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| The Unusual Suspects: Myths and Misconceptions About the Picture Exchange Communication System |
| Monday, May 31, 2010 |
| 1:30 PM–2:20 PM |
| Ballroom A (CC) |
| Area: VBC/AUT; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| BACB CE Offered. CE Instructor: Kimberly Berens, Ph.D. |
| Chair: Caio F. Miguel (California State University, Sacramento) |
| Presenting Authors: : ANDREW S. BONDY (Pyramid Educational Consultants) |
| Abstract: The first presentations about the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) were offered at ABAI conventions in 1987. The foundation for the system and its teaching protocol are found in Skinner’s analysis of verbal behavior. Since that time, research and interest about PECS has expanded significantly—at the 2009 convention there were 15 papers and posters about and involving PECS. Publications about the system and its protocol also have increased notably with over 60 publications worldwide. Despite this popularity—or perhaps because of this popularity—myths and misconceptions about PECS and its use abound. These range from early questions, such as “Can we do PECS and applied behavior analysis?” to recent comments such as, “You can’t do PECS and verbal behavior.” While there is an emphasis upon manding early in the protocol, practitioners often do not move toward tacting and intraverbal use. There also are ongoing concerns about the relationship between PECS and speech development, including confusion about what augmentative communication effects are all about. We will review these and other concerns about PECS and its use. |
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| ANDREW S. BONDY (Pyramid Educational Consultants) |
 Andrew S. Bondy, Ph.D. has over 40 years experience working with children and adults with autism and related developmental disabilities. He served for over twelve years as the Director of the Delaware Autistic Program. He has taught numerous university level courses for teachers and specialists regarding autism, behavior analysis, curriculum design, effective instruction, and functional communication training. He has presented regional, national, and international workshops concerning educational, behavioral, and communicative issues pertaining to preschool children through adults with autism. |
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| An Introduction to Using Genetics in Combination With Behavior Analysis to Understand Drug Abuse |
| Monday, May 31, 2010 |
| 2:30 PM–3:20 PM |
| Ballroom A (CC) |
| Area: BPH/EAB; Domain: Experimental Analysis |
| BACB CE Offered. CE Instructor: Anibal Gutierrez Jr., Ph.D. |
| Chair: Jesse Dallery (University of Florida) |
| Presenting Authors: : SUZANNE H. MITCHELL (Oregon Health and Science University) |
| Abstract: The tutorial will first provide an introduction to behavioral genetics. This introduction will outline the basics of population genetics and will describe different gene mapping methods. Then I will discuss how selective breeding, classical genetic crosses and inbred strain research in animals can be used to identify the amount of variation in behavior that can be attributed to genetics rather than environmental influences. I will also review techniques used with humans, including family history and genome-wide association studies. After discussing the positive and negative features of the various techniques, I will discuss examples of findings using different genetic mouse models that provide information about the shared genetics between self-control (delay discounting and behavioral inhibition) with alcohol drinking, alcohol withdrawal and sensitivity to the stimulating effects of methamphetamine. These examples will be used to demonstrate the critical role of behavioral phenotypes and operational definitions of behavior in moving this area of research forward. Implications of these findings for human drug-using populations will be assessed as well as the limitations of animal phenotypes. |
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| SUZANNE H. MITCHELL (Oregon Health and Science University) |
 Suzanne H. Mitchell, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) in the Behavioral Neuroscience and Psychiatry departments. She obtained her undergraduate degree at the University of Hull, England, and her Ph.D. at State University of New York at Stony Brook. Her research at OHSU uses lesion techniques and imaging to examine the basic neural processes involved in decision-making, including impulsive and risky decision making. Other research areas of interest include learning, cognition, and drug abuse. Dr. Mitchell has published extensively and lectures internationally on these topics. |
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| A Tutorial on Objective Methods for Determining the Values of Those We Serve for the Things We Recommend as Behavior Analysts |
| Monday, May 31, 2010 |
| 3:30 PM–4:20 PM |
| Ballroom A (CC) |
| Area: DDA/CSE; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| BACB CE Offered. CE Instructor: Mark O'Reilly, Ph.D. |
| Chair: Jennifer M. Asmus (University of Wisconsin-Madison) |
| Presenting Authors: : GREGORY P. HANLEY (Western New England College) |
| Abstract: The adoption of effective behavioral interventions and teaching strategies for young children is largely influenced by the extent to which stakeholders find the procedures appropriate and the effects important. Stakeholder values have been described as indices of social validity in applied behavior analysis, and these have typically been collected via indirect measurement. This reliance on verbal descriptions of values has inadvertently marginalized young children and adults with severe language impairments from full participation in the social validation process. In this tutorial, strategies for empirically-deriving the values of people with limited language abilities for interventions, teaching tactics, or habilitative and educational contexts will be described. |
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| GREGORY P. HANLEY (Western New England College) |
 Gregory Hanley, Ph.D., BCBA, has over 19 years experience applying the principles of learning to improve socially important behaviors of children and adults with and without disabilities. Dr. Hanley is currently an Associate Professor of Psychology and Director of the Behavior Analysis Doctoral Program at Western New England College. Dr. Hanley has published over 50 articles in peer-reviewed journals in areas such as the assessment and prevention of problem behavior, teaching tactics for young children, and evidence-based values. Dr. Hanley is a Senior Associate Editor for Behavior Analysis in Practice and its next Editor, and a past Associate Editor of The Behavior Analyst and of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. He was the 2006 recipient of the B.F. Skinner New Researcher Award by Division 25 (Behavior Analysis) of the American Psychological Association and was appointed a Fellow of the Association in 2007. |
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