results and the generalizability of treatment outcomes observed in an outpatient clinic to home settings. Wendy Machalicek will present a study utilizing video tele-conferencing to conduct a functional analysis and brief intervention comparisons at remote settings. Mark O’Reilly will discuss the advancement of the outpatient model through the years and the individual papers. |
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| An Evaluation of Motivating Operations for Negative Reinforcement and Discriminative Stimuli for Positive Reinforcement |
| KELLY M. SCHIELTZ (University of Iowa), David P. Wacker (University of Iowa), Patrick Romani (University of Iowa), Jessica O'Bleness (University of Iowa) |
| Abstract: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether a discriminative stimulus for positive reinforcement biased responding towards compliance for escape-maintained problem behavior. The participants were two typically developing children who engaged in problem behavior maintained by escape from demands. All procedures were conducted within a 90-minute evaluation in a behavioral outpatient clinic. Interobserver agreement was assessed for 84% of sessions and averaged 95%. Brief functional analyses of problem behavior were conducted within a multielement design. Problem behavior was evaluated under escape conditions with and without a discriminative stimulus for positive reinforcement. During all conditions, escape from the demand was provided contingent on problem behavior. During the discriminative stimulus condition, participants chose a toy or activity they obtained contingent on compliance with a demand. This toy or activity was present next to the work task. For both participants results showed that problem behavior was maintained by negative reinforcement. Problem behavior decreased under escape conditions when a discriminative stimulus for positive reinforcement was present. Results suggested that a discriminative stimulus for positive reinforcement was effective at biasing responses towards compliance under the motivating operation for negative reinforcement. Results suggested an effective intervention for escape-maintained problem behavior without the need to use extinction procedures. |
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| From the Clinic to Home and Community: A Summary of Behavioral Assessment and Treatment Outcomes |
| ANDREW LIGHTNER (West Virginia University), Lisa C. Winborn-Kemmerer (West Virginia University), Amanda Shanklin (West Virginia University) |
| Abstract: One common criticism of outpatient clinics is that treatment success may not generalize to natural environments. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcomes data across settings, for clients who were assessed in our outpatient behavioral training clinic at West Virginia University during a one year period. All clients were diagnosed with a developmental disability or autism and were referred to the clinic for engaging in a variety of problem behaviors. Our evaluation consisted of four phases. During Phase 1, descriptive data were gathered using a functional analysis interview. During Phase 2, functional analyses were conducted within a multielement or reversal design to identify the maintaining variables for problem behavior. Phase 3 involved the implementation of a reinforcement-based treatment that matched the function(s) of problem behavior. Phase 4 consisted of generalization probes of treatment in the home setting. A reduction in problem behavior and an increase in appropriate social behaviors were observed clinically for all participants who exhibited problem behavior. In addition, treatment effects were observed in home settings. Interobserver agreement ranged from 80% to 100%. Implications regarding the role of outpatient clinics and future extensions of clinical services will be discussed. |
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| Using Videoconferencing to Conduct Functional Analysis of Challenging Behavior and Implement Intervention Selection Model |
| WENDY A. MACHALICEK (University of Wisconsin-Madison) |
| Abstract: Past research suggests that performance feedback may contribute to improved treatment adherence for parents of children with challenging behavior, but behavior specialists and families may find the cost and time involved prohibitive. This may be especially true for families residing in communities without access to behavior specialists. Video tele-conferencing (VTC) may provide an innovative tool with which expert supervision and training may be efficiently delivered to distant settings (Barretto, Wacker, Harding, Lee, & Berg, 2006; Machalicek et al., in press; Machalicek et al., 2009). With performance feedback provided via VTC (i.e., laptop computers, web cameras, broadband Internet), three parents of children with developmental disabilities who engaged in challenging behavior implemented functional analyses and brief multielement intervention comparisons. Based on the results of the multielement intervention comparisons and parent preference, individualized interventions were selected and their effects on challenging behavior evaluated in natural settings using individual ABAB designs. During intervention, parents received performance feedback via VTC. Data is to be collected. |
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| Examination of Strategies to Promote Staff Performance in Human Service Settings |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 1:00 PM–2:20 PM |
| 217A (CC) |
| Area: DDA/OBM; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| Chair: Florence D. DiGennaro Reed (Melmark New England) |
| CE Instructor: Marta Leon, Ph.D. |
| Abstract: The identification of procedures to train employees and maintain performance is a priority for agencies that provide services to individuals with developmental disabilities. Potential benefits include, but are not limited to (1) possible amelioration of burnout often experienced by direct care staff, (2) responsible allocation of needed resources (e.g., costs associated with training), and most importantly, (3) the promotion of excellent service delivery. The first talk presents findings from a study investigating the impact of training on therapist knowledge of single-case research design. Next, the impact of three types of training on implementation of discrete trial teaching will be presented. In the third presentation, the effects of an antecedent intervention on data recording practices of teachers will be shared. The symposium concludes with a talk that presents results of a study examining consistency of staff preference for rewards. Presenters will discuss implication of their findings in educational and clinical settings. |
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| Training the Execution of Single-Case Research Methodology Skills in an Early and Intensive Behavioral Intervention Setting |
| Jessa R. Love (Thompson Center for Autism & Neurodevelopmental Di), JAMES E. CARR (Auburn University), Linda A. LeBlanc (Auburn University), April Kisamore (Western New England College) |
| Abstract: Early and intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) for children with autism is a fruitful area for conducting research on clinically relevant problems to investigate some of the unanswered questions about which procedures are most effective and efficient. Unfortunately, it is unlikely that therapists providing these services have received adequate training in conducting relevant single-case design research. Providing therapists with the skills needed to implement such research could improve the use of the scientist-practitioner model in these settings and expand the base of scientific knowledge in the area. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of a modified behavioral skills training approach for training therapists to design and implement single-case design research protocols in an EIBI setting. The study aimed to answer the following questions: (a) Are participants able to learn the necessary skills? (b) Are participants able to apply those skills? And (c) Are participants satisfied with the training and experience? Results indicate that participants were able to both learn and apply the necessary skills as evidenced by statistically significant improvements on knowledge tests and high scores on homework assignments that required staff to engage in various research-related behaviors. |
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| An Analysis of Behavioral Skills Training to Teach Novice Instructors to Implement Discrete Trial Training With Confederates |
| JAMIE M. SEVERTSON (Trinity Services, Inc.), James E. Carr (Auburn University) |
| Abstract: Discrete trial teaching (DTT) is the most common technique incorporated into intensive behavioral intervention programs for children diagnosed with autism. Currently, errorless learning (EL) prompt fading strategies are recommended during instruction because they often result in more efficient instruction, reduced student errors during acquisition and post-mastery, and fewer occurrences of challenging behavior. Instructor accuracy influences student performance, and extensive training and supervision is often required to insure that instructors are implementing procedures with high fidelity. A high demand for services, budgetary limitations, and high turnover rate of staff may prevent agencies from being able to offer such extensive supervised training to instructors; therefore, time-efficient DTT staff training protocols are critical. The purpose of this study is to evaluate three training methods including (a) a self instruction manual, (b) a video model, (c) and performance feedback to teach novice instructors to implement DTT-EL strategies to teach a basic discrimination task to confederates. |
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| Use of an Antecedent Intervention to Improve Data Collection Practices of Teachers |
| HELENA MAGUIRE (Melmark New England), Florence D. DiGennaro Reed (Melmark New England), Brad Stevenson (Melmark New England) |
| Abstract: The development of effective and less-resource intensive methods to facilitate data recording by staff is of critical importance since clinical decision-making rests on the availability of data to analyze. The purpose of this presentation is to describe a study that investigated the impact of an antecedent intervention (in the form of a modified data recording system) on the percentage of opportunities in which staff recorded data for two students. Staff performance during baseline was highly variable and ranged from 0-75%. Upon the introduction of the modified data recording tool, performance increased and maintained at 100% across both students. Once baseline was re-introduced, performance immediately returned to baseline levels. During the reversal, an immediate change in level was observed and maintained for nine sessions (M = 100%). Results demonstrate that an antecedent intervention in the form of a modified recording system can be an effective means to increase data recording by staff. |
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| Consistency of Preference for Rewards Among Staff in Human Service Settings |
| BYRON J. WINE (AdvoServ), Shawn Patrick Gilroy (Rowan University), David A. Wilder (Florida Institute of Technology), Oneina E. Abellon (Florida Institute of Techology), Donald A. Hantula (Temple University) |
| Abstract: The consistency of staff preference for items and activities was examined over time. Participants were residential direct care staff working with individuals with developmental disabilities in three locations across two states. The intervals assessed were six months, four months, two months, four weeks, three weeks, two weeks, and one week. A correlation coefficient was conducted to determine staff consistency of preference across assessments. Results indicate that a one week interval yielded the highest stability and contained the fewest number of shifts from high preference to low preference status and low preference to high preference status. Correlations decreased as intervals increased. These data suggest that staff preference for items and activities changes substantially over time. Implications for the development and use of staff performance improvement plans are discussed. |
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| Comparisons of Stimulus Preference Assessment Across Multiple Clinical Contexts |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 1:00 PM–2:20 PM |
| 217C (CC) |
| Area: DDA; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| Chair: Megan Rae Heinicke (Auburn University) |
| Abstract: Four stimulus preference assessment comparison studies across multiple clinical contexts will be discussed. The first study evaluated the effects of different item access durations on preference stability for activities and on-task behavior for typically developing preschoolers. The authors found preferences to be stable across 4-9 months and access duration to be idiosyncratic across participants. The second study compared direct, single-stimulus, and paired-stimulus preference assessment procedures for individuals with multiple disabilities and minimal physical movements and found direct preference assessment to be the most effective. The third study compared multiple-stimulus without replacement and paired-stimulus preference assessment procedures for adults with developmental disabilities. Using a post-hoc analysis, the authors found differing relations between the decreasing number of items across trials in the multiple-stimulus arrangement and the concordance between both preference assessment procedures. Finally, the fourth study verified the accuracy of three different preference assessment modalities (i.e., tangible, pictorial, verbal) for six adults with acquired brain injury using reinforcer assessments with progressive-ratio procedures. The authors demonstrated that each modality made valid predictions of food items that would function as reinforcers for rehabilitation programming. |
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| An Evaluation of the Effects of Reinforcer Magnitude on Preference and On-Task Behavior |
| BROOKE ASHLEY JONES (University of Kansas), Claudia L. Dozier (University of Kansas), Pamela L. Neidert (University of Kansas) |
| Abstract: Many methods of assessing preference have been described and shown to be accurate predictors of stimuli that will function as reinforcers. Stimulus characteristics such as the magnitude of a stimulus may determine its effectiveness as a reinforcer (Steinhilber & Johnson, 2007; Trosclair-Lasserre, Lerman, Call, Addison, & Kodak, 2008). The purpose of the current study is to determine the extent to which duration of item access (i.e., reinforcer magnitude) affects (a) preference for various activities for typical, preschool children and (b) on-task pre-academic behavior displayed by these children. In Study 1, preference assessments are conducted in which item access time is 30 seconds and 5 minutes, and these preference assessments are repeated after 4-9 months to determine stability in preference across access times and over time. Results suggest that 11 of 12 children’s preferences remained relatively stable across magnitude (i.e., 30 seconds and 5 minutes) and time (i.e., 4-9 months). In Study 2, reinforcer assessments are conducted in which low- and high- magnitude access to highly preferred items is contingent upon duration of on-task behavior during a 5-minute task period. Preliminary results of Study 2 suggest that the effects of magnitude on on-task behavior are idiosyncratic. |
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| Can Preference Assessment Identify Reinforcers for Individuals With Multiple Disabilities and Minimal Physical Movement? |
| MAY S. LEE (University of Manitoba), C.T. Yu (St. Amant Research Centre, the University of Manitoba), Toby L. Martin (St. Amant Research Centre, University of Manitoba), Garry L. Martin (University of Manitoba) |
| Abstract: Direct stimulus preference assessment is usually effective in identifying reinforcers for individuals with developmental disabilities. However, its effectiveness in identifying reinforcers for individuals with multiple disabilities and minimal physical movement is less consistent (Ivancic & Bailey, 1996). This study compared direct reinforcer assessment, and single- and paired-stimulus preference assessments with five participants with developmental disabilities, three of whom met the threshold for minimal movement based on direct observations. We first identified a strong and a weak reinforcer for each participant during direct reinforcer assessments in an ABAB design. Then we assessed each participant’s preference for the strong and weak reinforcers using single- and paired-stimulus preference assessments. For the two nonminimal movement participants, none showed a clear preference for either reinforcer during the single-stimulus assessment, but both participants showed a preference for the strong reinforcer during the paired-stimulus assessment. These results are consistent with previous research. For the three minimal movement participants, none showed a clear preference for either reinforcer during the single-stimulus assessment, and only one showed a preference for the strong reinforcer during the paired-stimulus assessment. These results suggest that direct reinforcer assessment should be used to identify reinforcers for individuals with multiple disabilities and minimal physical movement. |
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| Evaluation of Multiple-Stimulus Preference Assessment With Adults with Developmental Disabilities |
| CARLY E. THIESSEN (St. Amant Research Centre, the University of Manitoba), Gareth Davies (St. Amant Research Centre, the University of Manitoba), C.T. Yu (St. Amant Research Centre, the University of Manitoba), Toby L. Martin (St. Amant Research Centre, University of Manitoba), Garry L. Martin (St. Amant Research Centre, the University of Manitoba) |
| Abstract: Stimulus preference assessment is an important component of many training programs for individuals with developmental disabilities because it can be used to identify reinforcers. We compared multiple-stimulus without replacement (MSWO) and paired-stimulus (PS) procedures to assess stimulus preferences of nine adults with developmental disabilities. Preferences for six food stimuli were assessed using the PS and the MSWO procedures. Stimulus preference rankings obtained from the procedures were positively correlated for all participants (mean tau = .72, range .41 to 1). However, four participants did not select the most-preferred stimuli identified by the PS assessments as their most-preferred stimuli during the MSWO assessments. A post hoc analysis of participants’ data revealed that preferred-stimulus selection percentages for these participants generally increased during MSWO as the number of stimuli decreased across trials. For the five participants who selected the same stimuli as their most-preferred in both procedures, their preferred-stimulus selection percentages generally declined during MSWO as the number of stimuli decreased across trials. The effects of number of stimuli during MSWO trials and suggestions for future research are discussed. |
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| Assessing Preferences of Individuals with Acquired Brain Injury Using Alternative Stimulus Modalities |
| MEGAN RAE HEINICKE (Auburn University), Dixie Eastridge (Learning Services NeuroBehavioral Institute of Colorado), Jeff Kupfer (Learning Services NeuroBehavioral Institute of Colorado), Michael P. Mozzoni (Learning Services NeuroBehavioral Institute of Colorado), James E. Carr (Auburn University) |
| Abstract: Using stimulus preference assessments to identify reinforcers to use in rehabilitation programming for individuals with acquired brain injury (ABI) is of great importance. In ABI rehabilitation, many skills sets often need to be targeted in a short period of time as placement in rehabilitation settings is often limited. In addition, preferences are idiosyncratic and change over time. Thus, it is important to use efficient and accurate stimulus preference modalities. The current investigation evaluated three stimulus preference assessment modalities (i.e., tangible, pictorial, verbal) in a paired-stimulus arrangement (Fisher, Piazza, Bowman, Hagopian, Owens, & Slevin, 1992) to identify preferred foods with six adults with ABI. The most preferred item identified from each modality was then evaluated in a reinforcer assessment using a progressive-ratio procedure (Roane, Lerman, & Vorndran, 2001). Each modality identified a different food item that had the highest selection percentage for three participants while the remaining three participants had highly consistent preference assessment results. However, results of all subsequent reinforcer assessments demonstrated that all modalities made valid predictions of foods that would function as reinforcers for acquisition programming. |
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| Community Based Treatment for Sexual Offenders With Intellectual Disabilities |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 1:00 PM–2:20 PM |
| 217B (CC) |
| Area: DDA/CSE; Domain: Service Delivery |
| Chair: Kimberly E. Church (Human Development Center, Inc.) |
| CE Instructor: Katherine Johnson, M.A. |
| Abstract: Providing effective and safe treatment to individuals who have engaged in sexually abusive behavior requires a comprehensive treatment model that is able to adapt and respond to systemic and community challenges and changes. A review of the literature, summary of treatment approaches, and overview of challenges encountered in the service delivery system is reviewed. Specific areas of focus include balancing safety and individual rights, encountering the legal system, providing sex education, and working with the individual and his circle of supports to provide optimal care. Suggestions for future directions and research will be discussed. |
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| Probing the Use of Avoidance Skills by Sex Offenders Diagnosed with Mental Retardation |
| VALERIA PAREJO (Human Development Center, Inc.), Stephani Fauerbach (Human Development Center, Inc.), Kimberly E. Church (Human Development Center, Inc.) |
| Abstract: The purpose of this study is to evaluate in real-life situations the use of avoidance skills sex offenders learned through formal training. The participants are adult males diagnosed with mental retardation, psychiatric disorders, and challenging behaviors, including inappropriate sexual behavior. Although the functionally equivalent replacement behavior for inappropriate sexual behavior is most likely to be appropriate sexual behavior, it is also important for these individuals to learn to avoid high risk situations that could lead to the occurrence of inappropriate sexual behavior, law enforcement involvement, and victimization of others. Avoidance skills regarding inappropriate sexual behavior include avoiding the presence of minors and child related stimuli, such as toys, TV shows, printed media, etc. All participants currently receive either intensive residential habilitation services or residential habilitation with behavior focus. Probes will be conducted in several settings and will include a variety of stimuli, including probes in the community where monitoring will be done by confederates to reduce the possibility of reactivity. Data have been collected for two participants; additional data to be collected. |
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| A Solution Focused Approach to Providing Residential and Day Training Services to Sexual Offenders With Intellectual Disabilities |
| HOLLY ARNOLD (Human Development Center, Inc.), Kimberly E. Church (Human Development Center, Inc.), Stephani Fauerbach (Human Development Center, Inc.) |
| Abstract: Collaboration, communication, and creativity are all essential components for systems designed to safely and effectively treat individuals with intellectual and behavioral challenges. When the persons served also have a history of engaging in sexually abusive behaviors, the treatment system must also be flexible, solution oriented, and supported by a team of qualified staff who are able to think fast and plan ahead. Challenges encountered over the last decade will be presented, along with practical solutions to overcome obstacles. Case studies will be presented to highlight the process utilized to test hypotheses as a means of identifying and assessing effective interventions and environmental manipulations to promote optimal success for each individual. |
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| Balancing Safety and Rights: Current Policies and Methods of Assessing Competency to Consent to Sexual Behavior |
| KIMBERLY E. CHURCH (Human Development Center, Inc.), James L. Bell (Human Development Center, Inc.), Valeria Parejo (Human Development Center, Inc.) |
| Abstract: Adults with intellectual disabilities making decisions regarding sexual behavior is a controversial and complex topic. People with disabilities are people first, and have the same needs and desires for interpersonal and intimate relationships as anyone else. Policies regarding appropriate sexual behaviors for individuals with intellectual disabilities will be reviewed, along with factors that complicate reaching a uniform agreement on developing guidelines for safe and consensual sexual behavior. Methods for assessing ability to consent will be discussed, as well as specific challenges related to sexual rights for individuals who have a history of sexual offending behavior. |
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| A Community Based Treatment Model for Sexual Offenders With Intellectual Disabilities |
| KIMBERLY E. CHURCH (Human Development Center, Inc.), James L. Bell (Human Development Center, Inc.), Holly Arnold (Human Development Center, Inc.) |
| Abstract: The Human Development Center utilizes a multimodal approach to support individuals with intellectual disabilities who have engaged in sexual offending behavior. The program emphasizes community and individual safety by providing a containment model, ongoing assessment of risk, skill training, reinforcement of appropriate behavior, and avoidance behavior training. Both clients and staff receive extensive training and ongoing feedback across treatment settings. Data is collected on both target and replacement behaviors, and probes are conducted across settings to evaluate the generalization of skills. Anger management, relaxation, and other coping skill trainings are provided as necessary, and individual and group contingencies are utilized to provide wrap around supports. Participants will be provided with the general overview of the treatment system. Two case studies will be reviewed in order to provide a more detailed description of common treatment strategies used and the outcomes achieved. |
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| Analyzing Factors That Influence Treatment Implementation With Individuals, Classrooms, and Schools |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 1:00 PM–2:20 PM |
| Texas Ballroom Salon E (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: EDC; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| Chair: Jennifer L. Austin (University of Glamorgan) |
| CE Instructor: Joseph Cautilli, Ph.D. |
| Abstract: Researchers and clinicians working in schools often face challenges when implementing behavioral interventions at the individual, classroom, and school levels. These obstacles may include such things as provision of adequate training, maintaining treatment integrity, and perceptions about the appropriateness of proposed interventions by relevant consumers. This symposium will present four studies that demonstrate how these challenges may affect program implementation and how the challenges may be successfully addressed. Further, each presenter will provide recommendations for how researchers and practitioners may use these strategies to approach similar problems they may encounter in school settings. |
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| Teacher Implementation of Behavior Intervention Plans: A Treatment Integrity Analysis |
| CLAIRE ST. PETER PIPKIN (West Virginia University), Sacha Pence (West Virginia University) |
| Abstract: Students with severe behavior disorders may benefit from the use of individualized behavior intervention plans (BIP). However, research conducted in the 1990s suggested that teacher implementation of BIP was extremely low, with the mean level of BIP implementation around 4%. The purpose of the current study was to replicate previous research by assessing the degree to which teachers implemented BIPs, and to compare implementation across teachers with and without training in behavior analysis. Participants were public school teachers with one or more students with a BIP. Teachers who had training in behavior analysis demonstrated consistently higher overall levels of BIP implementation than teachers without such training. Results are discussed in light of the challenges facing today’s teachers in the management of student behavior. |
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| Assessing Children’s Perceptions of the Fairness of Individualized Behavior Programs |
| JENNIFER L. AUSTIN (University of Glamorgan), Rebecca Abreu (University of Glamorgan) |
| Abstract: When children do not respond to behavioral interventions at the school or classroom level, it often is necessary to design individualized programs to help them meet behavioral or academic goals. However, a concern that often arises in the design and implementation of these programs is whether such programs are fair to other students. In this study, we presented 75 primary school students with four scenarios describing and individualized behavior program for a hypothetical student under four different conditions of reward (i.e., same reward on same schedule, same reward on leaner schedule, different reward on same schedule, and no reward offered to other students) and asked them to rate the fairness of each. Results revealed that children were significantly more likely to view situations with equal rewards as fairer than situations in which the same rewards were given on a leaner schedule. Further, the former types of rewards were viewed as more fair than when children received different rewards or no rewards. The implications of these results are discussed in terms of what factors may influence children’s perceptions of fairness and how individualized programs may be structured so that other children do not feel like they are being treated unfairly. |
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| Strong Start: Impact of a Systematic Implementation of a Social-Emotional Learning Curriculum on Emotional Knowledge and Behavior of First Grade Students |
| SARA WHITCOMB (University of Massachusetts Amherst) |
| Abstract: This study was conducted in four first grade classrooms in two elementary schools in a suburban, northwestern school district that had implemented school-wide positive behavior support for approximately seven years. Eighty-eight students and five interventionists participated. The study was based on a within-subject, quasi-experimental design in which all classrooms were assigned to the Strong Start intervention. Students completed emotion knowledge assessments and teachers completed behavioral ratings at two baseline data points and post-intervention. This project monitored acceptability and overall fidelity and quality of implementation. Results indicated that Strong Start was implemented with integrity (ranging from 83%-100% component implementation), and statistically significant increases in students’ emotion knowledge and decreases in students’ internalizing behaviors were documented following exposure to the program. One hypothesis central to the study to be discussed in this presentation was children exposed to a social-emotional learning curriculum will experience an increase in emotion knowledge and self-management of behavior. The study additionally hypothesized these critical skills can be explicitly taught through implementation of a brief, well-designed curriculum and systematically reinforced by adults. |
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| Systems for Implementing Function-Based Support in Schools |
| CYNTHIA M. ANDERSON (University of Oregon) |
| Abstract: In 1994 the reauthorization of IDEA called specifically for the use of functional assessment with students with behavioral challenges. This mandate resulted in an increased interest in research focused on functional assessment in schools. This small but growing body of research documents that the technology of functional assessment can be used to develop effective interventions for children in school settings and that functional assessment is appropriate for children with and without disabilities. Further, several studies document that educators without extensive training in behavior analysis can be taught to conduct functional assessments and that educators can implement functionally-derived interventions with efficacy and fidelity. To date however, most research focuses on the implementation of function-based support by highly trained individuals with one or a few students at a time. In this presentation, a system for developing district capacity around function-based support is presented. Data will be presented showing that the system (a) was implemented with fidelity, (b) resulted in significant changes in student behavior, and (c) was sustained over time in several school districts in the Pacific Northwest. |
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| Morningside Academy: What's New in Reading Comprehension? |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 1:00 PM–2:20 PM |
| Texas Ballroom Salon B (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: EDC; Domain: Service Delivery |
| Chair: Kent Johnson (Morningside Academy) |
| CE Instructor: Ruth Rehfeldt, Ph.D. |
| Abstract: This symposium is one in an ongoing, annual series that provides updated information and data on the Morningside Model of Generative Instruction, and its application in our Morningside Academy laboratory school. In our lab school, we investigate promising curricula or instructional procedures, measure their effectiveness, and revise our curriculum and instruction protocols as the data suggests. |
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| A Content-Dependent Skill Analysis of a Reading Comprehension Repertoire |
| JENNIFER TESTA (Morningside Academy), Julian Gire (Morningside Academy), Kent Johnson (Morningside Academy) |
| Abstract: When students enter Morningside Academy, their reading comprehension is typically two or more years behind their chronological grade level. However, instruction and practice on comprehension skills will not result in mastery if the prerequisite skills are not fluent. By conducting a content-dependent skill analysis, we can identify a hierarchy of behaviors necessary for an effective reading comprehension repertoire. Taking this bottoms-up approach to sequencing instruction and practice assures that the learners have the requisite skill repertoire necessary to understand text. This talk will analyze a hierarchy of skills necessary for success in a reading comprehension course, suggest some methods to teach foundational skills, and present some preliminary data on the effects of foundational skill instruction and practice. |
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| Applying Reading Comprehension Strategies to a Variety of Curricula Through the Use of Instructional Technologies |
| ADAM G. STRETZ (Morningside Academy), Michael P. Wolfson (Morningside Academy), Kent Johnson (Morningside Academy) |
| Abstract: One of the goals of Morningside Academy is to equip students with the knowledge of and skills to apply a broad spectrum of reading comprehension strategies. This goal is achieved through the use of the Reading Success program and Fluent Thinking Skills. These programs provide explicit strategies, instruction, scaffolding, and review in order to help students become more active and engaged in their reading. Morningside takes these strategies and seeks application of them in a variety of content areas in ways that most schools do not. Delayed prompting is used as a tool to more efficiently teach application of these skills to a variety of students. Data will be presented to demonstrate comprehension skills acquisition and application from recording grids and standard celeration charts. |
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| Vocabulary Acquisition at Morningside: SAFMEDS Flashcards Versus Student-Generated Activities |
| MARIANNE DELGADO (Morningside Academy), Kent Johnson (Morningside Academy) |
| Abstract: This study compares two methods of acquiring new vocabulary used in middle school literature anthologies. It asks the question, will students show more retention of skills and application of vocabulary to independent writing and to standardized tests using Steven Graf’s SAFMEDS flashcard routine, or using student word-generating activities? Students learned 2 sets of 6 words at the beginning of each selection in Holt Literature- First Course, one set taught with flashcards and a standard celeration chart, one set taught with student directed activities. Student word-generating activities include learning the connotation as well as the denotation of the word, using context clues to generate definitions as a pre-reading skill, and composing sentences using the words. Generalization to student writing was compared at the end of each selection, using 5 minute curriculum based assessments (CBAs). CBAs were scored across 3 dimensions: total words written, correct writing sequences, and number of vocabulary words used correctly. CBAs for the two groups were compared using individual standard celeration charts, and a class wide chart showing whole class trends. The results will be discussed in terms of future curriculum design decisions at Morningside. |
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| Predicting Reading Comprehension Gains Using the Scholastic Reading Inventory |
| JULIAN GIRE (Morningside Academy), Jennifer Testa (Morningside Academy), Kent Johnson (Morningside Academy) |
| Abstract: Students at Morningside Academy are typically two or more years behind in their academics as compared to their same age peers. Often times their deficits in reading comprehension negatively effects their progress in other academic areas. To accelerate these children to their chronological grade level, they must make more than one year gain per academic school year. Thus, it is imperative that their academic progress be monitored closely to ensure they make the expected gains. To this end Morningside Academy uses the Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI) as a progress-monitoring tool to predict gains on standardized reading comprehension tests. The SRI is an adaptive computer-based test of reading comprehension that reports students’ scores using the Lexile Framework for reading. Using longitudinal data we are able to make predictions about growth in reading comprehension within the academic school year. Having early indicators of a student’s acquisition of reading comprehension skills enables Morningside to make instructional changes and implement interventions to ensure student progress. |
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| Implementing Interventions With Integrity: Strategies for Training Teachers and Other School Personnel |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 1:00 PM–2:20 PM |
| Texas Ballroom Salon D (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: EDC |
| Chair: Breda V. O'Keeffe (University of Connecticut) |
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| Increasing Praise, Pace, and Error Corrections in a Direct Instruction Reading Intervention by Paraprofessionals |
| Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| BREDA V. O'KEEFFE (University of Connecticut), Timothy A. Slocum (Utah State University) |
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| Abstract: Improving educational outcomes involves many variables, including identifying effective interventions and ensuring that they are effectively implemented in schools. Recent research has suggested that ensuring treatment integrity in schools may require intensive coaching, including daily or weekly performance feedback. This system may be unsustainable in typical schools because of limited resources for supervision. Some studies have found that treatment integrity can be achieved with intense prior training that includes extensive practice followed by feedback in the training setting. Fluency-based instruction has the advantage of providing multiple practice opportunities in a relatively short amount of time. A fluency training package for paraprofessionals using the Corrective Reading: Decoding curriculum was evaluated in a multiple baseline design across individuals. Dependent variables included paraprofessionals’ presentation rate, praise rate, accuracy of error correction procedures, ratio of positive to negative comments, students’ on-task behavior, and word reading accuracy. After five hours of training, paraprofessionals generally increased their presentation rates, praise, and error correction accuracy. Variability in positive-to-negative comments ratios decreased during fluency training for three paraprofessionals. No clear effects were seen on students’ reading accuracy. Students’ on-task behavior was variable throughout the study, with decreases in variability for three students during intervention for paraprofessionals. |
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| Increasing Appropriate Behavior and Reducing Aggression Towards Self and Others of Three Adolescent Students With Autism |
| Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| BENJAMIN W. SMITH (University of Rochester) |
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| Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to present fidelity of implementation and outcome data on the successful support of three students with autism with high rates of self injurious behavior and aggression towards others. Each adolescent student participant presented well-established high rates of aggression towards self or others in classroom settings. A five-step model for plan development was used across individual students to facilitate practitioner’s greater understanding of applied behavior analysis principles and procedures. This model emphasized the increase in prosocial skills for student participants while also emphasizing preventative clinician behaviors. Consistent written feedback and training in self management strategies were conducted to support clinicians’ fluency in procedures. For all student participants academic engaged time, time in class, rates of prosocial replacement behavior as well as rate and intensity of aggressive behaviors are presented. Across all participants inter-observer agreement statistics are presented as are results of clinician and parent participant social validity measures. |
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| Group Performance Feedback: Consultation for Generalization in an Autistic Support Classroom |
| Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| MELANIE PELLECCHIA (Temple University), James E. Connell (Temple University), Donald E. Eisenhart (Elwyn, Inc.), Meghan Kane (Elwyn, Inc.), Christine Schoener (Elwyn, Inc.), Kimberly Turkel (Elwyn, Inc.), Megan F. Riley (Elwyn, Inc.) |
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| Abstract: Federal legislation, including the No Child Left Behind Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act, mandates data-based decision making for special education students. Unfortunately, progress monitoring and daily data collection are often overlooked or viewed as a cumbersome and time-consuming responsibility by special education teachers, resulting in exclusion from daily practice. The present study evaluated the effects of school-based behavioral consultation using performance feedback procedures to increase daily data collection in autistic support classrooms. Performance feedback was delivered to a classroom team, which included one teacher and two teacher assistants. Perhaps more significant was the evaluation of the effects of the group performance feedback on daily data collection for all students in the class, when only one student was the consultation target. A multiple baseline design across four classroom teams was used to evaluate the effectiveness of group performance feedback, resulting in improved class-wide data collection of all four classroom teams. Additionally, results demonstrated the generative qualities of group performance feedback, whereby feedback delivered regarding the data collection for one student in each class resulted in increased data collection for all students. These generative results demonstrate the efficiency of performance feedback as a method for delivering system-wide consultation. |
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| Achieving Success in Self-Contained Classrooms for Students With Severe Behavior Problems |
| Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| BENJAMIN WITTS (University of Nevada, Reno), Jody M. Silva (Washoe County School District), Thouraya Al-Nasser (University of Nevada, Reno), Timothy C. Fuller (University of Nevada, Reno), Kaycee Bennett (University of Nevada, Reno), Elizabeth Sexton (University of Nevada, reno) |
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| Abstract: This paper outlines our on-going efforts to implement a behavior management system in self-contained classrooms for students in a public school setting with severe behavior problems. The system uses a level-based hierarchy, with levels corresponding to privileges that are available to students contingent upon engaging in various pro-social and pro-academic behaviors. Training teachers how to implement the system and then monitoring them to ensure that they are implementing it correctly is essential to the success of both the system and the students that participate in it. The manner by which this is done and the data relevant to achieving systemic and student success are discussed, along with directions for future refinements, expansion and research. |
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| From Naming Through Learning Through Observation; Educational Procedures and Tactics to Induce Higher Order Verbal Capabilities |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 1:00 PM–2:20 PM |
| 214C (CC) |
| Area: VBC/EDC; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| Chair: Nirvana Pistoljevic (The Fred S Keller School and Teachers College, Columbia University) |
| CE Instructor: Alison Moors, M.A. |
| Abstract: We will present the most recent research related to protocols for advancing children’s verbal behavior development. The findings presented here demonstrate effective tactics that have been implemented with students ranging from pre-listener through reader and writer levels of verbal behavior. The papers includes results from the implementation of protocols to induce naming with objects from environment with 2- and 3-year olds, naming and observational learning with preschoolers through multiple exemplar instructional game, observational learning through coral responding with first graders, and reading and comprehension for elementary and middle school students. |
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| Baby Naming: The Effects of Multiple Exemplar Instruction with Three-Dimensional Stimuli on the Emergence of Naming in 2- and 3-year-old Children |
| Nirvana Pistoljevic (The Fred S Keller School and Teachers College, Columbia University), ANANYA GOSWAMI (Teachers College, Columbia University) |
| Abstract: The purpose of this research was to examine the effects of multiple exemplar instruction on the emergence of naming for three students ranging in age from 2-3 years old. Using a delayed multiple probe design, under the pre-experimental phase, all 3 participants were tested for naming using the following procedure. The dependent variable in this study was emergence of full naming with three-dimensional and two-dimensional stimuli. All the naming probes were conducted following the mastery of match to sample responses with the target stimuli. Then, students responses to unconsequated probes for pure and intraverbal tacts to the same stimuli, were measured. The independent variable was the mastery of novel sets of three-dimensional stimuli while matching, pointing, tacting and intraverbal tacting responses were rapidly rotated. The results of the study showed that the participants acquired full naming with three-dimensional objects form the environment, while naming with two-dimensional pictures did not emerge for all participants. |
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| A Procedure to Simultaneously Induce Naming, Observational Learning, and Increase Spontaneous Vocal Verbal Behavior in Group Instructional Settings |
| Nirvana Pistoljevic (The Fred S Keller School and Teachers College, Columbia University), MARA KATRA OBLAK (Teachers College, Columbia University) |
| Abstract: The purpose of this study was to test the effects of a peer-yoked contingency game on the acquisition of observational learning, naming, and numbers of vocal verbal operants emitted by preschool students diagnosed with and without disabilities. Six 3- to 5-year-olds, 5 males and 1 female, who attended an integrated classroom, participated in the study. Through a delayed multiple probe design across yoked pairs, we sought to demonstrate the effects of a combination of multiple exemplar instruction and peer-yoked contingency game on the acquisition of missing verbal capabilities: observational learning, naming, and increase in emission of vocal verbal operants during non-structured activities. The results demonstrate the peer-yoked game board with a multiple exemplar instruction component was effective at inducing observational learning and naming capabilities, and in increasing numbers of vocal verbal operants emitted in noninstructional setting in all 6 participants. |
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| The Emergence of Observational Learning Through the Use of Choral Responding During Small Group Phonemic Instruction |
| R. Douglas Greer (Teachers College, Columbia University), JANET C. SOLORZANO-CORREIA (Teachers College, Columbia University) |
| Abstract: I tested the effects of choral responding across vocal and written responses on the participant’s level of textually responding, rate of textually responding and the emergence of observational learning. Ten participants from the same classroom were chosen because they lacked the textual and written responses to phonemes as well as the observational learning capability. The study took place in a first grade accelerated independent learner classroom consisting of fourteen students ages five through six, four of whom had special education diagnoses. The study utilized a time-lagged multiple probe across participants design. One dependent variable was correct responses on probe sessions for learn units delivered to a peer. The first dependent variable tested if the participants had the observational learning capability in repertoire. A second dependent variable was the participants reading level and reading rate, as measured by the Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA). The independent variable was choral responding to phonemes across vocal and written responses. Reading instruction consisted of phoneme identification, blending phonemes into words, segmenting phonemes, and shared reading. The results of the study showed that choral responding was an effective intervention to increase level of textually responding as well as rate. In addition, observational learning emerged for the participants as a result of the choral responding intervention. |
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| An Investigation of the Relationship Between Reading and Tact Acquisition for Elementary and Middle School Students |
| Jennifer Longano (Teachers College, Columbia University), LISA GOLD (Teachers College, Columbia University) |
| Abstract: The purpose of this study was to test the effects of reading on tact and vocabulary acquisition. In Experiment 1, three elementary students participated, which included two 7-year old females and a 7-year old male. All the participants were selected based on their reading and reading comprehension abilities, which ranged from average to high average. Participant A, B, and C were all in a regular education second grade classroom. The study took place in a separate location from their classroom. The design of the study was a time lagged multiple probe design. The dependent variable was tact acquisition probes. Probes were conducted prior to and after each participant read a contrived story that incorporated a written description of the pictures used during the probe conditions. No pictures were used in conjunction with the story. The results showed that all three participants acquired novel tacts and vocabulary following the reading of the contrived stories. In Experiment 2, two sixth-grade male students participated. Both students were in a classroom that implemented the used a comprehensive application of behavior analysis to schooling (CABAS) model. The design of the study was a time lagged multiple probe design. The dependent variable was tact acquisition probes and the independent variable was the reading condition. Results showed the potential relationship between reading and tact acquisition. |
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| Behavior Analysis in Historical Perspective |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 1:30 PM–1:50 PM |
| Bonham C (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: TPC |
| Chair: Joseph J. Pear (University of Manitoba) |
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| A Brief History of Behavior Analysis |
| Domain: Theory |
| JOSEPH J. PEAR (University of Manitoba) |
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| Abstract: As time goes by fewer and fewer members of ABAI remember the rich and varied history that put behavior analysis on the path to what it is today. The purpose of this talk is to provide a brief overview of that history, so that more ABAI members are aware of where our approach came from and the commonalities that bind us. The talk begins with John B. Watson and the behavioral revolution that launched the field that become behavior analysis. Then, we look back through history from Descartes to the events leading up to the behavioral revolution. Following the exit from the field by Watson, the rise of other early behaviorists is examined. Skinner's discoveries and those of his students and followers are then traced. Highlighted is the advancement of behavioral progress through the study of contingencies of reinforcement to the ongoing applications of behavior analysis to areas such as developmental disabilities, autism, psychiatric patients, addictions, and education, and the founding and importance of organizations such as ABAI and the BACB. |
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| Community-Based Applied Behavior Analysis Intervention Approaches With Typical Teenagers |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 1:30 PM–2:20 PM |
| Seguin (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: CSE |
| Chair: Jennifer Sheridan (Solis Trust) |
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| Decreasing Self-Harm, Property Destruction, and Assaultive Behaviours with a Typically Developing 14-Year-Old Girl |
| Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| LORNA A. HOGAN (The Solis Trust), Jennifer Sheridan (Solis Trust) |
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| Abstract: The assessment and treatment of self-injurious behavior has received much attention in literature, particularly in developmental disabilities; however, few studies have focused on older service users, such as teenagers or those considered to be of neuro-typical development. A target behavior program, structured within positive reinforcement and skills building, was implemented to decrease the self-harming behaviour of a 14-year-old residential service user who exhibited high rates of self harming behaviour, property destruction and assaults on staff. A structured token economy project was developed. To affect this behaviour tokens earned daily were contingent upon achieving a predetermined average. Once the token economy was established the associated value of the token was increased in order to attain consistent responding. This plan included the tracking of compliancy across the day and across specific tasks found previously to be triggers for self harming. Negative self-talk was also tracked during these times. Further analysis also indicate failings in the program revolving around unstructured days, positive reinforcement is appropriate to reestablish consistent responding. The discussion focuses on the necessary restructuring of the design and the confounding variables influence on the results. This study is ongoing and data are to be collected. |
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| Applied Behavior Analysis With "Typical'"Teens |
| Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| JENNIFER SHERIDAN (Solis Trust), Rita Honan (Trinity College Dublin) |
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| Abstract: There is a wealth of literature focusing on using behavioural methods with individuals with autism and with people with intellectual disabilities and other developmental delays. However there is very little in relation to neurotypical teens with behavioural difficulties but no specific diagnosis. This paper focuses on , using behavioural principles to reduce challenging behaviour and teach adaptive behaviour in this under-represented population. Background is given on the limited literature and methods to introduce data collection to both residential care home settings and conventional home settings.
Successful tactics and programmes are illustrated thru case studies targeting the reduction of assault, property damage, self-harm, absconding and nonattendance at school. Staff and parent training, consistency in programme implementation, working with other professionals, and the differences between working with people with disabilities and neurotypical teens are discussed. |
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| The Behavioral Developmental Approach to Understanding the Development of Projection, Transference, and Counter-Transference |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 1:30 PM–2:50 PM |
| Travis A/B (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: DEV; Domain: Service Delivery |
| Chair: Michael Lamport Commons (Harvard Medical School) |
| Discussant: Darlene E. Crone-Todd (Salem State College) |
| CE Instructor: Teresa Balawejder, M.S. |
| Abstract: Here we present a behavioral developmental approach to understanding the development of projection, transference and counter transference. These presentations dicuss three things: First, the evolutionary origin of projective, transferenal and counter transferential behavior and the persistence of such reactions in humans. The second is how projective, transferential and counter transferential behaviors and perceptions developed as part of self-observation, planning and attachment. The basic behaviors develop during the first few behavioral developmental stages as described in the Model of Hierarchical Complexity (Commons & Pekker, 2008). The include Circular Sensory Motor Stage 2 and Sensory-Motor Stage 3. The third is how development of perspective-taking occurs. Perspective-taking is based on the more accurate observation of others and of how they will respond to one's own behavior. Because these two newer ways of knowing are more successful at predicting behavior, they come to dominate projective and transferential means of understanding. These domination follows from Herrnstein’s (1970) matching law |
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| A Behavioral Developmental Account of Projection |
| LUCAS ALEXANDER HALEY COMMONS-MILLER (University of California, Irvine) |
| Abstract: The concept of projection is derived originally from the psychoanalytic literature but the phenomenon may be explained from other theoretical perspectives. Here we present a behavioral developmental approach to understanding the development of projection. The approach describes three aspects that underlie projective behavior. The first is the evolutionary origin of projective behavior and the persistence of such reactions in humans. The second is how new projective behaviors and perceptions are developed as part of self-observation and planning. The third is how development of perspective-taking occurs. Perspective-taking is based on the more accurate observation of others and of how they will respond to one's own behavior. The brain basis for social perspective-taking is primarily in the forebrain and develops throughout the lifespan. It overrides projection in many cases. Projection is transformed as the stage at which it occurs changes. Here, the stages from the Model of Hierarchical Complexity (Commons & Pekker, 2008) are applied to projection. |
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| A Behavioral Developmental Account of Transference |
| PATRICE MARIE MILLER (Harvard Medical School) |
| Abstract: The traditional description and explanation of transference behavior derives from the psychoanalytic literature. Attributes of important figures in a person's past are misattributed to persons in the present. A behavioral developmental perspective on transference has not been systematically developed as yet. Here we present [the beginnings of a behavioral developmental approach. The basic formation of transference in helping situations has to do with the sense that the helper is saving the patient. Transference is a special case of attachment. The basic situation in attachment is that the infant is suffering and the adult saves them by ameliorating the discomfort and providing calming and soothing. When infants do not get saved as is the case with the some orphans in orphanages, they do not develop attachment. The basic attachment paradigm for the first stages from the Model of Hierarchical Complexity is outlined. Attachment is shown to occur at the first two behavioral developmental stages, Sensory or Motor Stage 1 and Circular Sensory Motor Stage 2. The process of transference follows the process of attachment. Because the therapist “saves” the patient attachment and therefore transference forms |
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| A Behavioral Developmental Account of Counter-Transference |
| MICHAEL LAMPORT COMMONS (Harvard Medical School) |
| Abstract: Counter-transference is just transference, but with a reverse vector: That is, it is transference from the person (commonly the treater) who receives the original transference to the person who did the original transferring (commonly the patient). A number of studies on doctor-patient relationships (e.g., Commons & Rodriguez, 1990, 1993, Commons, et al., 2006) clarify transference and counter-transference interactions, such as an idealization in the transference that evokes a reciprocal counter transference. The therapist's counter- transference may be evoked by the actual reality-based demeanor and attitude of the patient. In fact, the participants do not have to have interacted directly at all; literature and films manipulate us without our knowing it. Though hard evidence is lacking, most behavioral and cognitive behavioral therapies probably produce less counter-transference than more dynamic ones because a) the therapy works more on the present; b) the therapist uses techniques that are clearer and less magical appearing; c) there are more direct gains, so there is less of a paucity of reinforcement; and d) the therapist is more of a consultant than inscrutable guru. |
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| Olfactory Stimulus Relations in Nonhumans |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 1:30 PM–2:50 PM |
| Lone Star Ballroom Salon F (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: EAB/VBC; Domain: Experimental Analysis |
| Chair: Mark Galizio (University of North Carolina, Wilmington) |
| Discussant: William V. Dube (University of Maryland Medical System) |
| Abstract: Research on complex stimulus control is rarely reported in rodents, perhaps because their performances are relatively poor using typical laboratory stimulus modalities (e.g., visual, auditory). Although olfactory stimuli are more difficult to arrange and control in laboratory settings, recent reports of sophisticated and complex stimulus control with this modality commend it for further research. The three presentations in this symposium offer a series of methodological advances and explorations in the study of olfactory stimulus relations in rodents. Lionello-DeNolf and Mihalick will present data on olfactory discrimination reversals and identity matching in rats using a novel apparatus. Galizio, Poerstal & Bruce will present data from an incrementing olfactory non-match-to-sample procedure that permits the study of olfactory memory capacity, and Dr. Iversen will present data on cross-modal matching-to-sample using olfactory and tactile stimuli. Dr. Dube will integrate and discuss the three presentations. Taken together, these presentations will provide a snapshot of the state of research on relational learning and olfactory stimulus control in rodents. |
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| Simple Discrimination Reversal and Conditional Discrimination of Odor Stimuli by Rats |
| KAREN M. LIONELLO-DENOLF (University of Massachusetts Medical School), Sheila Mihalick (University of Massachusetts Boston) |
| Abstract: Despite the prevalent use of rats in research, their superior olfactory abilities have seldom been exploited on behaviorally based tasks. Possibly, this is related to difficulties with presenting and controlling olfactory stimuli. Using a fully automated apparatus that can present up to six unique olfactory stimuli in any of five locations, we have developed a training protocol wherein rats respond with a nose poke in the appropriate aperture. Six rats were first trained on a series of simple discrimination and reversal problems in which stimulus presentation varied across five locations over trials. All rats acquired the initial discriminations in a maximum of 15 sessions and the reversals in a maximum of 25 sessions. Next, these same rats were trained on matching to sample with the odors used in the first simple discrimination task. Rats were required to nosepoke on both the sample and correct comparison. Matching accuracy steadily increased from chance to approximately 80% over the first 20-30 sessions, but then began deteriorating without recovery. Possible explanations for this failure will be discussed, including data on remedial procedures we conducted, and comparison data from rats that were trained on simple discriminations with odors presented in only three of the five locations. |
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| Matching- and Non-matching-to-sample with Olfactory Stimuli |
| MARK GALIZIO (University of North Carolina, Wilmington), L. Brooke Poerstal (University of North Carolina, Wilmington), Katherine Ely Bruce (University of North Carolina, Wilmington) |
| Abstract: We report data from several procedures involving matching- and non-matching-to-sample with olfactory stimuli. Complex relational stimulus control is readily acquired with some of our procedures (e.g., arena olfactory span task) but is more difficult to demonstrate with others (e.g., three-choice olfactometer). For example, in the olfactory span task rats are exposed to incrementing non-match-to-sample trials where a new stimulus is added on each trial. This procedure permits analysis of stimulus control by multiple sample stimuli and measurement of olfactory memory span. Rats acquire this complex task rapidly and performances show excellent control by as many as 36 different stimuli. In contrast, identity matching-to-sample in an olfactometer is acquired slowly in most rats, but not at all by some. Taken together these data suggest that use of the olfactory modality is not sufficient to produce rapid learning and relational control, but that other variables are important determinants of the successful acquisition of olfactory stimulus control. |
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| Cross-modal Matching-to-sample Procedures |
| IVER H. IVERSEN (University of North Florida) |
| Abstract: The presentation will offer a review of existing procedures for studies of cross-modal matching where the sample is from one sensory modality while the comparisons are from a different sensory modality. A particular emphasis will be placed on automated procedures that use olfactory or tactile stimuli as samples. Data will be presented from on ongoing project where rats engage a sampling port with olfactory or tactile stimuli and select among different visual comparison stimuli (steady vs. blinking lights) conditional upon the sample. The method can present one of two sample stimuli from one modality automatically. Rats are first trained with identity matching using visual stimuli as samples to ensure that they can indeed respond correctly under the overall procedure. After high accuracy of identity matching is obtained, the procedure is changed to a cross-modal matching task with olfactory or tactile sample stimuli. Acquisition of matching will be compared using different olfactory stimuli and different tactile stimuli as samples. The research seeks to expand the domain of sensory modalities used in laboratory research on matching-to sample. |
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| Temporally Extended Influences on Behavior |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 1:30 PM–2:50 PM |
| Lone Star Ballroom Salon C (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Experimental Analysis |
| Chair: David P. Jarmolowicz (West Virginia University) |
| Abstract: A given response is often influenced by a number of variables. Although many of these influences are immediate, others are removed from responding by seconds, minutes, or even days. Furthermore, these influences can come from experimental events that occur either before, or after the responses of concern. These temporally removed influences often interact with more immediate contingencies to generate unique patterns of choice and/or performance. Although considerable attention has been given to the more immediate influences, these temporally extended influences, and the way which they interact with immediate consequences have gathered less research attention. The current talks focus on these sorts of temporally extended influences and the way that they interact with more immediate consequences. In the first talk, the influence of behavioral history on subsequent responding is examined. Next, using a concurrent chains procedure, effects of the proportion of short intervals in the terminal link on initial link preference for random interval schedules is examined. Next, the influence of the temporally removed increase in ratio requirement associated with ratio completion on progressive ratio schedules is examined. Lastly, factors that influence the maintaince of interval initiating responses, which never receive immediate reinforcement, are examined. |
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| Stimulus Control and Generalization of Remote History Effects |
| HIROTO OKOUCHI (Osaka Kyoiku University), Akira Sonoda (Osaka Kyoiku University), Taichi Nakamae (Osaka Kyoiku University) |
| Abstract: Undergraduates firstly responded frequently under a fixed-ratio (FR) schedule in the presence of one line length (16 mm or 31 mm) and infrequently on a differential-reinforcement-of-low-rate (DRL) 10-s schedule when a second line length (31 mm or 16 mm) was present. Values of the FR were adjusted so that interreinforcer intervals (IRIs) of the FR were similar to those of the DRL. Secondly, a continuous reinforcement was in effect under either stimulus and produced comparative response rates between the stimulus conditions. Thirdly, a fixed-interval (FI) schedule was in effect under those same stimuli (Experiment 1) or under 12 line lengths ranging from 7 to 40 mm (Experiment 2). The FI value was determined by averaging the mean IRIs of the FR and DRL schedules. In both experiments, responses under the FI schedule were frequent in the presence of stimuli physically similar to those previously correlated with the FR schedule and infrequent in the presence of stimuli physically similar to those previously correlated with the DRL schedule. |
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| The Effects of Probabilistic Reinforcer Delay on Preference and Temporal Discrimination in Concurrent Chains Schedules |
| MICHELLE ENNIS SORETH (Rowan University), Alexander A. Ward (Rowan University) |
| Abstract: It has recently been demonstrated that preference for a particular situation is sensitive to the probability of obtaining the smallest delay to reinforcer availability within that situation, even if that delay is longer than the delay readily available on an alternative schedule (Soreth & Hineline, 2009). To further examine the nature of this relation, four pigeons were exposed to a concurrent-chains arrangement with fixed interval (FI) and random interval (RI) terminal links. The RI schedule was arranged such that the minimum possible delay was never shorter than that available on the FI, the rate of reinforcement and smallest interval length available were held constant across all conditions, and the probability of obtaining the smallest component interval was manipulated across conditions. A peak procedure was later embedded in the terminal links, allowing for the simultaneous comparison of the effects of the probability of the minimum delay on both temporally discriminated behavior and preference for the terminal link schedules. A lag analysis revealed that the delays to reinforcer availability experienced early in a daily experimental session influenced preference and temporal discrimination, accounting for much of the between-session variability observed in each condition. |
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| Progressive Ratio Schedules: Effects of Increasing Ratio Requirements on Preference and Breakpoints |
| DAVID P. JARMOLOWICZ (West Virginia University), Kennon A. Lattal (West Virginia University) |
| Abstract: On a progressive ratio (PR) schedule, the response requirement typically increases for subsequent reinforcers. As such, ratio competition has at least two consequences; the delivery of a reinforcer, and an increase in the response requirement for the next reinforcer. Although the delivery of a reinforcer is an immediate consequence, contact with the increased ratio requirement is temporally separated from previous ratio completion. In a series of experiments, we examined if pigeons could discriminate this increase in ratio requirement, and if so, does the frequency of this increase affect breakpoints. In our first experiment, concurrent PR schedules were arranged such that the completion of a ratio requirement on one alternative increased the ratio requirement for both alternatives, whereas ratio completion on the other alternative was not associated with an increase in ratio requirement on either alternative. Pigeons preferred the alternative that was not associated with increased ratio requirements. In our second experiment, we determined if breakpoints were systematically affected by increases in ratio requirement that occurred after every reinforcer, after every fourth reinforcer, or across days. The highest breakpoints were observed when the ratio requirement increased after each reinforcer. |
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| Immediate and Delayed Consequences of Reinforced Responses on Interval Schedules of Reinforcement |
| Todd M. Myers (United States Army Medical Research Institute), KENNON A. LATTAL (West Virginia University) |
| Abstract: Although responding is typically maintained by delivery of reinforcers, responses which never produce reinforcers can also be maintained. For example, responses that initiate interval schedules may be maintained despite the absence of primary reinforcement for their occurrence. The present study was designed to control and maintain responding by an interval-initiating contingency across various levels of reinforcer immediacy. A peck to one key, the enabling key, initiated an interval timer. A peck to the other key, the food key, produced access to food only if the prescribed interval had elapsed. To minimize the role of conditioned reinforcement in the maintaince of the enabling response, we provided no exteroceptive stimulus change. Furthermore, to control contiguity between the enabling peck and a reinforced food-key peck, a changeover delay was used. Thus, pecking the food key was reinforced only if a) at least one enabling key response had occurred since the last reinforcer, b) the interval had elapsed, and c) the COD had elapsed. To study the role of contiguity on performance, the durations of the interval and COD were manipulated in a within subjects fashion. |
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| Recent Findings on the Disruptive Effects of Transitions Between Favorable and Unfavorable Schedules of Reinforcement |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 1:30 PM–2:50 PM |
| Lone Star Ballroom Salon D (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Experimental Analysis |
| Chair: Jessica Everly (University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg) |
| Abstract: Research has shown that operant behavior is disrupted when the conditions of reinforcement shift discriminably from those that are relatively favorable to those that are relatively unfavorable. Often, this disruption takes the form of extended pausing. The purpose of this symposium is to review recent findings from laboratory settings on the disruptive effects of favorable-to-unfavorable transitions when favorability is defined in terms of reinforcer magnitude or ratio size. The speakers will discuss (a) measures of behavioral disruption under several schedules of reinforcement, including variable-ratio, fixed-ratio, and fixed-consecutive-number schedules; (b) the behavioral functions of stimuli correlated with favorable-to-unfavorable transitions using observing and escape procedures; and (c) techniques for minimizing behavioral disruption. |
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| The Behavioral Functions of Stimuli Correlated With Shifts in Reinforcer Magnitude |
| JESSICA EVERLY (University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg), Michael Perone (West Virginia University) |
| Abstract: The present experiment assessed whether stimuli correlated with rich and lean fixed-ratio schedule components would function as conditioned reinforcers and conditioned punishers, respectively. Pigeons responded on a mixed schedule with fixed-ratio components leading to large or small food reinforcers. Pecks on either of two observing keys converted the mixed schedule to a multiple schedule by turning on a color associated with the current component. The stimulus consequences of the observing responses were manipulated across conditions. Pecks on one observing key produced the rich or the lean stimulus, depending on the current component, whereas pecks on the other key produced one stimulus but not the other. The stimulus correlated with the large reinforcer maintained responding but the stimulus correlated with the small reinforcer did not. Although the stimulus correlated with the large reinforcer did function as a conditioned reinforcer, there was no evidence that the stimulus correlated with the small reinforcer functioned as a conditioned punisher. |
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| Escape from Stimuli Correlated With Transitions Across Lean and Rich Schedules of Reinforcement |
| AUGUST F. HOLTYN (West Virginia University), Michael Perone (West Virginia University) |
| Abstract: When a multiple-schedule component rich in reinforcement is followed by a component that is relatively lean, operant responding is interrupted by extended pausing and, if the procedure allows it, escape from the experimental contingencies. At issue in the present study is whether the discriminative stimulus correlated with this rich-lean transition acquires aversive functions. Four pigeons were exposed to a compound schedule with two fixed-ratio components programmed on the center key. One component ended with the delivery of a rich reinforcer (7-s access to mixed grain) and the second with a lean reinforcer (1-s access). Each component was correlated with a distinct key color. At the beginning of some components, a side key was activated. A single peck on this “stimulus termination key” replaced the discriminative stimulus on the center key with white light regardless of whether the ongoing component was rich or lean. In other words, a multiple schedule was converted to a mixed schedule. In the initial conditions, the pigeons tended to peck the stimulus termination key in the rich-lean transition. In additional conditions, underway as of this writing, the size of the fixed-ratio requirement is being raised and lowered to assess the boundary conditions of the effect. |
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| Pausing Following Rich-to-Lean Transitions Under Variable-Ratio Schedules: Effects of Schedule Configuration |
| ADAM T. BREWER (University of Kansas), Jeff S. Stein (University of Kansas), Patrick S. Johnson (University of Kansas), Monica T. Francisco (University of Kansas), Kathryn Saunders (University of Kansas), Dean C. Williams (University of Kansas), Gregory J. Madden (University of Kansas) |
| Abstract: Extended pausing at signaled rich-lean transitions is a robust finding observed across species, responses, and reinforcers (e.g., Galuska, 2007; Perone, 2003; Wade-Galuska et al., 2005). Research has shown that pausing may function as a form of escape from rich-lean transitions, when no explicit-escape opportunity is provided. These aversive transitions may also engender aberrant behavior in persons with intellectual disabilities (DeLeon et al., 2005). Unfortunately, basic research has not provided behavioral technologies for ameliorating disruptive behavior at these transitions. A common feature of the aforementioned literature is that subjects were exposed to transitions between fixed-ratio (FR) schedules. In general, studies have shown that variable-ratio (VR) schedules are less aversive than FR schedules (e.g., Webbe et al., 1974). Therefore, the goal of the current experiment was to reduce pausing at rich-lean transitions in a laboratory setting with a “clinician-friendly” VR schedule. Because research has suggested the size of smallest ratio controls pausing on VR schedules (Blakely & Schlinger, 1988), we manipulated the smallest ratio by including either a 1 or a 20 in the array. Pausing at rich-lean transitions was ameliorated when a 1 was the smallest ratio in the array, whereas, a 20 produced extending rich-lean pausing in all four birds. |
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| Effects of Shifts in Reinforcement Magnitude on Fixed-Consecutive-Number Performance in Rats |
| JULIANA M. SMITH (College of Charleston), Chad M. Galuska (College of Charleston), Adam H. Doughty (College of Charleston) |
| Abstract: On a fixed-consecutive number (FCN) schedule (Mechner, 1958), rats earn reinforcers by making at least N number of responses on Lever A followed by one response on Lever B. Early switches are not reinforced and reset the response requirement. Using the FCN procedure, this experiment studied the effects of shifts in reinforcement magnitude on FCN performance in six male Long Evans rats. Half of the components ended in a large (L) reinforcer (6 pellets) and half ended in a small (S) reinforcer (1 pellet). These components alternated irregularly yielding four transitions: SS, SL, LL, LS. Across conditions, the upcoming reinforcer magnitude was either signaled or not. FCN values (N) of 20, 40, and 60 were investigated. The results showed that a signaled upcoming large reinforcer led to more early switches than an upcoming small reinforcer, especially in the SL transition. This effect increased with increases in N. These results suggest that signaling improvements in reinforcement context may sometimes lead to a decrease in accuracy. |
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| Novel Procedures in the Study of Equivalence Relations |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 1:30 PM–2:50 PM |
| Lone Star Ballroom Salon E (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: EAB/DEV; Domain: Experimental Analysis |
| Chair: Manish Vaidya (University of North Texas) |
| Abstract: The symposium presents four studies using novel procedures to study equivalence relations. In the first study, Lian and Arntzen describe the results of a procedure in which delays are imposed between sample offset and comparison onset during the training of baseline relations and tests for the derivation of equivalence relations. They report that DMTS procedures produce higher yields of equivalence-consistent outcomes than traditional procedures. Eilifsen and Arntzen present a similar study with adults and report that the yield of equivalence consistent outcomes increases as the delay between sample offset and comparison onset is increased. Hudgins and Vaidya report the use of equivalence procedures with elderly populations in an attempt at a more precise characterization of behavioral deficits in individuals with dementia. Finally, Swisher and Vaidya report the results of two experiments in which tracked the development of baseline conditional relations and the development of equivalence relations nearly simultaneously. The results have the potential to inform theoretical debates. |
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| Effects of Fixed and Titrated Delays in Equivalence Tasks: Stage II–Children |
| TORUNN LIAN (Akershus University College), Erik Arntzen (Akershus University College) |
| Abstract: Delayed matching-to-sample refers to a conditional discrimination procedure where a delay is imposed between removal of the sample stimulus and the presentation of comparison stimuli. Lately, some studies have investigated the effects of delayed matching-to-sample on responding in accord with equivalence. The main findings are that the delayed matching-to-sample procedure produces high outcome of derived responding. Most of these studies have been with adult participants and have arranged simultaneous matching during test. In this study children age 6 to 10 years old served as participants. We used a within subject design and arranged delays in both training and test conditions. Half of the participants experienced distracter tasks during the delay in the first part of the test blocks and the other half of the participants experienced distracter tasks during the delay in the second part of the test blocks. |
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| Effects of Fixed and Titrated Delays in Equivalence Tasks: Stage I–Adults |
| CHRISTOFFER EILIFSEN (Akershus University College), Erik Arntzen (Akershus University College) |
| Abstract: Using delayed matching-to-sample in stimulus equivalence procedures makes it possible to study both the development of derived relations and retention in such settings. Delayed matching-to-sample can be arranged either with fixed delays or titrating delays. When using a titrating delay procedure the delay increases as a function of a specified number of experimenter defined correct responses, while the delay is decreased following incorrect performance. Using a titrating delay between sample offset and the onset of the comparison array has previously been introduced in procedures for training the prerequisite conditional discriminations necessary for stimulus equivalence. We wanted to expand on this research by including a fixed delay in the test that corresponded to the maximum delay value in a titrating delay training procedure. 30 adults participated in the study, with 10 participants being exposed to a delay titrating between 0 and 100 ms, 10 participants exposed to a delay titrating between 0 and 3000 ms, and 10 participants being exposed to a delay titrating between 0 and 12000 ms. Results indicate that the shortest delay, 100 ms, produce a lower yield of stimulus equivalence outcomes compared to the two conditions where higher delay-values were employed. |
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| Characterizing Behavioral Deficits in Individuals With and Without Dementia |
| CALEB D. HUDGINS (University of North Texas), Manish Vaidya (University of North Texas) |
| Abstract: Despite a large clinical literature on the causes of and intervention with individuals with dementia, there appears to be no clear consensus on how best to characterize the particular nature of the behavioral deficits that characterize the disease. The experiments to be reported here attempted to compare the performance of elderly adults with varying degrees of dementia to age-matched controls across a number of unimodal and cross-modal conditional discriminations including auditory and visual stimuli. The results of this comparison may provide insight into how different unimodal and cross modal relations may be differentially affected by delay and/or by the severity of the disease. The insertion of delays between sample offset and comparison-array onset also allows us the opportunity to characterize the performance quantitatively. It is hoped that the precise specification of parameters will facilitate the development of a literature using stimulus equivalence to study issues related to aging. |
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| Pinpointing the Moment of Emergence: Relating Baseline Conditional Discrimination Acquisition to the Derivation of Equivalence Relations |
| MELISSA J. SWISHER (University of North Texas), Manish Vaidya (University of North Texas) |
| Abstract: Sidman (1994, 2000) suggests that equivalence relations are one of two outcomes of the operation of contingencies of reinforcement; the other outcome(s) are analytic units (e.g., simple discrimination, conditional discrimination, etc.). Despite the vast literature on stimulus equivalence, surprisingly little is known about the temporal relation between the acquisition of trained baseline conditional discriminations and the emergence of equivalence relations. It is unclear if equivalence relations emerge during, immediately after or sometime after the acquisition of the baseline conditional discriminations. The experiments reported attempted to gain a more precise understanding of the temporal relation between the development of analytic units and equivalence relations. In two experiments, two different prompting procedures were used during training to pinpoint when the conditional discriminations were learned. Simultaneous presentation of probe trials assaying the derivation of equivalence relations allowed us to examine the temporal relation between the acquisition of the baseline conditional discriminations and the development of equivalence relations. The results from eight participants across two different experiments show that the derivation of equivalence relations was either coincident with or closely followed the acquisition of the baseline conditional discriminations. |
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| Kuhn Since SSR, Skinner's Presentism, and Behavioral Episternology |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 1:30 PM–2:50 PM |
| Bonham B (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: TPC |
| Chair: Ted G. Schoneberger (Stanislaus County Office of Education) |
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| Cutting Nature at Its Joints: Thomas Kuhn Since SSR |
| Domain: Theory |
| TED G. SCHONEBERGER (Stanislaus County Office of Education) |
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| Abstract: Thomas Kuhn's (1962) book, "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions," has been described as "the most influential book in modern philosophy of science" (Ruse, 1995). Kuhn argued that science periodically undergoes "paradigm shifts," resulting in "normal science" being replaced by "revolutionary science". Further, Kuhn argued that two competing paradigms are "incommensurable" in that many of the concepts of either cannot be translated into those of the other. Kuhn's incommensurability thesis has been criticized for entailing that theory choice is irrational. If two paradigm's cannot be compared, then one cannot make a rational choice between them by selecting the one that more accurately corresponds to the real world. Kuhn (2000) has responded to this criticism by arguing that one cannot demonstrate that one paradigm more closely approximates nature than does another. More specifically, Kuhn has denied that scientific terms can ever cut nature at its real joints. Rather, a science achieves effectiveness by cutting its own joints into nature. In my paper, Kuhn's arguments for this assertion shall be examined. In addition, the implications of these arguments for addressing recent disputes within behavior analysis (e.g., differing definitions of "verbal behavior") shall also be discussed. |
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| Skinner's Presentism Is Inconsistent With His Response-Chaining Hypothesis |
| Domain: Theory |
| JOSE' E. BURGOS (Universidad de Guadalajara (CEIC)) |
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| Abstract: In this paper, I argue that Skinner’s presentism about behavior, according to which “behavior exists only when it is being executed,” is inconsistent with his response-chaining hypothesis of responding under intermittent reinforcement, according to which any response functions as a conditioned reinforcer of the immediately preceding response, and as a discriminative stimulus of the immediately following response. The inconsistency arises from the implication of presentism that neither past nor future responses exist. Supposedly, only present responses exist. More formally, let (Rt-1,Rt,Rt+1) be a sequence of three successive responses at moments t-1, t, and t+1, where t denotes the present moment. On Skinner’s response-chaining hypothesis, Rt has a double function, as conditioned reinforcer Rt-1 and as discriminative stimulus of Rt+1. On his presentism, only Rt exists. Supposedly, Rt-1 does not exist because it has already been executed, and Rt+1 does not exist because it has not yet been executed. However, how could Rt (or anything else, for that matter) exert any functional influence on inexistent responses? This inconsistency can be resolved by abandoning either or both proposals, but it is not obvious which strategy would be preferable for radical behaviorists. |
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| Intuitive Evaluations of Behavioral Epistemology |
| Domain: Theory |
| FRANK HAMMONDS (Troy University) |
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| Abstract: Edmund Gettier (1963) challenged the long-accepted definition of knowledge as justified true belief. Gettier accomplished this through the use of examples that depicted a person having justified true belief while appearing not to have knowledge. These examples, along with related examples created by other authors, have come to be known as Gettier cases. It has been noted that the lack of knowledge apparent in Gettier cases is merely intuitive. That is, there is no direct proof that knowledge is lacking, rather, it is simply the case that most people reading a Gettier case would likely agree that knowledge is not present despite justified true belief. Weinberg, Nichols, and Stich (2001) found that whether subjects accepted Gettier cases as representing knowledge varied across ethnic groups. Specifically, Westerners were less likely to say Gettier cases represented knowledge than were participants of East Asian or Indian descent. I am attempting to extend these findings in two ways. First, by investigating differences across gender and other variables. Second, as I have proposed a behavioral view of justified true belief, I will investigate whether presenting Gettier cases in behavioral terms will influence the results. Implications for a behavioral definition of knowledge will be discussed. |
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| SQAB Tutorial: Environment, Behavior and Pollution: Quantifying Risk |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 2:00 PM–2:50 PM |
| 007CD (CC) |
| Area: BPH/CSE; Domain: Experimental Analysis |
| Presenting Authors: : ROBERT C. MACPHAIL (U.S. EPA Neurotoxicology) |
| Abstract: This tutorial will describe past and current studies on behavior in the field of environmental toxicology, an area of inquiry that has a remarkably longer history than generally recognized. Toxicology bears much in common with pharmacology in that both fields investigate the effects of chemicals on living organisms, organs or tissues. Whereas pharmacology most often focuses on therapeutic or abused agents, environmental toxicology deals with a broader array of chemicals including atmospheric pollutants, water contaminants, pesticides, metals and a range of naturally occurring toxins. Numerous poisoning episodes have highlighted the diverse behavioral impacts of exposure to toxic chemicals. Given the limitations of epidemiological research, laboratory studies are needed for linking exposure (i.e., dose) and effect unequivocally. A much more challenging issue is using these data to then estimate the risk of an adverse (toxic) effect. This requires a focus on the variability in response to chemical exposure. Examples will be provided of both traditional approaches for estimating risk, and some newer approaches that specifically incorporate variability in response. The implications for understanding the effects of environmental pollutants on the health of humans (and other animals) will be explored. |
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| ROBERT C. MACPHAIL (U.S. EPA Neurotoxicology) |
 Bob MacPhail received his Ph.D. in 1973 from the University of Maryland where he investigated the effects of drugs on schedule-controlled operant behavior with Professor L.R. Gollub. He then received post-doctoral training in behavioral neuropharmacology at the University of Chicago with Professor L.S. Seiden. Dr. MacPhail was next recruited to develop a research program in neurotoxicology for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. He served for 20 years as head of behavioral toxicology in the EPA’s neurotoxicology research division, and then as division science advisor for 4 years before returning full-time to the laboratory. He was elected President of the Behavioral Toxicology Society, and President of the Neurotoxicology Specialty Section in the Society of Toxicology. He holds adjunct faculty appointments in Psychology and Neurobiology at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, and in Physiology and Pharmacology at Wake Forest University. His has served as an advisor to the National Academy of Sciences, World Health Organization, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense. He has over 100 published research papers, conference presentations and book chapters. His current interests include animal models of aging-related susceptibility, population-level risk assessment, and chemical screening in larval zebrafish. |
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| How Behavior Analysts Can Impact the Use of Psychotropic Medication for Challenging Behavior |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 2:00 PM–2:50 PM |
| 103AB (CC) |
| Area: DDA; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| Chair: Joel Eric Ringdahl (University of Iowa) |
| JENNIFER R. ZARCONE (University of Rochester Medical Center) |
 Jennifer Zarcone obtained her PhD from the Behavior Analysis program at the University of Florida, Department of Psychology in 1993. She is currently the Director of the Community Consultation Program in the Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester Medical Center. The program has 11 faculty members who conduct research and provide expertise to local schools and agencies for students with autism and other behavior challenges. She is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and a licensed psychologist in New York State. She has served for the past three years on the Executive Committee for the Association for Positive Behavior Support, most recently as President. She is a Member-at-Large on the Board of Directors for New York State Association for Behavior Analysis and is currently an Associate Editor for the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. Her areas of expertise are in autism, severe behavior disorders, clinical trials of medications, and Prader-Willi syndrome. |
| Abstract: The focus of this presentation is on how behavior analysts can play a role when psychotropic medication has been prescribed to treat significant behavior problems. Specifically, the ideal guidelines for conducting clinical trial research will be discussed and how these guidelines can be adapted to nonresearch settings (e.g., schools, home, residential facilities) with individuals with intellectual disabilities. The focus of the presentation will be on the most commonly used behavioral measures, including rating scales, direct observation, and functional analysis measures and how they can be used within the context of medication trials. Data will be presented from each of these types of measures. Finally, the need for measures of social validity and consumer satisfaction as well as collaboration across disciplines will be discussed. |
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| Professional Development Series: Teaching Behavior Skills—From the Trainer to the Technician |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 2:00 PM–2:50 PM |
| Texas Ballroom Salon F (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: TBA/EDC; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| CE Instructor: Caio Miguel, Ph.D. |
| Chair: Melissa Nosik (University of Nevada, Reno) |
| W. LARRY WILLIAMS (University of Nevada, Reno) |
| TERESA A. RODGERS (Missouri Department of Mental Health Division of Developmental Disabilities) |
| MIKE R. STOUTIMORE (Missouri Department of Mental Health) |
| Abstract: A critical element to the effectiveness of any behavior analytic intervention is implementation. There are many variables related to training that influence the level of implementation integrity of any behavior program. Behavior analysts have focused on teaching strategies that produce acquisition and generalization of skills from a teaching environment to the natural environment. There are training techniques and packages which have been effective in producing good outcomes in learners at the level of parents and staff. These will be discussed. An additional area of importance is the training of trainers. Individuals who conduct training in behavior analytic skills are repeatedly guilty of teaching a new behavior without developing and implementing a plan to facilitate its maintenance and generalization. We will discuss different methods of training the trainers to be more effective in their approaches to training. Although we have found some effective methods for teaching behavior skills, we still fail to implement these on a regular basis due to financial and time constraints. Panelists will discuss innovative methods to deliver effective training while minimizing these constraints. Suggestions for future research will be offered. |
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| Establishing a Start-Up Program in Teaching as Applied Behavior Analysis |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 2:00 PM–2:50 PM |
| Ballroom A (CC) |
| Area: TBA/EDC; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| BACB CE Offered. CE Instructor: William Baum, Ph.D.Information to come. |
| Chair: Jessica Singer-Dudek (Teachers College, Columbia University) |
| Presenting Authors: : GRANT GAUTREAUX (Nicholls State University) |
| Abstract: Developing programs for teachers in behavior analysis requires collaborative efforts from multiple entities operating independently of each other. At a regional-based state university, creating sustainable new programs depend greatly upon the support of surrounding school districts, approval of internal departments, college committees, and university graduate councils as well creating need within the feeder constituency. This presentation will outline the scope and sequence for setting up a Comprehensive Application of Behavior Analysis Program for teachers in a state where behavior analysis has historically been meet with fear and loathing. Some of the essential elements involved in this process include school district buy-in, parent and teacher training, planning for financial viability, recruitment of potential candidates against the backdrop of post-Katrina Louisiana, higher education budget cuts, and National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education program accreditation. |
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| GRANT GAUTREAUX (Nicholls State University) |
 Dr. Grant Gautreaux (PhD Teachers College Columbia University, 2005) is an assistant professor of teacher education at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, La. He currently holds ranks of CABAS Senior Behavior Analyst and Assistant Research Scientist and is a BCBA-D. Dr. Gautreaux has taught courses in the areas of instructional interventions, behavior interventions, applied behavior analysis, educational research, inclusive education, and diagnostic reading at Teachers College, St John’s University and the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. He has published articles in the areas of observational learning, multiple exemplar instruction and naming and has presented at numerous national and international conferences on behavior analysis and teacher education. Dr. Gautreaux is also on the editorial board of the Journal of Behavioral Assessment and Interventions for Children and is a CABAS® consultant for the Jigsaw School in the United Kingdom and schools across Louisiana and has recently started the first teacher based program in applied behavior analysis in Louisiana. |
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| Current Advances in Preference Assessments for Children With Autism |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 2:00 PM–3:20 PM |
| 207AB (CC) |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| Chair: Michele R. Bishop (Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Inc.) |
| Discussant: Richard B. Graff (New England Center for Children) |
| CE Instructor: Stephen Anderson, Ph.D. |
| Abstract: This symposium will include three studies examining the use of preference assessments with children with autism. The first paper compared therapist report and direct assessment of preferences for 33 children diagnosed with autism. Additional analyses were conducted to evaluate the type of stimuli frequently identified by therapists as well as consistency within treatment teams. The second paper examined the use of demand functions for describing differences between behavior reinforced by food and behavior reinforced by attention in children with autism. Results show systematic changes in reinforcers earned and response-rate as a function of the ratio-requirement. The third paper investigated preference for a larger array of items versus a smaller array of items with older learners diagnosed with autism. Results indicate that participants preferred a larger array of items. Each presenter will discuss how their current results may impact treatment practices. Finally, a discussion of the importance of these findings will be presented. |
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| Evaluating Preference Across a Large Group of Children With Autism: Therapist Report vs. Direct Assessment |
| MICHELE R. BISHOP (Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Inc.), Amy Kenzer (Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Inc.) |
| Abstract: The identification of effective reinforcers continues to be an important component of successful behavioral interventions for children with autism. Methods of identifying preferred stimuli that may then function as reinforcers frequently involves an informal assessment of preferences (i.e., asking caregivers and observing the child play). However, research suggests that direct assessment of preference can produce clear preference hierarchies and identify reliable reinforcers. This study compared therapist report and direct assessment of preferences for identifying reinforcers for children with autism. Preference surveys for 33 children were administered to 44 therapists and 3 supervisors. Therapist’s identified and ranked five preferred stimuli and five non-preferred stimuli for each child. A coding system was used to determine the top ranked preferred stimuli across each child’s treatment team as well as a representative sample of non-preferred stimuli. Additionally, the experimenters selected three to four novel stimuli for each child. Subsequently, two paired choice stimulus preference assessments were conducted for all participants comparing therapists’ top ranked stimuli to 1) therapists’ reported non-preferred stimuli and 2) novel stimuli. Results indicated that for 59% of direct assessments of those items therapist’s reported as non-preferred and/or novel stimuli displaced therapist’s top ranked stimuli. Additional analyses were conducted to evaluate the type of stimuli frequently identified by therapists as well as survey consistency within treatment teams. |
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| Evaluations of Demand Functions for Attention and Food in Children with Autism |
| ANDREW SAMAHA (Utah State University), Sarah E. Bloom (Utah State University) |
| Abstract: This study examined the use of demand functions for describing differences between behavior reinforced by food and behavior reinforced by attention in children with autism. Several previous studies have identified systematic scalar differences in reinforcer value across different classes. This study attempts to extend those findings by examining differences in essential value (or, how the behavior reinforced by food and attention changes as the price of those commodities increases). Preferred food items and forms of attention were identified using paired-stimulus preference assessments. Next, those stimuli were delivered using fixed-ratio schedules. Response-requirements on the ratio schedules were manipulated across sessions in an increasing and decreasing sequence. Results show systematic changes in reinforcers earned (consumption) and response-rate as a function of ratio-requirement. |
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| Evaluating the Preference for Greater or Fewer Choices by Older Learners Diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum |
| SELENA GIRONDA (Caldwell College), Patrick R. Progar (Caldwell College), Kenneth F. Reeve (Caldwell College), Robert LaRue (Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey) |
| Abstract: Choice responding was evaluated amongst a greater array of choices versus a fewer array of choices by older learners diagnosed on the autism spectrum using a concurrent-operant arrangement. In one condition, the number of items available was systematically increased from 4 to 32 items, whereas the second condition remained constant at two items. A third condition served as the control (no choice). In Phase 1, a multiple-baseline across three participants was used to evaluate identical items serving as reinforcers to control for differential consequences and satiation. In Phase 2, a choice of varied items serving as reinforcers was evaluated for one participant in order to represent a more natural setting in which choices are available on a daily basis for learners with autism. All participants preferred a greater array of choices when the items available for reinforcement were both identical and varied. The results suggest that offering a greater array of choices may enhance reinforcer effectiveness because it incorporates access to multiple highly preferred items and the opportunity to choose. |
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| Complements and Extensions to Contingency Management Interventions to Promote Healthy Behavior |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 2:00 PM–3:20 PM |
| Crockett A/B (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: CBM/BPH; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| Chair: Steven E. Meredith (University of Florida) |
| CE Instructor: Cassondra Gayman, M.S. |
| Abstract: Contingency management (CM) has been used to increase drug abstinence in substance abusers by delivering desirable consequences, such as money, contingent on objective evidence of abstinence. The following symposium highlights new complements and extensions to CM for promoting healthy behavior. Erin McClure will discuss how varenicline (Chantix) can be used to enhance the efficacy of CM interventions with treatment seeking smokers. Kelly Dunn will talk about CM in the context of a therapeutic workplace to increase adherence with naltrexone, an opioid antagonist that can decrease opioid abuse when taken as prescribed. The last two talks will discuss extensions of CM to non-drug abusing populations. Bethany Raiff will present the results of an Internet-based CM intervention to increase adherence with blood glucose testing recommendations in teens diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, and Kristin Hustyi will describe a CM intervention used to increase physical activity in overweight and obese preschool children. This collection of studies illustrates the versatility and utility of CM as a means of promoting healthy behavior. |
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| The Effects of Behavioral and Pharmacological Interventions on Relapse to Smoking Following Experimental Lapse Exposure |
| ERIN A. MCCLURE (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine), Ryan Vandrey (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine), Maxine Stitzer (Behavioral Pharmacology Research Unit) |
| Abstract: Retrospective data collected during clinical trials along with anecdotal reports suggest that one mechanism by which varenicline (Chantix) aids in smoking cessation is by reducing the likelihood of relapse following a slip or lapse episode during a quit attempt. The current study investigated this effect in a prospective laboratory model. Smokers were randomly assigned to receive varenicline or placebo during a quit attempt in which an experimentally induced lapse occurred after a supervised period of abstinence. Smoking behavior was then assessed for four weeks following the programmed lapse with financial incentives provided during the first week to increase abstinence. Results showed that smoking decreased for both placebo and varenicline groups, but was lower upon completion of the study for those receiving varenicline. Complete abstinence from smoking in either group was rare despite the monetary incentives. While incentives along with behavioral counseling were successful in decreasing smoking behavior in the placebo group, they were not as powerful as the combination of incentives, counseling, and varenicline treatment. Findings suggest that varenicline decreased smoking dramatically in a context where smokers were motivated to achieve abstinence, which may reflect one mechanism of varenicline’s previously demonstrated efficacy as a smoking cessation aid. |
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| Employment-Based Reinforcement of Naltrexone Compliance in Unemployed Heroin-Dependent Adults |
| KELLY DUNN (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine), Anthony DeFulio (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine), Jeffrey J. Everly (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine), Annie Umbricht (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine), Michael Fingerhood (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine), George Bigelow (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine), Kenneth Silverman (Johns Hopkins University), Wendy Donlin-Washington (University of North Carolina, Wilmington) |
| Abstract: Naltrexone is an opiate antagonist that effectively prevents relapse to opioid use; however rates of compliance are notoriously poor. In a randomized controlled trial of employment-based contingencies to promote naltrexone compliance, heroin-dependent injection drug users were randomly assigned to a Naltrexone Contingency (NC) or Work Only (WO) group. NC participants are required to ingest oral naltrexone thrice weekly to gain entry into the workplace and WO participants receive a take-home prescription and can work independently of naltrexone compliance. In the workplace participants earn hourly wages and productivity pay. Outcome measures include monthly naltrexone, opioid and cocaine urinalysis results. Data show access to the workplace successfully reinforces compliance with naltrexone. Mean percent naltrexone-positive samples are 74% and 28% in the NC and WO groups, respectively. Mean opiate-negative samples are higher among NC versus WO participants (74% and 58%, respectively); however no effect is observed on cocaine use. Overall, this study provides evidence that an employment-based behavioral treatment can successfully reinforce compliance with a medication and has important implications for use with other medications. |
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| Using an Internet-Based Contingency Management Intervention to Increase Adherence With Blood Glucose Testing Recommendations in Adolescents Diagnosed With Type 1 Diabetes |
| BETHANY R. RAIFF (National Development Research Institutes), Jesse Dallery (University of Florida) |
| Abstract: Diabetes can lead to a number of life-threatening health complications if unmanaged. A critical component of diabetes management, for adolescents diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, involves blood glucose testing at least four times per day. The current study evaluated the effects of using an Internet-based contingency management intervention to increase adherence with blood glucose testing recommendations in non-adherent adolescents. Four adolescents diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes could earn vouchers for submitting blood glucose testing videos, over a secure website, during the intervention. During an initial baseline condition participants did not meet the minimum of four recommended tests per day (mean number of tests per day = 1.7). However, when the Internet-based CM intervention was introduced, an increase in the daily frequency of testing occurred, with every participant meeting the minimum during all five days of the intervention (mean number of tests per day = 5.7). Removing the intervention corresponded with a decrease in the daily frequency of testing (mean number of tests per day = 3.1). Participants and their parents rated the program favorably on a number of dimensions. The results suggest that Internet-based contingency management interventions are feasible and acceptable for use with adolescents diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. |
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| Shaping Physical Activity in Overweight and Obese Children |
| KRISTIN M. HUSTYI (University of the Pacific), Matthew P. Normand (University of the Pacific), Tracy Larson (University of the Pacific), Scott B Greenberg (University of the Pacific) |
| Abstract: The Observational System for Recording Physical Activity in Children (OSRAC-P, Brown et al., 2009) is a discontinuous measurement system for recording physical activity. We validated the OSRAC system with continuous measurement systems (pedometers and heart rate monitors), finding that increased heart rate and steps taken correlated with activity level codes. We also measured changes in physical activity in obese and overweight pre-school children when a package intervention including goal setting and feedback was introduced according to an ABAB reversal design. Multiple measures were used to assess physical activity level, including the OSRAC-P system and pedometers. Percentile schedules of reinforcement were used to set performance goals. The intervention produced elevated levels of physical activity and the activity level codes and pedometer records were highly correlated. Implications for future activity research will be discussed. |
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| Functional Analytic Psychotherapy Across Settings and Populations |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 2:00 PM–3:20 PM |
| Crockett C/D (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: CBM/TPC; Domain: Service Delivery |
| Chair: Daniel J. Moran (Trinity Services, Inc.) |
| CE Instructor: David Corcoran, M.S. |
| Abstract: Functional analytic psychotherapy (FAP), has a behavioral focus on in-vivo interactions and in-session equivalents of clients’ daily life problems, offers a convincing practical framework for psychotherapy. The premise of FAP suggests clients’ clinical problems appear in session, and the reactions of the therapist will naturally reinforce more clinical improvements that can be generalized to clients’ daily lives. |
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| The Application of Functional Analytic Psychotherapy to Persons With Serious Mental Illness |
| THANE A. DYKSTRA (Trinity Services, Inc.), Kimberly A. Shontz (Trinity Services, Inc.), Carl Indovina (Trinity Services, Inc.), Daniel J. Moran (Trinity Services, Inc.) |
| Abstract: This presentation will discuss the use of Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP) with individuals diagnosed with serious mental illness with an emphasis upon psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of psychotherapy for individuals diagnosed with psychotic disorders has historically and erroneously been viewed as dubious. This presentation will briefly highlight empirical support for the influence of environmental factors on the manifestation of psychotic behavior (e.g. token economies, expressed emotion literature). These lines of research justify exploring the usefulness of Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP) in treating serious mental illness. FAP interventions are performed in the context of a genuine and caring therapeutic relationship and are guided by radical behavioral principles. FAP provides a framework for contingent therapist responding in their moment-to-moment interactions with clients that facilitates new or more adaptive interpersonal repertoires including socially interfering responses to intrusive private experiences such as hallucinations and delusions. The presentation will review each of the five rules of FAP in their application to persons with serious mental illness. Specific clinical examples will be provided to illustrate how utilizing FAP and the client-therapist relationship has produced positive therapy outcomes. |
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| Functional Analytic Psychotherapy Strategies and Ideas for Working With Adolescents |
| REO NEWRING (Children's Hospital and Medical Center), Kirk A.B. Newring (Kirk A. B. Newring, PhD, LLC), Chauncey R. Parker (University of Washington) |
| Abstract: As the average clinician says, “I’ll work with anyone… except teenagers.” Clinical work with adolescents is very difficult, due to special needs and circumstances inherent to the population. Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP) is a 3rd wave behavior therapy that focuses clinical attention on identified problems and improvements as they manifest in the therapy room, toward therapy, and with the therapist. FAP provides a unique framework for conceptualizing client behavior; adolescents provide lots of rich samples of behavior in the therapy room, and toward therapy and the therapist. While therapy with adolescents is not a new phenomenon, using FAP with them is—and it has proven very helpful in the clinical work of the authors. We will discuss characteristics of the population that require special attention and how FAP improves treatment outcomes with them, using case examples from our own practices. We hypothesize that using FAP with this population can help any therapist to improve therapeutic rapport, understanding of client behavior patterns, and treatment outcomes. |
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| Functional Analytic Psychotherapy for Interpersonal Process Groups |
| MAVIS TSAI (Independent Practice), Renee J. Hoekstra (Pacific University School of Professional Psychology) |
| Abstract: Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP), with its behavioral focus on in-vivo interactions and in-session equivalents of clients’ daily life problems, offers a compelling conceptual framework from which to conduct interpersonal group psychotherapy. The premise of FAP is that instances of clients’ daily life problems will appear in session, and the contingent reactions of the therapist and other group members will naturally reinforce more adaptive behavior that can be generalized to clients’ daily lives.
The FAP approach to group psychotherapy enables therapists to: elicit client statements about potential in-session problems, elicit client agreement to work on presenting concerns in group, encourage client disclosure of in-session problems to other members, and remind clients of their commitment when their presenting problems show up in-vivo. As therapists allow the group to develop, they can enhance and augment the private experiences and reactions of group members, offer statements of functional relationships, and teach the group as a whole to watch for the clinically relevant behaviors of its members. Thus, the FAP application to group provides therapists not only a foundational structure for the group, but a clear focus on both the group agenda and the goals of the clients throughout the life of the group. |
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| Functional Analytic Psychotherapy-Enhanced Couple Therapy: Perspectives and Possibilities |
| WILLIAM C. FOLLETTE (University of Nevada, Reno), Thomas J. Waltz (University of Nevada, Reno), Alan S. Gurman (University of Wisconsin-Madison) |
| Abstract: In Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP), dyadic behavior is observed almost in its natural environment with the therapist and both members of the couples present. During the course of therapy couples often create many of the stimulus conditions under which interpersonal problem behaviors occur, and these problem behaviors are emitted in the presence of the therapist. Until recently, even behavioral marital therapists have not maximally applied behavior analytic principles to the change and generalization processes required to maximize the beneficial effects of couple therapy.
The paper addresses how the stance of the FAP therapist conducting couple therapy is unique. The therapist has the familiar role of having each member of the dyad become observers of the contingencies that affect each other’s behavior, but also has the unique role of sharing the burden of producing change in each person by naturally reinforcing clinically important behavior change when the partner cannot yet support necessary change. Applying FAP therapy change principles directs the therapist to actively respond to client behavior change in ways novel to most other couple therapists. |
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| Professional Development Series: Behavior Analysis Student Groups: Progress, Events, and Ideas from Current Presidents |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 2:00 PM–3:20 PM |
| Texas Ballroom Salon A (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: EDC/TBA; Domain: Theory |
| Chair: Aimee Meier (The Chicago School, Los Angeles) |
| EDUARDO AVALOS (California State University, Fresno) |
| ANTONIO M. HARRISON (The Chicago School, Los Angeles) |
| LAUREN HOPKINS (The Chicago School of Professional Psychology) |
| LILLIE WILSON (University of Houston-Clear Lake) |
| Abstract: Panelists will discuss the experiences and progress of their school's student group or club. From volunteering to fundraisers to conventions, the presidents will share successes and struggles their group has encountered over the past year and invite questions from attendees. |
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| Progressive Approaches to Organizational Change |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 2:00 PM–3:20 PM |
| Republic B (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: OBM; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| Chair: Jessica L. Fouch (Southern Illinois University) |
| Discussant: Clarissa S. Barnes (Southern Illinois University) |
| Abstract: The area of organizational behavior management has had an enormous impact on work settings both in the field of human services as well as outside the field. Presentations in the current symposium will consist of experimental work in the area of OBM that include successful intervention training for parents of children with autism, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and direct care staff performance, and interventions for improving customer satisfaction in an automobile dealership. |
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| A Comparison of Two Models of Behavioral Parent Training: Implications and Future Directions For Treatment |
| JOHN M. GUERCIO (TouchPoint Autism Services), Clarissa S. Barnes (Southern Illinois University), Sadie L Lovett (Southern Illinois University) |
| Abstract: The project compared and contrasted the effects of a three week parent training protocol with a two week program. Both programs were comprised of a series of workshops, videotaped modeling, and feedback geared towards successful intervention with individuals with autism spectrum disorders. The teaching skills of each of three parent dyads were assessed via a multiple baseline design across parents. A variety of dependent measures were used to assess treatment efficacy for the parent training package described above. The measures that were used included the frequency of specific contingency statements, correct implementation of reinforcement protocols, and the frequency of inappropriate responding observed across 20 minute therapy sessions. Identical measures were then taken for a two week training model containing similar treatment elements. Results showed that each family dyad demonstrated an increase in appropriate teaching and therapeutic scales as well as decreases in subjective measures of stress and anxiety across both treatment durations demonstrating efficacy of the briefer training model. |
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| An Examination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Components on Direct Care Staff Performance |
| JOHN C. PINGO (Southern Illinois University), Mark R. Dixon (Southern Illinois University), Autumn N. Mckeel (Southern Illinois University Carbondale) |
| Abstract: The current study examined the effect of key components of acceptance and commitment therapy on direct care staff performance. In experiment one, a quasi randomized group experiment was used to compare mindfulness only training with training based on all of the components of ACT. In experiment two a multiple baseline design across direct care staff was used to compare a mindfulness based intervention to an intervention based on identifying values and setting courses of committed action. The impact of the interventions on frequency and quality of staff interactions with people served and co-workers, perceived value of existing performance reinforcement systems, and psychological flexibility will be discussed. |
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| Do As You Say and Then Do It Better: Increasing Customer Satisfaction and Consumer Product Knowledge in a Mercedes-Benz Dealership |
| AMY KATHERINE LOUKUS (Southern Illinois University), Mark R. Dixon (Southern Illinois University), Oliver Ashtiani (Foley-Sweitzer Mercedes-Benz) |
| Abstract: Mercedes Benz is a company with a mission: “give our best for customers who expect the best”. The mission is clearly specified and holds utmost importance in the struggling automobile industry. Through the use of technologies derived from the fields of Behavior analysis and Organizational Behavior Management (OBM), this study examined the practice and success of a local Mercedes Benz dealership in fulfilling expectations of high customer satisfaction ratings, a defining measure of the brand. Direct observation of happiness as determined through the use of happiness indices served secondary to the analysis of data provided by completed customer satisfaction surveys. After implementation of interventions tailored to achieving success in appropriate areas, correlating results suggest effectiveness of such interventions and utility of happiness indices as a reliable measure of happiness in customers. |
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| OBM of Societal and Cultural Issues |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 2:00 PM–3:20 PM |
| Republic A (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: OBM |
| Chair: Carl M. Johnson (Central Michigan University) |
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| Hawks Nest—America's Worst and Least Known Industrial Disaster |
| Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| DWIGHT HARSHBARGER (Department of Community Medicine, West Virgina University) |
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| Abstract: This photo-slide and documentary presentation will address decision-making in the construction of Hawks Nest Tunnel–America’s worst yet least-known industrial disaster. From 1930 to 1932, 5,000 unemployed men, two-thirds of them black, came to Gauley Bridge, West Virginia, for 25 cents-an-hour jobs digging Union Carbide’s 3.2 mile tunnel through Gauley Mountain. The tunnel carried the New River to electrical turbines generating power for company factories.
Workers lived in segregated shanties and worked 60 hours a week to build the 46 feet-in-diameter tunnel. The center of the Gauley Mountain contained virtually pure silica. The contractor used “dry drilling;” i.e., no water from drills dampened the rock dust; often workers couldn’t see more than ten feet ahead. No protective respiratory masks were provided.
Local residents estimated the number of deaths at over two thousand. A 1936 congressional investigation characterized Gauley Bridge as “the village of the walking dead.” A retrospective analysis by an epidemiologist estimated at least eight hundred tunnel workers died, most from acute silicosis, called “tunnelitis” by company doctors unfamiliar with silicosis. A cornfield became a makeshift cemetery for tunnel fatalities. Implications for current OBM practice will be discussed. |
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| Organizational Behavioral Medicine |
| Domain: Theory |
| CARL M. JOHNSON (Central Michigan University), Melany Desrochers (Central Michigan University), Laura Lasley (Central Michigan University) |
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| Abstract: Controversy regarding health care and behavior has been emerging for the past few years in the United States. Coupled with insurance reform, arguments erupted during town hall meetings during the summer of 2008. Behavior analysis offers expertise in a variety of health-care domains. However, ABAI and behavior analytic journals devote little space to this topic although behavior analysis has a long history of offering useful techniques in health-related behaviors such as increasing aerobic exercise, smoking cessation, incontinence solutions, healthy eating, etc. Private insurance and government sanctioned health care such as Medicaid and Medicare do not provide sufficient incentives for improving healthy behaviors for many individuals. We generally treat disease rather than prevent problems from developing. Moreover, if businesses and other organizations are to provide the bulk of health insurance in the United States in the near future, it appears critical for healthy behaviors to be strengthened for employees and their families. Both contingency-shaped and rule-governed behaviors appear critical to ameliorate many health problems. Behavior analysts need to rediscover an area that seems neglected by the field in recent years. |
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| Variations in Organizational Behaviors and Selection of Organizational Culture |
| Domain: Theory |
| INGUNN SANDAKER (Akershus University College) |
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| Abstract: The range of behavioral variation within systems is constrained by external and internal contingencies. Various constraints on variation and properties of the interaction between behavior and environment (e.g., contingencies of reinforcement) determine what behavioral repertoires are selected.
Contingencies of reinforcement affect the acquisition, change, and extinction of behavioral patterns. Changes in society and working life may usefully be conceptualized as changes in contingencies of reinforcement. Moving along a continuum; from restricting variation to evoking variability of responding, the range of control may shift from correction of any response deviation to shaping of variation to acquire solutions that are in demand in an unpredictable and continuously changing environment/market |
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| Professional Development Series: Looking Forward: Applications of Behavior Analysis in a Changing and Troubled World |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 2:30 PM–3:20 PM |
| 201 (CC) |
| Domain: Service Delivery |
| CE Instructor: A. Catania, Ph.D.Ph.D. |
| Chair: Lisa A. Sennott (Special School District of St. Louis County) |
| JANET ELLIS (University of North Texas) |
| ANTHONY BIGLAN (Oregon Research Institute) |
| BRUCE A. THYER (Florida State University) |
| Abstract: An uncertain yet hopeful world looks for solutions to the major social problems of our times. As behavior analysts we have a choice: observe existing contingencies maintaining faulty cultural practices or use our knowledge of behavior and environmental determinants to establish new interlocking contingencies that will maintain beneficial practices. Many behavior analysts are already applying their knowledge to improve treatment selection and assessment of social work practice outcomes, help educators develop effective classroom management skills in public schools, develop and evaluate community-wide interventions to prevent tobacco, and other drug use, and reduce the prevalence of aggressive social behavior, as well as other youth problem behaviors. Perhaps others would contribute their time, energy, and knowledge to solving these problems if they were able to see how members of different disciplines can work cooperatively in the application of operant principles to effect cultural change. Taking time out from the front lines of cultural design, three experts on large-scale change offer their thoughts on and methodologies employed in changing cultural practices. Their experiences promise to inspire, as well as to demonstrate that the successful application of our science to larger social problems is possible and necessary to achieve large-scale social change. |
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| Fear and Anxiety in Autism: The Complexity of Assessment and Intervention |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 2:30 PM–3:50 PM |
| 205 (CC) |
| Area: AUT/DDA; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| Chair: Raymond G. Romanczyk (Institute for Child Development, Binghamton University) |
| CE Instructor: Dennis Reid, Ph.D. |
| Abstract: The universal processes of fear and anxiety in both typical and clinical populations have been well studied in multiple disciplines and there exist effective evidence based intervention procedures. One population, individuals with autistism spectrum disorders, has received comparatively little research and clinical attention related to fear and anxiety, even though it is a rapidly expanding population that has generated considerable public and general research attention. Reasons for this comparative lack of attention, particularly within behavior analysis, may have historical roots in the conceptualization of the disorder wherein co-morbidity was not well recognized, availability of poor assessment procedures for a population that typically can not provide meaningful self-report of emotional state, and over-utilization of non-compliance as an explanatory factor for expression of behavior problems.
Fear and anxiety in autism spectrum disorders will be examined from multiple behavioral perspectives. Specific focus will be placed upon assessment and clinical intervention approaches regarding similarities and differences in both typical and clinical populations. Examples of treatment focus will be upon fears and phobias, social anxiety, and awareness of environmental dangers and safety issues. An individual case illustration will be presented to highlight critical aspects of precise assessment as it affects treatment in the typical multi-disciplinary setting. |
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| Fear and Child Safety: Risk and Protective Factors for Nonfatal Injury in Children with Autistic Disorder |
| RACHEL N. STRAUB (Binghamton University, State University of New York), Raymond G. Romanczyk (Binghamton University, State University of New York) |
| Abstract: In recent years, researchers and practitioners have begun to recognize high levels of comorbidity between autism and other disorders. However, little attention has been given to the construct of fear, which can be defined as the awareness of impending threat for bodily or emotional harm with expectation of undesirable outcome. Previous research has shown that specific individual characteristics, such as impulsivity and lack of fear, increase the likelihood of injury in risk situations (Schwebel, 2004). Interestingly, emerging research has reported that children with autistic disorder experience a higher rate of injuries, with greater severity, than typical children (Lee, et al., 2008; McDermott, et al., 2008; Straub & Romanczyk, 2009). The purpose of this presentation is to present and review characteristics of children with autistic disorder that may serve as potential predictive factors and targets for intervention regarding unintentional, nonfatal injury. Specific focus will be given to characteristics that have been shown as accurate predictors of childhood injury for other clinical populations, including impulsivity, hyperactivity, attention difficulties, and lack of fear regarding likelihood of injury. Additionally, implications for conducting research on the absence of a phenomenon in predicting the occurrence of injury will be discussed. |
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| A Behavioral Approach to the Assessment of Anxiety Disorders in Children with ASD |
| KELLY D. SCHLEISMANN (Auburn University), Jennifer M. Gillis Mattson (Auburn University) |
| Abstract: Although anxiety disorders are commonly comorbid with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD; e.g., Weisbrot et al., 2005), little is known about the methods for adequately assessing anxiety disorders in this population. Traditional assessments of anxiety disorders, such as clinical interviews and rating scales, may be inappropriate for use among children with ASD due to factors such as an overlap between symptoms of anxiety and core symptoms of ASD (Matson and Neble-Schwalm, 2007), as well as qualitative differences in sources of anxiety (Leyfer et al., 2006) and symptom presentations (Ozonoff, Goodlin-James, & Solomon, 2005). A behavioral approach to the assessment of anxiety in children with ASD may better enable practitioners to investigate important factors that are not typically relevant when assessing anxiety in the general population. This presentation will discuss complicating factors and recommendations pertaining to the behavioral assessment of anxiety in children with ASD. |
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| Examination of Effective Interventions for Anxiety in Children with ASD |
| REBECCA BEIGHTS (Auburn University), Jennifer M. Gillis Mattson (Auburn University) |
| Abstract: Acknowledging comorbidity of anxiety with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), researchers have begun to evaluate treatment of anxiety in this population. Treatment of anxiety from a behavioral perspective often targets avoidance behaviors as observable manifestations of anxiety and aims to decrease avoidance through use of exposure, modeling, and contingent reinforcement (e.g., Conyers, Miltenberger, Peterson, Gubin, Jurgens, Selders, et al., 2004; Jennett & Hagopian, 2008, Rapp, Vollmer, & Hovanetz, 2005; Riccardi, Luiselli, & Camare, 2006). Current research on treatment of anxiety in children with ASD provides support for behavioral strategies as components of an effective intervention (Hagopian & Jennett, 2008). A review of the literature will be presented, with emphasis on analysis of specific treatment elements and recommendations for treatment implementation. |
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| Case Conceptualization in a Multi-Disciplinary Setting: A Clinical Case Example |
| EMILY HUBER CALLAHAN (Binghamton University) |
| Abstract: Delivery of services for children with autism and related disorders often occur in the context of multi-disciplinary groups, for early intervention, preschool, and school age children. Thus behavior analysts typically provide services in the broad context of diverse program procedures and policies. Issues concerning professional relations with individuals from differing backgrounds and the ethical dilemmas they present, autism taxonomy, and intervention evaluation procedures, are the focus of this presentation. A clinical case example will be used to illustrate the specific difficulties behavior analysts can encounter providing services within such systems. |
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| Enhancing Social Opportunities for Children With High-Functioning Autism |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 2:30 PM–3:50 PM |
| 206AB (CC) |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| Chair: Marjorie H. Charlop-Christy (Claremont McKenna College) |
| CE Instructor: Eileen Roscoe, Ph.D. |
| Abstract: Many high-functioning children with autism possess neurotypical cognitive and language abilities but lack the social skills necessary for successful interactions. This symposium begins by briefly reviewing the literature on teaching social skills to high-functioning children with autism and discussing the importance of designing social skills interventions that consider the specific needs and abilities of these children. Then three studies examining social skills interventions for high-functioning children with autism will be presented. The first study used video modeling to teach high-functioning children with autism reciprocal conversation through humorous exchanges. This allows for the mastery of more advanced social interactions such as expansion of conversational topic, ‘to and fro’ speech, and maintaining a verbal exchange. The second study utilized advances in technology to teach persistence in social initiations. This study also uses peers as teachers to promote generalization of skills. The final study taught adolescents with autism a method of conversation monitoring to increase question-asking during dyadic social interactions. |
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| The Importance of Teaching Social Skills to High-Functioning Children With Autism: A Brief Review |
| CATHERINE ANNE MILTENBERGER (Claremont Graduate University), Marjorie H. Charlop-Christy (Claremont McKenna College) |
| Abstract: Many high-functioning children with autism are of normal intelligence and language abilities but fail to develop age-appropriate social skills. These deficient social skills have negative implications for their social, emotional, and academic development. The social deficiencies of high-functioning children with autism may be especially salient because of their inclusion with typically developing peers who are more aware of these deficits. Although there is an extensive body of literature addressing the effectiveness of social skills intervention programs for children with autism in general, much less research examines social skills interventions designed specifically for high-functioning children with autism. The current presentation draws upon recent literature to discuss the importance of identifying the specific needs of this segment of the autism population and of designing social skills intervention programs to address these needs in ways that build upon the children’s many strengths. |
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| Teaching Children With Autism to Initiate Conversational Speech: Humor as a Means of Social Skills Attainment |
| SARA GERSHFELD COHEN (Claremont Graduate University), Marjorie H. Charlop-Christy (Claremont McKenna College) |
| Abstract: Common social skills interventions that focus on simple initiations and responses are well-researched and relatively easy to teach, but offer limited learning opportunities. Mastering more advanced social interactions such as expansion of conversational topic, establishing ‘to and fro’ speech, and maintaining a verbal exchange has the potential of expanding learning opportunities for children with autism (Charlop & Kelso, 2003). Little research is available on this subject. Joke-telling is a promising form of conversational dialogue that keeps the attention of a typical peer, is naturally reinforcing to both conversational partners, and increases the likeability of the person telling the joke. Humorous exchanges also enhance physical, cognitive, language and psychosocial skill attainment and promote experience-sharing relationships (Franzini, 2002; Robinson, 1991). This study investigated the effects of teaching child-initiated social skills in the form of joke-telling using video modeling on social behavior and appropriate speech for children with autism. Preliminary results indicate that the intervention successfully taught children to engage in joke-telling with peers. Further results will discuss generalization and ecologically valid social skill to children with autism. |
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| Teaching Persistence in Social Initiations to High-Functioning Children With Autism: A Portable Video Modeling Technology |
| DENISE GROSBERG (Claremont Graduate University), Marjorie H. Charlop-Christy (Claremont McKenna College) |
| Abstract: Learning persistence in social initiations is an essential skill for healthy development in that it helps children gain confidence in their ability to make friends and engage in effective social interactions (Weiss & Harris, 2001). However, the number of social initiations children with autism engage in is typically very low (Odom et al, 1985). Social interventions that incorporate technology have had considerable success in motivating children with autism because they take advantage of the inherent visual strengths of these children, are motivating, and are socially acceptable among typical peers. Interventions that incorporate technology are also becoming progressively more popular because they are economical, portable, and require minimal instruction to operate. In the present study, a portable video modeling technology will be used to teach persistence in social initiations to children with autism. Two hypotheses were tested. First, it was hypothesized that children with autism would effectively learn persistence in social initiations to typical peers by using a portable video modeling technology. Second, persistence in social initiations was hypothesized to generalize and be maintained across people, settings, and skills. Findings discuss the practicality, social acceptability, and convenience of using portable video technology in a variety of academic and social settings. |
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| Improving Reciprocal Question-Asking During Social Conversation in Children and Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder |
| REBECCA DOGGETT (University of California, Santa Barbara), Robert L. Koegel (University of California, Santa Barbara), Lynn Kern Koegel (University of California, Santa Barbara) |
| Abstract: Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) typically have difficulty maintaining a reciprocal social conversation and exhibit a decreased rate of question-asking during these interactions. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a conversation monitoring intervention on the naturalness of conversation and the generalization of question-asking in children with ASD. Participants had received previous question-asking interventions but had failed to generalize the gains consistently. In the current study, the participants kept a tally of both their questions and their partner’s questions, with the goal to ask approximately the same number of questions as their partner over the 10-minute conversation. Preliminary results suggest that conversation monitoring leads to generalization of question-asking and conversations being rated as more natural. The results are discussed in terms of implications for naturalistic social conversation interventions and future directions for improving reciprocal conversation in children with ASD. |
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| Is This a Bad Fad: Further Experimental Analyses of Questionable Treatments in Autism |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 2:30 PM–3:50 PM |
| 202AB (CC) |
| Area: AUT/DDA; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| Chair: Cecilia McCarton (The McCarton School) |
| Discussant: Cathy Bryson (The Sage Colleges) |
| CE Instructor: Mark Dixon, Ph.D. |
| Abstract: Autism has been called a "fad magnet" due to the number of treatments used for persons with autism that have little or no research evidence to support their effectiveness. It is crucial that caregivers utilize treatments that are rooted in valid empirical evidence showing that they work in ameliorating behavioral, social, and communicative disabilities. The purpose of this symposium is to describe what constitutes criteria for labeling a treatment has having evidence to support its effectiveness, and then to describe two experimental studies designed to test the effectiveness of two treatments for which there seem to be little empirical support at this time. Oral-motor exercises have long been used by speech pathologists in the belief that strengthening oral-motor musculature will result in improved speech. Sensory Integration therapy has been consistently rated as one of the most popular treatments in autism treatment. There is an assumption that these two methods are empirically validated; however, a review of the research finds little well-designed research to support this contention. The two studies utilized participants with autism and they received these treatments for behavioral targets identified by the respective speech therapists and occupational therapists. Results will be presented in terms of the degree to which they meet the criteria of empirical verification and the definition of evidenced-based practice. |
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| Evidenced Based Practice: A Review of the Criteria That Constitutes Evidence |
| THOMAS L. ZANE (The Center for Applied Behavior Analysis at The Sage Colleges), Jennifer Hanson (Springbrook) |
| Abstract: Over the past several years, there has been an increasing interest in implementing treatments considered “evidenced-based practice” in education in general and autism in particular. Numerous state and federal agencies (e.g., United States Department of Education, Association for Science in Autism Treatment, American Psychological Association) have promoted the notion that educational interventions must have a foundation of well-designed quality “research” that supports the assumption that the intervention actually does produce positive results. Although this perspective is welcomed, there is some debate as to what exactly the criteria are that constitutes ‘evidence.” We reviewed the criteria for evidenced-based practice of 16 national organizations that promulgate such criteria for evidenced-based practice. Results showed that there is widespread disagreement as to what actually should be considered as evidence. Results were discussed in terms of what behavior analysts could do to promote a more consensual understanding of what treatments actually have research support of effectiveness. |
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| Examining the Relationship Between Oral Motor Exercises and Articulation Ability in Students With Autism |
| LAURA PRESTIA (The McCarton School), Mary Jane Weiss (Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey), Ivy J. Feldman (McCarton School), Barrie Jakabovics (The McCarton School), Thomas L. Zane (The Center for Applied Behavior Analysis at The Sage Colleges) |
| Abstract: Speech therapists frequently use oral motor exercises to enhance articulation. However, the association between such exercises and articulation is not yet proven, and is the subject of some debate even within the speech and language pathology community of professionals. (ASHA has a position statement that does not support their use, yet they are used by 80% of speech therapists serving children with autism). Preliminary correlational data failed to show a strong correlation between ability to perform commonly prescribed exercises (such as horn blowing) and performance on standard measures of articulation. The current study utilized several children with autism who displayed speech deficiencies. Oral motor exercises were used in an attempt to improve articulation ability. Data presented will expand this data analysis, examining whether the ability to perform such exercises is associated with functional articulation skills. In addition, data will be presented on the results of instruction in such exercises, and the corollary impact on articulation. Results will be reviewed in the context of commitment to evidence-based intervention. |
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| Examining the Impact of Weighted Vests on Stereotypic Behavior and Engagement |
| IVY J. FELDMAN (McCarton School), Thomas L. Zane (The Center for Applied Behavior Analysis at The Sage Colleges), Mary Jane Weiss (Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey), Jacqueline Hickey (The McCarton School), Barrie Jakabovics (The McCarton School) |
| Abstract: Sensory integration therapy is one of the most commonly used treatments for young children with autism. Believing that behavioral dysfunction is often caused by a dysfunctional sensory system, occupational therapists frequently claim that vests can reduce stereotypic behavior and increase engagement. However, little evidence exists to support these claims and recommendations, yet vests are commonly recommended and used. In this study, single case methodology is applied to empirically examine the effectiveness of vests on stereotypic behavior and on engagement of young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Weighted and pressure vests were used to improve performance and to reduce stereotypy. The protocol developed was done in conjunction with OT professionals, who also trained and periodically assessed the fidelity of the procedural application. Data were collected during vest-wearing sessions and for 30 minutes after the session. Results are discussed in the context of evidence-based practice, efficiency of instructional time, and ABA's commitment to effectiveness. |
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| ABA and SLP: Two Great Things That Go Great Together! Collaboration in Early Intervention |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 2:30 PM–3:50 PM |
| 203AB (CC) |
| Area: AUT/EDC; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| Chair: Amanda N. Adams (California State University, Fresno) |
| CE Instructor: Elisabeth Kinney, M.S. |
| Abstract: ABA provides the state of the art empirically validated techniques for working with children with autism. One of the biggest challenges in working with these children is the development of communication and language. The professionals in the field of Speech Language Pathology are experts in this area. More can be won from working together and learning from each other with mutual goals and respect. This symposium will review two procedures from the view of SLPs using ABA techniques, and one amazing experience from the combined efforts of BCBAs and SLPs in Sarajevo, Bosnia. |
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| A Comparison of Discrete Trial Training and the Natural Language Paradigm in Nonverbal Children With Autism |
| LISA EVANGELISTA (California State University, Fresno), Steven Skelton (California State University, Fresno), Donald Freed (California State University, Fresno), Sheri Roach (California State University, Fresno), Christine A. Maul (California State University, Fresno), Amanda N. Adams (California State University, Fresno) |
| Abstract: Discrete trial training and natural language paradigm are two opposing treatment methods that have been proven effective in improving speech production within the autistic population. These two methods will be used in an alternating-treatment design to determine which treatment is most effective in language acquisition and generalization in nonverbal autistic children. Two participants with limited expressive language abilities were selected for the study. Each participant received treatment using discrete trial training and the natural language paradigm. Progress was judged on the quantity of language acquired in response to the two treatment methods. |
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| Improvement and Generalization Differences in Group Versus Individual Therapy of Social Language Skills |
| REBECCA ROOPE (California State University, Fresno), Christine A. Maul (California State University, Fresno), Donald Freed (California State University, Fresno), Steven Skelton (California State University, Fresno), Amanda N. Adams (California State University, Fresno) |
| Abstract: Therapy to improve social skills of children with autism may be more effective if provided in a group versus individual therapy context. The 2 male participants were diagnosed with high-functioning autism (HFA) and attending fourth grade at the time of the study. A modified ABACA/ACABA research design was used to investigate possible differences regarding improvement and generalization effects between group and individual therapy contexts. Discrete trial therapy (DTT) was the treatment implemented. Conversational turn-taking was the target behavior. The behavior was measured in turns per minute. Participants were observed for spontaneous use of the target behavior during each phase of the study. A comparison between the participants’ improvement and generalization of the target behavior after implementing and withdrawing DTT demonstrated no substantial difference between an individual or group therapy context. Participant preference regarding therapy context appeared to have an effect on participant involvement and interest during therapy sessions. |
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| Starting Autism Education in Bosnia: Challenges for a Recovering Country |
| DZEVIDA SULEJMANOVIC (California State University, Fresno), Amanda N. Adams (California State University, Fresno) |
| Abstract: In the past 15 years, Bosnia has made amazing strides in recovering from civil war. First, infrastructures were rebuilt, then public services, and later education. Special education lagged behind however, and services for autism and other such specialties were all but unknown. In the past few years, this has started to change. This presentation will expand on some of the challenges and successes of this enormous undertaking. |
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| Autism Education in Bosnia: Experiences of a California-Based Team in Sarajevo |
| AMANDA N. ADAMS (California State University, Fresno), Eduardo Avalos (California State University, Fresno) |
| Abstract: In June 2009, a team of SLPs and teachers from San Francisco and Behavior Analysts from Fresno went to Bosnia for two weeks to run a large training seminar and begin the first classroom for children with autism in the country. Our presentation will show the successes of presenting large workshops and organizing implementation of classroom plans for another cultural group. Significant challenges unusual to the American professional arise in such a venture. These will be presented and solutions for a respectful and meaningful resolution will be discussed. |
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| Accumulated Evidences for Effectiveness of ABA in Korea |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 2:30 PM–3:50 PM |
| 217B (CC) |
| Area: DDA/AUT; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| Chair: Kyong-Mee Chung (Yonsei University) |
| CE Instructor: Adel Najdowski, Ph.D. |
| Abstract: The effectiveness of applied behavior analysis for treating severe problem behaviors are well document in the USA. However, the ABA is a relatively new field in Korea and limited research and clinical services are available at this time. Fortunately, a specialty clinic for treating severe problem behaviors was open in 2007 at the Seoul Metropolitan Children's Hospital. The clinic has both in & outpatient services and recently opened a day treatment center. Authors in the symposium present assessment and treatment outcome data accumulated in this clinic for the past 3 years. Although more data should be accumulated, the current data clearly show the effectiveness of applied behavior analysis. Practical considerations of managing the clinic as well as clinical/research implications will be discussed. |
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| The Predictors of Behavioral Parent Training for Children With Developmental Disabilities |
| KYONG-MEE CHUNG (Yonsei University), Hyunsun Ahn (Yonsei University) |
| Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the predictors for effectiveness of behavioral parent training (BPT) on reducing problem behaviors in children. Participants were 31 mothers of children with developmental disabilities aged from 4 to 7 (22 boys, 9 girls). The BPT was conducted in a small group format (6-7 per group) for 12 weeks. Mothers learned basic behavior principles as well as actual application of acquired skills to their child. Measures were direct observation (coded using FOR-?) of parent-child interaction and self-report scales such as PSI, Behavior Vignettes Test, Mother’s efficacy scale. In addition, difference scores for each measure from pre to post training were calculated. The data was analyzed with hierarchical multiple regression model. The results showed that positive child’s behaviors were explained only by BVT and negative child’s behaviors were explained by difference scores in mother’s behavior from direct observation and BVT. This suggested that BPT is effective for reducing negative behavior than increasing positive behavior. |
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| Treatment Outcome Evaluation for Persons With Severe Problem Behaviors: Preliminary Results |
| MIN-JUNG SHIN (Yonsei University), Yeonjin Jo (Seoul Metropolitan Children's Hospital), Boo Yeol Choi (Yonsei University), You-na Kim (Seoul Municipal Children's Hospital), Jean H. Choi (Yonsei University), Yealee Kim (Yonsei University) |
| Abstract: The ABA based treatment is an evidence-based treatment for severe problem behaviors. Yet it has not been widely used in Korea. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of function based ABA treatment for 10 children & adolescents with self-injurious or aggressive behaviors in Korea. Participants were 8 boys and 2 girls aging from 7 to 17 and diagnosed with autism, PDDNOS and/or MR. FBA was conducted first then a function based treatment was developed and implemented for each participants. The treatment effectiveness was evaluated the % reduction in rate of problem behaviors from baseline to the last week of treatment. FBA results showed that the function of problem behaviors were diverse and various treatment procedures (e.g., 3-step prompt, parental training, extinction, FCT, Stimulus control, etc) were used. The result showed 80% or greater reduction in problem behaviors in 8 of 10 participants, suggesting the effectiveness of treatments conducted in Korea. Several suggestions (e.g., small N, diverse outcome measures, etc) and practical issues (e.g., therapist training, supervision, etc.) are also discussed. |
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| Examining the Consistency in Results From Functional Assessment (FA) and Questions About Behavior Function (QABF): The Preliminary Results |
| BOO YEOL CHOI (Yonsei University), Hyeonsuk Jang (Seoul Municipal Children's Hospital), U-jin Lee (Yonsei University), Yealee Kim (Yonsei University), SoYeon Lee (Seoul Municipal Children's Hospital), Hyunsun Ahn (Yonsei University), Minhee Kim (Yonsei University), Jean H. Choi (Yonsei University) |
| Abstract: FA is a recommended assessment method in ABA, yet has been conducted infrequently in real setting due to cost. Instead, an indirect assessment instrument, QABF, is commonly used to assess functions of problem behaviors. Yet not much information is available in term of their interchangeability. The purpose of this study was to investigate the consistency between results of FA and QABF. Participants were 8 children and 3 adolescents with MR/DD aged from 7 to 17 years (8 boys and 3 girls). The 4 common conditions were selected for comparison; Tangible, Escape (Demand), Sensory (Alone), and Attention. The highest and second highest conditions in FA results for each participant were compared to those in QABF. In results, only 2 participants (18.18%) showed consistency between the two measurements. This result implied that the inconsistency might exist between direct (FA) and indirect (QABF) measures. This supported the previous literature showing that results from indirect and direct assessments should be integrated to identify the function of problem behaviors, instead of used separately. Practical difficulties and concerns were discussed. |
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| The Effects of the Summer Treatment Program for Korean Children With Disruptive Behaviors |
| HYUNSUN AHN (Yonsei University), Ji-Myeong Shin (Seoul Municipal Children's Hospital), Min-Jung Shin (Yonsei University), Minhee Kim (Yonsei University), Boo Yeol Choi (Yonsei University), Seung-Hee Hong (Seoul Municipal Children's Hospital), Joo-hee Kim (Yonsei University) |
| Abstract: The summer treatment program (STP) that developed by W. Pelham in State University of New York at Buffalo was modified and implemented to Korean children with Disruptive Behavior Disorders (DBD). The modified program was implemented during 6 hours each day, 5 days per week and comprised of scheduled program, token economy, social skills training, group problem-solving discussions, parent training, and the Daily Report Cards (DRC). Participants were 4 children from 11 to 14 years of age. Three were with ADHD and the one was with mental retardation. They all failed to adjust at their home school and referred to our program due to poor social skills and disruptive behaviors. The effects of the STP were measured by DBD rating scale, Conners Rating Scale and direct observations for target behaviors. Results showed that the STP was effective on reduction of disruptive behaviors for all 4 participants in all 3 measures, indicating the successful replication of the STP in a day treatment center in Korea. In addition, this results so implied that the STP is also effective for children with MR who shows disruptive behaviors. Few issues including generalization to home and school are remained to be discussed |
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| Professional Development Series: Behavior Analysis Around the World: No Boundaries |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 2:30 PM–3:50 PM |
| Texas Ballroom Salon E (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: EDC/TPC; Domain: Theory |
| Chair: Amy Durgin (Western Michigan University) |
| VICCI TUCCI (Tucci Learning Solutions, Inc.) |
| JOANNE K. ROBBINS (Morningside Academy) |
| JOÃO CLAUDIO TODOROV (Universidade Católica de Goiás) |
| Abstract: The globalization of behavior analysis continues to grow as evidenced by the number of individual members and affiliate chapters of ABAI outside of the United States that have doubled over the past decade. Today there are over thirty countries represented within the organization, many of which have developed their own international affiliate chapters and regional meetings. Many of these have even begun their own peer-reviewed publications in behavior analysis. However, behavior analysis is more than a developing field. It is a developing perspective unrestricted by the boundaries that define other disciplines, research and professional practices. This panel is a mixture of experts who will demonstrate and discuss not only a variety but extraordinary ways that this philosophy of behavior can be utilized to cross international borders, and work towards helping the world. |
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| Effective School-Based Strategies for Children With Emotional and Behavioral Disorders |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 2:30 PM–3:50 PM |
| Texas Ballroom Salon B (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: EDC |
| Chair: Vanessa Mizutowicz (Stephen F. Austin State University) |
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| Efficacy of Randomized Contingency With Self-Assessment Component in Decreasing Off-Task Behavior Exhibited by Students |
| Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| VANESSA MIZUTOWICZ (Stephen F. Austin State University) |
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| Abstract: This study utilized Functional Behavior Assessments (FBAs) to develop a behavior intervention plan (BIP) for three special education students who have been diagnosed by the school as having an emotional disturbance (ED) and by a physician as having Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The FBAs identified academic escape, peer attention, and teacher attention to varying degrees for each student as environmental variables interacting with the students' likelihood of demonstrating a wide range of off-task behaviors. An intervention incorporating social skills training, a randomized contingency for reinforcement which included random criteria and random reward selection, and self-assessment was sufficient to reduce the maladaptive behavior frequency. A nonconcurrent multiple baseline across students suggests that the decrease in off-task frequency is attributed to the intervention. Although baseline measurements were obtained for all three students, only two received the intervention while the third remained in baseline throughout the study. |
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| Improving Social Behaviors of At-Risk Students Through Peer-Mediated Social Skill Instruction |
| Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| YA-YU LO (University of North Carolina at Charlotte), April L. Mustian (NSTTAC), Alicia Brophy (University of North Carolina, Charlotte) |
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| Abstract: Peer-mediated social skill instruction that is systematic and explicit presents a promising practice to promote the social skill learning of students with social skill deficits. Using a multiple probes across three intervention groups design, this study examined the effects of a peer-mediated, technology-integrated social skill program on classroom-related and aggression-related social skills of 8 elementary school students at-risk for developing emotional disabilities. This study was built upon previous literature supporting that (a) direct social skill instruction including modeling, behavioral rehearsal, and performance feedback is essential for improving social competence; (b) students can be effective social behavior change agents for themselves and their peers; and (c) technology can be integrated in social skill instruction to provide various hypothetical simulations for practice and built-in systematic guidance for peer trainers. Results from the direct observations of the participants’ behaviors and measurement of social skill learning probes indicate effectiveness of the social skill instruction program. Discussion will be provided with regards to four areas: (a) strong tier 1 behavioral intervention implementation within the Response to Intervention model, (b) effective, proactive classroom behavioral practices, (c) systematic, consistent delivery of social skill instruction, and (d) strategies to promote skill maintenance and generalization. |
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| Efficacy of Single-Case Designs in the Assessment and Identification of Adolescents At-Risk for Emotional and Behavioral Disorders |
| Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| RAMÓN B. BARRERAS (Azusa Pacific University) |
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| Abstract: Few studies have empirically evaluated the efficacy of ABA technology within a Response to Intervention (RtI) evaluation framework. Specifically, single-case designs that focus on intervention intensity and response can be potentially efficacious to interdisciplinary teams in answering special education eligibility questions. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of single-case designs of increasing intensity with adolescents identified as at-risk for Emotional/Behavioral Disorders (EBD). Three male adolescents were randomly selected from a list of referred students. Students were matched to interventions based on their respective behavioral deficits for a period of 16 weeks. All students began with a behavior contract (Tier 1), then a behavior support plan based on a descriptive functional assessment (Tier 2), and lastly, social skills training (Tier 3). An A-B-C-D phase change design was utilized to evaluate the student’s response to interventions with increasing intensity. Direct observations of social interactions served as primary dependent variables. Two students were identified for special education services and one responded to the prescriptive interventions. The presentation will help behavior analysts, (1) utilize single-case designs in the identification of adolescents at-risk for EBD, and (2) utilize RtI as a plausible evaluation framework in answering special education eligibility questions. |
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| Inpatient Brain Injury Rehabilitation: Need for a Behaviorally-Based Foundation |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 2:30 PM–3:50 PM |
| 215 (CC) |
| Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| Chair: Jessica A. Thompson (Centre for Neuro Skills) |
| Discussant: Michael P. Mozzoni (Learning Services) |
| Abstract: The Centre for Neuro Skills (CNS) is a three-site post-acute inpatient rehabilitation program for individuals with acquired brain injuries. Founded in 1980, CNS provides comprehensive therapy, community reintegration and integrated behavioral programming for this complex population. Disruptive behavior, a common occurrence following TBI, has an impact on social reintegration and interferes with performance during the rehabilitation process, abilities, and functional skills. The first study addresses what impact the integration of behavioral principles into the interdisciplinary rehabilitation process has on a patient’s abilities, functional skills, and overall performance. This study compares groups of patients who demonstrated disruptive behaviors to peers who did not display disruptive behaviors and discusses outcomes, similarities, and differences among groups at program admission and discharge. The other two studies discuss use of differential reinforcement and escape extinction procedures to decrease problematic behaviors of two patients. These studies focus on therapy and residential-staff implemented programs that were shown effective at decreasing patient’s problem behaviors. Generalization, maintenance, and effects of the interventions are addressed |
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| Impact on Functional Skills and Abilities by Integrating Behavioral Principles Into Inpatient Clinical and Residential Rehabilitation Programs |
| CHRIS PERSEL (Centre for Neuro Skills), Jessica A. Thompson (Centre for Neuro Skills), Heather A. Moore (Centre for Neuro Skills) |
| Abstract: Disruptive behavior, a common occurrence following TBI, has an impact on social reintegration and interferes with performance, abilities, and functional skills. The objective of this study was to review the functional skills and abilities of those patients demonstrating problem behaviors as compared to those without significant disruptive behavior. Data from 147 adult patients with TBI who were admitted over a one-year period to an interdisciplinary inpatient rehabilitation program were analyzed. Patients were rated by assigned clinical and residential staff members upon admission and discharge on a scale designed to assess physical, language, and cognitive skills and scored on an objective living skills scale. Admission scores on a behavioral subscale determined which group patients were assigned to for retrospective analysis. Group 1 consisted of patients demonstrating disruptive behaviors including hitting, leaving therapy areas, or verbally refusing to participate. Group 2 consisted of patients demonstrating non-disruptive behaviors including active participation in therapy, following staff instructions, or appropriately communicating their needs. Groups 1 and 2 were indistinguishable on length of stay, time since injury, and gender. However, at admission Group 1 demonstrated significantly reduced functional skills and abilities. Both groups received treatment consisting of interdisciplinary therapies, combined with counseling and residential services. Behavioral principles including differential reinforcement and escape extinction were components of all programs. Ratings of abilities and functional skills at discharge were not significantly different between groups. Integration of behavioral principles in TBI rehabilitation may allow patients to demonstrate functional skills and abilities indistinguishable from behaviorally non-disruptive peers. |
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| Effective Use of Escape Extinction and Differential Reinforcement in Decreasing Physical Aggression in a Patient with a Traumatic Brain Injury |
| HEATHER A. MOORE (Centre for Neuro Skills), Chris Persel (Centre for Neuro Skills) |
| Abstract: The participant was a patient in a post-acute brain injury rehabilitation program who engaged in maladaptive behaviors which included biting, scratching, grabbing, and hitting rehabilitation staff members and herself. The treatment plan implemented across disciplines during therapy and at her residential setting included escape extinction following occurrences of physical aggression. Differential reinforcement was also used by providing breaks from therapy tasks following occurrences of appropriate behavior. Data collected suggests that implementation of this program produced significant reductions in maladaptive behaviors and increased the occurrences of appropriate behaviors. Appropriate behaviors were demonstrated and maintained in both rehabilitation therapy and in the community. |
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| Structured Escape Extinction and Differential Reinforcement During Inpatient Rehabilitation as an Approach to Improve Behaviors of an Adult With an Acquired Brain Injury |
| CHRIS PERSEL (Centre for Neuro Skills), Heather A. Moore (Centre for Neuro Skills) |
| Abstract: A structured escape extinction program was utilized with a 52 year-old traumatically brain injured adult female as part of a post-acute rehabilitation program. The program included escape extinction components, as well as differential reinforcement using music, swimming, snacks, and rest breaks following periods of demonstrated appropriate behavior. The effect of this program on reduction of severe problem behaviors including hitting, exiting therapy areas, running through the clinic hallways, cursing, and yelling loudly was investigated. Prior to intervention significant agitation was evident and she displayed behaviors categorized as emotionally labile, paranoid, psychotic, impulsive and combative. Data collection using a15-minute partial intervals format was initiated upon admission and was used to determine program effects. Prior to discharge, physically aggressive behaviors were eliminated and other problems behaviors were decreased in frequency. Medication was monitored and changes and possible effects will be discussed. Maintenance and generalization were evident following return home with her husband, as no significant behavioral difficulties occurred. |
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| The Journey From Implicit Bias to Self-Report: How Thought Through Are Clinically Relevant Behaviors? |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 2:30 PM–3:50 PM |
| 214C (CC) |
| Area: VBC/EAB; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| Chair: Dermot Barnes-Holmes (National University of Ireland, Maynooth) |
| Abstract: The objective of the research presented in this symposium is to extend previous work demonstrating the advantages of an emerging measure of implicit attitudes called the Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (http://psychology.nuim.ie/IRAP/IRAP_Articles.shtml) over analogous explicit measures, and gold-standard implicit measures like the Implicit Association Test (IAT, Greenwald et al., 1998). The Relational Elaboration and Coherence Model (RECM) underlying the IRAP conceptualizes implicit effects as being driven by immediate and relatively brief relational responses; explicit measures then are thought to reflect more elaborated and coherent relational networks for which implicit attitudes are precursors. More informally, implicit effects are thought to capture spontaneous and automatic evaluations, whereas explicit measures capture more carefully considered reactions. As a consequence implicit attitudes have proven particularly useful relative to self-report measures, for indexing attitudes individuals may wish to conceal, or for indexing fleeting behavioural processes that are poorly discriminated verbally. Therefore, implicit measures may hold particular promise for clinically relevant behaviors. The four studies offered examine key theoretical and methodological factors affecting implicit responding across four broad domains: tobacco dependence, depression, obesity, and emotional avoidance. Particular emphasis is placed upon comparing whether implicit versus self-reported attitudes better predict the clinically relevant behaviors to which they pertain. |
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| The Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure: Weight Class Predicted by Implicit but Not Explicit Food Attitudes |
| IAN MCKENNA (National University of Ireland, Maynooth), Dermot Barnes-Holmes (National University of Ireland, Maynooth), Yvonne Barnes-Holmes (National University of Ireland, Maynooth), Ian T. Stewart (National University of Ireland, Galway), Ruth Yoder (Weight Management Clinic, St. Columcille's Hospital) |
| Abstract: Do implicit attitudes to healthy and unhealthy foods differ on the IRAP among normal-weight and obese participants depending on food deprivation state? Study 1 presented obese and normal-weight individuals with a food-hunger IRAP and explicit measures. Study 2 presented obese and normal-weight individuals with a food-intention IRAP and explicit measures. Both IRAPs presented individuals with “pro-unhealthy” and “pro-healthy” trials. A mean-response-latency difference between “pro-healthy” and “pro-unhealthy” trials indicates a bias towards healthy or unhealthy food. Analysis of variance found the food-hunger IRAP discriminated between the groups, the normal-weight individuals showing a healthy food bias at 2-hr deprivation, and an unhealthy bias in the No-Restriction condition. The obese individuals demonstrated an unhealthy food bias at 2-hr deprivation and a non-significant bias in the No-Restriction condition. This was not reflected in the explicit measures. Regression analyses found that implicit but not explicit food evaluations predict weight class. Study 2, ANOVA analyses found non-significant differences between the groups on the food-intention IRAP and the explicit measures. Regression analyses found that neither the food-intention IRAP nor the explicit measures predict weight category. The results have implications for understanding the interaction between implicit and explicit food attitudes and how this might impact upon food-choice behaviors. |
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| An Implicit Measure of Emotional Avoidance |
| NICHOLAS HOOPER (Swansea University), Matthieu Villatte (Universite de Charles de Gaulle - Lille 3), Louise A. McHugh (University of Wales Swansea) |
| Abstract: The current study sought to compare the utility of an IRAP designed to measure emotional avoidance, with a preceding presentation of the AAQ-2 (N = 20 undergraduates). In essence, the IRAP required participants to alternately choose between allowing versus replacing “bad feelings”; the response-time differentials between these tasks indexed implicit bias. Subsequently, participants attended to a negatively affective IAP image for as long as they were willing (up to 30 seconds). Participants were randomly assigned to receive a 10-minute audio intervention, that either recommended suppression or mindfulness as a useful coping strategy for unwanted thoughts arising from the image. Finally, participants were re-exposed to both the AAQ-2 and the IRAP in order to determine whether the intervention had impacted on participants’ level of emotional avoidance (either explicitly or implicitly). The results indicated that the participants in the mindfulness group did not change their explicit responses on the AAQ-2 significantly more than the suppression group, however, a significant difference between the groups’ implicit performances emerged as a result of the intervention. Specifically, after the intervention participants in the mindfulness group produced pro-acceptance implicit responses compared to the suppression group who produced pro-avoidance implicit responses. |
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| Future Expectations and Personal Values in Depression |
| LIV KOSNES (University of Wales Newport), Louise A. McHugh (University of Wales Swansea), Robert Whelan (Trinity College Dublin) |
| Abstract: Previous research has linked a decrease in explicit positive future thinking, as opposed to increased negative future thinking, with clinical depression. Evidence also comes from studies with sub clinically depressed individuals. This study sought to look at personal values in relation to future expectations and employed both implicit and explicit measures of future thinking. A sample of 30 volunteers, 15 healthy and 15 sub clinically depressed, completed both an implicit computer based measure of future thinking, the Future Thinking Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure, and the Explicit Future Thinking Test (FTT) along with the Personal Values Questionnaire (PVQ). The findings indicated differences in the evaluation of future events between the two groups on both future thinking measures, however, group differences were more pronounced on the Future Thinking Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure. The results are discussed in terms of the literature on future positive and negative thinking and values contact as symptomatic of depression. |
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| Examining the Sensitivity and Specificity of Implicit Versus Explicit Measures to Heuristic Processes Governing Smoking-Cessation |
| NIGEL AUGUSTINE VAHEY (National University of Ireland, Maynooth), Corinna Stewart (National University of Ireland), Dermot Barnes-Holmes (National University of Ireland, Maynooth), Yvonne Barnes-Holmes (National University of Ireland, Maynooth), Ian T. Stewart (National University of Ireland, Galway), Deirdre Desmond (National University of Ireland, Maynooth) |
| Abstract: A large body of evidence in Prospect Theory suggests that arguments in terms of losses are most persuasive when the recommended behavior is construed as risky, with gain focused arguments being advantageous when the recommended behavior is construed as non-risky. We sought to examine the RECM prediction that implicit attitudes, as precursors to explicit attitudes, will retain the impact of message-framing heuristic effects better than explicit measures, because implicit measures are less contaminated by deliberative processes. We randomly assigned 36 smokers between receiving gain- versus loss-framed messages promoting smoking-cessation. Participants received the IRAP and analogous explicit measures before and after their message-presentation. We employed an IRAP designed measure quitting-related expectations and analogous self-report measures. Using ANOVAs, quitting-related implicit beliefs demonstrated coherent significant message-framing effects, but analogous explicit measures did not. The current study provides preliminary evidence that implicit quitting-related beliefs are substantially more sensitive to message-framing effects than analogous explicit measures. Indeed, the IRAP demonstrated impressive specificity in that it demonstrated inverse message-framing effects between aspects of quitting-related beliefs construed as risky versus non-risky. |
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| Community Reinforcement Approach and Community Reinforcement and Family Training |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 3:00 PM–3:50 PM |
| 103AB (CC) |
| Area: CBM; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| Chair: Thomas J. Waltz (University of Nevada, Reno) |
| ROBERT J. MEYERS (Robert J. Meyers, Ph.D. & Associates) |
 Robert J. Meyers, Ph.D. (cra-craft@www.robertjmeyersphd.com) is a research associate professor of psychology working at the University of New Mexico's Center on Alcoholism, Substance Abuse and Addicitons, and is in private practice and can be reached at www.robertjmeyersphd.com. Dr. Meyers is the winner of the 2002 Dan Anderson research award from the Hazelden Foundation, and the 2003 young investigator award from the Research Society on Alcoholism. He has published over 60 scientific articles and co-authored 5 books on addiction, including "Get Your Loved One Sober: Alternatives to Nagging, Pleading and Threatening" and Motivation substance abusers to enter treatment: working with family members". Dr. Meyers has been in the addiction field for 30 years and at the University of New Mexico for over 20. |
| Abstract: Community Reinforcement Approach (CRA) and Community Reinforcement and Family Training(CRAFT) are two empirically-supported behavioral substance abuse programs. While CRA is a treatment for the substance abusing individual, CRAFT is an intervention designed for the concerned significant others (CSOs) of treatment-refusing individuals with alcohol or drug problems. CRA has been evaluated in dozens of clinical trials, starting in 1973, and it continues to be examined internationally. The newer CRAFT program teaches CSOs how to influence substance abusing loved ones so that they seek treatment. Specifically, CRAFT shows CSOs how to change their behavior toward the drinker or drug user such that clean and sober behavior is rewarded and drinking and using behavior is discouraged. On average, CRAFT-trained CSOs can get their loved ones to enter treatment after only five CSO sessions. Both CRA and CRAFT are based on operant principles. Each program is built on the belief that a person’s “community” (family, friends, job, church, social activities) must reinforce and support a clean and sober lifestyle. This lecture will present the seminal studies that led to the development of CRA and CRAFT. Dr. Meyers also will discuss some of the clinical techniques that are instrumental in making these treatments successful. |
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| SQAB Tutorial: What "Reinforcers" Do to Behavior, II: Signposts to the Future |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 3:00 PM–3:50 PM |
| 007CD (CC) |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Experimental Analysis |
| Presenting Authors: : MICHAEL C. DAVISON (University of Auckland) |
| Abstract: Over the last few years, it has become increasingly evident that the process of reinforcement may well have been misnamed and misunderstood. Events like contingent food for a hungry animal do not simply increase or maintain the probability of responses that they follow, they don't strengthen behavior. Rather, they may act as signposts to future events, guiding behavior through the learned physical and temporal maze of life. This signposting is not to be seen as additional to these events as reinforcers; Signposting is the reinforcement effect. This realization puts reinforcement right back into the purview of stimulus control. Events that we usually consider "reinforcers", on the other hand, have more or less value to the organism-so, signposting is additional to value. Thus, the next step is to ask whether organismically-valuable stimuli have any special properties when they signal future events. I will briefly discuss some research that starts the process of experimentally investigating what food delivery can, and cannot, signal in the time following such an event. I will try to reorganize some of what we think we know in these terms, and to suggest how this approach may provide a new understanding of behavior-analytic practice. |
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| MICHAEL C. DAVISON (University of Auckland) |
 Michael was raised in the UK and completed his BSc (Hons) in Psychology at Bristol University. He then came to New Zealand on a Commonwealth Scholarship and completed his PhD (on punishment) at Otago University, and stayed there for a year as a lecturer. He then spent a year as lecturer at University College London before returning to New Zealand and taking a lectureship at Auckland University, where he has remained, moving up through the ranks to full professor in 1987. He was given a DSc for research in 1982, was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand in 1987, and received a Silver Medal for research from the Royal Society of New Zealand in 2001. He has been Associate Editor of the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, and has served many terms on the editorial board of that journal. He currently holds appointments as a Research Associate at The Liggins Institute, and in the National Research Centre for Growth and Development. His interests are in the quantitative analysis of choice, both from a theoretical perspective and, more recently, as applied to developmental influences on learning. |
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| William J. McIlvane (University of Massachusetts Medical School) will be presenting on Murray Sidman's behalf. Errorless Learning and Programmed Instruction: The Myth of the Learning Curve |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 3:00 PM–3:50 PM |
| Ballroom A (CC) |
| Area: TPC/EDC; Domain: Theory |
| BACB CE Offered. CE Instructor: Janet Ellis, Ph.D.BCBA-D |
| Chair: Per Holth (Akershus University College) |
| Presenting Authors: : MURRAY SIDMAN ((Retired)) |
| Abstract: Teaching a pupil all the prerequisites for a task will produce errorless learning. If errors do occur, they can be eliminated by identifying and teaching the missing prerequisites. The discovery of errorless learning, although a major contribution to our understanding of behavior, has received remarkably little attention from behavior theorists, philosophers, and both basic and applied researchers. Learning need not be a trial-and-error process for the pupil, although it may be for the teacher. Errorless learning indicates that the learning process is all-or-none; the learning curve becomes discontinuous, with any continuity residing in the teaching process. The reality of errorless learning shifts the responsibility for learning from the pupil to the teacher; the proper study of learning becomes the study of teaching. For example, because mental retardation is defined by learning failures (i.e., by excessive errors), the fact of errorless learning calls into question both the definition of retardation and the teaching methods that have given rise to that definition. |
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| MURRAY SIDMAN ((Retired)) |
 Murray Sidman completed his Ph.D at Columbia University in 1952. His principal advisors, Fred S. Keller and W. N. Schoenfeld, had strong assists from Ralph Hefferline, Clarence Graham, and a small group of fellow graduate students. After that, he spent nine years in the exciting and productive interdisciplinary environment of the Neuropsychiatry Division at Walter Reed Army Hospital. He then joined the Neurology Service of the Massachusetts General Hospital for another nine years. Dr. Sidman's human and nonhuman behavioral research laboratories moved eventually to the E. K. Shriver Center and Northeastern University, where he remained as professor of psychology until he retired from academe, continuing his research at the New England Center for Children. Although retired from there in 2001, Dr. Sidman continues research and writing. One outcome of his lifetime of research is his conviction that extending experimental results out of the laboratory not only adds an intrinsically valuable dimension to basic research, but is essential to its survival in a world of increasing competition for ever more limited resources. |
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| Choice as a Behavioral Tool: Using Concurrent Operants to Study Factors Other Than Positive Reinforcement |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 3:00 PM–4:20 PM |
| Lone Star Ballroom Salon C (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Experimental Analysis |
| Chair: Christopher A. Podlesnik (University of Michigan) |
| Abstract: In the experimental analysis of behavior, choice procedures are a powerful way to examine the effects of two or more concurrently available sources of positive reinforcement. In the present symposium, choice procedures are used to investigate how operant behavior is influenced by variables in addition to positively reinforcing events. Podlesnik and Woods validate a novel choice procedure to assess the reinforcing and punishing effects of drugs in rats and monkeys. Rasmussen and Buckley examine the effects of rimonabant, a cannabinoid-receptor antagonist, on rats’ choices between foods differing in nutritional value and palatability. Magoon and Critchfield use choice to compare the effects of positive and negative reinforcement contingencies in college students. McDowell uses a matching framework to understand how a previous history of deviant behavior in adolescent boys impacts the likelihood of normative and inappropriate talk in the presence of natural reinforcement contingencies. Although positive reinforcement plays an integral role in each of these papers, these studies demonstrate a variety of ways in which choice procedures are used to examine variables other than positive reinforcement. |
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| Assessing the Reinforcing and Aversive Effects of Intravenous Drugs |
| CHRISTOPHER A. PODLESNIK (University of Michigan), James H. Woods (University of Michigan) |
| Abstract: Intravenous drug self-administration procedures in experimental animals are used to assess reinforcing drug effects to indicate drug-abuse liability in humans. Drugs with aversive effects are not differentiated clearly from behaviorally inactive drugs in standard drug self-administration procedures. Therefore, the present series of experiments validate an animal model for assessing reinforcing and punishing drug effects. Rats and monkeys choose between two options: a food pellet alone or a food pellet plus an intravenous drug injection. Reinforcing and punishing drug effects are indicated by relatively more or less responding, respectively, on the drug lever. Drugs previously shown to produce reinforcing and aversive effects (e.g., cocaine and histamine, respectively) produced such effects in the present procedure. This procedure could be used to preclinically assess therapeutic drugs for issues of potential abuse liability or prescription noncompliance. |
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| Effects of Rimonabant on the Reinforcing Properties of Palatable Food: A Choice Analysis |
| JESSICA L BUCKLEY (Idaho State University), Erin B. Rasmussen (Idaho State University) |
| Abstract: Rimonabant, a cannabinoid antagonist, is purported to be more effective in reducing the reinforcing properties of palatable foods compared to less palatable food. However, this assertion is based on free-food intake studies in which the amount of palatable food eaten under baseline conditions is higher than less palatable food. The present experiment examines whether rimonabant reduces the reinforcing efficacy of palatable food more than less palatable food by using a concurrent schedule arrangement that controls the programmed rates of two pellet types: sucrose and grain-based. Lever-pressing of six rats was placed under three concurrent VI VI schedules in which the reinforcer ratios for two types of pellets (sucrose vs. sucrose; grain vs. grain; and sucrose vs. grain) was 5:1, 1:1, and 1:5. After behavior stabilized under each concurrent schedule, acute doses of rimonabant were administered (0-10 mg/kg) before an experimental session. Allocation of responses to each alternative was characterized using the generalized matching equation, which allows bias toward one food alternative (log k) to be measured. Preliminary data suggest that rimonabant may reduce bias to sucrose when grain-based pellets are concurrently available. This supports that rimonabant is more effective at reducing the reinforcing properties of palatable food. |
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| Risky Choice in Pigeons: Preference for Amount Variability Using a Token Reinforcement Paradigm |
| CARLA H. LAGORIO (University of Florida), Timothy D. Hackenberg (Reed College) |
| Abstract: Abstract not available. |
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| Child Deviance and Sensitivity to Reinforcement |
| JACK J. MCDOWELL (Emory University) |
| Abstract: Delinquent boys who engaged in naturally occurring conversations with their peers allocated their verbal behavior to categories of rule-break and normative talk in accordance with the matching law. Each boy’s bouts of rule-break and normative talk were reinforced by positive social responses from the other boy. As a group the boys showed a degree of undermatching that is typically found in laboratory experiments and a strong bias in favor of normative talk. When boys were grouped according to their history of deviant behavior, those with the greatest deviance showed the most undermatching and the least bias in favor of normative talk. The greater degree of undermatching for the most deviant boys indicates that their verbal behavior was less strongly governed by reinforcer allocations than was the verbal behavior of the least deviant boys. |
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| Topics in Translational Research |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 3:00 PM–4:20 PM |
| Lone Star Ballroom Salon D (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: EAB/AUT; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| Chair: Jason C. Bourret (New England Center for Children) |
| Discussant: Timothy R. Vollmer (University of Florida) |
| CE Instructor: Chata Dickson, Ph.D. |
| Abstract: The talks in this symposium emphasize the exploration of basic processes with implications for application to clinical settings. They include the evaluation of methods for identifying optimally effective exchange schedules for token economies using behavioral economic analyses, an investigation of the schedule in effect during basketball shooting that highlights a method for describing schedules in effect in naturally occurring environments, and an analysis of the effects of psychotropic medication on the behavior of individuals diagnosed with autism. |
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| Behavioral Economic Manipulations in a Closed Token Economy: Examination of Methods for Rapid Generation of Work and Demand Functions |
| KATHRYN G. HORTON (The New England Center for Children), Jason C. Bourret (New England Center for Children) |
| Abstract: The present study evaluated work and demand functions generated by adjusting the exchange schedules of token economies across three preparations. In Study ,1 data were collected in the context of ongoing implementation of a token economy by on-shift staff over periods of five hours each day. In study 2 data were collected during 5-min sessions across ascending exchange-schedule fixed-ratio values that were similar to those evaluated in study 1. In study 3 a progressive-ratio schedule was used with increases yoked to the previously evaluated exchange schedules. Across all studies work and demand functions were generated from responding and consumption respectively. The Implications of the findings for empirical identification of optimal prices for use in token economies and methods for rapid generation of work and demand functions are discussed. |
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| Describing Naturally Occurring Schedules: Analysis of feedback Functions for Shooting During Basketball Games. |
| NICHOLAS R VANSELOW (Northeastern University), Jason C. Bourret (New England Center for Children) |
| Abstract: A number of recent studies have applied the matching law in quantitatively analyzing behavior occurring in the context of sports including two- and three-point shot allocation by basketball players. This research is important and interesting in that it suggest that the matching law may well describe responding in naturally occurring human environments. However, because there is no experimental manipulation, the schedule in effect is unknown. In the case of the matching law, if it is a pure ratio schedule, matching is forced and must occur. This means that obtained matching would be a property of the schedule rather than a property of behavior and the interpretation of the finding would be much different. In the Study 1, feedback functions were fit to naturally occurring basketball shooting data to describe the schedule in effect. In Study 2, feedback functions were fit to data from an experiment in which the rate of shooting was manipulated to provide a greater range and allow a more complete description of the function form. |
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| Analysis of the Effects of Psychotropic Medication on the Behavior of Children Diagnosed with Autism |
| MATOTOPA AUGUSTINE (New England Center for Children), Jason C. Bourret (New England Center for Children) |
| Abstract: A variety of psychotropic medications are used to decrease problem behavior in children and adults with autism-spectrum disorders. While some research has suggested that medication can differentially affect topographies of behavior with differing response classes, there is limited research that presents systematic data on the specific behavior-altering effects of these drugs. In the present study we examined the relations between doses of psychotropic medication and levels of a number of different topographies of behavior. Findings are discussed as a step toward a data-driven method of prescribing, titrating, and tapering psychotropic medication. |
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| BIG SIG Symposium: Advances in the Behavior Analysis of Gambling |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 3:00 PM–4:20 PM |
| Lone Star Ballroom Salon E (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: EAB/CBM; Domain: Experimental Analysis |
| Chair: Simon Dymond (Swansea University) |
| CE Instructor: Robert Kohlenberg, Ph.D.PhD |
| Abstract: This symposium from the Behaviorists Interested in Gambling Special Interest Group (BIG SIG) of the Association for Behavior Analysis International brings together behavior analytic research on gambling behavior. The first presentation describes how escape scores on a subscale of the Gambling Functional Assessment predict video poker play. The second presentation describes the findings of research on the "near miss" effect in slot machine gamblers. The third presentation presents the findings of experiments designed to understand derived transfer of response allocation in slot machine gambling. Finally, the fourth presentation presents data on the often assumed correlation between delay discounting performance and learning on the popular Iowa Gambling Task. |
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| Do escape scores on the GFA predict video poker play in the laboratory? |
| JEFFREY N. WEATHERLY (University of North Dakota), Kevin Montes (University of North Dakota), Danielle Christopher (University of North Dakota) |
| Abstract: The Gambling Functional Assessment (GFA; Dixon & Johnson, 2007) is a paper-pencil measure intended to help identifying the maintaining consequences for gambling behavior. Subsequent research has suggested that, along with potentially identifying such consequences, one category of the GFA (i.e., Escape) may also identify gamblers displaying pathology. The present study recruited 40 individuals to play video poker. Before doing so, they completed a questionnaire on their gambling history, the GFA, and a delay-discounting task. The hypothesis was that those scoring high in the Escape category of the GFA would play more hands, bet more credits, and make more mistakes when playing poker than those scoring low. Only some of these predictions were correct. However, Escape scores did just as well, and in some cases better, at predicting gambling behavior than did the gambling history questionnaire and the discounting measure, both of which should have been accurate predictors according to the literature. |
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| Formal and Functional Investigation and Manipulation of the “Near-Miss” Effect in Gamblers |
| BECKY L. NASTALLY (Southern Illinois University), Mark R. Dixon (Southern Illinois University) |
| Abstract: The present study experimentally investigated the potential for recreational and pathological gamblers to respond as if certain types of losing slot machine outcomes were actually closer to a win than others. Following demonstration of such behavior, termed the “near-miss effect” in the gambling literature, the present study sought to disrupt the near-miss effect via the exposure of participants to a brief conditional discrimination training and testing procedure. Subsequent performance of participants showed a decrease in the near-miss effect as measured by self report, or topographically, and through decreased response allocation toward a simulated slot machine programmed with a high density of near miss outcomes. The implications of the data for a verbally as well as functionally based behavioral explanation of gambling are presented. |
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| Derived Transfer of Response Allocation and Outcome Ratings in a Simulated Slot Machine Task |
| SIMON DYMOND (Swansea University), Kate Mills (Swansea University), Amanda Cox (Swansea University), Victoria Crocker (Swansea University), Joanne Griffiths (Swansea University), Alice E. Hoon (Swansea University) |
| Abstract: A defining feature of a contemporary behavior analytic account of gambling is that gambling related stimuli may obtain their functions based, at least in part, on participation in derived relations. In this way, gambling may be considered a verbal event. The present study describes the findings of three experiments designed to test this. In all experiments, non-problem gamblers were first trained and tested for the formation of 2, 3-member equivalence relations (A1-B1-C1; A2-B2-C2). Participants were then exposed to two simulated slot machines labeled with members of the relational network (B1 and B2, respectively). Slot machine B1 was programmed with a low payout probability (0.2) and slot machine B2 with a high payout probability (0.8). In Experiment 1, transfer to C1 and C2 was tested with a forced choice procedure, in Experiment 2 with all slot machine spins under extinction, and in Experiment 3 with machines of matched probabilities (0.5). Self-report ratings of the likelihood of winning were also obtained. Findings demonstrate derived transfer of response allocation and self-report ratings in accordance with equivalence relations, and highlight the utility of approaching gambling as a derived, verbal event. |
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| Is There a Correlation Between the Iowa Gambling Task and Delay Discounting? |
| FRANK D. BUONO (Southern Illinois University Carbondale), Mark R. Dixon (Southern Illinois University) |
| Abstract: The purpose of this paper was to identify if there is a correlation between performance on the Iowa gambling task (IGT; Bechara et al, 1992) and delay discounting by pathological gamblers. Participants were asked to complete both assessments in a counterbalanced delivery. Computerized versions of the tasks were constructed using Microsoft Visual Basic that allowed for the collection of response allocations as well as time-based measures by each subject. Results indicated that the two assessments share a fair degree of linear relationship with each other suggesting that convergent validity exists between the two assessments. However, neither predicted actual gambling performance on a subsequent slot machine task. |
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| Dissemination of Behavior Analysis: Approaches for the 21st Century |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 3:00 PM–4:20 PM |
| Texas Ballroom Salon F (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: TBA/OBM; Domain: Service Delivery |
| Chair: Criss Wilhite (California State University, Fresno) |
| THOMAS G. SZABO (University of Nevada, Reno) |
| WILLIAM D. NEWSOME, JR. (University of Nevada, Reno) |
| MELISSA NOSIK (University of Nevada, Reno) |
| PAUL CHANCE (Association for Science in Autism Treatment) |
| Abstract: Behavior analysts are very good at talking amongst themselves. However, we are not, as a group, very good at sharing our work with others. We tend to offend people by turning everyday words into technical terms that have little congruence with colloquial usage. We use phrasings that have negative frames in the common lexicon, such as “behavior control,” and “behavior analysis.” Our philosophical positions tend to alienate others and our default research strategies, single-case designs, are not generally considered acceptable evidence of effective treatment. Finally, we often do not play nice with others on the schoolyard: many characterize us as rigid and dogmatic. If behavior science is to achieve Skinner’s dream of helping to solve global problems, we are going to need to learn how to work with those who do not share our philosophy, technical language, and our inductive empirical traditions. This PDS event is composed of speakers who have been successful at disseminating behavior science to the larger community. We will address dissemination via service activities, interdisciplinary research, and writing for the popular press. Recommendations for a tiered approach to future dissemination efforts will be offered. |
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| Professional Development Series: Advice From the Recently Hired |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 3:30 PM–4:20 PM |
| 201 (CC) |
| Domain: Service Delivery |
| Chair: August F. Holtyn (West Virginia University) |
| JAMES W. DILLER (Eastern Connecticut State University) |
| JESSICA EVERLY (University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg) |
| MIRARI ELCORO (Armstrong Atlantic State University) |
| Abstract: Discussion participants are recently hired tenure-track faculty members at predominately undergraduate institutions. These individuals will share their experiences related to successes and challenges faced as they complete their first two years as faculty members. Topics to be covered include: curricula development, developing research programs at small colleges, grant funding, promoting behavior analysis, BCaBA course sequences, mentoring students, and preparation for tenure. Audience questions will be answered. |
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| Issues in Preference and Reinforcement in Children With Autism |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 3:30 PM–4:50 PM |
| 207AB (CC) |
| Area: AUT/DDA; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| Chair: Anibal Gutierrez, Jr. (University of Miami) |
| Discussant: John C. Borrero (University of Maryland, Baltimore County) |
| CE Instructor: Meeta Patel, Ph.D. |
| Abstract: Research in preference and reinforcer assessments has traditionally focused on the identification of tangible and food items that will are highly preferred and will function as reinforcer. The results of these assessments have been successfully in applied behavior analysis as a core feature of intervention plans. More recently, research in autism has focused on the development of joint attention skills and other socially-based skills for which the use of socially-based reinforcers is important in an effort to develop functionally relevant treatment approaches. In order to develop effective socially-based interventions, an emerging area of research has focused on the most effective methods to assess for social reinforcers. This line of research extends traditional reinforcer assessments to include the assessment of socially-based consequences. Research is also emerging in the establishment of social stimuli as conditioned reinforcers. This line of research is investigating methods to condition social stimuli but establishing them as discriminative stimuli. Finally, research is also evaluating the stability of these social consequences across time. This are of study aims to inform clinical practice regarding the extent to which preference for social reinfocers are stable across time. |
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| Determining the Reinforcing Value of Social Consequences and Establishing Social Consequences as Reinforcers |
| Hilary Gibson (New England Center for Children), DANIEL GOULD (New England Center for Children) |
| Abstract: The effective and efficient establishment of social stimuli as conditioned reinforcers is an ongoing area of interest in applied research. The purpose of the current study was to determine the reinforcing value of social consequences and to evaluate two procedures to determine if social consequences could be conditioned as reinforcers. A reinforcer assessment of social consequences was conducted to determine the baseline reinforcing value of two social stimuli, praise and back pats. A pairing procedure and a procedure in which the social stimuli were established as discriminative stimuli (the “SD procedure”) were evaluated to determine which, if either, would effectively condition social consequences as reinforcers. One child with autism participated in the study. It was determined that prior to conditioning neither social stimulus functioned as a reinforcer. Social consequences were not effectively conditioned as reinforcers using the pairing procedure, however praise and back pats may have been conditioned as weak reinforcers using the SD procedure. This study raised questions about which qualities and characteristics of the social stimuli prevented them from functioning as strong conditioned reinforcers. |
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| A Comparison of Four Methods to Assess Social Reinforcers in Children With Autism |
| AARON J FISCHER (Louisiana State University), Anibal Gutierrez, Jr. (University of Miami), Melissa N. Hale (University of Miami), Jennifer S. Durocher (University of Miami), Michael Alessandri (University of Miami) |
| Abstract: Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) show deficits in social and communicative skills as well as deficits in joint attention. The identification of social reinforcers may be important when teaching some skills, like joint attention to young children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. Joint attention has been linked to the development of cognitive, language, and play skills of children with ASD and has become a target skill for intervention. Therefore, it is important to identify specific social consequences that will function as reinforcers. The present study evaluated four methods to assess for social reinforcers as well as the relative reinforcing value of social consequences. The first method used a repeated measures single operant paradigm; the second method used a repeated measures concurrent operant paradigm; the third method used a paired-stimuli paradigm; and the fourth method used a multiple stimulus without replacement paradigm. Using picture identification cards, the assessments examined five socially based consequences as well as a control condition that did not produce any reinforcement as a consequence. |
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| Evaluating the Stability of Preferences for Attention for Children With ASD |
| MARY PAWLOWSKI (Nova Southeastern University), Anibal Gutierrez, Jr. (University of Miami), Melissa N. Hale (University of Miami), Jennifer S. Durocher (University of Miami), Michael Alessandri (University of Miami) |
| Abstract: Research literature has evaluated the stability across time of preferences for tangible reinforcers for individuals with developmental disabilities. This literature suggests that preference for tangible reinforcers is idiosyncratic and unstable across time. To date, however, the stability of preference over time for social reinforcers has not been empirically studied. Currently, it is unknown the extent to which preference for social reinforcers is similar or different to preference for non-social reinforcers. As treatment approaches begin to target important socially-based skills like joint attention, information regarding the stability of socially-based (i.e., functional reinforcers) becomes important for the development and refinement of effective interventions. This study investigates the stability of preference for social reinforcers across three time points for children with autism. Results show that stability of preference for socially-based reinfrocers may be variable across time. These data demonstrate that preference for socially-based reinfocers may be more variable than preference for tangible reinforcers. |
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| Topics in Autism Spectrum Disorders: Leisure Skill Development, Caregiver Training, and Personal Hygiene |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 3:30 PM–4:50 PM |
| 204AB (CC) |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| Chair: Rachel Findel-Pyles (The Chicago School, Los Angeles) |
| Discussant: Michele R. Bishop (Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Inc.) |
| CE Instructor: Michael Fabrizio, M.A. |
| Abstract: Applied behavior analytic (ABA) research that is specifically aimed at issues associated with Autism Spectrum Disorders has steadily grown over the past several decades. Thousands of empirical investigations have documented the effectiveness of ABA based techniques for the assessment and intervention of problematic behaviors as well as for the development of pro-social behaviors. The purpose of this symposium is to further contribute to the literature in this area, and moreover to address issues that are particularly relevant to practicing behavior analysts who are actively involved in the daily lives of individuals with ASDs. As such three papers will be presented which address a range of topics including, using activities schedules to increase leisure activities in adolescents with autism, teaching caregivers to implement a three-step prompt procedure to decrease non-compliance maintained by escape, and using shaping and stimulus fading to teach toothbrushing in children with developmental disabilities |
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| Utilizing Activity Schedules to Increase Leisure Activities in Adolescents With Autism |
| CALLI ANDERSON (The Chicago School for Professional Psychology), Rachel Findel-Pyles (The Chicago School, Los Angeles), Traci M. Cihon (University of North Texas) |
| Abstract: A photographic activity schedule was used to teach two adolescents with autism to independently engage in leisure activities in a residential setting. The current investigation was a replication of MacDuff, Krantz, and McClannahan (1993). A multiple baseline across participants design was used to evaluate baseline, teaching, maintenance, re-sequencing of photographs and generalization to novel photographs. The results suggest that using the photographic activity schedules produced engagement in independent leisure activities. Generalization to novel activities was also observed. |
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| Teaching Caregivers to Implement a Three-Step Prompt Procedure to Decrease Noncompliance Maintained by Escape |
| Jackie Hardenbergh (The Chicago School), RACHEL FINDEL-PYLES (The Chicago School, Los Angeles) |
| Abstract: Three-step prompting is a procedure commonly used in behavioral assessments and interventions. Little previous research has evaluated the effects of this procedure on compliance. In this study, caregivers of children who demonstrated problem behavior maintained by escape from caregiver request were trained to use three-step prompting when implementing demands with their children. Three caregiver-child dyads participated and a multiple-baseline across participants was used. Results indicated that training caregivers to implement this procedure increased the compliance of the children and decreased the frequency of caregiver-delivered prompts. |
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| Using Shaping and Stimulus Fading to Teach Toothbrushing in Children With Developmental Disabilities |
| COURTNEY LANAGAN (First Steps for Kids, Inc.), Taira Lanagan (Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Inc.), Averil Schiff (Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Inc.) |
| Abstract: A significant amount of research has demonstrated the effectiveness of behavioral teaching procedures for establishing a variety of self-care skills to individuals with developmental disabilities. However, relatively little research has been published on teaching toothbrushing skills to individuals within this population. This study examined the effectiveness of a procedure consisting of shaping and stimulus fading for increasing tolerance to toothbrushing in young children with developmental disabilities. A multiple baseline across participants was utilized in which positive reinforcement of approximations toward the target response, without the use of escape extinction for challenging behaviors, was implemented. Results are discussed in terms of implications for teaching activities of daily living. |
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| Professional Development Series: An Introduction to Clinical Behavior Analysis |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 3:30 PM–4:50 PM |
| 214A (CC) |
| Area: CBM; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| Chair: Jordan T. Bonow (University of Nevada, Reno) |
| MICHAEL J. DOUGHER (University of New Mexico) |
| WILLIAM C. FOLLETTE (University of Nevada, Reno) |
| ROBERT J. KOHLENBERG (University of Washington) |
| KURT SALZINGER (Hofstra University) |
| Abstract: Dougher and Hayes (1999) defined clinical behavior analysis (CBA) as “the application of the assumptions, principles, and methods of modern functional contextual behavior analysis to ‘traditional clinical issues’” (p. 11). With beginnings in the writings of Skinner, Ferster, and Krasner, CBA has particularly flourished over the last 20 years. Multiple therapeutic modalities have been developed within the CBA approach, including: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP), and Behavioral Activation (BA). Furthermore, numerous publications in a variety of settings have expounded and promoted CBA. These have included many books (e.g., Dougher, 1999; Ramnero & Torneke, 2008), two special issues of The Behavior Analyst (1993, 2009), and a large number of articles in other journals. Nevertheless, many behavior analysts are not well-versed in CBA, and CBA has had a relatively marginal impact on the field of clinical psychology. This PDS is designed to generate further interest in CBA so that CBA can benefit from increased dialogue and contact with the broader field of behavior analysis. The panelists will provide an overview of CBA, addressing topics such as the history of CBA, its methods and applications, and ways to further advance the practice of behavior analysis in traditional clinical settings. |
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| Behavioral Research on Obesity: Examination of Behavioral Weight Management Programs and Environmental Factors That Affect Obesity |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 3:30 PM–4:50 PM |
| Crockett A/B (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: CBM; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| Chair: SungWoo Kahng (The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine) |
| CE Instructor: Gregory Madden, Ph.D. |
| Abstract: Obesity has become a significant health problem that is in part due to an environment that promotes increased food intake, unhealthy foods, and sedentary activities. Obesity is associated with increased risk of adverse health consequences such as coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Additionally, it is estimated that medical expenses related to obesity reach as high as $78.5 billion per year. Studies show that nearly a third of adults and approximately 17% of children and adolescents are obese. Furthermore, data indicate that the prevalence of obesity is increasing. Obesity is a problem that transcends age, gender, geography, and race. Given the significant problems associated with obesity as well as its high prevalence, this appears to be an area of research in which behavior analysts can have a significant impact. This symposium brings together several studies focused on addressing specific variables that may affect obesity (physical activity and portion control) as well as examine behavioral weight management programs for children as well as individuals with developmental disabilities. |
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| Parent Supported Behavioral Treatment of Obesity in Adolescents and Young Adults With Down Syndrome: Randomized, Controlled Trial |
| RICHARD K. FLEMING (University of Massachusetts Medical School), Elise A. Stokes (University of Massachusetts Medical Center), Renee Scampini (University of Massachusetts Medical School), Linda Bandini (University of Massachusetts Medical School), James Gleason (University of Massachusetts Medical School), Carol Curtin (University of Massachusetts Medical School), Charles Hamad (University of Massachusetts Medical School) |
| Abstract: We conducted a randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing two conditions of a family based weight loss intervention with overweight and obese adolescents/young adults with Down syndrome (DS). In the control condition, Nutrition/Activity Education (NAE), adolescents and parents participated in a hands-on educational program on healthy eating and physical activity for gradual weight reduction. In the experimental condition, Parent Supported Weight Reduction (PSWR), participants received NAE supplemented with parent training in six behavioral procedures designed to support weight loss efforts at home. The procedures included monitoring, stimulus control arrangements, goal-setting, reinforcement, feedback and behavioral contracting. Both conditions ran in parallel for 16 sessions (1.5 hrs each) spread over a 6-month period, moving from an intensive (weekly for 10 wks) to a tapered (bi-weekly to tri-weekly) schedule. Measurement, completed at baseline (BL), 10 weeks, 6 months and 12 months (follow-up), includes weight and height, body mass index (BMI), percent body fat, self-reported eating (3-Day Food Records) and physical activity (Accelerometry). Three replications (waves) were conducted, one in a separate location with a different treatment team. Between group and within subjects analyses are presented. |
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| Family-Based Weight Management Programs: Current Research and Future Directions |
| ALYSSA FISHER (Kennedy Krieger Institute), SungWoo Kahng (Kennedy Krieger Institute), Nicole Lynn Hausman (Kennedy Krieger Institute), Kaitlin Coryat (Kennedy Krieger Institute) |
| Abstract: Approximately 30% of children in the U.S. are currently overweight (Ogden, Carroll,& Flegal, 2008). Previous research has suggested that the use of family-based, behavioral weight management programs may be an effective intervention for children who are overweight or obese (Epstein, Wing, Koeske, Andrasik, & Ossip, 1981). These family-based interventions are also effective in promoting long-term maintenance of weight loss (Epstein, Valoski, Wing, & McCurley, 1994). The Healthy Kids program is a weight management program for children and their families based, in part, on the Traffic Light diet (Epstein, Masek, & Marshall, 1978). Preliminary results from the Healthy Kids program suggest that approximately 50% of children participating in the program successfully lose weight. Additionally, adherence to program components, including attendance and quiz completion, has been found to be related to successful weight loss. Future research includes identifying behavioral strategies critical to weight loss maintenance. |
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| Evaluating the Effects of Exergaming on Physical Activity Among Inactive Children in a Physical Education Classroom |
| VICTORIA FOGEL (University of South Florida), Raymond G. Miltenberger (University of South Florida), Rachel K. Graves (University of South Florida), Shannon S. Koehler (University of South Florida) |
| Abstract: Childhood obesity, which is due in part to lack of physical activity and exercise, is a serious concern that requires the attention of the behavioral community. Although excessive video game play has been noted in the literature as a contributor to childhood obesity, newer video gaming technology, called exergaming, has been designed to capitalize on the reinforcing effects of video games to increase physical activity in children. This study evaluated the effects of exergaming on physical activity among four inactive children in a physical education classroom. Results showed that the exergaming condition produced substantially more minutes of physical activity and more minutes of opportunity to engage in physical activity than the PE condition. In addition, the exergaming condition was socially acceptable to both the students and the PE teacher. Exergaming appears to hold promise as a method for increasing physical activity among inactive children and might be a possible intervention for childhood obesity. |
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| A Comparison of Portion-Size Discrimination Training Procedures |
| NICOLE LYNN HAUSMAN (University of Maryland, Baltimore County), SungWoo Kahng (Kennedy Krieger Institute), Alyssa Fisher (Kennedy Krieger Institute) |
| Abstract: Increased sedentary behavior and consumption of unhealthy foods may contribute to the increasing prevalence of obesity. Consumers often have difficulty estimating portion sizes (Ervin & Smiciklas-Wright, 2001) and increased food consumption may be associated with increased portion size (Fisher, Liu, Birch, & Rolls, 2007). Much of the previous research on teaching individuals to correctly estimate portion sizes has focused on the use of measuring aids such as measuring cups or visual representations of portion sizes (e.g., a deck of cards) to estimate portion sizes (Byrd-Bredbenner, & Schwartz, 2004). However, little research has evaluated the maintenance or generalization of these skills. The purpose of the current study is to compare the efficacy of two strategies (i.e., using a measuring cup or a visual representation) to teach college students to correctly estimate portion sizes. Additionally, the extent to which these skills are maintained and generalized to novel foods is being evaluated across training methods. Initial results suggest that both methods may be effective at teaching participants to estimate portion sizes, and the skills acquired during training are generally maintained at 1week post-training and generalize to novel foods. |
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| Functional Analytic Psychotherapy: Integration With Other Therapies
Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP): Integration with other Therapies |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 3:30 PM–4:50 PM |
| Crockett C/D (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: CBM/TPC; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| Chair: Barbara S. Kohlenberg (University of Nevada School of Medicine) |
| Abstract: Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP), is a radical behavioral approach to outpatient psychotherapy that focuses on applying the principles of functional analysis to the relationship between the client and the therapist. FAP is a therapy approach that has been used as a stand-alone approach to behavior change, and also has been integrated with other evidenced based psychotherapies. In this symposium, the integration of FAP with Behavioral Activation (BA), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Feminist Therapy, and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) will be discussed. Conceptual issues, data, and case examples will be provided. |
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| FAP and Feminist Therapies: Confronting Power and Privilege in Therapy |
| CHRISTEINE M. TERRY (Palo Alto VA Healthcare System), Madelon Y. Bolling (Independent Practice), Maria R. Ruiz (Rollins College), Keri R. Brown Popp (University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee) |
| Abstract: Feminist practitioners and writers assert that power and privilege are significant influences within the therapeutic context, and that a lack of awareness of power and privilege may lead therapists to engage in behaviors that promote inequality and injustice at the expense of their clients. Because of a reliance on mentalistic concepts, behavior analysts may view feminist therapies as incompatible with behavioral therapies. However, power and privilege can be understood from a behavioral framework (e.g., Baum, 2005) and behavior analysts have written about the integration of feminist and behavior analytic theories (e.g., Ruiz, 1998). We propose that integrating feminist therapies with an adult outpatient behavior therapy, Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP), will yield a greater understanding of power and privilege in therapy and provide intervention strategies to decrease their influence in the therapeutic context. In this paper, we discuss feminist therapies with a focus on power and privilege, behavioral conceptualizations of power and privilege, and end with a discussion of the integration of FAP with feminist therapies, including ideas for FAP-based intervention strategies to work with power and privilege in therapy. The integration of these therapies offers the promise of empowering the client and therapist to work toward decreasing inequality. |
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| Functional Analytic Psychotherapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: Similarities, Divergence and Integration |
| GLENN M. CALLAGHAN (San Jose State University), Barbara S. Kohlenberg (University of Nevada School of Medicine) |
| Abstract: While both ACT and FAP are contextually based interventions using behavioral principles, it can be argued that each intervention focuses uniquely on either the intrapersonal experience or the interpersonal repertoire of the client. In this paper we briefly describe the histories of these two radical behavioral therapies as they developed independently, highlighting the proposed mechanisms of clinical change and documenting similarities and differences in the treatments with respect to these mechanisms. Approaches to integration of the two interventions will be addressed including hierarchically arranging one therapy as the context of the other as well as the full integration of both, often called FACT. Brief clinical examples will be provided to illustrate each treatment and the use of integration strategies. Finally, the role of the behavioral repertoire of the therapist will be addressed as a decision factor in the choice of one treatment over the other. |
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| Functional Analytic Psychotherapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy |
| GARETH I. HOLMAN (University of Washington), Jennifer Waltz (University of Montana), Sara J. Landes (University of Washington School of Medicine) |
| Abstract: . Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is an empirically supported treatment for behavior problems associated with borderline personality disorder, and has a growing evidence base for a range of problems, including chronic depression, eating disorder, and PTSD, across adolescent and adult populations. DBT incorporates a behavioral view of the therapy relationship. However, strategic management of the therapy relationship while conducting adherent DBT for out-of-control behaviors is often challenging. In this paper, we use principles from Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP) – another behavior therapy that focuses on the therapy relationship as an instrument for behavior change - to discuss the DBT approach to the therapy relationship, including applications for contingency management, therapy-interfering behavior, observing therapist limits, self-disclosure, and irreverent and reciprocal communication strategies. Using DBT and FAP case conceptualization tools, we present specific case examples and transcript material from sessions of DBT to illustrate how strategic focus on the therapy relationship can produce impactful, adherent DBT across a range of DBT intervention strategies. |
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| Functional Analytic Psychotherapy and Behavioral Activation |
| CRISTAL E. WEEKS (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee), Jonathan W. Kanter (University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee), Rachel Manos (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee), William Bowe (Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee), David E. Baruch (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee) |
| Abstract: Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP), a radical behavioral approach to adult, outpatient psychotherapy, can be employed as a stand-alone intervention or as an enhancement to other approaches. FAP as an enhancement may make particular sense with respect to the treatment of depression, a problem for which several empirically supported treatments exist but there is considerable room for improvement in terms of immediate response, prevention of relapse, and associated outcomes like quality of life and interpersonal relationships. This paper describes an integration of FAP with Behavioral Activation (BA), an efficacious treatment for adult, outpatient depression. BA employs a behavior analytic theory of depression that is consistent with FAP and allows for seamless integration. BA’s theory emphasizes the need for clients to contact positive reinforcement but BA’s therapeutic techniques emphasize provision of instructions rather than therapeutic provision of reinforcement. An integration of FAP and BA, known as FEBA (FAP-Enhanced BA) addresses this mismatch. Functional Analytic Psychotherapy provides a process for the therapeutic provision of immediate and natural reinforcement. This paper presents this integration and offers theoretical and practical therapist guidelines on its application. Although the integration is largely theoretical and clinical, some initial empirical data and case descriptions are presented in its support. |
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| Preventive Behavioral Parent Training: Establishing an Empirical Base in the Primary Prevention of Children’s Conduct Problems |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 3:30 PM–4:50 PM |
| Texas Ballroom Salon C (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: CBM/AUT; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| Chair: Clint Field (Utah State University) |
| Abstract: Behavioral parent training(BPT) is an evidence-based practice for children with conduct problems(CP), yet, less than 50% of families benefit from it. An alternative to BPT is to approach the problem from a prevention perspective. Prevention efforts targeting very young, at-risk children and their parents during a critical period of development could yield positive outcomes. Preventive Behavioral Parent Training(PBPT) is an approach to the primary prevention of CP that targets children between 1.5 and 2.5 years of age and prior to the onset of clinical levels of CP.
Presented here are four studies describing the effectiveness of PBPT. The first assessed parental ability to modify positive and negative interactions with their children. The second describes initial longitudinal outcomes for PBPT. Positive outcomes in this pilot study led to the third study which emphasized recruitment of younger children with notable risk factors. The efficacy of PBPT in yielding immediate positive outcomes was examined in this study. The fourth study replicated the results of the third study and advanced our understanding of PBPT by examining 6-month longitudinal outcomes. The impact of parent-child interactions and familial-based risk factors on common are emphasized as universal aspects of any approach in the primary prevention of CP. |
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| Promoting Positive Parent-Child Socialization Processes by Altering Positive and Negative Interaction Ratios |
| ANDREW ARMSTRONG (Utah State University) |
| Abstract: A popular notion exists that social relationships thrive when the number of positive interactions greatly exceeds the number of negative interactions within a relationship. The commonly suggested ratio of five positive interactions for each negative interaction may stem primarily from the classic marital research of John Gottman.
Were similar ratio findings to be validated for relationships between parents and young children, explicit ratio advice may be incorporated as an integral component of clinical practice with children. This presentation reviews the empirical literature pertaining to parents’ ability to achieve specified levels of positives, the measurement of naturally occurring ratio behavior of parents and caregivers, and the effects of manipulating ratios in various contexts.
Presented are the results of a recent study which examined the ability of mothers to achieve prescribed ratios after being randomly assigned to one of two training conditions. Observational data was collected as mother-child dyads were observed in a laboratory environment. Mothers attempted to achieve 5:1 interaction ratios, as instructed by researchers. All participants improved their ratios significantly with half achieving the target ratio. Strategies utilized by mothers in the study will be reviewed and prevention strategies targeting fundamental socialization processes will be discussed. |
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| Preventive Behavioral Parent Training: The Feasibility of Primary Prevention Efforts Targeting Early Parent-Child Social Interactions |
| GRETCHEN SCHEIDEL (Utah State University) |
| Abstract: The treatment for conduct problems that possesses the greatest amount of empirical support is referred to as behavioral parent training (BPT). Data indicate that CP often represents well-rehearsed extensions of disruptive behaviors of early childhood, a time in which the parent-child relationship heavily influences socialization trajectories. Presented are the results of a pilot study in which the parents of young children (ages 2-3.5) exhibiting high rates of noncompliance and tantrums implemented a primary prevention strategy (Preventive Behavioral Parent Training, PBPT) that directly targeted parent-child social interactions. Data for seven families (five treatment, two control) are presented indicating immediate and maintained changes in parent-child social interactions. Single-case methodology was utilized in displaying pre-, post-, and longitudinal data describing the effectiveness of PBPT in altering 1) maternal social attending (DRA of child pro-social behavior), and 2) social consequences contingently linked to CP display. This project contributed to our understanding of the positive effects of PBPT by documenting functional changes in the parent-child relationship due to exposure to PBPT. The potential impact of PBPT on early socialization processes is discussed in relation to the primary prevention of child CP. |
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| Preventive Behavioral Parent Training I: Immediate Effects and Risk Factors Associated with Socialization Processes |
| KERRY PROUT (Utah State University) |
| Abstract: Prevention of conduct problems(CP) development in young children is imperative for youth to develop into mentally healthy adults. Behavioral Parent Training (BPT) is currently the most effective treatment of CP for children aged 3 to 8 years. However, research indicates that children with CP respond to treatment better at an earlier age. This study employed Preventive Behavioral Parent Training (PBPT), to address developmentally-typical displays of CP. PBPT can be considered a preventative extension of BPT. The current study differed from previous pilot work with PBPT in three ways. First, the age of children participating was decreased to 1 ½ to 2 ½ years of age. Second, several risk factors that possess potential to jeopardize parent-child socialization processes, were identified and utilized as inclusion criteria. Finally, an emphasis was placed on assessing the magnitude of immediacy effects as this is critical to observing meaningful longitudinal outcomes. Data collected included home-based participant observational data and parent report across child behavioral measures. Discussion will focus on parent-child social interactions as a fundamental aspect of childhood socialization processes and the dire impact of familial risk factors on such social interactions. |
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| Preventive Behavioral Parent Training II: Replication of Immediate Outcomes and Longitudinal Effects on Socialization Processes of At-Risk Children |
| JESSICA MALMBERG (Utah State University) |
| Abstract: This study adds to previous findings regarding PBPT by recruiting very young children (ages 1½ to 2½) and their parents to participate in an initial longitudinal assessment examining the merits of Preventive Behavioral Parent Training (PBPT) as a primary prevention strategy in the development of CP. This study also advanced our knowledge regarding the efficacy of PBPT by replicating previously observed immediate outcomes. This study differed from previous studies of PBPT by emphasizing controlled longitudinal outcomes (minimum 6 months) among very young children possessing at least two significant socialization risk factors. Specifically, parents and children were randomly assigned to a wait-list control (n=5) or PBPT (n=6) condition. Immediate and longitudinal data describing the effectiveness of PBPT in altering 1) parenting-child social exchanges and 2) children’s target behaviors (e.g. noncompliance and tantrums) were collected. Dependent measures included standardized observational data, participant observational data, and several parent-report measures of child behavior. The long-term impact of PBPT on child and parent behavior is discussed in relation to critical parent-child socialization processes and the impact of this preventative model on risk factors that jeopardize social development. |
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| Teacher Preparation and Education Reform: A Behavioral Systems Perspective |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 3:30 PM–4:50 PM |
| Texas Ballroom Salon D (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: EDC/OBM; Domain: Service Delivery |
| Chair: Ronnie Detrich (Wing Institute) |
| Discussant: Charles L. Salzberg (Utah State University) |
| Abstract: Any educational reform effort ultimately depends on classroom teachers’ ability to carry out the reform agenda. This is certainly the case when teachers are required to implement scientifically based instructional practices to improve student literacy outcomes. In this symposium, we will address teacher preparation from a behavioral systems perspective and address issues of what do we know about the critical skills for teachers that impact student outcomes; how often do teacher preparation programs teach these skills and how well do they teach them; and finally, how well do universities and districts support teachers as they work in public school classrooms.
Currently, teacher education could generously be characterized as lacking coherency. There is little agreement about what should be taught, how it should be taught, and little attention is given to effectively supporting teachers in their schools. A behavioral systems perspective helps us identify that effective teacher education requires that all three issues of what to teach, how to teach it, and how to support the newly acquired skills is necessary if successful, sustainable education reform is to be achieved. |
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| What We Know About Effective Teaching |
| RONNIE DETRICH (Wing Institute) |
| Abstract: Effective teaching can only be determined by answering the question, effective at doing what? From a behavioral perspective that question is answered with improving student performance. Unfortunately, not all education professionals share this perspective. As a consequence, there is considerable variability about what are the critical skills for teachers. From a behavioral systems perspective, a coherent approach to education must start with clear specification of the important outcomes. Our bias is improved student performance. This bias is shared by current attempts at educational reform such as teacher accountability and efforts to identify highly qualified teachers. However, we can only hold teachers accountable if we have a system that assures that teachers have been given the skills to influence student outcomes. The current state of affairs in education would suggest that pre-service and professional development has failed this requirement. In this session, we will address what is known about the important teacher skills for that impact student performance. Knowing these critical skills allows for a more coherent design of teacher preparation and support. Failing to address these critical skills will result in many teachers being unsuccessful and students failing to make progress. |
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| 200 Years of Teacher Preparation: What Have We Learned? |
| JOHN E. STATES (The Wing Institute) |
| Abstract: Research strongly suggests the most powerful intervention we can select to improve student achievement is a quality teacher in every classroom. Although we have been training teachers in the United States for 200 years, only recently have we asked: What empirical evidence exists for what constitutes effective teacher training? Despite this vast practical knowledge base, educators do not agree on what comprises a list of critical teaching skills. Another serious gap in our knowledge is the lack of rigorous research linking teacher performance to student achievement. Without this information teacher preparation programs cannot develop effective curricula to maximize student outcomes. The available research comparing teacher preparation models currently suggest little difference between current methods. Recent efforts in Value-added research promise an approach capable of identifying which preparation programs produce the best teachers for improving student achievement. The purpose of this paper is to examine the available teacher preparation research, identify where behavior analysis can have the greatest impact, and recommend topics for further research. |
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| Teacher Induction: Where the Rubber Meets the Road |
| RANDY KEYWORTH (The Wing Institute) |
| Abstract: The current educational infrastructure fails miserably in preparing new teachers for the demands of teaching in real world settings. Teacher preparation programs seldom focus on critical teaching skills and most schools do not provide support to help new teachers gain fluency in these skills. The result is an extraordinarily high teacher turnover rate for new teachers (46% will leave the field within five years) and a very low effectiveness rate (teacher experience is one of the critical indicators of teacher performance). The missing component all teachers is an on-the-job, ongoing system of coaching and performance feedback to improve skill acquisition, generalization and maintenance. In education this is called induction. In behavior analysis it is called performance management.
Existing induction programs focus on providing teachers with mentoring and support during the first 1-2 years of their career, are narrowly focused, and are limited to few staff in a school setting. Effective performance management requires coaching and feedback across all levels of an organization (systems, policies, resources, values, and contingencies). Coaching and feedback become part of the evidence-based education process. The result is a system in which all teachers, administrators, and support staff continually learn new skills and improve their performance. |
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| Some New Developments in the Study of Organizational Behavior Management |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 3:30 PM–4:50 PM |
| Republic B (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: OBM; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| Chair: Angela R. Lebbon (Lehman College) |
| Abstract: Employees' non-work related behavior is a common problem in the workplace and often results in indirect expenses for organizations. There is great opportunity and need for behavior analysts to apply their techniques in order to gain more understanding of employee non-work related behavior and to improve employee work-related behavior. This symposium will be comprised of four data-based presentations. Three presentations will be delivered on intervention research that sought to improve non-work related behavior through feedback and monetary incentives, and one presentation will be delivered on a laboratory study that sought to clarify which components are required for maximizing the effectiveness of performance feedback. |
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| Using an Experience Sampling Method to Investigate How People Spend Their Time at Work |
| ANNA ALAINE RICE (Western Michigan University), John Austin (Western Michigan University) |
| Abstract: Surveys reveal the average worker admits to wasting 2.09 hours per eight-hour workday, workers feel unproductive for as much as a third of their workweek, and workers desire a better work-life balance due to the increasing hours in a workweek. The authors developed and used a meaningful taxonomy of work behaviors to measure how four workers from a Fortune 5OO™ company were spending their time at work using an Experience Sampling Method (ESM) to sample these behaviors. A Palm Pilot™ signaled and collected data resulting in a reliable sample of participant work behavior. One group of participants was given feedback after week one to see if exposure to feedback would cause changes in behavior. The feedback appeared to increase the behavior of time spent working at one’s desk. Also, feedback appeared to change participants’ self-recorded time spent, estimated time spent, and ideal time spent for some behaviors. This study successfully developed technological tool workers can use to track how they were spending their time at work. |
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| A Descriptive Analysis of Professional Demeanor Violations and Nonwork-Related Behaviors in a Therapeutic Workplace |
| BRANDON RING (University of Maryland, Baltimore County), Sigurdur Oli Sigurdsson (University of Maryland, Baltimore County), Mick J. Needham (Johns Hopkins University), James H. Boscoe (Johns Hopkins University), Kenneth Silverman (Johns Hopkins University) |
| Abstract: Promoting appropriate professional demeanor (e.g., using non-threatening language while at work, refraining from profane comments) and reducing nonwork-related behaviors (e.g., sleeping, personal cell phone use) are integral parts of vocational training. Participants were enrolled trainees of the Therapeutic Workplace, which uses operant principles to reduce drug use while at the same time providing participants with vocational training. We monitored professional demeanor violations and nonwork-related behaviors during work hours in three classrooms of the Therapeutic Workplace. Results suggested that despite monetary incentives for not committing professional demeanor violations and productivity pay for engaging in work-related behaviors, participants were frequently observed engaging in a variety of nonwork-related behaviors, and other behaviors that violated professional demeanor guidelines. The frequency of these behaviors varied, for example, as a function of day of week and time of day. Planned interventions to address professional demeanor violations and to promote appropriate work-related behaviors will be presented. |
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| Investigating the Effects of Observer Presence and Feedback on Individuals' Work- and Safety-Related Behavior |
| ANGELA R. LEBBON (Lehman College), John Austin (Western Michigan University) |
| Abstract: Direct observation procedures have been widely used by applied behavior analysts to examine the effects of various interventions, however, recent research examining the effects of the observer’s presence on behavior has found that participants behave in ways that are not representative of their behavior in the absence of an observer. Furthermore, recent research has demonstrated that both reactivity and habituation are idiosyncratic and it remains unclear which variables mediate reactive effects with individuals. Researchers have discussed the necessity of identifying and measuring reactive effects in order to discover variables (e.g., discriminative stimulus properties) that may mediate reactive effects. Previous research has discussed the possible role of an observer as a discriminative stimulus and its effects on behavior, however, the concept has mainly been employed as a post-hoc explanation for behavior changes that were not anticipated and has yet to be systematically examined with work and safety-related behavior. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to examine the effects of observer presence (with and without feedback) on individuals’ work and safety-related behavior. In general, the study found that reactivity was demonstrated for both groups (i.e., observation only group and observation plus feedback group), however, habituation was demonstrated less frequently than reactivity for both groups. |
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| Isolating the Critical Components of Effective Feedback on a Data Entry Task |
| DOUGLAS A. JOHNSON (Operant-Tech Consulting) |
| Abstract: Performance feedback is among the most common interventions used for performance in the field of organizational behavior management. Despite the frequency with which performance feedback interventions are used, component analyses of such performance feedback are rare. It has been suggested that evaluation of performance and objective information about performance are two necessary components for performance feedback. This presentation will describe a laboratory study that sought to clarify which components are required for maximal effectiveness by comparing four conditions in a 2 X 2 factorial design: (a) evaluation combined with objective feedback, (b) evaluation without objective feedback, (c) objective feedback without evaluation, and (d) no feedback. Approximately one hundred and sixty university students were recruited to work on a simulated bank check processing task while being exposed to one of the four feedback conditions. The number of checks correctly processed served as the dependent variable and was analyzed using a two-factor ANCOVA. |
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| Performance Improvement Strategies for Direct Support Staff in a Human Service Organization |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 3:30 PM–4:50 PM |
| Republic A (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: OBM/DDA; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| Chair: Helena Maguire (Melmark New England) |
| Discussant: Dennis H. Reid (Carolina Behavior Analysis and Support Center) |
| CE Instructor: Robert Ross, Ed.D. |
| Abstract: The identification of effective procedures to improve and maintain teaching behaviors of staff is a priority for agencies that provide services to individuals with disabilities. Consistent implementation of target program areas, completion of job responsibilities, and assessment of inter-observer agreement are critical responsibilities of teaching staff that have the potential to impact clinical decision-making and student progress. The purpose of the present symposium is to share findings from three studies that examined ways to changed staff performance related to the aforementioned areas of responsibilities. The first talk presents findings from a study that modified job task preferences for non-preferred tasks. Next, the impact of a packaged intervention on implementation of habilitation activities will be shared. The symposium will conclude with a talk that presents results of an antecedent intervention on inter-observer agreement assessment in a classroom setting. The performance improvement procedures employed were varied, yet all produced beneficial outcomes. |
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| Assessing and Increasing Staff Preference for Job Tasks Using Concurrent-Chains Schedules and Probabilistic Outcomes |
| DEREK D. REED (Melmark New England), Florence D. DiGennaro Reed (Melmark New England), Natalie Campisano (Melmark New England) |
| Abstract: The assessment and improvement of staff members’ subjective valuation of non-preferred work tasks may be one way to increase the quality of staff members’ work life. The Task Enjoyment Motivation Protocol (Green, Reid, Passante, & Canipe, 2008) provides a process for supervisors to identify the aversive qualities of non-preferred job tasks. Through participative management, the process reduces these aversive qualities while increasing the appetitive properties via the pairing of these tasks with enjoyable consequences. The present study provides an extension of Green et al.’s work through utilization of a concurrent-chains schedule arrangement via the pairing of reinforcing consequences with a target job task using probabilistic outcomes to directly assess job task preferences for eight direct support staff in a human service organization. |
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| Effects of Goal Setting, Public Posting, and Reinforcement on the Percentage of Student Programs Completed Daily |
| NATALIE CAMPISANO (Melmark New England), Florence D. DiGennaro Reed (Melmark New England), Helena Maguire (Melmark New England) |
| Abstract: The development of procedures to promote excellent service delivery within private school settings is one priority for agencies that serve individuals with disabilities. An important function of direct care staff is to implement individualized education programs (IEP) on a consistent basis. Failure to accomplish this task has the potential to negatively impact student learning and achievement of educational objectives. The purpose of this presentation is to share findings from a study that investigated the effects of goal setting, public posting, and reinforcement on the daily percentage of completed student programs. During baseline, performance was varied and ranged from 52-96% completion (M = 80%). Upon introduction of goal setting and performance feedback, an immediate change was observed (M = 100%; percentage of nonoverlapping data averaged 100%). Performance deteriorated during a return to baseline (M =85%) and returned to high levels upon re-introduction of the intervention (M = 100%). Results suggest that goal setting and public posting can be effective in motivating staff to implement IEP goals consistent with the agency standard. |
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| Implementation of an Antecedent Intervention to Increase Class-Wide IOA Assessment |
| STEFANIE DOUCETTE (Melmark New England), Florence D. DiGennaro Reed (Melmark New England), Helena Maguire (Melmark New England) |
| Abstract: The purpose of this presentation is to share findings from a project designed to increase the extent to which teachers measured interobserver agreement (IOA) for academic programs implemented within a classroom at a private school serving individuals with disabilities. During baseline, teachers were expected to collect IOA data one time weekly for every academic goal for all students as part of their typical job responsibilities. Results revealed that the percentage of programs with IOA completed weekly averaged 5%. Upon introduction of a posted daily schedule of goals for which interobserver agreement were to be assessed, there was an immediate change in level (M = 92%; percentage of nonoverlapping data averaged 100%). Performance fell below baseline levels upon a return to the baseline condition (M = 0.55%). A reversal to intervention conditions is in progress. Preliminary results suggest that an antecedent intervention in the form of a daily posted schedule can effectively increase interobserver agreement assessment by direct care staff. |
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| Variables Affecting Response Allocation in Concurrent Schedules of Reinforcement Arrangements |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 3:30 PM–4:50 PM |
| 213B (CC) |
| Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| Chair: Stephanie M. Peterson (Western Michigan University) |
| Discussant: David P. Wacker (University of Iowa) |
| CE Instructor: Julie Knapp, Ph.D. |
| Abstract: This symposium will consist of three presentations that describe research on the evaluation of various parameters of reinforcement on the choice responding of participants. First, Joel Ringdahl will present a study entitled, “An evaluation of variables affecting compliance and task-related response allocation,” in which the response requirement, magnitude of reinforcement, task preference, and task difficulty were manipulated to observe the effect on task compliance. Next, Jessica Frieder will present a study entitled, “Effects of quality and magnitude of reinforcement on choice responding for individuals with escape motivated problem behavior,” in which the independent effects of duration of reinforcement, presence of preferred stimuli during task breaks, presence of adult attention during task breaks, and response requirement were evaluated on problem behavior and task completion. Finally, Allen Karsina will present a study entitled, “Assessing the illusion of control within a computer-based game of chance: illusion or preference?” This study evaluated the effects of schedules of reinforcement and whether participants were informed about the schedule on choices during a computer-based game. David Wacker will summarize and synthesize these studies while pointing out implications for behavior analysts and directions for future research. |
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| An Evaluation of Variables Affecting Compliance and Task-Related Response Allocation |
| JOEL ERIC RINGDAHL (University of Iowa), Wendy K. Berg (University of Iowa), Anuradha Salil Kumar Dutt (University of Iowa) |
| Abstract: Noncompliance is one of the most frequently endorsed concerns for children receiving behavioral services. One avenue of research in this area is to identify, isolate, and apply variables that can be empirically demonstrated to affect compliance. In the current study, we evaluated the effect of reinforcement schedule, magnitude of reinforcement, and task preference on the compliance and response allocation among tasks for two individuals diagnosed with developmental disabilities referred for evaluation of severe noncompliance. The evaluation was conducted using a concurrent schedule arrangement and varying schedule parameters (response requirement and reinforcer magnitude), task parameters (preference or difficulty), or both. Results of the evaluation indicated that, while individual differences were observed, these variables interacted to influence compliance and response allocation. Results will be discussed relevant to strategies for increasing compliance with academic tasks. Interobserver agreement was collected for at least 25% of all sessions and averaged above 90% for all target responses. |
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| Effects of Quality and Magnitude of Reinforcement on Choice Responding for Individuals with Escape Motivated Problem Behavior |
| JESSICA E. FRIEDER (Armstrong Atlantic State University), Stephanie M. Peterson (Western Michigan University), Elizabeth Dayton (Utah State University), Shawn Patrick Quigley (Western Michigan University) |
| Abstract: Recently, researchers (Peterson et al., 2009) have investigated the effects of a concurrent schedules of reinforcement arrangement for individuals with escape-motivated problem behavior in which three response options are available: compliance, mands, and problem behavior. Results of this research have suggested that choice responding can be biased in favor of adaptive responses as a function of reinforcement contingencies. While results are promising for interventions (e.g., stimulus fading), different reinforcement dimensions for each response co-varied across the response options: duration of break time, attention available during the break, and access to preferred items. Thus it is unclear which reinforcement dimension(s) maintained response allocation. This current study evaluated the effects of the three dimensions of reinforcement independently (duration, attention, and stimuli) on choice responding for children with disabilities who had escape-maintained problem behavior. Results from three separate experiments will be presented. Discussion will focus on how quality variables that may or may not be related to the function of problem behavior can impact choice responding. Implications for the effective treatment for children who display escape-motivated problem behavior will also be discussed. |
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| Assessing the Illusion of Control Within a Computer-Based Game of Chance: Illusion or Preference? |
| ALLEN J. KARSINA (The New England Center for Children), Rachel H. Thompson (Western New England College) |
| Abstract: This study investigated several variables associated with the illusion of control using a computer-based game of chance with adult participants. During the game, participants were asked to choose between selecting their own numbers and having the numbers generated by the computer. Schedules of reinforcement for each of these options were systematically manipulated using a reversal design. During sessions, participants were informed when they earned points, and in some sessions participants were also told the schedule of reinforcement by trial type and the cumulative number of points won per trial type. After each session, participants completed a questionnaire regarding the schedules of reinforcement. Preliminary results indicate that when participants demonstrated a preference for selecting their own numbers, they also over-estimated their odds of winning points, consistent with the illusion of control. However, at least one participant accurately estimated her odds of winning when she was provided with the schedule of reinforcement for each trial type and the number of points won per trial type. Implications of the current findings are discussed. |
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| Fred S. Keller Is One Hundred and Eleven Years Old |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 3:30 PM–4:50 PM |
| 216A (CC) |
| Domain: Service Delivery |
| Chair: Sherman Yen (Asian American Anti-Smoking Foundation) |
| RICHARD COOK (The Pennsylvania State University) |
| DEBORAH KITE (The Chicago School of Professional Psychology) |
| ALLISON Y. LORD (Tobacco Outreach Technology) |
| MARTHA PELAEZ (Florida International University) |
| Abstract: This is an annual event where Fred's colleagues (hopefully more to come), students (still many), friends (more than many), and the new generations of Behavior Analysts who have not met him can share a funny side of this "Giant". This is beyond PSI and his other achievements, but a warm reunion where Sherman will provide tea, a funny side of Fred will be shared, and a DVD entitled "Fred Keller is Still With Us" will be distributed as a memorial. Since his death, this annual event is very significant to both old and new generations, where Fred still provides us with unique inspiration and reinforcement. The organizer is in the strong belief that this event would be extremely valuable for those people who have never met him. |
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| Understanding Agency in the Context of Radical Behaviorism |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 3:30 PM–4:50 PM |
| Bonham C (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: TPC/VBC; Domain: Theory |
| Chair: Gordon R. Foxall (Cardiff University) |
| Discussant: Jay Moore (University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee) |
| Abstract: A feeling of agency (of being in control, of making a choice) is an apparently genuine element of humans’ “private events,” or, as some would put it, “subjective experience.” These papers propose three ways of incorporating the apparent human need for a belief in agency with a radical behaviorist approach to science in which the environmental consequences of behavior alone are admissible as causes of choice. They consider the possibilities that belief in agency, although it refers to an illusion, is not simply a cultural artifact but an evolutionarily-consistent adaptation which is strengthened by cultural and linguistic pressures; that reference to agency, like other uses of intentional language, is a necessary means of accounting for some complex human behaviors; and that a radical behavioral approach to agency can push forward the feminist (and behavior analytic) agenda for a better world. Theoretical discussion of this kind is not only of central interest to the intellectual development of our discipline but points to ways in which radical behaviorists interact with the wider community. |
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| The Experience of Agency: Biological and Cultural Determinants of the Illusion |
| RICHARD F. RAKOS (Cleveland State University) |
| Abstract: The enlightened, engineered use of consistent positive reinforcement and carefully designed learning programs as the primary mechanisms for behavior control, such as depicted in Walden Two (Skinner, 1948), is a relatively new social invention. In such an environment it is conceivable that a sense of agency might be non-functional. However, historically as humans evolved, punishment and aversive control were the principal strategies utilized in the haphazard process of socialization and behavior control, making a belief in agency a highly adaptive, functional stimulus (e.g., increasing the emission of counter-control and choice responses). Thus, I argue that the illusory belief in agency is an evolved psychological mechanism, with an adaptive function, rather than a cultural artifact that impedes social progress. I also argue that our verbal capacities and limitations inevitably force socialization processes to prompt and reinforce the belief in agency. However, cultural variations in socialization select differing content that comprises the belief in agency. I suggest that behavior analysts should ask if the cultural selection theory of agency is falsifiable, and whether its empirical support is as strong as the conceptualization of agency as a biologically-selected evolved psychological mechanism. |
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| The Ascription of Agency |
| GORDON R. FOXALL (Cardiff University) |
| Abstract: Agency refers to being in control, initiating action, being the source of one’s own behavior (rather than merely a locus for its occurrence). Often it inheres in the view that beliefs and desires are the causes of behavior. As such agency has no part in a behaviorist explanation but it should be of interest to behaviorists that most people nevertheless report a sense of agency when it comes to the ordering of their affairs. I argue that such a phenomenological sense of agency is not causal but that our feeling it gives a clue to an element of explanation that is often missing, at least formally, from our accounts of behavior. In instances where we cannot appeal convincingly to the contingencies in order to provide an explanation of behavior – e.g., in explaining the continuity/discontinuity of behavior – it is necessary to use intentional language. Many radical behaviorists do this in their work already; others are strongly critical of the practice. To the extent that such linguistic usage is inevitable, however, it needs to be undertaken with great care: criteria need to be set for (a) the identification of instances of behavioral explanation where intentional usage is indicated, and (b) the procedures by which intentionality is actually ascribed. With respect to (a) the paper argues that intentional explanation (i.e., the use of intentional language including that referring to agency) is necessary when environmental stimuli that account for the continuity/discontinuity of behavior cannot be identified. With respect to (b) the paper argues that both the observation of molar patterns of operant behavior and a neuroeconomic foundation for appropriate evolutionarily-consistent afferent-efferent neuronal linkages are necessary for the proper ascription of agency. |
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| Personal Agency and Resistance: A View by Third Wave Feminism and Radical Behaviorism |
| MARIA R. RUIZ (Rollins College) |
| Abstract: Feminist theory, broadly defined, and radical behaviorism converge on many conceptual issues and share common goals, and I have argued that a mutually informing alliance could be highly productive (Ruiz, 1995, 1998). One thorny issue, however, that often impedes progress is agency. Feminist scholars’ explicitly stated political agenda includes dismantling social structures that exert disempowering control over various social groups based on gender, race, ethnicity, sexual preference, etc. However, they must appeal to personal agency in order to explain how resistance, (or in behavioral terms, countercontrol) is not only possible but also necessary. A radical behavioral approach to agency can push forward the feminist (and behavior analytic) agenda for a better world. When we speak of agency from this perspective we speak of acts in context, and agency is best viewed as a characteristic of acts, not individuals. In this view, agent acts incorporate a verbal repertoire for tacting stimulus conditions that set the occasion for the act and its functions. I will link this view with poststructural feminism and its thesis that a visceral understanding (Hayes- Conroy & Hayes-Conroy, 2008) of everyday events by the body is related to beliefs (e.g. agency) and decision/choice making. |
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| Some Surprising Ramifications of Behavioral Contingency Analysis |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 3:30 PM–4:50 PM |
| Bonham B (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: TPC; Domain: Theory |
| Chair: Philip N. Chase (Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies) |
| Discussant: Paul Thomas Andronis (Northern Michigan University) |
| Abstract: The papers presented in this symposium, taken together, attempt to show how the formal language for the codification of behavioral contingencies can reveal details and dynamics of analyzed situations that can be difficult to penetrate and understand by other means. Surprising insights can be gained when the language is applied to the analysis of complex and challenging contingencies—the dynamic ones that involve multiple parties that have changing perceptions of each other’s behavior, changing predictions as to the consequences of what each may do, or misperceptions and mispredictions of these, all of which may be further modified by temporal factors and by the probabilities of the potential events and of their positive or negative valences for the involved parties. Examples are deception, and frequently seen processes in economics and psychotherapy. The three papers demonstrate how many types of “theory of mind” situations (in which one party perceives or predicts the perceptions or beliefs of another), readily lend themselves to rigorous behavioral contingency analysis due to the ability of the language’s recursive features to express subtle nuances with flexibility. Also discussed is the analysis of changing and fluid interactive contingencies like combat, negotiation, verbal communication, and various types of interactive games. |
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| Teaching an On-Line Course in Behavioral Contingency Analysis |
| LAURILYN DIANNE JONES (The Mechner Foundation), Francis Mechner (The Mechner Foundation) |
| Abstract: The formal symbolic language (Mechner, 2008) for codifying and analyzing behavioral contingencies was taught as an Internet graduate course. Basics of the language will be presented, and the method and progression of teaching behavior analysis students to use it will be discussed. The students were provided with a 222-slide PowerPoint presentation as their basic reference source. Every week, they were provided with a new set of exercises indexed to the presentation, and were sent feedback on their responses. The students first mastered the conceptual issues, including the nature of a behavioral contingency and its relationship to behavior analysis. Next, they mastered the elements of the formal language and its application to straightforward and familiar situations, including the value and practical benefits that the language’s precision and analytic character can provide. And finally they learned to apply the language to novel and more complex situations, including some that they encountered in their own professional work, whether in applied behavior analysis, organizational management, treatment of children with developmental disabilities, or other fields. The course instructors, too, learned a great deal, and experienced some surprises as to which concepts in behavioral contingency analysis proved more difficult to teach. |
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| Analysis and Codification of Complex Multiparty Dynamic Behavioral Contingencies |
| FRANCIS MECHNER (The Mechner Foundation) |
| Abstract: The formal language for the analysis of behavioral contingencies, although it can deliver benefits even when applied to seemingly straightforward contingencies, offers the greatest benefits and insights when applied to complex changing and variable contingencies, as well as to behavioral contingencies that involve “theory of mind” situations in which an individual perceives or predicts the perceptions or predictions (or the misperceptions or mispredictions) of another, as in complex negotiations, social interactions involving multiple parties, mutual deterrence, deception, and certain types of property transfer. Contingency analyses of several such situations will be presented. One features of the language that comes into play in the analysis of such situations is the recursive feature, which permits the codification of multi-level regresses of possible combinations and permutations of perceptions, misperceptions, non-perceptions, predictions, and mispredictions. Familiar multi-level regresses of this type are those involved in the various forms of deception contingencies. Analysis of these provides unexpected insights into the dynamics of common types of financial transactions and economic phenomena. Another feature of the language—mathematical cross references that show relationships between operative variables—comes into play in the analysis of changing and fluid interactive contingencies like certain games, competitions, negotiations, business dealings, and fighting. |
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| Applications of Behavioral Contingency Analysis in Psychotherapy |
| PARSLA VINTERE (Queens College, The City University of New York) |
| Abstract: The paper examines the application of a formal symbolic language for codifying behavioral contingencies in psychotherapy. Several clinical case studies are presented to demonstrate the method of analysis and its ability to provide useful insights. The distinction is drawn between the behavioral contingencies that have been and may still be operative in the client’s life outside the therapy situation, and the behavioral contingencies that are operative in the clinical situation that includes the therapist as an involved party. The parties involved and their potential actions, temporal relationships, and the consequences of acts, are the basic elements of the contingency structures. The effects of histories are indicated through the use of modifiers of the elements , such as the party predicting, perceiving, not perceiving, misperceiving, or mispredicting the consequences and their valences. The recursive features of the language provide the tool that permits the “theory of mind” situations and contingencies that are common in clinical situations to be analyzed in useful behavioral terms, including hierarchical combinations and permutations of the modifiers. These tools make many psychological disorders, including autism, amenable to behavioral analysis and codification. They can serve as assessment tools as well as tools for the formulation of potential treatments. |
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| Applied Behavior Analysis and Service Delivery |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 4:00 PM–4:20 PM |
| 217B (CC) |
| Area: DDA |
| Chair: Darren Bowring (States of Jersey, UK, Special Needs Service) |
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| The Use of Staff Greetings to Increase On-Task Behaviour in a Supported Work Scheme |
| Domain: Service Delivery |
| DARREN BOWRING (States of Jersey, UK, Special Needs Service), Sandy Toogood (Wales Centre for Behaviour Analysis, University of Wales) |
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| Abstract: Background: Adults with intellectual disabilities must show acceptable levels of on-task behaviour in the workplace. A previous study found student on-task behaviour increased during the first 10-minutes of class when teachers delivered a pre-session greeting. We investigated the effect of a pre-session greeting from staff on levels of on-task behaviour shown by three people with intellectual disabilities in the workplace. Method:
Nicolas, Emma and Ian participated in the study. We conducted a brief functional assessment of participant off-task behaviour and trained staff to deliver or withhold a simple pre-session greeting. We used an A-B-A-B design and measured participant on-task behaviour, pre-session staff greetings and within-session staff verbal attention for 20-minutes. Results:
Participants spent more time on-task when they were greeted than when they were not, irrespective of functional assessment results. Participants received more staff contact in sessions that started with a greeting. The effect was most apparent during the first 10-minutes of session. Discussion: Staff greetings are a potentially low-cost and technically undemanding way for staff to increase on-task behaviour. The implications for services and future research are discussed. |
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| Complex Verbal Behavior |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 4:00 PM–4:20 PM |
| 214C (CC) |
| Area: VBC |
| Chair: Svein Eikeseth (Akershus University College) |
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| The Role of Modeling and Automatic Reinforcement in the Development of Verbal Behavior in Typically Developing Children. A Replication of Wright (2006). |
| Domain: Experimental Analysis |
| Leni Øestvik (Akershus University College), SVEIN EIKESETH (Akershus University College) |
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| Abstract: The present study was designed to evaluate the role of modeling and automatic reinforcement in the construction of passive voice in typical developing children. Participants were six three-to-five-years-old typically developing children. They were exposed to six phases; a baseline phase, two modeling phases (where the experimenter modeled the use of passive voice), two training phases (where the experimenter reinforced the child for using active voice) and one generalization phase. Results indicate that none of the participants used the passive voice before modeling, and that the use of the passive voice increased after modeling, despite that the participants were reinforced for using the active voice. Since the participants did not receive reinforcement for using the passive voice, it is hypothesized that the use of passive voice automatically reinforced. |
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| Early Language Intervention for Children With Autism |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 4:00 PM–4:50 PM |
| 202AB (CC) |
| Area: AUT |
| Chair: Cheryl Ostryn (University of Colorado Denver) |
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| Teaching Preschool Children With Autism to Expressively Discriminate Between “What’s That?” and “Where Is It?” |
| Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| CHERYL OSTRYN (University of Colorado, Denver), Pamela S. Wolfe (Penn State University) |
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| Abstract: Expressive discrimination of question-asking is a critical conversational skill with significant practical importance for children with ASD, as it allows them to have control over their own communications and the ability to appropriately converse with others. Question-asking is also a skill which allows individuals with ASD to take active roles in communicating as opposed to passive roles, and have a functional method to initiate mands for information. This first study of its kind investigated whether three preschool children with ASD could learn and discriminate between using the first wh-questions “What’s that?” and “Where is it?” Results showed that all three children learned to ask the questions and discriminated between them in the appropriate context within 6-16 sessions, and learned novel vocabulary after asking “What’s that?” These results support using a prompting procedure for teaching wh-questions, and highlights the importance of identifying individualized establishing operations, as well as supporting the use of detailed pre-requisite skill assessments to maximize learning of wh-questions. The procedures used in this study to teach the wh-questions can be implemented by educators and parents and easily integrated in preschoolers’ classrooms and natural environments. |
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| Stages in Speech Evocation During Mand Training While Using the Sign Protocol |
| Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| SMITA AWASTHI (Association for Behavior Analysis of India), Kinnari Bhatt (Seneca College), Priyanka Bhabu (Association for Behavior Analysis of India), Sonika Srivastava (Autism Awareness & Action) |
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| Abstract: Mand training protocol using signs was used to teach communication to children between the ages 1.7 years – 3 years of age. Four mothers living in India, were trained in the mand protocol as well as in contriving situations for increasing opportunities for communication. Data was taken on intensity of mands as well as skills acquired. It was observed that all children exhibited evocation of speech in stages. The first stage involved manding with prompted signs, this was followed by manding independently using sign however no speech was observed, in the third stage, some signs were paired with some sounds or words, and in the final stage independent vocals emerged while some signs dropped. The third and fourth stage of speech evocation was also accompanied with emerging speech in intraverbals, tacts, echoics. These results were observed across all children however one family needed retraining due to observed scrolling in using signs. The study concludes speech evocation in children with ASD happens in stages. |
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| On the Role of Behavioral Variability in Autism |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 4:00 PM–4:50 PM |
| 206AB (CC) |
| Area: AUT |
| Chair: Valerie R. Rogers (University of Nevada, Reno) |
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| Extinction-Induced Variability in Young Children With Autism |
| Domain: Experimental Analysis |
| VALERIE R. ROGERS (University of Nevada, Reno), Patrick M. Ghezzi (University of Nevada) |
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| Abstract: Response variability is an integral part of an organism’s interactions with its surrounding environment. Children with autism are often characterized as lacking variability in their responses. This decrement may be result of a limited amount of extinction-induced response variability. A procedure was developed to determine the extent with which children with autism demonstrate extinction-induced variability with respect to response location. Results suggest that the participants with autism demonstrated more extinction-induced variability with respect to response location than the participants of typical development. Conversely, the participants with autism demonstrated less extinction-induced variability with respect to non-location response topographies when compared to the participants of typical development. In addition, the data demonstrate differing patterns of responding between children with autism and children of typical development. The results are discussed in terms of the utility of variable response topographies and the need for directly reinforcing response variability in children with autism. Suggestions for future research are provided. |
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| Variability of Responding in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder and Typically Developing Controls |
| Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| CLODAGH MARY MURRAY (National University of Ireland, Galway), Olive Healy (National University of Ireland, Galway), Geraldine Leader (National University of Ireland) |
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| Abstract: The ability to behave variably is important for problem-solving, creativity, exploration and applying skills in novel situations or environments. The repetitive behaviors associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) may be due to a lack of variability and flexibility in behavior.
The objective of the current study was to identify if there is a difference in variable responding between participants with ASD and typically developing controls. 10 children with ASD (6 male, 4 female), 10 control participants matched for sex and chronological age and 10 control participants matched for sex and age equivalence scores from the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test completed a computer-based test for variable responding. This test measured responses across two buttons with reinforcement being delivered non-contingently on an FR2 schedule. A U-value (uncertainty value) statistic was calculated for each participant and scores were compared across groups. The age-equivalent group was used to control for the influence of IQ on variability. A brief overview of variability as operant behavior will be presented along with the results from this study. |
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| Applications of Stimulus Control in the Treatment of Problem Behavior |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 4:00 PM–4:50 PM |
| 205 (CC) |
| Area: AUT |
| Chair: Kristen A. Maglieri (Trinity College Dublin) |
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| Teaching Children With Autism to Tolerate Denied Access to Reinforcers Using Parents as Therapists |
| Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| Michelle Barry (Stepping Stones ABA School for Children with Autism), KRISTEN A. MAGLIERI (Trinity College Dublin) |
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| Abstract: Functional Communication Training (FCT) is a commonly prescribed treatment within Behaviour Analysis. During FCT, an individual is taught a communicative response that produces access to the reinforcer responsible for the maintenance of inappropriate behaviour (Fisher, Kuhn and Thompson, 1998). Initally, functional communication is trained with no delay between communication and the delivery of the reinforcer. Although effective, such a dense schedule is not practial and therefore, fading procedures are required to teach individuals to tolerate delays in reinforcer delivery (Fisher et al., 2000). These procedures however, do not prepare individuals to tolerate situations in which the reinforcer is never available, for example, if a caregiver cannot purchase a requested toy or the requested item is dangerous. The purpose of the current study was to assess the effectiveness of a treatment desgined to teach three participants with autism to tolerate denied access to requested items or activities. The treatment, which was conducted at home using parents as therapists, incorporated differential reinforcement of alternative behaviour, extinction and the contingent delivery of alternative stimuli. For all three participants, the intervention was successful in reducing challenging behaviour to near zero levels and for two participants, the use of alterntive stimuli was faded out entirely. |
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| Analysis of Schedule Controlling Stimuli to Develop Stimulus Control Over Problem Behavior Maintained by Food |
| Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| ELIZABETH S. ATHENS (ABA Learning Centre), Dana M. Zavatkay (Marcus Autism Center) |
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| Abstract: Some individuals with autism display aggressive and disruptive behavior in order to access to food. Aggression and disruption are concerning to caregivers because their occurrence can adversely affect the individual engaging in the behavior, interfering with social interaction, learning, and mealtimes. The present study examines a treatment for the aggressive and disruptive behavior of an adolescent male diagnosed with autism whose problem behavior occurred at school during breakfast, snack time, lunch, and whenever food was present. A functional analysis indicated the behavior was maintained by access to food. Stimulus control over problem behavior and appropriate behavior was obtained by arranging food reinforcers for mands using first a multiple schedule and then a concurrent schedule, with schedule correlated stimuli signaling food availability. Under the multiple schedule, a red card present signaled food was unavailable; a green card present signaled food was available. Under the concurrent schedule, a red card by one plate of food signaled that food was unavailable; a green card by another plate of food signaled that food was available. Teachers were trained in the procedures and stimulus control generalized to the classroom and lunchroom and problem behavior decreased to zero. |
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| Developing Early Language Repertories |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 4:00 PM–4:50 PM |
| 203AB (CC) |
| Area: AUT |
| Chair: Morgan Stockdale (Central Texas Autism Center, Inc.) |
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| The Effects of PECS Intervention on Nonvocal and Vocal Communication for a Child with Autism |
| Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| ANNIE YOON (Monash University), Dennis W. Moore (Monash University), Angelika Anderson (Krongold Centre, Monash University) |
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| Abstract: The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is widely used in teaching children with autism even though there is limited evidence its on children’s communication (vocal and non-vocal) in the home and other community settings. The present study focused on PECS training at home. A single subject changing criterion design was used to assess the effects of PECS on the communicative behaviors of a child with autism at home and in other, non-trained community settings. Three dependent variables were recorded during PECS training: Independent PECS exchanges, incorrect responses, and vocal mands. Other, non-vocal communicative behaviours (e.g. non-vocal mands) and vocal communications were recorded in no-treatment generalization settings. The participant completed all six phases of the PECS program over a seven-month period. The observational data indicated that she rarely utilized non-vocal communication (PECS mands, other non-vocal mands and initiations) in the home and kindergarten generalization settings. However vocal communication acts (new words spoken, mean length of utterance, initiations, and mands) all showed marked increases including at follow up. The effect of PECS training on vocal communication is discussed together with explanations for the low rates of PECS use in generalization settings. Possible strategies to scaffold the use of PECS are outlined. |
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| SQAB Tutorial: The Behavior Analyst Certification Board and the Behavior Analyst Profession |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 4:00 PM–4:50 PM |
| 007CD (CC) |
| Area: CBM/CSE; Domain: Experimental Analysis |
| Presenting Authors: : GERALD L. SHOOK (Behavior Analyst Certification Board) |
| Abstract: The tutorial will explore the development of the Behavior
Analyst Certification Board (BACB) including the growth of the BACB since its inception a decade ago; the process used by the BACB to develop degree, coursework, and supervised experience requirements to qualify for the examinations; the development of the examination content and construction of the examinations; the spread of certification to countries outside of the United States; and future development of BACB behavior analyst credentialing. The presentation will examine the role BACB certification has within the larger context of the behavior analytic field and the contributions that the BACB has made to the growth and development of the field. The tutorial will focus on how Behavior Analyst Certification Board certifications can help individuals have fulfilling careers as professional behavior analysts and will provide examples of career paths that are available for behavior analysts with Board Certified Behavior Analyst and
Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst certifications. |
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| GERALD L. SHOOK (Behavior Analyst Certification Board) |
 Dr. Gerald L. Shook is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Behavior Analyst Certification Board and Principal of Shook & Associates. The most important professional development in the field of behavior analysis has been the creation of an international certification program, and the person most responsible for this achievement is Jerry Shook. During the 1980s, he spearheaded the certification of behavior analysts in the state of Florida. He then fostered adoption of the Florida model in state after state and subsequently established this model as the blueprint for an international program. As the only formal program of credentialing in behavior analysis, it has had profound effects on both service delivery and university training throughout the world. In many ways, the program has created the profession of "applied behavior analysis." |
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| Don't Call Me Nuts: How to Study the Stigma of Mental Illness |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 4:00 PM–4:50 PM |
| Ballroom A (CC) |
| Area: CSE; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| Chair: Patricia Bach (Illinois Institute of Technology) |
| PATRICK W. CORRIGAN (Illinois Institute of Technology) |
 Patrick Corrigan is Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the Illinois Institute of Technology and Associate Dean for Research. Prior to that, Corrigan was professor of Psychiatry and Executive Director of the Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation at the University of Chicago, being there for 14 years. Corrigan has been principal investigator of federally funded studies on rehabilitation and consumer operated services. Ten years ago, he became principal investigator of the Chicago Consortium for Stigma Research, the only NIMH-funded research center examining the stigma of mental illness. More recently, the Chicago Consortium evolved into the National Consortium on Stigma and Empowerment (NCSE), supported by NIMH as a developing center in services research. Centered at IIT, NCSE includes co-principal investigators from Yale, the University of Pennsylvania, and Rutgers. One recent study supported by NIAAA, NIMH, and The Fogarty Center examined the stigma of mental illness endorsed by employers in Beijing, Chicago, and Hong Kong. In the few years, Corrigan has partnered with colleagues from the Department for Veteran Affairs and Department of Defense to develop and evaluate anti-stigma programs meant to help soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan seek out services for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder when needed. Corrigan is a prolific researcher having published eleven books and more than 250 papers. He is editor of the American Journal of Psychiatric Rehabilitation. |
| Abstract: Context has been added to models seeking to better understand behavior change with stigma being in important contextual construct. Many people in distress do not pursue appropriate clinical services, or drop out of these services prematurely, in order to escape the harm of psychiatric labels. People with psychiatric disabilities often find life goals including real work and independent living blocked by employers or landlords who endorse the stigma of mental illness. Some people with mental illness internalize the stigma leading to the why try effect: “Why should I try to get a job? I am unable to handle it competently.” This lecture reviews the various forms of label avoidance, public-stigma, and self-stigma. In the process, research by our group that sheds light on stigma is summarized. Most important to our current work is developing and evaluating anti-stigma programs. In the process of conducting outcome studies, we have begun to identify the conundra that confound research in this arena. The presentation ends with a review of important research issues. |
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| Phonics: Students With Intellectual Disabilities |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 4:00 PM–4:50 PM |
| 217C (CC) |
| Area: DDA |
| Chair: Jaye K. Luke (Georgia State University) |
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| From Prephonics to Phonics: Teaching Reading to Students With Moderate Intellectual Disabilities |
| Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| LAURA D. FREDRICK (Georgia State University), Dawn H. Davis (Georgia State University), Rebecca E. Waugh (Georgia State University), Paul A. Alberto (Georgia State University) |
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| Abstract: Students with Moderate Intellectual Disabilities (MOID) learn to read many words through sight-word instruction; however, this approach does not give them strategies for reading untaught words they encounter in their environment. A phonics approach to reading teaches students letter sounds and blending skills allowing students to generalize these skills to read untaught words. Students with MOID, however, typically have difficulty mastering critical blending skills. To increase the probability that students with MOID would learn blending skills we developed a prephonics instructional sequence that includes developing automaticity with letter-sound correspondences before teaching blending skills and then testing for generalization of blending skills with untaught words made up of taught letter sounds. Students who successfully completed the prephonics instructional sequence successfully learned a phonics approach to reading untaught words. Using a changing criterion design embedded within a multiple baseline across sound sets, we demonstrated a functional relation between the phonics instruction we created and students’ mastery of letter sounds and blending as evidenced by their ability to read untaught generalization words. This is a continuation of research beyond the prephonics research presented at ABA in 2009. |
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| Behavioral Development |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 4:00 PM–4:50 PM |
| Travis A/B (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: DEV |
| Chair: Gary D. Novak (California State University, Stanislaus) |
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| The Learn-by-Doing Principle |
| Domain: Theory |
| HAYNE W. REESE (West Virginia University) |
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| Abstract: “Learning-by-doing” has been a precept and a principle for thousands of years; it has had many proponents, including Plato, Thomas Hobbes, English and Spanish epigrammatists, Karl Marx and Mao Zedong, cultural anthropologists, Montessori, John B. Watson, and B. F. Skinner; and it has been advocated in many ways, including learning by doing, instruction versus discovery, direct experience versus book-learning, proof upon practice, and the practice-theory-practice dialectic. I will discuss various versions of the principle, with examples, to establish what it means; modifications of the principle such as instructed learning-by-doing and a role of reasoning; and possible explanations of its effectiveness. |
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| Juvenile Anxiety: An Animal Model of Adolescent Fear-Conditioning Acquisition and Extinction |
| Domain: Experimental Analysis |
| CRISTINA I. VARGAS-IRWIN (Fundación Universitaria Konrad Lorenz), Fredy A. Mora Gámez (Fundación Universitaria Konrad Lorenz), Jaime Robles (Virginia Commonwealth University) |
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| Abstract: Behavior analysis has traditionally eschewed guiding metaphors to describe behavioral development. As an alternative to these metaphorical developmental stages, it has offered the description of systematic patterns of contingencies throughout the lifespan. Nonetheless, many contingencies result in distinctly different functional relationships depending on the age of the organism: this fact has been frequently overlooked within the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, where the overwhelming majority of experiments are carried out with adult organisms. The shortcomings of this approach are illustrated with data comparing the acquisition and extinction of fear-conditioning in adolescent and adult rats. Furthermore, we explore the use of the concept of establishing operations to describe these developmental changes. |
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| Reading Intervention in Grades K-12: Scientifically Informed Policy |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 4:00 PM–4:50 PM |
| 103AB (CC) |
| Area: EDC; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| Chair: Cathy L. Watkins (California State University, Stanislaus) |
| BARBARA R. FOORMAN (Florida State University) |
 Barbara Foorman, Ph.D., holds a joint appointment as the Francis Eppes Professor of Education and Director of the Florida Center for Reading Research at Florida State University. During 2005, Dr. Foorman served as the Commissioner of Education Research in the Institute of Education Sciences in the U.S. Department of Education. Before that Dr. Foorman was a professor at the University of Texas-Houston and at the University of Houston. Dr. Foorman has over 120 publications in the area of reading and language development, is co-editor of the Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, and has been principal investigator of federally-funded grants on early reading interventions, scaling assessment-driven instruction, and literacy development in Spanish-speaking children. She has been a member of several national consensus committees related to reading. She also leads professional development and technical assistance grants in Florida and for the national Center on Instruction—Reading Strand. Dr. Foorman is an author of vocabulary, spelling, and phonemic awareness curricula and is a primary author of the TPRI early reading assessment and the FAIR K-12 formative reading assessments used in Florida. |
| Abstract: The state of the art in reading remediation is prevention and early intervention. Because of the difficulty of remediating older students and the relative success of early intervention efforts, policy in the United States encourages prevention. Under the Individuals With Disabilities Educational Improvement Act of 2004 districts may use up to 15% of special education funds for prevention and early intervention. This shift in federal law allows districts to use funds to provide intervention to struggling readers before they fail to meet grade-level achievement standards. In addition, the new law provides an alternative to the previous requirement that students’ low achievement be unexpected (i.e., discrepant) relative to their intelligence in order to qualify them for special education services. The alternative approach, called response to intervention (RTI), means that a local education agency “may use a process that determines if the child responds to scientific, research-based intervention as a part of the evaluation procedures” (Pub. L. No. 108-446 § 614 [b][6][A]; § 614 [b] [2 & 3]). In this presentation Dr. Foorman will review the evidence for effective reading interventions, at both the elementary and secondary levels. Additionally, she will discuss challenges to implementing RTI models in schools and offer possible solutions. |
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| Presidential Scholar's Address: Why People Believe Weird Things |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 5:00 PM–5:50 PM |
| Ballroom A (CC) |
| Domain: Theory |
| Chair: Raymond G. Miltenberger (University of South Florida) |
| Presenting Authors: : MICHAEL SHERMER (Skeptics Society) |
| Abstract: IN THIS AGE OF SUPPOSED SCIENTIFIC ENLIGHTENMENT, many people still believe in mind reading, past-life regression theory, New Age hokum, and alien abduction. A no-holds-barred assault on popular superstitions and prejudices, with more than 80,000 copies in print, Why People Believe Weird Things debunks these nonsensical claims and explores the very human reasons people find otherworldly phenomena, conspiracy theories, and cults so appealing. In an entirely new chapter, “Why Smart People Believe in Weird Things,” Michael Shermer takes on science luminaries like physicist Frank Tippler and others, who hide their spiritual beliefs behind the trappings of science. Shermer, science historian and true crusader, also reveals the more dangerous side of such illogical thinking, including Holocaust denial, the recovered-memory movement, the satanic ritual abuse scare, and other modern crazes. Why People Believe Weird Things is an eye-opening resource for the most gullible among us and those who want to protect them. |
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| MICHAEL SHERMER (Skeptics Society) |
 Dr. Michael Shermer is the Founding Publisher of Skeptic magazine, the Executive Director of the Skeptics Society, a monthly columnist for Scientific American, the host of the Skeptics Distinguished Science Lecture Series at Caltech, and Adjunct Professor of Economics at Claremont Graduate University. Dr. Shermer’s latest book is The Mind of the Market, on evolutionary economics. His last book was Why Darwin Matters: Evolution and the Case Against Intelligent Design, and he is the author of Science Friction: Where the Known Meets the Unknown, about how the mind works and how thinking goes wrong. His book The Science of Good and Evil: Why People Cheat, Gossip, Share Care, and Follow the Golden Rule, is on the evolutionary origins of morality and how to be good without God. He wrote a biography, In Darwin’s Shadow, about the life and science of the co-discoverer of natural selection, Alfred Russel Wallace. He also wrote The Borderlands of Science, about the fuzzy land between science and pseudoscience, and Denying History, on Holocaust denial and other forms of pseudohistory. His book How We Believe: Science, Skepticism, and the Search for God, presents his theory on the origins of religion and why people believe in God. He is also the author of Why People Believe Weird Things on pseudoscience, superstitions, and other confusions of our time. Dr. Shermer received his B.A. in psychology from Pepperdine University, M.A. in experimental psychology from California State University, Fullerton, and his Ph.D. in the history of science from Claremont Graduate University (1991). He was a college professor for 20 years (1979–1998), teaching psychology, evolution, and the history of science at Occidental College (1989–1998), California State University Los Angeles, and Glendale College. Since his creation of the Skeptics Society, Skeptic magazine, and the Skeptics Distinguished Science Lecture Series at Caltech, he has appeared on such shows as The Colbert Report, 20/20, Dateline, Charlie Rose, Larry King Live, Tom Snyder, Donahue, Oprah, Lezza, Unsolved Mysteries (but, proudly, never Jerry Springer!), and other shows as a skeptic of weird and extraordinary claims, as well as interviews in countless documentaries aired on PBS, A&E, Discovery, The History Channel, The Science Channel, and The Learning Channel. Shermer was the co-host and co-producer of the 13-hour Family Channel television series, Exploring the Unknown. |
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| AAB Poster Session 1 |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 6:00 PM–7:30 PM |
| Exhibit Hall A (CC) |
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| 1. Reducing Relapse Through Massive Extinction in Multiple Contexts |
| Area: AAB; Domain: Experimental Analysis |
| BRIDGET L. MCCONNELL (Binghamton University, State University of New York), Mario A. Laborda (Binghamton University, State University of New York), Ralph R. Miller (Binghamton University, State University of New York) |
| Abstract: This set of experiments demonstrates an animal model of clinical relapse from exposure therapy and how it can be strongly attenuated. In two fear conditioning experiments with rats, we showed that combining two recovery-attenuating treatments reduced recovery of extinguished conditioned responses more than either treatment alone. In Experiment 1, renewal and spontaneous recovery manipulations were combined to demonstrate that the two recovery-from-extinction effects summate and produce larger recovery of extinguished conditioned responses than either manipulation alone. This type of recovery more realistically models relapse in therapeutic settings. We used this relapse model in Experiment 2 and showed that the combination of massive extinction and extinction in multiple contexts greatly attenuated recovery from extinction more than either recovery-attenuating treatment alone. The results are discussed in terms of their applied value in preventing relapse, particularly return of fear. These results also add support to similar observations by Rosas and Bouton (1998) and Thomas, Vurbic, and Kovac (2009). The take-home message is that relapse can be radically reduced if exposure therapy is made more durable by continuing treatment after the point in which fear ceases to be observed and conducting therapy in multiple contexts to increase generalization of the treatment. |
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| 2. Using Your iPhone/iPod Touch to Make Data Collection Easy |
| Area: AAB; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| KIMBERLY G. FRY (University of North Texas) |
| Abstract: Data collection is integral to behavior analysis, yet the process itself is often challenging. Understanding when current methods of data collection fail and succeed allows these techniques to be refined, thus resulting in more versatile and useful information. This presentation will demonstrate how the touch interface of the iPhone/iPod Touch permits the observer to focus on the behavior of interest, rather than the process of data collection. It will also show how other design features can be used to give immediate feedback (both with graphs and raw data), minimize data entry errors, and reduce response cost. Integrating existing behavior analytic knowledge with new technology can increase the frequency of the data collection, as well as save time that can be used to analyze, rather than input, data. |
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| 3. Shaping Targeting and Retrieval Behaviors in Wallaroos |
| Area: AAB; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| KATHLEEN ROSSI (University of North Texas), Rachael E. Shrontz (University of North Texas), Jeffrey Gesick (University of North Texas), Laura Coulter (University of North Texas), Jesus Rosales-Ruiz (University of North Texas) |
| Abstract: The behavior of captive animals is noticeably different from the behavior of animals in their natural environments. In order to compensate for this difference animals in captivity are provided with an environment similar to their natural environment and are provided with additional activities or play objects; however, the animals still may not produce species like behavior important for exercise and enrichment. The purpose of this project was to teach wallaroos a set of behaviors that not only engaged them in exercise and enrichment, but also benefitted the Heard Museum, where they live, by engaging the attention of community visitors. A shaping program was used to teach the wallaroos to retrieve a ball. The behavior was chosen because keepers and the public can safely play ball with the wallaroos. This poster will describe the shaping program and present data on every step of the shaping process and the maintenance of the target behavior by the keepers and the visitors. Results pending. |
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| 4. The Effects of Verbal Bridging Stimulus or Mechanical Bridging Stimulus in Positive Reinforcement Training of Sea Otters |
| Area: AAB; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| INDYA N. WATTS (Chicago School of Professional Psychology), Traci M. Cihon (University of North Texas), Tracy L. Kettering (The Ohio State University), Kenneth T. Ramirez (John G. Shedd Aquarium), John W. Eshleman (The Chicago School of Professional Psychology) |
| Abstract: The use of mechanical marking stimuli has spread to many areas of training. Mechanical markers, such as clickers, have been used extensively with humans and non-humans to shape desired behavior. However, empirical data evaluating the effectiveness of the clicker in relevant practical application areas such as acquisition time and response maintenance is very limited, and what has been produced is conflicting: one study indicates that mechanical markers decrease acquisition time when compared to other marker modalities, and another indicates that use of mechanical markers does not facilitate acquisition. The purpose of this study is to assess the acquisition and maintenance of responding with two female Alaskan sea otters when the novel responses were shaped and maintained using a verbal bridge, “good,” or the sound of a clicker. A multiple baseline across participants with replication across target behaviors was employed to evaluate the dependent measures of acquisition, response accuracy and the ratio of correct to incorrect responses. Data will be discussed in terms of the implications for trainers, including benefits or drawbacks of use of the two marking stimuli. |
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| 5. Using Differential Reinforcement to Shape Appropriate Equine Responding During Common Handling Procedures |
| Area: AAB; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| CHARLOTTE SLATER (Swansea University), Simon Dymond (Swansea University) |
| Abstract: Inappropriate behaviour during common handling procedures with horses, such as lorry loading, is often subject to aversive treatment. The present study replicated and extended previous findings using differential conditioned reinforcement to shape appropriate loading behaviour in four horses. In Study One, a multiple baseline across subjects design was used to determine the effects of first shaping target-touch responses and then successive approximations of full lorry loading under continuous and intermittent reinforcement. Full loading responses were shaped and maintained in all four horses and occurrences of inappropriate behaviours reduced to zero. Generalization was also evident. In Study Two, the audible click stimulus was used in a changing criterion design to increase the duration of leg holding with one horse. The horse’s responding reached the terminal duration criterion of one minute and showed generalization and one-week maintenance. Overall, the results support the use of applied equine training systems that are based on positive reinforcement, for increasing appropriate behaviour during common handling procedures. |
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| 6. An Analysis of the Effects of Combining Conditioned Reinforcers on the Behavior of Dogs. |
| Area: AAB; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| KATHRYN L KALAFUT (Brown University), Jesus Rosales-Ruiz (University of North Texas) |
| Abstract: Previous research suggests that the different ways of establishing a conditioned reinforcer alters the effects they have on behavior (Kalafut, Feuerbacher, Rosales-Ruiz, 2007). In a previous experiment a conditioned reinforcer was created by the traditional method of pairing. The sound of the clicker was immediately followed with the delivery of food. This method of pairing creates a dual function of conditioned reinforcer and discriminative stimulus for approaching the feeder (Kalafut, Feuerbacher, Rosales-Ruiz, 2007). A second way of creating a conditioned reinforcer is by pairing the word “bien” with the sound of the click, followed by food presentation. Results show that the addition of the second conditioned reinforcer “bien” caused an increase in the rate of a target-touching task, compared to behavior that was consequated with the sound of the click alone. However, it is unclear if the reinforcing properties of the “bien” come from how it was conditioned or from the social reinforcement that has been paired with verbal stimuli in the subjects past. The following experiment used novel stimuli to test for the source of the combined conditioned-reinforcer effect. The subjects of this experiment were dogs. Results pending. |
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| 7. The Effects of Extrinsically Increasing Rates of Reinforcement on the Acquisition of Behavior of Dogs |
| Area: AAB; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| LAURA COULTER (University of North Texas), Jesus Rosales-Ruiz (University of North Texas) |
| Abstract: It is well known that high rates of reinforcement are important for learning new behaviors. One way of achieving higher rates of reinforcement is to divide the target behavior into small movements and shape the behavior in very small steps. This method is an intrinsic way of increasing rates of reinforcement and has been shown to increase the rate of learning new behaviors.. However, there comes a point when the behavior has been divided into so many approximations that it cannot be divided any further. At this point, are there other methods of achieving higher rates of reinforcement? This experiment explored the use of extrinsic behaviors as a technique for increasing rates of reinforcement. Two behaviors were chosen to represent equally difficult novel behaviors. Using a multiple-element design, one behavior was trained following the usual shaping schedule and the other was trained similarly but at various intervals an easy behavior was interspersed during shaping to further increase the rate of reinforcement. The subject of the experiment was a one-year-old male dog. Results pending. |
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| 8. When Practice Is Not Enough: Separating Perfect and Imperfect Behavior through Stimulus Control |
| Area: AAB; Domain: Experimental Analysis |
| KATHRYN LYNN TUCKER (University of North Texas), Jesus Rosales-Ruiz (University of North Texas) |
| Abstract: When training new behaviors, mistakes and irregularities in performance can accidentally be reinforced during the shaping process and be maintained as part of the final performance. Extinction of these behaviors may not be a viable solution because of the difficulty in applying extinction or reinforcement to some links without inadvertently applying it to the others. Another solution would be to change cues, ensuring that only perfect behavior is reinforced in their presence. Both of these solutions were investigated in this experiment. A domestic dog (Canis familiaris) was trained to leave the trainer on a cue (the training cue) and sit on a mat approximately 8 feet away. The training cue was presented, and reinforcers were delivered each time the dog sat on the mat, regardless of irregular topographies in earlier links of the chain. Once the behavior was established, a different cue (“performance cue”) was presented for the same behavior and reinforcers were delivered only on perfect trials. After imperfect trials, the dog was recalled. A reversal design was employed, alternating between the two cues. Last, an extinction procedure was implemented to reduce the number of imperfect trials in the presence of the training cue. Results pending. |
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| 9. Using Stimulus Control to Reduce Play Mouthing Behavior in a Large Breed Puppy |
| Area: AAB; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| MATTHEW A DAVISON (University of North Texas), Jesus Rosales-Ruiz (University of North Texas) |
| Abstract: Mouthing may seem just a minor annoyance in the play behavior of puppies, but this can lead to other behaviors, such as biting, and may also lead to accidental skin lacerations. Although there is no systematic way to address mouthing in dogs, there exist in the popular literature plenty of tips to reduce it. The present experiment investigates an intriguing technique to reduce behavior suggested by Karen Pryor (1984). She reports that by putting the target behavior under stimulus control the behavior tends to extinguish in the absence of the discriminative stimulus. However, there is no systematic research about the use of this technique to reduce behavior. This experiment investigates the use of this stimulus control technique to reduce the mouthing behavior in dogs. Once the cue is established and maintained, the use of the verbal cue is reduced in frequency and the rate of unprompted mouthing behavior is recorded. Data for this experiment is still pending. If this technique is successful, the stimulus control of behavior would be another available procedure for eliminating problem behavior. |
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| AUT Poster Session 1 |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 6:00 PM–7:30 PM |
| Exhibit Hall A (CC) |
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| 10. Using Extinction To Reduce SIB With A Four-Year-Old Girl With Ectopic Eczema |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| SMITA AWASTHI (Assocation for Behavior Analysis of India), Gazala Zafar Ali |
| Abstract: The study was implemented on a 4 year old girl with a diagnoses of mild Autism Spectrum Disorder & severe Ectopic Eczema. The behaviors observed were of severe scratching over the body and face, leading to bleeding wounds, asking repeatedly for lotion to be applied and persistent vocalization. An FBA revealed that part of the behavior was maintained by history of attention due to her eczema condition as well as escape from new settings including environmental changes and rituals. The intervention included using extinction when she started scratching her face & body and asking for lotion. The procedures were used across settings & people. The results showed that scratching behavior reduced drastically, affirming the behavior being maintained not by the ectopic eczema but by the attention from family members. |
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| 11. Decreasing SIB and Screaming in 7-Year-Old With ASD in Outdoor Conditions Using Systematic Desensitization & Time Out |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| Razia Ali (Association for Behavior Analysis of India), SMITA AWASTHI (Association for Behavior Analysis of India) |
| Abstract: A 7 year old girl, with a diagnosis of ASD had severe screaming behavior on each car drive. High pitch screams, head banging & kicking happened before each turn on the road, accompanied by increase in breathing rate, leaning forward to see where they were going Detailed observation of behavior revealed screaming under changing conditions. Condition 1, was not to stop the car in new spots in known locations. Condition 2: not to drive in unknown areas. Condition 3: not to get down from car in non preferred areas. Condition 4: to stop & get down in favorable places. Over a period of one year, a systematic desensitization procedure of driving through various areas, & time out reduced the behavior drastically while new coping strategies were taught. The outcome of the study was a complete reduction of behaviors & improved socialization. |
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| 12. Teaching Parents to Utilize Systematic Desensitization to Increase a Child With Autism’s Ability to Access Community Restrooms |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| KAREN NOHELTY (Autism Spectrum Therapies), Gan Luong (Autism Spectrum Therapies), Robert Haupt (Autism Spectrum Therapies) |
| Abstract: Difficulty around the toileting routine is common for many children with developmental disabilities. This is further complicated when a child is able to master the routine, but is unable to generalize this skill to public restrooms in the community. Generalizing these skills is even more difficult with the advance of technology. Many children, typical and those with development disabilities, are intimidated by the large stalls, the sudden flush of the automatic flushers, and hand dryers. With the many sensory needs that a child with autism possesses it becomes an even more difficult task to overcome these changes and achieve generalization of the toileting routine. Additionally, it is important to teach parents the necessary skills to support this generalization. In this controlled case study we examined the effects of teaching parents to use systematic desensitization in order to increase an eight year old child with autism’s ability to follow a task analysis for a bathroom routine in a public restroom. |
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| 13. Systematic Desensitization as an Intervention for Problem Behaviour Associated With Hair Cutting in a Boy Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Service Delivery |
| EDEL KING (Stepping Stones ABA School for Children with Autism), Kristen A. Maglieri (Trinity College Dublin), Rita Honan (Trinity College Dublin), Ciara Tolan (Stepping Stones ABA School for Children with Autism) |
| Abstract: Children with autism often display challenging behaviour and noncompliance during haircutting. The current study evaluated contact desensitization as an intervention with a 7-year old male diagnosed with autism who displayed maladaptive behaviours during haircuts. During baseline, the participant was exposed to electric hair clippers while they were turned on and off and maladaptive behaviours were exhibited during both conditions. A desensitization program was then implemented which consisted of gradually and systematically exposing the participant to the aversive stimuli (hair clippers) in accordance with a pre-established exposure hierarchy. Specifically, reinforcement was delivered contingent on compliance with the steps of the exposure hierarchy. Results showed that the desensitization intervention was successful in reducing problem behaviour to near zero levels during each step in the hierarchy and the participant reached the terminal goal of allowing his hair to be cut using the electric clippers. Results suggest that desensitization can be an effective intervention for reducing maladaptive behaviours associated with hair cutting using electric clippers. |
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| 14. Training Direct Care Staff to Make Data-Based Decisions: A Replication |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| ADRIENNE MUBAREK (CaliforniaPsychCare), Rebecca M. O'Gorman (CaliforniaPsychCare), Erin Guzinski (CaliforniaPsychCare), Alison L. Costa (CaliforniaPsychCare), Eric L. Carlson (CaliforniaPsychCare), Ali Sadeghi (CaliforniaPsychCare) |
| Abstract: The study extended previous research conducted by Stewart, Carr, Brandt & McHenry (2007) in which the authors assessed training methods for making data-based decisions. Participants included direct care staff at an agency that provided behavioral interventions for children. All participants have not had previous training specific to making data-based decisions. A multiple-baseline across participants was used to assess the effects of training on making accurate intervention decisions after viewing different types of graphs. Data are being collected. Results and discussion will focus on the outcomes of staff training targeted at making data-based decisions and implications for agencies that provide this type of training. |
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| 15. Assessing a Staff Training, Feedback, and Goal-Setting Package on Increasing Opportunities to Respond in Young Students With Autism |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| TODD HARRIS (Devereux Foundation), Cathleen M. Albertson (Devereux CARES), Lori Anne Pisaneschi (Devereux CARES) |
| Abstract: This study will examine the effectiveness of a workshop training, feedback, and goal setting package on creating opportunities for students to respond in a classroom setting. The participants are staff (special education teachers and paraprofessionals) who work in an approved private school for children with autism (in two different classrooms). Each participant will complete a workshop that includes planning for opportunities within specific classroom activities and receive feedback on their performance in vivo. Based upon objective data, each classroom will set weekly goals related to their students’ opportunities to respond and will also receive weekly graphed performance feedback from the experimenters. A multiple baseline design across classrooms will be the experimental design utilized. Anticipated results will show an increase in created opportunities to respond from each staff and an increase in mands and other responses from students. Inter-observer agreement data will be collected on approximately 40% of sessions. |
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| 16. Using Technology With Discrete Trial Data Entry |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| TRACY MCKINNEY (University of Central Florida) |
| Abstract: Discrete Trial Training is an evidenced based teaching method for individuals with special needs, specifically, individuals with autism. Discrete Trial Training is just one of the many teaching strategies typically used in a true Applied Behavior Analysis classroom. Teachers and therapists have a tremendous workload in the classroom. Often times, teachers and therapists spend too much time physically transferring data from paper onto the computer, where it can then be analyzed for future instruction. After entering and analyzing data there is not much time left for planning for upcoming discrete trials, creating lesson plans, communication with parents, communication with other professionals, or anything else. Using technology to enter data using a hand held PDA can cut out a step and increase efficiency in data analysis. Which will in turn, give teachers and therapists valuable time to complete other essential tasks that will enhance the total education package for the students. |
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| 17. Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Comprehensive Staff Training Package for Behavioral Interventions for Children With Autism |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| SARA M. WEINKAUF (University of North Texas), Nicole Zeug (Easter Seals North Texas), Claire Anderson (University of North Texas), Jesus Rosales-Ruiz (University of North Texas), Shahla S. Ala'i-Rosales (University of North Texas) |
| Abstract: The effectiveness of behavioral interventions for the treatment of young children with autism has been well documented in professional literature. The success of these procedures, however, depends on the fidelity of implementation. Proper training is required to ensure proper implementation of these procedures. The purpose of this study was to develop a staff training package that involved graduated exposure to necessary skills for a therapist in a behavioral intervention setting and a subsequent investigation of the effectiveness and efficiency of the training. Results indicated that correct demonstration of skills increased following training, as well as a decrease in incorrect implementation of skills. A discussion of the results as well as implications for future research is also provided. |
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| 18. A Comparison of Treatments to Determine the Validity of the PDC as as Functional Assessment Tool |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Service Delivery |
| CAROLINE C. STEVENS (The Shape of Behavior), Domonique Y. Randall (The Shape of Behavior) |
| Abstract: Functional assessments have predominantly been used in behavior analytic research to treat the abhorrent behaviors of populations with developmental disabilities. There are similar assessments being used within the area of organizational behavior management, such as the Performance Diagnostic Checklist (PDC). However, there is not much research to support the validity of using the PDC as a functional assessment tool to determine the function and treatment of problem behavior (i.e., employee performance and compliance with basic task analyses) within a corporation. The present study examines the validity of the PDC as a functional assessment tool by conducting a multiple baseline across participants to determine if using a functional based treatment versus a contraindicated treatment increases the employee compliance behavior (following a predetermined agenda for a parent training) of employees at an ABA clinic for children with autism. |
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| 19. Parental Accuracy in Identifying Basic Principles of Applied Behavior Analysis in Families of Individuals With an Autism Spectrum Disorder |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| EVELYN M. FLAHERTY (Eden II Programs), Frank R. Cicero (Eden II Programs), Geoffrey D. DeBery (Eden II Programs), Lauren A. Mahoney (Eden II School for Autistic Children) |
| Abstract: Professionals in the field of applied behavior analysis (ABA) often work side-by- side with parents of individuals with an autism spectrum disorder. The collaboration between parents and professionals is dependent on parents having a functional understanding of the basic principles of ABA. However, parents show considerable variability in their background and exposure to the principles of ABA. The current study was designed to assess parental accuracy in identifying basic principles of ABA. A survey was administered to mothers and fathers of individuals with an autism spectrum disorder that had received at least one ABA service (residential habilitation, educational placement, crisis services, etc.) from a New York City-based agency. The survey included vignettes that described specific basic principles of ABA (positive reinforcement, extinction, etc.). Parents were asked to identify the ABA principle used in each vignette. Results were analyzed to identify strengths and weaknesses and areas of possible intervention to aid professionals working with parents of individuals with an autism spectrum disorder. |
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| 20. An Investigation of Quality Indicators for Evidence-Based Treatment: Sensory Integration Treatments in Autism |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Service Delivery |
| LAUREN SZENINA (Northern Arizona University), Caitlan Allen (Northern Arizona University), Lindsy Dagel (Northern Arizona University), Janice Kodumal (Northern Arizona University), Cheryl Robinson (Northern Arizona University), Jessica Emily Schwartz (Northern Arizona University), Andrew Gardner (Northern Arizona University), Trina D. Spencer (Utah State University) |
| Abstract: Inspired by the assumption that individuals with autism experience disordered sensory systems affecting a variety of functional capacities, sensory integration therapies (SITs) seek to alleviate problem behavior by focusing on sensory stimulation (Ayers, 1977). Sensory integration techniques are widely used in the treatment of autism (Fazioglu & Baran, 2008); however, the body of knowledge addressing their efficacy is insufficient to warrant the status of evidence-based. Specifically, there are few empirical studies assessing the effectiveness of sensory integration therapies and few studies are of high quality. This evidence-based practice review evaluated the quality of studies in which an SIT was employed in the treatment of aberrant behavior for individuals with autism. Published articles coded and divided into five treatment categories: general SI, auditory, visual, oral motor and deep pressure. Reviewers coded for the presence of “quality indicators” using single subject (Horner et al., 2005) and group design guidelines (Gersten et al., 2005). IOA was completed for all studies. Results will be discussed in terms of the strength of evidence supporting the use of SITs as evidence based treatments for aberrant behavior in individuals with autism and the utility of evidence-based practice guidelines. |
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| 21. A Comparison of Sensory Stimuli Within an Operant Framework |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| JENNIFER E. COPELAND (Melmark), Kristen M. Villone (Melmark), Sandra Brown (Melmark) |
| Abstract: Sensory integration methodologies persist under the assertion that continuous or routine access to specific stimuli in the environment will “ready the brain” for activity and subsequently alter human behavior across a variety of contexts. This theory directly contradicts operant behavioral theory, where actions are measured within observable contingencies, and behavioral patterns are dependent upon fluctuations that occur among corresponding antecedents and consequences. In this study, one adolescent girl diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder and severe mental retardation served as a participant. Different presentations of sensory stimuli were each tested as treatments in isolation. In the first set of treatments, sensory stimuli were presented as differential reinforcement for alternative behavior. Effects of this treatment were compared to antecedent presentations of sensory stimuli and a treatment that manipulated all three terms of the operant contingency. Frequency and partial interval recording were used to measure occurrences of self-injury across treatments. Inter observer agreement data were collected across a minimum of 17% of treatment days and ranged from 0% to 100% of intervals with a mean of 88%. Results indicated the latter treatment to be most effective. Implications of these findings further support applied behavior analysis as the treatment of choice for aberrant behavior. |
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| 22. IBI Changes in Child Abilities Have a Positive Impact on Family Activities: Initial Data From the Family Well Being Checklist, a Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scale of Family Functioning |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Service Delivery |
| John Hoch (University of Minnesota), Nancy G. Schussler (Behavioral Dimensions, Inc.), ERIN M. COTE HOLTON (Behavioral Dimensions Inc.) |
| Abstract: IBI service providers track child progress, but do not monitor the effects of improved child skills on family functioning. The reductions in problem behavior and increases in child functioning due to IBI services can positively impact family functioning across in home and community activities. Many instruments compare family relationships with normative samples (e.g. the Parent Stress Index); the Family Well Being Checklist was generated to create a measure of change in family behavior across contexts. Parents rate (on a 5 point scale) the changes they have experienced in the past year in their ability to perform behaviors important to family functioning. The questionnaire includes 28 items divided into five categories: Community Events, Family activities at home, Social Events, Parent well being activities, and Parent relationships. An initial factor analysis of categories based on N=90 checklists showed a two factor solution with areas clustering as hypothesized. Thirteen families completed the checklist at intake and after one year of service; these showed an increase in participation in community events, (p<.05, t=2.25). Data collection and analysis is ongoing. Results aid in communicating the importance and benefits of IBI services to funding agencies and governmental bodies. |
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| 23. "Neurons to Neighborhoods" Classroom Model for Autism Education |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Service Delivery |
| E. BRADY BEACH (Youth Development Clinic, Inc.), Vidal Annan (Youth Development Clinic, Inc.), Anice George (Youth Development Clinic, Inc.) |
| Abstract: Recent changes in federal and NJ state policy have, in essence, required school districts to educate their children with special needs, including autism spectrum disorders (ASD), within their home school districts instead of in out-of-district placements. In 2008, the Irvington School District responded to the needs of its students with ASD by partnering with The Youth Development Clinic (YDC) and the Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey to develop and implement a pre-school autism-education classroom in their district. YDC’s Neurons to Neighborhoods model, which integrates core empirical approaches in autism education, helps public schools to educate children with ASD in a community-conscious, quality-based, cost-effective manner. A first year comprehensive evaluation was conducted for the program using the Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills tool (ABLLS), and teacher and parent satisfaction questionnaires. The results show strong gains in student functioning, as well as staff and parent satisfaction with YDC services. Furthermore, Irvington saved as much as $300,000 by keeping the students in district. The data indicates that YDC staff was effective in implementing a successful, cost-effective, in-district autism-education program in Irvington. YDC will be working with Irvington to expand the pre-school component and add a kindergarten-1st grade classroom. |
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| 24. Knowledge and Attitudes Towards Applied Behavior Analysis in the State of Rhode Island |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| KARA LYNN PAOLELLA (Pathways Strategic Teaching Center), Jennifer L. Marshall (Trudeau Center), Erin Boylan (Pathways Strategic Teaching Center), Roberta N. Ryan (Trudeau Center), Andrea Chait (Pathways Strategic Teaching Center), Mackenzie J. Milner (Pathways Strategic Teaching Center) |
| Abstract: There are many myths and misunderstandings surrounding the field of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). Lack of knowledge and negative attitudes toward the field have a significant impact on the many individuals who may benefit from treatment using the evidence-based methods derived from the field of ABA. Several publications have attempted to address some common myths (e.g., Bailey & Burch, 2006 and Sharpe & Koperwas, 2004)), however, these publications are often marketed to professionals or students within the field. The purpose of this study was to pilot a questionnaire to determine knowledge and attitudes of various professionals towards the field of ABA. The goal of the survey was to gather baseline data to determine where intervention was needed and develop a series of professional trainings to enhance knowledge and attitudes. A search of the scientific literature was conducted using three databases (i.e., ERIC, PsychINFO, and Academic Search Complete) and no previous studies were found that attempted to measure knowledge and attitudes toward the field. A questionnaire was developed to gather demographic information in addition to data on knowledge and attitudes towards ABA. Results from the questionnaire are presented and discussed along with implications and recommendations for intervention. |
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| 25. The Effect of Using Activity Schedules and Generalization in Home Settings for a Child With Autism |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| HIROYUKI MATSUSHITA (University of Tsukuba), Shigeki Sonoyama (University of Tsukuba) |
| Abstract: Picture prompt are often used for one of the self-management strategies to facilitate task and activity engagement for children with autism. Pierce and Schreibman (1994) point out that using pictorial self-management are efficient in that the picture book is small, is readily transported to novel settings, and may be easily faded. Recently, activity schedules are used to cue children with autism to perform tasks independently (McClannahan, MacDuff, & Krantz, 2002). McClannahan and Krantz (1999) suggested that it was efficient for the children with autism, who frequently failed to display their skills unless someone gave prompts although they had a lot of skills to perform each activity correctly, to perform activities and tasks independently by using activity schedules. In this study, we examined the effect of using activity schedules to facilitate task engagement independently and shift next activity smoothly for a preschool child with autism. We also evaluated generalization to home settings and positive or/and negative influences on participant’s life. As a result, the participant could respond to small activity schedules and use in home settings. |
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| 26. Observational Learning in Children With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorders |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| COURTNEY D. PATTERSON (The Pennsylvania State University), Toby L. Stahlschmidt-Kah (Private Practice) |
| Abstract: Observational learning (OL) involves observing the behaviour of others, then selecting which behaviours should be or should not be imitated depending on your understanding of the contingencies in that natural environment. It requires an understanding of how the consequences others’ experience impacts the future probability of your response. Typically, children are constantly studying others, then adjusting their behaviour accordingly, all without any explicit instruction. In contrast, children with autism are often taught explicitly to “Do this” but rarely make the leap from imitative learner to observational learner. To date, little research has focused on the skills necessary for this transition. This study uses a multiple-baseline design across five children with autism in order to assess the benefits of peer modeling when teaching the hypothesized OL prerequisite skills. Child outcome will be determined by changes in imitation performance throughout sessions. Participants are expected to demonstrate improved imitation and/or OL skills after training. Information gained from this study should help to identify important OL prerequisite skills, and therefore inform effective OL teaching programs. Descriptors: observational learning, peer-modelling, imitation, modelling, autism spectrum disorders, intervention. |
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| 27. Teaching Auditory-Visual Discrimination to Children With Autism via Supplemental Receptive Identification Programming |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| ALISON D. COX (Brock University), Paul Szikszai (Surrey Place Centre) |
| Abstract: Many children with developmental disabilities demonstrate difficulty in making and learning simple auditory-visual discriminations. These children may require numerous training trials to learn these skills. Extensive research in this area has attempted to identify intermediary skills that, when taught, may assist in the development of this ability. Intensive behaviour intervention (IBI) programs for children with Autism teach various forms of auditory-visual discriminations. However, despite the provision of numerous trials in a highly structured manner, some learners continue to experience low auditory-visual discrimination acquisition rates. An in-depth literature review resulted in the development of a program, based largely on Ward & Yu (2000), that could served to supplement ongoing receptive identification programming. Three clients of an IBI program, who demonstrated substantial difficulty in attaining receptive identification skills even though they had successfully acquired visual-visual matching skills and could follow some simple instructions, were assigned the current supplemental program. Similarly, these clients were unable to pass level 5 and 6 on the Assessment of Basic Learning Abilities. A non-concurrent multiple baseline design was used to evaluate whether this supplementary programming could increase the rate of acquisition of receptive identification. Preliminary results will be presented and potential implications will be discussed. |
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| 28. Location of Comparison Stimuli as the Feature Controlling Participant’s Selection During Visual-Visual Match-to-Sample Tasks |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| KIMBERLY M. WALTER (New England Center for Children), Paula Ribeiro Braga-Kenyon (The New England Center for Children) |
| Abstract: Match-to-sample procedures are often implemented to train conditional relations among stimuli and to test for emergent relations among arbitrary stimuli. Research with animals (Kangas & Branch, 2008; Lionello & Urcuioli, 1998; Sidman, 1992) has demonstrated that position of both sample and comparison stimuli can be a stimulus feature that controls responding. In the current study, four typical adults (age range 23-55) participated in visual-visual match-to-sample tasks using PowerPoint© presentations. The relations among A1-3 and B1-3 and A1-3 and C1-3 were initially trained. One group of two participants was trained using static (non-rotating) comparison stimuli. The other group of two participants was trained using non-static (rotating) comparison stimuli. Next, tests with blank comparison stimuli were conducted to verify whether selection was based on position features. Finally, tests under extinction for the emergence of relations with the three sets of arbitrary stimuli (B1-3 and C1-3 and C1-3 and B1-3) were conducted. IOA was 95%. Test for the emergence of arbitrary relations was negative for all four participants. Furthermore, results indicate that the two participants exposed to the static comparison stimuli did not respond to the position as the controlling feature for selection. |
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| 29. Assessment and Treatment of Property Destruction Maintained by Automatic Reinforcement |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| EMILY OLINDE BOUDREAUX (Kennedy Krieger Institute), John M. Huete (Kennedy Krieger Institute), Julie Davidson (The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center) |
| Abstract: Property destruction has previously been demonstrated through functional analyses to be maintained by social contingencies such as escape or access to preferred items/activities (Hanley, Iwata, & McCord, 2003). However, other studies have indicated that a variety of aberrant behaviors that continue in the absence of social contingencies may be maintained by automatic reinforcement (Fisher, Adelinis, Thompson, Worsdell, & Zarcone, 1998). Fisher, Lindauer, Alterson, and Thompson (1998) found that for two individuals with intellectual disability, property destruction and stereotypy formed a response chain (i.e., breaking objects and then tapping them) that was maintained by the sensory consequences of auditory stimulation. The current investigation examined destructive behaviors of an 18-year-old male diagnosed with autism and mild intellectual disability. Experimental functional analyses indicated that he was most likely to engage in property destruction when he was alone or with minimal supervision, suggesting an automatic function for the destructive behaviors. Specifically, property destruction appeared to occur as part of a ritualistic response chain of breaking items and then putting them in the trash. Treatment consisting of exposure to items associated with property destruction, response blocking, differential reinforcement of other behavior, and relaxation training resulted in reduction of property destruction to near zero rates. |
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| 30. Inhibitory Stimulus Control of Stereotypy in Children With Autism |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| MALENA ARGUMEDES (Université de Montréal), Marc Lanovaz (Centre de R�adaptation de l'Ouest de Montr�al), Serge Larivée (Université de Montréal) |
| Abstract: Researchers have shown that inhibitory stimulus control of stereotypy may be established by correlating a stimulus with a mild punishment procedure contingent on the behavior (e.g., Doughty Anderson, Doughty, Williams, & Saunders, 2007; Rapp, Patel, Ghezzi, O’Flaherty, & Titterington, 2009). As such, caregivers could be trained to establish inhibitory stimulus control to reduce stereotypy during times when it may be difficult for them to intervene (e.g., while engaging in household tasks). The purpose of this experiment was to determine whether trained parents could establish discriminative control of responding by an antecedent stimulus using response interruption. Two children diagnosed with autism participated in the study. A two-component multiple-schedule was used to determine whether stereotypy could be brought under inhibitory stimulus control. Specifically, latency measures were used to examine whether the presence of the stimulus delayed the onset of stereotypy. Additional data are currently being collected. The study should determine the feasibility of establishing inhibitory stimulus control in the child’s natural environment. The implications of the results and applications for future research will be discussed in terms of the clinical utility of the procedures. |
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| 31. Behavioral Indicators in the Topography of Unintentional Injury: Risk-Taking Behavior in Children With ASD |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| RACHEL N. STRAUB (Binghamton University, State Univ. of NY), Raymond G. Romanczyk (Institute for Child Development, Binghamton University) |
| Abstract: Recent research has indicated that children with ASD are at greater risk for more injuries, and more severe injuries, than typical children (Lee, Harrington, Chang, & Connors, 2008; McDermott, McDermott, Zhou, & Mann, 2008; Straub & Romanczyk, 2009). Unfortunately, specific predictors of unintentional, nonfatal injury have not been isolated in order to provide an understanding of risk factors for this population. This poster will present an analysis of risk-taking behavior in 90 children with ASD, from a sample of 188 children, reported on by 79 caregivers in an ongoing study regarding child safety perspectives conducted at Binghamton University. Discussion will include the relation between caregiver ratings of injury severity and risk-taking behaviors for children with ASD, as measured by the 24-item Injury Behavior Checklist (Speltz, Gonzales, Sulzbacher, & Quan, 1990). Additional data is currently being collected for this presentation. Also, implications of analyzing specific risk-taking behaviors through caregiver report and potential future directions for safety intervention will be reviewed. |
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| 32. Manipulating Observational Learning During Extended Non-Compliance |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| MICHELE D. BROCK (Crossroads School for Children), Ben Bruneau (Crossroads School for Children), Cheryl J. Davis (Consultant), Mike Quinn (Crossroads School for Children) |
| Abstract: Observational learning has been used to help students with developmental disabilities acquire new skill sets. The present research looks at whether conditions can be manipulated to help an eight-year-old boy with PDD-NOS acquire skills during instances of extended non-compliance. In the present research, the participant engaged in prolonged instances of non-compliance, acquiring an average of less than 10% of new skills per month. The skill targeted in this observational learning was spelling 10 Edmark sight words. Implementation of observational learning via audiotape of an unfamiliar voice dictating spelling words was utilized. The baseline level of spelling was 0% accuracy, and after three weeks of intervention, the participant demonstrated the ability to spell 30% of the words accurately. Additional data will be collected over time to determine if additional words can be acquired through this observational learning format. Using a multiple baseline design, math facts will be targeted once the participant spells 80% of words accurately. |
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| 33. A Replication of the RIRD Strategy to Decrease Vocal Stereotypy in a Student With Autism |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| LAN LIU-GITZ (Texas Tech University), Devender Banda (Texas Tech University), Stephanie L. Hart (Texas Tech University), Stephanie Sokolosky (Texas Tech University) |
| Abstract: Vocal stereotypy in children with autism occurs frequently in educational settings. The exhibit of such behavior can be socially stigmatizing and may impede learning. It is also very disruptive in a teaching environment. We conducted a functional behavior analysis on a ten-year-old student with autism who displayed vocal stereotypic behavior. Results of functional analysis indicated that the behavior was maintained by automatic reinforcement. An ABAB design was employed. The response interruption redirection (RIRD) was selected as the intervention method during the treatment. The RIRD combined both sensory extinction and differential reinforcement strategies into one procedure. The results indicated that RIRD was very effective in reducing the child’s target behavior. The percentage of problem behavior occurrence decreased from an average of 41% during baseline to below 10% during intervention. The application of RIRD in an educational setting and its benefits were discussed. |
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| 34. Combining Contingent Reinforcement of Task Engagement and Extinction as a Treatment for Attention-Maintained Self-Injury and Aggression |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| OLIVIA ALEXANDRE (Behaviour Institute), Joel P. Hundert (Behaviour Institute) |
| Abstract: This poster will present the results of treatment of a 13-year-old boy with autism who exhibited self-injury and aggression at home and at school. An initial functional assessment indicated that the boy’s self-injury and aggression to others was attention maintained. The treatment intervention consisted of: a) graduated exposure to learning tasks; b) reinforcement of the boy’s correct performance on the learning tasks; and, c) extinction (removal of attention) of the boy’s self-injurious behaviours and aggression. The treatment was initially implemented in a treatment centre and then once effective transferred to the boy’s home and school. At school, paraprofessionals were trained how to implement the treatment. Results indicated that in all three environments, the frequency of the boy’s problem behavior decreased significantly while his task-engagement and correct responding increased dramatically. Follow-up measurement showed that this improvement continued over a period of 15 months. |
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| 35. Treatment Evaluation of Eye Play in a Child Diagnosed With Autism |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| LYNN ANDREJCZYK (New England Center for Children), Caron Inglis (The New England Center for Children) |
| Abstract: Manipulation of the eye, sometimes described as eye-poking or eye play, has been described as self injurious behavior (Kennedy & Souza, 1995; Lalli, Livezey & Kates, 1996), and can interfere with skill acquisition, as well as pose health and safety issues. This study evaluated the use of differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) and a response interruption and redirection (RIRD) procedure similar to that used by Ahearn, Clark, MacDonald & Chung (2007) for the treatment of eye play. Eye play was defined as framing of the eye using two or more fingers and any manipulation of the eye-lid including flipping, pinching, and pulling. The participant in this study was an 8 year-old boy diagnosed with autism. Baseline, DRO, and RIRD sessions were conducted in an ABACA design. Anecdotal report and observation suggested that eye play was automatically maintained, therefore no-interaction baseline sessions, in which the experimenter was present but did not interact with the participant, were conducted. DRO intervals were 15 s in length and the reinforcer was a token delivered with brief verbal praise. During RIRD, motor compliances were presented contingent on eye play. Results indicated that both DRO and RIRD produced a significant decrease in the occurrence of eye play in comparison to baseline. |
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| 37. The Effects of Social Attention on Stereotypic Counting Behaviors in a Child With Autism |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| AMANDA K. MASON (Rowan University), Crystal A. Harms (Behavior Counts Therapy), Michelle Ennis Soreth (Rowan University) |
| Abstract: Stereotypic behavior is frequently viewed as a characteristic component of the Autism diagnosis and is all too often assumed to be maintained by automatic reinforcement. The purpose of this study was to determine whether stereotypic counting behavior in a three year old boy diagnosed with Autism was maintained by social attention in the home setting. Stereotypic counting behavior was defined as verbal and/or gestural counting in the absence of appropriate environmental stimuli or academic task demand. A five phase ABABC reversal design was implemented over the course of twelve weeks. During the attention phase, each counting behavior produced a negative verbal statement, (e.g. “Stop it!” “Don’t do that,” etc.) from the therapist. During the ignoring and baseline phases, counting behavior did not produce access to attention from the therapist. To measure treatment efficacy, the frequency of counting behavior was recorded in five minute intervals during 2-hour ABA treatment sessions that took place in the child’s home three times per week. The data emphasizes the importance of seeking empirical evidence of behavioral function rather than relying on topographical diagnostic categories to design behavioral interventions. |
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| 38. A Functional Analysis of Repetitive Motor and Vocal Behavior and Air-Swallowing in an Adolescent With Autism and Russell-Silver Syndrome |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| JESSICA PRIETO (Alpine Learning Group), Alison S. O'Connor (Alpine Learning Group), Kathleen Cooper (Alpine Learning Group), Jaime A. DeQuinzio (Alpine Learning Group), Bridget A. Taylor (Alpine Learning Group) |
| Abstract: An adolescent with autism and Russell-Silver Syndrome displayed repetitive motor and vocal behavior and air-swallowing in a variety of contexts. Preliminary data revealed that repetitive motor and vocal behavior (e.g., touching body parts, touching body parts to surfaces, and saying “Hi” repetitively), occurred almost exclusively in the presence of one instructor. Similarly, air-swallowing, defined as, the forceful intake of air into the mouth that is subsequently swallowed, occurred almost exclusively in the presence of a second instructor. These data suggested that the two response categories were under the discriminative control of two different stimuli. To determine if the responses were maintained by similar or by different reinforcers, a functional analysis was conducted on repetitive movements and air-swallowing; separate sessions were run with each of the instructors. Following definitive results of the functional analysis, a behavioral intervention was designed to decrease the occurrence of repetitive motor and vocal responses and air-swallowing. |
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| 39. Clinical Application Video Modeling to Teach Social Skills in an Applied Behavior Analysis Setting |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Service Delivery |
| LAURIE BUKALA (Community Speech Language Services) |
| Abstract: Description of a video modeling project completed at a private clinic specifically focused upon identifying the effects of incorporating video modeling as a supplemental instructional methodology by speech pathologists who work with students with autism in grades one through five, compared to a control group of students with autism receiving traditional instructional methods only. Discussion will proceed with the evaluation of how effective the video modeling was in presenting real social situations to the students, the students reactions and motivation to continue the training, the ability to verbally acknowledge appropriate social and emotional cues given by others, and finally to generalize to a real environmental school setting in which each child attempted to follow through with the skills learned and made adjustments to new situations that they encountered. Discussion of successful and unsuccessful components this method and its results will be completed. A review of the commentary provided from other school personnel, peers, and parents will be examined as well. A summary of the most current literature on video modeling and the uses it has served, including behavior training, social skills, and language enhancement will be compared with the findings of the above project. A summary of why further research in the area of video modeling is so needed and that continued exploration of this new vehicle of training is so exciting! |
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| 40. Social Skills Camps: Are Skills Generalized Back Into School? |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| AMANDA C AZARBEHI (Tyndale University) |
| Abstract: Social skills groups are an increasingly prevalent method of teaching important social-communication skills to children with autism. While these groups are growing in popularity limited data exists examining the effectiveness of these programs. The current study aims to assess how well skills learned in a social skills camp are generalized into the child participants’ regular school environment. Thus, this pilot study will track the progress made by elementary students with autism enrolled in a spring-break social skills camp. The Social Skills Rating System (Gresham & Elliott) will be used to gather information from parents and teachers prior to the children participating in the social skills camp and again 2 weeks after the camp has ended and the children have returned to school. This baseline information on generalization of skills will enable for studies in the future to be done that examine the effectiveness of various approaches to improving generalization of social skills. |
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| 41. Impact of Training Peers and Children With Autism on Social Skills During Center Time Activities in Inclusive Classrooms |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| DEVENDER BANDA (Texas Tech University), Stephanie L. Hart (Texas Tech University), Lan Liu-Gitz (Texas Tech University), Bill Therrien (University of Iowa), Stephanie Sokolosky (Texas Tech University) |
| Abstract: This study was conducted to increase peer-to-peer social skills using direct instruction and peer training in two elementary students with high-functioning autism in inclusion settings. The participants and several peers were trained to initiate and respond to each other during center time, academic activities. We used multiple-baseline design across participants to determine the effects of the intervention. Results showed increased initiations and responses in all participants. Implications for practitioners and researchers are discussed. The presentation is likely to improve knowledge of social skills instruction among ABAI participants, particularly steps required to identify, teach, and evaluate social skills instruction with children with autism. |
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| 42. Teaching Social Referencing Skills to Children With Autism |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| HITOMI KUMA (Keio University, Japan), Yoshiko Hara (Keio University), Nozomi Naoi (Keio University), Jun'ichi Yamamoto (Keio University, Japan) |
| Abstract: Social referencing, a form of nonverbal communication, involves a search for discriminative stimuli produced by others, which generate contingencies in an ambiguous situation for positive reinforcement. In this study, we taught social referencing skill to young children with autism using prompt and deferential reinforcement.Subjects are three children with autism. They were 4 –5 years old. In intervention, we arranged ambiguous situation by using three un-transparent plastic jars. Only one jar had a snack or a toy and others were empty. Subjects were required to select a jar from three observing a smile or frown presented by an adult. They did not know which jar to select for reinforcement. When they selected a jar with a smile, they found a reinforcer. When they selected the jar with a frown, they found that the jar was empty. Target behaviors were spontaneous social referencing and behavior shift as to facial expression (i.e., the jar with a smile?open / the jar with a frown?shift to other jars). As a result, they learned social referencing skills and behavior shift. And all skills were generalized to untrained facial expression and situations. |
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| 43. Promoting Social-Communicative Development in Students with Autism Who Use Augmentative and Alternative Communication |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| NADINE K. TROTTIER (University of British Columbia), Pat Mirenda (University of British Columbia), Lorraine Kamp (Special Education Technology) |
| Abstract: Teaching social interaction between children with ASD who use AAC and their typically developing peers presents many difficulties. Previous research suggests peers can be taught to facilitate social interactions with individuals with ASD; however, it remains to be seen whether peers can be taught to support social interactions with classmates with ASD who use SGDs. The purpose of the study is to investigate the effects of a peer-mediated intervention designed to teach two students with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) to use speech-generating devices (SGDs) to engage in social interactions with peers in school settings. Six typically developing peers (three from each class) will be taught to support SGD use in three classmates with ASD during a play activity at school. A multiple baseline design will be used to demonstrate a functional relationship between peer-mediated play activities and an increase in total communicative acts in individuals with ASD. Social validity measures will be conducted with participating peers at the end of the study. Results will discuss applications, limitations and future directions. |
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| 44. Evaluating Response Marking as an Effective Treatment for Establishing Eye Contact in a Learner With Autism |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| KATHRYN E. SUTTER (Alpine Learning Group), JoAnna Liberatore (Alpine Learning Group), Jaime A. DeQuinzio (Alpine Learning Group), Bridget A. Taylor (Alpine Learning Group) |
| Abstract: Response marking includes the delivery of a response-dependent cue and facilitates the acquisition of that response when consequences are delayed. Researchers have hypothesized that response marking works by orientating the learner towards the target response. The present study evaluated the effects of response marking on the acquisition of eye contact for a learner with autism using a multiple-baseline-across-responses design. Prior to the study an assessment was conducted to evaluate the neutrality of the stimulus to be used as the response-dependent cue (i.e., clicker). During baseline no programmed consequences were provided for eye contact. During treatment, the clicker was activated contingent upon eye contact followed by a 5s-delay and the delivery of a primary reinforcer. Treatment was systematically introduced across three response categories: verbal imitation, responding to name, delivering an item to another instructor. Eye contact increased above baseline levels across the three response categories with the systematic introduction of the response marking procedure. |
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| 45. Teaching Play Routines: Video Modeling Versus Task Analysis |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| KATIE ARTIANO (BEACON Services), Robert K. Ross (BEACON Services) |
| Abstract: The acquisition and demonstration of play skills and play routines is a challenge for many children with autism. Many instructional methods have been identified in the literature to teach play skills to children with autism. These include; prompt fading procedures, in-vivo modeling, video modeling and task analyses (Leaf & McEachin, 1999). Unfortunately the literature provides little guidance as to the relative effectiveness of one set of procedures over others. In the present study, a video modeling procedure was utilized to teach a 4 year old child diagnosed with autism to three play routines. The child was also taught three other play routines using a task analysis based procedure. Each play routine involved at least six actions and language paired with these actions. Data are presented in terms of rates of acquisition of the targeted scenarios. The results of this study indicate that the targeted play schemes were acquired at a faster rate using a video modeling procedure. |
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| 46. Using Video Modeling to Teach the Picture Exchange Communucation System to Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| TRISHA J TALLEY (San Diego State University), Yasemin Turan (San Diego State University) |
| Abstract: Autism is marked by deficits in communicative, social, and cognitive abilities. The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) demonstrates effectiveness in improving the communicative abilities of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs), including increasing speech production and social communication, as well as reducing problem behaviors. However, PECS’s training typically requires one or two adults’ involvement depending on the phase of the training, which might create difficulties in settings where staff and child ratio is low. In this study, PECS training were conducted using video modeling procedures to address this problem. An AB desig was replicated via 2 children with ASDs to evaluate effectiveness of intervention procedures on participating children’ behavior. Initial observations revealed notable changes for children’s behavior. Additional data will be collected. |
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| 47. Comparison of PECS and Sign Language: The Acquisition of Mands for a Child With Autism |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| S. LILLIAN ADOLPHSON (Autism Spectrum Therapies), Loc Le (Autism Spectrum Therapies) |
| Abstract: This study compared the effectiveness of the Picture Exchange Communication (PECS; Frost & Bondy, 2002) and sign language training to teach mands (requesting items or activities). The participant of this study was a four-year old girl with autism, whose only form of functional communication prior to the study was pointing to make a choice between two items presented to her. A single-subject, alternating treatment design was used to compare the participant’s ability to independently request items using the two modes of communication. Baseline data were collected prior to the inception of the training phase. During the training phase, mode of instruction alternated between teaching the participant to use PECS and sign language to make requests. A final phase included only the mode of communication that the participant used most frequently to independently make requests. Results are discussed. |
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| 48. Does the Type of Picture Make A Difference in PECS Acquisition? |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| MIRANDA SIM (Behaviour Institute), Joel P. Hundert (Behaviour Institute), Melanie Arnot (Behaviour Institute) |
| Abstract: The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is used by many children with autism as a form of functional communication. Children with autism exchange picture symbol cards as a means of communicating their requests and comments. The pictures used in PECS may take different forms including colored line drawing, black and white drawings, photographs, etc. It is unclear if differences in the type of pictures used would affect the use of PECS-based mands for children with autism. The results of a study will be presented. Using an alternating treatment design, children with autism who already had a PEC manding repetroire of at least five items were asked to mand for items using one of four types of pictures: a) colored photographs; b) black and white photograps; c) colored line drawings; and d) black and white line drawings. Difference in the frequency and latency of PEC manding were measured and shall be presented in this poster. |
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| 49. Studying Prosody in Children With Autism Using a Computer Game |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Experimental Analysis |
| BERTRAM O. PLOOG (College of Staten Island, The City University of New York), Alexa Scharf (College of Staten Island, The City University of New York), Dennis Vlasikov (College of Staten Island, The City University of New York), Patricia Gaja (College of Staten Island, The City University of New York), Patricia Brooks (College of Staten Island, The City University of New York) |
| Abstract: We used a videogame to examine sensitivity to affective prosody and sentence content in 5- to 10-year-olds (n=7 with autism; n=10 with typical development). In the discrimination phase, children heard sentences (reinforced, S+, and unreinforced, S–) differing in content and affect (enthusiastic vs. grouchy). Rewards consisted of video-clips and sometimes edibles. After children responded to the S+ with 75% accuracy, the S+ was paired with test-probes comprising recombinations of S+ and S– content and affect features. Although the autistic group required more sessions to reach criterion (3 vs. 1), both groups played successfully and maintained accuracy during testing (88% for autistic vs. 95% for typical). For trials with Test-Probe 1 (differing from S+ in affect), the autistic group outperformed typical group (78% vs. 64%). The typical group showed higher accuracy in selecting an enthusiastic over a grouchy S+ (80% vs. 48%), whereas the autistic group showed equivalent accuracy across affect conditions. The groups did not differ for trials with Test-Probe 2 (differing from S+ in content; 85% vs. 86%). Thus, while both groups showed strong discrimination performance, the autistic group paid attention less to the type of affect than the typical group. |
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| 50. Employing Play Schemas and Semantic Categories to Structure Loose Teaching |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| MIGUEL ANGEL RUBIO (ACES Inc.), Katherine Calarco (ACES, Inc.), Patti Harris (ACES Inc.), Marianne L. Bernaldo (ACES, Inc.), Ana Contreras (ACES Inc.) |
| Abstract: Behavioral approaches specify verbal operants and motivational operations to support or otherwise promote language development. Discrete trial teaching strategies (DTT) typically employ single targets in acquisition and use verbal operants but fail to provide the variability (Lovaas, 1977) of the natural environment thus making generalization difficult. Incidental teaching (IT) utilizes verbal operants as they occur in a daily routine, thus upholding the natural environment, but facing limitations in perpetuating response opportunities (Rogers-Warren and Warren, 1980). The current study seeks to combine the advantages of DTT and IT into a variety of schemes, with scripts and specific targets, to enhance trajectories of verbal behavior in young children with autism spectrum disorder. Four children with diagnoses of ASD participated based on delays in receptive and expressive skills. Teaching techniques were administered in a home-based, 1:1 setting during naturalistic activities (e.g., outside play). Targets were presented naturalistically (IT) but with a script to ensure repetitive presentation of any given target (DTT). Preliminary outcome data suggest that echoics, mands, intraverbals, and tacts all increased and generalization occurred across settings, people, and targets in the absence of specific generalization training. |
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| 51. The Individual Effects of Error Correction Strategies on Rate of Skill Acquisition |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| LIANNE M. MOROZ (Surrey Place Centre), Natalie P. Croteau (Surrey Place), Michelle Turan (University of Windsor) |
| Abstract: Error correction strategies have received little attention in the research with respect to discrete trial training for children with autism. Possibly because of this, clinical practice in error correction is often specific to the clinician, or the treatment agency. No studies have investigated the possibility that individual student’s acquisition rates may vary with respect to particular error correction strategies. In addition, the literature is varied with respect to both the specific procedures (independent variables), as well as the skills being assessed (dependent variables), with little replication. This data-based presentation is a follow-up on the investigation of 2 different error correction strategies across four children with autism and two verbal operants. The data suggest that consideration of individualized approaches to error correction may maximize efficiency of instruction for children with autism. The early data in this poster was presented in a symposium at the Applied Behavior Analysis convention in May, 2009. |
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| 52. Evaluating the Effects of Video Modeling on Bowel Movements by Young Children With Autism |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| LAURA J. HALL (San Diego State University) |
| Abstract: Although behavior analysts have designed and implemented effective toilet training procedures, there are limited studies on the use of behavioral procedures to assist with the successful use of bowel movements in the toilet. Video modeling has been used effectively to teach a variety of skills and was the intervention evaluated in this study. Treatment packages consisting of videos of cartoon characters and live models and reinforcers were implemented and compared for each of three young children with autism spectrum disorders. Event recording was used to determine the effect of the reinforcement plus cartoon video and then the live models for each of the four participants. The cartoon video was a published tape made for young children and the live models were known siblings or peers. Fidelity of intervention measures were obtained for the paraprofessional staff and parents implementing the toileting program. Maintenance of toilet use and number of accidents was recording following the withdrawal of intervention. |
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| 53. Teaching Reading of Product Warning Labels to Two Young Adults With Autism |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| MAUD SELASIE DOGOE (Central Michigan University), Devender Banda (Texas Tech University), Stephanie L. Hart (Texas Tech University) |
| Abstract: One of the desired life outcomes for persons with autism is independence. Independent living skills include domestic skills. Domestic skills are skills that are used on daily or regular basis and are crucial for independent functioning within the home. However, concerns for safety may limit efforts to promote independent living skills and the participation of adolescents and youths with autism in daily living. Consequently if persons with autism are to attain independence, they have to master a range of skills that ensure being safe at home. One of such skills is how to read labels on common household chemicals. In this study, the multiple probe design was used to teach two young adults with autism the key words of warning labels of common household products and their contextual meanings using the constant time delay instructional strategy. Instructions were conducted in dyads for the learners to read words on flash cards with the definitions and contextual meanings delivered simultaneously as target information. The study sought to examine if: (a) young adults with autism are able to read key words found on product warning labels and acquire the contextual meaning of the key words; (b) the acquired skills will generalize to reading and making of appropriate responses to those key words, when presented with actual products. The findings, generalization data, and the implications for practice are discussed. |
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| 54. Teaching Children With Autism to Avoid Potentially Harmful Substances |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| JUDY T. BUI (The Chicago School of Professional Psychology), Charles T. Merbitz (Chicago School of Professional Psychology), Susan K. Malmquist (Chicago School of Professional Psychology), Michael A. Fabrizio (FEAT of Washington) |
| Abstract: The present study aimed to extend the literature on poison prevention through a systematic replication of the Dancho, K., Thompson, R., and Rhoades, M. (2008) study on teaching preschool children to avoid poison hazards. We evaluated the effectiveness of behavioral skills training and in situ training to teach young children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders to avoid consuming potentially dangerous substances. A multiple baseline across participants and behaviors was used to measure a) manipulation of an object, b) moving towards the unknown substance, c) moving away from the unknown substance, c) alerting an adult, and d) ingestion of the unknown substance. The present study also examined generalization and maintenance of these skills over a one-week follow-up. |
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| 55. Using Video Modeling to Teach Functional Living Skills for an Elementary Age Child With Autism |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| YUNYI TSAI (Autism Spectrum Therapies), Brittany Wolfson (Autism Spectrum Therapies), Willy Wong (Autism Spectrum Therapies), Loc Le (Autism Spectrum Therapies), Larry Humphreys (Autism Spectrum Therapies) |
| Abstract: A long-term goal of behavioral intervention for individuals with autism or other disabilities is to develop the functional and age appropriate skills including daily living skills, vocational skills, community skills, and leisure activities that maximize the independent engagement in their life (Cannella-Malone, O’Reilly, de la Cruz, Edrisinha, Sigafoos,& Landioni, 2006; MacDuff, Krantz,& McClannahan, 1993). Video modeling has been used successfully to establish response chains including daily living skills (Murzynski & Bourret, 2007; Shipley-Benamou, Lutzker,& Taubman,2002). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of using video modeling as an intervention to teach three functional living skills for a 7-year-old boy with autism, including eating at the table, putting on pants, and putting on socks. A multiple baseline design across behaviors (M. R. Bornstein, Bellack, and Hersen, 1977) was used to evaluate the effects of the video modeling intervention. A task analysis of each skill was created and used to record the percentage of correct response for each skill in all sessions, including baseline, intervention, post-treatment, and follow-up. The results of this study are discussed. |
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| 56. The Effects of TAG Teach Methods on Sign Language Object-Naming Skills in Nonvocal Children with Autism |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| MEGAN N. MORIEN (The Chicago School of Professional Psychology), John W. Eshleman (The Chicago School of Professional Psychology), Susan K. Malmquist (Educational Diagnostic & Consulting Services) |
| Abstract: Many children diagnosed with autism possess a limited verbal repertoire, and sign language has been shown to be an effective method for teaching such verbal skills. Given that sign language entails quick hand movements, delivering immediate reinforcing consequences may prove difficult. Teaching by Acoustical Guidance (TAG) can provide truly immediate consequences following a given movement. The present study used a multielement design to compare the rate of acquisition of object-naming using sign language for four children with autism across three experimental conditions: TAG, and generalized conditioned reinforcers that are contingent and non-contingent. Frequency and celeration data on daily per minute standard celeration charts show the differential effects of the three reinforcement tactics. Key Words: TAG teach, sign language, verbal behavior, reinforcement tactics, frequency, celeration, children with autism. |
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| 57. Research on Effectiveness of IBI in Natural Settings |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| MELINA RIVARD (Universite du Quebec a Montreal) |
| Abstract: The efficacy of intensive behavior intervention (IBI) for children with autism spectrum disorders although well-documented in experimental contexts, had little research done when applied in natural condition, and within a public system resource. This poster is about the evaluation of the effectiveness of a public service of IBI (20 hours per week) and other related services for the families and the partner establishments (e.g. kindergartens and health services). Its objectives are: 1) to describe the process for the families in order to obtain this service, from receiving a diagnostic to integration in school; 2) to document the services related to IBI offered to the families and to the partners; 3) to evaluate in which measure these interventions are contributing to the effectiveness of the IBI program; and 4) to evaluate the effects of the intervention on 300 children (language, IQ, autistic symptoms, social adaptation, frequencies of adequate behaviors), their families (stress, quality of life) and the partners (satisfaction, degree of collaboration). This project will bring new knowledge about the effectiveness of IBI when applied without any selection criteria, in varieties of contexts (rural and suburb) and in a complex organizational structure. The data collection for first year will finish in April 2010. |
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| BPH Poster Session 1 |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 6:00 PM–7:30 PM |
| Exhibit Hall A (CC) |
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| 58. Correlation Between Delay Discounting and Smoking Abstinence in Treatment-Seeking Smokers Enrolled in an Internet-Based Contingency Management Intervention |
| Area: BPH; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| CRYSTAL L. FAIX (University of Florida), Bethany R. Raiff (National Development Research Institutes), Marissa Turturici (University of Florida), Jesse Dallery (University of Florida) |
| Abstract: Delay discounting (DD) has recently been shown to predict relapse to smoking in post-partum women (Yoon et al., 2007) and with non-treatment seeking smokers in a laboratory model of contingency management (CM; Dallery & Raiff, 2007). The current study explored the relationship between baseline DD and smoking abstinence with two groups of treatment seeking smokers. A contingent group (n = 27) earned monetary vouchers contingent on smoking abstinence, verified using web-camera recorded carbon monoxide samples submitted over a secure and encrypted website . A noncontingent group (n = 25) earned vouchers independent of smoking abstinence. Participants in the contingent group had a greater percentage of days abstinent (mean = 47% versus 27%) and a greater number of maximum days abstinent (mean = 8 versus 3 days) than participants in the noncontingent group, respectively. For the contingent, but not the noncontingent, group there was a significant correlation between the percentage of days abstinent and baseline DD (r = -0.39). Delay discounting may predict smoking abstinence when the treatment consists of delivering monetary vouchers contingent on smoking abstinence. |
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| 59. Social Validity Assessment of an Internet-Based Contingency Management Intervention for
Cigarette Smoking |
| Area: BPH; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| MARISSA TURTURICI (University of Florida), Bethany R. Raiff (National Development Research Institutes), Crystal L. Faix (University of Florida), Jesse Dallery (University of Florida) |
| Abstract: Contingency management (CM) interventions are effective at increasing smoking abstinence by making consequences, such as vouchers exchangeable for goods and services, contingent on breath carbon monoxide (CO) levels indicative of abstinence. To make CM interventions more clinically practical, we developed an Internet-based CM intervention. The current study assessed the social validity of the intervention. Participants (n = 25) submitted web-camera recorded CO samples over a secure, encrypted website to verify smoking abstinence. At the end of the intervention participants were asked to rate the program, using a 100mm visual analog scale (higher scores were more favorable), on a number of dimensions. Participants reported that the Internet-based CM intervention was easy to use and convenient (mean = 91 and 86, respectively), they enjoyed earning vouchers (mean = 84), and they found the intervention to be effective (mean = 79). Eighty-four percent of participants said they would use the intervention again if they needed help quitting in the future. Participants also reported that they would spend an average of $115.00 to get access to the treatment. The results suggest that Internet-based CM interventions are socially acceptable to potential consumers. |
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| 60. An Internet-Based Group Contingency Management Program to Promote Smoking Cessation |
| Area: BPH; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| STEVEN E. MEREDITH (University of Florida), Jesse Dallery (University of Florida) |
| Abstract: Cigarette smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the US. Due to the limited efficacy of current treatment options, more intensive interventions are needed to promote abstinence. Research suggests group contingencies may improve treatment. To our knowledge, the current study is the first to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of an Internet-based group contingency management program to promote smoking cessation. Participants were three female smokers. Smoking status was verified via the Internet with twice daily carbon monoxide (CO) monitoring. Following baseline, participants were exposed to 4-day Shaping and 10-day Treatment conditions in which vouchers were delivered contingent on smoking reduction (Shaping) and abstinence (Treatment) of all group members. (Data were not collected for one participant due to a rare CO monitor malfunction.) An online peer support forum was available to participants throughout the study; thus, researchers had unprecedented access to collateral social behavior. Over the course of the study, participants made 29 posts on the forum. Fifty-five percent were rated as positive, 45% as neutral, and 0% as negative (IOA =97%). Participants rated the treatment very highly on a treatment acceptability questionnaire. A multiple baseline study is currently underway to evaluate preliminary efficacy of this program. |
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| 61. Project BOAST: Work and Money Management Skills for Women in Drug Treatment |
| Area: BPH; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| MARY LOUISE E. KERWIN (Rowan University), Lauren A. Lee (Rowan University), Fallon O'Connell (Seabrook House), Stephen A. Marks (Elizabethtown College) |
| Abstract: Women with substance use disorders experience multiple sources of stress that threaten their ability to sustain abstinence following successful completion of drug treatment. Project BOAST: Behavioral Office-based Achievement and Success Training uses behavioral skills training to provide a structure for women in a residential drug treatment program to maintain abstinence by teaching and strengthening critical life skills required for successful employment (e.g., data entry, professional demeanor) and a responsible lifestyle (e.g., social skills, managing finances). Residents work 5 hours/week in a simulated employment setting where they receive base pay as well as pay for productivity and exhibiting job-related skills, such as maintaining task focus and library mode noise. The pay is deposited into the resident’s checking account. Each resident uses this “money” to pay bills and buy goods and privileges from an onsite store in the context of a simulated economy. Results with 50 women demonstrate that they learned job-skills, work-skills, and money management skills. |
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| 62. A Behavioral Economic Analysis of Operant Ethanol Self-Administration in Alcohol-Preferring (P) and Non-Preferring (NP) Rats |
| Area: BPH; Domain: Experimental Analysis |
| BRANDON LAHART (The College of New Jersey), Daniel McFadden (The College of New Jersey), Ralph Spiga (Institute for Behavior Resources, Inc.), Jessica Perkel (The College of New Jersey), Ashley Silakoski (The College of New Jersey), Amanda Lister (The College of New Jersey), Margaret P. Martinetti (The College of New Jersey) |
| Abstract: Behavioral economic analyses have been useful for examining drug self-administration in human and animal models. The current study used the exponential demand equation (Hursh & Silberberg, 2008) to assess the “essential value” of ethanol and sucrose in rats selected for high or low alcohol consumption (P and NP rats, respectively). After lever-press training for 10% ethanol and 1% sucrose reinforcers on concurrent FR4 schedules, the FR value, or price, of each reinforcer was increased to 8, 16, and 32 while the price of the alternative reinforcer was held constant at FR4. In two control conditions, the price of each reinforcer was increased with water concurrently available on an FR4 schedule. We observed that the availability of low-cost sucrose reduced consumption of ethanol for P rats. Moreover, the exponential demand analyses revealed that for P rats, ethanol was a less “essential” reinforcer when sucrose was concurrently available than when water was available. In contrast, the availability of sucrose had no effect on demand for ethanol in NP rats. These results suggest that the availability of low-cost alternative reinforcers can reduce demand for ethanol in organisms selected for high alcohol intake. |
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| 63. The Behavioral Economics of Alcohol Consumption in College Students: The Role of Academic Constraints |
| Area: BPH; Domain: Experimental Analysis |
| Nicole Gentile (University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey), Chelsea Reichert (The College of New Jersey), MARGARET P. MARTINETTI (The College of New Jersey) |
| Abstract: Behavioral economic analyses recently have been extended to the study of alcohol drinking among college students. The current study used a hypothetical alcohol purchase task (APT) (Murphy & MacKillop, 2006) to assess the effect of an academic constraint (next-day class time) on demand for alcohol among 164 college students. Participants were asked to read a description of a drinking scenario and then answer several questions asking how many standard drinks they would consume at prices ranging from $0 (free) to $10. The participants were randomly assigned to one of three “academic constraint” groups, for whom the scenario included a next-day class that differed by scheduled time (8:30am, 10:00am, or 12:30pm), or a control group (no mention of next-day class). Exponential demand analyses (Hursh & Silberberg, 2008) revealed that all three of the academic constraint groups reported lower numbers of drinks and lower “essential values” compared to the control group. However, the demand curves for the three constraint groups did not differ. These results suggest that academic variables may affect demand for alcohol among college students, but further research is necessary to determine whether other academic variables such as class size and level may interact with class time to affect demand. |
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| 64. Low Dose Haloperidol Impairs Acquisition of New Sequences During Incremental Repeated Acquisition |
| Area: BPH; Domain: Experimental Analysis |
| KRISTEN AMANDA SPENCER (Auburn University), M. Christopher Newland (Auburn University) |
| Abstract: An Incremental repeated acquisition procedure was used to train rats to perform a 4-response sequence using either a backward (7 animals) or forward incrementing chain (7 animals). Behavior was challenged with a chronic low dose of haloperidol, a dopamine antagonist and “typical” antipsychotic. Haloperidol doses of 0.05 to 0.15 mg/kg (twice a day for 15 days) were chosen to bracket dopamine receptor occupancies at clinically relevant doses. At 0.05 mg/kg, response rate was relatively unaffected while acquisition of new sequences was subtly impaired. At 0.15 mg/kg response rate was lowered and acquisition of new sequences were substantially impaired. These results indicated that at low doses (0.05 mg/kg here) haloperidol exerts a specific affect on acquisition of sequences (behavior) as opposed to a general reduction in responding and performance on all measures. No substantial group differences were observed. |
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| 65. Flumazenil Reversed the Associative Tolerance to the Anxiolytic Effect of Diazepam |
| Area: BPH; Domain: Experimental Analysis |
| BENITA CEDILLO ILDEFONSO (FES Iztacala UNAM) |
| Abstract: Tolerance to a drug is a decrease in the effects following several drug administrations with a fixed dose. The pharmacological tolerance focused on the effects of drug exposure on neuronal structures. However, non pharmacological variables play an important role on tolerance. Associative tolerance theories explain the development of tolerance in function of the stimulus association, where the administration of one drug is associated with a specific context; therefore the context signs the drug. Context refers to aspects of the environment that play an important role in the degree of conditioning to different situations or stimuli. The development of tolerance to anxiolytic effects of benzodiazepines has been evaluated in the elevated plus-maze (EPM), where the total proportion of exploration in the open arms results in an anxiety measure. Also, it is reported that tolerance development could be reverted by flumazenil. The objective of the experiment was to evaluate the associative tolerance to the anxiolytic effect of diazepam (D), and if this effect could be antagonized by flumazenil (F). The subjects (Ss) were male Wistar rats, assigned to 6 independent groups: 3 groups received one trial in which the context Laboratory (L) was associated with the administration of D (1mg/kg), F (5 mg/kg) of or saline (S), in an equivalent volume (ml/kg). Two groups received 20 trials of the association of D in different contexts, one group in the context L and other in the Colony room (C). Another group received administration of S in the context L. Two groups were evaluated on the day 21 with D+F or saline, in the same context of drug administration; another group DB+F was tested in one different context. All the administrations were ip, 30 min before the exposition to the EPM. Present results demonstrate the anxiolytic effect of diazepam, and the flumazenil showed no effect by itself. Also, it is shown the reversion of associative tolerance to anxiolytic effect of diazepam for flumazenil administration in a dependent context. This study demonstrates the importance of context in the development of tolerance, supporting results of other associative tolerance theories. |
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| 66. Drug Effects on Olfactory Span in Rats |
| Area: BPH; Domain: Experimental Analysis |
| MELISSA DEAL (University of North Carolina, Wilmington), L. Brooke Poerstal (University of North Carolina, Wilmington), Elizabeth Toop (University of North Carolina, Wilmington), Magda Semrau (University of North Carolina, Wilmington), Mark Galizio (University of North Carolina, Wilmington) |
| Abstract: Dudchenko, Wood, and Eichenbaum (2000) developed a task to measure “memory” capacity in rodents. Their olfactory incrementing nonmatch-to-sample (INMS) procedure is designed to be analogous to the digit span task in humans. The present study evaluated a variation of the Dudchenko et al. (2000) procedure as a baseline for behavioral pharmacology in rats. Rats were placed in a large arena with 18 stimulus locations. In the initial trial of each session, one stimulus cup marked with a distinct olfactory stimulus was present and responding to it was reinforced. Each subsequent trial added a new olfactory stimulus and responding to the new stimulus was always reinforced (non-matching). Each session included 24 trials of the INMS task as well as a performance control task involving a simple olfactory discrimination to control for any non-mnemonic drug effects. Once responding met stability criteria, subjects were given twice weekly i.p. injections of the non-competitive NMDAr antagonist, dizocilpine or the opioid agonist, morphine prior to the testing session. Both drugs produced significant impairments on span, longest run, and accuracy at the highest doses, but differentially affected the INMS and performance control tasks. |
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| 67. Some Effects of Ambient Temperature on Reinforcing Efficacy and Schedule Performance of Methamphetamine and Ketamine in the Rat |
| Area: BPH; Domain: Experimental Analysis |
| RACHEL FODI (University of Pittsburgh), Stephanie Ogilbee (Allegheny College), Rodney D. Clark (Allegheny College) |
| Abstract: Rats were trained in a standard conditioned place preference (CPP) procedure with (+) Methamphetamine (3.0 mg/kg). One side of the chamber was paired with a temperature of 75oF and the other side was correlated with a cool temperature of 50oF. While the data were not statistically significant (p>.05) rats spent slightly more time in the warmer side than the cooler side. These data marginally support previous finding that the reinforcing properties of psychomotor stimulants may be enhanced if they were taken in warmer environments. |
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| 68. Quantitative Description of Alcohol Intake in Rats |
| Area: BPH; Domain: Experimental Analysis |
| Alejandra Rosas-Nuñez (FES Iztacala UNAM), Edith Juarez-Maldonado (FES Iztacla UNAM), Benjamin Melchor-Hipolito (FES Iztacala UNAM), Gabriel Martinez-Cortes (FES Iztacala UNAM), Gustavo Meza-Reynoso (FES Iztacala UNAM), Guadalupe Ortega-Saavedra (FES Iztacala UNAM), J C PEDRO ARRIAGA-RAMIREZ (FES Iztacala UNAM) |
| Abstract: A quantitative description of alcohol intake in rats is described. A group of seven Long Evans rats was run in a positive automaintenance schedule. In this schedule the mean intertribal interval was 60 s with subintervals in a range between 45 and 75 s, and trial duration was 5 s. At the end of each trial a 45 mg food pellet was delivered. In this procedure a sipper was introduced as a conditioned stimulus and was withdrawn after 5 s. The solution that rats drank was 6% alcohol, and .16% saccharine. Sessions were run for 19 days. Rats consumption increased as sessions progressed. The quantitative analysis that was used was a regression analysis. This analysis showed a significant linear trend and a significant positive slope. A significant linear trend shows that alcohol solution intake increases proportionately. A significant slope shows that this increase is reliable and also the increase in consumption for every unit that the independent variable changes. This procedure and analysis are useful as a baseline to study the effects of different drugs on alcohol consumption. |
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| 69. Behavioral Effects of an Anticholinergic Drug on Serial Recall in Long Evans Rats |
| Area: BPH; Domain: Experimental Analysis |
| Guadalupe Ortega-Saavedra (FES Iztacala UNAM), Benjamin Melchor-Hipolito (FES Iztacala UNAM), Edith Juarez-Maldonado (FES Iztacla UNAM), Sara E. Cruz-Morales (FES Iztacala UNAM), J C PEDRO ARRIAGA-RAMIREZ (FES Iztacala UNAM) |
| Abstract: Studies in social transmission of food preference have shown reliable serial position functions in Long Evans rats. Functions may show primacy or recency depending of different parameter values. In these studies, a demonstrator rat that has consumed flavored food will increase preference for that flavor in naïve observer rats. Studies in behavioral pharmacology have shown that cholinergic antagonists may produce deficits in acquisition and recall in different tasks. In this study Atropine (15 mg/ 2ml/ kg, ip), a cholinergic antagonist, was administrated to observer rats (n=12) after interacting with a list of three demonstrators that had eaten one of three different flavored foods. This group was compared with a control group that was injected with isotonic saline (2 ml/kg, ip). A preference and recall test, for 20 min, was given to subjects 24 hr after demonstration. Repeated measures ANOVA showed no difference between the groups. The results showed that the dose of Atropine changed the pattern of recall reducing the amount of responding to the first item in the list. The administration of drugs after demonstration, and testing for preference 24 hr after drug administration resulted in a useful technique to evaluate the effects of drugs on list recall. |
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| DDA Poster Session 1 |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 6:00 PM–7:30 PM |
| Exhibit Hall A (CC) |
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| 70. The Effects of the DRO Contingency With and Without EXT Using Functional Reinforcers |
| Area: DDA; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| ZINA A. ELURI (Eastern Michigan University), James T. Todd (Eastern Michigan University) |
| Abstract: Differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) is studied extensively in the literature. However, the literature is limited in identifying the necessary and sufficient conditions for effective treatment. Many studies examine the effectiveness of DRO when combined with extinction (EXT) or punishment. This study evaluated the effects of DRO using a functional reinforcer with and without an extinction component on two participants with developmental disabilities. An experimental functional analysis of the target response was completed with each participant. The functional reinforcer was then used within the DRO contingency with and without EXT. The results indicate that both variations of the DRO contingency resulted in complete suppression of the target response. However, there were notable differences in the course of response suppression between treatments. DRO without EXT resulted in immediate and significant suppression of the target response, while DRO with EXT showed a steady decline. Future research should focus on identifying the importance of EXT and its effects within reinforcement-based contingencies to ensure the best treatments are being implemented when reducing problem behavior. Additional data to be collected. |
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| 71. Reducing Problematic Sensory Behavior Using Response Blocking and DRO Procedures |
| Area: DDA; Domain: Service Delivery |
| BRANDON NICHOLS (School at Springbrook), Thomas L. Zane (The Center for Applied Behavior Analysis at The Sage Colleges) |
| Abstract: Many individuals with developmental disabilities exhibit self-stimulatory behaviors for sensory feedback. These behaviors may vary in topography and may interfere with an individual’s ability to learn or engage socially. In this study the individual exhibited “fuzzing” behavior, defined as the throwing of light weight material (feather, grass, fuzz from clothes, etc) in the air and staring at it. Frequently, this self-stimulatory behavior served as a precursor to other behaviors including aggression and self-injurious behavior which presented serious risks of harm to the individual or staff. A treatment package consisting of response blocking and a brief DRO procedure were implemented using an alternating treatment design to reduce rates of self-stimulatory behavior. Both procedures successfully reduced rates of the “fuzzing” although the greatest reduction was produced by the DRO procedure. Three follow-up sessions of the DRO condition was conducted approximately a month later and levels of self-stimulatory behavior remained lower than baseline rates. |
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| 72. A Comparison of the Correspondence Between Preference Assessment Outcomes and Rapid Progressive-Ratio Analyses Using Conditioned Reinforcers |
| Area: DDA; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| MANDY M TRIGGS (Kennedy Krieger Institute), Louis P. Hagopian (Kennedy Krieger Institute), Melissa Goldberg (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine), Iser Guillermo DeLeon (Kennedy Krieger Institute), Michelle A. Frank (Kennedy Krieger Institute), Abbey Carreau (Kennedy Krieger Institutue), Melissa J. Allman (Kennedy Krieger Institute) |
| Abstract: Progressive-ratio (PR) analyses have been shown to be effective in assessing value among stimuli. However, it may be advantageous to determine a method to simplify these procedures for clinical application by using a rapid PR analysis and by incorporating conditioned stimuli. The current study investigated the extent to which preference for different stimuli corresponded to PR break points using a touch-screen computer and conditioned stimuli (i.e., picture icons). Seventeen children diagnosed with autism and 18 typically developing peers participated. A paired-choice preference assessment consisting of 12 stimuli was conducted and stimuli were ranked from highest to lowest preferred. Each stimulus was then tested using a rapid PR schedule (i.e., 1 PR analysis was conducted per stimulus and a step size of 10 was used) to index the strength of these stimuli as reinforcers. Participants received accumulated access to the stimuli at the end of the preference assessment and each PR analysis. A high degree of correspondence between preference assessment outcomes and PR break points was observed and mean correlation coefficients did not differ significantly between groups. The results suggest that using conditioned reinforcers and rapid PR analyses may be a practical and efficient method to assess reinforcer value. |
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| 73. Preference for Fluent Versus Disfluent Work Schedules |
| Area: DDA; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| DANIEL MARK FIENUP (Queens College, The University of New York), Gary M. Pace (The May Institute), Ashley Ahlers (The May Institute) |
| Abstract: The present study examined the effect of the temporal distribution of work on preference for reinforcers. Following a multiple stimulus without replacement preference assessment (DeLeon & Iwata, 1996), a female student with brain injury was presented with 3 work options, each with a reinforcer option: High Sr+, Low Sr+, and No Sr+ (control condition). Six choice trials occurred per session and the student chose the No Sr+ option. Follow-up analyses compared various options to determine why the student chose a No Sr+ work option over High and Low Sr+ options. Phase 1 revealed that, with no work requirements, the student preferred High Sr+ to Low or No Sr+. Phase 2 revealed a preference to engage with the High Sr+ activity to the Low Sr+ activity or completing worksheets. In the final analysis, the student was presented with various work schedules that compared fluent work schedules (complete all work at once) to disfluent work schedules (complete single worksheet, break for Sr+, repeat) and schedules with and without an Sr+ option. In this analysis, the student demonstrated preference for fluent work schedules that included a Sr+ option. Implications for reinforcer assessments will be discussed. |
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| 74. Comparison of the Predictive Validity and Reliability Among Different Preference Assessments: A Review of the Literature |
| Area: DDA; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| SOYEON KANG (Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk), Mark F. O'Reilly (University of Texas at Austin) |
| Abstract: Many researchers have endeavored to develop and evaluate diverse preference assessments to identify more efficient and reliable procedures for finding accurate preference. This paper reviews 13 experimental studies comparing different preference assessments for individual with developmental disabilities, published in peer- reviewed journals between 1985 and 2008. The reviewed studies have been classified into three categories: (a) predictive validity for reinforcing effectiveness, (b) correspondence among different procedures, and (c) consistency across repeated administrations of the same procedure. The findings of the studies suggested that most of the preference assessments accurately identified the most preferred stimulus with an effective reinforcing effect. The findings also suggested that the paired-stimulus procedure may produce more accurately and consistently differentiated choice results that may provide information for relative reinforcer value. The multiple-stimulus-without-replacement procedure produced relatively consistent choice results. The single-stimulus engagement procedure produced relatively accurate predictions for a preferred stimulus with an effective reinforcing value. The findings are discussed in relation to procedural differences inherent in the different assessment formats. Advantages and disadvantages of diverse preference assessments are also discussed. |
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| 75. Are Symmetric and Generalized Matching-to-Sample Skills Associated With Picture Preference Assessments? |
| Area: DDA; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| LESLIE THORNE (St. Amant Research Centre, University of Manitoba), C.T. Yu (St. Amant Research Centre, the University of Manitoba), Carly E. Thiessen (St. Amant Research Centre, University of Manitoba), Garry L. Martin (University of Manitoba) |
| Abstract: In stimulus preference assessments for people with severe developmental disabilities, some individuals are able to select their preferred stimuli when pictures or the actual items are presented (Picture Group) while others can do so only with objects (Object Group). This study compared the performance of a Picture Group (n = 9) and an Object Group (n = 11) on three types of two-choice matching-to-sample discriminations: (a) symmetric object-picture matching, (b) generalized symmetric object-picture matching, and (c) generalized picture-picture identity matching. The passing criterion for each task was 80% or higher. The results showed that all 11 (100%) Object Group participants but only 1 (11%) Picture Group participant failed all three tasks. In the Picture Group, 1 (11%) participant passed the symmetric object-picture matching task, 4 (44%) passed the generalized symmetric matching task, and 6 (67%) passed the generalized picture-picture identity matching task. The two groups did not differ significantly on the symmetric object-picture matching task, but differed significantly on the generalized symmetric object-picture matching task (p = .011) and on the generalized picture-picture identity matching task (p < .001). These results suggest that generalized identity picture matching appears to be most important among the discriminations evaluated. |
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| 76. The Durability of Client Treatment Preference |
| Area: DDA; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| MOLLY GEMP (Kennedy Krieger Institute), Nicole Lynn Hausman (Kennedy Krieger Institute), SungWoo Kahng (Kennedy Krieger Institute), Marie Andachter (Kennedy Krieger Institute), Kristen L. O'Reilly (Kennedy Krieger Institute) |
| Abstract: Providing individuals with intellectual disabilities with choices and input into their treatment is an important consideration for behavior analysts (Bannerman, Sheldon, Sherman, & Harchik, 1990). Methods of assessing preference for differing treatments have been reported in the literature (Hanley et al., 1997; Hanley, Piazza, Fisher, & Maglieri, 2005). Results from these studies suggest that individuals may prefer treatments consisting of functional communication over noncontingent reinforcement procedures (Hanley et al., 1997). In the current investigation, preference for treatments consisting of noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) and functional communication (FC) was evaluated as the schedule of reinforcement was thinned. Preference assessments were conducted prior to initiating schedule thinning, and after 2 min and 30 s, 5 min, 7 min and 30 s, and 9 min and 30 s of unavailable attention. As the schedule of reinforcement became sufficiently lean, it was hypothesized that preference would switch from FC to NCR due to the delayed availability of the attention stimulus card; however, the participant continued to select the FC treatment during preference assessments. |
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| 77. Establishing Preference Hierarchies and Reinforcers Based on Preferred and Non-Preferred Edibles via Picture Preference Assessment |
| Area: DDA; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| SHAWN VIEIRA (May Institute), Marissa Goodwin (May Institute), Katherine Gilligan (The May Center for Child Development) |
| Abstract: The current experiment consisted of 2 studies. The first study demonstrated that picture preference assessments can be a reliable tool in determining preference hierarchies in children with developmental disabilities. A reinforcer assessment showed that both the most preferred and least preferred edibles functioned as reinforcers when using 6 preferred edibles. The second study extended the findings of Study 1 to determine whether a hierarchy could be established based on preferred and non-preferred edibles. 3 edibles identified as preferred and 3 edibles identified as non-preferred were used in a picture preference assessment and a preference hierarchy was established. A reinforcer assessment showed that the most-preferred edible functioned as a reinforcer while the least-preferred edible did not. Data was collected on the procedural integrity and reliability of all assessments. Procedural integrity was 97% and reliability data was 95.9% across all phases. The data suggest that preference assessments will produce a preference hierarchy whether the assessment consists of all preferred or a combination of preferred and non-preferred edibles. Furthermore, any preferred edible used may function as a reinforcer regardless as to where it is on the preference hierarchy. |
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| 78. Effects of a Nondemand Schedule as Precursor for Presentation of Nonpreferred Activities for Moderate Mentally Retarded or Developmentally Disabled Adults |
| Area: DDA; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| DERIC E. TONEY (Spalding University), Christy Justice (Spalding University), Tom Sharpe (Educational Consulting, Inc.), David Morgan (Spalding University), Keith Hersh (Spalding University), Edward D. Parker (The Ohio State University) |
| Abstract: Prevalent to adult day training programs for MR/DD populations, are highly structured daily regimens inclusive of frequent and varying high demand conditions by instructors and supervisors. Demands range across activity engagement to the correction of undesirable behavior. It is hypothesized that in many cases it is the demand condition itself that creates an aversive component of the antecedent resulting in escape or onset of an undesirable behavior. This study, therefore, introduced a period free from demands which was scheduled prior to the introduction of a non preferred activity. Participants were moderate MR/DD adults in a day training setting. A multiple baseline across participants design was implemented to introduce the non demand period prior to presentation of non preferred activities. Results indicated gains in prioritized non-preferred activity engagement and a decrease in undesirable behavior as a function of a pre-cursing non demand condition. |
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| 79. Does It Always Help to Warn? |
| Area: DDA; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| JENNY E. TUZIKOW (Institute for Basic Research) |
| Abstract: Best practice suggests that it is beneficial to update an individual with developmental disabilities on the events that are likely to occur in the near future. The understanding is that if people, especially those who require a structured routine, are warned of upcoming events, they will be more likely to cooperate and/or participate. However, what if the upcoming event is not preferred? Behavior analysts have been trained to use written or pictorial schedules to assist individuals with developmental disabilities transition appropriately, yet an apparent difficulty is that if an individual interprets an activity as an aversive, the question arises, does it really help to notify them in advance of a potential negative situation or does it exacerbate the problem? In this situation, the function of the student’s behavior is likely to be avoidance or escape of a future activity. This study reviews the available research with regard to schedules and warnings, and provides a thorough review of the implications of notification of events to individuals with developmental disabilities. |
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| 80. The Effects of High-Probability “Do” and “Don’t”
Request Sequences to Increase Compliance |
| Area: DDA; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| LAURA MAHLMEISTER (The Chicago School of Professional Psychology), Tracy L. Kettering (The Chicago School of Professional Psychology), John W. Eshleman (The Chicago School of Professional Psychology), Nick Wilhelm (The Chicago School of Professional Psychology) |
| Abstract: A high-probability (high-p) request sequence involves delivering a series of requests that are highly likely to produce compliance (high-p request) prior to issuing a request in which compliance is less likely (low-p request). High-p request sequences have been shown to increase compliance to a variety of requests (e.g. Mace et al., 1988; Neef, Shafer, Egel, Cataldo, & Parrish, 1983). However, previous research has found little improvement in compliance to “don’t” requests even when a high-p sequence was in effect (e.g. Ducharme & Worling, 1994). This study examined the effects of a high-p request sequence on compliance to both “do” and “don't” low-p requests in children with developmental disabilities. Motivating operation (MO) manipulations were evaluated when compliance to the “don't” requests were not initially observed. The MO manipulations included altering the high-p sequence to include “don’t” requests (e.g. “don’t give me a high five”) without altering the low-p request. Results are discussed in terms of MOs and compliance to symmetrical requests. |
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| 81. The Use of Choice-Making and Rule Setting in Treatment Evaluations in an Outpatient Setting |
| Area: DDA; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| JULIANNE ELIZABETH ST JOHN (University of Iowa), Yaniz C. Padilla Dalmau (University of Iowa), David P. Wacker (University of Iowa), Todd G. Kopelman (University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics) |
| Abstract: The purpose of this poster is to describe the use of choice-making and rule setting in treatment evaluations during brief 90-120 minute outpatient visits. Participants were high-functioning children and adolescents with developmental disabilities who displayed problem behavior (e.g., aggression, non-compliance). Participants’ problem behavior was hypothesized to be maintained by access to preferred activities and/or escape from demands. Assessment and treatment procedures were conducted in the University of Iowa’s Pediatric Autism Clinic and Biobehavioral Service Outpatient Clinic. Participants’ parents were interviewed by clinic staff to develop hypotheses to guide treatment evaluations. Interviews with participants were conducted to obtain information about the participants’ preference for work tasks and leisure activities. Treatment packages were developed based on interview data. Case examples are presented to illustrate treatment packages that included choice-making and/or rule setting to decrease problem behavior. During treatment, participants were allowed to choose the order of activities, the amount of work they did, the type of activities they completed, and/or were allowed to create contingency rules used during the clinic visit and in natural settings. Inter-rater agreement was assessed across 30% of all sessions and averaged 90% or greater. |
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| 82. Decreasing Intense Problem Behaviors Using a Functional Token Economy Program |
| Area: DDA; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| DANICA M. SIMMONS (University of South Florida), Stephani Fauerbach (Human Development Center, Inc.) |
| Abstract: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a token economy in changing high intensity behaviors. The token economy is a well established and highly developed behavior change procedure. Its usefulness and effectiveness has been documented in the literature with high levels of success in a variety of settings and populations. In this case study, the token economy was used to reduce the variety of intense problem behaviors exhibited by an adult man diagnosed with moderate mental retardation. These behaviors included physical aggression requiring medical attention, property destruction, self-injurious behavior, and elopement during which he put his health and safety at risk. Prior to the implementation of the token economy, a functional assessment was conducted to identify the consequences maintaining the participant’s maladaptive behaviors. The reinforcers that were hypothesized to serve as the function of the problem behaviors were then used and delivered when no target behaviors occurred during a specific amount of time. An ABAB design will be used to further evaluate the effectiveness of this intervention. Additional data to be collected. |
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| 83. Parametric and Functional Analyses in the Assessment and Treatment of Rumination |
| Area: DDA; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| NICOLE ELIZABETH MARCHETTO (Kennedy Krieger Institute), SungWoo Kahng (Kennedy Krieger Institute), Nicole Lynn Hausman (Kennedy Krieger Institute), Amanda Goetzel (Kennedy Krieger Institute), Jannette Puisseaux (Kennedy Krieger Institute) |
| Abstract: Rumination is recognized as a behavioral problem that can lead to serious health complications (Rast, Johnston, Drum & Conrin, 1981; Singh, Manning, & Angell, 1982). Rumination has effectively been treated using differential reinforcement (Conrin, Pennypacker, Johnston, & Rast, 1982), manipulations to meal presentation (Dudley, Johnson, & Barnes, 2002), and punishment procedures (Singh et al., 1982); however, little is known about the etiology of the behavior. The current study demonstrates the use of a parametric analysis of the relationship between rumination and antecedent conditions involving food (i.e., varying meal schedules, quantities and compositions of food, and levels of satiation and deprivation) as well as the use of a standard functional analysis (as described by Iwata, Dorsey, Slifer, Bauman, and Richman, 1982/1994) to assess the rumination of one 7-year-old boy diagnosed with Autism. Findings are discussed in terms of implications for treatment design and a subsequent function-based treatment is evaluated. |
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| 84. Stimulus Control of Manding: Combining Multiple Schedule of Reinforcement, Rules, and Non-Contingent Reinforcement |
| Area: DDA; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| KAREN STANLEY-KIME (Eastern Michigan University), Marilyn K. Bonem (Eastern Michigan University) |
| Abstract: Stimulus control of manding is often utilized to reduce the occurrence of inappropriately frequent manding in child populations, though its application to adult individuals who may benefit from such a procedure has received limited attention. The purpose of the present case study was to reduce the frequency of manding in a developmentally disabled adult through the establishment of stimulus control using a multiple schedule with rules procedure in conjunction with non-contingent reinforcement (NCR). A novel stimulus - a necklace with a large red circle that could be flipped to reveal an equivalently large green circle - was worn by staff members of the school program in which the participant was enrolled; the participant received daily verbalization of rules regarding the meaning of the stimuli and also received noncontingent attention, the presumed functional reinforcer, on a fixed time schedule. Results indicated a significant difference in manding between red and green multiple schedule conditions. Implications for the use of this treatment with this population are discussed. |
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| EAB Poster Session 1 |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 6:00 PM–7:30 PM |
| Exhibit Hall A (CC) |
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| 85. Foraging Behavior of Free Ranging Fox Squirrel Sciurus Niger |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Experimental Analysis |
| BRADY J. PHELPS (South Dakota State University) |
| Abstract: The visits of freely-roaming Fox Squirrels to two feeders will be videotaped. Two identical feeders approximately 24 inches apart in clear view from a video camcorder, programmed to record ten seconds of video once per minute, allowing time sampling of the squirrel’s foraging behavior. Placement of different foods such as highly preferred (shelled sunflower seeds, marketed as sunflower chips and hearts) relative to less preferred food (bird seed with some sunflower seeds interspersed) to non-preferred (safflower seeds). With different types of foods in the different feeders, I can attempt to quantify apparent food preferences over time. An additional intervention is planned: With feeders side-by-side, additional weights will be placed, in an incremental fashion over the course of several days, on the hinged lid of feeder with a preferred food. Each feeder will have a bolt inserted into the lid to allow the addition of weights to the bolt to progressively increase the effort required (the amount of weight that has to be lifted) to access a food; each weight is approximately 52 grams. The added weights will increase the effort expended to access the preferred food or drive the animal to choose the less- preferred food. It is predicted that much less weight/effort will be required to produce a shift in preference from a highly preferred food to a less preferred food than from a highly preferred food to a non-preferred food or from a less-preferred food to a non-preferred food. |
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| 86. Snake Learning: Acquisition and Extinction of an Appetitive Behavior by Brown Treesnakes (Boiga Irregularus) |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Experimental Analysis |
| JAMES DUENAS (University of Guam), Jesse Guerrero (University of Guam), Michael B. Ehlert (University of Guam) |
| Abstract: Extinction curves of operant behavior have been obtained from a wide variety of species since Skinner (1938) initially reported it. Most these studies used mammal and avian species. Reptile learning, however, is underrepresented in the literature, with investigation of appetitive snake behavior nonexistent. This presentation reports a study on behavioral extinction that used brown treesnakes (BTS), Boiga irregularus, the snake that decimated the avifauna of Guam.
Tweleve wild-captured BTS learned to forage for carrion (frozen chicken meat and gecko) in a 3-meter x 3-meter foraging space. During Phase 1, eight task-naïve snakes served, while during Phase II, half the Phase I snakes were replaced by four new snakes. Using a free-operant arrangement, one day each week snakes gained access to prey by crawling along natural rope from a starting perch to four equidistant prey stations. Researchers baited all four prey stations during Phase I but baited only half during Phase II. Pre- and Post extinction procedure responses, as measured by time spent on a rope leading to a food station, were recorded and analyzed.
Acquisition and extinction cures will be reported, along with a discussion on a laboratory model of snake learning. |
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| 87. Development of a Brief Paper-and-Pencil Measure of Temporal Discounting |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Experimental Analysis |
| CAITLIN M. PORTER (University of Central Arkansas), Shawn R. Charlton (University of Central Arkansas), Veda A. Charlton (University of Central Arkansas) |
| Abstract: Temporal discounting is a well-recognized, popular topic across a variety of research areas. Unfortunately, the rapid growth in the application of discounting has produced two key problems. First, a universally accepted, standard measure for conducting discounting studies is not available in the field. This lack of standardization causes difficulties for researchers trying to compare results across numerous studies and various populations. Second, as the applied implications of discounting become clearer, the need for a quick, easy-to-administer measure of discounting will increase. This poster presents the product of a series of studies aimed at refining the 27-item discounting inventory, created by Kirby and Markovic (1996), into a measure of discounting that can be easily administered, quickly scored, and effectively applied, across a variety of research questions/contexts. The validity and reliability of the measure will be discussed as well as its ability to replicate key findings in the discounting literature such as the commodity effect and the magnitude effect. |
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| 88. Some Effects of Varied Delays During Training on Delayed Matching-to-Sample in Humans |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| Katherine A. Ericsen (Allegheny College), Adam M. Smith (University of Pittsburgh), RODNEY D. CLARK (Allegheny College) |
| Abstract: The general purpose of this study is to replicate and extend upon research reported by Sargisson and White (2001). Sargisson and White’s article titled Generalization of Delayed Matching-to-Sample Following Training at Different Delays demonstrated how accuracy in matching behavior with simple stimuli in pigeons is not necessarily only affected by latency, but is affected by discrimination at the time of remembering (as cited in Pierce & Cheney, 2004). Thus, if a pigeon is trained to match colors using a 4 s delay, the birds will match more accurately at that delay than at delays that are shorter and/or longer than 4 s. The present experiment tests this phenomenon with humans as subjects and compares matching of simple stimuli (15, 30, and 45 sec delays). Thus, the specific purpose of the following study is to determine whether or not matching ability is affected by the temporal distance at which humans are trained to match and whether or not there is a difference in accuracy levels when matching simple stimuli versus complex stimuli under different training delays. When subjects were trained at the 15sec. delay fewer errors occurred then at the other delays. When training was set at 30 sec., again, fewer errors occurred than at the other delays. Finally, when training was set at 45 sec., no differences were observed among any of the delays. |
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| 89. The Effect of an Collaboration Intervention Strategy of the Videotape-Based Introspection and Token Reinforcement Methods on the Behavioral Problems of ADHD Children |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Experimental Analysis |
| JUNG YEON CHO (Daegu Cyber University), Shin-Hee Kim (Daegu Cyber University) |
| Abstract: This study aims at examining the effects of an integrated intervention of the videotape-based introspection and token reinforcement methods on the behavioral problems of ADHD children, such as leaving their seats, inattentive and disruptive behaviors. In this study, we chose as a study subject a child who attends preschool affiliated with P Elementary School located in Jeonju. The child was diagnosed with ADHD since he fell into 6 items of inattentiveness and 9 items of hyperactivity and impulsivity according to ADHD criteria from the DSM-?(1994), and scored 17 points on attention (6 items), 24 points on hyperactivity (5 items), 9 points on hostile behavior (6 items), and 10 points on social skills, whose sum fell below 25 percent of the total score on the ADD-H Comprehensive Teacher’s Rating Scale (ACTeRS). This study adopted the multiple-baseline across behaviors for a child to examine the effects of the videotape-based introspection and token reinforcement methods on the ADHD child’s behavioral problems. It consisted of three phases, namely, baseline, intervention 1, intervention 2, and maintenance, regarding three behavioral problems, leaving a seat, inattentive behavior, and disruptive behavior, trying to prove the effects of these interventions to improve behavioral problems and learning behavior. The results of the ACTeRS conducted before and after the videotape-based introspection and token-reinforcement intervention showed that the child showed attention (10 points), hyperactivity (24 points), social skills (10 points), and hostile behavior (21 points) before the intervention, and after interventions 1 and 2, attention (19 points), hyperactivity (15 points), social skills (15 points), and hostile behavior (14 points), indicating a positive change in his/her behavioral problems. |
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| 90. Other Behaviors Influencing the Occurrence of Resurgence for Pigeons |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Experimental Analysis |
| SATOSHI OBATA (Tokiwa University), Tetsumi Moriyama (Tokiwa University) |
| Abstract: Resurgence is defined as the reoccurrence of a previously reinforced behavior under the condition that delivery of reinforcer ceases for a more recently reinforced behavior. Lieving and Lattal (2003) conducted experiments with pigeons to assess the experimental conditions necessary for the occurrence of resurgence. Although they showed some variables controlling resurgence, they did not investigate the relationship between the behavior to be recurred and other behaviors. It may be that the occurrence of other behaviors influences on the resurgence. We investigated this issue with pigeons using similar experimental procedures to those of Lieving and Lattal. Five pigeons were used as the subjects. They were trained to peck the key of the standard operant chamber. After that their key-peck responses were extinguished and then their treadle pressing were reinforced. Finally their treadle presses were extinguished to investigate whether the resurgence of key pecking occurred. Only two pigeons showed the occurrence of resurgence. They also emitted various behaviors relating to their key-peck behaviors. These results suggest the possibility of the occurrence of other behaviors as a controlling variable of the resurgence for pigeons. |
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| 91. Using an Adjusting Amount Procedure to Investigate Impulsivity in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats (SHR) |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Experimental Analysis |
| P. A. HALSEY (James Madison Univeristy), Sherry L. Serdikoff (James Madison University) |
| Abstract: This experiment compares impulsivity in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs), a putative animal model of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), with two control strains. . Impulsive behavior has been operationally defined as preference for smaller sooner (SS) reinforcers over larger later (LL) reinforcers when both are made concurrently available in the context of discrete trial choice procedures. In this experiment, the LL reinforcers vary across 10 conditions (5 and 10 pellets, each evaluated at five delays (2, 4, 8, 16, and 32 s). Within each LL condition, the amount of the SS reinforcer starts at 1 pellet delivered after .5 s and the amount is adjusted for each rat based on its own choices in order to identify an indifference point for that condition.. The resulting data are fit to the hyperbolic-decay model to determine the extent to which the delayed reinforcers are discounted. When an individual is more impulsive, the discounting function is steeper. We evaluate the extent to which the SHRs show more discounting than control rats in this procedure in the context of recent debates regarding the adequacy of the SHR animal model of ADHD. |
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| 92. Equivalence Training in the Rat: Effect of Asymptomatic Training of Simple Relations |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Experimental Analysis |
| ERICA ALEJANDRA BERTEL FERREIRA (Fundacion Universitaria Konrad Lorenz), Edth Leal (Fundacion Universitaria Konrad Lorenz), Angelica Maria Osorio (Fundaction Universitaria Kondrad Lorenz), Cristina I. Vargas-Irwin (Fundación Universitaria Konrad Lorenz) |
| Abstract: We evaluated the effect of variations of arbitrary relations training on emergent relations in a conditional discrimination task in 8 rats. The subjects were exposed to training in four conditional discrimination relations. For each of these relations, four tests of symmetry and two transitivity tests were performed. Each subject started with the training of a relationship, met the criterion or response requirement, once these requirements were achieved the the symmetry of the relationship trained was tested. This procedure was conducted for the four relationships. The two training criteria used were are 95% of responses in two continuous sessions for one group of animals, whereas a second group hat to reach 70% of correct trials for two consecutive sessions. Transitivity was also tested for each pair of conditional relationships. The differential effects of the two training criteria on the symmetry and transitivity test are reported. |
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| 93. Biobehavioral Service Outpatient Clinic: A Description of Hypothesis Driven Clinical Process |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| SHEEHAN D. FISHER (University of Iowa), David P. Wacker (University of Iowa), Jeffrey R. Luke (University of Iowa), Maliha Zaman (University of Iowa), Julianne Elizabeth St John (University of Iowa), Yaniz C. Padilla Dalmau (University of Iowa) |
| Abstract: The purpose of this poster is to provide a detailed description of the clinical model used at the Biobehavioral Service Outpatient Clinic of the University of Iowa. The Biobehavioral Service sees children and adults with developmental disabilities (e.g., autism, mental retardation) who display problem behavior (e.g., self-injury, aggression, destruction of property) during brief 90-120 minute clinic visit. A collaboration of psychologists, speech-language pathologists, social workers, medicine, and other pediatric professionals assist in developing an assessment and treatment plan based on the particular needs of the client and the referral concerns. The Biobehavioral clinic team uses a hypothesis driven model to develop assessment and intervention evaluations. Case examples are presented in order to illustrate the clinical process used to develop hypotheses, to assess the functions of the clients’ behaviors and to develop clinical interventions that can be implemented by the clients’ caretakers and community services (e.g., school, social service). Current applications of brief functional analysis procedures will be highlighted. Trained coders evaluate the assessment and treatment of each case and have good interrater reliability (i.e. 90% or greater). |
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| 94. Analysis of the Different Patterns of Exercise Behavior Shown by Hemodialysis Patients |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| ITOKO TOBITA (Osaka Jikei Research Center of Health Care Management), Sumie Suzuki (Dokkyo Medical University), Masato Ito (Osaka City University) |
| Abstract: Study Objective: Analysis of the different patterns of exercise behavior shown by hemodialysis patients. Participants: A total of 30 hemodialysis patients were assigned to the intervention and control group: those in the former participated in a behavior modification program in addition to the exercise program, whereas those in the latter participated only in the exercise program. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Osaka University. Intervention: The behavior modification program included a joint agreement on the exercise strength; this was a part of the introduction phase of the program. Graphic feedback, verbal reinforcement, and a sticker were provided in phase one. The detailed benefits of the exercise program were explained in phase two. Reinforcement schedules: The instruction phase spanned over the first 3 weeks, VR (3 times/week) during weeks 4-10, and VR (1-2 times/week) during weeks 11 to 16, extinction was carried out during weeks 17-20 and VR (1-2 times/week) during weeks 21-24. Results: Three patterns of exercise behavior were identified: continuous, non-continuous, and unstable patterns. The numbers of participants showing these patterns in the intervention group were 12, 0, and 2, respectively; the corresponding numbers in the control group were 7, 6, and 3. |
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| 95. Can Conditional Stimuli Function as Conditioned Reinforcers for Simple Discrimination Acquisition and Equivalence-Class Expansion? |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Experimental Analysis |
| WILLIAM HOGAN (University of North Carolina, Wilmington), Kristin Wilkinson-Yonkers (University of North Carolina, Wilmington), Alicia Rae McLamb (University of North Carolina, Wilmington), Jennifer Irene Stuart (University of North Carolina, Wilmington), Carol Pilgrim (University of North Carolina, Wilmington) |
| Abstract: In the present study, six 4 to 10 year old typically developing children learned simple discriminations with class-specific reinforcers, such that choosing B1 produced Reinforcer 1, choosing B2 produced Reinforcer 2, etc. Emergent conditional discriminations between the B stimuli and reinforcer images were then demonstrated on probe trials. Simple discriminations were then trained with A stimuli and reinforcer probes again revealed emergent relations, as did AB conditional discrimination probes. Next, a CD conditional discrimination was trained using the same class-specific reinforcers. Subsequent phases will determine whether the C stimuli used as conditional stimuli in one phase of the experiment will function as conditioned reinforcers in a later phase of the experiment, thus facilitating equivalence-class development and expansion. The results of this study thus far support Sidman’s (2000) theory that all members of equivalence classes, from sample stimuli to class-specific reinforcers, can become truly equivalent to one another. |
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| 96. The Effects of Response-Cost Punishment on Rule Following in a Choice Task |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Experimental Analysis |
| ADAM E. FOX (Western Michigan University), Cynthia J. Pietras (Western Michigan University) |
| Abstract: An Important variable controlling human behavior is verbal rules or instructions. The present study is investigating how penalties for breaking rules affects rule following. Participants were presented with choices between progressive and fixed-time schedules of reinforcement and were given instructions (rules) for how to respond to maximize earnings. Across sessions, the progressive-schedule step size was manipulated so that the rules became increasingly inaccurate. In some conditions deviating from the instructions produced money losses (response-cost penalties). Participants were exposed to penalty and no-penalty conditions in a counterbalanced order to determine how a history of punishment for rule-breaking influeneces subsequent rule following. Preliminary results indicate large individual differences in the extent of control by the rules, and that the penalty has little additional affect on choice. |
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| 97. Effects of Variable Interresponse Time on Humans’ Reinforcement Schedule Sensitivity |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Experimental Analysis |
| NAOKI YAMAGISHI (Ryutsu Keizai University) |
| Abstract: The author examined whether the variable interresponse time (IRT) increase humans' sensitivity to reinforcement schedules. One of two groups of participants was exposed to test phases before and after the training phase. In the test phase, sensitivity to reinforcement schedule was measured. In the training phase, lag schedule for IRT was used to increase IRT variability. This reinforcement schedule was designed to give 10 points for IRT that is different from preceding one. Criterion of the difference for reinforcement was 1 second and more as absolute value. Another group was exposed to test phase twice only. The results indicate that participants were more sensitive to the reinforcement schedules after the training phase. These findings are discussed in terms of functioning of IRT differentiation by the generation of variable IRT, and sensitivity generated by the IRT differentiation. It was suggested that behavioral variability is one of most important source of humans’ sensitivity to reinforcement schedules. |
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| 98. Probability Discounting: Does Age Affect Risk Sensitivity? |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Experimental Analysis |
| MANISH GOYAL (Western Michigan University), Gabriel D. Searcy (Western Michigan University), Tobey L. Schipper (Western Michigan University), Cynthia J. Pietras (Western Michigan University) |
| Abstract: The study was designed to systematically replicate a study by Green, Fry, and Myerson (1994) that found that children were more impulsive than young adults and older adults on a delay-discounting procedure. All participants chose between small certain and larger but probabilistic hypothetical monetary amounts. The probability of the large amount was varied across blocks of trials. Two large amounts were investigated. At each probability the amount of the small certain option was increased across trials to determine an indifference point between the two options. Eleven children, 17 young adults and 15 older adults showed orderly probability discounting. Results showed that the children and young adults discounted the smaller reward at a much slower rate than the larger reward indicating greater risk proneness for the smaller reward while the older adults showed the opposite. The rates of discounting were much higher for the older adults for both amounts compared to the other two groups. The young adults showed lower discounting rates than children. The results are consistent with Green, et al. showing that there is an age related difference in probability discounting, with the older adults showing more probability discounting (risk aversion) than younger adults or children. |
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| 99. Recovery of Maintained Generalization Gradient Form by Pigeons |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Experimental Analysis |
| JAMES CERRI (University of Tennessee), John C. Malone (University of Tennessee) |
| Abstract: Maintained generalization gradient forms produced by 3-day averaged response rates were examined to determine to what extent previously-learned response patterns persist after a change in reinforcement contingencies. White Carneau Pigeons were exposed over 34 months to two different sequences of quasi-random varied frequencies of light flicker ranging between 13 and 37-Hz. The first sequence consisted of S+ Center Condition where 25-Hz flicker was paired with VI reinforcement and all other stimuli were presented in extinction, soon producing an inverted V-shaped gradient form. Subjects were then presented with S+ Extremes Condition where the two high- and low-extreme frequencies were presented with VI reinforcement, producing a U-shaped gradient form. These conditions appeared in an AB, ABA, ABA order. Specific results included asymmetrical forms after symmetric forms had been previously produced and “W” forms during initial sessions directly after switching conditions. After initial training periods, the S+ Centers Condition gradient form was not recoverable after the interposing of the S+ Extremes Condition. For three of four subjects during the final presentation of S+ Extremes, recovery of gradient form occurred within 9 sessions and during the final presentation of S+ Center recovery of gradient form occurred within 12 sessions. |
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| 100. Reciprocity of Responding and Induction of Verbal Exchange as Determinants of Partial-Altruistic Behavior in Humans |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Experimental Analysis |
| Emilio Ribes Iñesta (Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara), NORA RANGEL (Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara), Lizbeth Pulido Avalos (Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara), Oscar Vazquez (Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara), Hugo Reyes (Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara), Elizabeth Ramirez (Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara) |
| Abstract: Eight university students were randomly distributed in eight dyads (each participant had a confederate peer in the dyad). Participants were not informed that their peer was an experimenter’s confederate. In a situation of partial altruism, dyads solved a visual puzzle on two synchronized computers screens. Participants and confederates could track the performance of his/her peer, and place pieces in either puzzle. A within-subject design was used, comprising two individual baselines and five experimental phases, each one involving a specific confederate’s behavior toward a peer in the dyad: the percent of reciprocal placing of pieces in the peer’s puzzle. Dyads were randomly distributed in two different groups. Dyads in Group 1 were exposed to an ascending order of the percentage of reciprocity by the confederate (0, 25, 50, 75, 100%), and dyads in Group 2 were exposed to a descending order (100, 75, 50, 25, 0%). At the beginning of each session, in both groups, confederates induced verbal exchange in participants through a written questionnaire. Results are discussed in terms of the effects of induction of verbal exchange and the percentage of reciprocity by the confederate in social partial-altruism contingencies. |
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| 101. The Role of the Existing Repertoire in the Generation of Novel Behavior (2) |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Experimental Analysis |
| APRIL M. BECKER (University of North Texas), Jesus Rosales-Ruiz (University of North Texas), Brett Grant Kellerstedt (Salem State College) |
| Abstract: The purpose of this experiment is to show the role of the existing or newly created repertoire in the generation of novel topographies and to replicate the results of a similar experiment in this lab. Rats were exposed to a variation contingency (VAR) wherein topographically varied physical contact with an object was consequated with food. The object was one of four; objects were cycled sequentially so that the rat experienced a one-minute session with each before it was exchanged for the next. The rate of emission of variable responses increased and then stabilized for all objects, while the emission of completely novel responses (those never before emitted in the experiment) increased at first but decreased to zero over time. A novel behavioral “atom” was then trained (IV) for each object at different times using a shaping procedure in a multiple baseline design. The VAR condition was re-imposed to see if this newly trained behavior would be emitted or combined with other responses to produce novel responses (DV) as a function of the new training. This research may suggest strategies for inducing creativity and may inform our understanding of the variables that determine the emission of new behavior. Results are pending. |
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| 102. Increasing Independent Eating Using Avoidance Conditioning |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| G. JOSEPH SCHLERETH (Kennedy Krieger Institute), John C. Borrero (University of Maryland, Baltimore County), Rinita B Laud (Kennedy Krieger Institute), Carrie S. W. Borrero (Kennedy Krieger Institute) |
| Abstract: Avoidance conditioning procedures maintain responding through negative reinforcement. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of avoidance in the maintenance of independent eating for a 4-year-old male admitted to an intensive program for children with feeding disorders. First, compliance with eating a developmentally appropriate volume was established using escape extinction. Second, independent eating skills were evaluated under a baseline condition in which prompts to eat were not given, escape extinction was withdrawn, and the meal was terminated if the child failed to take a bite or drink after 3 min. Independent eating was then evaluated during a conditioned avoidance procedure in which uninterrupted access to a preferred video was provided contingent on independent eating at least once every 30 s. If independent eating was not observed, access to the video was interrupted by turning the television off and on every 10 s. Results indicate that the baseline rates of independent eating were lower than rates observed during treatment. Higher rates of independent eating were observed as the child learned to eat faster to avoid interrupted access. Parallels to basic research and use of the procedure as a post-escape extinction treatment are discussed. |
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| 103. Effect of Three Kinds of Training on a Second-Order Matching-to-Sample Task |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Experimental Analysis |
| EMANUEL MERAZ MEZA (Universidad Veracruzana), Augustin Daniel Gomez Fuentes (Universidad Veracruzana), Enrique Zepeta Grcia (University of Veracruz), Cecilia Magdalena Molina Lpez (University of Veracruz), Mario Serrano (Universidad Veracruzana) |
| Abstract: An experiment was done to evaluate the effect of the complexity of three types of descriptions that included texts concerning instances, modalities and relations in a correspondence training (saying – doing – describing). The experimental task consisted of a second-order matching-to-sample situation. Involved three groups of five universities in each group, they were between 18 and 23 years old, experimentally naive. The results showed low scores in group 3, which was used texts of relations. The results are discussed in terms of linguistic interactions in discrimination procedures. |
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| 104. Contextual Variables Interfere With Exclusion of Novel Names and Verbs |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Experimental Analysis |
| Aline Roberta Aceituno Costa (Universidade Federal de São Carlos), DEISY G. DE SOUZA (Universidade Federal de São Carlos), Julio C. De Rose (Universidade Federal de São Carlos) |
| Abstract: Exclusion responding has been extensively documented with name-object relations: When an undefined name is dictated, participants often select an undefined object or picture displayed as a comparison stimulus. The present study sought to identify conditions under which participants would not select an undefined stimulus. Pseudo-words simulating names or verbs were presented as sample stimuli on exclusion probes. When the baseline presented pictures of objects (and the mask) as comparison stimuli, the presentation of a pseudo-name on exclusion probes always resulted in the selection of an undefined picture; however, when the sample was a pseudo-verb participants often selected the mask, rejecting both, the defined and the undefined pictures. The opposite was observed when the baseline presented video clips of defined actions as comparisons and the sample was a dictated verb: The presentation of a pseudo-verb always occasioned the selection of the video clip of an undefined action, but a mask was selected when the sample was a pseudo-name. These data suggest that the discrepancy between the classes of sample and comparison stimuli interferes with the exclusion responding and support the notion that the formation of a stimulus class involving simultaneously samples and comparisons is a necessary condition for exclusion. |
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| 105. A Connectionist Model of Stimulus Class Formation Using a Yes/No Procedure and Compound Stimuli |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Experimental Analysis |
| ANGEL TOVAR Y ROMO (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México), Alvaro Torres (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México) |
| Abstract: We analyze the stimulus class formation in an artificial neural network (ANN) and in a human experimental study with a “YES/NO” procedure; this procedure is an alternative to the matching to sample procedures for the analysis of equivalence class formation. For the connectionist simulation a feed-forward back-propagation ANN was designed with 9 inputs, 4 hidden and 2 output nodes. During the training phase, the conditional relations A1B1, A2B2, B1C1 and B2C2 were established for “YES” response, while A1B2, A2B1, B1C2 and B2C1 were established for “NO” response. During the test phase we probe the emergence of A1C1 and A2C2 for "YES" response, and A1C2 and A2C1 for “NO" response. A similar procedure was carried out with six female participants aged 19-22 years. The conditional relations of the training and testing phases were similar in the ANN and in the human experiment. The results showed that both the ANN and the human participants could respond with the established class membership. We discuss the efficacy of the YES/NO procedure for simulating the stimulus class formation in a connectionist model in contrast with the models inspired in matching to sample procedures. |
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| EDC Poster Session 1 |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 6:00 PM–7:30 PM |
| Exhibit Hall A (CC) |
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| 106. The Effects of Copy, Cover, Compare Training on the Acquisition of Sight Words in Children Diagnosed With Autism |
| Area: EDC; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| KARI L. COLWELL (The Chicago School of Professional Psychology), Susan K. Malmquist (The Chicago School of Professional Psychology), Jennifer Goubeaud (The Chicago School of Professional Psychology) |
| Abstract: Abstract: Research has demonstrated that the use of phonics is effective in teaching reading skills in general, however little research in sight word acquisition has been conducted with children diagnosed with Autism. The systematic use of phonemes includes presentation of a logical sequence to build letter-sound recognition (NPR, 2000). Research suggests that with fluency training, students can be expected to have longer endurance and more correct responding for trained tasks (McDowell & Keenan, 2001). Previous research that included the copy, cover, and compare (CCC) method to teach a variety of skills across different subject areas demonstrated an increase in student’s academics. (Cieslar, McLaughlin, & Derby, 2008). Additionally, research suggests the CCC method is more effective than picture matching in improving the reading skills of typically-developing children (Cieslar, McLaughlin, & Derby, 2008). The current study examines the use of phonemic fluency and CCC to determine if teaching letter sounds to fluency in addition to implementation of the CCC method affects the acquisition of sight words in children diagnosed with Autism. |
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| 107. The Effects of Training Component Skills to Fluency on Mathematic Word Problems Accuracy and Rate |
| Area: EDC; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| JENNA K. NIKULA (The Chicago School of Professional Psychology), Susan K. Malmquist (The Chicago School of Professional Psychology), Melissa Twarek (The Hope Institute) |
| Abstract: Mathematical word problem solving is an area in which children have difficulties efficiently extracting critical information. Specifically, speed of responding has been shown to be a problem with individuals with disabilities, such as Specific Learning Disabilities or Autism. The results of this study will be used to further a research base that has largely focused only on accuracy of responding for children with special needs. In this study, we will examine the effects of teaching 2nd and 3rd grade children diagnosed with Autism or another developmental disability to identify component aspects of addition and subtraction word problems. Children will be taught to identify the component responses (initial value, change value, operation, and resulting value) using a fluency-based approach. A multiple baseline design across behaviors will be used to show treatment effects. This research will help to determine the extent to which teaching component skills to fluency improves both speed and accuracy of an important composite skill, correct word problem solving. |
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| 108. The Effects of Mobile and Immobile Record Floors in Fluency Timings on the Rates of Responding and Endurance for Learners in General Education Settings |
| Area: EDC; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| ANNA BARBARA BRANSKI (The Chicago School of Professional Psychology), John W. Eshleman (The Chicago School of Professional Psychology), Charles T. Merbitz (The Chicago School of Professional Psychology) |
| Abstract: In this replication and extension of Cissell (2009), the differences in rates of responding during fluency timings are compared between conditions in which immobile and mobile record floors are used. Participants are five- to nine-years-old students from general education classrooms in a public school. Dependent variables in this study are numbers of words read and math facts answered per minute. Several sets of flash cards are used and participants learn to respond to them to pre-determined fluency levels where the recording time is either variable or fixed. First, participants learn to respond to a set of 15 flashcards in each condition until they reach fluency, and then later, they learn new sets of 40 flashcards to fluency in each condition. In each condition, participants are asked to respond to their flashcards in two-minute trials after they reach their fluency aims to determine endurance (Binder, 1996). The present study will check for any differences between rates of responding in mobile and immobile record floors conditions, and differences between these results for sets of 15 cards and sets of 40 cards. Frequency data of acquisition and outcomes of endurance checks will be presented. |
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| 109. Observational Learning and Peer Tutoring Sessions for Teaching Spelling Words |
| Area: EDC; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| NANCY MARIE MONDELLO (Hawthorne Public Schools), Patrick R. Progar (Caldwell College), Sharon A. Reeve (Caldwell College), JoAnn Pereira Delgado (The Fred S. Keller School and Teachers College, Columbia University) |
| Abstract: Observational learning, a commonly used classroom technique, has also been used to examine the effects of peer models, especially for students with developmental disabilities. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of observational learning when peer tutoring sessions were conducted both correctly and incorrectly. The participants were three elementary school students diagnosed with either autism or multiple disabilities. All students were members of a self-contained, language/learning disabled primary grade class that utilized the principles of applied behavior analysis. The target behavior was vocally spelling target words. An alternating treatments design was implemented to investigate test conditions in which peer tutoring sessions were delivered correctly and incorrectly and the effects on learning were measured for both the observational learner and peer tutoring dyad. The results indicated that correct spelling of words during phases in which tutoring sessions were delivered correctly yielded higher gains when compared to tutoring phases not delivered correctly for both the tutee and the observational learner. However, gains were generally comparable for the tutor under both conditions. These results demonstrated that tutors may make academic gains just by instructing others. Even though learners spelled more words correctly during higher levels of treatment integrity, learning also occurred during treatments that were implemented with lower levels of integrity. These results suggest that similar to other behavioral interventions, the benefits of observational learning were greatest for the observer when treatments were implemented correctly, but the acquisition of correctly spelled words still occurred under conditions with low treatment integrity. |
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| 110. Implementation of the Peer Assisted Learning Strategies Curriculum in a Special Education Classroom by Assigning Cross-Grade Peers |
| Area: EDC; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| TIMOTHY MICHAEL YEAGER (California State University, Fresno), Marianne L. Jackson (California State University, Fresno), Amanda N. Adams (California State University, Fresno) |
| Abstract: The passage of the No Child Left Behind Act requires teachers to implement and use research supported practices in their classrooms. These practices must be applicable to core-curriculum instruction and must facilitate access to standards-based curriculum for students with disabilities. Peer Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS) was created to support the general, standards-based curriculum by manipulating a series of research based instructional methods to deliver reading instruction through peer mediation. The PALS curriculum centers around the use of high- achieving peers to prompt, correct, and reinforce lower-achieving peers in a series of reading tasks. PALS has shown to be effective in improving reading fluency and comprehension for both general and special education students. At this time, research on PALS implementation in a classroom serving multiple grade levels using cross-grade peers has not been conducted. My research will present the effectiveness of implementing the PALS curriculum in a special education classroom, serving multiple grade levels, by assigning cross-grade peers according to ability. Results from this examination will be presented. The effectiveness of implementing the PALS curriculum in a special education classroom serving multiple grade levels by assigning cross-grade peers according to ability will be discussed. |
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| 111. Heads Together: A Peer Mediated Option to Improve Student Reading Comprehension Scores |
| Area: EDC; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| WILLIAM HUNTER (University of Cincinnati), Todd F. Haydon (CECH, University of Cincinnati) |
| Abstract: Students with disabilities in self-contained classrooms frequently exhibit academic skill deficits as well as behavioral deficits, particularly in the area of reading. Cooperative learning strategies, such as peer mediated instruction, when used as an intervention has increased reading and language achievement for students with various disabilities (Fore, Riser, & Boon, 2006, Jenkins et al., 1994). Numbered Heads Together (NHT) is an instructional intervention that combines the components of teacher-directed and peer-mediated instruction while using a distinct teacher questioning strategy that increases active student participation (Maheady, et al., 1991). This poster will provide an overview of the participants, setting, research design, procedures, measurement, and results of a study, which examined the effects of numbered heads together (NHT) on teacher behavior and student academic outcomes in reading comprehension. |
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| 112. Moving Beyond Picture Naming: The Next Generation of Oral Language Individual Growth and Development Indicators |
| Area: EDC; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| Tracy Bradfield (University of Minnesota), AMANDA C. BESNER (University of Minnesota), Alisha Wackerle (University of Minnesota), Braden Schmitt (University of Minnesota), Scott R. McConnell (University of Minnesota), Kate Jones (University of Minnesota) |
| Abstract: For the past decade, the Picture Naming Individual Growth and Development Indicator (IGDI) has been the most widely and consistently used general outcome measure (GOM) of oral language development in young children. While Picture Naming has been useful for general screening purposes, and to examine very broad scale growth in language development over the preschool years, the existing Picture Naming format is not sensitive enough to be used for progress monitoring within an early childhood Response to Intervention (RtI) system. Further, we currently do not have sufficient evidence that Picture Naming is the best possible measure of oral language development in young children. The current study describes the research, development, and field testing of several newly developed general outcome measures (GOMs) of oral language development in preschool aged children. Evidence of the newly developed tests’ psychometric properties as well as recommendations for their use within a tiered model of language and literacy assessment and intervention (i.e.: language and literacy focused early childhood RtI) are discussed. |
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| 113. Effect of Function-Based Intervention for Behavior Problems of a Student With Developmental Disabilities and Treatment Implementation in School Settings |
| Area: EDC; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| YOICHI GOMI (University of Tsukuba) |
| Abstract: The present study examined the effects of the function-based interventions for the student’s participation and teachers’ implementation. A student with Asperger's syndrome and whole school staffs were participated. Descriptive Functional assessment for the student behavior suggested that the behavior problems might be maintained by function of escape and attention. In primary intervention, procedures for setting events and extinction were introduced. In secondary intervention, based on the functional assessment for teachers, the modified procedure with visual cues for implementation was introduced. The visual cues were also expected to function as an alternative behavior of the behavior problems and discriminative stimulus for student participation. The results showed that the function-based intervention with visual cues was more effective for reducing the student’s behavior problems and facilitating the school staff implementation than primary intervention. The results suggested that the visual cues functioned as following: (a) the reinforcer which was functionally equivalent to the behavior problems, (b) the visual cues for participation, (c) the visual cues for teacher implementation of extinction. The results were discussed in terms of the function of the permit cards and importance of assessment for teachers. |
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| 114. School-Wide Behavior Support Research: Treatment Integrity, Outcome Measures and Initial Results |
| Area: EDC; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| Leia D. Blevins (East Tennessee State University), JAMES J. FOX (East Tennessee State University), Ashley Hansen (East Tennesse State University) |
| Abstract: School-wide Behavior Support (SWPBS) is a positive, skill building approach to school discipline wherein the intervention targets are all students in school, students with disabilities as well as students who are typically developing. Although SWPBS has been increasingly applied in schools over the past 12 years and there have been some applied analyses of its effects, significant methodological and clinical issues remain. This poster will first present selected parameters of an empirical review of SWPBS research, focusing on treatment integrity (a measure of the independent variable, the SWPBS intervention) and on measures of behavior outcome (the dependent variable, student behavior change). Secondly, we will present preliminary results of our ongoing research in which SWPBSis being replicated across 5 elementary schools in two different school districts. Treatment integrity measures include data on teacher and staff use of a token reinforcer ticket system. Student outcomes include the number and type of office disciplinary referrals (ODRs). Initial results of school Number 1 indicate a reduction in ODRs concurrent with application of the SWPBS intervention as well as fewer students exhibiting high-risk levels of ODRs. Replication is underway in the other 4 schools. Suggestions for future research and implications for SWPBS are addressed. |
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| 115. Application of Three-Tiered Instruction Model for Japanese 2nd Grade Students to Improve Multiplication Fact Performance |
| Area: EDC; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| WATARU NODA (Kwansei Gakuin University), Junko Tanaka-Matsumi (Kwansei Gakuin University) |
| Abstract: In Japan, 4.5 % of students in regular classrooms have been reported to exhibit academic difficulty (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science & Technology, 2003). The present study applied a three-tiered instruction model and the Instructional Hierarchy (Haring & Eaton, 1978) to improve multiplication fact accuracy and fluency of 2nd grade students in Japan. The authors assisted in the design of the program. Students in two Japanese 2nd grade regular classrooms (N = 61) participated in the study. Throughout the study, the number of students who mastered multiplication fact (think-say multiplication fact accurately, and see/write 20 multiplication fact in one-minute) and the number of correct/incorrect digits in one-minute assessment were monitored on a daily and weekly basis. In Stage 1, as baseline, the classroom teachers conducted typical classroom instruction and monitored students’ progress. Two-thirds of the students in each class reached the criterion of mastering multiplication fact, but the remaining students showed variable lack of progress. In Stage 2, classroom teachers implemented a class-wide intervention (Cover, copy, Compare etc.) to help students with poor performance. Finally in Stage 3, intensive instruction was implemented to students who did not respond adequately to the class-wide intervention. Results of the present study were discussed in terms of data based educational decision-making in regular classrooms. |
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| 116. Effects of Attention on Free-Operant Preference Assessments |
| Area: EDC; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| MEGHAN PANGBORN (Kennedy Krieger Institute), Crystal Marie Wissinger (Kennedy Krieger Institute), Jennifer Dawn Magnuson (Kennedy Krieger Institute) |
| Abstract: Preference assessments are frequently conducted to determine potential reinforcers for use in skill acquisition and problem behavior reduction. The purpose of this study was to determine whether attention influences toy preference in young children. Three typically developing individuals with a mean age of 4 years 2 months participated during an admission into an intensive feeding program. In Phase 1 researchers conducted a free-operant preference assessment with 7 items and recorded the duration of toy engagement across 3 sessions. Based on the results of Phase 1, the items were separated into two groups that were presented concurrently during Phase 2. The first group consisted of the 3 items with highest percentage of engagement and the second group consisted of the remaining 4 items. If the participant interacted with any of the items from the first group no attention was provided but engagement with items from the second group resulted in continuous attention from a staff member. After 3 sessions researchers reversed back to Phase 1 and presented all 7 items in the absence of attention. Results demonstrate that attention impacts toy preference in 2 of the 3 participants. Implications for providing attention during preference assessments and treatment are discussed. |
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| 117. Functional Assessment Checklist for Students: Students as Informants in the FBA Process |
| Area: EDC; Domain: Service Delivery |
| SHELLEY KAY MULLEN (University of Oregon), Cristy Coughlin (University of Oregon) |
| Abstract: The majority of evidence guiding the use of functional behavioral assessment in schools is derived from research evaluating the utility of conducting FBAs with individuals with significant difficulties in controlled, experimental settings. Because of this, there is considerable concern regarding the applicability of the methods and tools involved in the FBA process to higher-functioning students in applied settings. This poster will describe a research project that was conducted to explore the use of a student-guided interview as part of the FBA process in schools. Students referred for behavior problems at school were interviewed with a tool that we created based on the format of an existing structured interview designed for use with teachers. We piloted this tool with students in 3rd-8th grade and evaluated agreement between information gathered from teachers with information gathered from students. We will present the results of this pilot study in our poster presentation, highlighting the areas in which the highest level of agreement was found and the areas in which sources agreed to a lesser degree. Session attendees will learn about the potential use of student interviews to help inform FBAs and behavior support planning. |
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| 118. The Effect of an Applied Behavior Analysis Based Treatment on the Participation of a Kindergarten Student With Autism Spectrum Disorder in a General Education Classroom |
| Area: EDC; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| BRANDI SLIDER (West Virginia University), Daniel E. Hursh (West Virginia University), Bobbie Warash (West Virginia University), Reagan P. Curtis (West Virgina University), Vicci Tucci (Tucci Learning Solutions, Inc.) |
| Abstract: Most difficulties the student experienced at school were due to deficits in the participator repertoire. These difficulties occurred when the student was involved in a non-preferred activity. He many times did not reach a desired level of appropriate participation and in the process disrupted the activity. The study employed a multiple baseline design applying a sticker-based token system intervention across classroom activities. The reinforcer was one minute of access to preferred activities after completing the non-preferred activity. Across the study the delivery of the same number of stickers was spread over longer periods creating a more intermittent schedule of reinforcement. The results of the intervention showed increases in appropriate participation and decreases in inappropriate participation across classroom activities. These results allowed the student to be successfully integrated into the general education kindergarten class. The student now is in a general education first grade class and participating well across all class activities. |
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| 119. Preparing Teachers to Train Parents in the Use of Evidence-Based Tutoring Strategies for Reading Fluency |
| Area: EDC; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| SARA S. KUPZYK (University of Nebraska-Lincoln), Edward J. Daly III (University of Nebraska-Lincoln) |
| Abstract: Although evidence-based tutoring strategies for improving reading fluency have been identified, parental reports indicate lack of information from teachers about how to help at home. Furthermore, researchers have yet to examine the effectiveness of providing parent training in the use of effective strategies in school settings using teachers as trainers. An evidence-based reading package including listening passage preview, repeated reading, error correction, and performance feedback was developed. Teachers were trained in dyads using video-training and practice with feedback. Once teachers met criteria for parent training in tutoring for reading, they trained parents in the use of the tutoring strategies. Parents implemented the reading fluency tutoring package for eight weeks. The teacher monitored student performance and provided feedback to parents and students regarding progress and implementation. A series of multiple-baseline across participants designs were employed to evaluate the effects of the training on parent tutoring skills and student reading performance. Results will be discussed in terms of the treatment elements that appear to improve and maintain teacher, parent, and student skills. Additionally, future applications of evidence-based practices and considerations for implementation and sustainability in real world settings will be presented. |
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| 120. Barriers to the Implementation of Evidence-Based Practices in Early Childhood Education |
| Area: EDC; Domain: Service Delivery |
| Kristen Rezzetano (Duquesne University), Stephanie Marshall (Duquesne University), Kara McGoey (Duquesne University), TEMPLE SHARESE LOVELACE (Duquesne University) |
| Abstract: This study analyzed the barriers introduced by local early childhood education facilities located in a midsize metropolitan area. This study was done in an attempt to understand the research-to-practice gap that exists in early childhood settings, service providers were provided with a multi-part survey that addressed the variables of treatment acceptability, treatment identification, and job satisfaction. The research team posed the following research questions: The research team poses the following research questions: (1) What are the effects of job stress as it relates to teachers’ degree of intervention implementation? (2) What levels of training correlate to the teachers’ degree of intervention implementation? (3) How do the availability of resources relate to the teachers’ degree of intervention implementations? (4) How does the availability of support from others related to the teachers’ degree of implementation? (5) How do student variables correlatewith the teachers’ degree of intervention implementation? (6) How do educator variables relateto the teachers’ degree of intervention implementation? (7) Is the acceptability of an intervention different than the barriers to intervention implementation? Lastly, contributions of this study and future research are presented. |
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| VRB Poster Session 1 |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 6:00 PM–7:30 PM |
| Exhibit Hall A (CC) |
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| 121. Establishing Bi-Directional Word-Object Relations in Young Children With Autism |
| Area: VBC; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| CLAIRE E. EGAN (Hong Kong Institute of Education), Annelle Waterhouse Kirsten (University of Auckland) |
| Abstract: The present study evaluated the effects of two training types on word-object relations in two young children with autism spectrum disorder. Listener-Tact training (LT) and Interspersed Listener-Tact (ILT) training were compared using a multi-element design with a control condition. During LT training, the participants were taught to point to and vocally tact Set 1 multiple exemplars of target object labels in consecutive trials. ILT training taught the participants to point to and vocally tact Set 2 multiple exemplars of target object labels in trials that were interspersed with other known operants. The results are discussed in light of the differences in performance observed across each training type. |
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| 122. Comparing the Effects of Two Correction Procedures on Vocal Tact Acquisition |
| Area: VBC; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| ANNELLE KIRSTEN (University of Auckland), Claire E. Egan (Hong Kong Institute of Education) |
| Abstract: We compared the effects of two correction procedures on the acquisition of vocal tact responses in a young child with autism spectrum disorder. In addition, we measured the number of low attention responses observed during each training condition, and the generalization of tact responding to novel multiple exemplars of trained items following each training condition. A standard echoic correction procedure was compared with a hierarchy of corrective feedback using a multi-element design with a control condition with pre- and post training probes for generalization. The results showed that both procedures resulted in mastery of the vocal tacts; however the hierarchy of corrective feedback resulted in fewer instances of low attention and increased generalization of responding for one set of tact responses. Suggestions for future research are outlined. |
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| 123. Teaching Intraverbal Behavior to Children With Autism |
| Area: VBC; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| Sarah Knors (Queens College, The City University of New York), AMY E. REINWALD (Queens College, The City University of New York) |
| Abstract: Acquisition of intraverbal behavior is difficult for children who display delayed language abilities, yet it is considered an important skill for appropriate social interactions. The effects of intraverbal training for children with autism were evaluated for three participants who displayed mand and tact skills prior to the introduction of an intraverbal repertoire. Intraverbal training included a visual prompt with a time delay procedure. A multiple baseline probe across participants was used to evaluate the effects of each child’s intraverbal training. Acquisition of intraverbal behavior occurred through the transfer of stimulus control from a visual prompt to an antecedent verbal stimulus. Post-test results indicated that all three participants demonstrated the ability to respond to an antecedent verbal stimulus with the exclusion of the visual prompt used during training sessions and generalized these skills. Although there is little research that evaluates intraverbal behavior, the current study suggests that the acquisition of this verbal operant could provide a comprehensive language repertoire to increase the communicative abilities of children with autism. |
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| 124. Using Lag Schedules to Increase Vocal Variability in Children With Autism |
| Area: VBC; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| MEGHAN G. MCCLURE (Chicago School of Professional Psychology), Tracy L. Kettering (The Ohio State University), Judah Axe (Simmons College), Nick Wilhelm (The Chicago School of Professional Psychology), John W. Eshleman (The Chicago School of Professional Psychology) |
| Abstract: Variability has been demonstrated to be an operant dimension of behavior (Page & Neuringer, 1985), and as an operant, variability can be systematically increased using reinforcement for variable responding. Lag schedules require that responses meet a minimum level of variability by reinforcing only responses that differ from the previous number of responses designated by the Lag schedule. In previous research, Lag schedules of reinforcement have been used to increase variability in answering social questions (Lee, McComas, & Jawor, 2002), selection of classroom activities (Cammilleri & Hanley, 2005), and vocal verbal behavior (Esch, Esch, & Love, 2009). Variability may be useful for producing responses that can later be shaped into appropriate verbal behavior. This study assessed the effects of using Lag schedules of reinforcement to increase phonemic vocal variability in children with autism by providing reinforcement for sounds that differed from the previous trials. Results are discussed in terms of implications for producing variable responses in children with autism. |
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| 125. Teaching a Multiply Controlled Mand and Echoic Response and the Acquisition of an Echoic Repertoire |
| Area: VBC; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| BRITTANY FULTON (The Chicago School of Professional Psychology), Tracy L. Kettering (The Chicago School of Professional Psychology), Judah Axe (Simmons College), Susan K. Malmquist (The Chicago School of Professional Psychology), Traci M. Cihon (University of North Texas) |
| Abstract: Many training procedures have been developed to address the pervasive language deficits common to children with autism, but methods differ on whether echoic responses (Drash & Leibowitz, 1973) or mands (Sundberg & Michael, 2001) should be taught first. Drash, High, and Tudor (1999) implemented mand training to teach a multiply controlled response and transferred to echoic responses. The current study extended this research by investigating the effects of teaching a multiply controlled mand-echoic response on the acquisition of an echoic repertoire in a multiple probe design across participants. First, an echoic prompt was delivered in the presence of a putative establishing operation, and responses with one-to-one correspondence to the echoic prompt were reinforced. Once acquired, mand-echoic control of the response was transferred until the vocalization was emitted under pure echoic control. Responses to untrained stimuli were evaluated to assess generalization of an echoic repertoire. Results are discussed in terms of the multiple control of vocal verbal operants and the subsequent transfer of stimulus control. |
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| 126. A Comparison of Teaching Intraverbal Behavior to Children With Autism Using Echoic and Visual Prompts |
| Area: VBC; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| LEIGHNA MARIE STAGGS (The Chicago School of Professional Psychology), Tracy L. Kettering (The Chicago School of Professional Psychology), John W. Eshleman (The Chicago School of Professional Psychology), Traci M. Cihon (University of North Texas) |
| Abstract: Many individuals with developmental disabilities fail to acquire functional intraverbal behavior. Intraverbal repertoires are important for progress in the classroom but also impact a child’s ability to communicate effectively throughout every day activities, such as social interactions. Research suggests that textual prompts can be an effective method for establishing intraverbal behavior in children with autism (Finkel & Williams, 2001). In fact, Vedora, Meunier, & Mackay (2009) found that textual prompts and a progressive time delay procedure produced more rapid acquisition of intraverbal responses than echoic prompts with the same delay procedure. Although this method may be useful to establish an intraverbal repertoire, not all students will have the prerequisite skills to use textual prompts. The current study evaluated teaching intraverbal behavior using echoic and visual (picture) prompts in participants with autism. An alternating treatments design was used to compare the effects of visual and echoic prompts on the acquisition of the intraverbal responses using a progressive time delay. Results are discussed in terms of the utility of visual and echoic prompts on the acquisition of intraverbal behavior. |
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| 127. Effects of Extinction of Signed Mands on the Rate of Vocalizations |
| Area: VBC; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| BRITNEY NICOLE BURTON (University of Southern Mississippi), Amber L. Valentino (The Marcus Autism Center), M. Alice Shillingsburg (Marcus Autism Center) |
| Abstract: Children with autism often have significant communication delays. Although some children develop vocalizations, others rarely exhibit speech sounds and alternative communication methods, such as sign language, are targeted in intervention. However, vocal language often remains a goal for caregivers and clinicians. Thus, strategies to increase the frequency and variability in speech sounds are needed. An increase in response variability has been demonstrated using extinction. Duker and van Lent (1991) showed that an increase in previously low-rate gestures occurred following extinction of high-rate gestures in individuals with mental retardation. The present study examined the effect of similar procedures on the rate of vocalizations in a child diagnosed with autism. The participant was observed to emit low rates of vocalizations and exhibited functional use of several mands using sign language. During baseline, correct signs and vocalizations were reinforced with access to the preferred item. During intervention, reinforcement was withheld following emission of signs and vocalizations were followed by access to the preferred item. A multiple baseline design across preferred items was used. An increase in the rate of vocalizations occurred following application of extinction of each signed mand. |
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| 128. A mMethod of Observation for Elementary Verbal Behaviors With Children With ASD |
| Area: VBC; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| MELINA RIVARD (Universite du Quebec a Montreal), Jacques Forget (University de Quebec a Montreal), Céline Clément (Université de Strasbourg), Normand Giroux (University of Quebec at Montreal) |
| Abstract: The purpose of this study is to create and validate grid and guide for direct observation of elementary verbal behaviors with young children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The observation system is lean on the work of Skinner (1957). This poster describes the verbal behaviors of 14 children aged from 2 to 4 years old with ASD. The verbal observation grid includes the five elementary verbal functions and an analysis of the antecedent and the consequence of the immediate environment. Thirteen categories for children verbal behaviors and ten categories for antecedent and consequence are defined. Seven sessions of one hour observation are carried out for each participant. Results indicate a negative correlation between adequate (e.g. verbal mand) and inadequate (e.g. self injuries) verbal behaviors. This project point out different interventions conclusions for challenging behaviors. |
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| 129. Verbal Operants as Predictors for Children With Autism in Inclusive Settings |
| Area: VBC; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| DOMONIQUE Y. RANDALL (The Shape of Behavior) |
| Abstract: This study examined verbal operant scores obtained from the Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills (ABLLS) to identify predictors for two groups of students with autism following Applied Behavior Analysis treatment. The two groups of children with autism consisted of an inclusion with neuro-typical peers and non-inclusion with neuro-typical peers group. ABLLS scores on specific verbal operant categories of 42children diagnosed with autism were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed to determine if the preschoolers' verbal operant skills could be used to predict their placement in an inclusive environment. A logistic regression was conducted to assess if tact, intraverbal, and mand operants correctly classified inclusion. Results of the regression were significant, ?2 (3) = 11.20, p < .01 (Nagelkerke R2 = .329). Thus, on the basis of the data analysis, the null hypothesis was rejected. |
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| 130. The Effects of Intensive Tact and Fluency Instruction on the Number of Mands and Tacts Emitted in Non-Instructional Settings by Children With Autism |
| Area: VBC; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| IMRAN A. KHAN (The Chicago School of Professional Psychology), Charles T. Merbitz (Chicago School of Professional Psychology) |
| Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of intensive and fluent tact instruction on the frequency of pure tacts and mands children used in non-instructional settings. Participants were two preschool children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) who emitted low rates of tacts and mands for whom acceleration of these verbal operants was a treatment goal. Treatment involved increasing intensity of instruction as well as adding fluency component to the participants’ tact emission performance. “Intensive” instruction involved increasing the number of opportunities to tact objects in the participants’ environment as compared to previous levels. Fluent instruction added a fluency criterion to increase the rate of acquisition. Dependent variables were tacts and mands emitted in the non-instructional settings before and after instruction. Results showed that the intervention increased both tacts and mands for both participants across all settings. Data from this study suggest that increasing the number of opportunities to fluently tact in the presence of a verbal community could lead to higher, more appropriate frequencies of verbal interactions. |
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| 131. Examining Mand Emergence From Tact Training |
| Area: VBC; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| FUMI TAKAGI (The Chicago School of Professional Psychology), Rachel Findel-Pyles (The Chicago School, Los Angeles) |
| Abstract: A previous study conducted by Wallace, Iwata, & Hanley (2006) found that tact training using reinforcing stimuli could facilitate the emergence of mands in adults with developmental disabilities. The current study is a systematic replication and examines tact training and subsequent mand emergence for a child diagnosed with autism. Results indicated that tact training a highly preferred item might have had a facilitative effect on the emergence of manding. |
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| 132. Using Observational Learning to Increase Sign Acquisition Across Verbal Operants |
| Area: VBC; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| MANUELA WOODRUFF (Marcus Autism Center), M. Alice Shillingsburg (Marcus Autism Center), Amber L. Valentino (The Marcus Autism Center), Crystal N. Bowen (Marcus Autism Center) |
| Abstract: Functional communication is a significant concern for clinicians working with individuals with autism. Sign language can be acquired by non-vocal children using direct teaching methods, but the concern remains how to best aid generalization of this skill. While Hart and Risley (1995) have shown that average rates of utterances per hour produced by families have a tremendous impact on the language abilities of typical children, we questioned whether children who exhibit no vocal language but instead use an alternative such as sign language, can acquire new signs after mere repeated exposure to modeled signs without direct teaching. The present study examined acquisition of signs via observational learning using a multiple-probe design across preferred activities. The participant was a 7 year-old male diagnosed with autism. During baseline, preferred activities were presented and opportunities for the participant to emit the targeted mand, tact, and intraverbal response were given. During treatment sessions, the therapist repeatedly paired the signs of three preferred activities by modeling the sign during the activities. No response was physically prompted and no responses were required throughout the sessions. Results showed that all signs for the preferred activities were acquired across the Mand, Tact and Intraverbal operants via observational learning. |
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| 133. Teaching Manding Through Signing to Developmentally Delayed Individuals |
| Area: VBC; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| JILL HUNT (Judge Rotenberg Center), Michelle Harrington (Judge Rotenberg Center) |
| Abstract: In this study, we examined the process of teaching manding through sign language to developmentally delayed individuals. Participants in this study had not had success using other communication methods and in most cases were non-verbal. We examined acquisition of sign language as a communication method and rate at which signs were learned and retention. We will also examined how well the learned signs generalized to environments outside of the 1-1 sessions they were taught in. |
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| 134. Inducing the Role of Listening Through Motor Imitation Among Peers With Autism |
| Area: VBC; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| JOSE JULIO CARNERERO (Centro Al-Mudarïs), Martha Pelaez (Florida International University), Ana Pastor (Centro Al-Mudarïs), Guadalupe Osuna (Centro Al-Mudarïs) |
| Abstract: This study analyzed the role of motor imitation among peers with autism through use of a mirror. Motor imitation has been described as a prerequisite to the development of verbal skills. Specifically, the early functions of listening are related to the capability of observing and imitating by “seeing” what another person is doing and “doing” what has he or she has seen. The present study sought to demonstrate how to generate the early stages of listening by undertaking new motor imitations through observing another child in a mirror.
The study was conducted with two children with autism; one 5 years and 4 months of age, and the second child 6 years, 2 months. In the first phase, one child served as the model and made a movement in front of a mirror. He then stood still until his peer imitated the movement observed in the mirror. The second phase was identical to the first except that the roles were exchanged. The data indicate that the children learned to imitate each other by looking in the mirror. These data support the hypothesis that observing in a mirror how someone performs a movement and then imitating that movement reinforces the model behavior. |
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| 135. Echoic Repertories in Children With Autism: The Effects of Stimulus-Stimulus Pairing and Direct Reinforcement |
| Area: VBC; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| JENNIFER BUSH (The Aurora School), Amanda Butler (The Aurora School), Carlos F. Aparicio (The Aurora School) |
| Abstract: It has been suggested that automatic reinforcement plays a vital role in early language acquisition. Automatic reinforcement occurs through a process in which a neutral stimulus is paired with another stimulus that already has reinforcer properties; as a result, the neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned reinforcer. It has been shown that free operant vocalizations increase when adult vocalizations are paired with preferred reinforcers. But the effects are temporary, and many children with autism do not imitate adult vocalization. In three studies, we explored these possibilities with two children with autism. In Study 1, echoic responses were directly reinforced following stimulus-stimulus pairing. Study 2 assessed the effects of stimulus-stimulus pairing on the frequency of post-pairing free-operant vocalizations. Study 3 determined the effects of a simple shaping procedure on the frequency of vocal production. Our results were consistent with Esch’s et al., (2005) conclusion that the variables influencing the effectiveness of a stimulus-stimulus pairing procedure on vocalization frequency and acquisition of a verbal operant following such pairing are not yet being delineated. |
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| Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior: Meeting for Authors, Prospective Authors, and Board Members |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 7:30 PM–8:20 PM |
| 214B (CC) |
| Chair: James E. Mazur (Southern Connecticut State University) |
| Presenting Authors: |
| The annual report of the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior (JEAB) will be presented, followed by discussion of editorial policies and issues. We encourage authors and prospective authors to attend. Questions and suggestions will be encouraged. |
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| Behavior Analyst Certification Board: International Certification Development |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 7:30 PM–8:20 PM |
| 218 (CC) |
| Chair: Gerald L. Shook (Behavior Analyst Certification Board) |
| Presenting Authors: |
| This meeting will address important components of the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) which include: Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst (BCaBA) credentials; professional experience, coursework, and degree requirements; approved course sequences; international examination administration; eligibility standards; and application for examination. Special emphasis will be on how individual countries can work with the BACB to develop time-limited alternative pathways for residents of the country to qualify for the BACB examinations. The presentation also will provide an overview of the current status of the BACB and its certificants. The presentation will focus on development of the BACB in the future, particularly as it relates to certification outside of the United States. Time will be provided for participant questions and discussion with the presenter. |
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| Crime, Delinquency, and Forensic Behavior Analysis Special Interest Group |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 7:30 PM–8:20 PM |
| 214D (CC) |
| Chair: Joseph D. Cautilli (Behavior Analysis and Therapy Partners) |
| Presenting Authors: |
| Forensic issues in behavior analysis are of growing importance. In the criminal justice system a growing need is taking place for highly qualified behavior analytic consultants. Recent meta-analytic studies have shown that behavioral interventions can reduce prison misconduct leading to shorter prison stays and reduction of recividism. If your interest is in delinquency or adult offenders- this is the SIG for you. We tend to have well attended meetings 20-60 people, so show up early and get a good seat. All are welcome to come and discuss their work and what is in store for the SIG over the next year. The health of our journal- the Journal of Behavior Analysis in Offender and Victim: Treatment and Prevention will also be discussed as will its movement from www.behavior-analyst-online.org to http://baojournal.com/. |
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| ABAI Practice Board Open Meeting: This Ain't Your Daddy's ABA! |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 7:30 PM–8:20 PM |
| 217B (CC) |
| Chair: Michael F. Dorsey (Endicott College) |
| Presenting Authors: |
| The ABAI Practice Board Open Meeting is a forum for ABAI members to meet the members of the Practice Board and its' various committees. The organizational philosophy of the Practice Board is a “Bottoms-Up” approach to member service, soliciting from the practitioner members of ABAI what they need from ABAI to be more successful in their day-to-day professional roles. The members of the Practice Board will review for the audience the steps completed this year toward this end and will seek to gain a better understanding of additional areas of need. |
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| Iowa Association for Behavior Analysis |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 7:30 PM–8:20 PM |
| 201 (CC) |
| Chair: John Pokrzywinski (Woodward Resource Center) |
| Presenting Authors: |
| This will be the second formal business meeting of Iowa ABA to elect officers, modify and ratify proposed bylaws, review the mission of the chapter, and develop an agenda for the coming year. All interested individuals are invited to attend. |
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| Northwestern Association for Behavior Analysis Business Meeting |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 7:30 PM–8:20 PM |
| 216A (CC) |
| Chair: Ryan M. Zayac (Central Washington University) |
| Presenting Authors: |
| NWABA invites all of its members and other individuals interested in the chapter to attend our annual business meeting. Updates on our regional conference, membership, budget, and excecutive board openings will be provided. Please join us for a productive and informative meeting! |
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| Experimental Analysis of Human Behavior Special Interest Group |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 7:30 PM–8:20 PM |
| 215 (CC) |
| Chair: Manish Vaidya (University of North Texas) |
| Presenting Authors: |
| The EAHB SIG will meet to honor our student paper winners, elect officers, discuss membership, dues, and our online journal, the EAHB Bulletin. We will also nominate our 2011 Career award winner. |
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| Clinical Special Interest Group Meeting |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 7:30 PM–8:20 PM |
| 213A (CC) |
| Chair: Thomas J. Waltz (University of Nevada, Reno) |
| Presenting Authors: |
| This is the special interest group for those who have an interest in clinical applications of behavior analysis. Clinical behavior analysts work in both research and applied settings applying behavior analytic principles to just about any situation that may involve psychological distress. This is our annual meeting to hold elections and discuss how to promote clinical behavior analysis for the upcoming year. Members have the opportunity to network and discuss their areas of interest and work, training opportunities, research projects, conceptual struggles and developments, and plan activities for next year’s convention. Everyone is welcome to attend and learn more about this exciting area of behavior analysis. |
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| Parents and Professionals Sharing the Conference Experience |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 7:30 PM–8:20 PM |
| 214C (CC) |
| Chair: Pamela H. Gorski (Reaching Potentials Inc.) |
| Presenting Authors: |
| This meeting provides an opportunity for parents of children receiving behavior analytic services and professionals to gather in an informal setting to discuss the conference and common issues. Autism treatment is expected to be a major topic. Pamela Gorski, Executive Director of Reaching Potentials, Inc., an ABA parent support services agency, will host this meeting. Refreshments will be provided. |
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| Membership Board Business Meeting |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 7:30 PM–8:20 PM |
| 213B (CC) |
| Chair: Philip N. Hineline (Temple University) |
| Presenting Authors: |
| The Membership Board is concerned with recruiting and evaluating candidates for the standing of Associate Member, of Full Member, and of Fellow of ABAI, as well as with evaluating the applications of organizations that are seeking affiliation with ABAI. The processes whereby candidates and organizations are evaluated will be described, and members of the evaluating committees will be available to answer questions concerning the relevant criteria.
Possible initiatives for further enhancing our membership will also be entertained and discussed. |
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| Association for Behavior Analysis International Student Meeting |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 7:30 PM–8:20 PM |
| 212A (CC) |
| Chair: Josh Pritchard (University of Nevada, Reno) |
| Presenting Authors: |
| The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the activities and future goals of ABAI's
Student Committee. Student members will be provided with information on various ways to
become involved with the Student Committee and will have the opportunity to suggest future
directions and goals. We invite all student members to attend this meeting. |
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| Edmund Fantino: Celebrating a Life in Science |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 7:30 PM–8:30 PM |
| 202AB (CC) |
| Domain: Theory |
| Chair: Timothy D. Hackenberg (Reed College) |
| Panelists: STEVEN R. HURSH (Institutes of Behavior Resources), PETER KILLEEN (Arizona State University), HOWARD RACHLIN (Stony Brook University), ALAN SILBERBERG (American University), JOHN WIXTED (University of California, San Diego) |
| Abstract: Friends and colleagues of Edmund Fantino are invited to gather together. |
| STEVEN R. HURSH (Institutes of Behavior Resources) |
| PETER KILLEEN (Arizona State University) |
| HOWARD RACHLIN (Stony Brook University) |
| ALAN SILBERBERG (American University) |
| JOHN WIXTED (University of California, San Diego) |
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| Applied Behavior Analysis International Accredited Graduate Training Program |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 8:30 PM–11:00 PM |
| Exhibit Hall A (CC) |
| 1. Western Michigan University: Behavior Analysis Masters and Doctoral Programs |
| ALAN D. POLING (Western Michigan University), R. Wayne Fuqua (Western Michigan University), Stephanie M. Peterson (Western Michigan University), Cynthia J. Pietras (Western Michigan University), Ron Van Houten (Western Michigan University) |
| Abstract: This poster describes the ABA-Accredited Masters and Doctoral Programs in Behavior Analysis at Western Michigan University. |
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| 2. Behavior Analysis Ph.D. Program at West Virginia University |
| KAREN G. ANDERSON (West Virginia University), Sally Huskinson (West Virginia University), David P. Jarmolowicz (West Virginia University) |
| Abstract: The behavior analysis program at West Virginia University exists to train students in basic research, theory, and applications of behavior principles. Through research, course work, and practica, students develop skills in the experimental analysis of animal and human behavior, as well as a strong methodological and conceptual background for developing and applying behavioral technologies. The basic, conceptual, and applied areas are integrated in the curriculum; however a student may emphasize either basic or applied research. The goal of the program is to produce a psychologist who can function effectively in either an academic or an applied setting, and who can use the principles and findings of the science of behavior in solving significant problems of human behavior. The behavior analysis program is fully accredited by the Association for Behavior Analysis. Over the years, our faculty members have been recognized for their teaching, research, and professional service through their receipt of external research grants, major teaching and research awards given by both the university and by professional societies, service on boards of national and international organizations and journals, and editorships and associate editorships of major behavior analytic journals. |
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| 3. Masters and Doctoral Training in Behavior Analysis at Southern Illinois University |
| NICOLE HEAL (Southern Illinois University), Jonathan C. Baker (Southern Illinois University), Anthony J. Cuvo (Southern Illinois University), Paula K. Davis (Southern Illinois University), Mark R. Dixon (Southern Illinois University), Brandon F. Greene (Southern Illinois University), Ruth Anne Rehfeldt (Southern Illinois University) |
| Abstract: The graduate training opportunities at Southern Illinois University are vast for individuals interested in pursuing masters or doctoral degrees. We offer a comprehensive program that teaches students basic science, applied technologies, and the conceptual framework of radical behaviorism. Degree programs are available on-campus and off-site in the Chicago land area, while 5 course sequences for BACB certification are offered online. |
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| 4. Applied Behavior Analysis at St. Cloud State University |
| ERIC RUDRUD (St. Cloud State University), Kimberly A. Schulze (St. Cloud State University), John T. Rapp (St. Cloud State University), Chaturi Edrisinha (St. Cloud State University) |
| Abstract: St. Cloud State University provides a M.S. program as well as BCBA and BCaBA courses in Applied Behavior Analysis in an on-campus and distance format. |
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| 5. Graduate Programs in Applied Behavior Analysis and Special Education at The Ohio State University |
| SHEILA R. ALBER-MORGAN (The Ohio State University), Helen I. Cannella-Malone (The Ohio State University), Gwendolyn Cartledge (The Ohio State University), Ralph Gardner III (The Ohio State University), Terri Hessler (The Ohio State University at Newark), Moira Konrad (The Ohio State University), Nancy A. Neef (The Ohio State University), Diane M. Sainato (The Ohio State University) |
| Abstract: The M.A. and Ph.D. programs at The Ohio State University are accredited by the Association for Behavior Analysis International through 2012. Each program includes a course sequence pre-approved by the Behavior Analysis Certification Board as meeting the coursework requirements to sit for the BCBA examination. The M.A. program in Applied Behavior Analysis emphasizes the development, implementation, and evaluation of behavioral interventions for improving socially significant behavior. Full- and part-time M.A. students fulfill their practicum and research program requirements in a wide variety of school, residential, employment, and other community settings. The Ph.D. program prepares full-time students for leadership positions in special education whose research and teaching are guided by the philosophical, scientific, and technological principles of applied behavior analysis. The curriculum develops each student's knowledge and skills in six competency areas: (a) conceptual analysis, (b) research and scholarship, (c) design and application of educational interventions, (d) professional communication, (e) administration and collegial relations, and (f) teaching and advising. |
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| 6. The University of Cincinnati School Psychology Program |
| RENEE HAWKINS (University of Cincinnati), Janet L. Graden (University of Cincinnati), David W. Barnett (University of Cincinnati), Julie Morrison (University of Cincinnati), Francis E. Lentz (University of Cincinnati) |
| Abstract: The ABAI accredited Ed.S. and Ph.D. School Psychology Programs at the University of Cincinnati are dedicated to preparing highly competent professional school psychologists in accord with the scientist-practitioner model. As a result of their comprehensive training, graduates are prepared to make significant contributions to the challenging field of education through up-to-date professional practice, research, child and family advocacy, and leadership for best practices. The poster will describe the training model and curriculum of the Programs and provide important information for those considering a career in school psychology. |
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| 7. University of Nevada, Reno Behavior Analysis Program |
| W. LARRY WILLIAMS (University of Nevada, Reno), Mark P. Alavosius (University of Nevada, Reno), Patrick M. Ghezzi (University of Nevada), Linda J. Parrott Hayes (University of Nevada, Reno), Ramona Houmanfar (University of Nevada, Reno), Steven C. Hayes (University of Nevada, Reno) |
| Abstract: This Poster describes the history, achievements and current status of the ABAI accredited Behavior Analysis Program at the University of Nevada, Reno. This year is the 20th anniversary of our program which has graduated 72 Masters on-campus students, 43 PhD students and several hundred off-campus Masters students. This year our program has been honored by ABAI in being awarded the enduring contribution to the field award. Indeed many of our graduates are widely recognised leaders in research, clinical and educational areas of our field. Current faculty interests and application information are provided. Come catch the wave! |
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| 8. Department of Applied Behavioral Science at the University of Kansas |
| GREGORY J. MADDEN (University of Kansas) |
| Abstract: This poster will describe the graduate training program in Applied Behavioral Science at the University of Kansas. Program requirements, faculty research interests, etc. will be presented. |
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| 9. Applied Behavior Analysis Master of Arts Program at University of Maryland, Baltimore County in Collaboration with the Kennedy Krieger Institute |
| JOHN C. BORRERO (University of Maryland, Baltimore County), SungWoo Kahng (Kennedy Krieger Institute) |
| Abstract: Applied behavior analysis includes accountability in its service delivery. The UMBC M.A. Program is responsive to the increasing call for such services and fills a gap in the availability of such programs in the mid-Atlantic region. The UMBC Department of Psychology together with the Kennedy Krieger Institute's Department of Behavioral Psychology are uniquely suited to developing and maintaining such a program. The program is accredited by the Association for Behavior Analysis and is included in the list of programs approved by the Behavior Analysis Certification Board, so that students who have earned our M.A. degree and have completed their supervision requirements are qualified and well-prepared to sit for the BACB certification examination. Students complete course work in basic and applied analysis of behavior, behavioral treatment design and data evaluation, the ethics of behavioral interventions, and practicum placement for hands-on experience with relevant behavioral procedures. |
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| 10. Department of Behavior Analysis at Simmons College |
| MICHAEL J. CAMERON (Simmons College) |
| Abstract: The mission of the Department of Behavior Analysis at Simmons College is to: (1) make the philosophy and science of behavior analysis understandable and accessible to individuals in an optimal position to affect meaningful educational, social, and behavioral changes, (2) to generate and publish innovative research by fusing behavior analysis with relevant findings from other scientific disciplines, and (3) to demonstrate how behavior analysis can impact a broad range of social issues. We offer a masters of science, CAGS, and PhD in behavior analysis. |
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| 11. Learning Processes and Behavior Analysis at Queens College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York |
| KRISTEN ROST (The Graduate Center, Queens College, City University of New York), Joseph D. Jacobs (Binghamton University, State University of New York), Amanda S. Mentzer (The Graduate Center, Queens College, City University of New York) |
| Abstract: An overview of graduate studies in behavior analysis at Queens College and the Graduate Center of CUNY is presented. Opportunities are described for Doctoral study in the Learning Processes and Behavior Analysis Program, for Masters studies at Queens College in the Clinical Behavioral Applications in Mental Health Settings and in the General Psychology Program, and for the Advanced Certificate Program in Applied Behavior Analysis (a post-baccalaureate non-degree program offering in-depth training in applied behavior analysis and preparation for New York state or national certification exams). Faculty interests at the Doctoral level in applied behavior analysis research, learning theory, stimulus control, equivalence class formation, organizational behavior management, contingencies of reinforcement, developmental disabilities, and neural mechanisms of learning offers the student intensive training in a broad range of areas in basic and applied behavior analysis. The Doctoral program offers a specialization in Developmental Disabilities. For students with applied interests, practica experiences in applied behavior analysis are available at a wide range of public and private institutions. |
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| 12. Applied Behavior Analysis at Florida State University |
| Jon S. Bailey (Florida State University), Sarah A. Lechago (Florida State University), H. ALLEN MURPHY (Florida State University at Panama City) |
| Abstract: The Florida State University master's program in Applied Behavior Analysis faculty will be available to inform potential students about the coursework, practica, and assistantship opportunities. In addition, research and practical experiences for undergraduates will be described. |
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| 13. Graduate Degree Programs in Behavior Analysis at the Florida Institute of Technology |
| JOSE A. MARTINEZ-DIAZ (Florida Institute of Technology), Elbert Blakely (Florida Institute of Technology), Guy S. Bruce (Florida Institute of Technology), Ivy M. Chong (Florida Institute of Technology), Ada C. Harvey (Florida Institute of Technology), Mark T. Harvey (Florida Institute of Technology), Patrick E. McGreevy (Florida Institute of Technology), David A. Wilder (Florida Institute of Technology) |
| Abstract: The graduate degree programs in Behavior Analysis at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne and Orlando, FL will be described. |
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| 14. Behavior Analysis at California State University, Stanislaus |
| WILLIAM F. POTTER (California State University, Stanislaus), Jane S. Howard (California State University, Stanislaus) |
| Abstract: The M.S. Psychology degree in Behavior Analysis at California State University, Stanislaus is structured to provide a continuum of learning experiences to ensure that students acquire beginning professional competencies.
We practice what we preach. Student mastery is enhanced by the systematic use of study guides, frequent assessment and feedback, behavioral rehearsals, etc.
As students master content, they are then provided with opportunities to demonstrate these competencies in closely supervised settings and other practicum classes. |
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| 15. Program in Applied Behavior Analysis at California State University, Los Angeles |
| HENRY D. SCHLINGER (California State University, Los Angeles), Randy V. Campbell (California State University, Los Angeles), Michele D. Wallace (California State University, Los Angeles), Daniel B. Shabani (California State University, Los Angeles) |
| Abstract: The Master’s program in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) at California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA) was first accredited in 1994 by the Association for Behavior Analysis, and only the second ABA program accredited by the organization. The program, founded by Barry Lowenkron and G. Roy Mayer, is unique in a number of ways, not the least of which is that it is an interdisciplinary program involving two different departments – the Department of Psychology and the Division of Special Education and Counseling – in two separate colleges within the University. Students apply to either the Psychology Department or the Division of Special Education and Counseling, and once admitted, take courses in both departments. The aim of the program is to provide comprehensive training in behavior analysis. Students are expected to develop both a theoretical understanding as well as mastery of the application of the science of behavior analysis. The program is designed to prepare students for employment at the master’s level or for doctoral study. The program’s core curriculum has been approved by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (www.bacb.com). |
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| Graduate Training Program |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 8:30 PM–11:00 PM |
| Exhibit Hall A (CC) |
| 2. Western Michigan University: American Psychological Association Accredited Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology |
| SCOTT T. GAYNOR (Western Michigan University), Amy E. Naugle (Western Michigan University), C. Richard Spates (Western Michigan University) |
| Abstract: This poster describes the APA-accredited Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology at Western Michigan University. |
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| 3. Western Michigan University: Industrial Organizational Psychology Master's Program |
| ALYCE M. DICKINSON (Western Michigan University), John Austin (Western Michigan University), Douglas A. Johnson (Western Michicagn University), Heather M. McGee (Western Michigan University) |
| Abstract: This poster describes the masters program in Industrial Organizational Psychology at Western Michigan University. |
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| 4. Behavior Analysis and Behavior Therapy Graduate Training at Eastern Michigan University |
| JAMES T. TODD (Eastern Michigan University), Jennifer Delaney Kowalkowski (Eastern Michigan University), Tamara L. Pawich (Eastern Michigan University), Zina A. Eluri (Eastern Michigan University) |
| Abstract: Eastern Michigan University offers graduate education in clinical behavior analysis and behavior therapy at the masters (2 years, thesis optional) and doctoral levels (APA accredited; 5 years with 4 years of tuition and stipend support). The program is supported by seven behavioral faculty members with specialties in anxiety disorders, autism, basic behavior analysis, child and family therapy, sexual deviance treatment, and developmental disabilities. An on-campus psychology clinic and various laboratory facilities are available. The graduate course of study is BACB-certified and prepares the graduate for licensure at the masters and doctoral levels. A masters in experimental psychology (thesis required) is available |
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| 5. Behavior Analysis At Youngstown State University |
| ROCIO ROSALES (Youngstown State University), Michael C. Clayton (Youngstown State University), Stephen Ray Flora (Youngstown State University) |
| Abstract: The Department of Psychology at Youngstown State University initiated a graduate program focusing on Applied Behavior Analysis in 2009. Graduates of this program will earn a Master
of Science degree in Applied Behavior Analysis and be qualified to sit for the certification exam to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst ®. Students are trained in the theoretical and philosophical foundations of behavior analysis, research on basic and applied problems, and applied techniques in such areas as the treatment of individuals with developmental disabilities, geriatric populations, typically developing children, and organizational behavior management. Students will also be prepared to enter a doctoral program for further training. The full-time program requires two years of coursework and practicum experience. |
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| 6. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology: Chicago Campus |
| CHARLES T. MERBITZ (Chicago School of Professional Psychology) |
| Abstract: Abstract: The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is a not-for-profit graduate school with its original campus located in Chicago's beautiful downtown and a new campus in Los Angeles. The Department of Applied Behavior Analysis (Chicago) currently enrolls 100 students in our two-year full time Masters in Clinical Psychology with a Specialization in ABA, and 24 students in our inaugural ABA PsyD class. Our aim is to produce graduates with outstanding ABA and clinical skills. The MA and PsyD. have BACB approved course sequences, so that graduates are eligible for the BCBA Exam and credential. Supervised field placements in local and out-of-town settings are available. We use behavioral approaches to education, such as the "Keller Plan" aka the Personalized System of Instruction (PSI), and Precision Teaching. This year we are particularly pleased to report on our expansion to Chicago public schools. Our Chicago faculty members John Eshleman, Ed.D., BCBA; Scott Herbst, Ph.D; Tracy Kettering, Ph.D., BCBA; Susan Malmquist Ph.D., BCBA; Denise Ross, Ph.D.; Diana Walker, Ph.D., BCBA; and the Department Chair, Charles Merbitz, Ph.D., BCBA-D, welcome you to ABAI and invite your questions. We are also very pleased to offer courses and/or supervision by other talented behavior analysts, and academic work at our other campus in Los Angeles (Rachel Findel-Pyles, Ph.D., BCBA, Chair, with Eric Carlson, PhD, and David Pyles, PhD, BCBA.). Further information is available at www.thechicagoschool.edu. |
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| 7. Behavior Analysis at Auburn University |
| JAMES E. CARR (Auburn University) |
| Abstract: The Department of Psychology at Auburn University offers a one-year, non-thesis master's program in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). Students are trained to provide ABA services to diverse consumers, including individuals with autism spectrum disorder, adults with mental retardation, children with academic and behavioral challenges, and other individuals in need of behavioral services.
Behavior-analytic training at the doctoral level is available through programs in either Experimental Psychology or Clinical Psychology.
Faculty members and graduate students in each of these programs are active in both basic and applied research. |
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| 8. Advanced Certificate Program in Applied Behavior Analysis
At C. W. Post Campus of Long Island University |
| JOHN C. NEILL (Long Island University), David L. Roll (Long Island University), Gerald D. Lachter (Long Island University) |
| Abstract: This certificate program is designed for individuals who wish to receive a formal background in the theory and practice of Applied Behavior Analysis. Behavior analysis is used most widely with clinical populations in the area of developmental disabilities, including but not limited to clients diagnosed with mental retardation or autism spectrum disorders. The program requires the completion of 18 graduate credits, and is designed so that all requirements can be met within one calendar year (fall semester, spring semester, and summer session). The curriculum consists of 9 credits in basic courses in behavior analysis, 6 credits in advanced courses and 3 practicum credits. Applications are accepted until August 1. “The Behavior Analyst Certification Board, Inc. has approved the course sequence as meeting the coursework requirements for eligibility to take the Board Certified Behavior Analyst Examination. Applicants will have to meet additional requirements to qualify.” For more information please contact: Dr. John C. Neill, BACB-D, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, C. W. Post Campus of Long Island University, John.Neill@liu.edu, 516-299-3431, or, Dr. Gerald D. Lachter, Chairperson, Department of Psychology, Gerald.Lachter@liu.edu ,516-299-2377. |
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| 9. Doctoral and Master’s Level Training in Applied Behavior Analysis at Caldwell College |
| TINA SIDENER (Caldwell College), Ruth M. DeBar (Caldwell College), Sharon A. Reeve (Caldwell College), Patrick R. Progar (Caldwell College), Kenneth F. Reeve (Caldwell College) |
| Abstract: Caldwell College, a private liberal arts college located in a quiet suburban New Jersey community 20 miles from New York City, is home to three graduate programs in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). The Post-Master’s Program in ABA consists of a BACB-approved seven-course curriculum (21 credits). These same courses also make up the core of the 45-credit Master's program in ABA. Building on the success of these programs, Caldwell College began a new 45-credit post-Master’s Ph.D. program in ABA in Fall 2009. Students in the MA program and Ph.D program are required to complete a research thesis and dissertation, respectively. Both graduate programs prepare students to work in a variety of applied and academic settings. In Fall 2010, Caldwell College plans to unveil a new state-of-the-art ABA and developmental disabilities center which will provide intensive hands-on training and both basic and applied research opportunities for graduate students, while providing service to the community. New Jersey is also home to many successful private agencies and public school programs that work with Caldwell College to support training for students in behavior analysis and to provide additional practicum experience. |
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| 10. Graduate and Certificate Programs in Applied Behavior Analysis at Cambridge College and the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth Campus |
| BARRY R. HAIMSON (University of Massachusetts Dartmouth), Robert F. Littleton Jr. (Evergreen Center/BEACON Services), Robert K. Ross (BEACON Services), Gordon A. DeFalco (Evergreen Center) |
| Abstract: The poster will describe 2 graduate programs located in Massachusetts at Cambridge College and the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth campus.
The Cambridge College program offers a Masters in Education with specialization in Autism Spectrum Disorders incorporating an approved BCBA course sequence and a Behavior Analyst Post-Master's Certificate Program.
The University of Massachusetts offers a Master of Arts in Psychology with an Applied Behavior Analysis option and a Behavior Analyst Post-Master's Certificate Program. All courses are offered under the direction of the Psychology Department at an APA approved research university.
Both programs offer a fieldwork practicum supervised by board certified behavior analysts at approved placements or through alternative arrangements for students not currently employed in the field. In addition both programs satisfy the academic requirements to sit for the BCBA® exam
Cambridge College and the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth offer these programs in collaboration with the Evergreen Center and Beacon Services. |
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| 12. Gonzaga University Graduate Programs in Special Education |
| KIMBERLY P. WEBER (Gonzaga University), Thomas Ford McLaughlin (Gonzaga University), Anjali Barretto (Gonzaga University), K. Mark Derby (Gonzaga University), Randy L. Williams (Gonzaga University) |
| Abstract: Gonzaga University offers graduate training in 1) Functional Analysis, 2) Early Childhood Special Education, 3) general special education content, and 4) a Masters of Initial Teaching (MIT) in special education. The functional analysis program focuses on clinical procedures and training of candidates. Individuals completing this program have taken content required for BCBA certification. The early childhood special education program provides instruction and application in working with young children with disabilities. The general special education program is designed for students who wish to extend their teaching area or are looking to work in non-certified positions. The MIT in Special education is designed for candidates who are seeking teacher certification to work with students with disabilities. |
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| 13. Behavioral Intervention in Autism: An On-Line BCBA-Level Curriculum |
| RICHARD K. FLEMING (Shriver/UMass Medical School), Charles Hamad (University of Massachusetts Medical School), Richard Siegel (University of Massachusetts Lowell), Charlotte Mandell (University of Massachusetts Lowell) |
| Abstract: Behavioral Intervention in Autism is a 5-course online graduate curriculum that is BACB approved at the BCBA level and offered through UMASS Online. This BIA curriculum comprehensively covers the application behavior analysis principles, procedures and programs with persons with autism and related developmental disabilities. This poster describes the purpose, content and methods of BIA in detail. |
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| 14. ABA Training Opportunities at the New England Center for Children |
| SUSAN N. LANGER (The New England Center for Children) |
| Abstract: This poster will present the graduate and undergraduate training programs, post-masters degree program in behavior analysis, graduate assistantships, internships, field placements, research opportunities, and financial support for graduate study available at the New England Center for Children (NECC). Two on-site master’s degree programs, one in applied behavior analysis (Western New England College), and one in special education: severe special needs (Simmons College) and a PhD program in ABA (Western New England College) are offered at NECC. A post-masters degree training program in behavior analysis is also offered. An undergraduate training program, modeled after “semester abroad” programs, provides full academic credit plus extensive practical experience. NECC provides internships for numerous Boston-area graduate training programs in a variety of health-care disciplines. An active research program includes nationally and internationally recognized experts in autism and behavior analysis. In collaboration with senior program staff, the research department provides opportunities for research experience and supervision of theses and dissertations. Financial support for all students who are employees of NECC is provided, and ranges from partial tuition reimbursement to full support (including full tuition, housing, stipend, plus regular employee benefits). |
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| 15. The Applied Behavior Analysis Program at Penn State --- University Park |
| DAVID L. LEE (The Pennsylvania State University), Ginny Witcoski (The Pennsylvania State University), Shawn Datchuck (Penn State University), Amanda Nimick (The Pennsylvania State University) |
| Abstract: Meet faculty and students of the Applied Behavior Analysis Program at Penn State. |
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| 16. Penn State University - Harrisburg Master's in Applied Behavior Analysis |
| KIMBERLY A. SCHRECK (The Pennsylvania State University, Harrisburg), Richard M. Foxx (The Pennsylvania State University) |
| Abstract: The Penn State University - Harrisburg Master's in Applied Behavior Analysis offers a BACB approved university course sequence and a BACB approved university experience requirement. The program prepares students to work in a variety of settings and with a variety of populations. |
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| 17. The Center for Behavioral Research and Services at Rowan University |
| MICHELLE ENNIS SORETH (Rowan University), Mary Louise E. Kerwin (Rowan University) |
| Abstract: Rowan University is a selective medium-sized public university located in Glassboro, New Jersey approximately 20 miles southeast of Philadelphia. Rowan University currently offers Behavior Analyst Certification Board, Inc. (BACB) approved undergraduate and graduate coursework towards the BCaBA and BCBA. The new Master’s degree program in Applied Behavior Analysis is a 36 credit hour program that also fulfills the coursework requirement for the BCBA. The certificate of Graduate Study (COGS) in Applied Behavior Analysis is a 15 credit hour program designed for individuals who already possess a graduate degree and would like to complete the behavior analytic coursework requirements for BCBA. The undergraduate Specialization in Behavioral Services for Children & Their Families consists of five courses designed to provide psychology majors with the required coursework for the BCaBA as well as some supervised experience in applied behavior analysis. In addition to behavior analytic coursework, further understanding of behavior analysis is fostered by the variety of behavior analytic research and field experience opportunities available to both undergraduate and graduate students. |
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| 18. Behavior Analysis at Temple University |
| ELIZABETH R. LORAH (Temple University), Philip N. Hineline (Temple University), Saul Axelrod (Temple University), Donald A. Hantula (Temple University), James E. Connell (Temple University), Matthew Tincani (Temple University), Jean Boyer (Temple University), Donald E. Eisenhart (Temple University) |
| Abstract: Behavior analysts at Temple University work within several programs in the College of Liberal Arts and the College of Education. Students can acquire behavior analytic expertise through programs identified as Brain, Behavior, and Cognition; Special Education; Educational Psychology; Social Psychology; and School Psychology. Both Masters and Ph.D. degrees are available, including a specialized Masters degree in Applied Behavior Analysis. Additional behavior analytic research and training opportunities are available in a variety of settings within Philadelphia and surrounding communities. |
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| 19. Masters Programme in Applied Behaviour Analysis at the University of Wales, Bangor |
| J. CARL HUGHES (Bangor University), Sandy Toogood (Wales Centre for Behaviour Analysis, University of Wales), Marguerite L. Hoerger (University of Wales Bangor), Richard P. Hastings (University of Wales Bangor), Stephen Noone (University of Wales Bangor), Corinna F. Grindle (University of Wales) |
| Abstract: In 2003 we developed the first Masters course in Applied Behaviour Analysis in Europe. The course is designed and taught by Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA) and has been approved by the Behavior Analysis Certification Board (BACB) as providing content eligibility for students to sit the full BCBA exam (3rd Task List). In line with the British University system, the course is offered at three levels: Post-graduate Certificate, Post-graduate Diploma, and Masters. In the design and running of the course we have attempted to use behavioural principles in the instructional materials, learning environments, and in the assessment of students learning. We utilise computer based instructional packages, direct instruction, and, Precision Teaching approaches, such as SAFMEDS and Standard Celeration Charting. The course can be taken in one year or on a part-time basis (either two or three years in duration). Each year we enrol approximately 30 students from a wide range of backgrounds: early autism intervention projects, challenging behaviour units, social services, special education, and new graduates. Our main aim is to make a significant contribution to training competent behaviour analysts in Europe. |
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| 20. Doctoral Program in Behavior Analysis at Western New England College |
| AMANDA KARSTEN (Western New England College), Gregory P. Hanley (Western New England College), Rachel H. Thompson (Western New England College), Dennis J. Kolodziejski (Western New England College) |
| Abstract: The Doctoral Program in Behavior Analysis (Chair, Dr. Gregory Hanley) at Western New England College was designed to train future researchers and scientist-practitioners in the discovery, translation, and application of knowledge toward solving problems of social importance. The curriculum includes a combination of coursework and supervised practical and research experiences. Competitive funding opportunities are also available. |
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| 21. Behavior Analysis Master of Arts Program at West Virginia University |
| AIMEE GILES (West Virginia University), Kristen Hard (West Virginia University), Claire St. Peter Pipkin (West Virginia University), Lisa Kemmerer (West Virginia University) |
| Abstract: The Master of Arts degree in Applied Behavior Analysis is offered by the Behavior Analysis Training Program of the Department of Psychology at West Virginia University. This terminal Master’s track consists of a two-year-plus-one-summer non-thesis curriculum designed to train students to apply behavior principles and concepts in situations of daily life. Through both classroom experiences and practica in applied settings, students acquire a broad foundation in behavioral psychology that will guide and inform their decisions as applied behavior analytic practitioners. The goal of the track is to produce behavior analysts who are capable of working with a range of consumers across a variety of applied settings. Students completing the M.A. degree in Applied Behavior Analysis will have met all of the requirements necessary to sit for the BCBA examination. |
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| 22. Clinical Health Psychology Doctoral Program with Specialty in Applied Behavior Analysis at East
Carolina University |
| JEANNIE GOLDEN (East Carolina University), Bryan Crisp (Private Practice) |
| Abstract: East Carolina University has a clinical psychology program of study that leads to a Ph.D. in health psychology and eligibility for licensure in North Carolina as a Licensed Psychologist. Students are admitted to one of two concentrations within the program: Behavior Medicine or Pediatric School Psychology. Students can elect to specialize in Applied Behavior Analysis and take a series of courses that will make them eligible for certification as a nationally Board Certified Behavior Analyst. The program is a five-year, full-time, post-baccalaureate program. The 105 semester hour curriculum includes the following components: a core curriculum focusing on the biological, social, and cognitive-affective bases of behavior, health psychology and behavioral medicine, and research (statistics and research design);
courses specific to the student’s chosen concentration, including courses on health assessment and intervention and applied behavior analysis; a series of research experiences culminating in an empirical dissertation and completion of a one-year pre-doctoral internship meeting the requirements of the APA and/or the Association of Psychology Pre-doctoral and Internship Centers. |
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| 23. Graduate Training Opportunities in Behavior Analysis
at University of North Carolina Wilmington |
| SOPHIA KEY (University of North Carolina, Wilmington), Emily L. Baxter (University of North Carolina, Wilmington), Whitney Luffman (University of North Carolina, Wilmington), Tracy Taylor (University of North Carolina, Wilmington), Amanda G. Rickard (University of North Carolina, Wilmington), Amber Thacker (University of North Carolina, Wilmington), Morgan Throckmorton (University of North Carolina, Wilmington), Kristin W. Yonkers (University of North Carolina, Wilmington) |
| Abstract: This poster will describe the opportunities for graduate training in behavior analysis in the Department of Psychology at UNC Wilmintgon. Program options, courses, faculty and research opportunites will be described. |
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| 24. Doctoral Programs in Psychology at The University of Mississippi |
| KELLY G. WILSON (University of Mississippi), Kate Kellum (University of Mississippi), John Young (University of Mississippi) |
| Abstract: The Department of Psychology at The University of Mississippi offers programs of study that lead to the Doctor of Philosophy in two separate areas: clinical psychology and experimental psychology.
The Clinical Program has been fully accredited by the American Psychological Association since 1974. It is a scientist-practitioner model program that emphasizes an empirical approach to clinical practice. Clinical and research supervision is available from behavioral and cognitive behavioral approaches. The Clinical Program is designed to provide a sequence of research and practical experiences that requires students to function at increasing levels of autonomy and independence. We provide the grounding for these experiences in a rigorous sequence of courses that are taken early in the program.
The Experimental Program includes a behavioral neuroscience program of study. Experimental students in this area of concentration take courses and seminars in neuroscience methods, neurobiology, psychopharmacology, pharmacology, toxicology, and biostatistics. State-of-the-art research experiences are offered in the study of the behavioral effects of psychotherapeutic and abused drugs, neurochemical analysis of monoamines using in vivo dialysis, striatal and hippocampal behavioral function using stereotaxic techniques, and evaluation of neural tissue through histological techniques. |
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| 25. Behavior Analysis at Jacksonville State University |
| PAIGE M. MCKERCHAR (Jacksonville State University), Todd L. McKerchar (Jacksonville State University), William L. Palya (Jacksonville State University), Steven C. Stout (Jacksonville State University), Heidi L. Dempsey (Jacksonville State University) |
| Abstract: Jacksonville State University, nicknamed “The Friendliest Campus in the South,” is nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains midway between Atlanta, GA and Birmingham, AL. The master’s program in psychology offers a Behavior Analyst Certification Board®-approved program of study. Students in the program complete six required courses in the conceptual, experimental, and applied analysis of behavior as well as six related elective courses, which include practicum and research opportunities. Our overarching goals are to teach applied behavior analysts to think critically about the conceptual and experimental basis of the field, and to train them in the implementation of scientifically validated behavioral procedures. Students study basic behavioral processes in our sophisticated animal research facility and can practice applying behavioral principles in a variety of local agencies, such as The Little Tree Preschool-Jacksonville and Anniston Middle School. This poster provides more detail about our faculty and curriculum, including coursework and practicum opportunities. |
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| 26. Behavior Analysis at the University of Houston-Clear Lake |
| DANIEL LESAGE (University of Houston-Clear Lake), Dorothea C. Lerman (University of Houston-Clear Lake), Jennifer N. Fritz (University of Houston-Clear Lake) |
| Abstract: The Behavior Analysis program at UHCL provides students with a well-rounded foundation in psychology and applied behavior analysis through an integrated sequence of coursework, practicum, and research activities. Students obtain competency in the basic principles of learning and the application of these principles with particular emphasis on interventions for children with developmental disabilities. Practicum and research experiences are provided in home, school and clinic settings. All students complete a major research project prior to graduation. The program includes a course sequence and practicum that have been approved by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board, Inc as meeting the requirements for eligibility to take the BCBA exam. Graduate assistantships, paid internships and other forms of financial assistance are available to all students. |
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| 27. The Low Incidence Disabilities and Autism Program at Sam Houston State University |
| BARBARA A. METZGER (Sam Houston State University), Cynthia G. Simpson (Sam Houston State University) |
| Abstract: The Department of Language, Literacy and Special Populations in the College of Education at Sam Houston State University offers a master’s degree in Special Education with a focus in Low Incidence Disabilities and Autism (LIDA). The LIDA program emphasizes Applied Behavior Analysis in the teaching methodology and philosophy. Upon completion of the program, students will be qualified to take the examination for Board Certification in Behavior Analysis. The two-year program is designed for working professionals across a variety of fields, including psychology and special education. Courses are offered in the evenings and during the summer. |
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| 28. Stephen F. Austin State University: Graduate Training in Applied Behavior Analysis |
| ROBIN RUMPH (Stephen F. Austin State University), Ginger Kelso (Stepen F. Austin State University), Glen L. McCuller (Stephen F. Austin State University), Chris Ninness (Stephen F. Austin State University), Michael Walker (Stephen F. Austin State University), Rhiannon M. Fante (Stephen F. Austin State University), Stevie Malnar (Stephen F. Austin State University), Laura Cooper (Stephen F. Austin State University) |
| Abstract: The School & Behavioral Psychology Program at Stephen F. Austin offers extensive graduate training in applied behavior analysis at the masters and doctoral levels. Sixteen Graduate Assistantships are available at the doctoral level at $18,000 per year. Current faculty includes six behavior analysts with diversified interests. Internal and external practicum experiences are available including an autism clinic housed within the department. The department is housed in a new state of the art building with extensive facilities for the study of brain behavior relationships, an audiology lab, a family systems therapy lab, a counseling clinic and a speech clinic. Current faculty interests include autism, verbal behavior, behavioral assessment software development, artificial intelligence, relational frame theory, stimulus equivalence, direct instruction, brain behavior relationships, environmental and social issues, school based health programs, organizational behavior management, behavioral systems analysis, response to intervention, school reform, ADHD, learning disabilities, instructional design, computer programming languages, and family systems therapy. |
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| 29. University of North Texas Department of Behavior Analysis
Graduate Training Programs |
| SHAHLA S. ALA'I-ROSALES (University of North Texas), Traci M. Cihon (University of North Texas), Janet Ellis (University of North Texas), Sigrid S. Glenn (University of North Texas), Einar T. Ingvarsson (University of North Texas), Jesus Rosales-Ruiz (University of North Texas), Richard G. Smith (University of North Texas), Manish Vaidya (University of North Texas) |
| Abstract: This poster provides an overview of the graduate training programs in behavior analysis at UNT. This includes faculty profiles, course descriptions, lab and practicum experience, and student outcomes. |
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| 30. Utah State University: Behavior Analysis Training in the Department of Psychology |
| TIMOTHY A. SHAHAN (Utah State University), Amy Odum (Utah State University), Andrew Samaha (Utah State University) |
| Abstract: This poster provides an overview of the training program in behavior analysis in the department of psychology at Utah State University. Laboratory facilities and the current research interests of faculty will be described. An overview of admissions and funding opportunities will be provided. |
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| 31. Utah State University: Behavior Analysis Training in the Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation |
| SARAH E. BLOOM (Utah State University), Thomas S. Higbee (Utah State University), Benjamin Lignugaris/Kraft (Utah State University), Robert L. Morgan (Utah State University), Scott Warren Ross (Utah State University), Charles L. Salzberg (Utah State University), Andrew Samaha (Utah State University), Timothy A. Slocum (Utah State University) |
| Abstract: The Applied Behavior Analysis masters and doctoral specialization at Utah State University prepares graduates to be highly effective university faculty and behavior analytic practitioners who significantly improve individuals’ lives through research, intervention, and teaching.
The specialization offers students the opportunity to advance their behavior analytic skills by:
(A) Taking advanced coursework in behavior analysis theory, research and practice;
(B) Practicing applied behavior analysis in clinical and educational settings; and
(C) Collaborating extensively with faculty in the areas of research, teaching, and staff supervision.
Opportunities:
Graduate students in the Applied Behavior Analysis specialization have the opportunity to work and conduct research in several settings including:
1. The ASSERT Program, an early intensive behavioral intervention preschool program for children with autism.
2. The Severe Behavior Clinic and associated intervention program, a collaboration with the USU Psychology Department and the Center for Persons with Disabilities.
3. Public school sites and group homes in and around the Cache Valley.
Through coursework and supervised clinical experience, doctoral students can meet the requirements to sit for the Behavior Analysis Certification Board exam to become Board Certified Behavior Analysts. Master's students can enroll in courses in the BACB-approved course sequence and associated supervised practicum.
Faculty and current graduate students are engaged in research and development projects in a variety of topics, including, but not limited to preference and reinforcer assessment, direct instruction, fluency, functional analysis, and assessment and treatment of problem behavior, parent training, verbal behavior and school-wide Positive Behavior Supports. |
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| 32. Behavior Analysis at Central Washington University |
| RYAN M. ZAYAC (Central Washington University), Wendy A. Williams (Central Washington University), Libby M. Street (Central Washington University), Dan Fennerty (Central Washington University) |
| Abstract: The Department of Psychology at Central Washington University is excited to now offer a master’s program in applied behavior analysis. Graduates in this program will earn a Master of Science degree and be eligible to sit for the examination to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA).
Students are trained to provide applied behavior analysis services to diverse consumers, including individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and other developmental disabilities; school children with academic and behavioral challenges; aging adults with developmental disorders; and families facing varied challenges.
Located in Ellensburg, WA in the beautiful Kittitas Valley, Central Washington University is a comprehensive, four-year public university that is dedicated to developing students’ intellectual inquiry, exploration, and application of knowledge. Beyond outstanding education and research, Central offers small classes taught by first-rate professors who value learning above all else. Central is home to a vibrant student community that supports diversity and nurtures interaction and involvement. |
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| 33. Applied Behavior Analysis Master's Program at California State University, Fresno |
| AMANDA N. ADAMS (California State University, Fresno), Marianne L. Jackson (California State University, Fresno), Criss Wilhite (California State University, Fresno) |
| Abstract: The Psychology Masters ABA Emphasis Program at Fresno State has been designed to meet the growing need for practitioners and researchers both in the state of California and nationally.
It is housed in the Psychology Department within the College of Science and Mathematics. The department is located in a new building, which includes state-of-the-art training facilities for both clinical practice and research.
In addition to providing a solid foundation of behavioral coursework, the program of studies has been designed to provide exposure to a breadth of topics and issues relevant to behavior analysis. We strive to prepare students for doctoral level work or for a career in various areas. |
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| 34. The Chicago School, Los Angeles |
| RACHEL FINDEL-PYLES (The Chicago School, Los Angeles), Mitch Fryling (The Chicago School, Los Angeles), Eric Carlson (The Chicago School, Los Angeles), Dave A. Pyles (The Chicago School, Los Angeles), Megan Kirby (The Chicago School, Los Angeles) |
| Abstract: The Chicago School, Los Angeles (TCS LA) MA and Doctoral programs in ABA were launched in Fall 2008 at the newly opened Southern California campus. The program is designed to meet the needs of working professionals wanting to obtain comprehensive graduate training in Behavior Analysis. Faculty members include Rachel Findel-Pyles (f. Rachel Tarbox), Eric Carlson, PhD, Mitch Fryling, PhD & David Pyles, PhD and Megan Kirby, MA. The program also has nationally and internationally recognized adjunct faculty including Caio Miguel, PhD, Amanda Adams, PhD, Jonathan Tarbox, PhD, Mike Mozzoni, PhD, Hank Schlinger, PhD, and Dennis Dixon, PhD. The Advisory Board includes Pat Ghezzi, PhD, Jane Howard, PhD, Michele Wallace, PhD, and Pat Friman, PhD.
The TCS LA ABA program is designed to prepare students in a wide variety of specialization areas including working with individuals with autism, severe behavior problems, instructional design, organizational behavior management, and applications with gerontology, people with traumatic brain injury, and regular and special education. Coursework covers all domains of Behavior Analysis including ABA, EAB, Service Delivery and Theory and Philosophy. Program requirements include: thesis, dissertation, comprehensive examinations, practicum, internship and active participation in a research lab. Please stop by to meet the faculty and students. |
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| 35. Behavior Analysis at California State University, Sacramento |
| Caio F. Miguel (California State University, Sacramento), BECKY PENROD (California State University, Sacramento) |
| Abstract: The Behavior Analysis Program at Sacramento State has three goals. The first is to teach students to think critically and scientifically about behavioral processes. The second is to enable students to enter doctoral programs in behavior analysis, and the third is to prepare students for careers in applied behavior analysis by passing the national certification examination (BCABA and BCBA). At Sacramento State, students can pursue a university sponsored certificate in behavior analysis at the B.A. level or a M.A. degree with a concentration in ABA. The Certificate program consists of 16 units of specialized coursework taken concurrently with established degree requirements. Courses for the Certificate program are applicable toward course requirements for the major. The M.A. program in Psychology /ABA track consists of a minimum of 38 units of specialized coursework taken concurrently with established degree requirements. Students are required to write an experimental thesis. The Behavior Analysis course sequence at Sacramento State has been approved by the Behavior Analysis Certification Board. |
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| 36. Centre for Applied Disability Studies at Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario |
| ROSEMARY A. CONDILLAC (Brock University), Keeley White (Centre for Applied Disability Studies, Brock University), Maurice Feldman (Centre for Applied Disability Studies, Brock University), Rebecca A. Ward (Centre for Applied Disability Studies, Brock University), Tricia Corinne Vause (Brock University), Dorothy Griffiths (Brock University), Frances Owen (Brock University), Maureen Connolly (Brock University) |
| Abstract: Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario offers two Master’s Degrees in Applied Disability Studies with or without specialization in ABA. These programs allow both full-time (2-years) and part-time study (3-years). For those choosing the ABA specialty, the program offers the coursework necessary to apply for certification as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) by the Behavior Analysis Certification Board (BACB) in the U.S. We offer the only BACB approved graduate-level course sequence in Eastern Canada. Students have the option of choosing between two types of Masters degrees: (a) a Masters of Arts (MA) which requires an MA thesis and is geared towards students interested in research careers pursuing a Ph.D.; and (b) a Master in Applied Disability Studies (MADS), which is geared towards current professionals. For students who take the MA degree, stipends and bursaries are typically awarded. Courses are offered on Campus in Hamilton and St. Catharines, in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), as well as other Ontario cities. Many courses are geared towards students who work full-time and are conducted one weekend per month. Eligibility requirements for admission to the Masters programs include a 4 year Bachelors degree in a related area of study and relevant field experience. |
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| 37. Graduate Program in Behavior Analysis |
| Erik Arntzen (Akershus University College), INGUNN SANDAKER (Akershus University College) |
| Abstract: Norway has more behavior analysts per capita than any other country. However, the link to academia has been rather weak. Since 2004, we have offered a masters program in behavior analysis and hopefully from 2010 we will offer a Ph.D. in behavior analysis. The program will be unique in combining the selectionist perspective with a complex systems perspective. We'll welcome international students. |
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| ABAI Boards and Committees |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 8:30 PM–11:00 PM |
| Exhibit Hall A (CC) |
| 50. The ABAI Education Board |
| CHARLES T. MERBITZ (Chicago School of Professional Psychology) |
| Abstract: The mission of the Education Board is to develop, improve, and disseminate best practices in the recruitment, training, and professional development of behavior analysis.
This year was again a very busy one for the Education Board and its subsidiary Boards and Task Forces (Graduate Accreditation, Undergraduate Accreditation, Accreditation recognition, Site Visitor Training, and Student Subcommittees.) The major effort has been to accommodate the Model Licensing Act that would allow licensure for graduates of accredited programs. This goal also impacts ABAI’s accreditation standards, acceptance of ABAI’s Standards by other agencies, and many other changes. Progress to date will be outlined and any members interested in helping with these efforts are invited to join us. The Education Board also wishes to report that the National Center for Education Statistics of the US Department of Education now recognizes ABA as a distinct type of academic program with its own numeric Classification of Instructional Program (“CIP”) code (42.2814). Please note that CIP data rely upon the reports of universities so we request that faculty memebrs notify their Office of Institutional Research or its equivalent on your campus to correctly categorize ABA programs and hence better inform policy-makers of ABA training resource needs. |
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| 51. The ABAI Practice Board—Meeting the Needs of Practitioners |
| MICHAEL WEINBERG (Orlando Behavior Health Services, LLC), Thomas L. Zane (The Center for Applied Behavior Analysis at The Sage Colleges), Jennifer R. Zarcone (University of Rochester Medical Center), Travis Thompson (University of Minnesota), R. Douglas Greer (Teachers College, Columbia University), Michael J. Dougher (University of New Mexico), Jon S. Bailey (Florida State University), Josh Pritchard (University of Nevada, Reno) |
| Abstract: The Practice Board was formed in response to the charge from the ABAI Executive Council “To meet
the needs of ABAI members and members of its affiliated chapters providing behavior analytic services
to various constituencies consistent with the scientific foundations of behavior analysis.” At the core of
this mission is the Board’s responsibility to promote the professional provision of evidence-based,
applied behavior analysis services and protect the public. |
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| 52. ABAI Practice Board: Licensure Committee–Current Status and Developments |
| MICHAEL F. DORSEY (Endicott College) |
| Abstract: This poster will communicate to ABAI members current status and developments regarding the Practice Board's licensure support initiatives. Several state have now passed licensure laws for applied behavior analysts. As we see this effort growing rapidly and behavior analysis being more widely recognized as an effective intervention for various behavior problems and conditions, such as autism, it is critical that we are organized as a field, and that the practitioner members of ABAI receive supports. Current initiatives in the past year are included in the poster to provide this support, as well as up to date information practitioners should know regarding establishing licening boards for behavior analysts in states that have passed such legislation. Information regarding requirements for becoming licensed and the status of the ABAI model act as well as future directions for the licensing iniative and types of supports available for practitioners in the field will be provided. Resources for applied behavior analyst practitioners and contact information to receive support will also be provided. |
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| 53. The Practice Board Governmental Affairs Committee |
| Eric Billington (United Health Group), Jonathan J. Tarbox (Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Inc.), Megan Guidi (Vinfen Corporation), Amy Kenzer (Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Inc.), R. WAYNE FUQUA (Western Michigan University) |
| Abstract: The mission of the Governmental Affairs Committee is to represent the interests of practicing Applied Behavior Analysts in governmental matters at both the federal and state level. The Committee is composed of members of ABAI who recommend annual legislative priorities and review statutes and regulations on a federal and state level related to the practice of Applied Behavior Analysis. The Committee is vested in arranging public testimony at legislative hearings, communicating with stake holders and affiliated organizations, and planning an annual public Committee meeting. Through its advocacy efforts, the Committee will help to achieve significant legislation, funding, and programs on the state and federal levels in the support of practicing Applied Behavior Analysts. |
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| 54. ABAI Membership Board |
| PHILIP N. HINELINE (Temple University), Jay Moore (University of Wisconsin-Madison), Edward K. Morris (University of Kansas) |
| Abstract: The Membership Board is concerned with recruiting and evaluating candidates for the standing of Associate Members, of Full Members, and of Fellows of ABAI. Members of the evaluating committees will be available to answer questions concerning the criteria for each of these categories of membership, and the processes whereby each are evaluated |
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| 55. ABAI Program Board: An Overview of the Program Convention System |
| RAMONA HOUMANFAR (University of Nevada, Reno), Raymond C. Pitts (University of North Carolina, Wilmington) |
| Abstract: The purpose of this poster is to provide a data-based overview of the ABA Convention Program System, and a ‘behind the scenes” view of the associated processes. A step by step depiction of the major processes highlights the activities of the Program Committee members. This presentation also includes data associated with the overall convention growth, expansion of the Program Areas, different types of presentation, and consumer satisfaction. |
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| 56. ABAI Student Committee |
| Erick M. Dubuque (University of Nevada, Reno), Sarah M. Dunkel-Jackson (Southern Illinois University), JOSH PRITCHARD (University of Nevada, Reno) |
| Abstract: This poster summarizes the activities and accomplishments of the ABA Student Committee over the past year and future goals for the upcoming year. We also will provide information for ABA student members to become involved. |
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| 57. ABAI's Board of Affiliated Chapters |
| GORDON BOURLAND (Trinity Behavioral Associates) |
| Abstract: This poster will present the Board's activities of the Board from the past year. Included will be outcomes of the pre-conference meeting held before the 4th Annual Autism Conference. |
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|
| Affiliated Chapters |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 8:30 PM–11:00 PM |
| Exhibit Hall A (CC) |
| 1. Behavior Analysis Association of Michigan |
| JAMES T. TODD (Eastern Michigan University), Jennifer Delaney Kowalkowski (Eastern Michigan University), Tamara L. Pawich (Eastern Michigan University), Zina A. Eluri (Eastern Michigan University) |
| Abstract: The Behavior Analysis Association of Michigan (BAAM) has been organized to support and promote scientific research on the basic principles of behavior and the extension of those principles to create demonstrably effective and humane outcome-based therapies with the primary goal of establishing and enhancing functional independent living skills. The Behavior Analysis Association of Michigan conducts an annual convention supporting all aspects of behavior analysis in Michigan and the surrounding region. BAAM's growing website offers a variety of resources for behavior analysts and all those interested in behavior analysis. |
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| 2. CABA, The Charter (formerly Chicago) Association for Behavior Analysis |
| CHARLES T. MERBITZ (Chicago School of Professional Psychology) |
| Abstract: This Expo Poster marks another year for CABA. Serving Chicago and the Midwest, CABA is one of the oldest ABA organizations in the USA. Started at the University of Chicago in the 1960’s, CABA has supported behavior analysis for over 30 years. This year, we report on the Annual CABA Meeting in Spring of 2010. Pictures of the event may be featured! The CABA President, Charles Merbitz, PhD, BCBA-D, CABA officers, and CABA members welcome you to ABAI and to the CABA Poster. We invite your questions and comments, and especially your opinion (and vote) about changing the name from “Chicago” Association to “Charter” Association. Stop by the CABA poster and meet others from the Midwest. Get on our mailing list for events and activities. We welcome your input and requests for new activities for the rest of 2010 (another Summer BBQ, perhaps?) and the Spring of 2011. |
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| 3. Mid-American Association for Behavior Analysis |
| JONATHAN C. BAKER (Southern Illinois University), Mark R. Dixon (Southern Illinois University), Cynthia J. Pietras (Western Michigan University) |
| Abstract: The Mid-American Association for Behavior Analysis (MABA), a regional affiliate of the Association for Behavior Analysis International, is a membership organization devoted to promoting scholarly interchange in behavior analysis through its annual convention. The annual convention follows a single-track format with invited talks by prominent researchers from across the United States. Talks focus on recent developments in the experimental analysis of behavior or applied behavior analysis. The 10th annual MABA convention was held October 9th-10th, 2009, in Davenport, Iowa. More than 150 people attended the convention, with graduate and undergraduate students comprising the majority of attendees. This poster will describe the organization’s goals, the most recent conference, and tentative plans for the 11th annual meeting to be held in October 2010. The poster will also describe how interested persons can become involved in MABA. The current president of MABA is Dr. Mark Dixon (Southern Illinois University), President-Elect is Dr. Cynthia Pietras (Western Michigan University), and the Operations Coordinator is Dr. Jonathan Baker (Southern Illinois University). |
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| 4. Missouri Association for Behavior Analysis |
| Todd M. Streff (Great Strides Behavioral Consulting, Inc), TAMI GALENSKY PENTZ (St. Louis University), Jenny Frisbee (Special School District) |
| Abstract: The Missouri Association for Behavior Analysis recently elected a new board of directors, with Todd Streff being elected President, Tami Galensky Vice President, John M. Guercio, Treasurer, Jeanne Marshall, Secretary, and members at large Jenie Nowak and Jenny Frisbee. The general purpose of the organization is to advance the science of applied behavior analysis throughout the state. The organization also targets statewide policy or procedures that impact the behavior analysts within the state. The intention being to further best practice guidelines and to insure the application of evidence based procedures in the field of applied behavior analysis in the state of Missouri. MOABA presents a yearly conference in the St. Louis area to offer continuing education for its members and behavior analysts across the state. Recent conferences have offered a wide variety of topics within behavior analysis presented by some of the leaders in the field. Our efforts continue to be strengthening awareness of our services and helping Missouri to be a national leader in the science of applied behavior analysis. |
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| 5. OH ABA, the Ohio Chapter of ABAI |
| TERRI HESSLER (The Ohio State University at Newark), Quinn Vickers Montgomery (The Ohio State University), Sheila R. Alber-Morgan (The Ohio State University) |
| Abstract: OH ABA is an emerging state chapter of the Association for Behavior Analysis International. We are seeking to grow our membership base, and there are exciting opportunities to be involved in education and advocacy activities. Stop by our poster for information about (a) how you can participate in establishing this organization (including suggestions for workshop topics), (b) updates on our progress, and (c) applying for membership. |
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| 6. Wisconsin Association for Behavior Analysis |
| MATTHEW E. ANDRZEJEWSKI (University of Wisconsin-Madison), Roger Frank Bass (Carthage College) |
| Abstract: The Wisconsin Association for Behavior Analysis (WisABA) is an affiliated chapter of the Association for Behavior Analysis International. WisABA has an active membership that coordinates symposia, conducts a state conference, and lobbies for the interests of behavior analysts including presentations before state legislative committees dealing with issues of reimbursement and availability of autism services. Recent collaborative efforts include joint presentations with the Midwestern Association for Behavior Analysis (MABA) and offering continuing education credits for practicing BCBAs and BCaBAs. Plans for 2010 are being made and include conference development, working with the membership to develop BCBA and BCaBA training and support in Wisconsin (WisABA is especially interested in increasing the number of Board Certified individuals), and advocating for recognition of Board Certification as a criterion for providing services--especially in the areas of autism, long-term care, and education consulting. WisABA invites all interested parties to join and participate in shaping the future of Behavior Analysis in Wisconsin. |
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| 7. The Connecticut Association for Behavior Analysis |
| JOHN D. MOLTENI (Saint Joseph College), Elizabeth C. Nulty (Rehabilitation Associates of Connecticut), Solandy Meza (The Center for Children with Special Needs) |
| Abstract: The Connecticut Association for Behavior Analysis's mission is to develop and advance the field of behavior analysis within the state of Connecticut through research, education, and dissemination of information. CTABA is dedicated to promoting the theoretical, experimental, and applied analysis of behavior across a wide array of applications and audiences.
In 2008 - 2009, the Chapter continued to focus on increasing active membership and development. To meet these goals, CTABA held its 5th Annual Conference in April, 2009. We had our most successful conference to date with over 130 attendees, an almost 100% increase from the previous year’s attendance.
In 2009 - 2010, CTABA will continue to focus on increasing active membership and expanding the annual conference. We also will begin to develop our efforts to support and promote opportunities for behavior analysts provided via legislation within the state. |
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| 8. New York State Association for Behavior Analysis |
| VICKI MADAUS KNAPP (Summit Educational Resources) |
| Abstract: The New York State Association for Behavior Analysis (NYSABA) represents scientists, scholars, and practitioners in psychology, education, and related fields who reside in (and outside of) New York State and are interested in the experimental analysis of behavior in all forms. We sponsor local presentations, publish a newsletter and mailing list, and run an annual conference. NYSABA currently has over 400 members and keeps them in touch with events that affect those of us here in New York State. NYSABA supports quality education for human services in New York State through the applications of ethical, humane, and effective principles of behavior analysis. NYSABA has active committees in the areas of Legislation, Education, Publicity, Finance, Student, and Membership. NYSABA has been actively working with State Legislators to gain recognition for practicing Behavior Analysts by promoting an exemption for Board Certified Behavior Analysts from the Psychology Practice Laws and by promoting the role of the Behavior Analyst in effective interventions for autism and other developmental disabilities. |
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| 9. Vermont Association for Behavior Analysis |
| KIMBERLY J. TRAVIS (South Burlington School District) |
| Abstract: An affiliate chapter of ABAI since 2004, the Vermont Association for Behavior Analysis has been working diligently to establish themselves as the resource for information on applied behavior analysis within the state. During 2009, efforts in legislation, membership, technology and conference preparation have commanded the energy and commitment of the board and general membership alike and will continue to do so heading into 2010. |
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| 10. Virginia Association for Behavior Analysis |
| SHERRY L. SERDIKOFF (James Madison University) |
| Abstract: This poster will summarize the activities of the Virginia Association for Behavior Analysis. |
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| 11. Heartland Association for Behavior Analysis |
| VALERIE M. VOLKERT (Munroe-Meyer Institute), Tiffany Kodak (Munroe-Meyer Institute, University of Nebraska Medical Center), Tami L. McDowell (Columbus Organization), Anney Weiland (Heartland Association for Behavior Analysis), Andrea Clements (Munroe-Meyer Institute) |
| Abstract: To promote the analytical science of behavior and its associated technologies within the Heartland area by: Serving as a professional reference group for all in the Heartland whose work involves the principles and practices of behavior analysis.
Promoting research that will advance the understanding of human behavior. Identifying and promoting the use of effective treatment procedures in meeting the educational, therapeutic, and habilitative needs of persons in the Heartland within the ethical guidelines set forth by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board®, Inc. (BACB®). Organizing and sponsoring training events that serve as a forum for the presentation of technological achievements in behavior analysis. Promoting the development and expansion of education, training, and employment in the field of behavior analysis. Supporting efforts of allied organizations in providing behavior analytic services. |
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| 12. Four Corners Association for Behavior Analysis |
| ERIN B. RASMUSSEN (Idaho State University), Nicole L. Bank (The PartnerShip), Travis Blevins (Behavior Services of the Rockies), Pamela M. Martien (Developmental Disabilities Research Center), Peter Killeen (Arizona State University) |
| Abstract: Come see what behavior analysts are doing in the Four Corners region. The Four Corners Association for Behavior Analysis includes Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico. We also have a large group of members from Idaho. Four Corners ABA provides an excellent way to network with other professionals in the area and to learn about continuing education opportunities. Our annual conference is in April of each year in beautiful locations, offering approximately 9 BCBA CEUs each year for free! This year’s conference will be in Park City, Utah. |
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| 13. Iowa Association for Behavior Analysis |
| JOHN POKRZYWINSKI (Woodward Resource Center), James R. Prickett (Woodward Resource Center), Maria G. Valdovinos (Drake University), Evelyn Jo Horton (The Homestead), Lindsay Ward (The Homestead), Jeffrey R. Luke (University of Iowa) |
| Abstract: The Iowa Association for Behavior Analysis (Iowa ABA) was chartered in June 2008 as a state chapter of ABAI for professional, scientific, and education purposes. Iowa ABA's primary functions include serving as a scientific and professional reference group for all in the State of Iowa who identify themselves as scientists, practitioners, or providers in disciplines that embrace the principles and practices of behavior analysis. Iowa ABA supports the development of professional credentialing for the practice of behavior analysis within the State of Iowa. The chapter also supports and encourages expanding the educational and supervisory resources to aid individuals in meeting current and future credentialing requirements. Iowa ABA also supports the development of ethical and professional standards of practice for behavior analysts within the State of Iowa. Iowa ABA promotes the use of effective and humane behavioral procedures in meeting the educational and habilitative needs of both normal and intellectually disabled persons. Iowa ABA provides education and advises political, legislative, and policy-making bodies with respect to all matters pertaining to behavior analysis in the State of Iowa. Iowa ABA promotes and supports the conduct of behavior analytic research within the State of Iowa. |
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| 14. Kansas Association for Behavior Analysis |
| EDWARD K. MORRIS (University of Kansas), Linda S. Heitzman-Powell (University of Kansas Medical Center), Jessica A. Royer (Partners in Behavioral Milestones), Nanette L. Perrin (Early Childhood Autism Program), Brooke Ashley Jones (University of Kansas), Adam T. Brewer (University of Kansas) |
| Abstract: The Kansas Association for Behavior Analysis (KansABA) provides a forum for (a) disseminating information about the science and practice of behavior analysis, and about education and training therein; (b) addressing issues relevant to the science and practice of behavior analysis; (c) maintaining disciplinary, professional, and ethical standards in the science and practice of behavior analysis; and (d) recruiting and enhancing interest in behavior analysis throughout the State of Kansas and in the Kansas City metropolitan area (i.e., Clay, Jackson, and Platte Counties in Missouri). The Association expressly serves the citizens of Kansas and the Kansas City Metropolitan area through advocacy and support of means and forums for advancing and disseminating information about behavior analysis, whether for individual and local needs (e.g., assessment, intervention) or systemic and statewide interests (e.g., conferences, legislation, education, training). To these ends, KansABA maintains a webiste and a listsrev, and holds an annual meeting. |
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| 15. Minnesota Northland Association for Behavior Analysis |
| JENNIFER A. WOSMEK (Bethany Lutheran College), Timothy R. Moore (University of Minnesota) |
| Abstract: Minnesota Northland Association for Behavior Analysis
(MNABA) is a regional chapter affiliated with the Association for Behavior Analysis International. Our membership consists of 140 psychologists, educators, professional behavior analysts, and others interested in using behavior analysis to improve lives and our understanding of behavior. We live and work in communities across Minnesota, North Dakota,
and South Dakota. MNABA membership is open to all who have interest in behavior analysis including students, parents, advocates, and professionals across disciplines. |
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| 16. Northwestern Association for Behavior Analysis |
| DANA J. STEVENS (Whitworth University), Ryan M. Zayac (Central Washington University), Kimberly P. Weber (Gonzaga University), Kathleen S. Laino (West Coast Behavioral Consultants), Season Almason (Western Michigan University) |
| Abstract: The Northwestern Association for Behavior Analysis (NWABA) is excited to announce that it is once again an active chapter of the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI). The chapter had been largely dormant over the past 5 years, but became active again in the fall of 2008 due in large part to the efforts of Drs. Kim Weber and Betty Williams. NWABA recently held a regional conference at Gonzaga University from March 20-21, 2009, with over 100 members in attendance. The executive board is in the process of organizing the next conference, which will be held in Spokane, WA in October 2010. Please visit our new website www.cwu.edu/~zayacr/nwaba later in the year for more information on the specific dates, keynote speakers, and registration/membership information.
If you will be moving to the area or are interested in more information about NWABA, please visit our website and send us your contact information or feel free to attend the NWABA business meeting at the 36th annual ABAI convention in San Antonio. We are always looking for new members who are dedicated to the acquisition, evaluation, and dissemination of information regarding behavior analysis. |
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| 17. Alabama Association for Behavior Analysis—Current and Future Directions |
| VIRGINIA L TOTHEROW (Auburn University), Jennifer M. Gillis Mattson (Auburn University) |
| Abstract: The Alabama Association for Behavior Analysis (ALABA) serves as a scientific and professional reference group that embraces the principles and practices of behavior analysis. Our goal is to promote research that will advance the understanding of behavior and to identify and promote the use of effective and humane behavioral procedures that meet the educational and habilitative needs of individuals. In addition, ALABA strives to serve as a resource for political, legislative, and policy-making bodies in Alabama in ways that support the scientific and professional interests of behavior analysis. ALABA’s primary goals are to promote the profession of Behavior Analysis in the community, to disseminate responsibly to our communities about best practices in the field of behavior analysis, and to provide the best continuing education opportunities to members.
We will present on our annual accomplishments and events as well as announce our keynote speaker and related highlights for our annual Fall 2010 conference in Birmingham, AL. Our membership reaches out to neighboring states and we encourage anyone living in or moving to Alabama or a surrounding state to visit our poster to learn more about ALABA. |
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| 19. Florida Association for Behavior Analysis |
| JANET L. MONTGOMERY (Florida Institute of Technology), Mary M. Riordan (Boston Medical Center), Gretchen S. Thwing (AdvoServ), David A. Wilder (Florida Institute of Technology), H. Allen Murphy (Florida State University at Panama City) |
| Abstract: The 2008-2009 activities of the Florida Association for Behavior Analysis will be presented along with details for the 2010 conference. |
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| 20. North Carolina Association for Behavior Analysis |
| R. M. (DUKE) SCHELL (J. Iverson Riddle Developmental Center), Jennifer Deacon (North Carolina Association for Behavior Analysis), Ya-Yu Lo (University of North Carolina at Charlotte), Mark Stafford (Murdoch Developmental Center), Beth Schmitt (Murdoch Developmental Center), Kelly Sutton (J. Iverson Riddle Developmental Center), Nancy Poteet (J. Iverson Riddle Developmental Center), Jason Boye (University of North Carolina at Greensboro) |
| Abstract: NCABA celebrates its 21st anniversary in 2010. The NCABA board has already put together an outstanding list of speakers for our annual conference February 17-19, in Winston-Salem, including Ray Miltenberger, ABAI President from the University of South Florida, Tim Vollmer, ABAI Applied Representative from the University of Florida, Jerry Shook, Chief Executive Officer for the Behavior Analysis Certification Board, Denny Reid, Executive Director of Carolina Behavior Analysis & Support Center, Tim Ludwig, Editor, Journal of Organizational Behavior Management from Appalachian State University, Jeannie Golden from East Carolina University, Jim Bodfish from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and others.
The NCABA conference will feature at least six workshops offered for both behavior analyst and psychologist continuing education credits. In addition attendees will be able to receive between 10-16 additional behavior analyst CEs for about $30 making NCABA a great value for BCBAs and BCaBAs in NC and surrounding states.
Please visit our great NCABA website (www.nc-aba.com) for news of the conference and upcoming events and to view our NCABA Newsletter.
“Catch someone doing good!” |
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| 21. Southeastern Association for Behavior Analysis |
| KAREN G. ANDERSON (West Virginia University), Dean C. Williams (University of Kansas), Kathryn Saunders (University of Kansas), Claire St. Peter Pipkin (West Virginia University) |
| Abstract: The Southeastern Association for Behavior Analysis (SEABA) is a regional affiliate of the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI). Like its parent organization, SEABA seeks to promote scholarly discourse within and about Behavior Analysis. SEABA membership and convention registration are open to anyone with a scholarly interest in Behavior Analysis. Current members include both academic and professional people, psychologists and persons in related disciplines such as education, psychopharmacology, and social work. |
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| 22. Texas Association for Behavior Analysis |
| Anna I. Petursdottir (Texas Christian University), Lori Ann Russo (Behavioral Innovations, Inc.), Duy Dang Le (Child Study Center), Manish Vaidya (University of North Texas), GORDON BOURLAND (Trinity Behavioral Associates) |
| Abstract: The poster will provide information regarding the Texas Association for Behavior Analysis (TxABA), an ABAI affiliated group and the statewide behavior analysis group for the State of Texas. The poster will provide information regarding the membership of TxABA, activities of TxABA (e.g., state conference, distributing newsletter, maintaining a website, maintaining a Facebook fan page, engagement in legislative and regulatory matters, promoting ABAI, providing consumer information, incorporating SIGs, providing professional workshops and presentations), behavior analytic activities of TxABA's members, officers of TxABA, and contact information for the organization. Information will be presented graphically (text and photos) and personally by members of the organization. Samples of materials developed and or distributed by the Texas Association for Behavior Analysis will be available. Persons viewing the poster will be more likely to talk accurately regarding the statewide ABAI affiliated chapter in Texas, behavior analysis activities in Texas and be more likely to have contact information regarding the organization and its officers than they were before viewing it. |
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| 24. California Association for Behavior Analysis |
| LEEANN CHRISTIAN (Regional Center of Orange County), Ethan S. Long (The Bay School), Michele D. Wallace (California State University, Los Angeles), Henry D. Schlinger (California State University, Los Angeles) |
| Abstract: The California Association for Behavior Analysis (CalABA) is one of the largest affiliated chapters in the Association for Behavior Analysis International, with over 1000 members from a variety of disciplines including psychology, education, social work, speech and language pathology, biology, ethology, and related medical fields interested in using behavior analysis to better our understanding of behavior and to improve lives.
CalABA is dedicated to the science of behavior analysis and committed to promoting research, education, and practice based on the principles of behavior analysis. The mission of CalABA is the advancement of the profession and practice of behavior analysis.
CalABA hosts the top regional conference on behavior analysis in the U.S. and regularly features well-known researchers and clinicians from all over the country. CalABA is the primary clearinghouse for research and training in behavior analysis in the Western region of the United States. |
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| 25. The Nevada Association for Behavior Analysis |
| JONATHAN J. TARBOX (Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Inc.), Kenneth MacAleese (Advanced Child Behavior Solutions, LLC), Nicholas M. Berens (University of Nevada, Reno), Molly Day (University of Nevada, Reno), Melissa Nosik (University of Nevada, Reno), Ainsley McPherson (University of Nevada, Reno) |
| Abstract: The mission of the Nevada Association for Behavior Analysis (NABA) is to promote intellectual exchange and professional development in behavior analysis in the State of Nevada. This poster will provide an update on developments in NABA over the past year, as well as describing the structure of NABA, the forms of membership, and the current officers and their roles. Data will be presented on membership and information will be given on upcoming events, such as the 2010 Nevada Association for Behavior Analysis conference. |
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| 26. Hawai'i Association for Behavior Analysis |
| JESSIE MITCHELL (Behavioral Counseling and Research Center) |
| Abstract: Aloha Kakou! Come meet HABA members. We are accepting abstracts for our up-coming 2010 HABA conference. Date TBA sometime in September 2010. Me ka `oia`i`o Jessie Mitchell, Ka Pelekikena past O HABA and Todd Addleson, Ka Pelekikena O HABA |
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| 27. The Experimental Analysis of Behaviour Group—United Kingdom and Europe |
| MICHAEL BEVERLEY (Wales Centre for Behaviour Analysis, University of Wales) |
| Abstract: The Experimental Analysis of Behaviour Group (EABG) is the UK’s leading behaviour analysis organisation. With over 400 members we have organised international meetings for over four decades. In the recent past our meetings have been held in the University College London and continue to provide an exciting forum for the dissemination and discussion of high quality behaviour analytic research from across Europe. The EABG now works in collaboration with the European Association for Behaviour Analysis (EABA) and holds biennial meetings. The next meeting of the EABG will be in held in London Easter, 2011. Recently we published the second peer reviewed special edition of the European Journal of Behavior Analysis (EJOBA) that was devoted to the April 2009 meeting of the EABG. The evidence from the EABG meetings suggests that behaviour analysis in Europe is faring well. The European Association for Behaviour Analysis, and its allied Journal the European Journal of Behaviour Analysis, mark exciting endeavours in the continuing development of behaviour analysis across Europe. |
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| 28. Icelandic Association for Behavior Analysis |
| KRISTIN GUDMUNDSDOTTIR (University of Akureyri), Atli F. Magnússon (State Diagnostic and Counseling Centre, Iceland), Thorhalla Gudmundsdottir (Service Centre of Miðborg and Hl&íacute;ðar, Reykjav&íacute;k, Iceland), Z. Gabriela Sigurdardottir (University of Iceland), Anna L. Petursdottir (School of Education, University of Iceland), Ingibjorg Sveinsdottir (Primary Health Care of the Capital Area), Jon Gretar Sigurjonsson (National University of Ireland, Galway), B�ra Kolbr�n Gylfadottir (Center for Child Development and Behavior) |
| Abstract: The Icelandic Association for Behavior Analysis (ICEABA) is a forum for people interested in the growth and development of behavior analysis in Iceland with the mission to disseminate and promote behavior analysis in Iceland. ICEABA’s members are students, teachers, social education workers, psychologists, parents, and behavior analysts. Behavior analysis is currently being taught at three universities in Iceland and many Icelandic graduate students are working towards, or have completed a degree in behavior analysis outside of Iceland, e.g. in the US, Norway and Britain. Last year, ICEABA celebrated its 5th anniversary and the 10th anniversary of the e-mail discussion board ísabar. Furthermore, ICEABA’s first convention was held last November where its members presented their research and discussed the past and future of behavior analysis in Iceland. Other projects include the continued development of an electronic lexicon of behavior analytic terms in Icelandic, the publication of a peer reviewed web journal in behavior analysis and dissemination of reliable information about evidence-based behavior interventions in Iceland. |
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| 29. Norwegian Association for Behavior Analysis |
| TERJE GUNDHUS (Norwegian Association for Behavior Analysis), Jon A. Lokke (Ostfold University College Norway), Erik Arntzen (Akershus University College) |
| Abstract: The Norwegian ABA is a registered non-profit organization. Membership is open to anyone interested in behavior analysis and its application. At present it has 900 members, and its steadily growing. The organization is run by a Board of nine members with full executive powers, chaired by a president. There are several regional affiliated chapters and two special interest groups. The Board is elected at the annual General Assembly. The Norwegian Association is an affiliated chapter of the ABA international. |
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| 31. Manitoba Association for Behaviour Analysis |
| KIRSTEN M. WIRTH (St. Amant Research Centre, the University of Manitoba), Kerri L. Walters (University of Manitoba) |
| Abstract: The Manitoba Association for Behaviour Analysis (MABA) is an affiliated chapter of ABAI. Our mission is to disseminate information about behaviour analysis to Manitobans, to correct misunderstandings of behaviour analysis, and represent our membership in issues related to behaviour analysis in Manitoba. To this end we have lead meetings with other agencies and formed new partnerships. We are currently working with the University of Manitoba’s ABA program faculty to ensure students will have the necessary requirements to register as Psychologists. We also have advocated for increased ABA faculty at the U of M, and have volunteered to host faculty candidates. We have produced 2 newsletters a year and advertise key articles with non-behaviour analytic educators. We are holding our 4th annual conference this October very well-known behavioural speakers, and working towards increasing our non-behaviour analytic attendance. We are also considering various ways to provide behaviour analytic services to the general public. |
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| 32. Ontario Association for Behavior Analysis |
| DARRYL R. NURSE (ONTABA), Carobeth Zorzos (ONTABA), Lisa A Israel (ONTABA) |
| Abstract: ONTABA, the Ontario Association for Behavior Analysis, is an Affiliate Chapter of the Association for Behavior Analysis International. ONTABA currently has members from professions such as education, nursing, health care and psychology.
Our Vision:
Fostering a culture of excellence, integrity, and expertise for the advancement and promotion of the science of behavior analysis.
Our Mission:
To demonstrate leadership, knowledge, and innovation in education, training, and research for the ethical and effective application of behavior analysis. |
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| 33. ABA of Brazil |
| MARTHA HÜBNER (University of Sao Paulo) |
| Abstract: The Brazilian Association of Psychotherapy and Behavioral Medicine (ABPMC) was founded on November, 4th, 1991. Its objective is to congregate psychologists, researchers, professors, and students who are interested in scientific and technological developments in behavior analysis.ABPMC,the Brazilian ABA chapter, currently has 4,500 names registered in its mailing list. Each year for the past six years, 1,600 people have attended its convention.Today, ABPMC has 1,800 members. coming from all over Brazil. Many regional meetings have been held with around 400 people attending each one. If we consider the annual meeting and the regional meeting, we have 3500 behavior analysts meeting each other every year. For 2010 and 2011 ABPMC headquarter is going to be in São Paulo city and for 2011 we are planning to organize a Latin American meeting in Behavior Analysis. Since 1999, ABPMC also publishes a regular journal called Revista Brasileira de Terapia Comportamental e Cognitiva (Brazilian Journal of Behavior and Cognitive Therapy). ABPMC also publishes a book series, named Sobre Comportamento e Cognição (About Behavior and Cognition), which has already published 24 volumes in applied and basic research areas. In 2009 Behavior Analysts have been discussing better ways of political representation for the field within government institutions, so as to increase the power and the inclusion of the field in the mainstream of the decisions that support the development of research and the diffusion of the knowledge produced by behavior analysis. Congruent with this, ABPMC played an important role in the defense of the behavioral analytic approach to autism, which was attacked by psychoanalysis, in reaction against a Rio de Janeiro´s government decision that institutionalized behavioral treatment to autism. In 2009 the annual meeting is going to take place in Campos de Jordão, a mountain city near the capital of the state – São Paulo, the largest city in South America. The president of the association is Martha HÜbner and the president of the annual meeting is Denis Zamignani. To submit papers to the convention or to get more information about it, go to www.abpmc.org.br |
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| 34. Japanese Association for Behavior Analysis |
| SHIGEKI SONOYAMA (University of Tsukuba) |
| Abstract: Japanese ABA was established in 1981 with around 100 members. In 2010, we have almost 850 members and have lots of activities: holding annual convention, publishing journals, publishing newsletters, and so on. In this poster, we will show you the history and current activities of our association, and exhibit books in Japanese about the ABA. |
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| 35. Taiwan Association for Behavior Analysis Expo |
| YI-FENG HUANG (Taichung Autism Education Association), Sharon W. Chien (SEEK Education, Inc. - Taiwan), Shu-Hwei Ke (SEEK Education, Inc. - Taiwan), Charlie Chen (SEEK Education, Inc. - Taiwan) |
| Abstract: The poster will present the development of Taiwan ABA and recent events during the past year. The overview section will include the objetives of the organization, the members, and the way to disseminate information about applied behavior analysis. Secondly, the BCBA and BCaBA certification program will be described to the audience. Thirdly, international conference and training program provided for the past year will be introduced in detail. Future plan, such as promoting BCBA exam to Chinese, and the collobration of China and Taiwan's association, etc will also be discussed at the Expo. |
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| 36. New Zealand Association for Behavious Analysis (NZABA) |
| REBECCA SHARP (University of Auckland) |
| Abstract: This poster outlines the activities of the New Zealand Association for Behaviour Analysis, an affiliated chapter of ABAI. It also provides information about the graduate programs at various universities in New Zealand. Further information can be found on our website at www.nzaba.org. |
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| Special Interest Groups |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 8:30 PM–11:00 PM |
| Exhibit Hall A (CC) |
| 1. ABAI Health, Sport, and Fitness Special Interest Group: Current Activities and Future Directions |
| MARIANNE L. JACKSON (California State University, Fresno), Amanda N. Adams (California State University, Fresno) |
| Abstract: Presentation of the current SIG activities, membership data, and plans for future growth. |
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| 2. ABAI Verbal Behavior Special Interest Group |
| ASHLIE LINDER GRILL (Florida State University), Season Almason (Western Michigan University), Judah Axe (Simmons College), Traci M. Cihon (University of North Texas), Kerry A. Conde (Florida State University), Danielle Lise LaFrance (Therapeutic Pathways, Inc.), Sarah A. Lechago (Florida State University), Caio F. Miguel (California State University, Sacramento) |
| Abstract: The VB SIG is a part of the Association for Behavior Analysis and is dedicated to the study of "language" from a behavior analytic point of view. Students and professionals involved in this SIG are dedicated to the advancement of verbal behavior research and treatment approaches. |
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| 3. All Students Can Learn and All Teachers Can Be Successful!
Direct Instruction Special Interest Group |
| PATTY L. POLSTER (St. Louis University), Wendy L. Kozma (BEACON Services) |
| Abstract: To be effective, the instructional process must be efficient and designed to maximize learner engagement. However, effective instruction further requires that the educator be knowledgeable and skillful in several critical domains. The successful educator is able to identify the essential skills or learning objectives to be taught and utilizes effective procedures for teaching those skills; this includes evaluating, selecting, and modifying instructional programs and materials to meet the unique needs of the learner. The effective instructor utilizes assessment data to appropriately place learners and to regularly monitor their progress. The successful educator utilizes effective lesson presentation techniques including appropriate pacing of instructional tasks, attending to the motivation of learners, and the diagnosis and correction of learner errors. Finally, the effective instructor analyzes assessment data and uses assessment results to guide instructional decision making. Please attend the Direct Instruction SIG business meeting and join us in promoting research-validated instructional practices! |
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| 4. Applied Animal Behavior Special Interest Group |
| CHRISTY A. ALLIGOOD (Disney's Animal Kingdom, Education and Science), Indya N. Watts (Chicago School of Professional Psychology), Jennifer L. Sobie (The Creature Teacher), Terri Bright (Simmons College) |
| Abstract: The Applied Animal Behavior (AAB) SIG brings together individuals who specialize in or have an interest in the application of behavior analysis to the appreciation, understanding, and management of animal behavior across species. The AAB SIG has three primary purposes: 1) To promote behavior analytic research and the exchange of scientific information in the area of animal behavior; 2) To advocate for and promote high standards in the application of methods and techniques of behavior change with animals in applied settings; and 3) To support and promote excellence in the education and research practices of individuals dedicated to the study and management of animal behavior in applied settings. Membership of the AAB SIG is diverse and includes academicians, researchers, and practitioners from a variety of disciplines dedicated to, affiliated with or interested in animal behavior in applied settings. We welcome new members who share our interest in animal behavior and applied behavior analysis. The AAB SIG offers an annual student research award in honor of Marian Breland Bailey. This competition is open to all graduate and undergraduate students presenting their research during the annual ABAI conference. |
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| 5. Behavioral Gerontology Special Interest Group |
| ALLISON A. JAY (University of Colorado at Colorado Springs), Jonathan C. Baker (Western Michigan University), Linda A. LeBlanc (Auburn University), Stacey M. Cherup (University of Nevada, Reno), Nicholas Mui Ker Lik (Southern Illinois University) |
| Abstract: Behavioral Gerontology is the application of behavior analysis to aging and age-related issues (LeBlanc, Raetz, & Feliciano, in press). By the year 2030, nearly 20% of the American population will be over the age of 65. Nearly every specialty area within the field of behavior analysis will be affected, as most areas have an older population. As individuals get older, they are forced to deal with the various issues that are unique to this time in life. However, many of the clinicians trained to work with certain populations do not have the additional training to deal with the behavioral issues that occur in aging settings. The mission of the Behavioral Gerontology Special Interest Group is to provide intellectual, clinical, and organizational support to professionals interested in aging and to foster behavior analytic research in aging. Additionally, we provide support to professionals in other areas of behavior analysis to help them affectively deal with aging issues. |
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| 6. Behaviorists for Social Responsibility |
| JOHN E. GLASS (Collin County Community College), Stephen E. Wong (Florida International University), Patrick S. Williams (University of Houston-Downtown) |
| Abstract: Behaviorists For Social Responsibility are a Special Interest Group of the Association for Behavior Analysis: International. The mission of Behaviorists for Social Responsibility is to act to expand applications of behavior analysis and cultural analysis addressing social issues, particularly those with social justice, human rights, and environmental implications. Activities of BFSR include: 1) expanding and strengthening the community of behavior analytic scientists working in areas of social importance, providing mutual stimulation and reinforcement for this work, and supporting and challenging each other in deepening it; 2) encouraging advances in the emerging subdiscipline of cultural analysis, in which many promising approaches to dealing with important social issues are grounded; 3) expanding access to current experimental, applied, and conceptual analyses related to social issues and cultural analysis worldwide, through publication of the scientific journal Behavior and Social Issues; 4) encouraging behavior scientists and practitioners to take practical action challenging oppression, in solidarity with those who are most at risk; 5) expanding public awareness of behavior analytic and cultural analytic principles and practices that can contribute to addressing social issues and challenging oppression; and, 6) expanding presentations and programming related to social issues at the annual Association for Behavior Analysis: International convention, and other scientific and professional venues. |
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| 7. Clinical Behavior Analysis Special Interest Group |
| THOMAS J. WALTZ (University of Nevada, Reno) |
| Abstract: The Clinical SIG will be presenting information on opportunities and developments in clinical behavior analysis. Please stop by and learn more about this exciting area of behavior analysis. |
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| 8. Developmental Behavior Analysis Special Interest Group |
| GARY D. NOVAK (California State University, Stanislaus) |
| Abstract: The mission of the Behavior Development Bulletin is to provide behavior analysts with peer reviewed scientific information of interest to the behavior community, including research in cognitive development, child emotional development, developmental theory and socialization. Since its inception, the BDB journal has published articles of an inter - and multidisciplinary nature including areas of socio-biology and behavioral methodology. The BDB journal is especially relevant to behavior analysts who study the developmental processes responsible for behavior changes and their progressive organization. The BDB journal hopes to provide answers by looking at the biological and environmental factors that affect behavioral development, while maintaining primarily interest in the role of environmental contingencies in behavior change. |
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| 9. Evidence-Based Practices Special Interest Group |
| TERI LEWIS (Oregon State University) |
| Abstract: The Evidence-based Practice Collaborative, a Special Interest Group of the Association for Behavior Analysis, was founded in 2007. The purpose of the Evidence-based Practice SIG is to promote socially important behavior by facilitating effective and sustainable practices in real world settings. Our goal is to develop a SIG that reflects member input and focuses on a select number of activities that can be completed within the year. Come by to learn about past and future activities and find out how you can become involved with our SIG. Our goal is to develop a SIG that reflects member input and focuses on a select number of activities that can be completed within the year. It is important that we focus our efforts on those activities that are meaningful and achievable. |
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| 10. Experimental Analysis of Human Behavior Special Interest Group |
| MANISH VAIDYA (University of North Texas), Eric A. Jacobs (Southern Illinois University Carbondale) |
| Abstract: The EAHB-SIG aims to promote the development of the experimental analysis of behavior with human subjects. The SIG maintains The Experimental Analysis of Human Behavior Bulletin, an online journal for the publication of human research, and sponsors a yearly student paper competition. The EAHB SIG also presents a Distinguished Career Award at the annual ABAI conference. |
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| 11. Rehabilitation and Independent Living Special Interest Group |
| CHRIS PERSEL (Centre for Neuro Skills) |
| Abstract: The Rehabilitation and Independent Living Special Interest Group focuses on networking professionals that work in the field of acquired brain injury and related neurological deficits. Areas of interest include neurobehavioral programs, skill acquisition and relearning, community re-entry, military related brain injuries, funding, current trends, research, jobs and internships. |
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| 12. Sex Therapy and Educational Programming Special Interest Group |
| FAWNA STOCKWELL (The Chicago School of Professional Psychology) |
| Abstract: The area of sex therapy and education is one that makes many people personally uncomfortable. As such, it has often been ignored, with most unfortunate implications. In addition, only a limited amount of sexual
research has been published to date by the behavior-analytic community. The Sex Therapy and Educational Programming SIG is a Special Interest Group of ABA International with the mission of advancing the use of behavior analysis in the study and treatment of human sexual behavior. This SIG brings together clinicians, researchers, educators, consumers, and families who are concerned with issues of sexuality education and sex therapy. This Special Interest Group will help to promote the use of empirically verified sex education and therapy techniques and materials, and will also promote basic and applied research on the topic of human sexual behavior. |
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| 13. Speech Pathology Special Interest Group |
| BARBARA E. ESCH (Esch Behavior Consultants, Inc.), Tracie L. Lindblad (Four Points), Jamie M. Severtson (Western Michigan University) |
| Abstract: The Speech Pathology (SPABA) SIG poster will provide information about the SIG’s mission and the mission-related member activities during the past year. The SIG’s mission is to promote dissemination of behaviorally oriented speech and language research and the application of evidence-based practices relevant to the full range of services provided by speech and language professionals. Expo attendees to our poster will receive information about: SIG membership and its benefits, resources that are available on the SIG website, and opportunities for participation on various SIG committees. The poster will also present credentialing information for speech pathologists interested in pursuing the behavior analyst credential. Take away materials will include a hand-out of the poster, the SIG brochure, a description of a behavioral approach to speech pathology, and a SIG business card. In addition, a few SIG members will be available at the poster for informal discussions with visitors and to answer questions and, in general, promote interest in the dissemination of behavioral interventions for speech and language disorders. |
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| 14. Spreading the Word: Dissemination of Behavior Analysis |
| JOSH PRITCHARD (University of Nevada, Reno), Sorah Stein (Outreach Services of Indiana), Thomas G. Szabo (University of Nevada, Reno), Enedelia A. Sanner (Independent Behavior Analyst), Jennifer A. Potterfield (Independent Behavior Analyst), Michelle Turan (University of Windsor), Amanda Kelly (SEEM Collaborative), W. Joseph Wyatt (Marshall University) |
| Abstract: A review of the past year of this SIG whose mission is to disseminate the science of
behavior to the public at large through the promulgation of easy to understand explanations of what exactly this science is, and help society realize the potential of this science as well as
dispel myths which detract from its positive image. |
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| 15. Teaching Behavior Analysis: A Special Interest Group of ABAI |
| CHRISTINE HOFFNER BARTHOLD (University of Delaware), Patrick S. Williams (University of Houston-Downtown) |
| Abstract: If you teach others to change behavior, this SIG is for you! Teaching Behavior Analysis (TBA) is a special interest group of the Association for Behavior Analysis International. TBA's purpose is simple-- to improve the teaching and learning of the principles and applications of behavior
analysis in any setting where those activities occur. Our members are not limited to individuals who teach in traditional colleges and universities; we come from a variety of settings. Those settings include formal classrooms; agencies and organizations that design behavioral interventions for children, adults, and animals; business concerns that provide performance management training for their personnel or consultees; and homes where the main concerns are caring and effective child-raising, supportive family relationships, and enjoyable, well-mannered pets. Our activities include an active email listserv (TBA-L) and a social networking site.
Collaborations that began on TBA-L have resulted in presentations at ABAI and other professional meetings. Please stop by and check out what we are all about! |
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| 16. The Behavior Analysis Online Special Interest Group: Current Status of the Special Interest Group and Journals |
| JOSEPH D. CAUTILLI (Behavior Analysis and Therapy Partners) |
| Abstract: This ABAI EXPO Poster is a presentation of the BAO SIG which oversees the management and publication of online journals within the field of behavior analysis. In the past year, we have experienced many significant changes in the operation and staffing of the journals and have also begun a new journal. A new website for the journals was necessary and we are slowly directing our readership to the new site and continue to publish the journals as free, open-access online journals. The journals have high readership in the U.S. and around the world and are listed in the DOAJ, as well as EBSCO, J-GATE, and now with PSCYINFO, and other online lists. The journals operate with a predominantly volunteer staff with significant contributors and leaders in the field from universities as well as behavioral practitioners serving on the editorial boards. Current statistics and listing of journals and links, as well as contacts for submissions, will be included in this poster. We wish to dedicate the poster to the memory of Craig Thomas, Ph.D., BCBA, a significant innovator, website developer, contributor, behavior analyst and great friend. |
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| 17. The Organizational Behavior Management (OBM) Network |
| SARAH VANSTELLE (Western Michigan University), Jeana L. Koerber (Western Michigan University), Heather M. McGee (Western Michigan University) |
| Abstract: The Organizational Behavior Management (OBM) Network, founded in 1982, exists in order to develop, enhance, and support the growth and vitality of Organizational Behavior Management through: Research, Education, Practice, and Collaboration. The OBM Network is a non-profit organization, whose members are consultants, academicians, students, employees, managers, supervisors, and executives. OBM is a science-based approach to improving human performance and execution in organizations. OBM produces significant and measurable outcomes in behavior change, organization and culture change, organizational management systems, and process improvement. OBM practitioners have a bottom-line focus and their work shows substantial and continuing financial impact to organizations. Individuals interested in applying behavioral principles to the improvement of performance in business and industry are encouraged to visit the OBM Network poster to learn more about OBM, the OBM Network, membership benefits, and the 2011 OBM Network Conference. Informational and promotional materials will be available for all visitors and OBM Network staff will be on hand to discuss the Network and its activities, as well as to answer any questions about the Network and the 2011 OBM Network Conference. |
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| 18. The Positive Behavior Support Special Interest Group (PBS-SIG) |
| ROBERT F. PUTNAM (The May Institute) |
| Abstract: The Positive Behavior Support Special Interest Group (PBS-SIG) of the Association of Behavior Analysis is dedicated to promoting research-based strategies that combine applied behavior analysis and biomedical science with person-centered values and systems change to increase quality of life and decrease problem behaviors. The overall goal of the PBS SIG to promote the use of positive behavior support interventions in schools, communities, agencies and in homes and support practitioners in its use. The PBS SIG addresses members of ABA engaged in experimental and applied analyses of behavior who are interested in positive behavior support. Established in 2005, the goals of the SIG are to promote and disseminate positive behavior support within ABA. |
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| 19. The Standard Celeration Society |
| Kelly J. Ferris (Organization for Research and Learning), WILLIAM J. HELSEL (AGILE@PLEA), Regina G. Claypool-Frey (California Association for Behavior Analysis), Charles T. Merbitz (Chicago School of Professional Psychology), Michael Fabrizio (FEAT of Washington), Richard M. Kubina Jr. (Penn State University) |
| Abstract: Since 1990 the Standard Celeration Society (SCS) has comprised a collegial organization for all persons who use Standard Celeration Charts to monitor and change human behavior frequencies. The society’s heritage lies greatly in Precision Teaching and its founder Ogden R. Lindsley, who in 1972 (p. 9) named Precision Teaching because "what was really new in our procedure was precision, we decided to use that as an adjective in front of whatever it was one was doing: hence in our case, "precision teaching." Lindsley (1971) hoped that the standard recording and charting system would be used throughout the behavioral fields as Precision School Psychology, Precision Social Work (Green & Morrow, 1972), Precision Speech Therapy (Johnson, 1972), and so on. Dr. Lindsley’s greatest contribution as written in tribute by T. V. Joe Layng was his showing “that bringing frequency to the people revealed not only his heart, but the heart that resides in the science of human behavior as well.” The Society encourages the development and growth of a science of human behavior and learning, and promotes using the Standard Celeration Chart to further that objective. Ultimately, we have a society to create a more loving, less fearful world. |
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| 20. Autism Special Interest Group |
| RUTH M. DONLIN (Private Practice) |
| Abstract: The Autism SIG has three primary purposes:
1) To promote behavior analytic research and the exchange of scientific information in the area of autism treatment; 2) To advocate for and promote high standards in the application of behavior analytic treatments; and 3) To support consumers of ABA services. |
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| 21. Parent Professional Partnership Special Interest Group |
| DAVID A. CELIBERTI (Association for Science in Autism Treatment) |
| Abstract: The Parent-Professional Partnership Special Interest Group (PPP SIG) was created in 2001 to help address the needs of parents within the ABAI community. The PPP SIG provides information, networking opportunities and resources for parents attending the annual ABAI Convention. Although the bulk of our efforts center around autism spectrum disorders, parents of children with other disorders and disabilities may be interested in learning more about the SIG. Our ongoing initiatives include:
• Helping parents involved in applied behavior analytic (ABA) services become more familiar with ABA through information, resources and links
• Providing parents with access to accurate information from other existing resources via links or summaries
• Sharing information with parent attendees prior to the ABAI convention
• Hosting an orientation to parent newcomers at the start of the ABAI convention
• Sponsoring formal conference events that target issues of significance to parents
• Creating opportunities for networking
• Providing a forum for discussion of objectives at our annual business meeting |
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| 22. Association for Science in Autism Treatment |
| DAVID A. CELIBERTI (Association for Science in Autism Treatment) |
| Abstract: The vast array of "proposed treatments" for autism can be both overwhelming and confusing for consumers. Sadly, there is not a shared commitment to empirical validation, research, and data-based decision making amongst providers. The Association for Science and Autism Treatment (ASAT) strives to be an important resource for individuals with autism, family members, professionals, and paraprofessionals, in fact, for anyone interested in reliable, science-based and accurate information about autism and its treatments. Founded in 1998, the mission of the ASAT is to disseminate accurate, scientifically sound information about treatments for autism and to improve access to effective, science-based treatments for all people with autism, regardless of age, severity of condition, income or place of residence. For more information please visit ASAT's website at www.asatonline.org. |
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| Other Organization |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 8:30 PM–11:00 PM |
| Exhibit Hall A (CC) |
| 1. The European Association for Behaviour Analysis |
| ERIK ARNTZEN (Akershus University College), Giovambattista Presti (Libera Universita di Lingue e Comunicazion), Javier Virues-Ortega (CIBERNED, Carlos III Institute of Health), Ricardo Pellón (Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia), Neil T. Martin (European Association for Behaviour Analysis) |
| Abstract: The European Association for Behaviour Analysis (EABA) is an international organisation that aims to promote Behaviour Analysis in Europe and to provide an international forum within Europe for the study and discussion of matters relevant to behavior analysis. One of the main functions of EABA is to organize congresses in experimental and applied behaviour analysis. The next conference will be held in Crete in September 2010. |
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| 2. Division 25 of the American Psychological Association |
| ERIC A. JACOBS |
| Abstract: Division 25 was founded in 1964 to promote basic research in the experimental analysis of behavior, to encourage applications of such research to human affairs, and to cooperate with other divisions whose interests overlap with the Division. Division 25 is also the voice of behavior analysis within the APA. If behavior analysts are not strongly represented in APA, then APA is unlikely to advocate for us when they speak with government officials, funding agencies, and to the general public. The stronger our numbers, the louder our voice. Stop by the poster at this year's expo to learn more about Division and about how you can help simply by joining. With annual dues as low as $22 the time to join Division 25 is now. |
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| 3. Cambridge Center for Behavior Analysis |
| PHILIP N. CHASE (Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies) |
| Abstract: Founded in 1981 by Robert Epstein, the mission of the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies is to advance the scientific study of behavior and its humane application to the solution of practical problems, including the prevention and relief of human suffering. CCBS delivers trustworthy information about behavioral services and science primarily through its website. CCBS sponsors a variety of small select conferences on topics most important to our community. CCBS also accredits organizations for workplace safety and is developing similar accreditation of effective human service practices using empirically tested and demonstrably effective practices in their programs. CCBS offers streaming videos presented by prominent behavior analysts for continuing education credit and other educational objectives of our audience. CCBS's newest initiative is for preserving and presenting a variety of videos over the Internet. CCBS also offers a wide selection of carefully screened books, videos, journals, and monographs of behavioral theory and applied programs. CCBS is committed to global dissemination of evidence-based solutions to behavioral problems in homes, schools, and at work. |
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| 4. Advanced Training at the Kennedy Krieger Institute and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine |
| Tessa Taylor Rivet (Kennedy Krieger Institute), EBONY HOLLIDAY (Kennedy Krieger Institute), Jennifer L. Crockett (Kennedy Krieger Institute), Michael F. Cataldo (Kennedy Krieger Institute) |
| Abstract: The Department of Behavioral Psychology at the Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine provides training in behavioral psychology as it applies to individuals with developmental disabilities and pediatric problems. This training program, which has been in existence for over 30 years, is comprised of an American Psychological Association (APA) accredited predoctoral internship program (APA accredited since 1988) and a postdoctoral fellowship program. Since the inception of this training program, it has become one of the leading training programs in applied behavior analysis and behavioral psychology. Over 350 individuals have completed a predoctoral internship or a postdoctoral fellowship. The Department is committed to providing a training environment that facilitates the development of future leaders in the field of behavioral psychology. We maintain a distinguished faculty who serve as role models for trainees. Our faculty, who hold academic appointments at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, have a highly regarded record of research in the areas of severe behavior disorder, functional assessment and analysis, pediatric feeding problems, behavioral pediatrics, parent training, drug and behavior interactions, and functional MRI. |
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| 5. AdvoServ Programs |
| JUDITH E. FAVELL (AdvoServ), James F. McGimsey (AdvoServ), Terry J. Page (AdvoServ), Cheryl L. Ecott (AdvoServ), Kelly A. Dancho (AdvoServ) |
| Abstract: AdvoServ
AdvoServ has specialized in serving individuals with severe behavior disorders for 40 years. Our residential, educational, and vocational programs promote independence and enhanced quality of life for children and adults with developmental disabilities and acquired brain injury. Behavior analysis serves as the primary method of treatment, both for teaching alternative behaviors and reducing maladaptive responses.
AdvoServ currently offers programs in three states, ranging from intensive behavior units to community group homes Delaware programs serve children and adults in mid-Delaware near Maryland. Florida programs serve children and adults near Orlando. New Jersey programs serve adults throughout the state.
Applied Behavior Analysis is the primary treatment approach in clinical, residential, educational, and vocational programs. We are seeking Behavior Analysts who will work within our team concept to design behavioral programs that rely on functional analysis and positive, person-centered teaching strategies. Become part of a team that values systematic staff training and development, 24-hour data collection, and intensive instruction in functional skills. |
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| 6. Autism Behavioral Research Individualized Treatment and Education |
| GINGER R. WILSON (The ABRITE Organization), Janice Doney Frederick (The ABRITE Organization), Rebecca S. Raas (The ABRITE Organization) |
| Abstract: ABRITE provides early intervention services to children with autism and other developmental disabilities throughout Santa Cruz County, California. ABRITE utilizes the principles and methods of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) in order to analyze a child’s specific needs and develop an individualized learning environment and program of instruction. The ABRITE treatment model consists of several instructional strategies based on the principles of behavior analysis including: discrete trial and natural environment teaching, function-based communication training, rate building, and verbal behavior instruction. In addition to intensive home-based services, ABRITE provides children and families with several other forms of assistance including: (1) function based assessment and treatment of undesirable behaviors, (2) parent training, and (3) classroom assistance.
ABRITE is comprised of a compassionate team of individuals who care deeply about children and who believe that autism does not define a child. ABRITE emphasizes the importance of a team approach to intervention and views parent involvement and training as essential components of intervention. We believe that further development and dissemination of validated practices will be the way by which families and science can unite to improve the lives of children with autism and other developmental delays. ABRITE offers a number of employment and training opportunities to undergraduates, graduates, and postgraduates. |
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| 7. Clinic 4 Kidz: Intensive Home-Based Pediatric Feeding Disorders Program |
| MEETA R. PATEL (Clinic 4 Kidz), Jennifer Leigh King (Clinic 4 Kidz), Michelle L. Waddell (Clinic 4 Kidz), Nissa Wendy Goldberg (Clinic 4 Kidz), Aida Miles (Clinic 4 Kidz) |
| Abstract: Clinic 4 Kidz is a home-based pediatric feeding disorders program and a small percentage of our practice also provides intensive treatment to children with autism. We provide services for children birth to 12 years of age. We treat children with a variety of feeding problems such as tube dependence, food refusal, texture and type selectivity, bottle dependence, ritualistic eating patterns etc. Diagnoses include (but are not limited to) failure to thrive, developmental disabilities (e.g., autism, down syndrome etc.), prematurity, gastroesophageal reflux, and other gastrointestinal problems. Treatment is provided in the child’s natural environment (e.g., home, school, restaurants etc.). Our clinicians travel all over the country to provide state of the art feeding therapy to children with a variety of difficulties. Clinic 4 Kidz strives to provide quality clinical services as well as conduct clinically significant research. The clinical research that is conducted focus on the assessment and treatment of feeding problems in children. We also have a long-term outcome measures research project that all clinicians are involved in. We are always looking to hire behavior analysts who have both clinical and research interest in the area of pediatric feeding disorders and/or autism. |
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| 8. Behavioral Services of Tennessee:
"Creating Real Opportunities for People to Live Successfully in the Community" |
| CYNTHIA MARGARET ZELLER-GONZALEZ (BSTN), Carrie G. Peacock (Behavioral Services of Tennessee) |
| Abstract: Since 2001, BSTN has offered specialized community based residential services for individuals with a history of severe behavior challenges. When first referred to our program, these individuals present major health and safety risks to themselves and others that made it impossible for them to live in traditional residential settings. Today, they enjoy life in the community with all of the environmental accommodations needed to improve their quality of life. Using the science of behavior analysis, human factors and organizational behavioral management, BSTN offers customized person centered programs to assist each individual in acquiring and maintaining independence, quality of life, physical and mental health in their residence and in the community.
We provide residential, day and behavior therapy services to individuals diagnosed with autism, mental retardation, mental illness and traumatic brain injury in need of support. BSTN promotes a high involvement of parents, conservators and other natural supports available within the community to maximize the service recipients benefit of this comprehensive plan |
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| 9. Association of Professional Behavior Analysts |
| GINA GREEN (Association of Professional Behavior Analysts) |
| Abstract: The Association of Professional Behavior Analysts (APBA) is dedicated exclusively to serving the needs of professional practitioners of applied behavior analysis (ABA). Its primary mission is to support practitioners who are credentialed by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB), but APBA also serves others who are interested in the practice of ABA, such as other professionals, consumers, and policymakers. This poster will describe APBA's mission, accomplishments, membership categories and benefits, sponsorship and affiliation opportunities, and plans. |
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| 10. FoxyLearning: Online Tutorials for Higher and Continuing Education |
| ERIC J. FOX (FoxyLearning), Daniel J. Moran (FoxyLearning) |
| Abstract: FoxyLearning provides fully online, interactive, multimedia tutorials focused on behavior analysis. The tutorials are designed for easy integration into courses and can be completed for Type 2 continuing education units for maintaining certification as a BCBA or BCaBA (FoxyLearning is approved by the BACB to offer Type 2 continuing education). Tutorials on verbal behavior and relational frame theory are currently offered. This poster offers further details about the tutorials, guidelines for integrating them into a course or training program, and information for content experts interested in working with FoxyLearning to develop new tutorials. |
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| Around The World |
| Saturday, May 29, 2010 |
| 8:30 PM–11:00 PM |
| Exhibit Hall A (CC) |
| 122. Behavior Analysis at James Madison University |
| STEPHEN H. ROBERTSON (James Madison University), P. Andrew Halsey (James Madison University), Sherry L. Serdikoff (James Madison University) |
| Abstract: This poster will summarize the Behavior Analysis Concentrations in the James Madison University Department of Psychology undergraduate major and the Psychological Sciences MA Program in the Department of Graduate Psychology. We will describe the curriculum, student activities, research interests of our faculty, and admissions criteria. |
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| 123. Canada’s First Bachelor’s Degree In Behavioural Psychology |
| GARY A. BERNFELD (St. Lawrence College, Behavioral Psychology), Sheelagh Jamieson (St. Lawrence College, Behavioral Psychology), Marie Line Jobin (St. Lawrence College, Behavioral Psychology), Andrew W. McNamara (St. Lawrence College), Deborah Smith (St. Lawrence College, Behavioral Psychology) |
| Abstract: St. Lawrence College has offered a new Bachelor of Applied Arts (Behavioural Psychology) degree since September 2004. This program provides the most comprehensive training in the behavioural sciences at the undergraduate level in Canada. Students are trained in the latest behavioural techniques used in a variety of areas such as acquired brain injuries, autism, addictions, developmental disorders, psychiatric disorders, and special education, as well as adult and youth corrections. Graduates may pursue additional post-secondary education (e.g. graduate school in this area, as well as in teaching, social work, etc).
The major areas of study within the program are ABA and cognitive behaviour therapy, as well as behaviourally-orientated courses in Abnormal and Developmental Psychology, Statistics, etc. Classroom based courses combined with three practicum opportunities [totalling over 1100 hours] ensure both knowledge and skill development in assessing behavioural patterns and designing effective programs to achieve behavioural change and skill development. The program has received strong support from past ABA presidents as well as recognised leaders in both research and applied settings across North America.
For more information, see http://www.stlawrencecollege.ca. First go to ‘Full-time Studies’, then select ‘Degree Programs’ and select ‘Bachelor of Applied Arts Degree in Behavioural Psychology’. |
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