Association for Behavior Analysis International

Applied animal behavior analysts strive to assess problem behavior in a way that limits fear, anxiety and stress for the animal, and keeps both the animals and the humans safe from harm. Without the advantage of a verbal interview of the animal or of a crystal ball, this can be challenging, and consistent methodologies are needed. These studies investigate new ways to work with owners and adopters to view simulations of past behaviors and to assist in predicting future behavior.

Those Behavior Analysts who are studying the principles of stimulus control as they may be used to assess dog behavior.

Separation-related problem behaviors (SRPB), such as excessive vocalization, defecation/urination, and destruction are a common problem in dogs and a common cause of their relinquishment. Detecting the potential for SRPB in shelter dogs could help shelters provide more targeted behavior counseling and better placement decisions. We tested whether we could predict post-adoption behavior of shelter dogs from an in-shelter test. We tested 27 shelter dogs. After interacting with the dog for 30 min, we left it alone in the room and video-recorded its behavior. We coded behaviors associated with SRPB as well as those not associated with SRPB (e.g., play or passive behavior). We contacted adopters approximately 6 mos after adoption to determine dogs’ at-home behavior. We assessed the time-course of different behaviors of individual dogs across the 30 min test as well as the individual dogs’ time allocation between different behaviors. Comparing the in-shelter behavior with post-adoption reports, we found that increased time engaged in panting and escape-related behaviors were predictive of dogs being more likely to show SRPB after adoption (binary: yes or no), but that the amount of time a dog engaged in a behavior did not predict more continuous variables such as frequency or intensity of SPRB.

When dogs exhibit aggression toward one another, it has an impact on owners’ lives, from reduced ability for conspecific socialization, to limited ability to be in safe proximity to other dogs in public and at home. The level of aggression could be mild, as in a hearty growl, or dangerous enough that another dog could be injured or killed; and humans could also be injured, even killed, trying to break up a fight. Applied animal behavior clinicians and Shelter workers must make the most ethical and safe choices when it comes to evaluating dog-dog behavior. The behavioral principle of stimulus control is valuable in that a plush “stuffed” dog that looks very much like a “real” dog may be introduced to a patient and elicit or evoke behavior as a real dog might. In this study, a methodology was developed in a veterinary hospital whereby stuffed dogs were manipulated in the presence of a patient so their behavior in close proximity to another dog could be assessed safely. The dogs’ owners then confirmed whether the behavior matched what they had seen in the past, allowing the behavior analyst to safely see the patient’s behavior and to design the best treatment.

Recent technological advancements have the potential to vastly improve the strategies and tactics behavior analysts use to promote behavior change. These technologies have the potential to increase the efficiency of instruction, improve procedural fidelity and allow for the remote delivery of covert prompting and feedback to learners and clinicians. During this symposium, three presenters will describe their investigations incorporating various technological advancements into applied behavior analysis therapy settings. This will include a review of an intelligent agent (IA) used to guide clinicians working in vocational rehabilitation settings with adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD); the use of the Tactile Awareness Prompting System (TAPS) to evoke distinct social responses in children with ASD; and the use of the Apple Watch to contingently deliver covert remote tactile stimulation as a reinforcer for on-task behavior in a child diagnosed with autism. The potential benefits and challenges of successfully incorporating these types of technologies to improve behavioral therapy will be discussed.

This presentation is appropriate for practicing behavior analysts and supervisors.

Tactile stimulation can be used to privately prompt or provide feedback for a variety of behaviors. However, technological limitations have primarily resulted in narrow investigations of tactile stimulation delivered on a time-based schedule delivered by a device like a Motivader or WatchMinder. Recent advances in smart phone and watch technologies have created new ways for practitioners to deliver tactile stimulation privately and remotely to shape behavior. The aim of this presentation is two-fold. First, to share the results from initial investigations utilizing this technology to reinforce on-task behavior in a young child diagnosed with autism. Second, to discuss the advantages and applications of utilizing tactile stimulation as a prompt or reinforcer. Discussions will center around using this technology to preserve the privacy and dignity of clients by covertly shaping performance; prompt behavior based on environmental events independent of scheduled times; deliver feedback quickly, quietly, and remotely without interrupting interactions; and fade dependence on tactile prompting and feedback.

Children with autism often have deficits in generalization of skills and generalization has to often been directly programmed. Matrix training and multiple-exemplar training are two ways to effectively program for generalization. This symposium has two studies that will demonstrate the application of these two generalization strategies. Specifically, the first study will use matrix training to establish a generalized repertoire of direction following. This study will also discuss the implication of the size of matrix and efficiency of generalization. The second study will examine the effects of multiple exemplar training to establish a generalized repertoire of play sequences in young children

Graduate students and professionals

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the effects of implementing a diagonal matrix training layout to teach a generalized repertoire of direction following to four male preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) using two different sized matrices (i.e., 3x3 and 5x5). A multiple probe across participants experimental design was implemented to compare generalization efficiency. Participants were taught trained combinations using a constant prompt delay and a model prompt. Correct responding was defined as the participant performing the correct action and then selecting the target stimulus (e.g., “Jump to bowtie”) within 5 s of the discriminative stimuli. In addition, generalization was assessed on untrained direction combinations for within and across matrices. Interobserver agreement, procedural integrity and social validity was also assessed. The results demonstrated that matrix training led to generative responding across all participants and maintained up to four weeks after training was completed. Additionally, it was demonstrated through an efficiency measurement that a 5x5 matrix produced the fastest rates of generalization acquisition when compared to the 3x3 size matrix.

Children with autism (CWA) often lack play skills. CWA engage in repetitive manipulation of play materials (MacDonald et al., 2005) and are more likely to respond invariably to leisure materials than their typically developing peers (Bancroft et al., 2016). Current play research shows a variety of teaching methods have been used to teach play behavior, however play is often lacking novelty and generalization. The purpose of the current study was to examine the effects of combining an in-vivo model and multiple exemplar training to teach 9 dress up play sequences across 3 themes (fire fighter, chef, and doctor). One participant was trained on 9 dress up play sequences using in-vivo modeling. Probes across the 9 dress up play sequences were conducted to test for mastery and generalization within and across play themes. Results indicated increases in differentiated play, pretend play, and scripted play from that observed during baseline sessions.

The current symposium presents three papers examining behavior analytic strategies for teaching language flexibility, social planning, and social skills. Individuals with autism spectrum disorder often display rigid, inflexible interests (American Psychiatric Association, 2013), behaviors (Cruz et al., 2013), and cognitions (Van Eylen et al., 2011). The first paper analyzes the effects of a multiple exemplar training package on skill acquisition of language flexibility via a “shades of gray” continuum, wherein participants’ language rigidity or a “black and white” approach in categorizing concepts dichotomously is anticipated to correspondingly decrease. Planning involves the predetermination of a set of actions toward a goal (Hayes-Roth & Perrault, 1979) that requires consistent monitoring (Hill, 2004), and social planning involves engaging in a complex chain of behaviors to plan a social outing, event, interaction, or goal. The second paper evaluates the use of gamification as a method to increase social planning skills in individuals with autism using a multiple baseline across participants design. The third paper provides a review of behavioral procedures used to teach social skills to individuals with autism and developmental disabilities, with an emphasis on evaluating the extent of generalization observed.

BCBAs

Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder often display rigid, inflexible interests (American Psychiatric Association, 2013), behaviors (D'Cruz et al., 2013), and cognitions (Van Eylen et al., 2011). Such rigidity can often lead to difficulty in functionally integrating into society, building, and maintaining relationships. However, there is a paucity of research on teaching individuals with Autism language flexibility skills. This study uses a nonconcurrent multiple baseline across participants design to evaluate the effects of utilizing a shades of gray continuum intervention via a multiple exemplar training treatment package, consisting of contingent least-to-most error correction and reinforcement, to increase language flexibility in responding across individuals with Autism. Treatment entails creating a series of continuums that display the ‘shades of gray’ between two dichotomous terms that are relevant to individual participants’ everyday lives. Current data represent baseline performance across three participants followed by initiation of the intervention with participants one and two. Given the immediate change in level across both participants, data thus far is encouraging and suggests that the multiple exemplar training package will be effective in increasing language flexibility by responding with shades of gray comparative to baseline performance. Future data is to be collected in order to determine if the intervention continues to yield acquisition via increasing trend and limited variability. Finally, future data will also be collected on the continued baseline performance of the third participant, as well as the introduction of the intervention.

Social skills enable individuals to access to a variety of reinforcers across people and settings within their community. The absence of these skills is detrimental in that it hinders the development of successful social-emotional relationships that limits meaningful interactions with others (Goldstein & Naglieri, 2013). While social skills trainings are developed and implemented more consistently in ABA-based programs, a systematic review of these procedures has yet to be conducted to evaluate the extent of generalization outcomes across responses, settings, people, and time. Our aim is to provide a resource for practitioners to identify effective social skills training protocols for children, adolescents, and young adults (ages 3-22) that includes a generalization component and ensures the generalization of treatment effects. This literature review includes 60 studies (32 have been completed, and 28 are still in the process of data collection) from the last 20 years obtained from behavioral journals. The social skills evaluated included play skills (n=6), conversational skills (n=6), non-verbal social skills (n=2), perspective taking (n=3), and social interactions (n=11). The studies are classified according to their training format and setting, the intensity and length of training, the training procedures, and outcomes, including probes for generalization and maintenance. Generalization was trained in 23 of 32 studies and tested in 27 of 32 studies. Generalization was observed for 87 of 103 participants across all studies. Maintenance was observed at various points in 19 of 32 studies. These results will be discussed with the aim of generating a repository of information about generalization in social skills to inform clinical practice and provide directions for future research.

In the last decade, the applications of acceptance and commitment training (ACT) has exploded within behavior analysis practice. The scope of ACT investigations, however, has been somewhat limited to efforts within the autism spectrum disorder (ASD) population. To that end, the present symposium seeks to expand the empirical reach of ACT to populations outside that of ASD, and discuss the overarching implications of using ACT as a viable, behavior-analytically-rooted approach in a thoroughgoing fashion.

intermediate

Few studies have examined the effects of contextual behavior science interventions for adult athletes with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Those few, reviewed herein, show preliminary empirical support for treating behavioral deficits exhibited by young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder engaged in competitive sports. In the current study, we evaluated a novel iteration of Acceptance and Commitment Training called Watch Me Try and compared it to direct contingency management to facilitate athletic performance of young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder using a concurrent multiple baseline across participants design. The title and language used in establishing the intervention were geared specifically to the social development of the participants. All three athletes increased their attendance, heart rate, and length of falls during training to simulate desired performance during competitions and subsequently, their competition performances improved. One improved with direct contingency management alone; the other two required the Watch Me Try approach to bolster their performance.

Beyond the exponential growth in the professional practice of applied behavior analysis, measured by increasing numbers of certified behavior analysts, little is known regarding what factors mediate and stimulate said growth. This presentation examines the number certified behavior analysts there in the world, and specifically examines how we can help grow our field on the international stage. Using geo-coded data that does not aggregate state data and charts plotting dispersal of certified behavior analysts we can examine the equitable distribution of behavior analysts and identify areas needing support. The first analysis will review BACB certificant growth at the global level, while the second analysis will provide insights about what policies and/or resources are related with rapid certificant growth. Finally, a case example of grass-root efforts to stimulate growth in Ontario, Canada will be discussed. Attendees will leave this presentation with up-to-date information of certificant trends at the international level, some ideas for how to stimulate certificant growth using a grass-roots behavioral-systems approach, and learn about current front-line efforts to generate change in Ontario, Canada, and how these can be generalized to other geographic regions with appropriate cultural tailoring.

Certified practitioners in the field and educators in verified course sequences.

One variation of noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) involves delivering preferred items independently of responding. NCR is a common intervention for changing clinically significant behavior. However, few studies have evaluated the parameters that are necessary for NCR to be effective. This symposium includes within subject parametric evaluations assessing impacts of varying levels of treatment integrity during NCR and varying magnitude of NCR in applied settings. The first presentation includes two experiments in which commission and omission errors of varying degrees are superimposed on an effective NCR procedure with typically developing elementary school students. Effects of errors differed across error type and participants. The second presentation includes evaluations of effects of varying duration and quantity of noncontingent access to preferred items on compliance. All participants across both experiments exhibited more compliant behavior with higher magnitude noncontingent access. These parametric evaluations of NCR shed light on conditions under which NCR is an effective or ineffective behavioral intervention.

BCBAs Researchers

Noncontingent reinforcement (NCR), which involves the delivery of reinforcers independently of responding, significantly decreases challenging behavior when implemented consistently. Less is known about effects of inconsistent implementation, although these inconsistencies are likely common. In Experiment 1, we evaluated effects of reinforcing 20% and 80% of challenging behavior during Noncontingent reinforcement for students who engaged in challenging behavior maintained by access to items. In Experiment 2, we evaluated effects of omitting 20% or 80% of scheduled noncontingent reinforcers on the likelihood of challenging behavior for the same participants. Challenging behavior consistently occurred during baseline. Consistent NCR suppressed challenging behavior by at least 75% relative to baseline. Effects of reduced integrity implementation differed across participants and error type.

Behavior analysts know that our science can be applied to many different industries and social problems. One application of this is within the public service industry. Behavior Leader combined those who were traditionally trained as behavior analysts and those who were traditionally trained as firefighters to address common organizational problems within the fire service industry. Panelists will discuss four projects that cover two different applications of behavior analysis into fire stations as well as future directions. First, the panel will discuss diversity and inclusion issues within the fire service and how behavior analysis can be used to assess and address the diversity of the workforce and the culture that allows or does not allow inclusion of all. Second, the panel will discuss billing optimization of EMS services and how behavior analysis can be applied to create new systems that maximize payment of claims. Finally, the panel will discuss other opportunities where behavior analysts can extend our science into the public service world by working with fire fighters, police officers, elected officials, and military personnel.

Any individual that is a student or certified behavior analyst who is interested in applications of behavior analysis outside of the autism field.

This symposium will describe new methods that can be used across educational, medical, and psychiatric settings to improve the quality of data collection and increase the social validity of behavioral interventions. In the first study, the authors developed a data collection tool to evaluate the quality of behavior support plans developed for children with severe problem behavior in a community school. The authors demonstrated that by using the tool, they were able to determine the strengths and weakness of current behavior plans to obtain a measure of quality. The second presentation focuses on a treatment package for improving staff’s data collection. The treatment package included simplified data sheets, behavior clickers, and prompts. Results demonstrate that these strategies can improve the quality of data collection on an inpatient psychiatric unit. The final presentation focuses on increasing the amount of behavior data collected by nurses on an inpatient medical rehabilitation unit. This study expands on the findings from the second presentation by systematically evaluating the effects of prompts via an established medical records system. Results support the use of prompts as demonstrated by a significant increase in the amount of data collected by nurses in prompt conditions as compared to baseline conditions.

The target audience of this talk is any behavior analysist or supervisor who is responsible for monitoring and improving staff performance within a clinical setting.

Data collection is a hallmark of effective behavior-analytic therapy. Collecting accurate data permits a behavior analyst to evaluate the effectiveness of behavioral treatment. The current study evaluated the use of a clicker, simplified observation, and timer to improve accuracy of data collection on a psychiatric unit for children diagnosed with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Experiment 1, conducted within a combined multiple baseline across participants and reversal design, was an evaluation to identify an intervention package for four participants employed by the psychiatric unit. Interventions yielding the highest interobserver agreement (IOA) were highly individualized. Thus, we selected the most comprehensive intervention and exposed four additional participants to this intervention during Experiment 2. Results showed that this intervention improved IOA for these additional participants as evaluated within a multiple baseline across participants design. Results of the current study will be discussed to assist other behavior analysts improve data collection practices in hospital or school settings.

Patient’s behavior in the medical setting often interrupts medical care (e.g., refusal of care, removal of medical equipment, self-injurious, and aggressive behaviors). Direct behavioral measurements are essential to adequately design and evaluate the efficacy of behavioral interventions in an effort to provide appropriate medical care and ensure safety. Nurses have the most frequent contact with patients and are responsible for evaluating and documenting patients’ medical and behavioral information; however, nurses typically collect indirect measurements of behavior and psychological wellbeing rather than direct behavioral observations. The present study evaluated effectiveness of computerized prompts to increase nurses’ data recording behaviors in a subacute pediatric inpatient medical rehabilitation unit. Initial baseline data demonstrated that only 28.17% of intervals of behavior data were collected by nursing staff. Computerized prompts within the hospital’s electronic medical records system (Meditech) were implemented across five sets of nurses using an A-B-A-B reversals with one set, A-C-B-A-B-D-B reversal design with a second set, an A-B design with two sets, and intervention only condition with the final set. Percent of data collected was calculated using permanent products of weekly behavior data sheets. Results of the present study demonstrate that computerized prompts resulted in a clinically significant increase in the percent of data that were collected.

Practitioners and researchers who are interested in diversity-related issues in general; providers and educators who are interested in providing programs to Chinese populations.

There has recently been an increased interest in research on complex behavior such as imagining and problem solving. Problem solving is relevant to a variety of social, academic, and employment tasks, but we have little research to guide practices in these areas. In addition, behavior analytic researchers have only recently begun to evaluate the effects of prompting private events, such as imagining, on subsequent overt responding. The three papers in this symposium provide examples of how behavior analysts are pushing the boundaries in research on complex behavior. The authors of the first paper evaluated the effects of teaching skills to solve common social problems, the second sought to teach children with ASD how to imagine to answer complex questions, and the purpose of the third was to determine if there were any effects of instructing imagining on emergent relations.

Behavior analytic researchers or clinicians interested in learning more about recent advances in our understanding of private events and problem solving.

Intraverbals that children learn early in development (e.g., song fill-ins, chains) are often the result of simple stimulus control. As the intraverbal repertoire becomes more complex, it is rare that these responses are controlled by a single discriminative stimulus; rather they are under the control of multiple stimuli. The purpose of this study was to systematically replicate and extend the work of Kisamore, Carr, and LeBlanc (2011) by evaluating the effects of visual imagining training on multiply controlled intraverbals in children with ASD. We programmed for generalization by using multiple exemplars of stimuli and assessed across novel responses and a novel category. We included measures of external validity by including participant scores on several language assessments and we included measures of social validity of our stimuli, procedures, and outcomes. We predicted that there would be an increase in responding to the complex intraverbals following visual imagining training and that responding would generalize both within and across categories. Preliminary data suggest an increase in responding following training and some generalization across categories. However, generalization within categories is not as robust. Additional data collection is ongoing.

Typically, speech-generating device interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder have often involved discrete-trial approaches. Recently, there has been a trend towards using naturalistic developmental behavioral approaches for children with autism spectrum disorder. These approaches embed behavioral principles within natural contexts, routines, and social interactions. Natural communication partners (e.g., parents, peers) are also often involved in such approaches. There is a need for speech-generating device research that explores the utility of these more naturalistic approaches across a variety of device display formats. This symposium will explore how different speech-generating device display formats (including simple grid-based formats, dynamic navigational grids, and visual scene displays) can be incorporated into different natural routines (e.g., play, art activity, meal time, conversation) with natural communication partners (parents and peers). All three studies embedded a variety of behavioral techniques (e.g., prompting, time delay) into natural routines in order to encourage the use of speech-generating devices for communicative purposes. Results indicate that naturalistic interventions with behavioral components can be effective for teaching communication responses to individuals with ASD across a range of display formats.

The target audience for this event would be BCBAs and related practitioners with interests in behavioral approaches to speech-generating device interventions (e.g., special education teachers, speech-language pathologists).

This study evaluated the effectiveness of embedded naturalistic instruction for teaching multi-step speech-generating device (SGD) responses to three preschool-aged males with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Parents were taught to embed opportunities to request objects, request help, reject items, and make comments during every-day routines (e.g., play, meal time). During intervention, parents used time delay, prompting, reinforcement, and device proximity to encourage the use of two-step SGD responses on a grid-based display with category folders (e.g., vehicles, animals). The display format was selected based upon prior dynamic assessment to determine appropriate formats. Effects of intervention were evaluated using a multiple-probes across participants design. For object requesting, all three participants showed an immediate increase in responding that maintained at high levels. Other pragmatic functions also increased, but at a more gradual pace. All three participants showed generalized responding when new items were introduced, and when display pages with a larger array of folders and vocabulary items were assessed.

Social interactions are a critical component of quality of life. These interactions are often complicated for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), as they experience difficulty in participating in social interactions with their peers. The challenges of social interactions are further intensified for those adolescents with ASD who have difficulty with speech. Speech-generating device (SGD) interventions designed to support communication during social interactions with peers in natural environments are needed for these individuals. Video visual scene displays (video VSDs) capture dynamic routines that support communication. This study used a multiple-probe across participants design to assess the impact of an intervention using videos with integrated visual scene displays (video VSDs), presented on a tablet-based app, on the communication of four adolescents with ASD and complex communication needs and their peer partners. The automatic pausing of a video at key points served as a prompt for communication opportunities and provided the necessary vocabulary within the VSD. Following intervention, all four participants demonstrated an increase in communicative turns and in modes of communication used (including speech), suggesting that video VSDs may be an effective tool for supporting social communication.

The purpose of this symposium is to describe recent advancements in research on decision-making in the context of behavioral interventions. The first study will describe a decision tool designed to support behavior analysts and classroom teachers when conducting FBAs to inform function-based interventions. The second study will report results on the effectiveness of an instructional package consisting of a brief online training and a decision-making model on increasing the accuracy of instructional decisions made by preservice teachers and prospective behavior analysts. The third study will review a framework for modifying the objectives and approach of interventions for challenging behavior, based on both in-session and out- of-session outcomes. The fourth study reports results from translational application of probability discounting to evaluate how data accuracy affects the choices practitioners make during visual analysis.

Board Certified Behavior Analysts

Practitioners often decide to continue or modify an intervention using visual analysis of data paths that lengthen from session-to-session. We used a novel, lengthening data path procedure to parametrically assess how reducing data accuracy changed decisions to continue or modify an intervention in 30 students of behavior-analytic graduate programs. Additionally, because of potential similarities between data accuracy and probability, we examined how one probability discounting equation described individual choice. We found that decreasing data accuracy systematically reduced the number of sessions participants waited to modify an intervention for 25 of the 30 participants. When data accuracy was 100%, most participants waited 9-10 sessions before intervening. When data accuracy was below 60%, most participants waited 4-6 sessions before intervening. Lastly, the probability discounting equation described patterns of choice well for 16 participants. Data accuracy influenced most participants’ visual analyses in a systematic manner. However, the degree of influence differed between individuals.

The current symposium is comprised of four talks covering issues related to stimulus control. The first two presentations describe procedures for establishing equivalence classes and assigning either a positive reinforcement or negative puishment function to one member of the class. Tests of transfer of function showed that adult participants' appetitive or avoidance responses, respectively, may be conditioned by other members of the classes. The last two studies describe the possible role of verbal behavior in the formation of equivalence classes, as well as frames of comparison. Both study suggest that participants may engage in some form of problem solving (verbal mediation) to pass derived relations tests.

Basic researchers and clinical directors

The present study evaluated whether transfer of the avoidance response in equivalence classes is produced using the loss of points as the aversive stimulus. In the first phase of the experiment, 11 participants established two equivalence classes with four visual abstract stimuli each (Class 1: A1, B1, C1, D1; Class 2: A2, B2, C2, D2). In the second phase of the experiment, only one visual stimulus (B1) was paired with point loss. An avoidance response to B1 was then established. In the third phase of the experiment, the other stimuli were presented in a transfer of avoidance test. An avoidance response was established for all 11 participants, and the transfer of avoidance occurred for 10 of them. These results indicate that point loss can function as an effective aversive stimulus to maintain an avoidance response and produce transfer of the avoidance function in equivalence classes. The use of point loss may be a valuable tool in human operant research to substitute for other aversive stimuli with undesirable side effects.

Interteaching is a behavioral teaching method with growing empirical evidence supporting its efficacy. Over 30 published empirical studies have examined the effectiveness of interteaching in higher education. However, more research is still needed to examine the influence of different interteaching components and the methods used for instructional delivery. The first presenter will acquaint the audience with interteaching and describe results of a study which compared interteaching to standard lecture centered teaching with and without prep guides in an online asynchronous format. The second presenter will share results of a classroom study which compared two different methods of running the discussion component of interteaching. The third presenter will highlight the findings of a series of studies in which interteaching was first compared to another active learning strategy known as the Learning Pathway (LP), and then the addition of Say All Fast Everyday Shuffle (SAFMEDS) to interteaching was evaluated. The final presenter will discuss results of a meta-analytic review on the effectiveness of interteaching. Together, these four presentations illustrate current interteaching research in higher education.

Academics, supervisors, and teachers.

Interteaching is an evidence-based learning strategy that shifts the focus away from a passive learning model found in lecturing to a more active, student-centered learning methodology. It utilizes prep guides, small group discussions, clarifying lectures, and frequent testing. Several classroom studies have demonstrated that interteaching leads to better student comprehension and higher test scores. However, the specific strategy used in these studies vary slightly. The current study used a group design in one undergraduate course over two semesters to investigate how the removal of completed prep guides during the group discussion affected academic success. One group experienced the standard interteaching method, where students completed the prep guide prior to class and referred to their prep guide answers during the group discussion. The second group completed the prep guide prior to class, but then were asked to not refer to their answers during the in-class group discussion. Those in the second group had exam scores that were consistently lower and rated interteaching as less preferable than those who experienced standard interteaching. Results from this study should allow for more effective implementation of interteaching.

Whereas behavior analysts take due pride in the unique characteristics that distinguish us from mainstream psychology, those characteristics also distance us from psychology, cheating us of attention, recognition, support, and employment opportunities. Is it possible to remain true to our behavioral tenets, while improving our communication and presence in the larger intellectual community? If so, how do we go about it? We are fortunate to have Dr. Alan E. Kazdin, an early pioneer of behavior modification and expert in single case (N of 1) research designs in clinical and applied settings. He has succeeded in what we aspire to do--formulating and validating empirically grounded behavioral interventions, in particular for children and teenagers. He has been embraced by psychologists in general, having served as the president of APA and winning the APA gold medal for lifetime achievement. He also has a significant public audience (e.g. https://slate.com/author/alan-kazdin; https://time.com/author/alan-kazdin/ and https://amzn.to/2NiAp4c ). In this panel he will discuss with leaders in our field his thoughts about ways in which we can advance our agenda, and regain a seat at the table of empirically-based behavioral psychology writ large.

Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students.

The panelists will discuss recent developments at the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB). The most current data on the BACB’s certification programs will be provided: Board Certified Behavior Analyst, Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst, and Registered Behavior Technician. In addition, a number of recent and impending developments at the BACB will be described, including changes to certification standards and the development of new resources.

Behavior analysts with at least bachelors-level training

Restrictive and repetitive patterns of behavior can be observed in many children with autism through their food selections which may then evolve to feeding difficulties. Food refusal, food selectivity, and refusal to self-feed are three common categories of feeding problems in children with autism. Often times escape extinction is the intervention used to help minimize the feeding problems however this is not always feasible for implementation due to challenging interfering mealtime behaviors and parent concerns with the procedure. Interventions for increasing novel food acceptance without the use of escape extinction or other invasive procedures are important to analyze for implementation of least invasive procedures. Observational learning was implemented to increase novel food consumption and its effectiveness was demonstrated as evident from the participants’ flexible responding. Increasing self-feeding is also vital for health, and therefore, educational outcomes. The use of access to motor stereotypy as reinforcement for increasing rate of meal consumption is also examined.

Graduate students of Applied Behavior Analysis and practitioners

Restrictive patterns of behavior can be seen in many children with autism in their food selections which results in feeding problems. The three main categories of feeding problems observed in children with autism are food refusal, refusal to self-feed, and food selectivity. Interventions that prevent the child’s ability to escape from the food presented has demonstrated an increase in the children’s food acceptance but are difficult for caregivers to successfully implement away from the treatment team. This literature review includes 20 articles with 28 total participants that implemented feeding interventions without the use of escape extinction or punishment procedures have been implemented to increase food acceptance. Each article was analyzed across several dimensions (participants, setting, assessments conducted, experimental design, intervention implemented, and outcome and generalization). From this analysis, information regarding the use of positive practices for feeding intervention is discussed as well as limitations in current literature and suggestions for future research and clinicians.

Research addressing food selectivity has involved intrusive techniques such as escape extinction. It is possible that observational learning methods employed in previous studies could provide the desired results with respect to food selectivity without the need for invasive physical interventions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an observational learning procedure on the selection of food items of three children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Baseline consisted of a simple task after which a choice was presented between high- and low-preferred foods. The intervention consisted of observing an adult engage in the same task and selecting the low-preferred food while making favorable comments and engaging with the food in novel ways. The results of a reversal design demonstrated that selection of the low-preferred food only occurred following the introduction of the intervention, and all three participants engaged in flexible responding as a result of the intervention.

Experiential avoidance (EA), or attempts to escape unwanted internal experiences (e.g., thoughts, feelings) at the expense of long-term commitment to personal values, has wide-reaching effects for a variety of socially important problems. This symposium will explore EA in both its existing and potential forms of measurement. The first presentation will cover an analogue study which measures levels of EA by exposing adult participants to aversive sounds in the context of delayed reinforcement. The second presenter will discuss how an existing measure, the Avoidance and Fusion Questionnaire, was used to investigate avoidance as a moderation of sexual prejudice and political affiliation among a college student sample. Both studies found that EA could be measured reliably. The results of the first study prove useful to an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy model, as choices changed from smaller, sooner reinforcement to larger, later reinforcement - mapping on to valuing. The hypothesized moderating role of EA in the relationship between political affiliation and sexual prejudice investigated in the second study was found to be insignificant, and the authors will discuss potential reasons for this finding. Measurement limitations and future directions will be covered.

BCBA, Scientist-Practitioners, participants interested in Clinical Behavior Analysis

Experiential avoidance, which can be functionally defined as choosing short-term negative reinforcement over long-term values-oriented positive reinforcement, has been argued to be at the core of a large variety of socially important problems. Relatively little previous laboratory research has studied these functional relations and this study attempted to develop a laboratory preparation that pits shorter-term avoidance over longer-term positive reinforcement. Participants were exposed to choices between avoidance of an aversive sound (i.e., immediate, smaller negative reinforcement) or listening to an aversive sound for a period of time and accumulating money (i.e., delayed, larger positive reinforcement). Three experiments were conducted that evaluated varying magnitudes of delays to and the value of the positive reinforcer, in order to identify the point at which individual participants’ choices changed from the smaller, sooner reinforcer to the larger later reinforcer and vice versa. The potential applicability of this model is discussed as it relates to behavior problems that appear to involve experiential avoidance at their core. In addition, the implications for evaluating components of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) are discussed.

In this symposium, three studies will be described related to the application of stimulus equivalence to instructional design. In the first study, researchers compared two training structures (linear series and one-to-many) the effects of training structure on the acquisition of equivalence classes and transfer of function as compared to a condition in which participants were directly taught all possible relations. In the second study, researchers compared different contexts and contingencies and effects on equivalence class formation. Specifically, individualized EBI, group-based EBI with an interdependent contingency, and lectures were compared. In the third study, researchers examined how equivalence-based instruction could be implemented in a peer tutoring context with school-aged children. The researchers also examined how to distribute baseline conditional discrimination among tutors and tutees. Collectively, these studies inform best practices of procedures used to promote emergent responding and equivalence class formation across a broad domain of skill areas.

individuals interested in generative learning

A recent study (Oliveira & Petursdottir, in preparation) found that when comparing equivalence-based instruction (EBI) to complete instruction control (CI) using concurrent training, EBI did not inherently produce faster or better learning than CI. However, the study included only a single EBI training structure. The present experiment (a) evaluated the efficiency of linear series (LS) and one-to-many (OTM) EBI protocols relative to CI, and (b) assessed transfer of function following stimulus class formation. Sixty undergraduate students were randomly assigned to three groups (CI, EBI-OTM and EBI-LS), all of which received training to establish three 4-member stimulus classes. In the class establishment phase (ABCD training), the CI and EI groups were presented with 36 and 9 types of trials, respectively. After achieving mastery, the ABCD test included all possible trial types, with no feedback. After achieving criterion on the ABCD test, participants were taught to execute different motor responses to one stimulus in each class, and then received a transfer of function test with the remaining stimuli in each class. Preliminary results suggest that both EBI groups require fewer trials than the CI group to pass the ABCD test, and all groups perform equally well on the transfer-of-function test.

Service providers, behavior analysts, clinicians, higher education instructors, school professionals, teachers, people interested in philosophical issues

Acceptance and Commitment Training is a topic that has received substantial increased attention within the applied behavior analytic community in recent years. Among the most common concerns ABA practitioners have is about how to actually implement ACT inside of daily mainstream ABA service delivery. This symposium brings together four presentations that describe practical efforts at incorporating ACT into ABA agencies. The first presentation, by Michelle L. Zube, describes how to become versed in ACT and the ways in which organizations can expand professional development and scope of practice with ACT. The second presentation, by Ehren Werntz, describes the use of ACT as part of caregiver training. The third presentation, by Kate Harrison, describes the utility of ACT on a personal level and with colleagues to help reduce stress. The fourth presentation, by Erin Bertoli, describes the use of ACT with struggling youth, including when, why and how behavior analysts can do so while staying within their scope of practice. The symposium concludes with a discussion by Dr. Stuart Libman.

Board Certified Behavior Analysts. Parents are also welcome!

Students who engage in problem behavior in the classroom setting greatly challenge teachers and diminish the ability to learn (Chafee, Briesch, Johson, & Volpe, 2017). According to Public Agenda (2004), 77% of teachers polled stated their teaching practices would be more effective if they did not have to deal with discipline problems. This symposium will present four papers on improving student behaviors in school-based classroom settings. The first study evaluated the use of the Class Pass Intervention to decrease disruptive behaviors and improve academic engagement for students diagnosed with ADHD. Both the second and third studies focused on improving classroom behavior using self-monitoring combined with either Check In/Check-Out or the Individualized Behavior Rating Scale with students with a variety of disabilities. The final study presents a meta-analysis on the results of Tier 2 interventions used in school-based settings for improving behavior and academic engagement. Dr. Kwang-Sun Blair will serve as discussant.

BCBA's, BCaBA's, Educational Personnel including teachers, RBT's

Findings from previous research has shown that disruptive behavior can impair students’ academic success (Pierce, Reid, & Epstein, 2004), as well as increase teacher’s stress level (Westling, 2010). Class Pass Intervention (CPI) is a Tier 2 intervention designed to decrease disruptive behavior and increase academic engagement, however, thus far research on the effects of CPI has been limited to typically developing elementary and high school students with escape and attention-maintained problem behaviors. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of CPI on problem behavior and academic engagement of children with and without disabilities (i.e., ADHD) and students who engage in multiply-maintained problem behavior. The study used a multiple baseline design to assess experimental control. In the current study, CPI led to a decrease in problem behavior and increase in academic engagement for two students with ADHD and one student at risk of ADHD, all of whom engaged in problem behavior maintained by escape, access to attention, or both. In addition, results of a social validity assessment completed with teachers and students indicated that the intervention was effective and easy, respectively.

School Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) is a three-tier prevention system that helps decrease challenging behaviors with positive behavioral interventions and increase socially significant behaviors (Sailor, Dunlap, Sugai, & Horner, 2009; Sugai et al., 2000). Some students continue to struggle with following school expectations with only tier one supports in place and thus need additional supports. Because of this, tier two interventions have been created to help support these students. Self-monitoring and Check-In/Check-Out (CICO) are both tier two interventions within school-wide positive behavioral support and have been used independently to decrease problem behavior. This study combined these two interventions to teach students to monitor their own behavior and in addition get feedback from their teacher which is already a component of the CICO intervention. A multiple baseline across participants design was used to evaluate the effects of CICO with self-monitoring. Results indicated that CICO with self-monitoring was effective in reducing off-task behavior for one participant while two other participants required the addition of more immediate reinforcement to decrease off-task behavior.

One of the greatest challenges facing school staff is problem behavior in the classroom (Public Agenda, 2004). Children who engage in problem behavior in the classroom setting greatly challenge teachers and diminish the ability to learn. This study evaluated the effects of self-monitoring using the Individualized Behavior Rating Scale Tool (IBRST) on problem behavior and on-task behavior in a classroom setting using a multiple-baseline across participants design. This study also evaluated the extent to which students self-rating on the IBRST correlated with direct observation data. Results indicated that self-monitoring using the IBRST was an effective strategy for increasing on-task behavior and decreasing problem behavior for all three students. Results also indicated that the IBRST may be an accurate and reliable means of measuring data when direct observation data may not be feasible or possible. There were 56/60 perfect agreements, with the other four opportunities being only 1-pt value apart. Limitations and future research will be discussed.

This meta-analysis synthesized 33 single-subject design studies on Tier 2 behavior interventions implemented within the School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports. Tier 2 interventions are additional programs and strategies that can be implemented for students who require supported in addition to universal supports. The purpose of tier 2 interventions is to reduce the risk of academic or behavioral problems. The results of our meta-analysis indicate that the number of studies reporting Tier 1 treatment fidelity and outcomes for students at kindergarten and secondary grade levels are limited, and that the number of screening methods used for selecting target students is insufficient. Large effects were found for self-regulation, Class Pass Intervention and social skill instruction. Check-in/Check-out, group contingency, and multi-component interventions had moderate effect sizes. Moderator analyses indicated that there were different effect sizes across types of intervention, outcomes, and implementers. Limitations to this study and future research will be described.

In the 18 months since the 2019 CPT I billing codes for adaptive behavior took effect, members of the ABA Billing Codes Commission have worked to disseminate information, resolve problems, address concerns, and identify next steps. This presentation builds on the information presented in the workshop ABA Billing Codes Commission Presents: Is That Billable? Understanding How to Bill Ethically and Effectively. This presentation will provide an update on the work of the ABA Billing Codes Commission and will address recurrent questions, including the effort to increase uniformity in how the codes are interpreted; the proper use of Medically Unlikely Edits; the process to value codes; and the next steps in the Commission’s effort to bridge the gap between billable services and ABA that reflects best practices.

Behavior analysts

Through a set of exemplars that sample the range of stimulus and response topographies, multiple exemplar training aims to produce the full range of performances. The principle has been widely acknowledged and used in experimental psychology, in the experimental analysis of behavior, and in behavior-analytic applications. Behavior analysts have often referred to a history of multiple exemplar training to account for different generalized performances. Examples of such generalized performances are abstraction and concept learning, responding to relations, identity matching, rule following, behavioral variability, responding to wh-questions, describing past events, learning sets, and continuous repertoires. There is convincing evidence for the usefulness of multiple exemplar training with respect to many types of performances, even performances that involve relations between objects or events. Yet, there appear to be at least two important exceptions, where direct multiple exemplar training does not work well: (1) when there are no physical dimensions at all along which generalized performances can emerge, and (2) when the relation between antecedents and an effective response is complex. General limitations of multiple exemplar training as well as an interpretation of exceptions in terms of behavior-mediated generalization are discussed. Guidelines for more effective training for generalized skills are outlined.

Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students.

The session will cover the long history of how the outcomes of the BTBC-3 inform intervention and instruction for young children’s language development and success in school. The issues covered are of particular relevance for children on the ASD spectrum. Recent research using the Boehm Test of Basic Concepts-3: Preschool in a behaviorally-based preschool program has identified bi-directional naming as a key factor in the progression of learning, an issue to be explored in the session. The importance of relational concepts as measured by the BTBC for learning across all areas of learning, following directions and more complex problem solving will be presented along with strategies for intervention.

Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students.

Ann E. Boehm, Ph.D. is professor emerita of psychology and education at Teachers College, Columbia University where she continues to teach a course on early childhood assessment. She is the author of the Boehm Test of Basic Concepts (BTBC) which was the outcome of her dissertation and was seminal in identifying basic relational concepts as an important aspect of language development and essential for success across all areas of school learning. The test, now in in its third edition, consists of a preschool level (ages 3-5) and a school age level (ages 5-7). Outcomes of the test are helpful for identifying learning objectives and monitoring progress, The BTBC-3 is one of the few instruments available at these age levels in raised form and big picture versions for the blind and visually impaired (through the American Printing House for the Blind). She is the author of numerous books and articles. Her current research interests focus on the next version of the BTBC, direction following, intervention activities, and work with students on the ASD spectrum.

Preparing a manuscript for publication starts before you have actually engaged in the behavior of writing. You must determine whether your research has contributed something new and interesting as well as what audience might be interested in learning about it. Putting our hypotheses, methodology, and results on paper in a carefully constructed way is not an easy task and requires adequate training. Those who are new to this process—and anyone else for that matter—often find publishing to be an intimidating and daunting task. Thus, the publication process is approached with apprehension and wariness. Our goal is to reduce apprehension and build confidence by providing tips and advice on how to write and submit a manuscript for publication. A panel of experts will cover topics that range from the type of manuscript to submit and how to structure that manuscript to preparing a cover sheet for submission. Topics and questions will be solicited from ABAI members in advance, and time will be allocated for in-person questions.

Practitioners serving individuals who have interfering behaviors that impact learning and quality of life have an ethical and a legal obligation to assess maintaining variables and to develop a function-based intervention. Conducting a functional analysis has long been considered the gold standard in assessment and treatment of problem behavior. This symposium will present four papers addressing procedural variations of the traditional functional analysis or evaluations of staff training procedures. The first paper will examine the correlation between trial-based and traditional models of functional analysis for adults with autism in community settings. The second paper will present upon the comparative outcomes and social validity measures of trial-based functional analyses (TBFA) to a descriptive data collection method. The third paper will discuss training functional analysis skills with video modeling and video self-monitoring. The final paper evaluated the efficacy of computer-based instruction (CBI) on teaching how to conduct a TBFA with practitioners and evaluated the effects on implementing a TBFA with a confederate. Results are promising that CBI can lead to effective staff training. Collectively, these studies highlight advances in both procedural variations or staff training procedures of functional analyses.

BCBA

Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) displaying problem behavior face the additional challenges of limited funding and access to effective treatment, along with increased severity of problem behavior, when compared to children. Consequently, questionably effective descriptive assessment methods, such as ABC data, are frequently used. In a broader study evaluating effective treatment of severe problem behavior displayed by adults with ASD, trial-based functional analyses (TBFAs) were conducted to identify the reinforcing variables of problem behavior and guided effective functional communication treatments. Results and social validity of the TBFA were compared to the more common assessment approach used in settings providing treatment to adults engaging in problem behavior, ABC data collection, which many presume to be as effective and efficient, or more, than functional analyses. The two assessment approaches yielded inconsistent functions. Social validity questionnaires resulted in mixed overall preference; however, ABC data scored higher in ease/practicality and TBFA scored higher in objectivity/ effectiveness. These results support the use of TBFA, compared to ABC data, to effectively and efficiently assess problem behavior in adult settings.

Although standard functional analysis (FA) can be integral in the design of interventions for challenging behavior, FAs are rarely used. Reasons vary, but often include the amount of challenging behavior FAs evoke, ecological validity, and resource constraints. One viable alternative is trial-based FA (TBFA). TBFAs are conducted through a distributed-trial format, which limits the amount of challenging behavior that can be evoked. Further, TBFAs are typically conducted by indigenous implementers (e.g., teachers) in natural settings (e.g., schools). These simple adaptations address many concerns with FAs and with systematic approaches to intensive intervention (generally). This symposium highlights research, which expands the accessibility and utility of TBFA and trial-based intensive intervention. The first talk highlights a multitiered professional development curriculum aimed at training teachers to implement TBFAs and function-based interventions. The second talk demonstrates potential for establishing expertise on TBFA with minimal resources, using a partially automated training employing the behavior-skills training framework. The third talk extends this work by demonstrating that a similarly formatted training on trial-based FCT can facilitate effective intervention by caregivers with no formal training in behavior analysis. The final study highlights an approach to data analysis that appears to improve efficiency without sacrificing the accuracy of TBFA.

Practitioners

The trial-based FA can identify functions of challenging behavior in applied settings when resources needed to conduct standard FAs are unavailable. Previous research has demonstrated the potential of partially automated training packages to teach professionals to implement trial-based FAs with fidelity. In our study, we extend this work by using a partially automated training package to teach five caregivers to conduct trial-based FAs in their homes, summarize and interpret the data they collected, and independently identify the functions of the challenging behavior of their own children. We evaluated this training’s effectiveness using a multiple-probe across skills design. All participants mastered targeted competencies. These results might inform decisions about who is qualified to conduct FAs, and under what circumstances

Functional communication training (FCT; Carr & Durand, 1985) is ideal for addressing the problem behavior of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities because it increases functional communication while simultaneously reducing problem behavior. By adapting FCT to mirror trial-based FA formats described above, we may increase the feasibility of this highly effective intervention in naturalistic settings. In our study, we used a partially-automated training package, employing BST, to teach caregivers of children with IDD and challenging behavior to implement trial-based FCT. Using a withdrawal design, we analyzed the impact of caregiver-implemented trial-based FCT on the latencies of challenging behavior and functional communication. We also evaluated the extent to which caregivers could implement the intervention with fidelity. Preliminary results suggest caregiver-implemented trial-based FCT can be conducted with fidelity and can effectively reduce problem behavior in home settings. This finding suggests that, with limited support from trained professionals, it can feasible and effective to train indigenous implementers to conduct FCT in their homes.

In this symposium the authors will discuss research aimed at evaluating various procedures for decreasing disruptive behavior or improving academic performance of students in a variety of educational settings. The first presenter will discuss procedures for decreasing problem behavior associated with transitions. The second presenter will discuss the impact of active student response modalities on academic performance and disruptive behavior. The third presenter will discuss the impact of alternative seating on in-seat and on-task behavior. The fourth presenter will discuss the impact of video modeling and behavioral skills training on math quizzes. Finally, the symposium will conclude with a discussant who will summarize the research and suggest avenues for future research.

Behavior analysts working in schools or clinical settings

Children with autism spectrum disorder often engage in problem behaviors that impede their ability to attend to tasks leading to disruptions in daily academic and social life. To address and prevent problem behaviors from occurring, antecedent interventions can be implemented to increase a child’s on-task and in-seat behavior. Antecedent interventions, such as alternative seating, have previously been studied within classrooms to evaluate the rate of engagement of children within an instructional setting. However, alternative seating, such as stability ball chairs, have not been previously studied within a clinic setting with a younger, more diverse group of participants to evaluate the effect that alternative seating can have on both on-task and in-seat behavior. This study used an alternating treatments design with an initial baseline phase to evaluate the effects of the stability ball chair on the on-task and in-seat behavior of children with autism in a clinic setting. Results indicated al three participants had slightly higher on-task behavior while using the stability ball chair compared to a standard chair. With regard to in-seat behavior one participant engaged in higher levels while using the stability ball chair but the other two participants have variable data. Social validity data indicated the therapists felt the balls improved participants’ behavior and they would use them in the future.

Research has indicated video-based interventions are successful at teaching skills to individuals with varying types of disabilities. However, there is a gap in the literature regarding video-based intervention, such as video modeling, as an evidence-based practice for academic skills. As technology becomes more integrated into U.S. classrooms each year, it is important to evaluate the effectiveness of these interventions. Teachers in class often use Khan Academy videos as a resource for students. The purposes of this study were to evaluate if viewing Khan Academy video models would increase math quiz performance for elementary age students with disabilities when used as a supplement to teacher instruction, to determine if Khan Academy video models would decrease the total time required to complete a math quiz, and to evaluate the effects of behavioral skills training when Khan Academy was not effective. Using a multiple baseline design, Khan Academy videos resulted in an increase in performance for two participants and were ineffective for four others. Duration to complete the quiz did not decrease with the implementation of Khan Academy videos. All 6 participants required behavioral skills training to increase their performances to mastery levels.

Unusual repetitive behaviours in confined animals (including those sometimes called stereotypies) have long been used as welfare indicators because they are disturbing and fairly easy to assess. Because it is not yet certain which behaviours should be included (for example, is wheel-running normal or abnormal?), how much the heterogeneity of different forms matters, and which are most analogous with stereotypies versus OCDs versus other clinical abnormal behaviours, I will group all as “abnormal repetitive behaviour” (ARB). Despite these unknowns, enough is now understood to use ARBs in welfare assessment (where welfare means affective state: moods, and quality of life). I will review the aetiology of ARBs, and discuss their underlying mechanisms (including unintended reinforcement by owners), to help illustrate why it is that they emerge. To evaluate their validity as indicators of welfare, I will review whether they are increased by exposing animals to aversive stimuli and stimuli that are ancestrally bad for fitness. I will show that the prevalence and/or frequency of ARBs typically reflects suboptimal husbandry and uncomfortable health problems, and that they are quite specific to negative states (though perhaps as experienced over the lifetime, rather than just present state alone). Overall, ARBs are thus reliable signs of poor welfare. However, general activity can be a confound. Indeed, some negative states never promote ARBs; and in some species, strains and individuals show little ARBs, even in extremis, becoming inactive instead (such that all else being equal, we should not assume that high ARB individuals have worse welfare than low ARB individuals).

Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students.

Domesticated cats may engage in a variety of problem behaviors that adversely affect their lives and the lives of humans that adopt them. While some problem behaviors can be relatively minor, human-directed aggression can cause potential harm to owners and others, which may be more likely to lead to shelter relinquishment or euthanasia. Additionally, cats that engage in problem behavior like human-directed aggression may be less likely to be adopted from shelters. If identified, effective behavioral interventions may decrease the likelihood of future pet relinquishments and increase adoption rates, and in doing so, euthanasia rates may decrease. Functional analysis (FA) is an empirically based method for identifying the function of problem behavior, which can then be used to develop effective, function-based treatments to reduce problem behavior. While FA has been heavily studied in humans, there is a small but growing literature base supporting its use in identifying the function of problem behavior non-human animals. This symposium will present two studies that used FA methods to identify the functions of human-directed aggression in domestic cats in foster homes and shelters and develop function-based treatment. Implications of the application of FA and animal welfare will be discussed.

The target audience for the symposium are behavior analysts interested in the application of functional analysis methodology to new populations and species.

Human-directed aggression is a common problem, which can often lead to re-homing or relinquishing the cat and can cause injuries and infections for the human. Methodology exists to determine the function of problem behavior in humans and has been applied to various topographies of problem behaviors. The current study applied this methodology to assess human-directed aggression exhibited by cats during petting and implement function-based treatment. Results suggested that aggression during petting for all three cats was maintained by escape from petting. Extinction and providing the functional reinforcer (i.e., escape from petting) contingent on the absence of aggression was implemented with all three cats, which decreased aggression for each cat.

Clinical behavior analysis is amongst the only approaches to understanding talk therapy that has direct implications for understanding and intervening on in-session behavior in such a way as to change behavior out of session. How it is that this occurs has been discussed in terms of nonlinear contingencies, verbal behavior, rule governed behavior, derived relational responding, and other conceptualizations of complex human behavior. The development of clinical behavior analysis as a subdiscipline, however, has been limited by the branding of specific treatment packages that move away from common behavioral terms. This panel will include clinical behavior analysts with expertise in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP, Interpersonal Behavior Therapy (IBT), and Nonlinear Contingency Analysis (NCA). Panelists will analyze sample video recordings of a talk therapy session in terms of behavioral principles that comprise a common ground for clinical behavior analytic approaches. Implications for comparing and contrasting clinical behavior analytic interventions will be discussed, along with questions from the audience.

Behavior analysts, clinicians, higher education instructors, service providers

This symposium will be comprised of three papers, each of which investigated one of three behaviors in children with ASD. The first, entitled “The Effects of the Social-Listener Protocol on the Empathetic Behavior of Children with ASD” examined whether children with ASD demonstrated empathy, followed by an intervention designed to establish peer reinforcers and test whether participants would them demonstrate empathy. The second paper examined the reinforcing effects of social attention versus tokens for a performance task for preschool children with ASD and found that results were related to children’s level of verbal development. The third paper investigated mothers’ delivery of instructional antecedents and consequences and their children’s subsequent compliance during a cleanup task. The study further compared children’s compliance with mothers’ reports of self-efficacy.

Target audience includes students, practitioners, and researchers.

Empathy has not been widely studied by behavior analysts, most likely due to the variation in the literature in regard to definition and measurement. In 3 experiments we tested whether children with an educational classification of ASD would demonstrate empathy in an unfair play scenario and, if empathetic behavior was absent, whether the Social Listener Reinforcement (SLR) Protocol intervention would result in the emergence of empathy. The results from Experiment I, consisting of 11 typically developing students and students with ASD, showed that, overall, participants with ASD demonstrated fewer observing behaviors and answered fewer empathy-related questions correctly when compared to their typically developing peers. In Experiments II and III we employed a multiple probe design to test the effects of the SLR intervention on the demonstration of empathetic behaviors. Following Experiment III, the results showed an increase in vocal verbal operants and sharing behavior for 4 of the 6 Participants.

This study attempted to examine the effects of token versus social attention reinforcement on a performance task by preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and to investigate factors contributing to reinforcer preference in this atypical population. A total of 31 students from a private preschool in suburban New York participated in the study. Results showed that the majority of the participants preferred token reinforcers rather than social attention, demonstrated by a higher total number of correct responses on a performance task under the token reinforcement condition compared to the social reinforcement condition. Further statistical analysis revealed a significant correlation between the participants’ performance under the same condition in the ABAB reversal design, suggesting that preschoolers with ASD have relatively consistent reinforcer preference between tokens and social attention. Also, participants with severer ASD symptoms tended to have higher discrepancies in their performance between token and social attention conditions. The effects of language on the participants’ social and nonsocial reinforcer preferences have not been found. However, participants who preferred token reinforcers tended use more language to regulate their behaviors in a frustration task of delayed delivery of tokens, suggesting that language is an essential behavioral regulation strategy for young children with ASD.

We conducted a descriptive analysis on the effectiveness of how mothers communicate with their children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) during a compliance task, and whether their observed effectiveness related to their self-reported, self-efficacy score. Participants consisted of 37 mother-child dyads in which the children were preschool-aged and were categorized according to their level of verbal behavior development (e.g., prefoundational versus independent listener). Data were collected on the form (vocal, non-vocal, or mixed) and frequency of mother’s antecedents and consequences, whether consequences were contingent, and the children’s responses to antecedents. Analyses indicated that there was no statistically significant relationship between mothers’ communication form or use of contingent consequences as related to child’s verbal behavior development. Additionally, mother’s reported self-efficacy was not correlated with her child’s correct or incorrect responding. This study indicates the need for parent training regarding a child’s level of verbal behavior development and the use of contingent teaching practices.

The discipline of behavior analysis is experiencing rapid growth, which is especially noticeable in recent the increase of university programs offering training in behavior analysis. There are currently two mechanisms for university training programs to be recognized: accreditation of degree-granting programs and verification of course sequences. This panel will present these systems, including their procedures for obtaining and maintaining recognition along with their respective goals. This session is designed for current VCS coordinators, program directors of ABAI-accredited programs, and those interested in applying for either system of recognition

ProgressCharter is a software application that will make it easy to design and implement a pragmatic, organizational performance engineering process, “EARS.” “EARS” is an acronym for a pragmatic change process with the following steps: 1) Evaluate student or client progress, 2) Analyze causes of inadequate staff performance, 3) Recommend changes in staff resources, training, and management, and 4) Solve staff performance problems by designing and implementing changes in resources, training, and management. The process is an application of behavior analysis to improve provider performance so that recipients can make efficient progress towards their goals. ProgressCharter uses sensitive measures of client progress to identify quickly when a client is not making efficient progress. It uses data to identify the causes of the three types of provider performance problems, "can-do," "know-how" and "want-to” and recommend changes in provider resources, training and management.

Supervisors, staff trainers, program designers and directors of schools and clinics that provider behavior analysis services to students and clients.

ProgressCharter is a software application that will make it easy to design and implement a pragmatic, organizational performance engineering process, “EARS.” “EARS” is an acronym for a pragmatic change process with the following steps: 1) Evaluate student or client progress, 2) Analyze causes of inadequate staff performance, 3) Recommend changes in staff resources, training, and management, and 4) Solve staff performance problems by designing and implementing changes in resources, training, and management. The process is an application of behavior analysis to improve provider performance so that recipients can make efficient progress towards their goals. ProgressCharter uses sensitive measures of client progress to identify quickly when a client is not making efficient progress. It uses data to identify the causes of the three types of provider performance problems, "can-do," "know-how" and "want-to” and recommend changes in provider resources, training and management. We will describe how ProgressCharter can be used as a study tool to improve graduate student performance on classroom assessments and as an organizational performance engineering tool to improve student supervision of staff who work with clients.

Part of the mission of radical behaviorism is to increase control over behavioral variability in all domains of human activity, and perhaps especially those in which activity is seen as constrained by invariant traits. One such “invariant trait” is intelligence, a concept long understood to represent a mentalism. However, it is only recently that behavior analysts have made progress in providing a functional-analytic model of intelligence that was sufficiently progressive to produce targeted interventions that can increase intellectual skill fluency to the point where large and reliable gains are observable on standardised tests of intelligence. In this talk Dr. Bryan Roche of Maynooth University, Ireland, will outline the rationale behind one such intervention method, known as SMART training (Strengthening Mental Abilities with Relational Training), which has emerged from a Relational Frame Theory account of derived stimulus relations. The talk will also outline evidence of the positive effects on intellectual functioning of the SMART intervention, and argue that for pragmatic, ethical, and now empirical reasons, psychologists’ traditional conceptualization of intelligence needs to be revised.

Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students. 

Higher education programs offer courses in a variety of formats, including face-to-face, fully-online, and hybrid. With such diversity in formats, it is essential to assess what components are most effective for student learning across these formats. There are a variety of methods to deliver content, ways to facilitate learner engagement, and approaches to effective feedback application. The multiple modalities allow for variation of instruction across each mode often allowing multiple methods within one course. This panel will review the different methods of delivering instruction and report on student learning measures. Presenters in this panel are experienced educators who have used and evaluated all of these varied practices in past and current higher education coursework. Each panelist will discuss one of the modalities and offer an assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of practices utilized in each based on professional experience. Panelists will take questions from the audience and the moderator.

The target audience is faculty in higher education programs teaching behavior analysis or related content.

Training caregivers to apply evidence-based Applied Behavior Analysis is an essential component of professional work and a key component of effective services. Research over the last 30 years has demonstrated the effectiveness, efficiency and acceptability of Behavioral Skills Training (BST) to teach skills, promote generalization of teaching skills and sometimes produce important changes in child behavior. As research in this area becomes more differentiated, one important aspect has been the application of BST to young children, including training family members and staff in integrated settings. This workshop will present three papers on applying BST to train parents of a child at risk for Autism Spectrum Disorders via telehealth, training parents to teach joint attention skills to their children, and training special education teachers to improve the integrity of function-based interventions to increase child classroom engagement. These studies demonstrate that BST can readily be extended to working with caregivers of young children with disabilities, improve caregiver behavior and produce socially important changes in child behavior.

Masters and doctoral level practitioners; advanced graduate students; psychologists; service supervisors;

Children with developmental disabilities are at increased risk for social communication deficits, including early and pivotal social communication skills. One such skill, response to joint attention, is a behavioral cusp for later developing social communication and play. Joint attention is coordinated shared attention between two individuals and an object or event. The current study investigated the effects of a train-the-trainer approach where parents were trained to teach siblings to be proficient interventionists on the response to joint attention behavior of their siblings with developmental disabilities. Results indicate an increase in parent task fidelity following a modified behavior skills training procedure during home visits, as well as an increase in sibling task fidelity following parent training using a social narrative and prompting procedure. Target child data indicate an increase in level of response to joint attention behavior following parent training and parent training of sibling. Limitations and future directions are discussed.

Special education teachers are often implementers of behavior intervention plans; however, a shortage of teachers in any field is only magnified in special education. Studies have looked at the use of behavior skills training (BST) in training teachers and caregivers in the intervention techniques prescribed for individuals and groups. This study extends research on teacher training using the BST model. This study was also designed to evaluate the relation between teacher integrity to a functional assessment-based interventions (FABI) suite of strategies and the effect on student on-task performance. The participants were a special education teacher and two elementary-aged students, each classified with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The students engaged in off-task, often disruptive behavior while receiving special education services in a general education classroom. This study was conducted in three phases. Each phase consisted of BST to teach a subset of interventions. A single-subject changing criterion design was used to evaluate the effect of BST on teacher integrity and student performance. Results showed that BST improved teacher integrity through each phase and teacher integrity improved student on-task behavior. Limitations to this study will be discussed as well as directions for future research.

Alarmingly, nearly half of children with autism elope or bolt, and more than half of these children go missing for a concerning duration of time and/or enter into dangerous situations. Caregivers often do not feel prepared to address these serious concerns. This study evaluated the effectiveness of behavioural skills training (BST) for teaching caregivers how to also use BST in conjunction with a tactile prompt to teach their children with autism help-seeking behaviour. Participants included a total of six dyads, caregivers and their children with autism ages 5-10. We used a concurrent multiple baseline design across two dyads with three replications. The children’s safety responses were measured using a point system: (1) calling out for their caregiver in a louder than conversational voice, (2) locating a store employee, and (3) informing the employee that he/she was lost. Results indicate that four children met mastery criteria (a safety score of 3 across two consecutive trials), and the caregivers were able to successfully fade the tactile prompting device. Data collection with the final two dyads is currently in progress. This study contributes to the limited empirical research on caregiver training using BST to teach help-seeking behaviour to children with autism.

Humans are a eusocial species, especially sensitive to social contingencies. This sensitivity is observed at the earliest stages of development and persists throughout the lifespan, even in the presence of late-life neurodegenerative impairments. While social reinforcers are the most common reinforcers utilized in clinical applications, the behavior analytic literature is relatively sparse in its analysis of the quality of these reinforcers as they naturally occur and vary in a wide variety of interactions. This symposium will address social reinforcers from multiple vantage points: a review of the experimental analysis of social behavior, thought-provoking observations of parent-child interactions during acquisition of verbal skills, social histories as confounds within applied work in behavioral gerontology, and the challenge to measure interpersonal repertoires and the effects of social contingencies in clinical behavior analysis. The goal of the symposium is to draw attention to the ubiquitous nature of social reinforcers and social histories, identify gaps in knowledge, and discuss areas of future exploration for experimental, applied, and clinical research.

Scientist practitioners, BCBA-Ds, BCBAs, BCaBAs

Behavior analysis and other fields of study have identified a number of variables that influence student learning. These include writing clear behavioral objectives, active student responding, and requiring mastery of the material. Although studied extensively in traditional classrooms (i.e., brick and mortar), these variables have not been studied much in the distance-learning online environment. There are numerous journals devoted to so-called research on how to effectively teach in a distance format, but a review of that literature shows most published studies utilize poor or no research designs and focus mostly on qualitative measures. It is clear that more systematic research needs to be conducted in higher education in the booming online teaching platform, since several sources predict that online teaching will continue to grow at an exponential rate. Evaluating higher education instruction through a formal behavior analytic approach would begin to provide solid answers to many vexing problems and questions about how best to instruct students using online platforms. The papers in this symposium will focus on different teaching strategies that should promote student learning in the online environment.

Professionals teaching in higher education.

The assessment and intervention of social behavior are often relevant to many individuals with whom behavior analysts work. Curricula and literature may guide behavior analysts who embark on this task; however, there is much room for refined analyses to identify appropriate goals and reinforcers which maintain social behavior. Also, more research is needed on the methods of instruction that facilitate generalization of social behavior to interactions with peers. First, Hood, Beauchesne, Fahmie, and Aquino will present data from a descriptive assessment of behaviors that occur during one-on-one conversations between friends who are adults of typical development and present without social deficits. Next, Clubb, Toussaint, Bergmann, Rodriguez, and Sanchez will describe how preference for items affects sharing and the consequences, identified via functional analyses, which reinforce sharing. Finally, McKeown, Luczynski, Lauvetz, and Lehardy will extend the research on the Preschool Life Skills curriculum by targeting prosocial skills to promote friendship and assessing generalization to same-aged peers. The topographies of social behavior, conditions under which it may occur, and the consequences which reinforce social behavior will be discussed. Implications of findings for research and practice will be incorporated throughout the symposium.

Board certified behavior analysts

Individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often have deficits in prosocial behaviors, such as sharing. However, research on assessing and teaching sharing is relatively limited. The purpose of the current research is to extend the previous research on sharing by evaluating environmental variables that may influence sharing. First, we evaluated if the latency to sharing is altered by a child's engagement with high vs. low-preference items. Next, we evaluated the contingencies that evoke and maintain sharing through a functional analysis. Functional analyses have traditionally been used to identify the function of maladaptive behavior. However, we have extended this assessment process to identifying the function of sharing behavior as the maintaining consequence is frequently presumed to be social attention. Our findings suggest that children with autism emit longer latencies to sharing if they are engaged with a high-preference item. In addition, results of the functional analyses suggest that this methodological approach is relevant to understanding sharing, and results suggest that sharing is often maintained by attention for preschoolers with and without autism. Collectively, these findings advance our understanding of when sharing is likely to occur and may inform methods of how to functionally teach sharing to individuals with ASD.

To date, the preference assessment literature has primarily focused on identifying leisure and edible stimuli. There has been relatively little research assessing participants' preference for various types of social interaction. Most recently, Morris and Vollmer (2019) found that social interaction of various types functioned as reinforcers for individuals diagnosed with ASD. This finding is potentially useful given the common characterization of children with ASD as being socially avoidant (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Due to the clinical relevance of identifying reinforcing social interactions and increasing the number and efficacy of such interactions for individuals with ASD, there are several avenues for additional research. Given these implications for further research focused on social interaction, the current symposium will share research 1) evaluating the function of social interaction, 2) evaluating the relationship between schedules of attention and preferences for social interaction, and 3) evaluating the paired-stimulus preference assessment for identifying social reinforcers. Clinical implications and future directions across all studies will be discussed.

Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students

As the field of behavior analysis continues to grow, increasing numbers of practitioners seek to apply best practices across different clinical populations. A growing need exists to apply the scientific literature to the context of short term and resource-limited outpatient clinical settings. The research presented will provide preliminary evidence for modified assessment (i.e. indirect functional interview, preference, and contingency analyses) procedures targeting pediatric outpatient populations with diverse diagnostic and demographic characteristics. Study 1 replicated a study by Hoffman and colleagues (2018) which used pictures of app icons to conduct preference assessments on a tablet device. Preliminary results suggest that the procedure identified clear preferences and had high rates of social validity. Study 2 evaluated the utility of a structured functional interview (SFI) in identifying function later confirmed by contingency analyses. Results suggested a high match rate between variables identified in the functional interview and the analog analyses. Study 3 compared the SFI to the Questions About Behavioral Function (QABF) questionnaire across variables related to clinical utility and social validity. Results indicated the SFI scored higher on both domains. The current research adds to the growing literature documenting important modifications to increase accessibility of best practices in community settings.

Behavior therapists, behavior analysts, psychologists, educators

Research has established the importance of evaluating individual preference for apps and games prior to implementing function-based interventions. With the increase in use of electronic devices as part of children’s leisure activities, these devices are frequently incorporated into practice as putative reinforcers. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the application of preference assessment methodology (i.e., Multiple Stimulus Without Replacement; MSWO) to apps on a single device. Participants were neurotypical, elementary-aged children whose families are participating in behavioral parent-training at an outpatient clinic. This study replicates procedures described by Hoffman and colleagues (2018). Picture icons of apps (4) were presented to participants to select as part of typical MSWO procedures (selecting an icon provides access to the corresponding app; match to sample validation conducted prior to MSWO). Preliminary data indicate stability with the participant’s first choice selection across three MSWO rounds and variability for the remaining three apps. Additionally, procedures were efficient and feasible (total duration for three MSWO rounds: 20 minutes) and were rated highly in a parental social validity measure (4.7 out of 5.0). Findings have implications to increase the use of efficient MSWO procedures when evaluating children’s preferences for apps on electronic devices.

Research has demonstrated the essential link between experimental functional assessment and effective treatments; however, the amount of time required by these types of analyses can be prohibitive in many outpatient settings. In addition, emerging research has shown that synthesized contingency analyses may provide sufficient precision to lead to meaningful treatment outcomes. This study examined a structured functional interview (SFI) to gather targeted and essential information, including (a) operational definitions of the target behavior, (b) precursor behaviors, (c) antecedents to the target behavior, and (d) consequences of the target behavior. We utilized these essential components of the SFI to inform subsequent contingency analyses, which included either single or synthesized contingencies. The goal of the study was to validate the use of the SFI by comparing data gathered from the interview to the observations from the contingency analysis. Preliminary data support the use of this functional interview to design targeted contingency analyses, with a strong match rate in precursor behavior, antecedents, consequences, and functions. Future research will include replications as well as function-matched treatment analysis.

Experimental functional analysis (EFA) is the established “gold standard” for identification of functional variables maintaining problem behavior. However, EFAs can be impractical or even contraindicated for use in high volume outpatient settings. Indirect functional assessments are a sustainable alternative to EFAs (Tarbox et al, 2009) in that they may be a more efficient use of clinical time while preserving the integrity of patient care. The current study compared an evidence-based indirect assessment, the Questions About Behavioral Function (QABF), to a Structured Functional Interview (SFI). Results of the pilot study suggest that caregivers reported the SFI to be a more thorough assessment of their child’s behavior than the QABF. The SFI also scored higher on levels of caregiver acceptability, as indicated by a social validity measure administered following each assessment. Initial results further suggest that differences in the sensitivity and specificity of either measure were less than 50%. Follow-up contingency analyses generated differentiated rates of problem behavior between test and control conditions for 100% of participants, suggesting a higher level of precision in identification of functional variables for the SFI than for the QABF. Implications and future directions are discussed.

In terms of an interbehavioral point of view, Ribes (1990) proposed a conceptual formulation and a methodological approach to identify consistent modes of people interaction with different situations, distinguishing individuals. He suggested that these particular and idiosyncratic modes of interaction, denominated interactive styles, could be modulated by the imposed criteria in a particular situation. But it also seems feasible that the criteria compliance could be modulated by the individuals’ interactive style. While this asseveration has proved relevance in the context of individual task performance, we propose to transpose it to the teamwork level. Nowadays, most of the tasks demanded in educational, academic, and occupational contexts involve teamwork. However, teams do not always perform successfully even when members have the proper disciplinary knowledge and the required skills to achieve the assigned goal. In collaboration with Muñoz, Mejía, Peña & Torres, we conformed an interdisciplinary group interested in the identification of the factors that participate in the establishment of effective teams for software development. The result has been a model in which, besides the disciplinary knowledge and individual skills to achieve products of high quality, it is necessary to take into account the way in which each individual faces situations and how these interactive styles complement with the others. Additionally, we have considered that this model could be applied in other areas.

Students and people interested in building effective teams in applied contexts.

Children with intellectual and developmental disabilities often engage in challenging (e.g., self-injury, aggression, disruption) and repetitive behaviors. For a subset of these individuals, the behavior is maintained by automatic reinforcement. Behavior maintained by automatic reinforcement presents several challenges in assessment and treatment. The current symposium includes three studies that address some of these challenges. The first study presents data from assessments and treatments of repetitive behaviors maintained by automatic reinforcement, with an emphasis on predictions made by classification following assessment based on the three subtypes of automatically maintained behavior that have been previously studied with self-injury. Second, we will present outcomes from extended alone and ignore assessments, a common evaluation conducted to determine whether behavior is automatically-maintained. Specifically, this study will present on differences in the rate and variability of behavior when conducting alone compared to ignore assessments and differences across topography of behavior. The last study highlights potential safety concerns associated with the assessment of automatically maintained self-injury. An evaluation of solutions to decrease safety risks associated with assessing these behaviors is discussed.

Target audience includes practitioners and applied researchers with a BCBA or BCBA-D. It is also appropriate for psychologists who conduct behavioral assessments and treatments. This should also qualify as psychology CEUs, but I did not see this option listed above.

Hagopian and colleagues (2015/2017) have suggested that self-injurious behavior (SIB) that is automatically reinforced presents as three subtypes. Subtype 1 consists of differentiation between the alone/no interaction and the play control conditions. This form of SIB is generally responsive to alternative reinforcement alone. Subtype 2 SIB consists of a lack of differentiation between those FA conditions and is not generally responsive to alternative reinforcement. Subtype 3 is Subtype 2 SIB that presents with self-restraint. This study aimed to prospectively identify, from standard functional analyses (FA), whether similar subtypes present with stereotypic behavior. Two types of treatment evaluations followed the FAs of stereotypy. In one, an Augmented Competing Stimulus Assessment (A-CSA), which assessed competing stimuli to stereotypy. In the other, the effects of prompting and reinforcement for appropriate behavior was examined in four classroom contexts where stereotypy was observed to occur. There are currently 12 participants across the two experiments. Subtypes have emerged and treatment effects have and have not been obtained with alternative reinforcement. Treatment results will be discussed with the Subtyping obtained in the FA as context. Interobserver agreement data were collected in all experimental conditions and mean IOA was consistently above 85% for all dependent measures.

Extended alone or ignore assessments are often conducted to determine whether challenging behavior is maintained by automatic reinforcement. The current study conducted a consecutive case series analysis of over 60 children and young adults who completed extended alone or ignore assessments as part of their admission to an intensive treatment center for challenging behavior. We evaluated the variability and average level of targeted behavior across topographies of challenging behavior and assessment types (alone or ignore). Minimal differences were identified when comparing variability in alone vs. ignore assessments. Across topographies, some behaviors were associated with less variability across sessions compared to others (e.g., pica was generally exhibited with very little variability across sessions). Results are presented in the context of guidelines for what clinicians should expect when conducting extended alone or ignore assessments as well as future research directions for identifying aspects of reinforcement history that might contribute to differing patterns of responding in these types of assessments.

Functional analyses are assessments that demonstrate cause and effect relationships. As such, the gold standard when applying behavior analytic services should be the use of this methodology regardless of applications (e.g., to reduce problem behavior or to teach appropriate behavior). In this symposium, we have three papers that will be looking at functional analysis methodology and data analysis: 1) to assess and develop intervention to treat aggression exhibited by individuals with a traumatic brain injury; 2) to provide a decision model with respect to conducting functional analyses of problem behavior in practice and 3) regarding interpretation of functional analysis data. Each presentation will elucidate the unique variables associated with application of functional analysis methodology as well as discuss implications for practice and future research.

BCBAs

This panel will present a model for conducting functional analysis of proximal direct-acting and generative effects of taught and emergent operant and higher-order operant competencies and capabilities extending over developmental and habilitative timeframes.

Practitioners and researchers interested in the design and management of complex curriculum based paths of treatment for the verbal behavior/cognitive habilitation or advancement of individuals presenting with learning challenges and deficits

Verbal Development Theory (VBT) has focused on which cusps and capabilities are related to and/or necessary for the devlopment of advanced verbal repertoires. Also of interest are the relations between and among different types of complex verbal relations. This current body of research extends the findings supporting VBT. In the first paper, the author investigated the relations between gradients of bi-directional naming (BiN) and the emergence of arbitrarily applicable relations in young children. The author of the second paper investigated the aquisition of BiN in both monoloingual children and children who were English language learners. In the third paper, the author investigated whether an intensive tact procedure was effective in increasing joint attention responses in preschoolers who previously did not demonstrate the initiation of joint attention. The results of this research expand on what we know about the acquisition of complex verbal behavior.

Behavior Anlayst Supervisors, advanced practioners

There is growing interest in children’s acquisition of complex language repertoires across domains of behavior analysis. In three experiments, I studied the sources of reinforcement for bidirectional naming (BiN) and the implications of the naming continuum on the emergence of arbitrarily-applicable relations (AAR). In Experiment 1, I tested the correlation between repeated pairings of auditory and visual stimuli (defined by the presentation of naming experiences using a storybook) and emergence of BiN. Listener responses significantly increased across three repeated experiences, suggesting the emergence of unidirectional naming (UniN); however, speaker data remained low. In Experiment 2, I tested the role of echoics on the emergence of BiN. The data suggested that echoic responding was not significantly related to BiN. I then tested the effects of the proximity of visual and auditory stimuli on the emergence of BiN using repeated stimulus pairings (tact experience). While the degree of BiN was not reliably affected by proximity conditions, results of the study showed the emergence of untrained language relations. I discuss these findings with regards to the relation between the joining of listener and speaker responses, the establishment of BiN, and the emergence of AAR.

In this study, I assessed the bidirectional naming (BiN) capabilities of 16 English Language Learners (ELL) and monolingual English preschool-aged students. Participants were divided into 2 group and assessed for the presence of BiN, in English and Spanish, using novel familiar stimuli. Group I consisted of ELL students while Group II was made up of native English-speaking students. Preliminary results showed that all only 1 participant demonstrated the presence of BiN across both languages, while all others, regardless of their native language, demonstrated higher degrees of unidirectional naming (UNi) or BiN in English. Subsequently, these students were matched based on levels UNi and underwent a repeated probe procedure using a simultaneous treatment design. The experimenters used novel sets of familiar stimuli during each intervention session to test the effects of this procedure and to compare the degree of BiN across ELL and monolingual English students. Results showed increases in untaught listener and speaker responses for monolingual English students and variable levels of responding for English Language Learners.

This symposium involves three presentations, each of which pertain to Kantor’s interbehavioral field construct and its relevance to behavior analysis. The first of these presentations pertains to the field construct itself. The presentation will describe the fundamental features of the field construct and address potential misunderstandings related to various aspects of it. The second presentation builds upon the first, and focuses on the implications of the field construct for both research and application. Indeed, the implications of the field construct for the research and practice areas of behavior analysis are often less clear, and therefore specific attention is given to these areas. Examples of contemporary research and popular areas of practice are provided and considered in field perspective, and implications for future field-based research and practice are provided. Finally, the third presentation focuses on Relational Frame Theory, and especially on recent conceptual developments within this area of research. Current models of conceptualizing derived relational responding are described, and the relationship between these models and the interbehavioral field construct are highlighted. Taken together, these presentations build upon each other and highlight how the field construct may be relevant to the ongoing development of behavior analysis.

This presentation is an intermediate/advanced level and appropriate for BCBA's interested in learning about conceptual advances/development in the field - including both researchers and clinicians. Graduate students may also be interested in the presentation as it pertains to their educational development, research interests, etc.

One might say that the treatment that launched applied behavior analysis began with a commitment to help little Dicky, a 3 ½ year old boy with autism (Wolf, Risley & Mees, 1964). The treatment was an amazing story of a successful marriage of science and clinical wisdom. Now, over 50 years later, it is evident that applied behavior analysis has both expanded and shrunk. Expansion is seen in the 2018 Annual Report of the Behavior Analysis Certification Board: 35,286 professionals certified to practice behavior analysis and 51,507 technicians registered to assist them. Most of the recipients of these practices are children and adults with autism and developmental disabilities. Among the costs of taking behavior analysis to scale has been the shrinking of what it means to be an applied behavior analyst. Both science and clinical wisdom seem to have moved to the margins and other considerations have taken center stage. We will examine some of the changes that appear to have occurred, including ossification of protocols, training and supervision in decontextualized environments, and a focus on structural rather than functional approaches to treatment. We will also examine what appears to be a misunderstanding or misapplication of what constitutes evidence-based practice. Finally, we will consider contingencies at work in the current culture that may account for many of these changes; and we will offer some observations on how the field might recapture what has been lost as it continues moving forward.

Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students.

With the current high demand for BCBAs, we have also seen an increase in university programs offering applied behavior analysis (ABA) programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels. To ensure quality education and preparation for clinical services, program curriculums should be aligned with the theoretical background of ABA as well as best practices for training essential skills. This symposium will explore important aspects that should be considered when teaching and supervising undergraduate- and graduate-level students in ABA programs. First, Isvânia Alves will present the conclusions of a project that identified controversies and disagreements related to basic principles and concepts among behavior analytical textbooks and field experts. In addition, Isvânia a will present a decision-making model to assist in selecting objectives when teaching and providing supervision to undergraduate students. Next, Maegan Pisman will discuss potential strategies and guidelines for effective and ethical remote supervision for students in university practicum courses. Maegan will conclude with possible areas for research related to online teaching and supervision. Darlene Crone-Todd will serve as the discussant.

Instructors, BCBAs providing remote supervision, VCS of ABA programs

One of the roles a supervisor might have within applied behavior analysis regards the assurance that the decision-making process for interventions is conceptually sound. In the past few years our group has developed, implemented, evaluated, analyzed and redesigned a decision-making model aimed at content and behavioral objectives selection for teaching undergraduate students. In our last analysis-redesign iteration, we found inconsistencies, controversies or disagreements in regard to what defines some basic behavioral concepts and principles, such as environment, behavior, operant behavior, respondent behavior, antecedent, among others. Additionally, when we submitted these concepts and principles analysis to be reviewed by behavior analysts (i.e., content experts), the conceptual controversies appeared in some of the suggestions they made. The purpose of this paper is to present our decision-making model in its latest form, present and discuss a few of the controversies we found during our analysis, and highlight the importance of performing a concept or principle analysis when selecting content in areas in which conceptual disagreements might hinder or decelerate student learning and affect the decision-making process for interventions, if these disagreements are not explicit or discussed.

Different models of intervention and their effectiveness and efficacy have been studied a lot in USA. Most of them focused on the intensity measured by the numbers of hours of service children with disabilities received. In this symposium we will look at several different packages and intensity of ABA interventions across different settings and countries. Europe has different systems of health, education and social care compared to USA so in some countries the systems and services like early intervention may be completely missing for children with ASD and other developmental disorders. In addition to those differences, even when existent, eclectic models compared to evidence-based and specifically ABA programs, are prevalent. These papers will talk about evidence-based possible models, comparing different intensity and application across various settings. In addition, we will talk about the process and the time a child with developmental disorder needs to go from detection to reach intervention, and provide some research- based insight on how to improve that and then, what type of intervention is the most effective.

Service providers, supervisors, academics

Obtaining a reliable and timely diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a large problem in most Low-and-Mid Income Countries (LMIC). The problem lies mostly in the lack of trained professionals and access to reliable screening/diagnostic tools which are often to expensive and culturally inappropriate for those countries. Bosnia and Hercegovina (B&H) is such a county, where children with ASD often stay undetected and without appropriate intervention. We analyzed medical documentation and tested 126 children ages 23 to 94 months, with detected severe developmental delays. Although parents reported developmental problems in their children on average at the age of 17 months, it took 812 visits to professionals (>6 per child) over several months (mean 16.8, range 2-52) to get the diagnosis. Only 8 children (6.3%) of our sample received a diagnosis referring to autism. However, when these children were tested with the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (Second Edition), 68 of them (54%) were rated in the severe autistic range. In order to solve such high rates of undetected and undiagnosed children with ASD in B&H we developed the EDUS Protocol for Autism Screening which is a functional behavioral screening tool created by following the DSM-V diagnostic criteria and aimed to help professionals in diagnosing autism in B&H. We will discuss the barriers to an early childhood diagnosis of ASD in B&H and the development of the EDUS Protocol for Autism Screening as the first step forward to an early diagnosis of ASD enabling access to early intervention programs.

The ABAI Task Force on International Education has been working since January to create a model to improve educational opportunities and develop formal recognition of behavior analysts that could be adapted for individual countries. Constituents from Brazil, Italy, Mexico, South Africa, and Spain will provide an update on the task force’s progress.We welcome the attendance of all those interested in this effort.

Ilana Gerschlowitz lives in Johannesburg, South Africa, and is the mother of three boys. She completed her B.Com (LLB) (commerce and law degree) in 1998 at the University of the Witwatersrand and was subsequently admitted and practiced as an attorney. In 2004 when her oldest son, David, was diagnosed with autism at the age of 20 months, she immersed herself in research to find solutions.

In 2009 she hosted the landmark Challenging Children Conference, which successfully provided a platform for the introduction of ABA to South African parents and professionals.

Ms. Gerschlowitz is the founding director of the Star Academy (Star), an affiliate of the US-based Center for Autism and Related Disorders. Now 10 years old, Star has provided access to ABA programs to more than 230 children around the country with autism or related disorders, as well as to children in Ghana, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Mauritius, and Zambia. Other Star projects include providing ABA instruction to underprivileged children in Johannesburg and a program called Catch Up Kids, which helps children overcome learning challenges, including those with ADHD.

In 2015 Ms. Gerschlowitz was recognized for her work in education with the CEO Global Award for Africa’s Most Influential Woman in Business and Government in the Education and Private Sector for Region, Country, and Continent. In 2018 she was a finalist for the Europcar Jewish Women in Leadership Award. She is the author of Saving My Sons: A Journey With Autism, published in 2019 and which helps light the way for many parents coping with autism or learning difficulties in Africa.

Dr. Agustín Daniel Gómez Fuentes has a degree in psychology from Universidad Veracruzana, a master’s in psychology (behavior analysis) from Western Michigan University, and a doctorate in behavioral science from the University of Guadalajara. Dr. Gómez Fuentes has been recognized as a National Level I Investigator by the Mexican National System of Investigators of the National Council of Science and Technology. In addition, he has a PROMEP profile and has been director of more than 80 theses on psychology and education, as well as published more than 16 articles in specialized scientific journals on those same topics. Additionally, he has published 10 book chapters and 3 specialized books on behavioral science and education. His research interests are mainly focused on linguistic modes and their relationships, as well as historical and philosophical analysis of psychological concepts.

Dr. Gómez Fuentes was a member of the program committee for the 2013 ABAI International Conference in Mérida, Mexico, and truly instrumental to its success and subsequent positive effects encouraging the growth of behavior analysis in Mexico. He promoted the conference and its call for papers among his colleagues at Universidad Veracruzana, gave a talk as part of a symposium, and chaired two other sessions.

Gladys Williams leads the program on autism and verbal behavior at David Gregory School in New Jersey. She is the founder and director of Centro CIEL in Barcelona and Oviedo, Spain, and of LearnMore, Inc., an institution that promotes effective teaching strategies. She earned her doctoral degree in special education and behavior analysis from Teachers College, Columbia University, where she was a recipient of the Fred S. Keller Research Grant to study language development and autism. She has won several awards for her contributions to the field of applied behavior analysis. Dr. Williams has published 18 articles in peer-reviewed journals such as the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, the American Journal on Mental Retardation, Teaching Exceptional Children, and others. She has been a guest reviewer for the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Behavior and Social Issues, and The Behavior Analyst. She is a frequent guest speaker in Europe and South America. Dr. Williams’s main objective is to implement effective strategies to teach functional verbal language to nonverbal children and to investigate strategies and techniques to facilitate social skills and functional language acquisition. Her quest is to use behavioral technology to benefit children around the world.

Dogs are described as “man’s best friend” and dog ownership is at an all-time high. Nevertheless, the nature of the human-dog bond has only recently been explored and much work in this field focuses on the structure of the relationship. While this might describe what the relationship looks like, it does not address what maintains the relationship nor does it identify the variables we can manipulate to produce, maintain, or enhance that relationship. Taking a behavior analytic approach, our research has sought to identify the functions maintaining human-dog interactions from the dog’s perspective. This talk will highlight our work investigating dogs’ preference for different human interactions, what stimuli typically function as reinforcers for dog behavior, and how we can use those to address behavioral issues, such as separation-related problem behavior in owned dogs and kennel reactivity in shelter dogs. Audience members will learn about the current state of knowledge of dog social behavior, how behavioral science can help enhance the human-dog relationship by taking the dogs’ perspective through preference and reinforcer efficacy tests, and how that knowledge can be applied to solve common behavioral issues in companion and shelter dogs.

Board certified behavior analysts, applied animal behaviorists, graduate students, dog owners and enthusiasts.

Several years of research in the Accelerated Independent Learner Model (AIL) have resulted in the identification of key verbal behavior development cusps that are critical for success in the inclusive educational setting. The first paper addresses Bidirectional Naming (BiN), or the joining of the listener and speaker across students in grades K-5 with and without disabilities. In the second paper, the authors outline different assessment procedures associated with best practice to determine the presence of observational learning. In the final paper, the authors present research on both the assessment and corresponding protocol to induce joint stimulus control across saying and writing. Collectively, the authors will address the importance of the establishment of theses cusps in the general education setting and how it relates to effective teaching practices and student outcomes.

Teachers and professionals

The role of human behavior in climate change is well established—as is the core mission of behavior analysis—to impact behavior of social significance. Despite overwhelming evidence, an exhaustive review of the literature has shown that only a small portion of the published research topically related to climate change included an experimental evaluation of strategies to reduce emissions-producing behavior. Even if, “we reduce GHG emissions...consequences for people and their livelihoods will still be challenging but potentially more manageable…” (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2019 p.1). These findings call for effective, scalable strategies for impacting climate-relevant policy and behavior at all levels of community and organization. The promise of behavior analysis can be realized through unified mobilization of our efforts. This talk will provide overview of a strategic plan for greatly increasing collaborative efforts within and across behavioral science organizations. Actions that ABAI members can take as researchers, practitioners, and citizens will be pinpointed and listeners can identify how they might contribute to these efforts in collaboration with the task force. A subsequent symposium and panels will give additional insight into the efforts of the Climate Change Task Force for a coalition of behavior science organizations.

Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students.

Children can communicate through gestures (like pick-me-up or pointing) even before they begin to speak. Some gestures likely develop through social learning (like waving hello). Researchers have argued that other early gestures, like the pick-me-up gesture, cannot be learned through social learning (since adults do not gesture to be picked up). They have therefore proposed that these gestures are learned through ontogenetic ritualization, a kind of learning that critically involves role and dyad specificity. Ontogenetic ritualization is thought to differ from operant conditioning. In this presentation, on the basis of videotaped interactions between parents and children between six and twelve months of age, I argue that these early communicative gestures are likely learned through operant conditioning. I also discuss the possible developmental origins of pointing, ranging from operant conditioning to species-typical behavior. It is important to entertain the possibility that simple and well-established learning mechanisms account for children’s early gestures.

Anyone interested in the early communication of typically developing infants and toddlers as well as practitioners interested in designing interventions with clinical communication-disordered populations.

Practitioners utilize choice arrangements to identify relative preference for various stimuli. In this symposium, we will review indirect and direct assessments of choice in the treatment for individuals with developmental disabilities and/or autism spectrum disorder. In the first evaluation, Kissenberth and colleagues evaluated relative preference for edibles alone and high-tech items alone and then in combination to assess for possible displacement. They also evaluated the impact of varying magnitudes of both stimulus classes on relative preference. In the second presentation, Van Arsdale and colleagues evaluated the effect of choice on the efficacy of edible reinforcers (healthy and less preferred vs. unhealthy and more preferred). In the third study, Somervell and Simmons generated preference hierarchies for types of attention via indirect assessment (e.g., caregiver interview) and direct assessment (e.g., paired stimulus preference) and validated relative preference in a reinforcer efficacy assessment using a concurrent operants arrangement. In the final study, Leung-VanHassel and colleagues used indirect and direct assessments to identify relative hierarchies of aversiveness for demands hypothesized to evoke problem behavior. They compared hierarchies obtained through caregiver interview and demand latency assessment by including demands identified as most and least likely to evoke escaped-maintained within the negative reinforcement test condition of the functional analysis. A discussion of concurrent choice arrangements in assessment and treatment, implications for clinical practice, and future directions for research will be discussed.

The target audience includes graduate level students or masters level practitioners in the field of applied behavior analysis.

Previous research has demonstrated individuals with developmental disabilities and autism spectrum disorder typically prefer edible items over leisure items when the two are presented together in stimulus preference assessments. However, how the inclusion of high-tech items affect preferences when compared to edible items is limited in this body of research. More recently, Conine and Vollmer (2019) demonstrated high-tech items might displace edible items; due to the recent influx of high-tech tangible items used as reinforcers in clinical settings, such as iPads, additional research is warranted. In the current evaluation, we compared the preferences for edible items and high-tech items in an assessment to determine if a displacement effect exists. Next, we manipulated the magnitude of both stimulus classes to assess how greater magnitude increases preferences. Implications of the findings as well as future research ideas will be discussed in detail.

A structured caregiver attention preference assessment interview was developed to assess and rank attention across 9 categories. Twenty caregivers of children with autism (range, 3-11 years) identified a mean of 7.67 forms of preferred attention across 5.77 categories. A paired-stimulus preference assessment was conducted with child participants using images of caregiver-identified attention types. The mean rank order correlation between caregiver and child preference assessments was 0.55 (moderate correlation). A reinforcer efficacy assessment using a concurrent operants arrangement was conducted with each child. The floor was marked with 3 squares (1.52m x 1.52m) with attention picture icons in two squares and the third square serving as a control. In-square behavior resulted in delivery of the designated attention type. Caregiver and child-high, moderate, and low attention types were analyzed. Results of 4 participants indicated that caregiver-high and moderate attention types resulted in greater in-square behavior than the low, with two participants having a clear distinction between the high and moderate types. Results from the child attention types demonstrated that reinforcer efficacy for high, moderate, and low matched the preference assessment for all participants. Results demonstrate the validity of conducting a child attention preference assessment using the types of attention identified by caregivers.

The authors of the three studies presented in this symposium evaluated effects of consequence manipulations on skill acquisition in children and adults with autism. Valencia and her colleagues investigated effects of various combinations of differential reinforcement magnitude for prompted and unprompted correct responses and found that in some cases, acquisition was more rapid with differential reinforcement. Breeman and her colleagues observed that clinicians commonly made errors of omission of prescribed consequences, and compared effects of low-integrity and high-integrity treatment conditions on skill acquisition. These researchers found that acquisition was almost twice as rapid when teaching procedures were implemented as programmed. Finally, Paranczak and Fisher compared rate of independent manding and acquisition of novel mands across two conditions: with and without a lag schedule requirement. The lag schedule led to the acquisition of novel mands with both participants. Each of these studies addressed practical considerations that should be made by those designing and managing programs of instruction for individuals with autism.

Behavior Analysts involved in the education of individuals with autism and developmental disabilities.

Delivering effective ABA services requires caregivers to deliver interventions with sufficient integrity to result in socially meaningful changes in client behavior. Yet, many services often struggle to maintain the integrity of applied behavior analytic interventions in applied settings. Thus, practitioners must have behavioral technologies available to them to assess, and increase treatment integrity and evaluate interventions to do so. This symposium presents three papers addressing this important issue. These papers include a systematic review of training natural change agents implementing functional analytic procedures, a telehealth intervention error analysis and identify to remedy the implementation errors and an intervention study to improve treatment integrity during functional communication training

Advanced graduate students, Masters and Doctoral practitioners, research students, instructors and professors teaching ABA classes, and psychologists including school psychologists.

Procedures used to assess and treat challenging behavior in research do not always translate to practice because they do not address the idiosyncratic variables typically found in applied settings. This symposium reviews variables related to assessment and treatment of challenging behavior as well as byproducts that result from these challenges. The first study describes an evaluation of data collection integrity of caregivers who were tasked with collecting data for assessment purposes and provides recommendations for behavior analysts relying on others to collect data. The second study describes an evaluation of a method for assessing elopement during transitions. The third study describes an evaluation of alternative treatments, specifically programs based on concurrent operants, for escape-maintained challenging behavior in applied settings. Finally, the last presentation focuses on issues related to the use of restrictive procedures and describes a method for evaluating and reducing their use in applied settings. Taken together, the information provided in these presentations will give practitioners of behavior analysis tools to increase the ecological validity of their practice.

Practitioners of behavior analysis who work in applied settings.

The purpose of the present symposium is to present research which is going enlighten about emergent relations and equivalence classes in particular. In the first paper by Arntzen and Mensah present an experiment on observing matching-to-sample performance and stimulus sorting. The authors present two experiments to study how observing an MTS task performance will influence the formation of experimenter-defined classes in sorting tests, as well as the formation of equivalence classes in an MTS-based test for emergent relations. In the second paper, Aggio, Kruger, Nunes, and de Rose present an experiment on punishment of incorrect recognitions increased equivalence-based false memories. Aggio et al. have studied the effect of programmed consequences for incorrect responses in memory tests. The third paper by Vaidya presents on the relation between the definition and measurement of equivalence. The paper will discuss how the phenomenon of equivalence is defined influence a change in the way the phenomenon is measured. The last paper by Fields presents an experiment on how the neural correlates of decision making by various relations in equivalence classes. The paper shows that event related potentials recorded during the comparison stimuli measured neural correlates of decision making for each type of relation.

Graduate, researchers, etc,

Recent experimental studies attempted to provide an equivalence-based account of the phenomenon of false memories. In all these studies participants studied a list of stimuli. A later memory test later memory test presented stimuli from the list (targets), stimuli equivalent to targets (critical distracters) or unrelated to them (non-related distracters). Higher recall and/or recognition of critical than unrelated distracters documented equivalence-related false memories. The present study investigated the effect of feedback for incorrect responses in memory tests. In Phase 1 participants studied three patterns, each comprising two geometrical forms within a larger one. In Phase 2 one of the small geometric shapes and the larger form became equivalent to other shapes. The memory test (Phase 3) presented, for recognition, the patterns previously studied in Phase 1 (targets), patterns formed by some of the geometric shapes from targets and other shapes equivalent to them (critical distracters) and new patterns (unrelated distracters). The No Feedback Group had no differential consequences for responses in the test whereas the Feedback Group had a presumably aversive sound following errors. Both groups recognized significantly more critical than unrelated distractors, attesting equivalence-based false memories. Surprisingly, the Feedback Group showed significantly more equivalence-related false memories, insofar as this group recognized critical distractors nearly as frequently as targets.

Sidman and colleagues’ originally defined equivalence relations as the emergent interchangeability of conditional and discriminative stimulus functions. This definition was well aligned with the matrix of tasks and outcomes that defined stimulus equivalence classes. Tests for symmetry, transitivity, and equivalence, for example, were perfect and complete assays of this interchangeability. Sidman’s new formulation of equivalence relations, however, involves the inclusion of responses and the stimuli serving as reinforcers in the emergent relations. This new formulation also offers an expanded view of the kinds of contingencies that can produce emergent equivalence relations. This presentation will argue that the change in how the phenomenon of equivalence is defined also requires a change in the way the phenomenon is measured. The presentation will review data from non-typical preparations asking questions about equivalence relations in an effort to frame a discussion about the ways in which we measure and describe equivalence relations. The presentation will suggest an expansion of the tasks that measure equivalence and end with some directions for future research.

Equivalence classes were formed using a trace stimulus pairing paradigm that isolated the presentation of the sample and comparison stimuli, and restricted responding to a separate time window presented after the comparison. Event related potentials recorded during the comparison stimuli measured neural correlates of decision making for each type of relation. xxx analysis was used to identify deep sources of neural activation that accounted the patterns of surface activation produced by baseline, symmetrical, transitive, and equivalence relations. The deep sources of activation were correlated closely with known cognitive processes

Siegfried “Ziggy” Engelmann (1931-2019) dedicated his life to developing and refining Direct Instruction (DI), a powerful teaching system that combines logical selection and sequencing of examples and high rates of responding by students. Countless children and adults owe their literacy to teachers who skillfully presented DI programs developed by Engelmann and colleagues. This symposium will review Engelmann’s achievements as a pioneering scientist, examine the DI research base, show how DI's theory of instruction is harmonious with behavior analysis, and discuss factors that impede the widespread implementation of DI in schools.

Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students.

A pioneering scientist and educator for more than 50 years, Siegfried ‘Zig’ Engelmann was among the first to apply the scientific method to the design and delivery of instruction. He stood alone for his ability to create programs that accelerate learning in even the hardest to teach children and that most teachers can learn to use. He wrote more than 100 curricula, covering the major subjects from preschool to high school. As a professor of education at University of Oregon and founder of the National Institute for Direct Instruction, he attracted students from around the world. No one did more to help the underdog. Millions of poor children learned when taught by teachers trained in his methods, often when nothing else worked. He never gave up on a child or blamed children for the failings of adults. He lived by his motto: If the student hasn’t learned, the teacher hasn’t taught. More scientific evidence validates DI’s effectiveness than any other mode of teaching. I will present an overview of Zig’s life and achievements.

Engelmann and colleagues realized that a scientific analysis of learning needed to control for one of two variables: either the learner or the instruction. As no two learners are alike, they focused on controlling instruction—in the form of logical, “faultless communication.” For most novice learners, normal instruction is riddled with confusion and ambiguity. To reduce misinterpretation and maximize learning, DI's instructional components (such as content analysis, explicit teaching, judicious example selection, and structured sequencing) are designed communicate one logical interpretation. The effects on the learner's performance are then observed, and the communication redesigned until faultless. DI's “Theory of Instruction” is harmonious with behavior analysis and beneficial to anyone interested in the heart and soul of good instruction.

More than fifty years and 300 studies document DI’s effectiveness. A recent meta-analysis found that the average effect size for DI was over .50, substantially larger than the level typically found in studies of other programs. Estimated effects were similar across time, methodologies, student characteristics, settings, outcome variables, and comparison programs. However, they were larger when students were exposed for longer periods of time and with greater fidelity, surpassing the effect associated with the average achievement gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students. Future research might most effectively focus on ways to improve implementation fidelity and understand resistance to the programs.

A great deal of evidence demonstrates that Direct Instruction can be extremely effective for efficiently building academic repertoires in a wide variety of learners including those with disabilities. However, Direct Instruction is not widely implemented in schools or ABA service settings. This presentation explores the interaction of features of Direct Instruction and the resources and contingencies in potential implementation settings that account for the under-utilization of this powerful technology that addresses a high-priority need. First, Direct Instruction must be well-implemented to have the powerful effects it is capable of producing. Second, implementing Direct Instruction well requires a good deal of expertise, on-going support, and ongoing effort by educators. Third, few schools or ABA service providers understand how and why Direct Instruction is powerful; therefore, they often undermine its effectiveness when making modifications, fail to generalize its powerful features, and select less effective programs for reasons that are irrelevant to student achievement. Fourth, many educators find some features of Direct Instruction aversive because of verbal relations surrounding those features, in spite of the fact that Direct Instruction could help them achieve highly-valued outcomes.

Supervision of trainees and service providers is crucial in guaranteeing that clients receive quality services that match their needs and respect their wishes and preferences. This presentation will focus on evidence-based strategies for the effective training and supervision of service providers across cultures. Emphasis will be put on the importance of protecting supervisee’s well-being as a means to achieve optimal outcomes for the clients they serve. An outline of how technology can enhance the process of disseminating our science internationally, in particular in countries where there is a dearth of behaviour analysts and training opportunities, will be offered.

Students and entry-level professionals who wish to improve their cultural competence and knowledge of how technology can improve client outcomes; clinicians and researchers with intermediate and advanced understanding of evidence-based practice who wish to increase their cultural awareness and knowledge of how technology can facilitate access to quality services.

The advancement of technology has inevitably shaped social interactions for a large majority of adolescents in urbanized cities. This digital age is a time of positive growth, but also a time of considerable challenge. Bullying has extended its reach from the physical to the cyberspace. Most of what we now know about traditional bullying and cyberbullying comes from research conducted in Western societies. There have been a number of studies from Asian Pacific Rim societies, though it is acknowledged that there is a comparative lack of studies from South-East Asian countries. This talk will review key issues in this field such as the similarities, differences, and relationship between cyberbullying and traditional bullying, measurement issues in cyberbullying research as it relates to prevalence rates, and crucial cross-cultural considerations. This talk will also examine the risk and protective factors, and outcomes including mental health outcomes of traditional/cyberbullying victims and perpetrators. Finally, this talk will also include a review of prevention and intervention strategies targeting multiple levels and contexts/systems (individual, relationships such as parent-adolescent, teacher-student, peer-peer, school, community) which will be needed to more effectively address traditional and cyberbullying in an integrated manner.

Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students.

The rapidly growing field of ABA offers a wide range of occupational opportunities for behavior analysts. One potential opportunity is operating a business that provides ABA services. In this panel discussion, three successful business owners who provide behavioral services will share their experiences and advice for starting and running a business that delivers ABA-based services. The three panelists are Dr. Megan Miller, Co-Founder of Navigation Behavioral Consulting, former CEO of PEAK ABA Solutions, and Founder of the Do Better Professional Development Movement; and Dr. David Bicard, CEO of Great Leaps Learning Center; Stephen Foreman, Vice-President/Chief Operating Officer of Clinical Behavior Analysis (CBA), Chief Behavior Analyst of Lee Specialty Clinic, and Founding Member and Past President of the Kentucky Association for Behavior Analysis. The three panelists will be address topics such as starting and maintaining a business, training and coaching staff, overcoming obstacles, and dealing with potential ethical issues. This panel is a 50 minutes Q&A panel discussion, in which you'll have the opportunity to ask any questions about the three different types of business in our ABA world.

The target audience will be behavior analysts, undergraduates, and parents who want to know more about how to start and operating business that provides ABA services.

The first presentation will give an integrated analysis of behavioral science research on climate change and greenhouse gas emissions. The second presentation will provide an overview of the research programs, organizations providing funding, and community interventions that have been compiled by the Coalition of Behavioral Science Organizations Climate Change Task Force. The third presentation will provide an overview of the resources required to accomplish the goals of the task force and how to expand the efforts.

Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students.

Much research has been conducted on increasing verbal behavior of individuals with and without developmental disabilities; however, there remains several unaddressed empirical questions. For instance, there is a paucity of literature on pre-requisite skills needed to increase the effectiveness of procedures, the efficacy of automatic reinforcement to increase infant vocalizations, if pairing procedures can increase textual behavior, and whether particular procedures are more effective to increase intraverbals. The current symposium will attempt to narrow these gaps in research. The first presentation will discuss findings on which skills may enhance the effectiveness of a Stimulus Pairing Observation Procedure in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Following, the second presentation will present results on the effects of a Stimulus-Stimulus Pairing procedure on the rate of vocalizations of a typically developing infant. Next, the third presentation will review outcomes of a word-picture pairing procedure to produce emergent textual behavior in children with reading deficits. Finally, the fourth presentation will discuss the effects of an echoic prompt plus error correction procedure and a Differential Observing Response procedure on the acquisition of convergent intraverbals in children with ASD. A discussion highlighting and integrating the aforementioned presentations will then be conducted by Dr. Ruth Anne Rehfeldt.

Behavior analysts

Textual behavior requires learning relations between dictated and printed words. Teaching printed words and pictures relations to individuals that already relates dictated words and pictures can establish equivalence classes that characterize reading with comprehension. We verified whether word-picture pairings produce emergent textual behavior (reading). Participants were three children (6-7 years) with reading deficits. Stimuli were printed words and their corresponding pictures, divided in three sets of three pairs. Pairing trials started with the presentation of a fixation cross in one corner of the screen. Clicking on the cross produced the presentation of a word followed by its corresponding picture. Three sessions were conducted for each stimulus set, and each word-picture pair was presented 12 times per session. Multiple probes evaluated the reading of all nine target words before and after teaching each set. Within sessions, pre- and post-tests assessed the reading of the three words. The probes showed emergence of reading after each set. Post-tests revealed an increase in reading within sessions. Participants did not read non-target words used only in probes. This study replicated, with a more rigorous experimental control, previous findings of our laboratory. We will discuss implications of these results for establishing reading with larger stimulus sets.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in social communication and repetitive behaviors [American Psychiatric Association (APA) 2013], and rates of ASD have risen exponentially in recent years currently impacting approximately 1 out of 59 children in the United States [Centers for Disease Control (CDC) 2018]. Several behavior analytic interventions have been established as effective with a focus on early delivery and high intensity for ameliorating symptoms of ASD and increasing meaningful skills. Even with this growth in practice, there remains inadequate access to services for families across the country. This symposium will include three presentations focused on development and implementation of parent training models to address: 1) lag between diagnosis and start of intervention, 2) service options for families living in remote and rural areas and/or with school-age children, and 3) evaluating the effect of naturalistic parent-mediated interventions. Together, results indicate that 1) parents were successful at implementing naturalistic interventions, 2) interventions met parent expectations, 3) parents reported positive response to intervention and format, and 4) children demonstrated positive gains during parent participation in the programs. Results from these models continue to inform research and community-based practice to address the needs of the community.

Behavior Analysts

Parent-mediated interventions can lead to significant gains in social, communicative, and adaptive skills for children with autism spectrum disorder (Meadan et al., 2009). Although there is consensus about the benefits of evidence-based parent-delivered intervention, many barriers exist for families seeking training on effective teaching practices. Geographical distance from treatment centers and the high cost of high-quality services are two variables that often contribute to inequity in behavior analytic treatment. The current investigation sought to examine the impact of a short-term intensive parent training program on parent fidelity of implementation of Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) and child communication. Twenty-four families living in remote or rural communities in Arizona participated in 25 hours of in-vivo parent coaching through a grant-funded, clinic-based program. Across all participants, the average fidelity score increased from 30% at baseline to 82% post-training and child responsivity increased from 22% to 67%. Additionally, families rated the program favorably and reported comfort using the strategies in their home environment. Results indicate that the one-week intensive program may offer a solution in addressing ongoing disparities in autism treatment.

Brief parent education programs for parents of young children has shown to be effective at increasing parent use of teaching strategies and having positive effects on child social communication skills (Vismara, Colombi, Rogers, 2009). However, few studies have examined the impact of parent-education models for parents with school-aged children. In this study we utilized the same format (Rogers et al., 2012) and evaluated the impact on parent delivery of Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) with school-aged children. This study reviewed the outcome data of the first four parent-child dyads to participate in the pilot and suggests that parents of school-age children may benefit from a short-term low-intensity model similarly to parents of young children. Following participation all participants agreed that they felt comfortable implementing the motivational procedures of pivotal response treatment. In addition, all parent-child dyads demonstrated gains in verbal responsivity and achieved an acceptable level of fidelity. Results suggested a 12-week education model can be an effective modality to increase fidelity of implementation of pivotal response treatment for caregivers of school-aged children.

As insurers and health plans become the predominant funders of ABA-based autism treatment, behavior analysts increasingly encounter complex guidelines and unanticipated peer reviews as they endeavor to provide services to their patients. Each insurer/health plan has its own medical necessity criteria (MNC) to try to define which services will be covered. A comprehensive understanding of the proper use of MNC and how to prepare for a peer review has the potential to help behavior analysts successfully challenge erroneous treatment denials and arbitrary treatment limits. Numerous laws, regulations, and legal precedents protect a patient’s right to access medically necessary treatment, including ABA. For example, the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) prevents insurers/health plans from imposing stricter limitations on mental health benefits, such as autism treatment coverage, than those imposed on medical/surgical benefits. Results from a recent review of the MNC of 10 insurers/health plans will be discussed in light of MHPAEA requirements. Practical methods of conveying these requirements in interactions with insurance representatives will be discussed. Strategies for successfully navigating the peer review process will be shared. With an enhanced understanding of patient rights and provider responsibilities, clinicians will have the tools they need to provide ABA-based treatment that reflects best practices.

BCBAs who work with insurers as payors of ABA-based autism treatment.

Coaching is a term that is used frequently in both behavioral and non-behavioral literature, yet it often is used with a lack of clarity in terms of the form and function of the interactions. The studies in this symposium offer three unique ideas on how to improve coaching interactions and the effects that they can have on athletes and coaches alike. All three studies had coaches implementing the intervention. The first two studies focus on the increase in athlete performance in lacrosse and mixed martial arts (MMA), respectively. The first study evaluated the use of negative reinforcement on an athlete's running behavior and the second study evaluated the use of coaching questions feedback to increase correct foot pivots in fighters. The third study, softball, also implemented feedback; however, instead evaluated the usage of video-based feedback and self-monitoring to improve the coaching interactions themselves. All three studies hint at possible new interventions to improve performance in the sports realm.

This symposium is targeted towards behavior analysts with an interest in coaching interactions

Coaching is a term used frequently in behavioral and non-behavioral literature, yet often with a lack of clarity on form and function. One component of coaching is feedback, which is the most common intervention in Organizational Behavior Management (OBM) and has shown to be an effective treatment when implemented correctly. However, the use of questions rather than statements to improve performance has not yet been evaluated in the coaching system. The current investigation used a coaching system to separately compare the effectiveness of both interactions (feedback statements and coaching questions) to contribute to the coaching literature. Five Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighters participated in the study and received coaching questions and feedback statements in a randomized order. An alternating treatments design was used to evaluate the effects of the intervention on athlete performance.

The present study examined if video-based feedback combined with self-monitoring will improve the quality of specific feedback statements delivered by coaches. The study involved four collegiate softball coaches at a southeastern university. The primary dependent variable was the quality of coaching interactions delivered by the coaches as measured by items completed from a checklist of feedback characteristics. The coaching interaction was defined as any feedback statement that is referencing behavior relevant to task performance. The secondary dependent variable was the athlete’s performance. The independent variable was video feedback combined with self-monitoring. The results showed an improvement in all four participant’s coaching interactions. The group mean baseline levels for coaching interaction accuracy were between 39% - 59% which improved to 55% - 72% after treatment was introduced. The coaches individual improvement ranged from 3.5%-15.4%. The current study found that using video-based feedback and self-monitoring was effective in improving coaching interactions.

While families are seeing increased coverage of applied behavior analysis (ABA), an evidence-based treatment for young children with autism with emerging evidence for older youth and adults on the spectrum, they are often unable to access these services due to a paucity of providers that meet state mandated certification and licensing requirements (“Autism and Insurance Coverage,” 2018). This is especially true for families in rural and remote areas where inadequate access to behavioral healthcare is well-documented (Murphy & Ruble, 2012 ; Whittle, Fisher, Reppermund, Lenroot, &; Trollor, 2017). Telehealth has been successfully utilized to treat a variety of populations in the realms of mental health and ABA specifically (Fisher et al., 2014; Heitzman-Powell et al., 2014; Vismara, Young, Stahmer, Griffith, & Rogers, 2009). This panel discussion will outline solutions to help meet the needs of individuals in need of ABA services in rural and remote areas through telehealth technology including solutions for parent-training, supervision of comprehensive and targeted ABA programs, and training for individuals seeking behavior analytic certification. The discussion will focus on application, challenges, and solutions.

BCBA-D, BCBA, BCaBA

Behavior analysts working in public school settings may face ethical and logistical challenges. As an applied area of behavior analysis, practicing in education requires in-depth understanding and application of the Professional and Ethical Compliance Code for Behavior Analysts from the Behavior Analyst Certification Board®. For behavior analysts, supervision in the public school setting can be broadly defined and can encompass a variety of roles and responsibilities. Behavior analysts may provide supervision to those who are both familiar and unfamiliar with ABA. It is often a behavior analyst’s responsibility to juggle administrative duties and supports, ethical standards, and education for staff, all while ensuring appropriate service delivery and effectiveness for students. Additionally, many roles filled by behavior analysts in public schools are not evaluative, thus creating additional challenges for effective supervision. Yet, success for students depends upon staff providing quality services, often supported or overseen by the behavior analyst. This panel discussion will specifically focus on behavior analysts providing supervision and supports in public schools. The targeted audience for this panel includes those currently working in public school settings, those who consult in these settings, or those teaching future behavior analysts who may work in the public school setting.

BCBAs or BCBA-Ds currently working in public school settings BCBAs or BCBA-Ds who consult in public schools BCBAs or BCBA-Ds teaching future behavior analysts who may work in the public school setting

In this symposium, the authors will present research on staff behavior in human service settings. In the first paper, the presenter describes using a checklist to increase the frequency of questions about the client’s culture by behavioral clinicians during a mock intake interview. The checklist alone was shown to be effective at increasing cultural questions across a variety of domains including diet, communication, provider outcomes, religion and reward/discipline. The second presenter will discuss the effectiveness of video modeling to increase the frequency of participants’ play behaviors and vocalizations during play. Results support the use of video modeling to increase adult play behavior across 3 stimulus sets (e.g., train set, blocks). The final presentation will review results from a study evaluating the effects of self-monitoring and goal setting on therapist-provided mand opportunities. Participants were 3 behavior technicians who experienced unobtrusive and obtrusive baseline phases, followed by a self-monitoring phase, a self-monitoring plus goal-setting phase, followed by other individualized interventions. Results varied across participants.

Human Service Staff

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder may lack appropriate play skills. Even if they have independent play skills, they may need additional assistance in developing peer play skills. In order to provide quality care to these children, practitioners who work with these children should also be versed in how to play with their clients. This creates an environment in which the therapist can serve as a model peer in order to teach these play skills. The researchers for the current study used a multiple baseline design across stimulus sets. A pre-experimental assessment, naturalistic generalization probe, and a toy generalization probe were conducted prior to baseline. Baseline 1 demonstrated the participant’s performance in playing with a confederate researcher. Task clarification represented the participant’s performance in playing with a confederate researcher after a verbal prompt to play more. The researchers implemented video modeling to increase the frequency of participants’ play behaviors and vocalizations during play. Results support the use of video modeling to increase adult play behavior across three stimulus sets. Post-test probes included a naturalistic generalization probe, toy generalization probe, and 1 month maintenance probe.

This panel will serve as a follow-up to the previous events on “A Strategic Plan for Expanding Behavioral Science Research on Climate Change”. It is the first of a two panel discussion on coordinating efforts of the behavior science community to increase research and community intervention to reduce carbon emissions. This panel includes experts from the fields of prevention science, clinical psychology, environmental education, and behavior analysis. The panelists will discuss coordinating efforts of individuals with diverse expertise in the development, execution, and data analysis of interdisciplinary sustainability research and make suggestions for immediate and pragmatic actions at the individual, community and societal levels. Audience members will have the opportunity to participate in real-time work to expand and scale up research and application needed in this area. We invite participants to dialogue and identify the opportunities and barriers to doing this work and commit to taking actions to increase the contributions of the behavior analysis community toward mitigating the effects of climate change.

Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students.

Jessica Ghai, M.Ed. BCBA, LABA(MA) is a doctoral candidate at the Boston University: Wheelock College of Education and Human Development (anticipated completion: Spring 2020) and a Volunteer Coordinator for the Behavioral Science Coalition: Climate Change Task Force. In additional to extensive teaching experience and animal-related dissertation research, Jessica’s academic background includes a B.S. in Natural Resources from The Ohio State University: College of Food, Agriculture, and Environment Sciences. Following completion of her doctoral program, she hopes to pursue a career in research. Research interests include: human-animal interactions through a behavior analytic lens, animal well-being and management of maladaptive behaviors in zoological settings, visitation behaviors of patrons at zoological facilities, and the effectiveness of behavior change interventions related to species biodiversity and conservation of natural resources. Jessica also volunteers as a keeper’s aide at a zoological facility and is a member of ABAI’s Applied Animal Behavior SIG. 

The digital health industry, estimated to be worth $206 billion by 2020, has produced countless mobile apps, wearable devices, and other technologies to help users develop healthy lifestyles to manage and prevent physical and mental illness. An open question is whether behavioral science is being applied to these innovations which reach millions of users each day. In this talk, Dr. Pagoto will first discuss her work examining the degree to which the work of behavioral scientists is represented in popular commercial health technologies, and then she will present her research applying behavioral principles via mobile technology and social media. Finally, she will discuss ways that technology can provide novel sources of data to enhance our understanding of behavior as well as the efficacy and reach of behavioral interventions.

Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students.

The content and quality of verbal programmed consequences during discrete trial instruction has been shown to influence skill acquisition. This symposium describes recent research examining a) the effects of differential qualities of praise (i.e., enthusiastic, neutral) b) specificity of praise (i.e., behavior-specific, general), and c) content and schedule of instructive feedback on acquisition of skills during discrete trial instruction. Results collectively demonstrate the impact of these varying dimensions of praise and instructive feedback both on the rate of skill acquisition of target responses and the emergence of novel, untrained responses. Results will be discussed in terms of implications for producing effective and efficient teaching procedures for individuals receiving discrete trial instruction.

Master's level practitioners, clinical directors, applied researchers

Praise is a social stimulus typically provided contingent on socially appropriate responses or as a treatment component to increase appropriate behavior in behavioral interventions. However, the effects of different variables (e.g., quality, tone, magnitude, content) that may influence the effectiveness and efficiency of praise have not received much attention in the literature. An exception is Weyman and Sy (2018)’s evaluation of enthusiastic praise, neutral praise, and no praise on skill acquisition targets in individuals with developmental disabilities. Their results suggest that all individuals learned in all conditions. However, enthusiactic praise resulted in faster acquisition of the targets. Thus, the purpose of the current study is to systematically replicate Weyman and Sy (2018) on the effects of neutral, enthusiactic, and no praise on skill acquisition. Thus far, two children with autism spectrum disorder have participated in this study. Our preliminary results for both participants replicate previous research by Weyman and Sy (2018).

It’s recommended that behavior-specific praise be provided as consequence for correct responding (Anderson, Taras, & Cannon, 1996), however, research supporting this claim is scarce. Previous research comparing behavior-specific and general praise has found idiosyncratic results (Fueyo, Saundaragas, and Bushell, 1975; Stevens, Sidener, Reeve, and Sidener, 2011; Polick, Carr, and Hanney, 2012). The purpose of this investigation was to compare the effects of instructive feedback combined with behavior-specific praise (e.g., “Nice work, touching the typewriter and the color is jade”) and general praise (e.g., “Nice work and the color is slate”) on skill acquisition of unprompted receptive identification and untrained skills. Additionally, this study extended previous research by including a reinforcer assessment for both types of praise, omitting the use of prompting, error correction, and other reinforcers. Participants were children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. Results suggest that behavior-specific praise may be more effective, and that instructive feedback may increase instructional efficiency.

If you design, select, modify, or deliver instruction, this session is for you! Direct Instruction (DI) programs are highly effective, with design and delivery based on the content’s “Big Idea” and application of three powerhouse components: content analysis, instructional sequencing, and clear communication. Content analysis is an active and creative part of instructional design that ensures concepts are learned and readied for teaching generalization. Thoughtful sequencing and example juxtaposition improve efficiency. Clear communication reduces ambiguity and errors—for both the teacher and the learner—and influences DI’s presentation features (e.g., scripting, active student responding, pacing, progress monitoring). The program elements of true DI move the instructional design process beyond simply selecting multiple exemplars, the prevailing method in much of behavior analytic teaching. This session will apply and extend these core features to real-world contexts for any and all teaching, content, and circumstances. Our goal? You’ll learn to infuse these critical components of DI into your own instructional design and delivery.

Behavior analysts (certified), educators, instructional designers

How do you take a concept/content analysis and figure out the sequence of what to teach when? Even after performing the necessary analytical components for teaching a concept we still have to figure out how to best teach it. The sequence in which skills are taught is instrumental for success. Learning new concepts can be made easier or more difficult depending on the order in which stimuli are introduced. Critical design aspects of how to teach include the sequence and arrangement of examples and non-examples (juxtaposition), the use of clear instructions (faultless communication), the judicious presentation of “interruptions,” and the selection of teaching routines based on the learner's current repertoire (response teaching strategies). This presentation will outline five Direct Instruction (DI) principles for sequencing and ordering examples to maximize learning, and it will consider their ties to behavior analysis.

The Morningside Model of Generative Instruction is based on five pillars: Assessment, Curriculum, Instruction, Precision Teaching, and Generative Responding.

Nicole Erickson will detail how a teacher, working within a homogeneously achievement grouped classroom, uses a package of instruction strategies, Precision Teaching practices, and further assessment, to continuously evaluate and refine the homogeneity.

Kathy Fox will detail how coaches at Haugland Learner Center have developed a school-wide, systematic modification of the Good Behavior Game to improve student academic and social-emotional behavior outcomes.

Jill Hunt will describe how the Judge Rotenberg Center has worked with coaches from Morningside Teachers' Academy to develop a staff coaching model that focuses on effective classroom management and Precision Teaching procedures to improve student outcomes and shift the educational culture.

Andrew Bulla will present a study focused on effective practices in instruction and Precision Teaching, specifically a comparison of free operant acquisition and frequency building procedures versus restricted operant procedures, such as discrete trial training (DTT).

Behavior Analysts, Teachers, Psychologists

One of the five pillars of the Morningside Model of Generative Instruction is homogeneous achievement grouping, wherein students with similar academic repertoires are placed together to foster the most effective instruction. While students complete a wide range of macro assessments – standardized, norm-referenced achievement tests – those assessments are designed to show growth over the course of year, not for use in homogeneous achievement grouping. Instead, results from a battery of curriculum placement tests are used to create the most homogeneous instructional groups. However, while students are placed homogeneously according to their overall average strengths and weaknesses, they do not show up in the classroom as homogeneous in each specific area of strength and weakness related to curricula. Within a given classroom, several areas of variance are evident, such as specific learning and organizational skills. As effective instructional practices turn student weaknesses into strengths, the teacher must continuously reassess and regroup students to maintain homogeneity. The never-ending job of the classroom teacher is to analyze multiple levels of assessment data to accommodate the different types of deficits that learners present with, and to effectively differentiate instruction and practice opportunities to an ever-changing diverse set of homogeneous learners. Data will be presented that demonstrate how this differentiation is done to produce successful learner outcomes.

Good classroom management is a key factor in student success in all settings but can be especially important in classrooms that serve students with special needs. The Good Behavior Game is widely recognized as an evidence- based classroom management strategy. Haugland Learning Center(HLC), based in Columbus, Ohio, serves students with autism and other disabilities and uses variations of the Good Behavior Game to set students in a variety of classroom settings up for behavioral and academic success. This presentation will discuss how the use of the Good Behavior Game affects progress and outcomes, how HLC trains and coaches staff to implement effective classroom management strategies using the Good Behavior Game and how data are monitored to ensure continuous progress for individual students, classroom groups, and teachers. Our data indicate that students and staff perform better and reach more optimal academic and behavior outcomes when the Good Behavior Game is used consistently and reliably. Specific examples of student, classroom, staff and school academic and behavior data will be analyzed and discussed.

The Judge Rotenberg Education Center(JRC) is a residential school for students with severe disabilities. For the last two and a half years, JRC has had the privilege of learning from Morningside Teachers Academy(MTA) via onsite vists from MTA consultants. Work with MTA has focused on the Morningside Math Facts program, classroom management, and staff coaching. After the introduction of the Morningside Math Facts program, data demonstrated grade level equivalency gains of 1.8 years growth during the first 8 months. Additionally, staff coaching data show improved classroom management and increased student participation in the Morningside Math Facts program. Data collected during coaching sessions in the classroom have shown an increase in the amount of group responses and teacher praise statements and many staff and students report a pleasant change in the classroom environment. This presentation aims to discuss how the use of well- sequenced learning materials combined with application of good classroom management strategies inspired change in our educational department and continues to lead to better outcomes for our students and the lessons we've learned along the way.

Contemporary advances in our knowledge of human language and cognitive development stemming from Relational Frame Theory (RFT) have advanced assessment and treatment for children. Global measures evaluate higher-order patterns of behavior that are currently considered stable in most areas of behavior science. Constructs such as intelligence, executive functioning, and theory of mind are treated as independent variables that are predictive of several life outcomes and mediate the effectiveness of most treatment approaches. This symposium challenges this approach, showing that behavior analysts can not only assess behaviors that may underly these constructs, but interventions developed from an RFT account can actually change these global patterns of behavior. Belisle will provide an overview of RFT and Verbal Behavior accounts with assessment and treatment data with children with autism. Holtsman extends this account showing considerable changes in IQ following relational training, but not traditional VB instruction. Stanley will show how relational training guided by PEAK can lead to increases in IQ in typically developing children within a multiple-baseline design. Roche concludes these talks by demonstrating the effectiveness of SMART training in improving attentional abilities and intelligence in children. To conclude this symposium, Dixon will discuss these data in the context of a field moving towards more contemporary approaches and larger scale socially significant research designs.

Therapists, educators, supervisors, program managers

Professionals involved in teaching literacy skills for children with autism

The importance of reading involves, but is not limited to, access to any written information, including social networks, a variety of text-based electronic tools, and text messaging. At school, reading with comprehension and being able to communicate with others are necessary for later academic success. When one starts planning for teaching reading, many studies will point to a series of skills that might influence the process: sitting and remaining engaged in school tasks for a while, knowing how to manipulate written materials within your verbal community, printed stimuli being associated with reinforcers, letter (shape) discrimination, sound (more specifically phoneme, and for Portuguese, syllable) discrimination and manipulation, spoken vocabulary, phoneme – grapheme relations, written word – spoken word – referent relations. Some studies discuss that up about 50% of children with ASD have difficulties learn how to read, with many not being able to read at all. The purpose of this paper is to discuss some of the difficulties one might encounter when teaching a child with ASD based on both a brief literature review and clinical cases. Sitting, independent engagement, letter (shape) discrimination, word recognition, fluency and comprehension are among the skills we will address.

In Brazil, it is mandatory for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to be enrolled in a school, preferably a regular one, excluding homeschooling possibilities. National data show high level of school failure in reading and writing skills for students in general and, although there are no specific data, the same results can be inferred for children with ASD. According to the Brazilian Inclusion Law (2016), students with ASD have the right to an adapted curriculum in both private and public schools. However, as discussed by Ribeiro, Melo and Sella (2017) and Gomes e Mendes (2010), there are very few adaptations for those students (13% and 0% were found in each study, respectively). One of the factors that might contribute to these data is the fact that there are not national guidelines, manuals or protocols that could help with this process. In view of this demand, the Nucleo de Intervenção Comportamental (NIC) is developing a protocol describing a sequence of prerequisites and procedures involved in Brazilian Portuguese literacy for children with ASD. Due to language specificities, international protocols are not amenable to direct translation. The protocol is based on Neuropsychology and Behavior Analysis Stimulus Control Brazilian studies about literacy.

Research findings from our CABAS® and Accelerated Independent Learner (AIL) schools and laboratories have demonstrated that instruction for all learners is best arranged with a focus on verbal development. The Early Learner Curriculum and Achievement Record (ELCAR, previously known as the C-PIRK) provides an inventory of repertoires and verbal developmental cusps that are the foundation for children to excel in Kindergarten. Our AIL objectives and new STEM curricula serve more advanced learners. However, knowing what to teach is only half the battle. Instruction must take place within the context of the learner’s verbal development. Once students have the necessary foundational repertoires and verbal behavior developmental cusps that will allow learning to occur, it is crucial to identify the proper instructional objectives. In this talk, I will provide academic teaching sequences aligned to both State and Common Core standards to instruct all students. I will also provide an overview of how to arrange instruction for all learners, from students at the pre-foundational level to those who are independent readers and writers.

Individuals interested in verbal behavior, or verbal behavior developmental theory in relation to instructional design.

Higher education in behavior analysis is in high demand, especially online learning options. Any modality of education must use current evidence-based teaching methods, however, little to no empirical research has been conducted on online learning methodologies. The following studies were all conducted in behavior analysis Master-level courses. The studies evaluated various aspects of those courses including with and without access to online forums (asynchronous discussion), with and without instructor involvement on forums, point contingencies on forums, access to synchronous and asynchronous discussion, participation in synchronous or asynchronous discussion sessions, and grading criteria (credit/no credit vs accuracy).

Those interested in higher education, especially online learning.

Pre-lecture reading quizzes, or Readiness Assessment Tests (RATs), improve college students’ exam performance; however, implementing RATs requires instructor resources. This study compared accuracy versus credit/no credit grading criteria on exam scores, participation, and attendance in an upper-level college course using a nonequivalent control group design. Students in the credit/no credit group spent less time on RATs and performed poorer on both RATs and unit exams across the semester compared with students who were required to respond accurately on RATs. We did not find significant differences between groups on attendance or participation measures. More students in the credit/no credit group reported liking RATs and recommended other instructors use them, whereas more students in the accuracy group had a preference for RATs over in-class quizzes. Although grading for completion rather than accuracy may be less intensive for instructors, our findings suggest this choice may decrease the benefits of RATs for students.

An extension of the panel on “Coordinating Interdisciplinary Sustainability Research”, this panel is composed of experts in behavior analysis who will share perspectives on coordination and outreach, research institutions and foundations, and collaboration with others to design community-level interventions to curb the effects of greenhouse gases. This panel aims to foster an open dialogue on how the behavioral community can move this work forward through addressing complex questions, sharing new ideas, and collaborative problem-solving. Audience members will have the opportunity to ask questions of the panelists and offer ideas for collaboration and expansion of the work of the task force. We invite participants to lean in to the complex nature of behavioral science work on climate change and explore new relationships and collaborations that build a community of researchers, practitioners, and activists that are committed to the health and long term survival of our planet and the important role that behavior science plays in making that happen.

Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students.

Behavior analysts have the potential to encounter ethical challenges on a daily basis. While the Professional and Ethical Compliance Code for Behavior Analysts (Behavior Analyst Certification Board; BACB, 2014), includes clear and concise guidance and direction, many behavior analysts find there is significant ambiguity, misunderstanding, and interpretation when applying the Code to real-life professional circumstances. Practitioners may find themselves in an uncomfortable conflict between adhering to the Code and integrating their own appraisal and perspective of challenging scenarios. Fortunately, behavior analysts are adept at assessment of the events surrounding targeted behavior and can directly apply this skillset toward understanding behaviors associated with ethically difficult situations. The panelists will discuss ethical decision-making models for incorporating and analyzing the function of ethically precarious behavior within context while remaining consistent with ethical standards of the field and ensuring quality care for clientele.

The target audience for this presentation is anyone interested in the study or practice of applied behavior analysis including Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs), Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analysts (BCaBAs), Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs), psychologists, psychiatrists, clinicians, graduate students, professors, teachers, and parents. The primary audience will be those practicing, teaching or studying in applied behavior analysis.

Private events and behavior-analytic perspectives concerning them has been in discord with traditional psychological accounts for decades. Interestingly, however, behavior analysis hasn't wavered much in its conceptualization of them as predominantly verbal in nature. To that end, the present symposium takes a unique look into the interestingly-sparse empirical literature relative to private events and subsequently posits progressive approaches to changing our relation to private events given a delay discounting empirical investigation. Findings are discussed and a trajectory of ABA relative to private events is provided.

beginner-intermediate

Previous research has suggested that impulsivity is character trait and thus, cannot be changed. However, recent research has demonstrated that Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) can change how people make choices when given selections between smaller-immediate vs. larger-delayed rewards. No research to date has evaluated the effect of ACT interventions on choice making when given a choice between avoidance vs. engaging in an aversive activity to access a reward. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effects of defusion exercises on participants’ choice making on a computer task which presented choices between a negative reinforcer (i.e., avoidance of an aversive sound) or a positive reinforcer following the presentation of an aversive stimulus (e.g., access to money following the presentation of an aversive sound). Defusion is a behavior analytic procedure that trains participants in how to respond in more flexible ways to aversive private events, rather than engaging immediately in previously negatively reinforced behavior. In this study, a multiple baseline design across participants was used to measure change in discounting before and after a brief ACT session (data in this submission is presented as discounting curves but will be presented as both curves and as a multiple baseline in the conference presentation). In general, participants discounted less steeply (i.e., selected to listen to the sound in order to earn money more often) following defusion training when compared to baseline.

The ABAI Licensing Committee was established in the last 3 years to serve as a resource for behavior analysis organizations interested in licensure of behavior analysts. The Committee is a component of the Affiliate Chapters Board. The members are highly experienced behavior analysts who have experience in effectively addressing public policy issues in state government,especially pertaining to behavior analyst licensure. The reasons for the establishment of the committee, its history, operation, previous, current and anticipated activities, and the resources that it offers behavior analytic organizations will be described. The presentation will address, also, the fit of Committee activities with a behavior analytic perspective on social institutions (e.g., how its activities are relevant to metacontingencies effecting social institutions, exemplify Skinner's perspective regarding behaviorists engaging with issues relevant to a culture, incorporation of behavior analytic principles in addressing public policy issues, and promote ethical behavior in the culture). Audience participation will be encouraged

LBAs, BCBAs/BCBA-Ds, leaders of state behavior analysis organizations, persons interested in public policy issues including behavior analyst licensure