Association for Behavior Analysis International

Noncompliance is a common childhood behavior problem leading to referral to behavior analysts and pediatric psychologists that has been effectively treated using three-step prompting and differential reinforcement of compliance. Researchers have successfully taught parents to implement this intervention package using behavioral skills training (BST). Although effective, BST is an intensive teaching strategy and the generality of the effects of training on parent and child behavior have not been assessed. The current study conducted a component analysis of the elements of BST (written instructions, modeling, and rehearsal with performance feedback) to determine the sufficient and necessary elements of training needed to teach parents to implement three-step prompting and DRA. Further, we assessed generalization of these skills across multiple instructional contexts with their children. The results indicated that the full BST package was necessary for all parents to reach mastery levels of correct implementation, but generalization was seen across untargeted tasks.

Employment is an influential factor in the quality of life for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (Lewis, 2011), but securing and maintaining gainful employment is difficult. Kaye and colleagues (2011) found that employers are reluctant to hire and retain workers with disabilities due in part to the cost of accommodations, need for supervision, the lack of skills, and the ability to perform a quality job. The importance of improving the vocational skills of students with disabilities has been highlighted in the provision of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) which stipulates the use of scientifically-based practices to address skill deficits during transition planning. This research examined the use of self-directed video prompting (SDVP) strategies to increase the acquisition of vocational skills for transition-age individuals with autism and mild intellectual disabilities through the use of a multiple probe across tasks design replicated across four participants. The results indicate all four participants acquired and maintained novel vocational skills, independently operated a handheld device from beginning-to-end, and transferred prompt dependence from the trainer to a handheld device. Results further showed that all participants assessed 10-weeks after intervention termination, successfully generalize newly acquired skills to untrained settings and materials at 100% accuracy.

Children with developmental disabilities may experience delays and impairments in their ability to speak and communicate with their parents, peers, and others. These children often benefit from evidence-based naturalistic behavioral communication strategies (NBC) aimed at alleviating the impact of their delay or disability on their communicative interactions with others and at to leading a more socially interactive life. Fortunately, many NBC strategies with strong empirical evidence of effectiveness exist (e.g., Kaiser, Hancock, & Trent, 2007; Meadan, Angell, Stoner, & Daczewitz, 2014). Some of these NBC strategies include, environmental arrangement, modeling, mand-modeling, and time-delay. These strategies all share the following basic components. First, teaching occurs in the natural environment during ongoing interactions between the child and the adult, typically during play or daily routines. Second, the child initiates the teaching episode by indicating interest in an item or activity, at which point teaching occurs around the childs expressed interest (e.g., snack). Third, the adult explicitly prompts the child to produce the target behavior (e.g., saying "more"). Fourth, the childs production of the target behavior is reinforced with the item or activity of interest (e.g., giving snack) (Delprato, 2001; Kaiser, Yoder, & Keetz, 1992). In our study, we sent parents of young children with communication delays or disabilities (e.g., Autism, Down syndrome) a survey to answer three research questions: (1) parents reported use of specific NBC strategies such as environmental arrangement, modeling, mand-modeling, and time delay, (2) parents perceptions about the effectiveness of their own NBC strategies, and (3) the influences on parent practice such as where and how they learned using NBC strategies. We will report on parental use of different NBC strategies, their perceptions on the effectiveness of these strategies, and their reports on where and how they learned to use NBC strategies. In this poster, we will further elucidate the NBC strategies that parents report using and contribute to extant literature by expanding our understanding of what parents of children with disabilities and language delays do to support the communication skills of their young children.

Growing evidence suggests that effective training programs can be successfully inherited with a train-the-trainer (TTT) model. The TTT model is a system in which trainers who have completed a training program educate new trainees. The authors examined the effects of the TTT model for three cycles to disseminate ABA-based early intervention strategies. The training program consisted of a didactic lecture, role-playing, performance feedback, and video feedback. In the first cycle, the authors served as the trainers, and six practitioners participated as trainees. In the second cycle, four practitioners who had participated as trainees in the first cycle served as trainers, and seven practitioners participated as trainees. In the third cycle, four practitioners who had participated as trainees in the second cycle served as trainers, and four practitioners participated as trainees. Trainees intervention skills were assessed with a 50-item fidelity list, and trainees knowledge level were also examined. The results showed that (a) all participants improved their fidelity and knowledge scores after the training, and (b) there was no significant differences on the scores among the cycles. The study showed that the TTT model was effective to train practitioners effectively and efficiently in the community settings.

Trial-based functional analyses were developed as a modification of traditional functional analysis procedures that can be conducted in applied settings by teachers and caregivers. Trial-based functional analyses might be as useful as traditional functional analyses for identifying maintaining consequences of problem behaviors and informing behavioral interventions. Trial-based functional analyses have been effectively conducted with young children in early childhood settings; however, this line of research is burgeoning and a limited number of published studies exist with young children with disabilities. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effectiveness of trial-based functional analyses conducted in early childhood settings with two young children who engaged in severe, persistent problem behaviors in collaboration with their teachers. One participant was a 34 month old boy with multiple disabilities who engaged in self-injurious behavior; the other was a 41 month old boy with autism who engaged in frequent tantrumming and object throwing. A trial-based functional analysis and a variation of the control-test ordered trial-based functional analysis were used to determine the functions of their problem behaviors. Results indicated maintaining functions of the problem behaviors for both children, which were used to develop and conduct interventions to reduce problem behaviors.

A number of research studies have indicated that repetitive behaviors (RRB) may create barriers to social and communicative opportunities by limiting access to educational and social opportunities (e.g., Boyd, Conroy, Mancil, Nakao, & Alter, 2007). Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities are likely to engage in RRBs; however, individuals with sensory impairments (e.g., blindness) may be more likely to engage in RRBs due to reduced stimulation from the external environment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate differences in the occurrence of RRBs among individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities who did and did not have sensory impairment. The Repetitive Behavior Scale (RBS-R) was used to assess the RRBs of 52 individuals (10 with impairment and 42 without impairment) admitted to a hospital in patient unit for the treatment of severe problem behavior. Results indicate that children with sensory impairment had significantly higher scores on the RBS. These results suggest that individuals with sensory impairment may be more likely to engage in more severe RRBs due to the lack external stimulation, and that sensory impairment may be a risk factor for the development of RRBs.

The current study serves an importance as it may provide individuals with disabilities a portable method for contacting the present moment during their work routines. To add, this method may allow individuals to therefore increase their work productivity and as a result, increase their pay. The present study aims to identify the role brief mindfulness, a component of Acceptance and Commitment Theory, plays on work productivity using a reversal design. The number of permanent products created by three participants diagnosed with intellectual disabilities and who held jobs at a rehabilitation site, were recorded. These data were recorded by counting the number of products created for a duration of one hour. During the intervention, a researcher will provide a mindfulness session that is specific to the type of job each participant engages in for 15 minutes, immediately before the participant reengages in their job task. The mindfulness package will include the participant being asked to notice five things in their work environment and then participate in a guided mindfulness session of completing one of their work products. Preliminary baseline data are included. Intervention will first begin with participant number two and data collection is expected to be completed within 3 months

The current study examined whether a mother of a 7 year-old autistic girl could be taught to train her daughter to use an alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) device to communicate. In Study 1, a multiple treatment design (A-B1-B2-B3 design) was used to increase the child's communication spontaneity using pictures. The mother provided verbal prompts and extinction with different amount of communication opportunities across the intervention phases. In Study 2, a multiple treatment design (A-B-BC-D1-D2-A') was used to teach the child to use a communication app on an iPad to communicate. Verbal prompts, response blocking and least-to-most prompting were applied in different phases. Results showed the child succesfully taught by her mother to use an AAC device to communicate basic needs. The child's communication behaviors were also generalized to a different communication partner, and maintained for a month.

Variable Momentary Differential Reinforcement of Other Behavior (VMDRO) schedules involve delivering reinforcement for the non-occurrence of problem behavior at variable "check-in" intervals (i.e., if problem behavior is absent at the moment of check-in). The current data set describes a replication of this procedure with a single participant receiving treatment for high-rate attention-maintained aggressive behavior. The VMDRO procedure began with an initially dense schedule of reinforcement delivery and was gradually leaned up to 10-min intervals while maintaining nearly zero levels of aggression. These data add to the limited literature supporting the efficacy of these procedures.

Two analyses were conducted with a 34-year-old male who presented multiple mental health diagnoses and a history of repeated psychiatric hospitalizations following disruptions in his vocational placements and capacity for independent living. The first analysis was conducted in his home and focused on garbage disposal associated with the accumulation of food and food products. A system to measure the accumulation of such material was adapted from studies of homes involving child neglect. A token-based reward system was used in a changing criterion design to encourage his disposal of such material. Tokens were exchangeable for items the participant requested. The results indicated a change in this aspect of household management and these results were maintained in a follow-up phase. The second analysis was conducted at the participant’s workplace and involved his interactions with co-workers whom he had alienated by making threatening and rude comments. This analysis employed a multiple baseline across behaviors(greetings, smiles, waving) and included a limited component analysis of the effects of in-situ coaching, social praise for socially appropriate greetings, and physical prompts (a wristband) to "remind" him to greet peers in a friendly manner. Coaching and prompts were gradually faded and normative data on his peers' engagement in these "friendly behaviors" were gathered. The results indicated significant levels of improvement in his social behavior which, according to his employer, enabled the participant to retain his job.

Deficits in adaptive behaviour are commonly shown by children with developmental disabilities (Ase et al. 2012). Stokes et al. (2004) stated that hygiene skills affect ones quality of life and social relationships. Differential reinforcement is an effective method of promoting appropriate behavior (Petscher & Bailey, 2008). In addition, prompting is a commonly used and effective in teaching new skills to children with developmental disabilities (Grow et al., 2009). Using indirect assessment and direct observation the factors relevant to the accelerate target behaviour of shower hygiene routine were identified, for a 14-year-old girl in a residential treatment program, diagnosed with a developmental disability and ADHD. A changing-criterion design was used, and a task analysis of the target identified its key components DRA and prompting was implemented to increase the showering target behaviour. The participant gained immediate points in the residential programs existing token economy and received backup social reinforcement. The data showed that the target behaviour increased 170.60% from baseline. A visual analysis, using PND, of the intervention designed to increase all components of the shower hygiene routine, showed that it was effective. The data showed an increasing trend, as the behaviour improved throughout the intervention, and it demonstrated social validity.