Association for Behavior Analysis International

Dr. Jomella Watson-Thompson is a professor of Applied Behavioral Science and a researcher affiliated with the Center for Community Health and Development. Dr. Thompson leads the Youth Violence Prevention Research Center- Kansas City, a Center for Disease Control and Prevention National Center of Excellence in Youth Violence Prevention. Her research focuses on behavioral-community approaches to youth and community violence prevention, adolescent substance abuse prevention, and neighborhood and community development. She has examined the effects of community-based processes and behavioral-community interventions to promote mobilization and change in communities. Dr. Thompson also works with community collaboratives to examine social determinants or factors, including educational attainment and access to resources and supports, that may contribute to disparities experienced particularly for racial and ethnic groups and in underserved communities. She researches and promotes community-academic partnerships through community-engaged scholarship as an approach to foster sustainable change and improvement in communities. Dr. Thompson has received numerous funding awards and co-authored articles on community capacity-building, youth and neighborhood development, and adolescent substance abuse, and youth and community violence prevention. She serves on the Executive Council for the Association of Behavior Analysis International. She attained a Ph.D. in Behavioral Psychology, a Masters of Urban Planning from the University of Kansas, and a B.A. in Urban Studies from Jackson State University.

All convention registrants are welcome and encouraged to attend.

An often-cited barrier to independent living in adulthood for individuals with developmental disabilities (DD) is the ability to procure and/or maintain gainful employment. Upon turning 21 years old, resources, support, and funding for individuals with DD are significantly reduced, resulting in what is colloquially referred to as a “services cliff”. This lack of quality supports often contributes to poorer outcomes in the realms of acquiring and maintaining employment, managing mental and physical health, maintaining social relationships, and developing skills that promote independent living (e.g., functional living, problem solving, and vocational skills). It is critical to the role of support providers in adult services to employ evidence-based procedures to better improve outcomes of independent living for adults with DD. Our three presentations intend to disseminate recent research in assessing and teaching problem solving, interviewing, social and vocational skills to promote independence for adults with DD. Guido D’Angelo’s study evaluated a training package of behavioral skills training (BST) and token reinforcement to improve job-related social skills in natural contexts. Courtney Butler’s study evaluated the effects of a BST package to teach job interview skills to adults with ASD. Erika Cruz’s study evaluated the effects of a decision-making model and a BST package to teach problem solving skills to adults with ASD.

This symposium is intended for behavior analytic professionals in the fields of adult service, education, and transition planning. Prerequisite skills for attendees include a knowledge of and/or experience utilizing behavior analytic assessments as teaching practices such as behavioral skills training and vocational assessments.

Despite the importance of employment, adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have a lower likelihood of being employed compared to individuals with other disabilities and may experience challenges finding and maintaining employment regardless of intellectual and vocational. Adults with ASD experience challenges securing employment, which may partially explain overall underemployment or unemployment in this population. One of the first steps to obtaining employment is participating in a job interview. However, social communication deficits may interfere with an individual's ability to participate in a job interview. Our research included two university students with ASD who participated in a university support program as well as three adults with ASD in a community-based vocational support program. The goal of the training was to improve vocal interview skills as well as improve non-vocal behaviors. Data were collected to evaluate the effects of the various interview trainings. Results showed significant improvement from both participants in vocal behaviors in asking and answering questions. Results also showed improvement in head orientation, posture, and response. The preliminary results suggest that an individualized approach to training may be an effective strategy to help adults with ASD, with various support needs, to successfully navigate job interviews.

The opportunity to find and maintain employment may be challenging for individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDD) given the social challenges in the work place. Despite the importance of regular employment, just a handful of studies have focused on interventions to improve job-related social skills of individuals with NDD in countries outside of the United States. In this study, we replicated and extended prior research by evaluating the acquisition, generality, and long-term maintenance of job-related social skills with three individuals with NDD residing in Italy. The training components included a package consisting of behavioral skills training (BST) and token reinforcement. Results suggested that the intervention was effective for teaching the skills and promoting the transfer of these skills to real work contexts. Furthermore, social validity surveys indicated that the participants, caregivers of individuals with NDD, and professionals considered the skills and interventions to be acceptable. These findings have implications for improving employment outcomes for individuals with NDD across the globe.

Lora et al. (2020) effectively used activity schedules to teach a sequence of problem-solving responses during work tasks to adolescents with autism spectrum disorders. Suarez et al., (2021) used a written flow chart to teach children with autism spectrum disorders to identify and find solutions for social problem solving. We partially replicated and extended this work by using a multiple probe design across three problem scenarios (unfamiliar task, broken items, insufficient materials) to determine the effects of a written decision-making model and components of behavioral skills training on the completion of problem-solving steps (i.e., identification of problems, identification of solutions, implementation of solutions) during vocational tasks in a young adult with autism spectrum disorder. With the implementation of the intervention, an adult with autism spectrum disorder was taught to use a written decision-making model evidenced by the percentage of problem-solving steps increased systematically across the scenarios over baseline levels to criterion performance.

For the past several years, my colleagues and I have been developing models for a deeper understanding of factors related to the development and maintenance of severe behavior. The recent passing of my mentor and colleague, Brian Iwata, has set the occasion for reflection on the past decades of behavioral research specific to self-injurious behavior (SIB). I will provide some historical context of research and practice related to SIB, including some perspectives from Dr. Iwata’s lab and publications. I will summarize some of the key findings from the past several decades to date. But, in addition, I will make a case that there is a long path ahead to complete our understanding of SIB, and to continue Iwata’s work in developing effective interventions. I will suggest future research and practice in the following areas: a) a deeper understanding of negatively reinforced SIB, b) a deeper understanding of automatically reinforced SIB, c) translation of basic research on self-biting and aggression that may shed light on functional properties of SIB, d) the need for development of detailed and complex case studies, and e) the need for prevention science (and the conundrum that arises from our traditional methodology).

behavior analysts interested in research, history of the field, and assessment/intervention for SIB.

Supporting the needs of caregivers of children with disabilities is one of the most socially important problems behavior analysts address. While there are multiple methods to address this priority, since 2020 the importance of meeting the needs of caregivers remotely has been emphasized. Project ECHO is a data based virtual service delivery model that has been used to train professionals and paraprofessionals around the world. In this paper we describe Project ECHO and how we are using to support caregivers of children with disabilities who demonstrate challenging behavior at home and in the community. We will also discuss why Project ECHO is a useful tool for behavior analysts to disseminate successful interventions.

General

It is common for autistic children and those with learning disabilities to exhibit limited pretend play skills due to delays in their social repertoire combined with the tendency to emit stereotypical and repetitive sequences. Neurotypical children learn to play and develop related verbal operants by watching and engaging with others. Autistic children may have limited observational learning skills and if attending specialist settings may not access appropriate peer models. The current study took place in a special educational school with teaching primarily based on the scientific literature applied across repertoires with a focus on generalisation and novel responding. A multiple probe design was implemented to observe the effects of these evidence-based tactics on engaged play and social interactions in the playground. Overall baseline observations suggested that although some participants demonstrated pretend play responses and related verbal operants, these were limited. The study evaluated if activity schedules, scripts and modelling led to increased play responses and verbal operants or if a more intensive protocol was required. Implications of results are discussed with alternative approaches to further develop the impacts of the intervention highlighted.

This study looks to ascertain if it is possible to induce incidental bidirectional naming in Autistic young adults and begin to analyse a sufficient procedure. Specifically, the paper compared the effects of a peer-yoked contingency procedure and a multiple exemplar instruction (MEI) procedure on the acquisition of incidental bidirectional naming (Inc-BiN) and observational learning. Four autistic children with learning disabilities, aged 16 to 18, participated in the study and two were allocated to each procedure. Participants attended a specialist setting for pupils aged 3-19 years old. A pre and post probe design was used across participants to identify if incidental bidirectional naming and observational learning would emerge, and which pair of participants would acquire these cusps the fastest. Results showed that both multiple exemplar instruction and the peer-yoked contingency procedure were successful in inducing the missing cusp Inc-BiN with these four participants. The peer-yoked contingency procedure was shown to be the more efficient procedure for inducing these cusps. Procedural limitations and future research are also discussed.

When providing ABA services for learners with autism spectrum disorder, it is crucial that clinicians identify not only effective, but efficient teaching procedures. Procedures that result in rapid acquisition of instructional targets or promote generative learning to untaught targets may be particularly helpful in this aim. Such procedures can involve manipulation of antecedent and/or consequent components of instructional protocols (e.g., prompts, reinforcement, or secondary stimuli). This symposium will present research that evaluates the effects of various antecedent and consequent strategies that aim to improve instructional efficiency across a range of skill domains for learners with autism spectrum disorder. Presenters will discuss extra-stimulus versus within-stimulus prompts and differential outcomes procedure to teach conditional discriminations, and antecedent and consequent instructive feedback to teach tacts and intraverbals. Presenters will discuss clinical implications of the findings, including potential benefits and barriers to using the procedures in practice, as well as areas for future research.

At least BCBA-level clinicians and researchers; graduate students

Effective and efficient skill-acquisition procedures must be identified to support individualized behavioral programming for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). To do this, practitioners and researchers may use assessment-based instruction. Prompts are a common teaching strategy to promote skill acquisition. The purpose of this applied study was to use assessment-based instruction to evaluate the efficacy and efficiency of digital within- and extra-stimulus prompts to teach conditional discriminations to three children with ASD. We identified stimulus prompts using a survey of popular children’s games and conducted a tablet-based instruction readiness assessment. Stimulus prompts involved motion (within-stimulus) and pointing (extra-stimulus) to evoke correct responses in the presence of the discriminative stimulus. We used an adapted alternating treatments design with a no-treatment control condition to evaluate the effects of both prompt types across multiple sets of stimuli. Both stimulus prompt types were efficacious in facilitating skill acquisition for two of three participants. Little difference was observed in time to mastery with either prompt. Neither stimulus prompt was efficacious for the third participant. Assessment results were used to inform clinical programming to teach conditional discriminations to participants and contribute to research on designing and implementing assessments of skill-acquisition procedures.

Research has demonstrated the utility of instructive feedback (IF) as a method to produce emergent verbal behavior. Instructive feedback is a teaching strategy in which nontarget stimuli are presented in learning trials to increase the efficiency of instruction (Carroll & Kodak, 2015). Researchers have investigated differences in secondary target acquisition when inserting the secondary targets in different configurations of the learning trial (e.g., antecedent, consequence). Findings have shown minimal differences in efficacy irrespective of the configuration (e.g., Vladescu & Kodak, 2013). However, no studies to date have evaluated participants’ preference for feedback delivery. As such, the current study replicated previous research by comparing the efficacy and efficiency of IF when presented as antecedent or consequence feedback and included a preference measure for feedback delivery for two children with autism spectrum disorder. We included some procedural modifications such as incorporating probes throughout intervention to attempt to determine when secondary targets were acquired and measured participants’ echoic behavior to evaluate its role in the emergence of the secondary targets. Finally, we tested for the emergence of novel intraverbal responses following secondary-target acquisition. We discuss the clinical implications of our results related to past research, emergent verbal behavior, and participant choice.

Within the complex clinical context of neurodevelopmental disorders, there is a growing need for timely and effective rehabilitation interventions. To meet these challenges, the integration of evidence-based experimental programs and the oversight of expert behavior analysts, aided by researchers and technologists, are imperative in clinical practice. Building on these principles, our research team has undertaken projects that combine ABA methodologies and technology to enhance the well-being of individuals with autism. Our focus areas encompass challenging behaviors, selective eating, communication, personal independence, and practical skills. The first study outlines the initial findings from an applied research project that led to the development of a decision-making model for ABA interventions. This model strives to support and formulate personalized interventions based on an individual's phenotypic traits. In the second study, we explore the outcomes of incorporating assistive technologies with ABA-based procedures, highlighting their potential to significantly impact communication skills, personal autonomy, and functional abilities. The third and fourth studies represent extensions and adaptations of PFA and SBT protocols in severe cases of food refusal and severe problem behavior, respectively. The adjustments and integration with software applications have resulted in substantial reductions in problem behaviors and improved the quality of life for the family.

Audience members should have foundational skills in the area of behavior intervention, building interventions from assessment, program design, shaping, and an understanding of functional analysis

The role of technology in special education and rehabilitation has increased over the last 20 years. New interactive technologies, such as smart mobile devices, related applications (apps), wearable devices, and the Internet of Things (IoT), promote interaction between individuals and their environment, expanding opportunities to treat autism and other disabilities within the natural environment. Within the landscape of assistive technologies and software used for the treatment of autism, we present the Speech Platform for Autism Rehabilitation and Knowledge (SPARK), positioned within a theoretical framework that combines assistive technology with intervention strategies based on Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), all within an embodied approach. The current work presents the results of three multiple baseline across behavior design conducted on a total of nine patients (e.g. three each), using SPARK to teach three different intervention goals, as follows: (i) increase motivation for communication; (ii) teach self-care skills; (iii) teach functional skills. The results indicate that after 60 days of using SPARK, there is a significant improvement for all the domains. These findings suggest that the use of embodied ABA-based software, such as SPARK, can enhance the quality of life for individuals with autism and facilitate the work of clinicians.

Several forced feeding methods are often attempted with ASD children with food selectivity and food refusal. When there is a marked weight loss and malnourishment, tube feedings or intravenous therapy may be prescribed. Although alleviate temporary risk, forced or passive feeding methods do not correct the feeding problem and not increase voluntary consumption. In addition, these methods can increase the risk of generating trauma. To understand problem behaviors the Performance-based IISCA (Iovino et al. 2022) was used supported by IISCA APP. We applied a modified version of the Skill-Based Treatment (Hanley et al., 2014) in a five-week model protocol to treat food selectivity, food refusal and mealtime problem behaviors. Child with ASD, nasogastric (NG) tube, severe food selectivity, chronically refuse food was recruited for the study. This treatment was fully entirely supported by the National Health System. Parenting Stress Index was using to evaluate the magnitude of stress. Social validity was assessed using a 7-point scale. After the treatment, food repertoire increased, number of mealtime problem behaviors decreased, and the NG tube was removed. Treatment effects were successfully transferred to caregivers and other setting. Parents recognized the social validity of the protocol by reporting high satisfaction and lower stress levels.

Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities who exhibit problem behaviors may have experienced trauma during their lives (Darnell et al., 2019; Kerns et al., 2015). We will highlight how the core principles of TIC can be applied to improve the quality of services for assessing and treating problem behaviors, using PFA and some adaptations of SBT (Hanley et al., 2014) in a five-week protocol model. A child diagnosed with ASD and severe problem behaviors participated in this study. The treatment received full support from the Italian National Health System. To understand problem behaviors the Performance-based IISCA was used and SBT protocol was implemented by teaching communication, toleration and cooperation supported by IISCA APP. The protocol was immediately transferred and implemented by the child's parents, later extending to various settings. The Parenting Stress Index was employed to assess stress levels within the parent-child system and social validity was measured on a 7-point scale. The results indicated the protocol's effectiveness in reducing challenging behaviors while enhancing the child's communication, toleration, and cooperation and improving the quality of life of the entire family. Moreover, parents reported satisfaction and acknowledged the social validity of the treatment and reductions in stress levels after the treatment.

The symposium "Bridging the Gap: Behavior Analysts' Consideration of Medical Needs in Client Care" aims to explore the intersection of behavioral science and medical needs, showcasing the vital insights and practices that behavior analysts can contribute to improving the overall well-being of their clients. This symposium will feature a collection of presentations, each highlighting various aspects of the consideration of medical needs and collaboration between behavior analysts and the medical community. We will delve into the significance of considering medical conditions during assessment and when designing and implementing behavior intervention programs, thereby creating more comprehensive and effective strategies for individuals with diverse needs. Key topics to be discussed during the symposium include: 1. A review of existing literature on behavior analysis and the consideration of client medical needs, including common comorbid conditions, current recommendations, resources, and case examples. 2. The result of a recent survey focused on assessing the current practices of behavior analysts in the consideration of medical needs of their clients. 3. Examples of and considerations for relationships between client self-injury topography, function, and medical diagnoses. 4. Examples of and considerations for how to leverage the behavior analytic skill set to better understand possible medical influences on client behavior. 5. Ethical Considerations: Presentations will touch on the ethical obligations of behavior analysts in managing client medical needs and how to navigate potential challenges in this intersection.

Intermediate

In this symposium, authors reviewed empirical based literature to give an overview of key topics for practicing clinicians to consider throughout an admission. Spinks et al. conducted a literature review on the use of latency measurements in Functional Analysis and treatment of severe problem behavior and present a summary of the literature using latency to measure target behavior. In addition, will present clinical implications, strengths, and limitations to the empirical foundations. Research has demonstrated the use of multiple formats of preference assessments in identifying a hierarchy of preferred stimuli. Bryan et al. extended a review of literature based on the preference assessment literature review published by Tullis et al. (2011) and will further discuss their findings in guiding assessment and treatment. Boyle and colleagues will provide an overview of function-based approaches for providers to consider when addressing multiply controlled problem behavior as well as presenting strengths and limitations of published treatment approaches and strategies to mitigate limitations. Lastly, Dawson et al. will present an overview of literature that explores the differences and similarities when teaching a mand in the absence of replacing undesirable behavior and teaching an alternative response such as a functional communication response (FCR) to replace undesirable behavior. Dr. Joseph Lambert will provide comments on consideration for practitioners, clinicians, and supervisors, in clinical practice.

Participants will be able to discuss: 1. Use of multiple preference assessment formats for guiding assessment and treatment of challenging behavior 2. Strengths and limitations of the empirical foundations for latency based functional analysis 3. Approaches to addressing multiply controlled problem behavior, the associated limitations, and ways of mitigating those limitations 4. Differences and similarities when teaching a mand in the absence of undesirable behavior and teaching an alternative response, functional communication response (FCR) to replace undesirable behavior.

Research has demonstrated the utility of preference assessment methodologies in a variety of settings for individuals with severe to profound intellectual and developmental disabilities (Cannella et al., 2005; Lancioni et al., 1996). This paper is an extension of the Tullis et at. (2011) paper and reviews 90 studies conducted between 2011 and 2023 that were divided into five categories: (a) effectiveness of formats in determining reinforcing stimuli, (b) underlying mechanisms of preference and factors that may influence or change preference, (c) comparison of methodologies or components between preference assessments, (d) assessment for preference of stimuli, and (e) effects of using preferred stimuli. Results from these studies support previous research supporting the utility of multiple formats of preference assessments for identifying preferred and reinforcing stimuli for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. These findings are discussed in terms of guiding services and interventions for individuals with severe to profound disabilities. Suggestions for future research are provided.

To be an effective agent of change in an autism education program, there are clinical skills that all staff must acquire. Historically, there has been an emphasis on staff-training protocols that ensure clinicians demonstrate mastery of behavior analytic repertoires and effectively implement instructional strategies. These skills include, for example, delivering reinforcement, prompting effectively, delivering discrete trial teaching, and teaching language. Although adherence to behavioral procedures is necessary, it is not sufficient to produce staff members who collaborate, demonstrate compassion, and ensure instruction that leads to improved quality of life. Staff training must include the development of professional, compassionate, and culturally sensitive skills. A review of staff training practices that have been effective in promoting well-rounded, caring clinicians will be described along with data supporting effective behavior change agents that ensure consumer satisfaction and implement teaching programs to address the cultural needs and values of each consumer. In addition, strategies and procedures that promote parent trust and involvement, an understanding of individualized family life and values, and the development of action plans based upon knowledge of the consumer will be reviewed, along with data from programs that have implemented the same staff training model both nationally and internationally.

Psychopharmacological interventions are widely prescribed to address severe self-injurious and aggressive behaviors. One tacit assumption regarding ongoing psychopharmacological treatment for patients with severe behaviors is that such interventions are reducing or have reduced the frequency and/or intensity of the problem behaviors. Such assumptions are supported, in many cases, by randomized controlled trials for specific indications and decades of use. However, there are reasons to doubt psychopharmacological intervention efficacy for severe destructive behaviors. First, the dependent variables utilized to assess drug efficacy are often non-specific and do not directly assess problem behaviors frequency or intensity. Second, people with severe problem behaviors are often exposed to polypharmacy obscuring individual drug effects. Third, people with severe behaviors often have fragmented treatment records complicating assessment. Finally, patients with severe behaviors often receive continuous psychopharmacological intervention. On the other hand, systematic tapering and discontinuation of all medications rarely occurs. Here, we summarize real-world effects of psychopharmacological medication tapering on problem behavior frequency of over 750 patients with severe problem behaviors across 24 years. Our data suggest that in a comprehensive behavioral treatment program, approximately 70% of individuals demonstrated a decreasing trend in aggressive and self-injurious behaviors during and after psychotropic medication tapering.

Basic understanding of between group and single subject research designs.

Psychotropic medications are assumed to generally reduce the frequency and/or intensity of severe aggression and self-injury. The Judge Rotenberg Center employs an approach to psychopharmacological treatment where psychotropic medications are gradually tapered (often eliminated) in the context of comprehensive behavioral treatment. We believe this approach is atypical and most patients with severe behaviors receive continuous psychopharmacological intervention. Medication increases (dose and number) and cross tapering are commonplace. Systematic tapering and discontinuation of all medications is rare. Anecdotally as an organization, we have observed rates of problem behaviors often decelerate amidst and after the discontinuation of psychotropic medications. However, the effect has never been assessed through large scale analysis. Here, we present data spanning 24 years summarizing the general effects of medication tapering on over 750 patients with severe aggression and self-injury. We summarize basic demographic information associated with the patients and describe behavior frequency and trend before, during, and after psychotropic drug discontinuation. The results suggest that in 70% of cases, the frequency of aggressive and self-injurious behaviors decreased during and after psychotropic medication tapering.

Clonidine is frequently prescribed to reduce aggressive and self-injurious behavior in people with various mental disorders. An anecdotal observation by a psychiatrist noting clonidine discontinuation often led to improvements in self-injury, aggression, and other destructive behaviors inspired a literature review and retrospective analysis of clonidine tapering. The basic literature review revealed that high doses of clonidine were historically used to evoke self-injury and aggression in basic studies with mammals. Studies showing clonidine efficacy for problem behaviors utilized subjective dependent variables with diverse and numerous line items. Finally, a retrospective analysis of clonidine discontinuation was conducted using frequency of aggressive and self-injurious behavior frequency as a dependent variable. A molar analysis with 89 participants showed that across three time points (e.g. clonidine, clonidine taper, and post clonidine), the mean rates of problem behavior decreased as the drug was discontinued. A repeated measures statistical analysis will be presented. Individual celeration charts showed individual differences with clonidine discontinuation resulting in low rates with some exceptions. In addition, some patients showed temporary increases in problem behaviors following clonidine reductions.

Teaching and training procedures rooted in behavioral science have produced robust outcomes in the safety skills research literature. Performance based training, such as behavioral skills training (BST), has been implemented with individuals through the lifespan to teach skills related to firearm safety, abduction prevention, hazardous material avoidance, food allergen avoidance, and the implementation of safe infant sleep arrangements, to name just a few. This symposium will include four talks and a discussant related to using behavioral science in preventing injury of infants and children. More specifically presenters will share their research related to, training caregivers to perform infant CPR, training caregivers to identify potential choking food hazards, training caregivers to implement the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation for tummy time with infants, and training caregivers to implement correct infant car seat installation. Audience members will learn how to implement performance-based training programs with individuals to teach a variety of safety skills for parents and stakeholders.

Audience members should be familiar with behavior skills training and performance based training.

Cardiac arrest occurs when the heart stops beating causing blood flow to vital organs to cease. Cardiac arrest occurs more commonly in infants and children due to respiratory emergencies such as drowning, choking, sudden infant death syndrome, or heart abnormalities. With approximately 5,000 infants and children experiencing out-of-hospital cardiac arrests annually, the aim of this study was to equip caregivers with the skill of performing infant CPR. Researchers extended Aciu et al. (2021) by incorporating the use of feedback technology during behavioral skills training. During training, form and performance of CPR were taught separately. That is, instructions, modeling, rehearsal, feedback, and no feedback were implemented when teaching the topography of CPR and when teaching the performance of CPR. Once participants demonstrated the criteria for both form and performance, feedback was removed to assess CPR. Results demonstrated that once BST was implemented, all participants met the mastery criteria for both form and compressions. All participants maintained responding during the post-test. During the extension phase, most participants demonstrated elevated levels of performance across longer durations of CPR. Social validity data were collected from each participant; limitations and extensions of this research will be discussed.

Choking is a leading cause of death in children under the age of 4. We evaluated the impact of two educational interventions on choking hazard detection in a naturalistic food preparation safety task (FPST) in parents of 0-to-24-month-olds. 66 parents completed an FPST, in which they were presented with photos of meals and asked to identify whether foods (a) were safe to feed their child as pictured, (b) could be made safe with modification, or (c) could not be made safe. Participants were randomly assigned to read a choking prevention pamphlet (n=32) or read the pamphlet and watch a brief video of parents modeling choking-safe food preparation (n=34). Afterward, parents repeated the FPST and answered questions. At baseline, parents made dangerous errors on an average of 32.2% of trials (0-33); 97.0% of parents made at least one dangerous error. Post-education, dangerous errors decreased to an average of 21.4% trials (0-29); 95.5% of parents made at least one dangerous error. More improvement was observed for the pamphlet + video group. Educational components involving video modeling appear more effective than text-only approaches, though there is a need for more effective educational approaches.

In North America, motor vehicle collisions are the leading cause of unintended injury-related deaths among children under the age of 14. The primary cause of these deaths is the improper use of child passenger safety restraints (CPSR). Correctly installed CPSRs can decrease the risk of fatal injury by 45% to 95%. To date, no studies have used video prompting with embedded safety check to teach correct CPSR installation and harnessing in the absence of researcher implementation. We used a concurrent multiple baseline across participants design to evaluate the effectiveness of a video-prompting procedure with embedded safety checks to teach four prospective parents and caregivers CPSR installation and harnessing skills. All participants learned to perform these skills and these effects maintained for 4 weeks. Further, this training produced an improvement on all participants’ performance of an untrained installation position, vehicle, and harnessing skill, and these effects largely maintained for 4 weeks.

Families with one or more children diagnosed with autism tend to experience higher levels of stress as compared to families with neurotypical children. It is widely believed that access to services, particularly applied behavior analysis (ABA) caregiver training, aids in decreasing stressors. In fact, caregivers who are highly stressed are less likely to seek services, less able to engage in learning behavioral strategies and, instead, research indicates stress often increases as a result of caregiver training alone. Additionally, this familial stress is not limited to parents and caregivers, but siblings of diagnosed individuals also tend to report decreased life satisfaction and increased likelihood of experiencing feelings of anxiety and engaging aggressive behaviors. Throughout this symposium the presenters will demonstrate the efficacy of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT), two behaviorally based therapeutic strategies, targeting parent engagement and sibling relationships. Results from these studies indicate these interventions may benefit overall family well-being, increase access to services, and improve fidelity with behavioral interventions.

This presentation is appropriate for graduate students or BCBAs with an interest in expanding their skillsets. ACT and PCIT are reliant on in the moment modifications to practice and, ACT in particular, is most effective when clinicians have a grasp of functional analysis of verbal behavior. Individuals with emerging to fluent skills in these are most likely to benefit from this presentation.

A growing body of literature demonstrates the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for improving parent stress and parent-child relationships. One potential use of ACT is through telehealth groups as a means to build support networks and increase accessibility. While curriculum has been developed and demonstrated effectiveness for individual intervention, in current practice we aim to determine if the same curriculum may also be effective in group intervention meeting via telehealth. To date, participants include 12 parents of neurodiverse children who participated in a 6-week virtual series to increase individually identified value-based behaviors. Outcomes measured include parent stress, mindful engagement, social validity of the intervention, and subsequent access to other evidence-based interventions and supports. Initial findings indicate an overall improvement in stress and mindfulness for most participants. Modifications to the curriculum based on social validity feedback and observed outcomes will be discussed. These results are encouraging that such interventions may aid in decreasing parent stress and ultimately increasing engagement in evidence-based practices to support the needs of themselves and their children.

One of the most important predictors of success for a child with a Neurodevelopmental Disorder (NDD) is the support from the family system. Siblings of a child with an NDD are often neglected from the conversation of support and treatment; however, challenging behaviors often associated with NDDs can have a significant impact on the sibling relationship, which could result in a compromised quality of life for all siblings. Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) have both shown to be efficacious in producing positive outcomes for children with NDDs and their families.The current study expanded PCIT and ABA research to the NDD population, by documenting how siblings can effectively learn and utilize the Child-Directed Interaction (CDI) skills of PCIT to help strengthen the sibling relationship with a child with an NDD. Participants included two sibling dyads in which one sibling was Autistic, and their older sibling was neurotypical. Outcomes include neurotypical sibling’s correct implementation of CDI skills during ten-minute play sessions, and parent and sibling reports of feasibility and relevance of the sibling intervention. Findings suggest that sibling’s participation in treatment, and the impact on the relationship, can inform future sibling interventions for children with NDDs.

Applied behavior analytic interventions have been demonstrated as effective for assessing and intervening on behavioral excesses and deficits across a variety of populations and contexts. However, many at-risk and marginalized populations, such as youth in foster care and justice-involved youth (JIY) remain underserved. This symposium will cover a variety of assessments and interventions targeting challenging behavior and skills deficits displayed by underserved youth. The first two presentations describe studies of assessment of youth behavior. In the first presentation, researchers evaluated an online training to teach case managers to use an assessment for runaway behavior among youth in foster care. The second presentation evaluates differences among non-JIY and JIY in perceptions of eye contact among peers. The latter two presentations describe group-level interventions targeting skills deficits among JIY. In the third presentation, researchers evaluated the effect of financial literacy intervention on delay discounting among JIY. In the final presentation, researchers evaluated the effect of a nutrition intervention on demand for healthier alternatives among JIY. Implications and future directions for assessment and intervention with underserved youth will be discussed.

This symposium covers topics many behavior analysts may not have previous experience with such as working with justice-involved youth, evaluating severe behavior that is not directly observable, implementing group interventions, and statistical analysis. Thus, we believe this symposium is advanced instruction level.

Runaway behavior in child welfare has been associated with negative educational outcomes, a higher risk for future placement disruptions, and a higher risk for crime perpetration and crime victimization. Current interventions for youth who run from their placements repeatedly are either individual or family therapy; however, an individualized approach may better address the function for each youth’s runaway behavior. The Functional Assessment Interview for Runaways (FAIR) is a semi-structured interview that is to be used to develop individualized interventions for runaway behavior for youth in child welfare. The current study virtually trained case managers in two states to use the FAIR and develop individualized interventions to address the function of each youth’s runaway behavior. FAIR results and subsequently developed individualized interventions will be discussed for each youth. Additionally, any instance of runaway behavior following intervention implementation will be reviewed. Furthermore, future directions and potential adaptations to the FAIR will be explored.

Community-engaged research (CEnR) presents an opportunity for behavior analytic researchers to engage in research that centers the consumer and their communities at each phase of the research process. Despite a significant amount of literature detailing best practices for community-engaged research (CEnR), there remain gaps and challenges to conducting high-quality CEnR. We conducted a scoping review of the literature on CEnR best practices and convened a group of experts with diverse backgrounds and types of experiences in CEnR, including academic researchers, community-institutional research liaisons, and community members with leadership roles on CEnR projects. Through a combination of literature review and discussion among the group, we identified three major topic areas underrepresented in the literature, which all authors considered important. We then created a set of recommendations for addressing these gaps. This commentary represents a collaborative, iterative process of co-writing across diverse disciplines, research experiences, and identities. We provide an overview of CEnR, and discuss opportunities for structural, educational, and process-related changes that will enhance the quality and impact of CEnR conducted by academic institutions and communities.

a. Evidence-based practice (EBP) has been introduced as a framework to help reduce the “research to practice gap” by guiding practitioners to use research evidence, combined with client values and context and their own clinical expertise, in making clinical decisions (Contreras et al., 2021; Slocum et al., 2014). Discussions on EBP and the “research-to-practice gap” seem to focus primarily on how practice does not reflect the body of research; however, it is worth considering the extent to which the body of research reflects practice situations and how a “practice-to-research gap” might be important to examine. One area where such a “practice-to-research gap” seems to exist is in the use of assent procedures to ensure client participation in their own services (for those who are unable to give legal consent). That is, many practitioners are talking about and using assent procedures, despite an extremely limited literature base. In this presentation, we will discuss how practitioner expertise can be leveraged through community-engaged and practice-based research as a means to inform a research base on assent procedures that meets the needs of practitioners and clients. We will also discuss how community-engaged and practice-based research can be a means to address the research-to-practice gap (and practice-to-research gap) broadly.

Probes for the presence or absence of bidirectional naming was examined under two conditions. In one condition, participants were presented with three sets of stimuli under a naming condition in which both visual and auditory stimuli were presented simultaneously. After two hours following the naming experience, probes were conducted to test for the emergence of listener responses (point to) and speaker responses (tact and intraverbal). Three additional sets of stimuli were presented to participants in a naming experience that presented the auditory stimuli, saying the name of the picture, followed by a brief delay and then the presentation of the visual stimuli. Probes for untaught listener and speaker response were conducted after two hours. The auditory stimuli and then a delay of the visual stimuli was presented also during the probe sessions under this condition. Data were collected for 10 preschoolers with disabilities who demonstrated variability in their bidirectional naming responses but overall showed higher levels of responding under the simultaneous condition. For participants who demonstrated strong stimulus control for bidirectional naming correctly responded to untaught listener and speaker response under both conditions.

Young children who learn names as listener and speaker without direct instruction demonstrate stimulus control called Incidental Bidirectional Naming (Inc-BN), a verbal developmental cusp. After observation(s) of caretakers speaking the names of stimuli, identified as Naming Experiences, these children acquire names. Two experiments, with 11 toddlers demonstrating Inc-BiN, compared learning of names under Tact Instruction (TI) (i.e., baseline) versus NE conditions using alternating treatments designs. In Experiment 1, children mastered at least 100 words across NE and TI conditions. Mastery was two consecutive listener and speaker responses for a single operant. Mastered operants were replaced with new words until at least 100 were mastered. Participants learned verbal operants faster in NE conditions, accuracy maintained at high levels for both conditions with listener maintenance stronger. Given that TI necessitated longer duration of sessions, in Experiment 2 researchers doubled the words presented in the NE condition (16 words per session) compared to the TI sessions (8 words as in conditions in Experiment 1 for both). Children learned faster under NE even after the doubling; duration of sessions remained longer in TI, and maintenance of the stimulus control was strong for both conditions. Results suggest mechanisms for how children typically learn names as a continuum of stimulus control made possible by Inc-BiN which appears key to how children learn thousands of words without instruction. The authors speculate from existing related literature that the learned reinforcement for the phenomenon is parity or relational correspondence.

More complex forms of Incidental Bidirectional Naming (Inc. BiN) can join the basic Inc. BiN capability, a continuum of stimulus control for forming word-object relations. With additional interventions or experiences, this increase in complexity sets the occasion for the acquisition of more complex language and repertoires. In a multiple probe design across dyads, this study investigated the effects of the establishment of Inc. BiN for unfamiliar stimuli on multiple measures of reading comprehension. Participants consisted of 3 dyads of first graders who textually responded at or above grade-level and demonstrated the absence of Inc-BiN stimulus control for unfamiliar stimuli. Reading comprehension measures consisted of: (1) experimenter-derived passage comprehension probes, (2) read-do probe consisting of unfamiliar stimuli, and (3) Woodcock Johnson (WJIV®) subtests. Participants acquired Inc. BiN stimulus control for unfamiliar stimuli through a Multiple Exemplar Instruction (MEI) intervention across listener and speaker responses. WJIV® results demonstrated the greatest increases in Passage Comprehension performance, while marginal and educationally significant increases were observed across Reading Vocabulary and Reading Recall subtests. The results suggest a continuum of combinatorially entailed relational responding based on the complexity of Inc. BiN established.

Impulsive behavior is the preference of a smaller sooner (SS) reinforcer over a larger later (LL) reinforcer; the opposite is self-control behavior. Despite major advances in our understanding of factors that influence impulsive preference (e.g., fading, framing, and priming procedures to reduce delay discounting), there is a need to expand the assessment of relevant variables and procedures that affect impulsive choice to less studied contexts. The first presentation will discuss what the author calls a “peculiar” relationship between social distance and affection. Data from studies with college students that found a negative correlation between an affection rating and the positions in a social distance rank are presented. The second presentation discusses the findings of a systematic replication of Berry et al. (2014). Researchers tested if increasing observing responses to images of natural or built environments via a matching-to-sample task could further increase or attenuate the effects on monetary delay discounting. The third presentation discusses the findings of a study that tested a relationship between recently developed behavioral measures of academic procrastination (latency to turn assignments and to start working on assignments and time-to-deadline in hours) and performance during an academic discounting task (replication of Olsen et al., 2018). A fourth presentation discusses data on the relationship between behavioral patterns during an autoshaping procedure (sign-tracking, goal-tracking or indifference), and patterns of delay-discounting.

Audience should be familiar with the behavior analytic approach to self-control and impulsive behavior, procrastination, delay discounting, and social discounting.

Social distance has been considered an intangible quality of the relationship between an individual performing an altruistic act and possible recipients. As with the other varieties of discounting, namely delay and probabilistic, as the social distance increases, the amount of a commodity the individual is willing to forgo decreases hyperbolically. Though the physical concept of distance is a ratio measure with a zero point and values that increase infinitely in the negative and positive domains as occurs with delay, social distance is an ordinal measure of a multidimensional phenomenon. Affection is one of those dimensions. This presentation shows data from two studies that evaluated the correlation between a vague affection rating and the positions in a social distance rank. The correlation was negative. Furthermore, participants rated affection hyperbolically, as if they would have been forgoing money, and some participants gave negative ratings to distant people. As the social distance task requires that individuals put neutral people at the farther extreme, such as “an acquaintance or someone that they barely recognize,” negative affection ratings indicate that some participants might have been putting people they dislike at the farther extreme, which has implications for the social discounting research. It is also worth examining the role of people the individuals dislike in the social discounting research.

Berry et al. (2014, 2015, 2019) found that exposure to images of natural environments reduced impulsive choice during a monetary delay discounting task, as compared to exposure to images of built environments or geometric figures. Berry et al. proposed that attention might be one of the processes responsible for such effect. We tested this hypothesis in a systematic replication of Berry et al.’s (2014) procedure. College students were exposed to a matching-to-sample task aimed at increasing their observing responses to natural and built environments throughout the delay discounting task. Matching was expected to increase the effects reported by Berry et al. As predicted, participants who matched images of built environments (matching built) displayed steeper discount rates as compared to the equivalent non-matching group (replica Berry et al. built). Conversely, matching images of nature did not produce the expected further attenuation of discounting rate. Furthermore, the rate of discounting of participants exposed to a condition that closely replicated Berry et al.’s exposure to images of nature (no matching) was considerably higher, as compared to that of their participants. Lastly, participants’ self-reports regarding the time they spent in natural and built environments weeks before the experiment took place did not predict discounting rate. It is unclear why only matching images of built environments influenced discounting rates. Previous research has shown that aversive contexts increase impulsive choice (Flora et al. 1992, 2003; Hurtado-Parrado et al., 2023). It is possible that matching images during the built condition was more difficult than in the nature condition, and thus participants failed more often to find the correct comparison stimulus. This could have resulted in higher discounting rates. Future research should control correct matching responses to test this interpretation. Lastly, the lack of reproduction of some of Berry et al.’s findings adds to analogous reports from another laboratory (Johnson et al., 2017, 2018, 2019). More research is still needed to understand the mechanisms responsible for the effects of visual stimulation related to natural or built environments on impulsive choice.

Most of the research on academic procrastination and its impact on educational outcomes implements indirect measures (questionnaires or self-reports) with conceptual and methodological approaches not entirely cohesive with a behavior analytic approach. The present study aimed to contribute to this gap by testing the relationship between performance in a systematic replication of the academic discounting task (ADT) designed by Olsen et al. (2018) and three different behavioral measures of academic procrastination designed in our lab: (a) latency to turn assignments in hours (LTA), (b) latency of starting to work on assignments in hours (LWA), and (c) time-to-deadline of submitting assignments in hours (TTD). An association between TTD and ADT k values, as well as an association between the three behavioral measures was found. Also, a significant difference in ADT k values between students who reported being employed versus unemployed students was observed. Lastly, a positive association between TTD and ADT k values, and a negative association between TTD and ADT AUC values was found; namely, high rates of discounting during the ADT predicted less postponement of assignment submission. These findings altogether overall provide additional support for the validity of the ADT as a measure of hyperbolic discounting of academic outcomes and the relevance of the three behavioral measures of academic procrastination. However, the somewhat counterintuitive finding that participants who submitted their assignments earlier displayed higher rates of academic discounting during the ADT do not support Olsen et al.’s prediction that delayed academic rewards are the key contributor to student procrastination. Alternatively, it seems that more research is needed to explore the role of aversive factors in procrastination (e.g., effort required to complete the assignment and/or difficulty of the assignment or probability that the hypothetical assignment would produce the related reinforcers, such as a good grade). The ADT shows great potential to that aim via adapting it to be more in line with the notion that academic procrastination entails choosing an immediate appetitive activity and the delay/avoidance of an aversive outcome (i.e., impulsive option), over a more valuable but also delayed reinforcer (i.e., self-controlled option; Zentall, 2021).

Autoshaping procedures in rats typically produce sign-tracking (e.g., lever pressing) and goal-tracking (e.g., nose poking in the feeder) responses. Individual differences in those responses predict addiction-like behaviors. It has been suggested that sign-tracking responses are initially conditioned responses, which later become controlled by operant-reinforcement contingencies. Previous studies have shown that rats with predominant sign-tracking responding show steeper delay discounting than non-sign trackers; however, it is unclear if the same behavioral mechanisms are involved in sign-tracking and impulsive performance during a delay discounting task. The present study explored the behavioral patterns of rats during an autoshaping procedure and a delay discounting task. Results show three distinct patterns of behaviors during autoshaping: (a) sign-trackers predominantly lever-pressed towards the end of the trial, (b) goal-trackers’ predominantly nose-poked towards the end of the trial, and (c) indifferent rats (i.e., no clear preference goal- or sign-tracking) nose-poked and lever-pressed throughout the trial. Response allocation in autoshaping for sign-trackers and goal-trackers resembles fixed-interval schedule performance, were the probability of responding increases near the time of reinforcer availability. During the delay-discounting task, goal-trackers overall had higher preference for delayed reinforcers than sign-trackers and indifferent rats. The fact that behavioral patterns during autoshaping differentiate responding during the delay discounting task suggests that similar behavioral mechanisms might be responsible for individual differences across these tasks.

RFT can be traced back to a 1984 conference presentation on rule-governed behavior. The study of rule-governed behavior in RFT has tended to be overshadowed by the study of relational frames. However, adequate analyses of rule-governed behavior and related complex phenomena, such as prejudice and political polarisation, arguably require the study of increasingly complex relational networks. A more intense focus in this regard has begun to emerge in recent years. This work has been underpinned, to some extent, by the emergence of a hyper-dimensional, multi-level (HDML) framework for conceptualising research in RFT generally. Specifically, the HDML has encouraged analyses of increasingly complex relational networks along four dimensions, including coherence and complexity. The four papers in this symposium will consider some of this work. Specifically, the four papers will consider (1) the impact of relational coherence vs incoherence in establishing rule-following for speakers from different experimentally established groups; (2) attempts to explore the impact of relative degrees of relational coherence on rule-following and speaker preferences; (3) recent experimental analyses of prejudice as involving transformations of functions through complex hierarchical relational networks; (4) how recently offered concepts within RFT may help advance conceptual analyses of complex social behaviors relevant to political polarisation.

A basic background in behaviour analysis is assumed

Previous experiments have revealed that different levels of relational coherence can affect rule-following behaviors. In addition, relational coherence may be under the control of conditional discriminations. For example, different speakers may generate different rule-following responses in the same individual with the same rule by manipulating the levels of relational coherence associated with the speaker. This presentation aims to address this research topic by presenting two experiments. Experiment 1 attempts to replicate previous experimental results exploring the impact of speakers established as relatively coherent (100%, 50%, 0% coherent) on participant rule-following. Experiment 2 is designed to perform a parametric analysis of different levels of relational coherence (90%, 80%, 70%, and 60%) in three different speakers and assess how participants’ speaker preference is affected. Overall, the initial results have been replicated, and the parametrical analyses involved in Experiment 2 have so far indicated that variability in rule-following increases as relational coherence decreases. The implications of these findings for developing a more detailed perspective of the variables that affect rule-following are considered, as are some next steps for the analysis of this complex human behavior.

Prejudice often leads to regrettable social effects, such as segregation and mistreatment. Derived verbal events underlie this phenomenon, regulating our interactions in the social environment and establishing functions to stimuli without a history of direct learning. A notable gap exists in the experimental study of more complex derived stimulus relations investigating racial bias. The present study investigated if hierarchical relations could affect biased responses. Twelve undergraduate students were trained to respond according to two contextual cues: “includes” and “belongs to.” These cues were used to form three hierarchical levels (top, middle, and bottom). Then, negative or positive functions were established, pairing adjectives to one of the middle-level category labels. The effects of the functions directly paired were inquired for all arbitrarily derived hierarchical levels, characters, and extra non-arbitrary related stimuli, checking for generalization of the responses. In the first experiment, five participants responded according to hierarchical relations, showing transitive and asymmetrical class containment and unilateral property induction. In a second experiment, with a broader testing phase, all participants responded according to hierarchical relations. Additionally, further undesirable effects of prejudice were observed on generalization based on physical traits or color.

There is a growing concern about political polarization in current societies. De Rose and Rocha (in press) suggested that RFT may provide useful elements to analyze the phenomenon of polarization. Political positions may be related in accordance with different patterns of relational responding, such as difference, hierarchy, comparison, or opposition. When positions are related in frames of opposition, transformation of functions result in highly polarized affective functions of the opposing opinions and attitudes, so that if one has positive valence the other will necessarily have negative valence. Recent developments in RFT may contribute to advancing this analysis, taking into account the orienting, evoking, and motivating functions involved in any given act of relating. As such, negative evoking functions may impair the mere contact with the arguments of opposed positions, and thus contribute to confirmation bias and motivated reasoning, to the point that political discussions and search for consensus becomes impossible. This presentation will elaborate on how current RFT developments may lead to refinements in the analysis of political polarization based on frames of opposition as derived relational networks and their differential functional properties.

Resurgence is the recurrence of previously extinguished target response following a worsening of conditions for a more recently reinforced alternative response following differential reinforcement of alternative behavior. Laboratory studies of resurgence examine the behavioral processes that contribute to relapse and provide further insight into this phenomenon. This symposium includes four presentations: First, Rodolfo Bernal-Gamboa will present data from a novel study demonstrating resurgence on domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris). Next, Julian Velasquez and Matias Avellaneda will present data from two different studies with rats examining the effects of parameters of alternative-response reinforcement on resurgence. These include (1) multiple alternative responses with different topography (Velasquez), and (2) different qualities of alternative reinforcement (Avellaneda). Finally, Carla Martinez-Perez will provide a quantitative examination of the effects of rapid and repeated contingency reversals on resurgence using crowdsourcing. Theoretical and clinical implications will also be discussed throughout the presentations. The symposium will close with a discussion from Dr. Sarah E. Bloom.

The audience should have basic knowledge of (1) the study of resurgence, and/or (2) quantitative modeling of behavioral data. Researchers and clinicians are welcome.

One well-known example of reoccurrence of extinguished responses is resurgence. Although resurgence has been studied in different laboratory animals (e. g., rats, pigeons), as far as the authors know, it has not been systematically studied with domestic animals. Thus, the main goal of the present experiment was to explore whether resurgence can be found in dogs. An experimental apparatus was built to test domestic dogs in their homes. Therefore, during the initial phase (Phase 1) one response was reinforced (target response). Then, in the following phase (Phase 2) the target response was placed in extinction while simultaneously an alternative response was reinforced. Finally, during the Test Phase no reinforcement was available for either behavior. The number of occurrences of the target response were measured as resurgence. The results of this experiment indicated an increase of the target response during testing, suggesting that resurgence can be observed in domestic dogs. Theoretical and methodological implications are discussed.

Resurgence is the recurrence of previous reinforced behavior by the worsening of current alternative conditions (Lattal, 2017). While some studies have suggested that operant-expanded treatments might reduce resurgence, inconsistent findings warrant further investigation. Mixed results could be explained by attending to the type of training or the response topographies. In this study, we aimed to explore the effect of different types of multiple alternative training on resurgence when each response had different topographies. Following reinforcement of the target response (i.e., chain-pull), three groups of rats were exposed to different alternative-response training procedures. For the within-session training group, two alternating alternative responses (i.e., lever-press and key-push) were reinforced across each session. For the between-conditions training group, each alternative was reinforced across separate conditions. For Single training group, only one alternative was reinforced. Once alternative reinforcement was removed, Single group exhibited greater resurgence, while Between-Conditions group showed reduced resurgence. Within-session training group did not show resurgence. The results of this study shed light of the effects of training multiple alternative responses as an approach to reduce resurgence. These findings might have implications in clinical settings for the design of successful behavioral interventions for the promotion of durable outcomes despite of treatment challenges.

Behavioral flexibility is a general term referring to adaptations that promote survival under the pressure of changes in the environment. Accordingly, one approach to evaluating behavioral flexibility is to examine operant-choice behavior under shifting consequences, such as when reinforcement contingencies reverse. A related effect demonstrating behavioral flexibility during changes in reinforcement contingencies is the resurgence of a previously reinforced behavior during extinction. We examined whether manipulations of repeated reinforcement-contingency reversals affect resurgence and whether the theoretical framework of Resurgence as Choice can account for the results. Preliminary analyses suggest greater target-response rates in groups arranging no reversals during Phase 1 (Late, Control), and faster decreases in groups arranging extinction of target reinforcement during Phase 2 (Early, Control). Furthermore, resurgence occurs across all groups, with greater resurgence observed for groups Early and Control, and less resurgence in groups that had repeated contingency reversals during Phase 2 (Late, Constant). The results of this study are discussed considering the Resurgence of Choice framework and we provide further insight into both clinical relapse and behavioral flexibility.

Renewal is a form of relapse wherein a previously reinforced response increases when aspects of the environmental context change. Typically, target behavior is acquired in Context A, extinguished in Context B, and then reemerges in Context A (ABA renewal) or a novel Context C (ABC renewal). Renewal has been demonstrated across many species in the laboratory and is prevalent in clinically relevant behavior. Renewal examinations have highlighted advantages of translating findings from basic research to inform development of behavioral treatment and, conversely, pulling from observations in applied settings to inform laboratory research. This bidirectional, translational approach deepens our understanding of behavioral processes involved in renewal while enhancing and refining clinical practice. The first presentation evaluates the role of discriminative stimuli in extinction processes during a renewal procedure with rats (Dr. Beatriz Arroyo Antúnez). The second presentation examines the effects of multiple-context training on ABA and ABC renewal via crowdsourcing (Kyleigh Montague). The third presentation assesses the role of effort disparity between target and alternative responses in a human-operant arrangement (Haleh Amanieh). The final presentation involves a retrospective analysis, examining renewal of challenging behavior following changes in therapist, setting, and work task (Alex Pauls). Dr. William Sullivan will serve as discussant.

Laboratory models of relapse (e.g., renewal, resurgence) offer techniques to assess challenges to behavioral treatments involving differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA) with extinction. Resurgence emerges as conditions of reinforcement for desired behavior worsen, whereas renewal occurs during transitions away from a treatment context. Traditionally, target behavior is acquired in training Context A, extinguished in treatment Context B, then reemerges in Context A (ABA renewal) or novel Context C (ABC renewal). The current study recruited adult participants through the crowdsourcing platform Prolific to investigate the effect of conducting treatment in multiple contexts on the relapse of operant behaviors. Participants engaged in an online button-pressing task to earn points exchangeable for money, and contextual changes occurred through background image changes. Experiment 1 evaluated differences in relapse among participants who experienced DRA with extinction in three contexts (B, C, D) prior to experiencing extinction for both target and alternative responding in the training context, and Experiment 2 evaluated these differences in a novel context (E). Multiple-context training did not mitigate ABA renewal; however, previous literature suggests multiple-context training does mitigate ABC renewal. Results of the present study provide insight into behavioral techniques that best attenuate relapse of operant behavior following successful treatment.

This symposium addresses the relevance of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) to the general education domain. Oftentimes ABA is thought of as only applicable to those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other developmental disorders, yet the application of ABA is appropriate for any socially significant problems such as those that arise daily in the general education setting. Presented in layman’s term and including both small and large group implementation, attendees will learn about ABA applications in education and be presented with clear examples of how to bridge the gap between understanding and application. With a focus on system implementation, this symposium will discuss topics such as Direct Instruction, Precision Teaching, and Equivalence-based Instruction. The symposium will also include applicable examples of implementation within the education setting so attendees will take away applicable strategies for implementing the ABA strategies discussed. The symposium is one of two presentations regarding incorporating Applied Behavior Analysis into the General Education Classroom.

An understanding of the general education classroom and the applications of behavior analytic applications outside of autism.

Classrooms are structured environments with carefully created rules; however, students may not always follow these rules, indicating the need for additional strategies to be implemented by the classroom teacher.Group contingencies are a type of intervention that can be particularly useful in a classroom setting as one strategy can be applied to multiple members of a group.Group contingencies are a group of strategies to change the behavior of a group and/or individual using specific sets of rules. This strategy ishighly applicablewithin a classroom of students in that only the group contingency must be learned and implemented rather than a variety of individual behavioral contingencies across students. There are three types of group contingencies, dependent, independent, and interdependent group contingencies, each of which has specific guidelines, benefits, and challenges.Overall, all three involve consistent components including organization, management, target behavior, a reinforcement system, criteria for meeting contingency, delivery of reinforcer, measurement, and a strategy to fade the contingency.The characteristics of each are summarized, how to implement each in a classroom is explained, and examples of each are provided.

Teachers and schools face many challenges as they aim to deliver the most effective instruction to their students. Equivalence-based instruction (EBI; Sidman & Tailby, 1982) provides a way to promote teaching efficiency through instructional sequences that foster the learner’s ability to relate stimuli through language. EBI expands on the concept of stimulus equivalence in which specific language-based relations are taught and then other relations or skills emerge that were not directly trained. Within the classroom, the use of EBI instructional arrangements such as match-to-sample training or teaching through logic puzzles can promote the underlying skill of language-based relating. This discussion will highlight how students may benefit from the increased efficiency gained by utilizing equivalence-based instruction and how teachers can create these instructional experiences. Multiple examples of how EBI can be incorporated within differing subjects and age ranges of students will be provided to demonstrate the value of applying equivalence-based instruction within the classroom.

As the behavior analyst relies on accurate and reliable data from sessions conducted with high procedural fidelity, effective training techniques on both data collection and treatment integrity carry high importance across staff and caregivers alike. The purpose of this symposium is to present several refinements to practices such as defining and measuring responses, training treatment procedures, and the durability of these trainings in the face of treatment challenges. Yassa and colleagues examined the relation between skill mastery and durability of these skills under specific challenges to treatment in registered behavior technicians. Najafichaghabouri and Joslyn examined the correspondence between on-task behavior and its effect on the completion of work tasks in middle school students. Sigwanz and colleagues compared undergraduate students’ live collection of discontinuous data to continuous data on sociability assessments. Mery and colleagues surveyed board-certified behavior analysts on questions related to the validity of caregiver-collected data and these data collection practices. The results and further implications of these studies will be discussed.

Graduate students (masters, doctoral), masters-level licensed clinicians, board certified behavior analysts

Behavior analysts rely on data to assess their clients’ progress and inform their clinical decisions. As such, the accuracy and reliability (i.e., integrity) of data obtained are vital to its utility. Caregivers may be asked to collect data to better monitor the frequency of the behavior and understand environmental causes. Further, a clinician may ask caregivers to continue collecting data to ensure that treatment has continued to be effective outside of the clinical setting. Unfortunately, behavior analysts do not always trust caregiver-reported data. The purpose of the current study was to determine variables that impact the integrity of caregiver collected data. An online survey was completed by Board-Certified Behavior Analysts who answered questions related to caregiver data collection practices and their perceptions of those data. Specifically, participants answered questions about their demographics (e.g., clinician education, populations clinician serves), caregiver data collection training, tactics used to address data collection issues, and concerns related to caregiver collected data. Outcomes and implications will be discussed.

Numerous research studies have employed response-independent schedules (i.e., noncontingent reinforcement; NCR) as control conditions or treatment for disruptive behavior. Moreover, stimulus control procedures are often employed in applied research aimed at decreasing disruptive behavior. The current symposium includes three presentations related to response-independent schedules and one examining the role of punishment on discriminated responding. The first presentation provides a brief history of the terms environmental enrichment (EE) and NCR and proposes a new conceptually neutral umbrella term. The second presentation examines the evidence from both laboratory and applied research that response-independent schedules produce adventitious reinforcement. The third presentation summarizes results of an experimental study which evaluated the effects of two procedural variations of NCR, rotating the effective competing stimuli and prompting functional engagement, on levels of automatically reinforced disruptive behavior. Finally, the fourth presentation consists of an experimental study comparing responses under the stimulus associated with the absence of punishment (hypothesized S?p) with responses under the stimulus associated with the absence of reinforcement (S?). The symposium concludes with thoughtful comments from the discussant.

Doctorate level behavior analysts Masters level behavior analysts

In 1948, Skinner described the behavior of pigeons under response-independent schedules as “superstitious,” and proposed that the responses were reinforced by contiguous, adventitious food deliveries. Subsequently, response-independent schedules have been of interest to both basic and applied researchers, first to understand the mechanisms involved, and later, to use as treatment, known as “noncontingent reinforcement” (NCR), to reduce challenging behavior. However, the potential superstitious effects produced by these schedules have been challenged, with some researchers arguing that antecedent variables play a significant role. This paper examines the evidence for adventitious reinforcement from both laboratory and applied research, the results of which suggest that antecedent, non-operant functions may be important in fully understanding the effects of NCR. An applied-basic research synthesis will be discussed, in which attention to potential non-operant functions could provide a more complete understanding of response-independent schedules. Further, the applied implications of the non-operant functions of NCR schedules will be covered.

Relational Frame Theory (RFT; Hayes et al., 2001) proposes that (1) derived relational responding occurs across multiple frame families, (2) derived relations can transform the function of environmental stimuli, and (3) derived relational responding is a generalized operant. These assumptions are tested across a series of translational and applied studies with learners receiving ABA services and translational analyses with college student participants. The first presentation evaluates the interdependency of skills targeted in the LIFE assessment (Dixon, 2020) that incorporates relational learning, and results suggest that skills emerge within interconnected relational networks across for autistic and neurotypical learners. The second presentation isolates the emergence of relational frames using a Relational Density Theory framework embedded within play-based instruction (Dixon, 2014-2016), with results supporting the use of a selection-based multi-dimensional scaling procedure. The third presentation demonstrates the use of an experimental analysis built on Relational Density Theory to isolate relational framing patterns that participate in adaptive behavior repertoires for autistic learners in a series of clinical cases. The final presentation expands the discussion of interdependent learning to neurological activity that co-occurs with derived relational responding, highlighting the role of interdependent neural systems within relational responding.

behavior analysts and practitioners. no prerequisite skills.

Relational Frame Theory (RFT) is a contemporary behavior analytic account of human language and cognition. Emerging evidence suggests that relational training procedures can uniquely produce changes in overall cognitive abilities as measured by IQ among both neurodivergent (Dixon et al., 2023) and neurotypical (Cassidy et al., 2011) participants, whereas conventional methods failed to produce such an effect. One potential explanation lies in the underlying neurological correlates and the functional changes produced by relational training procedures. The current study extended prior work on stimulus equivalence and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI; e.g., Hinton et al., 2010; Ogawa et al., 2010) by incorporating non-equivalent relational frames, refining parameters of the behavior task, and investigating the changes in functional connectivity among areas involved in relational responding after exposure to a relational training protocol. In study 1, a group of neurotypical participants completed a relational responding task that consisted of a set of 60 randomly selected questions, distributed across six relational frames and between two levels of difficulty. Results established a baseline of responding and the parameters to be used during the fMRI task. Results also indicated statistically significant differing response time between arbitrary and non-arbitrary stimuli, and among different relational frames. In study 2, a different group of neurotypical participants initially completed the same relational responding task during fMRI, and subsequently completed a week-long relational training protocol. Participants then completed the same relational responding task during fMRI as a follow-up. Implications on relational training and its neurological correlates will be discussed.

Through the 1970s and 1980s, behavior therapists slowly transitioned – mostly – from offering interventions intended to alter a client’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Some, with the encouragement of those within the LGBTQ community like the late Dr. Charles Silverstein, realized that continuing research and clinical practice in this direction contributed to a climate of bias. Others failed until much later to recognize that the work was harmful to individuals undergoing it – some clinicians may still be learning this lesson. Conversely, behavioral strategies were slow to be advanced in the service of mitigating the effects of anti-LGBTQ bias. Funding and institutional support in this direction has also appears to have been slow, relative to the support of historic change efforts. How do we reconcile the goals of behavioral science that advocate for social justice and improvement of the human condition with its history of neglecting the perspectives and voices of marginalized people? How must our field continue to grow and change to reduce the likelihood of causing such harm in the future? Particular attention will be paid in this exploration of the relationships between behavior therapy, sexual orientation, and gender toward how ongoing bias in the field creates a context that maintains and supports harm in a global context.

Behavior analysts, students, practitioners, researchers.

The transition to college can be uniquely difficult for autistic students. In addition to the academic demands of higher education, students are often living on their own for the first time. Autistic students may struggle with interpersonal demands, executive functioning, time management and other skills that independent living at college requires. In the current paper, we will present a description of a two-year college preparation program designed for autistic high school students. Through collaboration with an autistic consultant and current college students, best practices in transition planning were incorporated into a comprehensive curriculum designed to teach high schoolers critical skills to be successful in college. The curriculum arranges targeted skills into 6 pillars of success: self-advocacy, health, wellness and safety, interpersonal skills, community engagement, independent living, and executive functioning. Each pillar includes specific learning objectives and activities designed to enhance engagement and build sustainable skills. We will describe successes and challenges with developing lessons that are authentic, relevant, and evidence-based for autistic adolescents. Preliminary data has indicated that the program is effective and well-liked by both participants and their caregivers.

Humans are biologically adapted for cooperation and cultural life in ways that other primates are not. Humans have unique motivations and cognitive skills for sharing emotions, experience, and collaborative actions (shared intentionality) that emerge in human ontogeny at around one year of age. Our nearest primate relatives do not seem to have the motivations and cognitive skills necessary to engage in activities involving collaboration, shared intentionality, and, in general, things cultural.

For Everyone

Behavior analysts are working in a time in which the manualization and protocolization of assessments and intervention procedures is ever intensifying. At the same time, behavior analysis courses seem to be resulting in technical, uncritical repertoires: behavior analysts seem to lack skills to assess data and explanation present in conceptual and empirical studies. The purpose of this symposium is to present how instructional design can support behavior analysts in designing, building, implementing and monitoring teaching and assessment procedures. In the first symposium, learners will describe (a) overlaps between Instructional Design and Behavior Analysis; (b) contingencies that might prevent behavior analysts from looking at procedures from different instructional design approaches and (c) possible consequences of the separation between different niches within behavior analysis. In the second symposium, a specific example on how instructional design might inform teaching procedures for children with autism spectrum disorders will be presented. The differences between concept teaching and multiple exemplar training will be presented and behavior analytic research that aimed at concept teaching for children with autism.

Intermediate. Pre-requisite skills. Prior to the symposium, the audience should be able to (a) define instructional design; (b) define behavior analysis; (c) define and describe contingencies

Instructional design and behavior analysis have a long history together. Overlaps between these areas include, but are not limited to, setting measurable, observable learning objectives, analyzing what needs to be taught in order to reach the objectives, designing and implementing effective teaching procedures, choosing stimuli, monitoring and assessing results, and making data-based decisions. However, studies that bring together these areas, empirical or theoretical, are sparse. This presentation aims at presenting some of the overlaps between these areas and possible contingencies that might be responsible for a detachment between them. Financial contingencies, professional recognition within behavior analysis, increased probability of publication and funding are contingencies that could be responsible for the separation. In addition, consequences of this separation such as the creation of several verbal communities within behavior analysis, which might result in communication difficulties and probably in the misuse of several intervention packages by those who do not consume technical and scientific behavior analytic knowledge through analytic lenses, based on conceptual consistency will be discussed. Suggestions for future theoretical and empirical research that might bring the fields closer will be presented.

Concepts can be defined as a class of stimuli that share critical, essential or “must-have” features. The members of a class also have varying or “can-have” features that can vary across the members. It is important to highlight that concepts cannot be aprioristically defined; they are dependent on the verbal community. For example, some exemplars of a class might belong to other stimulus classes in another verbal community. The boundaries of a given concept might be difficult to teach through discrimination procedures, so not only multiple exemplars are necessary; the features of each exemplar must be carefully selected to improve chances of boundary discrimination. And members of one class cannot belong to another class being taught. Based on this XXX, the purpose of this presentation is to present a literature review of behavior analytic studies that taught concepts to children with autism. Criteria for inclusion were: a) studies with people with autism spectrum disorders; b) applied empirical studies; c) that aimed at teaching concepts; d) instructional design had to be mentioned in the title or in the abstract. Six studies were found. Their analysis is presented and suggestions for future theoretical and empirical research are discussed.

A rapidly growing literature supports training models with remote components, given their potential cost-effectiveness, convenience, and accessibility; however, most studies target relatively simple procedures (Gerencser et al., 2020). This symposium includes three presentations focused on remote or hybrid training, each featuring distinct methods and aims, for a more complex repertoire: implementing practical functional assessment and skill-based treatment (PFA/SBT; Hanley et al., 2014). The first presentation reports the findings of a randomized controlled component analysis of an asynchronous computer-based instruction program on the skill-based treatment integrity of behavioral service providers serving in diverse roles and contexts (n = 78), informing conclusions about efficacy at the group level, or for the “average” trainee. The second presentation features a large-scale hybrid training model for school staff implementing PFA/SBT and includes social validity and student outcomes as reported by school staff, facilitating examination of training effectiveness at the group level. The final presentation examines effectiveness at the individual level, featuring parent treatment integrity and child outcomes in a series of three applications of teleconsultation to support in-home, parent implemented PFA/SBT. Collectively, presentations demonstrate the potential of remote technology for preparing and supporting individuals responsible for implementing complex behavior intervention packages such as PFA/SBT.

Intermediate

Using computer-based instruction to train intervention implementers may require substituting alternative interactive activities for direct skill rehearsal, although little is known about what activities are most efficacious (Gerencser et al., 2020). In this study, an underpowered randomized controlled trial was used to evaluate the relative impacts of two alternative activities on behavioral service providers’ integrity to and mastery of skill-based treatment procedures (Hanley et al., 2014). Implementation was assessed at two time points for a total of 78 total participants randomly assigned to a no-training control, complete computer-based instruction, or one of two partial computer-based instruction groups each characterized by a missing interactive activity (i.e., multiple exemplar training or treatment integrity evaluation) to facilitate component analysis. Mann-Whitney U and Chi-Square tests revealed significant effects on treatment integrity and mastery, respectively, for all training groups relative to the control group. Differences among training groups were not statistically significant, however descriptive data indicated greater changes in treatment integrity for the treatment integrity evaluation, complete, and multiple exemplar training groups, respectively. Findings suggest a variety of interactive activities may support treatment, warranting further research. Future directions include further examination of the contributions of interactive activities, training efficiency, and potential moderators of response.

Vital Behaviors are the select powerhouse actions that propel groups to astonishing success when consistently practiced together. When a core percentage of a population collectively adopts the critical few Vital Behaviors, a tipping point is reached, and the culture shifts – the new habits become "just the way we do things around here." Do you need that to happen for your project, initiative, or organization? Do you want to establish Vital Behaviors as habits on a large scale across your organization or work unit, or maybe even in the populations you serve? This presentation will walk through the foundations for building a Vital Behavior Network and real life stories of how this approach has transformed organizations.

Leaders and influencers in an organization who want to increase behavioral consistency on a large scale.

It is clear that collaboration between family members and ABA providers is essential as it can help maximize the effectiveness of treatment and improve client outcomes. Without meaningful family collaboration, intervention plans may be more difficult to implement effectively. This panel presentation will outline best practices in building strong family involvement and use of compassionate care to best support all family members. Panelists will share strategies about how to effectively build trust and rapport. Strategies will also be shared on how to increase family buy in of ABA strategies to facilitate greater generality of practices outside of ABA sessions. Topics related to the navigation of dealing with more difficult family concerns and how to support family members struggling to support their child will be discussed. This presentation is applicable and beneficial for any providers in collaboration with families. Family collaboration across home service and center based programming will be discussed.

N/A

Individuals with developmental disabilities display deficits in social, academic, and other functional skills throughout their lifespan. Participants included in this symposium had developmental disabilities and ranged in age from preschooler to adult. Skills targeted across the three studies included attending and accuracy during academic tasks, identifying sensations that could be indicative of a medical problem, and memorizing a script for a theatrical performance. To increase eye contact and accuracy during academic skills, a high-probability (high-p) instructional sequence was compared to presentations of only low-probability (low-p) tasks. To mimic potential medical problems, stimuli were applied with verbal prompting and a time-delay procedure to teach reporting of those sensations. A script fading procedure was used to teach memorization of a theatrical script. Experimental control was demonstrated. Two studies used a multiple-baseline design and one study used an alternating-treatments design. Graphs will be presented to demonstrate that the procedures used were responsible for teaching the target behaviors. These studies extended the literature by providing novel applications of procedures previously shown to be effective. Given the success of these teaching procedures, the impact of presenting these data will be relevant to service providers who may want to incorporate them for individuals with similar needs.

Pre-requisite skills and competencies: Distinguish between dependent and independent variables. Identify and distinguish among single-case experimental designs (e.g., multiple-baseline, and alternating-treatments design) Critique and interpret data from single-case experimental designs (i.e., graphs)

Individuals with autism often have difficulty with attending skills such as making or sustaining eye contact (Chukoskie et al., 2018). Poor eye contact may adversely affect the educational gains of children with autism, due to the relationship between eye contact and attending to the teacher, and instructional demands (Greer & Ross, 2007). The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a high-probability (high-p) request sequence can be an effective procedure for increasing attending skills, such as eye contact, during discrete trial teaching. Additionally, this study investigated if increases in attending would result in higher accuracy in responding. To date, no study has investigated the use of the high-p instructional sequence to increase attending in individuals with autism. An alternating-treatments design was used to compare the effects of a high-p instructional sequence to the presentation of only low-probability (low-p) tasks on attending, defined as eye contact, of a 3-year-old with autism. In the high-p condition, eye contact was measured when three high-p tasks were presented, prior to delivery of a low-p instruction. In the low-p condition, eye contact was measured with only low-p tasks presented. Results showed that the high-p condition increased eye contact and accuracy more than the low-p condition.

Teaching individuals with disabilities to express private events is important for independence and safety (Devine et al., 2021). Perceptions of health-related issues may vary, therefore teaching descriptions of sensations may be more accurate. This study aimed to enhance the expressive repertoire of reporting sensations that could be indicative of a medical problem. A 20-year-old woman with multiple disabilities participated. A multiple-baseline-across-sensations design was used to evaluate the effects of applying sensations, and verbally prompting using a time-delay procedure. She was taught to expressively label, and then verbally initiate the labels for three novel sensations. Initiations also included expressive labeling of body parts to which the sensations were applied, using multiple stimuli. The target sensations were mastered. Two of the sensations generalized across a novel stimulus and a novel setting, and were maintained. For the third sensation, responding to a novel stimulus and in a novel setting needed to be taught. Responding to a novel body part did not generalize, and needed to be taught for all three sensations. This research extends the private events literature teaching children to report arbitrary private events.

A script fading procedure (SFP) was used to teach a performing arts social/leisure skill to an adult woman with autism. The participant had previously demonstrated a skill deficit for memorizing lines of a theatrical script. Although the SFP has been effectively used to teach a variety of skills, previous research did not use dramatic scripts, defined in this study as contrived conversational exchanges between two or more individuals that are performed for an audience. Using a multiple-baseline-across-scripts design, the words of three scripts were taught and systematically faded. Following the SFP, the physical scripts were faded entirely. The participant maintained her ability to recite her lines in all three scripts after the SFP was concluded. She was also able to generalize her performance to novel settings and theatrical partners. Through all steps of script fading, generalization, and maintenance, the participant successfully recited the script correctly with nearly 100% accuracy. This suggests that the SFP was effective in teaching the skill of memorizing lines. This study was the first to examine the effect of a behavior analytic approach on teaching a performing arts skill.

The Picture Exchange Communication System- PECS- protocol has been described in the behavioral literature for over 30 years. A variety of review bodies has viewed the protocol as an evidence-based strategy. Early research involved highly training practitioners in controlled setting. Research continues to demonstrate the range of settings in which the protocol can be faithfully implemented by a wide range of trainers, including caregivers and special educators. Research on PECS also continues to reflect its international appeal. The first talk will describe a brief- one week- introduction of PECS in a camp setting by caregivers in Canada, indicating both temporal and setting generalization. The second talk, using a multiple baseline across learners, examines the introduction of the first 4 Phases of PECS within home settings, measuring fidelity of implementation and generalization. The final talk will describe expansions of PECS use beyond common mands, including attributes, tacts, and a variety of sentence starters within a school program in Delaware as well as a preschool program in Poland.

Intermediate

One of the three diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) includes delayed or disordered development in the areas of social communication and social interaction. Children with ASD often have deficits with functional communication, behavior that is directed towards another individual who provides direct or social rewards. One widely used communication system for children with communication deficits is the Picture Exchange Communication System. PECS is a communication system that utilizes the power of picture exchange for a child to communicate what they want, what they feel, or add descriptions. The purpose of this study was to expand on previous research and assess whether caregivers can learn to effectively implement phases 1-4 of PECS to their child with ASD in their home environment. This study used a multiple baseline design across participants and a changing criterion design across PECS phases within each caregiver. Results indicated that the caregivers were able to efficiently and effectively learn and teach their children the first four phases of PECS with their child demonstrating high levels of PECS acquisition. Results were discussed in terms of effectiveness of home-based training and the extent which generalization occurs with picture exchange systems.

The proposed symposium will include three empirical papers to refine skill acquisition outcomes for children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis. In the first paper, Kacie McGarry will first describe a method to assess prerequisite skills (i.e., scanning, auditory conditional discrimination) and then present a comparison of differential observing responses (DOR) on skill acquisition of receptive identification tasks for three participants. Results showed differences in effectiveness between the DOR types and that the pre-assessment can be used to inform the most effective DOR. In the second paper, Skye Nelson will present a study on the effects of automated speech output on the acquisition of listener and speaker skills. Results showed faster acquisition when speech output was provided. In the third paper, Jennifer Stracquadanio will present a study on the effects of a novel representation and modeling error correction procedure on the acquisition of matching skills in children with ASD. All participants acquired the matching task using the novel error correction procedure.

BCBAs who program skill acquisition for learners with autism and other developmental disabilities

Previous research has shown that speech output technology is beneficial at increasing communication skills in individuals with developmental disabilities (Chavers et al., 2022). Fewer studies have evaluated the role of speech output technology on acquisition of receptive identification skills, specifically in individuals with ASD. In a preliminary investigation, we employed a single-case, multielement design with multiple baseline probes to evaluate differences in teaching receptive identification with a speech output (SO) versus no speech output (NSO) condition across three sets of stimuli for two participants. Results showed faster acquisition and maintenance for the SO condition. Additionally, we conducted pre and post tact probes and found that more untrained tacts were observed in the SO condition. Furthermore, we conducted a treatment preference assessment and both participants preferred to SO condition. Next, we will compare synthesize SO to therapist feedback to better isolate the unique contributions of the SO condition. Results will be discussed in terms of potential consequent effects of the SO condition.

Observing responses have been used in skill acquisition programs to promote attending to relevant aspects of a task. For example, in receptive identification (e.g., matching a vocal stimulus to a picture), an instructor may prompt an individual to engage in general observing responses (orienting) or differential observing responses (DOR) to highlight a specific stimulus or instruction. Two types of DORs are identity matching and repeating instructions. While both types of DORs may be effective, responding may be idiosyncratic. To date, no assessment exists to guide selection of DORs. The purpose of the present investigation is to conduct an assessment to identify prerequisite skills for certain DORs. Three individuals with autism participated. We assessed participants’ ability to scan and track visual stimuli as well as conditionally respond to auditory stimuli. Next, we compared the effectiveness of two different DORs using a multi element design on acquisition of receptive identification tasks. Overall, results showed correspondence between the prerequisite assessment and effective DOR for all participants. That is, participants who engaged in correct responses in the visual assessment acquired the skill fastest in the visual DOR condition.

In the current study, we analyzed the effects of re-presentation and model-based error correction with differential reinforcement across blocked trials in a matching task. The study included three students diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) aged 7 to 11 years old in a self-contained Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) classroom in a public school setting. Each student had a history of slow progress on individualized programming as well as inconsistent maintenance and generalization of skills. Students were taught to match three different stimuli to sample using an error correction procedure where upon incorrectly touching the matching stimuli, the materials were re-presented up to three times or until the student selected the correct answer independently, whichever came first. When the student did not correctly select the matching stimuli, the correct answer was modeled for the student. Responses were differentially reinforced. The sessions were run in nine blocked trials. All three participants acquired the match-to-sample task in the intervention set.

Aggressive behavior is a prevalent and challenging issue in individuals with autism, especially for those who have limited verbal ability or intellectual challenges. This presentation investigates whether changes in peripheral physiology recorded by a wearable biosensor and machine learning can be used to predict imminent aggressive behavior before it occurs in inpatient youths with autism from 4 primary care psychiatric inpatient hospitals. Research staff performed live behavioral coding of aggressive behavior while 70 inpatient study participants wore a commercially available biosensor that recorded peripheral physiological signals (cardiovascular activity, electrodermal activity, and motion). Logistic regression, support vector machines, neural networks, and domain adaptation were used to analyze time-series features extracted from biosensor data. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) values were used to evaluate the performance of population- and person-dependent models. A total of 429 naturalistic observational coding sessions were recorded, totaling 497 hours, wherein 6665 aggressive behaviors were documented, including self-injury (3983 behaviors [59.8%]), emotion dysregulation (2063 behaviors [31.0%]), and aggression toward others (619 behaviors [9.3%]). Logistic regression was the best-performing overall classifier across all experiments; for example, it predicted aggressive behavior 3 minutes before onset with a mean AUROC of 0.80 (95% CI, 0.79-0.81). Further research will explore clinical implications and the potential for personalized interventions.

Individuals with autism, caregivers of individuals with autism, health care providers, researchers, insurers, and policymakers.

Recent criticisms of those providing Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy have shed light on areas where behavior analysts may be lacking when it comes to training and service delivery. For example, there has been an increased focus on the development of a “compassionate care” repertoire of skills for behavior analysts working with patients and families (e.g., Taylor et al., 2018). Survey data has suggested that behavior analysts may not be receiving adequate training in essential relationship-building skills that may enhance the level of care they are providing (i.e., Leblanc, Taylor, & Marchese, 2020). Similarly, behavior analysts are often criticized for poor collaborative and consultative skills, particularly when working with those in other professions (e.g., Critchfield et al., 2017). While these skills have not historically been emphasized in behavior analysis, they are prominent in the field of psychology. Thus, this symposium will acknowledge our historical and theoretical roots in the field of psychology and discuss the relevant and necessary skills from psychology that can serve to enhance our practice as behavior analysts.

Behavior analysts within their first 5 years of practice, practitioners, supervisors, and senior leaders.

Behavior analysts are often required to work with a variety of individuals: clients, caregivers, and relevant stakeholders; however, very few behavior analysts receive training in basic therapeutic techniques from the field of psychology. According to the 2022 Annual Accreditation Report conducted by ABAI, only two of the nine accredited PhD programs in Behavior Analysis included practical training opportunities in mental health (ABAI, 2022). Similarly, of the 30 accredited Masters programs, only two included practical training opportunities in mental health or psychology. Therapeutic techniques can be used to establish and maintain therapeutic relationships and improve patient outcomes (Bachelor et al., 2010). These techniques can supplement and elevate traditional behavior analytic techniques, allowing practitioners to better conceptualize and plan for client intervention. A brief historical review of therapeutic techniques and their evidence base, including person-centered therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, solution focused therapy, motivational interviewing, transtheoretical model of behavioral change, group therapy, and family therapy will be discussed. Finally, specific psychological therapeutic techniques that behavior analysts can use that combine the psychological and behavior analytic perspective will be provided, including methods for establishing therapeutic alliance, basic cognitive behavioral therapy skills, solution-focused therapy questions, motivational interviewing, and behavioral family therapy will be provided.

The dimension of “applied” requires behavior analysts to utilize the principles of behavior to effect socially important behavior change (Baer et al., 1968; 1987) that improve client quality of life. Effective dissemination of ABA is limited less by our ability in the field to assess or intervene using the principles of behavior and more by our difficulty in effectively involving others to promote a socially valid assessment and intervention process. Collaboration and consultation represent the bridge between our science of behavior analysis and its socially valid application with consumers – we are better when we work together. Yet, behavior analytic training and supervision often fail to adequately prepare behavior analysts to develop and sustain therapeutic relationships, engage collaboratively with others (Taylor et al., 2018), and explicitly teach consultation repertoires, and disciplinary centrism (Kirby et al., 2022) often alienates us from our prospective collaborators and partners within service delivery. Barriers relevant to effective consultation and collaboration including power and historical harms will be discussed. Guidance to foster relationships, promote effective communication, and engage in reflective, culturally humble behavior analysis will be discussed and Models of collaboration and consultation that can be applied with our clients, consultees, and other professionals will be outlined.

Considering behavior analysis as a healthcare discipline will be a critical factor for the success of our profession. Although our science has contributed tremendously to the treatment of individuals with developmental disabilities, it is imperative to embrace the role of behavior analysis in the healthcare ecosystem in order to achieve genuine behavioral health integration and to establish models of care that lead to positive patient outcomes. Categorizing behavior analysis as a healthcare discipline will innovate our practices and evolve our profession into one that is more widely known and respected by the public. Public health authorities attribute almost half of an individual’s quality of health to behavioral determinants. However, mainstream medicine does not have a true basic science foundation upon which to rest an integrated approach to understanding and treating behavioral conditions. As professionals who work within the profession of behavior analysis, it is our obligation to partner with our healthcare colleagues in a collaborative way and to productively engage with one another with the interest in those we serve at the forefront.

The applied behavior analysis subspecialty of primary care behavioral pediatrics, despite being well-established scientifically, currently represents but a nascent career path for behavior analysts. This presentation offers an introduction and overview of this exciting area of practice serving predominantly neurotypical children and their families, covering its early development, its current niche within the helping professions, the clinical problems typically addressed, and pathways to training and practice. Dr. Chris McGinnis will also describe his treatment model outlined in his new book, Introduction to Primary Care Behavioral Pediatrics: A Guide for Behavior Analysts, geared to making outpatient behavioral treatment of common problem behaviors of childhood effective, efficient, durable, and socially valid. This model features behavior-analytic problem conceptualization and a case formulation process based on the prioritized treatment of sleep problems, behavioral noncompliance, poor toleration of denial and delay, and weak functional communication skills. Treatment adherence considerations and multidisciplinary collaboration will also be discussed.

Parents of children with developmental disabilities often require support to teach critical skills, including communication, social interaction, and daily living skills. However, barriers to service often leave many parents without adequate support to teach their children foundational skills. Telehealth has emerged as a promising mode for providing training and coaching to parents of children with developmental disabilities across various skill domains. Previous research has shown that tele-delivered parent coaching can lead to improvements in both parent and child behavior. This symposium will present data related to two single-case experimental studies that examined telehealth parent coaching programs to teach parents to enhance their children's communication and daily living skills. Both studies showed that tele-parent coaching positively affected parent and child behavior. The results provide additional support for telehealth as an effective mode for providing training and coaching to parents and caregivers. Major findings and implications for research and practice are discussed.

Intermediate. Prerequisite skills include: knowledge of applied behavior analysis intervention across populations, knowledge of single-case experimental design and methodology, knowledge of conducting or consuming clinical research

1. 1. At the conclusion of the presentation, participants will be able to:
      1. Identify 2 or more approaches to recruiting diverse participants in research. For example:
         1. Recruitment through social media
         2. Diversifying research team
      2. List key components in SCED using MBL to analyze behavior change. For example:
         1. Minimum baseline data points
         2. Use of Tau-U
         3. Importance of visual analysis
      3. Define at least 5 intervention approaches. For example:
         1. Modeling
         2. Prompting
         3. Time Delay
         4. Response Interruption and Redirection
         5. Reinforcement

Despite a wealth of evidence-based intervention research, many families do not receive any support for their children with and at-risk for developmental disabilities (DD). When services are available, they can be limited by lengthy wait-lists, require high effort on the part of the family, or be ignorant of cultural adaptations. Promoting Reciprocal Relationships with Flexibility, Coaching and Teaching (PRRFCT Match) intervention package incorporates a virtual coaching protocol to teach parents how to implement evidence-based, applied behavior analytic (ABA) techniques to increase engagement with their child experiencing DD. Using a concurrent multiple baseline design across participants, parent-child dyads (N=10), were paired with graduate student clinicians and coached to use ABA technologies to increase child engagement during play. Results include visual analysis, with Tau-U, distal and non-experimental (pre-, post-test) outcomes for parents (stress, parent self-efficacy) and children (inflexible behaviors, adaptive behavior). Implications for science and practice in early intervention will be discussed.

Daily living skills (DLS) are a critical domain of adaptive behavior necessary for age-appropriate independent functioning and transitioning into adulthood (Baker et al., 2021; Smith et al., 2012). Many individuals with IDD continue to live at home after high school, making parents the primary individuals teaching independent living skills. The purpose of the current study is to examine the effects of parent-created and parent-implemented video prompting instruction with error correction on DLS with adolescents and adults with IDD. Two individuals with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder and ID and their mothers participated in the study. The mother-child dyads parents selected three DLS goals (e.g., wash laundry). The researchers created an online tutorial to teach mothers how to develop video models on an iPad application. Pre- and post-evaluation demonstrated the online tutorial was successful in teaching both mothers how to create video models for their children. After developing the video models, a BCBA provided ongoing coaching to support mothers in implementing the teaching package in their homes. The teaching package included the use of video modeling and subsequent least-to-most prompting, when necessary. Results indicate that parent-created and parent-delivered video modeling is a viable model for teaching DLS to increase independence. Limitations and areas for future research will be discussed.

Computer technology, artificial intelligence, and machine-learning are not new tools to behavior analysis, especially in the experimental realm. However, there is incredible untapped potential for these tools to aid both basic and applied scientists in their understanding and treatment of behavior. One primary area of interest to incorporate computers and artificial-intelligence is in data-recording. In the basic realm, programming technology to provide continuous streams of data allows for a finer-grain analysis of the impact of different schedules of reinforcement on animal and human behavior. In the applied realm, relinquishing data recording of problem behavior to a computer or artificial intelligence allows for direct-support staff to focus more on treatment implementation. This symposium describes three studies that either create or extend computer programming and artificial-intelligence as tools to record animal or human behavior. The first two studies describe the creation and application of computer programming to investigate human relational behavior during a transposition task and interindividual spatial behavior with rats. The second study attempts to reverse engineer existing technology (anomaly-detection cameras) and extend it to the detection and recording of problem behavior in children with autism.

Audience members who are interested in artificial-intelligence applications to the science of behavior will benefit from a basic understanding of computer-related terminology. Audience members with a basic understanding of transposition tasks and methods to study relational behavior will enjoy this talk.

Operant studies of interactions between individuals have focused on evaluating the effects of reinforcement schedules based on discrete responses, with little attention to the impacts on interindividual spatial dynamics or the use of spatial responses relevant to establishing interindividual behavior. Using real time recording of organisms’ movement, our lab has reported that individual spatial dynamics are sensitive to reinforcement schedules based on spatial features, such as travel distance, which suggests that interindividual spatial dynamics may also be affected by reinforcement schedules based on spatial features, such as distance between subjects. The purpose of this experiment was to determine if a schedule of reinforcement, based on distance between conspecifics, would affect interindividual spatial behavior. Using a real-time sensing system, water reinforcement was delivered under a Fixed Distance (FD) 15 cm between subjects schedule, for six Wistar water-deprived rats. The results indicated an increase in approach responses between subjects during the FD15cm schedule, whereas it decreased when food was absent or presented independently of distance. We discuss our findings in terms of their contributions to advancing the study of inter-individual behavior, the utilization of new technologies for continuous sensing and response recording, and the translational implications for the field of social behavior.

Behavior frequency data is collected for individuals with autism to monitor progress and inform decision making by behavior analysts. This data impacts important life decisions, such as restrictive procedures fading, psychotropic medication prescribing, and residential placement (Vollmer et al. 2008). Studies have demonstrated exorbitant training and monitoring hours are required from a behavior analyst to ensure this data collected by direct care staff is accurate (Mozingo et al. 2006; Reis et al. 2013). If an artificial intelligence (AI) camera software can be programmed to detect the rate of target behaviors from individuals served, this will likely increase the accuracy of behavior data and inform better treatment, while also reducing the workload of direct care staff. This project will extend Lesser, Luczynski, & Hood’s 2019 study which used an AI camera to detect sleep disturbances in learners with autism. In that study, all movements exhibited by the participants were recorded by the camera. This extension aims to program the camera to discriminate successive approximations of analog topographies of gross motor movements such that the camera will calculate instances of head directed self-injury but will ignore other topographically similar movements, such as hand waving.

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), has witnessed significant changes in the licensure and credentialing of professionals. This transformation is crucial for being able to address the growing demand for effective, evidence-based behavioral services for individuals affected by autism and related disorders. How can we be certain that a behavioral services provider possesses the knowledge and experience required for effective, evidence-based services? The historical development of behavior analysis credentials reflects the need for standardized qualifications. Credentialing emerges as a critical process that verifies these qualifications and establishes a standard against which professionals in the field can be evaluated. Accreditation provides a third-party verification that specific, relevant standards have been met. This shift in the field has led to some confusion regarding credential and job title, which has significant consequences, impacting legislators, insurance funders, service providers, and the individuals and families affected by autism. In conclusion, accreditation plays a crucial role in ensuring that qualified professionals can provide ABA services to those in need. Access to these services is a right that families deserve, and by addressing these challenges, we can work towards a more inclusive and effective system of care for individuals affected by autism and related disorders.

ABA therapists ABA service organization leaders

This symposium comprises a series of presentations offering a comprehensive exploration of the Practical Functional Assessment (PFA) and Skill-Based Treatment (SBT) model. These interventions are discussed within the context of public schools that face limitations in behavior analytic services. While existing literature predominantly supports the application of this assessment and treatment model for individuals with developmental disabilities, this symposium underscores its adaptability for students both with and without formal diagnoses, including those with Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), and neurobehavioral disorders associated with prenatal alcohol exposure (FASD) who exhibit challenging and potentially hazardous behaviors within the public school system. Central to this approach is a commitment to safety, televisibility, dignity, and rapport, with a focus on skill enhancement in communication, toleration of denials, and cooperation with adult-led instruction, particularly in contexts historically linked with severe problem behavior. The presenters will not only illuminate the theoretical underpinnings of the PFA-SBT process but also provide real-world insights into its practical application in public school settings, showcasing how it effectively mitigates problem behavior and fosters cooperation within the educational environment. This symposium offers valuable knowledge for educators, practitioners, and professionals seeking to empower students and enhance their educational experiences.

This presentation provides an in-depth examination of the Practical Functional Assessment (PFA) and Skills-Based Treatment (SBT) Model. The focus is on a 5-year-old male student diagnosed with Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and Neurobehavioral disorder associated with prenatal alcohol exposure (FASD) who exhibits challenging and potentially hazardous behaviors within the public school environment. This approach places a premium on the safety, televisibility, dignity and rapport building in the therapeutic process. The fundamental principle of this approach is to mitigate problem behavior by explicitly teaching essential skills to students, including communication, tolerance, and contextually appropriate behaviors. The treatment was administered by two Behavior Analyst Teachers, involving over 550 trials conducted over a 13-week period. The acquired skills were then generalized across different instructors and settings, resulting in the student consistently demonstrating success in the general education classroom. Throughout this presentation, experts in this functional model will illustrate how the PFA-SBT framework can be effectively implemented in public school settings to provide support for all students grappling with challenging behavioral issues. This innovative approach holds the potential to enhance classroom safety, foster student well-being, and offer valuable insights to educators and professionals seeking effective strategies for behavior management and skill development.

There is a breadth of research describing the effectiveness of the practical functional assessment (PFA) and skill based treatment (SBT) to assess and treat challenging behavior exhibited by individuals with autism and related disorders (Hanley et al., 2014). This study extends the research by examining the application of the PFA and SBT within a public school setting and with a student without a formal diagnosis. This student was referred for assessment due to significant rates of unsafe behavior that disrupted the learning environment. A PFA was conducted and following the analysis, SBT was immediately implemented. Treatment included teaching appropriate communication, acceptance of delays or denials, and engaging in contextually appropriate behavior. This student worked on taking turns while playing a game, engaging in independent activities, and following an adult’s instructions within an academic context. Treatment consisted of 225 trials across seven months. This student exhibited zero instances of unsafe behavior and low rates of warning signs in the form of a raised voice, resistance to an instruction, and/or complaints. At the conclusion of the school year this student appropriately took turns during a game, quietly engaged in independent work and followed academic instructions for up to 5 minutes.

Behavior analysts demonstrate some of the highest rates of employee burnout within clinical settings (up to 72%; Slowiak & DeLongChamp, 2022). This is problematic as burnout negatively affects provider well being, reduces the quality of services, and can harm organizational health (e.g., via provider absenteeism, tardiness). Other fields take a syndromal approach wherein mentalistic burnout symptoms are measured on an individual basis and then person-centered approaches are applied (e.g., stress management training; therapy). A behavioral framework, informed by OBM, has promise for informing novel ways to identify and mitigate burnout in a manner that addresses the actual workplace variables maintaining burnout. In this panel, we discuss burnout across the perspectives of experts in OBM, supervision within clinical care, and burnout research. Panelists will discuss how burnout may be understood through a behavioral framework and how supervisors and administrators may modify the workplace environment to optimally support highly engaged staff and high quality service delivery. This panel will also provide opportunities for the audience to engage with panelists to drive meaningful conversations surrounding how to combat burnout in clinical settings.

Basic

Organizational Behavior Management involves the application of behavioral principles in the workplace in order to change employee behavior and achieve sustained improved business outcomes. This symposium focusses on research aimed at advancing our knowledge and understanding of the basic behavioral principles involved when implementing interventions commonly used in the workplace, such as feedback, incentives, and group contingencies. Toussaint Bernard-Pantin will present the results from a study that assessed the efficacy of and preference for corrective feedback and a combination of positive and corrective feedback. Wine will detail a study that was conducted to determine effective magnitudes of incentives when administrative staff completed a filing task. Newcomb will describe research that involved comparing the effectiveness of identified and anonymous preparations of dependent group contingencies when applied to direct care staff responsible for graphing data at the end of the workday. The results from each study allows for preliminary recommendations regarding best practice within organizational settings.

Intermediate (Background and/or education in ABA/OBM, familiar with single-subject research methodology, understanding of group contingencies and incentive magnitudes)

While the parallels between the science of life and the science of behavior are abundant, each field has developed unique systems for observing and recording data. Whereas ecologists focus on the richness and evenness of taxonomic relations, behavior analysts examine the frequency and duration of functional relations. Yet the scientific underpinnings and similarity in subject matter may allow for metrics to be applied across fields. Here we utilize common measures from the field of community ecology for the analysis of human behavior. Different environments support a range of distinct biological communities, and quantifying such biodiversity provides an understanding of how and why different biological communities are distributed. Ecologists define beta diversity as a measure of the degree of community differentiation in relation to environment gradients. The ratio between gamma and alpha diversities, beta diversity quantifies the effective number of distinct ecological communities within a region. In this symposium, we extend the concept of beta diversity to the field of behavior-analytic intervention for individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Across three papers, we show how beta diversity can be used to sample the frequency and variety of destructive behavior, stimulus preference, and verbal behavior. We demonstrate the utility of beta diversity for measuring behavior change over time, and discuss the implications of calculating beta diversity as a measure of efficacy.

Board Certified Behavior Analysts (Doctoral) and researchers who are interested in studying complex behavior-environment interactions. Attendees should have working knowledge of different types of functional analyses and stimulus preference assessments.

The availability of inexpensive do-it-yourself electronics and 3D printing has been the catalyst for the maker movement, often defined as the involvement of individuals in the construction of objects, tools, and electronic devices that include a variety of sensors and actuators. This tutorial will describe how, for over a decade, my research group has focused on using and teaching how to use these new technologies to build inexpensive equipment to record and control behavior in operant research. One of our first objectives was to construct an operant conditioning chamber for rats that could be controlled with an inexpensive but reliable interface capable of recording responses with high accuracy under different schedules of reinforcement. Over the years, we have improved the designs and created new devices to include fixed and retractable levers, nose-poke sensors, food and water dispensers, as well as light and tone generators. Adhering to an open-source policy, we have made our designs, files, and programs freely available to those interested in building custom-made operant chambers. The possibility of building custom equipment could inspire researchers to ask questions involving complex settings and eliminate the restrictions frequently stimulated by available commercial equipment.

The tutorial is intended for graduate students and new researchers.

Boyce and Hineline created an in-classroom methodology called “InterTeaching,” originally for the purpose of getting students to interact more in class. Since then, it has been investigated across many different settings, learners, and content areas. Since Interteaching is an educational intervention derived from behavior analytic technologies, it is important to continue to evaluate not only its impact on learning, but to learn what components of the InterTeach methodology is most impactful. The current study compared the effects of interteaching and discussion forum activities on quiz performance in an asynchronous master's level course using an alternating treatments design. Six participants engaged in interteaching in half of the weeks and contacted the discussion forum in the alternate weeks. Participants generally scored higher on quizzes in the interteaching condition (M = 96.9%) than in the discussion forum condition (M = 75.95%). The mean difference between conditions was -20.95 ± 3.4. Results of this analysis indicate statistically significant differences between the two conditions at P < .0003. The efficacy of various instructional strategies in online learning environments is discussed.

While standard procedures for SAFMEDS are widely accepted for improving fluency, procedural variations have emerged over time. For example, multiple practice drills per day have been shown to improve fluency and multiple exemplar training has emerged as a potentially advantageous variation for improving generalization. The purpose of the present study was twofold. First, an alternating treatments design was used to replicate previous studies evaluating the impact of multiple exemplar training within a SAFMEDS procedure on graduate students’ fluency, retention, and generalization of behavior analysis terms. Second, the study extended from the previous literature by including technical and precise everyday language definitions within the multiple exemplar procedure and evaluating participants generalization by asking students to create novel, everyday definitions that could be used to explain behavior analysis terms to stakeholders. Findings will be discussed in reference to best practices for training future behavior analysts to fluently identify behavior analysis terms and to translate those terms into user friendly explanations accessible to clients and stakeholders.

Forty-three percent of the world’s population is bilingual, and yet research focused on the identification of optimal procedures to teach one or more foreign languages is limited. Such research can benefit children with developmental disabilities, who generally have language deficits that require effective and efficient teaching procedures. This symposium describes research aimed to determine (a) whether learning tacts in one language is better than learning tacts in two languages, (b) whether learning tacts and listener responses in two languages simultaneously is better than sequentially, and (c) what role preference plays in the acquisition of tacts in a foreign language. Across studies, we examined and compared multiple learning outcomes (e.g., effectiveness, efficiency, and the emergence of other verbal operants). Child participants learned tacts in one language more efficiently than in two languages. Child participants learned tacts simultaneously more efficiently than sequentially; the sequential condition was more efficient for adults learning listener responses. The simultaneous procedures produced higher levels of emergent bidirectional intraverbal compared to sequential procedures. Finally, child participants learned tacts of preferred items more efficiently than tacts of nonpreferred items. The preferred condition also produced higher levels of emergent bidirectional intraverbals. These findings can inform foreign language instructional design.

Basic knowledge of verbal behavior and stimulus control.

The population of the United States is becoming more diversified culturally and linguistically. Bilingualism has been shown to have positive effects in neurotypical children’s development (e.g., Bialystok, 2010). However, there are little known on how to best teach and support children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to learn a second language and if teaching a second language might hinder and confuse their language acquisition. Previous studies examined the effect of tact and listener responses on the emergence of bidirectional intraverbal relations with six neurotypical Brazilian children and found that tact training was more effective in producing bidirectional intraverbal responding. The present study examined the optimal procedures for teaching two languages using tact training to children with ASD. We compare the effectiveness of acquiring a small set of tacts when (a) teaching two languages simultaneously, (b) teaching two languages sequentially, and (c) teaching one language only (i.e., control). Results showed that simultaneous procedures were more efficient in teaching two languages and effective in promoting conditional discrimination. All participants acquired one language much more efficiently than two languages. However, all participants acquired a small tact vocabulary in two languages. Overall, simultaneous procedures produced higher levels of emergent intraverbal compared to sequential procedures.

Imitation is often a skill deficit for toddlers diagnosed with autism. These deficits often lead to delays in language development and play skills. and are correlated with underdeveloped joint attention abilities; therefore, it is crucial that young children diagnosed with autism learn basic imitation so that other critical developmental skills can emerge. This current study explored the impact of stimuli choice when teaching imitation skills to toddlers diagnosed with autism to determine if it improved their imitative repertoire, increased language production and led to skill generalization. Three newly diagnosed children with autism spectrum disorder, between the ages of 2.3 years and 2.9 years, participated in this study. An alternating treatment design was utilized, and data was collected on the acquisition of imitation skills using child-selected stimuli and stimuli selected by the experimenter. Upon completion of the study, the participants acquired the imitation of three actions using a variety of stimuli; however, there was no clear difference when the participant’s choice of stimuli was present therefore demonstrating that choice of stimuli did not increase imitative skill acquisition. Study results continue to support the importance and effectiveness of ABA principles and methodologies to successfully teach skills to toddlers with autism.

Despite an emphasis on early intervention in the treatment of autism spectrum disorder and the need to try to determine potential reinforcers for young learners, there is little research on preference assessment results with toddlers. The present study examined the stability of rank-ordered selections from four different preference assessments (paired choice, multiple stimulus without replacement, free operant, and response restriction) across seven administrations of each assessment using a repeated measures design. Three children with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder who were under the age of 3 upon the onset participated in this research. Consecutive ranked hierarchies were tested for statistical significance for each of the four preference assessments. Results were not found to be statistically significant, indicating that ordered selections made over time were not stable. These findings may suggest that results from formalized preference assessments have limited applicability when carried over across sessions for young children with autism.

Pain research in autistic individuals is largely unexplored and insufficient. Self-report is considered the gold standard in the assessment of pain, however self-report measures are not always accessible or feasible for use when communication difficulties are present. Furthermore, autistic individuals are often reported to express their pain in “atypical” ways such as through self-injurious behaviour ,aggression and changes in behaviour such as irritability, low mood, reduced activity, appetite change, changes in sleep, or crying. Consequently, pain is frequently unidentified and ineffectively managed among individuals with communication impairments. Pain management and effective communication about pain experiences are essential components of quality healthcare. This symposium will discuss the recent developments in pain management and pain communication for autistic individuals. Topics will include 1. Improving pain-related communication in children with autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability. 2. Evaluation of The Feeling Better ASD Pain Management Pain Management Programme for Autistic Children: Pilot and Feasibility Study. 3. Virtual Reality distraction for needle-related pain and distress in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder with or without a comorbid intellectual disability: a feasibility study.

Behaviour Analysts working with Autistic individuals who may experience pain and have difficulty communicating pain.

The communication of pain in individuals with co-morbid Autism Spectrum Disorder and intellectual disability (ASD-ID) is largely unexplored. The communication deficits associated with ASD-ID can result in nonverbal behaviour such as self-injurious behaviour, aggression, irritability, and reduced activity as a means to communicate that pain is present. The objective of this study was to determine whether a behavioral- based educational intervention could increase the pain-related communication of children with ASD-ID who experience pain frequently. Specifically, the study aimed to determine if children with ASD-ID can label the location of their pain or quantify pain severity and request pain relief. The sample included three children with ASD-ID who experienced pain frequently. The intervention utilized educational materials and behavioral reinforcements and the intervention was conducted using a series of case studies. Pain was assessed daily by caregivers using the Non-Communicating Children's Pain Checklist—Postoperative (NCCPC-PV) and the ability of the individual to identify and express pain was recorded using the Wong Baker FACES Pain (WBFPS) Scale. Challenging behavior was recorded based on frequency count. The results indicated that all participants displayed the ability to independently respond to a question about how they were feeling by vocalising the location of pain or indicating their level of pain on the WBFPS and requesting pain relief. The results suggest a role for behavioral-based educational interventions to promote communication of pain in people with ASD-ID.

Self-report is considered the gold standard in the assessment of pain, however self report measures are not always accessible or feasible for use when communication difficulties are present. As a result pain is often unrecognised and untreated in autistic children. Feeling Better pain management programme is a cognitive behaviour therapy-based pain management manual which was developed for carers of individual with chronic pain and intellectual disabilities (McManus & McGuire 2010). Feeling Better has been developed into an internet-delivered pain management programme for children and their parents. This research has used public/patient involvement (autistic children and their parents) in the evaluation and modification of the existing computerized ‘Feeling Better’ programme to make an adapted version suitable for autistic children. The adapted version is called Feeling Better ASD. The aim of this research was to examine the effectiveness of the Feeling Better ASD as a pain management intervention for autistic children who have difficulties with pain. There is currently no evidence based online programme designed to increase the communication of pain in autistic children or teach skills to cope with pain. Feeling Better ASD provides inclusive education for autistic children and their parents by teaching the skill of communicating pain (location and severity) and also learning skills and techniques such as relaxation, activity pacing, distraction skills to help them cope with pain.

Available clinical research literature focusing on VR distraction methods for needle-related procedures in ASD populations, is at present, sparse. The current study aimed to examine the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) distraction to reduce needle-related pain and distress in children and adolescents with ASD and ASD-ID during a blood draw. A randomised controlled trial with a sample of 20 participants with ASD/ASD-ID aged 4 to 16 years attending a routine blood draw were randomly allocated to one of two groups: VR distraction or treatment as usual (control group). Participants in the VR distraction group reported significantly lower pain scores and incurred significantly less avoidant behaviours (as measured by the venipuncture task analysis) when compared to participants in the treatment as usual group, showing large and moderate effect sizes, respectively. High levels of satisfaction with VR distraction were reported by parents/caregivers and nurses/phlebotomists. Results of the feasibility data revealed that VR was feasible, tolerable, and applicable to use with ASD/ASD-ID children and adolescents within a busy clinical environment to facilitate safer blood draw procedures. Finding suggest VR distraction is effective at reducing needle-related pain and anxiety in children and adolescents with ASD/ASD-ID undergoing a venous blood draw procedure.

The field of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is experiencing a transformative shift towards innovation, technology, and enhanced service delivery. This symposium explores the convergence of these elements to usher in ABA 2.0. Collaborating with a transformational game company, behavior analysts are pioneering the creation of skill-building transformational games and tools. These transformational games offer an engaging and effective means of intervention, making learning enjoyable for individuals on and off the autism spectrum. This symposium will showcase the development and potential impact of these tools, shedding light on the ways technology can revolutionize behavior analytic practice. Further, we will delve into the successful deployment of these tools in clinical settings and special education classrooms. Our pilot data will begin to illustrate the practicality and effectiveness of integrating these innovations into established programs. Additionally, the symposium will explore the utilization of AI language models, such as ChatGPT, to assist behavior analysts in goal development and assessment writing. These tools are poised to enhance precision and efficiency in developing goals, and reporting, thereby optimizing the overall ABA service delivery process. Join us to witness the evolution of ABA, where technology, innovation, and collaboration converge to drive positive outcomes for individuals and professionals alike.

Audience needs familiarity with the VB-MAPP assessment or other skill assessments, goal writing, delivering services to individuals with autism spectrum disorder and developmental delays.

This symposium presents a groundbreaking collaboration between a StepOne Neurodiversity Services and an established transformational game production company, Simcoach Games, in the creation of innovative digital tools for behavior analysts. The partnership, fostered by StepOne Neurodiversity Services, embodies a vision to disseminate the principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA) through engaging and transformative video games. This symposium will showcase the journey from identifying target skills to the development of prototype transformational games, ready for deployment in clinical and special education settings. Furthermore, the symposium will discuss ongoing and future research efforts to validate the impact of these games in real-world applications. A discussion and demonstration of the use of gamification of skill building interventions and creating a strategy of building transformational games across platforms (i.e., tablet, pc, virtual reality) to address different skill sets. These digital tools and games stand as a testament to the potential of technology to enhance ABA interventions, ultimately leading to more enriched learning experiences for behavior analysts and our clients.

The Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program (VB-MAPP) is commonly administered in clinical settings to evaluate clients’ current skill levels and progress throughout service provision (Sundberg, 2008). Administration of the VB-MAPP requires the arrangement and presentation of a variety of physical stimuli by the clinician. This process is often effortful and requires physical materials that need to be purchased or developed by the behavior analyst. StepOne Neurodiversity Services and software developers at Simcoach Games collaborated to design a digital card deck and an accompanying game that align with the VB-MAPP framework. The Card Deck is a customizable digital tool that functions as a replacement for a physical deck of stimulus cards. The corresponding transformational game includes an interactive game design that tasks learners with demonstrating matching-to-sample skills by retrieving correct target items while playing the role of a ghost. Through video demonstrations and single-subject data, we highlight benefits of using technology to enhance assessment and teaching of target skills, and analyze data produced by learner behavior. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of how these innovative resources can streamline assessment and teaching while providing engaging and data-driven experiences for learners in different settings.

Generative AI is a type of artificial intelligence that creates new content, such as text, images, code, and music by applying information learned from large datasets of existing content to generate new and original outputs. Generative AI is still in its early stages of development, but it has the potential to revolutionize many industries by generating text and content related to targeted topic areas. StepOne Neurodiversity Services is developing a GAI assistant to guide clinicians through writing observable and measurable treatment goals. The assistant will generate goal ideas, identify goals, and personalize goals to meet the needs of individual clients. The assistant will serve as a collaborative tool to support clinicians, not replace them; clinicians will have autonomy with goal selection. We believe that GAI is particularly well-suited for generating goals because it can: (1) generate a high volume of simple, complex, short-term, and long-term goals, (2) develop goals that include all critical components of a quality behavioral goal, including conditionality, observable behavior, quantitative criteria, and target timeframe, (3) generate goals quickly and easily, and (4) help to personalize goals for individual clients. Overall, the use of this tool can reduce the time spent writing and reviewing treatment reports.

Pelios et al. (1999) examined the impact of functional-analysis methodology, specifically the publication of Iwata et al., (1982/1994), on the publication of reinforcement- and punishment-based treatment for self-injurious behavior (SIB) and aggression in individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities. We extended the analysis conducted by Pelios et al. to include the years between 1998 and 2022 and analyzed individual participants in terms of demographics, topographies displayed, and assessment and treatment types used. We found that publication of reinforcement-based treatments for SIB and aggression has decreased from a peak in 1997 but remained elevated since Pelios et al. completed their review. The number of publications including punishment-based treatments has decreased more recently but remained low, averaging between one and two articles published yearly since 1968. Regarding individual datasets, we found that specific topographies of behavior were differentially associated with particular behavioral functions. Similarly, we also observed that treatment type was differentially associated with particular topographies, assessment types, and functions. We discuss these outcomes in terms of variables affecting publication, research on punishment-based treatments, and potential areas for further research.

Multiple schedules of reinforcement have a history of effectiveness in treating severe challenging behavior demonstrated by individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and related disabilities (Saini et al., 2016). The literature demonstrating this efficacy, however, is limited within the adult population. The present study evaluated the utility of multiples schedules to teach “flexibility” skills to two autistic adults demonstrating severe challenging behavior. More specifically, functional analyses were conducted to determine the reinforcing variables maintaining the challenging behavior, then a multiple schedule treatment was evaluated. The multiple schedule was comprised of two signaled component schedules. One schedule involved continuous differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA; e.g., appropriate mands for the functional reinforcer). The second schedule, called “Flexible Time”, involved extinction for the first alternative behavior (e.g., mands) as well as additional DRA for another behavior, a tolerance response, and the absence of problem behavior (differential reinforcement of other behavior; DRO). The present procedures successfully reduced challenging behavior for both participants and provide a model to clinicians to teach flexibility skills while decreasing severe challenging behavior.

After reducing problem behavior and establishing an appropriate alternative behavior, schedule thinning is necessary to create feasible treatment plans for implementation in naturalistic environments. Multiple schedules are effective at creating lean schedules of reinforcement for alternative behavior while maintaining low rates of problem behavior. When problem behavior is multiply maintained, or requires treatment extension across multiple contexts, schedule thinning with multiple schedules may be required across several treatment contexts. Few studies to date describe the transfer of treatment effects with multiple schedules across treatment contexts. In the current investigation, we implemented a terminal probe procedure in one context to derive initial schedule thinning starting points and subsequent schedule thinning progressions. Once we achieved a lean, feasible schedule in one treatment context, we transferred the treatment effects across contexts at the terminal schedule value. Treatment effects were maintained across contexts with the lean schedule of reinforcement. Results across participants suggested that these procedures yielded an efficient schedule thinning process when treating problem behavior across contexts. In addition to a review of treatment outcomes, we review the terminal probe method process, further strategies for transferring lean schedules across contexts, and implications for clinical practice and future research.

Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder can exhibit behaviors that are harmful or disruptive to learning or the environment. These behaviors can be automatically reinforced. A common intervention component for automatically reinforced behavior involves the presence of competing stimuli, identified through competing stimulus assessments. The present symposium encompasses three studies that each seek to evaluate a different aspect of the assessment or treatment process involving competing stimuli. The first project investigates the influence of individual preference on competing stimulus assessment outcomes, aiming to enhance our understanding of the factors impacting problem behavior reduction. In the second project, an augmented competing stimulus assessment with prompted engagement components is utilized to identify competing items for reducing stereotypy. The final project focuses on vocal stereotypy in individuals with autism and evaluates the effectiveness of using music as matched stimulation to reduce vocal stereotypy and enhance on-task behavior. Collectively, these research projects contribute to the field of behavior assessment and intervention, shedding light on individual preferences, the use of matched stimulation, and the efficacy of augmented competing stimulus assessment in addressing problem behaviors and enhancing treatment approaches.

Education of reinforcement and behavior reduction practices

The present research project aims to investigate the influence of preference on competing stimulus assessments outcomes. Competing stimulus assessments are pre-treatment evaluations aimed at identifying stimuli that, when provided as available options, are linked to decreases in problem behavior. These reductions are hypothesized to result from the competition or substitution of reinforcers (Ahearn et al., 2005; Fisher et al., 2000; Hagopian et al., 2005; Shore et al., 1997). Multiple stimulus preference assessment without replacement is a widely used assessment procedure that involves presenting individuals with an array of stimuli and determining their preferences through selection. While multiple stimulus preference assessment without replacement has proven effective in identifying preferred stimuli, the potential impact of individual preference on competing stimulus assessments outcomes remains unclear. This study seeks to continue to add to the literature on preference in relation to competing stimulus assessments outcomes (Laureano et al., 2023) by examining relation between the presence of ranked preference stimuli and behavior reduction. Through a systematic evaluation involving participants who engaged in destructive behavior, the findings from this research project will contribute to our understanding of the factors influencing CSA outcomes and inform future practices in behavior assessment and intervention planning, ultimately enhancing individualized treatment approaches and promoting optimal outcomes for individuals with diverse needs.

Vocal stereotypy (VS), or vocalizations that are noncontexual or nonfunctional, is commonly exhibited in individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. The nature of vocal stereotypy may pose an issue for some individuals when it competes with the ability perform daily tasks or leads to reduced independence. Previous research has shown that access to matched stimulation (e.g., music) is effective at reducing vocal stereotypy. However, this treatment is typically evaluated during play or low stimulation conditions and thus, its effectiveness and compatibility with daily tasks are less known. Therefore, we tested wearing headphones that played music as matched stimulation to decrease vocal stereotypy and increase on-task duration. The data indicate that music as matched stimulation significantly decreased vocal stereotypy for all participants and marginal increases in on-task behavior were observed. Additionally, effects generalized to classroom settings and activities. Treatment preference assessments indicated that all participants preferred to work while accessing music.

Engaging in regular moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) can result in improvements in physical health in many children and adults. The United States Department of Health and Human Services recommends that adults engage in 75-150 min of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and two days of muscle strengthening activities every week. Yet, many adults do not meet this recommendation and even fewer adults with disabilities meet this recommendation. Several behavioral interventions are effective in increasing MVPA, but few have targeted muscle-strengthening activities. The purpose of this study was to evaluate goal setting and token reinforcement to increase the frequency of exercises in adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Two adults diagnosed with ASD participated in this study at a local dance studio. Using a multiple baseline design across exercises with a changing criterion design, we used goal setting and token reinforcement to systematically increase the frequency of muscle-strengthening exercises (e.g., pushups, bicep curls, modified squats, etc.). Both participants increased the frequency of the exercises according to the criteria changes until they met the terminal criterion for each exercise. Future directions for research and implications for practitioners were discussed.

The prevalence of obesity in the United States is predicted to continue rising to roughly 51% by the year 2030. Adults are recommended to engage in 75 to 150 min of vigorous-intensity physical activity or 150 to 300 min of moderate-intensity physical activity each week to sustain health benefits such as promoting a healthy cardiorespiratory system, muscle fitness, and body weight. Music may serve as a reinforcer that could increase and maintain appropriate levels of physical activity that can promote healthy living and prevent health concerns. Therefore, this study utilized a conjugate schedule of reinforcement to evaluate music preference across 50 participants. Then, participants were assigned to listen to high preferred or low preferred music while using a treadmill. Music was provided on a synchronous schedule of reinforcement where participants’ pace on the treadmill had to meet specific criteria to access the music. The results of this study found that participants assigned to high preferred music remained within the reinforcement criteria to access music more closely than the participants assigned to the low preferred music. These results preliminarily suggest an effective method at controlling pace while using a treadmill by manipulating the criteria for reinforcement when listening to preferred music.

Like behavior analysts, medical professionals have an ethical obligation to provide their patients with patient-centered and culturally humble care. Therefore, medical schools are required to teach Patient Centered Care (PCC) and Cultural Humility (CH) skills along with how to manage burnout and implicit bias given the deleterious effects of leaving these neglected. Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) is an empirical approach to increase psychological flexibility (PF). ACTraining studies have demonstrated positive outcomes in a variety of settings and with a wide variety of populations including: mental health and innovation, stigma, stress, burnout, sick leave, physical and psychological well-being, absenteeism, college performance, and worksite distress. A majority of this literature has utilized self-report metrics (Newsome et al., 2019), however. Studies presented in this symposium examined the effects of ACT on medical students’ repertoires in a standardized patient encounter, wherein target behaviors related to implicit bias, PCC, and CH were operationally defined and objectively measured. Results and implications for future research will be discussed.

Graduate Students, Faculty, BCaBAs, BCBAs, Professionals Audience members may benefit from having some familiarity with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy/Training

According to Rava et al. (2107), by the age of 21 approximately 20% of their sample of teenagers with Autism had some contact with law enforcement, with approximately 5% having been arrested. Due to systemic problems with the services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in the criminal justice system in New York it is highly likely that this statistic is at least indicative of this overrepresentation of persons with autism and/or IDD served by the Division of Juvenile Justice System programs (DJJOY) in New York State. There are many systemic barriers that likely contribute, including poor services for individuals with IDD, lack of availability of diagnostic services, and a lack of services and advocacy in schools particularly for individuals from historically marginalized communities (e.g., persons of color). This significant problem creates a need for behavior-analytic services, interprofessional collaboration, and advocacy directly with teams working in the Juvenile Justice, Child Welfare, and Developmental Disability systems as well as at the systems and legislative levels. The purpose of this presentation is to describe some of the successes and barriers to providing behavior-analytic services and advocacy within the juvenile-justice system in New York. Additionally, tips on how to respecialize in one’s scope of practice and competence to provide services to this much needed population will be discussed.

Practitioners have recognized the utility and success of compound reinforcement schedules, such as multiple and concurrent schedules, in the treatment of challenging behavior. This symposium provides evaluations of clinically relevant procedures conducted and/or evaluated within the context of compound reinforcement schedules. Specifically, in the first study, stimulus transfer procedures were evaluated within a multiple schedule arrangement as they related to schedule thinning during FCT-based intervention. In the second study, reinforcer dimensions were evaluated within the context of concurrent schedule arrangements to identify how concurrent-schedule based interventions (i.e., non extinction-based interventions) could be designed and to determine if differences existed across responses (arbitrary and clinically relevant) targeted. Results are discussed in the context of (a) what strategies allow for greater practicality of intervention implementation, and (b) how concurrent schedules can be utilized to guide intervention design. Dr. Kayla Randall will provide discussion of the projects and suggestions for future directions this and similar research can pursue.

intermediate practitioners and researcher

We evaluated two methods to increase the generality of functional communication training (FCT) by incorporating naturally occurring stimuli within a multiple schedule thinning arrangement. In the present study, we used a stimulus control transfer procedure to determine the degree to which discriminated responding can be transferred from arbitrary to naturally occurring stimuli while maintaining high levels of functional communication and low rates of destructive behavior. Following the acquisition of discriminative control in the presence of an arbitrary stimulus, we transferred discriminative properties to naturally occurring activities that signal the unavailability of reinforcement. We compared rates of acquisition of discriminated functional communication responses and rates of destructive behavior using the stimulus control transfer procedure to direct discrimination training of naturally occurring stimuli. Results of the evaluation support the efficacy of both teaching strategies; however, directly teaching discrimination resulted in higher levels of discriminated responding, lower rates of destructive behavior, and fewer sessions to reach mastery criteria relative to stimulus fading.

Although extinction is a common and effective treatment component included in behavior reduction procedures, adverse side effects may make its inclusion impractical to implement. Treatments that include concurrent schedule arrangements may provide an alternative to extinction. A review by Trump et al. (2020) found that concurrent schedules without extinction interventions were successful in reducing challenging behavior, but the results were idiosyncratic. These results might be due to different parameter sensitivities across participants. Kunnavatana et al. (2018) assessed individual and relative sensitivity to the reinforcement parameters used in concurrent schedule-based interventions to determine a parameter hierarchy prior to developing an intervention for challenging behavior. However, they used arbitrary behaviors during the assessment instead of clinically relevant behaviors. Thus, the current study compared the results of a parameter hierarchy assessment with arbitrary behaviors (i.e., button pressing) to a parameter hierarchy assessment with clinically relevant behaviors (i.e., communication and challenging behavior) to determine if the results would align. Three elementary-aged children with special education eligibilities for autism or significant developmental delay participated in this study. Results show no alignment between the two assessments across participants. Despite the lack of alignment, an effective intervention to reduce challenging behavior was identified for two participants.

Skinner (1957) posited the joining of the listener- and speaker-within-the-skin to refer to when one talks to oneself overtly or covertly. Expanding on this notion, verbal behavior development theorists identified specific verbal behavior development cusps that lead to joining of the listener and speaker. These cusps allow one to be fully verbal as one functions as both a listener and a speaker (Pohl et al., 2020). Researchers also found protocols that showed positive effects on inducing these cusps, if missing in one’s repertoires. We conducted 2 studies to further investigate the joining of listener and speaker cusps. In the first study, we sought to identify a significant relation among the presence of specific joining of the listener and speaker cusps. In the second experiment, we tested the effects of a rotated protocol package on the emergence of cusps that join listener and speaker behaviors. The rotated protocol consisted of components from social listener reinforcement (Reilly-Lawson & Walsh, 2007), self-talk immersion protocol (Farrell et al., in revision), and multiple exemplar instruction (Gilic & Greer, 2012). Results are discussed in terms of the change one’s interaction with the environment following the acquisition of joining of the listener and speaker verbal behavior cusps.

Target audience should have basic knowledge of Skinner's verbal behavior and verbal behavior development theory. The symposium is designed for practitioners to expand their learners' verbal behavior development through protocols and interventions.

For autistic individuals and individuals with developmental disabilities, acquiring daily living skills (DLS) represents a critical component in establishing independence as they transition into adulthood. Researchers have suggested that designing instructional programming towards behavioral fluency, can help increase and maintain skills for individuals in these populations beyond traditional accuracy criteria. A frequency aim constitutes a level of performance that reliably predicts critical outcomes (e.g., retention, application) associated with behavioral fluency. Although frequency aims exist for academic skills, no research has identified the frequency aims needed to reach behavioral fluency for DLS. The present project sought to explore the frequency aims needed to reach behavioral fluency for a variety of DLS. Sixty college-aged participants performed 12 different tasks while researchers collected data on the movement cycles observed and the amount of time required to complete each task. We will present results from the project as well as discuss implications for practice.

A number of challenges exist when a disproportionate number of students concentrated in urban schools require the highest levels of academic support yet have inequitable access to evidence based interventions within multi tiered systems of support. The present investigation examined the effects of an explicit decoding plus frequency building intervention on consonant vowel consonant word reading fluency. Participants included three second-grade students receiving Tier 3 academic support at an urban public school in the southeastern United States. Using a dosage approach, the interventionists applied the intervention 5 to 8 minutes per day, over 8 to 9 days per word list. Results indicate a significant increase in words correct per minute and decrease in words incorrect per minute on the three words lists, curriculum-based assessments, and curriculum-based measurements. The session will include a statistical analysis using the standard celeration chart, implications for research and practice, and shared protocols for participant application in the field.

Technology continues to permeate many areas of daily life. The importance of technology became more apparent during the recent pandemic. Many services innovatively moved to hybrid or technology-based methods of service. However, not all individuals accessed technology with the same opportunities. Persistent inequities remain for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), stemming from several variables, but most noticeably a lack of goal planning that includes digital literacy skills required to access technology necessary to improve post-secondary outcomes and opportunities. In the present study a multiple probe design across three behaviors (i.e., composing email, replying to email, including attachments in an email) was replicated across six participants. Intervention procedures employed direct instruction and the use of a systematic prompt hierarchy, delivered remotely using Zoom due to the pandemic, to increase basic email skills in adolescents with IDD. Results showed a functional relation between the intervention and improved emailing skills (composing, replying, and attachments) across all participants.

Behavior science's core principles involve compassion towards recipients of our services, with the goal to prevent human suffering and maximize the quality of life for those we serve. Over the past several years, there has been an increasing number of behavioral researchers advocating for more discussion of assent-based procedures, where clinical interventionists provide frequent opportunities for the recipients of our services to indicate their 'willingness' or 'dissent' from participating in the activities requested of them. This increased focus is laudable. However, up to this point, there have been only conceptual and advocacy papers written supporting this more enlightened view. The conceptual importance of using more assent-based procedures has been determined. However, now we must begin to explore aspeccts of assent and dissent using our research approaches inherent in the behavioral sciences. This symposium will consist of three research studies that empirically investigated aspects of assent and dissent. The researchers will present data-based results from systematic research studies exploring what are the behavioral components of assent and dissent, how to maximize assent and minimize dissent in clinical behavioral intervention, and how to train staff to deliver services in line with this new approach to treatment.

clinical interventionists; beginners

In recent years, there have been calls to action regarding the integration of compassionate care and assent into behavior analytic practice. Assent, in medical and educational interventions, is associated with an absence of coercion and with a willingness to engage. It is a core foundational value of humane and compassionate intervention across human service professions. A recent review of the research literature (Morris et al., 2021) revealed that attention to assent in Applied Behavior Analytic (ABA) research is scarce. Critiques of the field have implied an inadequate focus on assent in clinical practice as well. There are definitional and measurement challenges associated with assent that are barriers to the integration of it into clinical work. In this study, instructors were trained to identify individualized indices of assent and withdrawal of assent for learners in their care. The focus on individualized indices represents an advance and reflects the highly tailored nature of behavior analytic intervention. Staff members were also taught to shift instructional strategies when assent was withdrawn. The study represents an empirical successful demonstration in training staff to identify and to honor both assent and withdrawals of assent. Limitations and future directions are discussed, in terms of measurement, training, and clinical practice. Implications for clinical practice and practitioner training are reviewed.

Over many decades, J. R. Kantor has made great contributions to the development of the science of behavior. These contributions have involved an impressive range of areas - including cultural behavior, physiological psychology, linguistics, the logic and philosophy of science, and many more. Considering the 50th anniversary of ABAI, the present symposium aims to reflect upon some of Kantor's most provocative writings, including commentaries on behaviorism and behavior analysis, the accumulation of scientific knowledge and how this facilitates and hinders progress over time, and, importantly, on the role of biology in the psychological domain. While reflecting upon these themes will comprise one part of the symposium presentations, a secondary aim is to consider how these topics relate to present day behavior science, including the philosophy of behavior science, research, and application. In summary, the symposium involves both looking back and also forward, to the future of the science of behavior.

It is assumed that audience members will have a general understanding of behavioral principles, operant conditioning, and broad behavioral philosophy.

In physics, the study of dynamics is concerned with how forces act on bodies to change their movement—from this stems concepts involving Newton’s laws of motion, mass, inertia, momentum, kinetic energy and more. In behavior analysis, the study of dynamics is concerned with how consequences act on behavior via contingencies of selection over time. In this paradigm, behavior participates in a dynamic system with operant contingencies to produce emergent outcomes that are analyzed across multiple response dimensions, time scales, and units of analysis. Behavior dynamics provides a framework for investigating how operant behavior changes due to variation in the environment, yielding insights into the variables that underlie complex patterns of behavior—it embraces the idea that behavior is not static, but constantly evolving. This tutorial will explore the emerging application of behavior dynamics to the study of self-injury among individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities. This discussion will center on dynamics of response competition, time, and evolution. Throughout, my emphasis will be on making these concepts, along with selected analytic techniques, approachable for applied researchers.

This tutorial is geared towards board certified behavior analysts, psychologists, and graduate students.

Higher education in 2024 is irrefutably different than it was ten years ago. The landscape of graduate programming has changed in many ways including, but not limited to: decreases in admissions and enrollment, changes in admissions practices, changing accreditation requirements, increased awareness of inequity issues, responsiveness to service delivery issues, increased use of technology and remote teaching strategies, changes in administration and organizational structure, issues of appeals and litigation, etc. Some of these changes were initiated or exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. It seems that student, administration, accreditor, and public expectations of higher education processes are changing in ways that often manifest in decreased consumer satisfaction. It is often difficult to maintain a financially viable and socially valid graduate program that balances quality educational methods and competency-based training, with these changing stakeholder expectations. The curriculum, requirements, and instructional procedures are often at odds with the social validity from the viewpoint of students and may need to be more in balanca in order to grow the field with competent practitioners. This panel discussion will discuss various concerns along these areas as well as potential behavior analytic solutions that graduate programs can consider. The audience will be encouraged to brainstorm additional concerns and solutions for discussion.

Faculty, students, administrators related to higher education in behavior analysis

The purpose of this symposium was to evaluate two new procedural applications to teach conditional discriminations and form equivalence classes with adult participants. The current methods to establish new conditioned reinforcers may be unreliable and the typical approach to establishing equivalence classes, matching-to-sample training and testing, can be labor intensive and time consuming. The first presentation, entitled “Transfer of Reinforcing Function Facilitated by Differential vs. Common Outcomes” sought to establish new conditional reinforcers via equivalence class formation and differential outcomes. The results indicated that stimuli from an equivalence class containing other, reinforcing stimuli, acquired reinforcing properties and was effective as a reinforcer to establish new classes. The second presentation, entitled “Establishing Equivalence Relations Utilizing a Sorting Procedure” used a stimulus sorting protocol to teach and test for the emergence of new conditional discriminations, indicative of equivalence class formation. The results indicated that teaching via a sorting protocol not only established new equivalence classes but did while substantially decreasing the teaching and testing trials necessary. The results of this symposium are discussed in terms of efficacy of instructional protocols used in more applied settings (e.g., classrooms, etc.).

Advanced. Participants should at least a working knowledge of stimulus equivalence and conditional discrimination training.

Several primary methods for establishing new reinforcers have yielded varied results. Stimulus equivalence procedures, while not traditionally used for such purposes, may prove beneficial. In the present study, two groups (Condition A & B) of three adults completed a series of match-to-complex sample trainings. Condition A participants completed a match-to-complex sample training in which unique reinforcers were utilized for each stimulus class. Following initial training, participants completed an additional training in which stimuli that functioned as discriminative stimuli in the first training were tested for a reinforcing function. Tests for equivalence class formation were conducted via sorting tests. Procedures for Condition B participants were identical to those for Condition A participants except for the reinforcers used. For Condition B participants, across all trainings a common reinforcer was used across stimulus classes. Results for one participant demonstrated via a reinforcer assessment that three different tokens functioned as reinforcers prior to training. Preliminary training data collected suggested that the first match-to-sample training will be successfully completed with the use of unique reinforcers. It is expected that participants trained using differential outcomes will demonstrate greater accuracy across phases, compared to those trained using common outcomes.

Recent research developments in the identification and establishment of crucial verbal developmental cusps related to learning by observation provides a clearer picture of the trajectory of language development leading to incidental language learning (Incidental Bidirectional Naming or Inc-BiN). These findings suggest that a new account of Observational Learning (OL) is warranted, with particular attention to the role that it plays in language development. This reconceptualization of verbal behavior development includes cusps that encompass the following: a) imitating (see-do responding); b) emulating (duplication of outcomes); c) changing existing behavior; d) acquiring new respondents, operants, and higher-order operants; e) acquiring new reinforcers under denial conditions; f) learning listener and speaker responses from exposure alone; and g) learning multiple responses or arbitrarily applicable relations, all as a function of observation. This presentation will focus on the establishment of observational stimulus control that makes language learning possible.

Practitioners; researchers; theorists; students

Functional Analyses (FAs) have been widely used in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis to determine the underlying function(s) of problem behavior. Advancements in functional analysis research suggest that functions of behaviors may change for a multitude of reasons (e.g., time, settings). The current symposium includes four papers focusing on findings from functional analyses evaluations. The first talk presents a study on the analysis of individuals who have had 2 FAs conducted. The second talk presents a study on a comparison between first admission and second admission FAs. The third talk presents a study on the investigation of the extent to which interaction effects occur with participants from a university based early childhood center. The final talk presents a study on the comparison of documented FA outcomes to retrospective ongoing visual inspection (OVI) results. All four studies will be discussed by Dr. Amanda Zangrillo who has extensive experience in implementation as well as research regarding FAs.

Submitted in the Basic level.

Few studies have reported the outcomes of functional analyses (FAs) completed at different points in time to evaluate the stability of behavioral function (Lerman et al., 1994). In the current study, we analyzed archival FA data from electronic health records (EHRs) in a large nonprofit behavioral health provider in order to evaluate whether documented functions of behavior remained stable over time. A search of the EHR produced 207 distinct FAs documented between 2018 and 2023. A review of these records identified 21 individuals who had at least 2 FAs completed for the same target behavior at least 6 months apart. Five more individuals with at least 2 FAs were identified through a review of additional clinical records. Of the 26 total individuals identified, FA results had exact agreement for 14 individuals, partial agreement for 8 individuals, and no agreement for 4 individuals. For the individuals whose FA results did not match, 3 out of 4 of the data sets included at least one inconclusive FA result. Variables that may account for the different outcomes (e.g., protocol differences) will be discussed.

Functional analyses are considered the gold standard for identifying the function of problem behavior. Once the functional analysis is implemented and a function is identified, a function-based intervention can be developed and implemented. Typically, if a social function is identified, some form of functional communication (FCT; Tiger et al., 2008) is implemented. Previous research has demonstrated FCT to be an effective treatment that both decreases problem behavior while increasing appropriate alternative responses (i.e., Functional Communication Responses; FCRs). Although FCT is an effective intervention for problem behavior, there may be times where FCT becomes ineffective over the course of its implementation (Ringdahl & St. Peter, 2017). One possible explanation for decreases in the effectiveness of FCT includes a change in the function of problem behavior. Specifically, it is possible that if the initially identified function shifts, the intervention will no longer be relevant. Possible implications of this decrease in effectiveness of treatment may include lack of caregiver treatment adherence, resulting in possible readmissions due to an increase of problem behavior. The purpose of this study was to compare the results of a functional analyses conducted during an initial admission into a severe behavior clinic to the results of a functional analysis conducted during a second admission.

Structured criterion lines have become an objective measurement tool to accurately apply visual inspection to functional analysis (FA) results (Roane et al., 2013). Additionally, ongoing visual inspection (OVI) has been applied as an objective measure to interpret ongoing results of a functional analysis, with the use of “stop” criteria (Saini et al., 2018). In this current study, we applied OVI to over 200 archival functional analyses documented in an electronic health record (EHR) at a large nonprofit behavioral health provider from 2018-2023. Results from the OVI analysis were compared with the documented FA outcomes and data on agreement was recorded. Data were also collected on whether the FA was terminated at the appropriate time based on the OVI criteria. Results suggest that applied practitioners often correctly interpreted the results of experimental functional analysis, despite having very little training in the structured criteria or OVI. It was more difficult to apply the OVI “stop” criteria to the completed FAs due to methodological differences (e.g., protocol modifications, inclusion of an automatic screening)..

Skinner (1932) was able to shape behaviors quickly and without trial and error because he first taught his rats all of the prerequisites they needed (Sidman, 2010). Behavior analysts who work with children with autism and developmental disabilities generally do not observe this fast, one-trial learning, perhaps because they are not following Skinner’s model. Instead, it is common to see repeated errors, variability in outcomes, prompt dependence, escape or avoidance behaviors, and inappropriate behaviors. In this symposium, we will examine how accelerated learning can occur when the therapist begins by building a reinforcement system consisting of an interconnected chain of therapist-student behaviors (Fernandez and Roasles-Ruiz, 2023; Rosales-Ruiz, Hunter, and Fernandez, 2023). The first paper discusses literature on shaping without the use of extra stimulus prompts, the second an experiment with students that measured the efficiency of instructional sessions using this approach, the third reducing high rates of problem behaviors without directly addressing them, and the fourth teaching students with profound discrimination problems to tact colors using shaping procedures. These four studies offer practitioners an alternative approach to designing and implementing instruction for children with ASD and other developmental disabilities.

Target audience should have studied behavior analysis at the undergraduate level and should be familiar with terms such as Reinforcement, Conditioned reinforcers, stimulus control, verbal operants.

Shaping is an effective and well-established gradual change procedure for teaching new skills that is sometimes combined with other strategies, such as prompting. However, to the best of our knowledge, no review has been published that provides an overview of applications of response shaping in interventions for persons with developmental disabilities. Results of the current scoping review include a description of the reviewed studies, and a synthesis of the findings. This includes a study of participant samples, experimental designs, teaching settings, assessments used, social validity, and shaping outcomes. A majority of the studies targeted persons with autism spectrum disorder, even though other diagnoses were also represented. Most studies employed single-case experimental designs and reported positive outcomes of response shaping, for a variety of target behaviors.While it is possible to combine response shaping with various prompts, it can also be used without prompts.This presentation will highlight and discuss the presence or absence of prompting in the reviewed studies.

Children with ASD and developmental disorders may learn at a slower pace when teachers use poorly-designed reinforcement schedules (Epstein 1985), the withdrawal of positive reinforcement (Ferster, 1957), intrusive prompting, and procedures that create poisoned cues (Pryor and Ramirez, 2014). Fernandez and Rosales-Ruiz (2023) and Rosales-Ruiz, Hunter and Fernandez (2023) proposed that learning can be accelerated if the teacher starts by building a reinforcement system consisting of an unconditioned reinforcer, a conditioned reinforcer (Ferster, 1975), and a reinforcement delivery system. In this approach, backward chaining is used to build interconnected chains of therapist-student behaviors. In this study, two students with ASD displayed high levels of escape and distress behaviors during baseline (90% and 40% of the sessions). Using backward chaining, they first learned to access reinforcement systematically and then to perform low-response-effort tasks. As students’ affect improved and response latencies reduced, new instructional stimuli were added. After treatment, both participants displayed relaxed affect during sessions and zero escape behaviors. Experiments are continuing with more students. Additional data will be presented related to prompt-free instruction procedures that use shaping to increase the pace of instruction and learn units acquired.

A combined blocking procedure (Williams et.al., 2005) was effective in teaching colors discrimination to a 14-year-old boy with Autism. The current study used a shaping procedure with minimal prompts and interconnected behavior chains (Rosales-Ruiz, Hunter, and Fernandez, 2023). Four students aged 5 to 9 years with a limited repertoire of tacts (50-100) and listener responding (50-100) participated in this study. In assessments of colors discrimination, three students emitted correct responses at less than chance levels in baseline and a fourth slightly above chance levels with high variability. We selected six color targets for each participant. Each color was trained one at a time, presented on a table initially with no distractors. After mastery in step 1, second and third distractors were added on the table in steps 2 and 3 with the student pointing to and tacting the target color. After mastery in terminal step for a color, subsequent target colors were similarly trained, and the study concluded with successful performance in randomized presentations. At the time of submission, the first participant successfully met criterion for the first target color with intervention continuing. Replications with subsequent target colors and additional participants will be discussed.

In line with this year’s conference theme, this symposium highlights the history and future of behavioral analysis applied to mental health services through multiple lenses. We begin with the history and current status of functional analysis in clinical case formulations for mental and behavioral health presentations illustrating strategies that increase a clinician’s abilities to contextualize client presenting concerns. This will be followed by two presentations that focus on the evolution of behavior analytic conceptualizations of depression and anxiety from the early work by Skinner and Ferster to present day. The depression and anxiety presentations are also accompanied by case illustrations. Our fourth presentation focuses on the ethical issues of assent when working with vulnerable populations and the enduring relevance of Goldiamond’s work in guiding ethical clinical practice. Finally, we have an international expert on Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP), a radical behavioral approach to interpersonal therapy, provide commentary on the history and future of clinical behavior analysis.

Individuals with advanced graduate degrees that target the application of behavioral principles.

The implicit relational assessment procedure (IRAP) is a method used to assess natural verbal relations. Recent calls have been made to refine the tool into a better understood and more precise functional-analytic procedure. An important strategy involved in doing so will be to identify the functional properties of all of the stimulus elements contained within the IRAP and how they contribute towards specific response patterns, and in particular at the level of the individual participant. The current symposium presents four papers that contribute to this research agenda. Specifically, the four papers will consider (1) experimental analyses of the impact of levels of derivation on differential patterns of single-participant IRAP effects; (2) attempts to manipulate patterns of effects produced on the procedure, within participants; (3) experimental analyses of the impact of multiple exposures on the stability (or instability) of single-participant patterns of responding; and (4) the impact of a motivating variable on single participant IRAP responding.

A basic background in behaviour analysis is assumed

The implicit relational assessment procedure (IRAP) emerged within the beahvior analytic tradition but very quickly it was used almost exclusively as a proxy for ill-defined psychological constructs. Recently, however, research has begun to use the IRAP as a context for analysing the dynamics of arbitrarily applicable relational responding. One of the main questions arising from this recent refocusing is the extent to which behavioral patterns observed on the IRAP remain stable across time. Insofar as the functions of stimuli presented within an IRAP may change through repeated presentations, it may be that similar IRAP patterns are not observed across repeated exposures. The current study involved two experiments that exposed participants to six consecutive IRAPs. Experiment 1 presented the two categories of stimuli (faces and furniture) across all IRAPs, with each category represented by a single word and a single picture. Experiment 2 was similar except each category was presented by four different words and four different pictures within each IRAP. Results of Experiment 1 indicate considerable variability across exposures within individual participants, with Experiment 2 currently underway. The findings highlight the dynamic nature of behavior produced across multiple exposures to the IRAP.

This symposium features four research presentations that will focus on applications of group contingencies in school settings. The first presentation will demonstrate the use of synchronous delivery of music within an interdependent group contingency to increase toy clean up behavior of small groups of preschoolers. The second presentation will discuss the effects of and student preference for different forms of feedback delivery (i.e., vocal, visual and no feedback) during the Good Behavior Game (GBG) with three, fifth grade classrooms. The third study will discuss the effects of the GBG with rule statements only (i.e., no reward) and GBG with a reinforcement contingency (i.e., winners get a reward) with four classrooms. The fourth study will discuss the effects of the GBG under different reward contingencies (i.e., immediate, delayed, and no reward) on behavior of individual students in three classrooms. Presenters will discuss clinical implications and future direction in each of the discussed areas.

Researchers and practitioners working in school settings.

Instructions to clean up may evoke problem behavior or noncompliance (Wilder et al., 2007). Although individualized treatment procedures for increasing clean-up are available to clinicians (e.g., differential reinforcement, token economies, response cost procedures), a group contingency may be more manageable in environments where one-on-one intervention is not feasible (e.g., classroom, group homes, day service providers, etc.). Group contingencies are often used in classroom management systems (Groves & Austin, 2017) and are relatively easy for teachers to implement (Hine et al., 2015). One schedule of reinforcement that may lend itself particularly useful within a group contingency is synchronous reinforcement (SSR; Diaz de Villegas, 2020). In the current evaluation, we extended research on SSR by evaluating the efficacy of synchronous music delivery within an interdependent group contingency for increasing toy cleanup behavior after play of small groups of preschool children. Additionally, we analyzed peer-directed vocal side effects (i.e., positive vocal interactions, negative vocal interactions, and prompts to clean up) that occurred during the evaluation. Results demonstrated that SSR within the group contingency successfully increased cleanup for all participants; however, additional modifications (i.e., SSR contingency training and an individualized SSR contingency with preferred videos) were needed for two participants.

The Good Behavior Game (GBG) is an effective procedure for reducing disruptive classroom behavior. In Experiment 1, students in 3 fifth grade classes selected the rules of the GBG and then experienced the GBG with different forms of feedback delivery for rule violations (i.e., vocal and visual, vocal only, visual only, no feedback) on disruptive classroom behavior in a multielement design. All versions of the GBG substantially reduced disruptive behavior below baseline levels. Additionally, in 1 of 3 classes, losing the GBG produced an increase in negative peer interactions immediately following the GBG. In Experiment 2, students selected which condition from Experiment 1 they would experience each session in a group arrangement concurrent chains preference assessment. The condition nominated most often by students in all classes at all opportunities was the GBG version that included both visual and vocal feedback. Implications of findings and future directions will be further discussed.

The Good Behavior Game (GBG) is an evidence-based classroom management packaged intervention that has been shown to reduce disruptive classroom behavior in a variety of academic settings. In typical application, the GBG utilizes an interdependent group contingency, and the teacher explains to the students which contingencies are in place and how they relate to behavior (i.e., a rule statement is provided). This approach provides at least two potential explanations for resultant behavior change: (a) contact with a reinforcement contingency or (b) students behaving in accordance with rule statements. To address this question, the current study evaluated the efficacy of GBG in the presence and absence of a reinforcement contingency (i.e., rule statement plus contingency or rule statement only) across four classrooms. Results of the study indicated that the reinforcement contingency was a necessary component to yield maximum behavior change. Results are discussed as they relate to implementation of GBG and its component parts.

“The engineer approaches nature with a swagger, determined to change it into something it has never been and never would be if left to itself . . . the engineer knows precisely where to go and will use any available methodology to get there” (Tom Gilbert 1978; 2007, page 3). Tom Gilbert, and before him, B.F. Skinner (1959; 1972), described an engineering approach to behavior change. Engineering is pragmatic. It relies on frequent, accurate sensitive measures of behavior change to evaluate learner progress, direct accurate measures to analyze provider performance problems and recommend changes in provider resources, training, and management, and to solve performance problems by designing and implementing those solutions. Engineers make changes in the design and implementation of provider resources when a learner is not making efficient progress towards mastery of the knowledge and skills needed for a successful life. Organizational Performance Engineering changes how providers and parents work together so that every learner will be successful, decreases learner and staff attrition, and allows us to meet our ethical obligations to act in the best interest of every learner. This symposium will provide examples of schools that have been engineered for learner success.

The target audience includes directors, program designers, staff trainers, supervisors in organizations whose mission is to ensure that every learner makes efficient progress towards mastery of the knowledge and skills needed for a successful life. Necessary prerequisite skills include participant mastery of the application of behavior analysis to change behavior.

Organizations whose mission is to provide learners with knowledge and skills they need for successful lives, must adapt to the needs of students, parents, and their teachers to ensure their success. We designed and implemented an organizational performance engineering process to change how providers at a preschool for children with autism worked together to increase the efficiency of learner progress, reduce learner attrition, and decrease staff turnover. Organizational Performance Engineering is an application of behavior analysis which, like other types of engineering relies on frequent, accurate, sensitive measures of learner progress to: Evaluate when a learner is not making efficient progress towards mastery of the knowledge and skills needed for a successful life; Analyze teacher, program designer, staff trainer, supervisor, and parent performance problems; Recommend changes teacher, program designer, staff trainer, supervisor, and parent resources, training, and management; and Solve provider performance problems by designing and implementing recommended solutions. An Organizational Performance Engineering approach can change how providers work together so that every learner makes efficient progress, decreasing both learner attrition and staff turnover.

Technological advances and exponential growth rapidly change many aspects of society. Such change presents both opportunities and challenges for the field of behavior analysis. The current presentation introduces a framework of the "6 D's" to characterize different aspects of exponential technological change: Digitalization, Deception, Disruption, Demonetization, Dematerialization, and Democratization. With such multifaceted changes, behavior analysts can help by designing humane systems and evidence-based interventions. Research and applied opportunities include improving behavior change plans, instructional programs spanning early childhood to adult learning, and developing applied cultural engineering. Overall, exponential technological advances require individual, organizational, and societal changes. Behavior analysis offers empirical methods to understand and influence behavior in this rapidly changing digital landscape. Organizations with a mission to educate can apply Skinner’s pragmatic science and engineering to change how providers work together so that every learner makes efficient progress. We can design and implement an organizational performance engineering process that will identify quickly when any student is struggling, the causes of provider performance problems, recommend and design changes in provider resources, training, and management to ensure that every learner makes efficient progress towards mastery of the knowledge and skills needed for a successful life.

Relational Density Theory (Belisle & Dixon, 2020) provides a quantitative extension of Relational Frame Theory that attempts to model or describe higher-order interactions within relational behavior. RDT has been used in multiple studies to the examine complex relational networks involved with gender stereotyping (Sickman et al, 2023), consumer behavior and climate (Hutchenson et al, 2023), and racial prejudice (Belile et al, 2023). RDT describes these higher-order interactions by using terms such as density (strength of relationship) and volume (size of relational class, or nodal distance). The current study extended upon results reported by Belisle and Dixon (2020) and Cotter and Stewart (2023) by training 3- and 6-member coordinated classes differing in nodal distance. The relative strength of relations in the network was measured using a metric multidimensional scaling procedure that included time-based responding. Results showed that class size and nodal distance differentially influenced the response strength of multiple network relations and allowed for the prediction of resistance to change following counterconditioning. These results have implications for understanding the concept of volume within an RDT extension of Relational Frame Theory.

With an increasing need for competent behavior technicians, effective and efficient training procedures—especially those that reduce face to face time with behavior analysts—are needed. This symposium includes four studies which explore different staff-training variants that evaluate the components necessary for behavior-change agents to implement procedures with fidelity. First, Dehghani-Moslemi et al. will discuss an exploratory study that used a podcast to teach novice therapists to implement positive reinforcement with a confederate. Next, Nelson et al. will describe the effects of enhanced instructions on undergraduate students’ implementation of several behavioral procedures. Then, Leslie et al. will present the results of a study that evaluated the efficacy of a self-instruction package on staff members’ implementation of several techniques. Finally, Quintero-Giegeling et al. will speak on the results of the effects of incorporating structured observation following instruction on undergraduate students’ implementation of discrete-trial instruction. Suggestions for future research and implications will be included.

Graduate students, BCaBAs, BCBAs, BCBA-Ds

Behavior skills training is a well-established procedure to teach individuals a variety of skills related to the practice of behavior analysis. It involves instructions, modeling, rehearsal, and feedback. Researchers have evaluated the effects of various modeling, rehearsal, and feedback techniques on performance. However, few have studied the effects of enhancing instructions on performance. We evaluated the effects of incremental changes in instructional components for teaching functional communication training, differential reinforcement of other behavior, and momentary differential reinforcement of other behavior protocols for 14 undergraduate students enrolled in a laboratory methods course. We also evaluated generalization of protocols targeted later in the sequence of the study and probed in-situ performance for three participants. Of the 42 opportunities to learn a protocol, participants mastered eight protocols during the guided review phase, four during the fidelity checklist phase, four during the model phase, and four during the feedback phase. Participants generalized eight protocols during the guided review phase, five during the fidelity checklist phase, eight in the model phase, and one in the feedback phase. Implications of these results are promising and indicate further research on the instructions component of behavior skills training should be conducted.

Although behavior analysts have seen reinforcement as a basic principle of behavior for over 100 years, its range of application was always narrow. All it explained was the increase when behavior produced desirable consequences. As research advanced, the limitations of reinforcement and the molecular view it depended on—based on discrete responses and contiguity—became more and more apparent. Reinforcement failed with adjunctive behavior, with “misbehavior,” with avoidance, with originating new activities, and even explaining patterns engendered by simple schedules. It did not explain stimulus control. All of these shortcomings dissolve when one adopts a molar view and substitutes the concept of induction, which links behavior directly to evolutionary theory through the concept of Phylogenetically Important Event (PIE). When Segal introduced induction in 1972, she applied it only to non-operant activities, such as adjunctive behavior. When applied also to operant activities, induction explains all the phenomena that reinforcement fails to explain: the first instance, stimulus control, VI and VR performance, avoidance. Induction also offers a new way to think about verbal behavior. The explanatory power of induction far exceeds that of reinforcement.

All behavior analysts

There exists a growing body of research showing the effectiveness of technology in areas such as treatment integrity and social skills for individuals with ASD. In this data-based symposium, the presenters will expand upon 2 such uses of technology in the field of ABA. The first presenter used a multiple baseline design to illustrate the use of remote instruction, remote video modeling, remote quizzes and feedback and their effects on multiple stimulus without replacement (MSWO) preference assessments (PA). The results illustrate the value of remote behavior skills training to teachers in special education. The second presenter used a multiple baseline design to evaluate students’ frequency of appropriate social initiations to typical peers with and without the use of an Apple Watch. The results expand upon previous research in this area and suggest that Apple Watches can be a effective means to teach social skills. Both studies extend the growing body of literature on technology and its contributions to the field of ABA.

Attendees should have an understanding of multiple baseline designs as both presentations will present data in this format.

Students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience skill deficits when interacting with typical peers, which can inhibit their ability to form friendships and participate in inclusive educational settings. In the current study, the researcher evaluated the effects of delivering textual prompts using an Apple Watch® to increase appropriate social initiations of students with high-functioning ASD in a clinical setting in the presence of typical peers. A single-case, multiple baseline design was used to evaluate students’ frequency of appropriate social initiations with and without the intervention. In addition, the researcher incorporated script fading and a discriminative stimulus (emoji) to evaluate whether these interventions led to the creation of novel statements and produced generality of responding by the participants. The results showed that the intervention was effective at increasing appropriate and independent social initiations and led to the creation of novel phrases by the participants. This research extends the previous research on the use of the Apple Watch® as an effective social skills intervention. Limitations and areas of future research are discussed.

Implementation fidelity of evidence-based behavior assessment and intervention is critical for pre-service special education teachers who enter the classroom for the first time. To support the use of evidence-based assessment, the effectiveness of a remote Behavior Skills Training (BST) package was evaluated on pre-service special education teachers' implementation of a Multiple Stimulus without Replacement Preference Assessment (MSWO). BST components included remote instruction, remote video modeling, a remote quiz, and explicit feedback. This study was conducted to (a) evaluate the effects of pre-service special education teachers’ fidelity when implementing an MSWO preference assessment using remote BST, (b) measure the maintained training gains over and extended time frame, and (c) understand the perception of pre-service special education teachers' acceptability of the training package using social validity measures. Results suggest that a remote BST package is a viable training strategy when training pre-service special education teachers to implement MSWO preference assessments. Implications of these findings for both professional development, training, and pre-service teachers will be discussed.

The health emergency caused by Covid-19, with the consequent measures of social distancing, produced operational problems with the implementation of services to people with disabilities and their families. In the present study, we conducted a parent training program almost completely via telehealth to teach a parent some strategies to increase the compliance of their son with academic tasks. The boy was a 5-year-old with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) who engaged in challenging behavior when asked to comply with academic tasks, and which was maintained by negative reinforcement. The intervention consisted of a package which included behavioral skills training (BST) with written instructions, video modeling, rehearsal and feedback, to implement demand fading procedures and concurrent schedules arrangements. The results are presented through a changing criterion design and show socially validated improvements. The intervention reduced challenging behavior to zero, allowing the parents to increase the number of academic tasks presented to the child

Reducing problem behavior is a challenge for families. During Pandemic Covid-19 period caregivers were found to manage problem behaviors of their children without having direct support. In this study we want to empathize how was possible to reach a significant reduction in problem behavior in an autistic boy aged 18 years with self-injury behaviors, by a Parent-mediated Skill based treatment (SBT) implementation supervised remotely during COVID-19 pandemic period. The Performance-Based IISCA (Iovino et al., 2022) was used to understand problem behaviors. After achieving control over problem behavior, the SBT protocol was implemented, teaching communication, toleration, and a range of contextually appropriate behaviors through chaining and differential reinforcement. The protocol was immediately transferred and implemented by the parents and then generalized to other settings. The pre-and post-treatment Parenting Stress Index was administered to assess the level of stress in the parent-child system, and social validity rating was assessed using a 7-point scale that measured parents' satisfaction. The results showed the efficacy of the protocol in reducing problem behaviors and increasing the boy's communication, tolerance and cooperation in the ecological setting. In addition, parents referred satisfaction of the treatment used, and there were lower levels of stress after treatment.

ABAI has been accrediting high-quality training programs at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral level since 1993. As interest and the need for accreditation grows, we invite you to learn about ABAI’s Tiered Model of Education from experienced professionals. Topics discussed will include the benefits of accreditation and value of the self-study process, gaining buy-in from stakeholders, and overcoming barriers to obtain accreditation and recognition. This session is designed for program coordinators, faculty, and those interested in recognition and accreditation.

The audience should have basic knowledge about higher education, coursework requirements, and curriculum development, and a general interest in learning about accreditation.

Problem: ASD presents unique challenges with early and comprehensive services being crucial for long term outcomes. Inefficiencies in the process from intake to intervention can result in delays, inequalities, and potential safety concerns for families (Arabi et al., 2021). Innovative approaches to initial discussions with families can provide enough information to set up clients and staff for success before they start care. By promoting a uniform intake process, decision makers can then appropriately match clients to service setting, staffing and resources needed, and ensure clarity with family expectations, as well as prepare for the start of care to ensure a safe environment aligned to assent. This symposium includes three presentations which will outline solutions to the barriers to start care quickly and effectively for the clients we serve. In the first presentation, we will describe the evolution of an intake process from a checklist of eligibility criteria to a clinically informed parent interview which enables a deeper understanding of client needs and supports needed before start of care. In the second presentation, we will outline considerations, based on the intake guidance, used to standardize a system to develop a balanced caseload composition for supervising clinicians. In the final presentation, we will describe a tier one intervention which builds upon the information gathered through the intake and client assignment process, to provide a start of care model that prioritizes therapeutic alliance and ensures that all services are aligned to client centered assent-based practice.The discussant will highlight the benefits of standardizing intake processes that include both alignment with intervention and clinician responsibilities and review how data produced from this process can inform organizational decisions.

Providers

By definition Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous disorder. The symptoms and behavioral features associated with a diagnosis of ASD vary greatly across individuals. While applied behavior analysis (ABA) is considered the premier approach for helping individuals with ASD, there are a number of factors that should be considered when developing therapeutic interventions for individuals with ASD. These include but are not limited to: age, medical and psychological comorbidities, cognitive abilities, communication skills, and presence of interfering behavior. A diagnosis is not enough for determining the supports necessary for an organization to provide care to individuals with ASD. This presentation will outline an overhaul of the referral and intake process at a large scale organization. The process was updated from one that simply checked the boxes (e.g., diagnosis, insurance verification) from one that incorporated a clinically informed interview for the intake team that included questions related to factors known to impact ABA outcomes, a clinical review process to review higher risk behaviors, and an acuity scoring system that provided guidance on the complexity of supports that would be needed to provide care for clients.

When clients come to an organization for services, there are often unknowns that may lead to inadequate resources to support client needs, and can create dangerous situations. Providing a thorough, standardized approach to identifying and evaluating client needs prior to the onset of care allows us to set the client and clinical team up for success. By having a scoring system that evaluates the complexities of each client, we can effectively pair each client with a clinician who will be best suited to support their needs, and ensure that we are creating an environment where each clinician can fully step into their strengths and best serve their clients. Developing balanced caseloads within a clinician’s scope of competence can reduce the potential for clinician burnout and foster productive learning environments. This presentation will describe how an acuity scoring system generated from the intake process was used to guide case assignment and support prior to the start of care.

What is “pairing” anyway? A common term to describe a common problem. Many clients start care with unknown needs; additional resources, excesses of interfering behavior, and staffing competency are some of the risks that can arise in the first 30 days of starting care for new clients. Gathering relevant information prior to start of care can inform necessary resources for success. How can we move away from arbitrary “pairing”, often seen as an unnecessary evil to capture the MO of our learners? And instead, move towards an innovative approach that prioritizes therapeutic rapport, not just as a cherry on top of a well done session, but as the foundation for all services our clients receive. This presentation will outline a tier 1 intervention provided to all clients, which can mitigate many of the barriers to a successful start of care. This approach, called the Foundational Plan, effectively supports therapy sessions aligned to assent-based practice from the first day of services.

The autism services community is increasingly challenged to define the value of services provided to children with autism and their families. The issue of how that value is defined and measured remains open. The question becomes whether the framework for outcomes for a child with autism should not be any different than those for all children: the capacity to succeed in the world on their own terms and participate – emotionally, socially, and economically – as active, members of family and community. While specific condition-based treatment targets may be critical goals of therapeutic interventions for individuals with autism, a parallel reference point for their impact on life-course outcomes will allow us to measure, and optimize, the personal, community, social, and economic value of such services. Measuring value in such a way will require us to look beyond ‘response to treatment’ for autism-related symptomatology and disability, and embrace more integrated, non-categorical metrics reflective of the impact of interventions on the child’s life-course development. In this presentation Dr. Merahn will present an established, validated “whole child” model of care planning and delivery and share a set of options for radically new frameworks for how we consider, measure, optimize, and value the impact of therapeutic interventions on children with autism and their families that have the potential to reset the conceptual foundation for the autism care community with regard to the of its efforts to support optimal life-course outcomes for children with autism and their families. At the conclusion of the session, participants should be able to 1. Define life course outcomes, list their 5 foundational elements, and differentiate between "response to treatment" and life-course outcomes for children with autism. 2. Describe key principles and components associated with potential life course outcome measures and their association with the value of behavioral analytic services to children with autism and their families. 3. Evaluate their organizational capacity to integrate a life-course outcomes perspective into their clinical operating model.

Utilization of client outcome data enables practitioners to measure the efficacy of applied behavior analysis interventions in real time and allows for continuous monitoring of progress with the ability to adapt and refine interventions as needed. This study evaluated the effects of utilizing a client outcome data tool to measure regional performance of the number of learning opportunities presented per hour during client's sessions. A staff training package was then implemented to increase the frequency of learning trials presented per hour to children with autism across five service regions. The training package consisted of modeling in-vivo, goal setting, self-monitoring, performance checks, and utilization of the client outcome software platform to monitor treatment implementation, including the number of trials per hour. Initial results show a statistically significant increase from baseline in the average number of learning trials conducted per hour during client's sessions, across all 5 regions. Utilization of a client outcome data tool would provide a data-driven approach that empowers practitioners to provide more effective, efficient, and individualized ABA services while tracking the fidelity of treatment implementation.