Association for Behavior Analysis International

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A Long-Lasting Partnership for the Study of Symbolic Behavior From a Behavioral Perspective

This presentation will summarize the achievements of The National Institute of Science and Technology on Behavior, Cognition, and Teaching, as an example of a collective effort in developing and applying Behavior Analysis to the understanding of relational learning and symbolic behavior. I have been coordinating the Institute since 2008, but its foundations were laid long before, under the leadership of Carolina Bori, Maria Amelia Matos, and Julio de Rose. Strong contributions from the E.K. Shriver Center research group and other internationally renowned researchers also helped to shape our research theme, which has been explored in basic, translational, and applied research. The Institute’s Basic research program is devoted to the development of new knowledge and new methodologies relevant to the understanding of symbolic function. The translational research component seeks the validation of new principles or procedures derived from basic studies in preliminary clinical/educational trials. The applied research component intends to develop feasible solutions to the challenge of providing scientifically based procedures in typical service settings, such as schools, clinics, etc. The integration of these research components demonstrates how basic, translational, and applied research constitute a continuum, leading from basic knowledge to service implementation. The Institute has devoted considerable effort in developing teaching programs to promote symbolic behavior and to remedy deficits in this repertoire, aiming to reach increasingly larger groups. Over the years, we have reported the main results of reading programs, but the Institute has also invested in math, music, and second language acquisition, and their prerequisites, with a particular interest in some challenging populations that may need intervention for the development or rehabilitation of symbolic repertoires. The Institute has also invested in the formation of human resources at all levels, from undergraduate students to post-doc researchers, many of which have been incorporated as members of the research team, thus increasing the Institute’s potential for research and application.

Deisy de Souza is Full Professor at the Psychology Department, Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCar), Brazil, where she teaches behavior analysis in graduate and undergraduate courses in Psychology, and in Special Education. She obtained her Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology at Universidade de São Paulo (USP), under the direction of Carolina Bori, and she held a post-doctoral position at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, in Charlie Catania’s Laboratory. She has published articles on avoidance behavior, choice, discriminative learning, and cooperative behavior in non-human subjects, and articles, books, and book chapters on human relational learning, including studies applying the stimulus equivalence paradigm to investigate the acquisition of symbolic relations involved in reading and writing repertoires, and to develop curricula to teach those skills. She is past-Editor of the Brazilian Journal of Behavior Analysis (BJBA), past-Associate Editor of Acta Comportamentalia, and she is currently a member of the Board of Editors of JEAB. She was President and member of the Council of the Brazilian Association of Psychology and member of the Brazilian Association of Psychology and Behavioral Medicine. She received the 2015 Distinguished Contributions to the Experimental Analysis of Human Behavior Award from the Experimental Analysis of Human Behavior Special Interest Group (EAHB SIG), she is a Fellow of the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI), and she is currently the International Representative in the ABAI Executive Council and in the SABA Board of Directors.

Leveraging the Reinforcement Process to Improve Health

This presentation will briefly review how the reinforcement process underpins drug use and addiction and can be leveraged to reduce illicit and licit drug use. This potential also extends to improving other challenging public-health problems (e.g., preventing unplanned pregnancies) and adherence with life-saving secondary prevention interventions (e.g., cardiac rehabilitation). Because these health problems are often overrepresented in socio-economically disadvantaged populations, reinforcement-based interventions are also important to reducing health disparities.

“We Happy Few, But Why So Few?”: Dissemination of Radical Behaviorism as a Response to Skinner

In 1981, at the Association for Behavior Analysis annual meeting in Milwaukee, B. F. Skinner presented his “We Happy Few” paper. He lamented about the small number of behavior analysts ready to solve societal problems with behavior analytic methods. In the 40-year period since Skinner’s remarks there has been a substantial increase in the number of behavior analysts. The majority of these individuals are applied behavior analysts responding to the demand for their service to children and adults with autism. While these behavior analysts are addressing a social issue of extreme importance, does their training also prepare them to disseminate the philosophy of radical behaviorism through their daily interactions leading to cultural benefits, e.g., end poverty, eliminate societal inequities, etc? Schlinger (2015) suggests that graduate training programs in behavior analysis that are responding to the demands of the autism epidemic, are not taking advantage of the opportunity to broaden the influence of the field by providing training in the conceptual and theoretical aspects of behavior analysis. Through the Carbone Clinics’ efforts to meet the needs of children with autism internationally, we have acknowledged the need for training in the philosophy of our science by incorporating heavy emphasis upon radical behaviorism. This emphasis can be found in our approach to treatment, trainings and workshops as well exposing our staff to a generalized approach consistent with Michael’s (1977) notion of “Radical Behaviorism as a Way of Life.” Where and how we have approached this dual-purposed mission of international dissemination will be discussed during this brief talk.

The Nonlinear Path of Drake University’s Program in Applied Behavior Analysis

The history of the behavior analysis program at Drake University is long and has undoubtedly experienced a nonlinear path over the last 50 years. Scott Wood, Kenneth and Maggie Lloyd were instrumental in initiating the Master’s program at Drake University in 1974. Four new positions that were added in 1974 were filled by behavior analysts including William Klipec and Larry Alferink in the experimental analysis of behavior (EAB), and John Williams and Maryann Powers in applied analysis of behavior (AAB). Through the seventies the program earned a strong national reputation for excellence in both EAB and AAB with an additional specialists’ degree in school psychology. During this time, in the mid to late 70s, the department, and its faculty, was a prime mover in the organization of Midwestern Association of Behavior Analysis (MABA) and the separation from Midwestern Psychological Association (MPA), which ultimately lead to the formation of the Association of Behavior Analysis (ABA; later added International; ABAI). Despite the contributions to the field, the weight of factors that contributed to its success ultimately led to the demise of the program during the late 80s. Nonetheless, the department continued its emphasis on behavior analysis and continued to send undergraduates to doctoral programs in behavior analysis developed in the 80s. Through the 2000’s, faculty in the program have worked to address the need for behavior analysts within Iowa with faculty holding leadership positions within the Iowa Association for Behavior Analysis. Their contributions led to licensure within the State of Iowa for behavior analysts and professional recognition by the Board of Educational Examiners thus continuing to impact the landscape of the profession on a broader scale. Dr. Klipec will expand upon the history of the department describing the height of the program and the pressures faced at a small liberal arts institution.

With sadness and great admiration, we pay tribute to several remarkable individuals who left tremendous footprints in our field. We honor the legacy left behind by these friends, colleagues, and mentors whose contributions are indelible in the fabric of our discipline. While they may be lost to us, the importance of their research, writing, and the many people they have inspired will endure for decades to come.

All convention registrants are welcome and encouraged to attend.

This competition is designed to encourage, promote, and reward behavior analytic scholarship on topics and issues in DEI, both in the field of behavior analysis and more broadly. Students (graduate or undergraduate) and post-graduate professionals who have completed empirical or conceptual papers relevant to DEI that are informed, at least in part, by a behavior-analytic perspective were invited to submit. This symposium includes presentations by the 2021 Student category winner, the 2022 Student category winner, and the 2022 Professional category winner.

Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students.

Students of color are more likely to receive negative teacher-student interactions compared to their peers. Some have attributed the inequalities of teacher-student interactions to implicit bias or bias-based behaviors. Given the impact of bias-based behaviors on student academic and social outcomes, it is critical for school-based practitioners to objectively measure bias-based behaviors to assist in providing culturally relevant and socially significant treatments. The most commonly cited procedure for assessing bias is the Implicit Bias Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP). While the IRAP assessment has produced socially significant results, the utility and acceptability of the IRAP in school-based settings may be limited due to several factors. Moreover, there is limited research that extends the assessment of bias-based behaviors to treatment in primary educational settings. Practitioners must have an efficient data collection system to measure interactions and use the data collection system when providing feedback to school personnel. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to discuss considerations to current procedures being used to assess bias-based behaviors and propose the Teacher Student Interaction Tool (T-SIT) for school-based practitioners. The utility and considerations of the T-SIT will be discussed.

This systematic review consists of 22 peer-reviewed single subject and group design studies that used culturally responsive assessment, implementer training, and intervention to yield positive outcomes for children and adolescents from diverse cultural backgrounds. The studies were published across 15 journals (2010-2021) and included at least 281 implementers and 536 service recipients. The review identified culturally responsive interventions targeting behavioral, social skills, academic, and social-emotional outcomes. Results indicated that most studies considered race, ethnicity, nationality, or language for cultural adaptations in assessment, implementer training, and intervention and addressed the specific culturally sensitive elements suggested by the Ecological Validity Model to some degree. The studies addressed cultural responsiveness in conducting research suggested in the literature, mostly in the area of problem formulation; scant research adequately addressed cultural responsiveness in the area of dissemination. Recommendations, implications, and directions for future research and behavior-analytic practices are discussed.

The aim of this study was to identify and learn about the cultural values and beliefs held by Latinx families in Nevada. In addition, we also examined barriers faced by Latinx families when accessing ABA services. In Study 1, we distributed the Participant Demographic and Experience Survey to Latinx families who were currently receiving ABA services or had received services in the past. The survey included questions about the family’s cultural identity, their primary language spoken in the home, and parent educational level. The second part of the questionnaire asked the parents to share their experiences in receiving ABA services and the extent to which those services were received. In Study 2, we conducted structured interviews and focus groups with some of the families who participated in Study 1. From the structured interviews and focus groups, we identified four main themes: (1) family and cultural values; (2) reaction of receiving a diagnosis; (3) impact of ABA services (4) future recommendations for the field of ABA. From these themes, we found what aspects were meaningful in receiving ABA services, as well as barriers that families faced when seeking services.

Mariela Castro-Hostetler is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and Licensed Behavior Analyst in Nevada. She is a Project Coordinator at the Nevada Positive Behavioral Interventions at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) and doctoral candidate in the behavior analysis program at UNR. In her role, she provides behavioral support services for families and children with disabilities and dual diagnoses in Nevada. Castro-Hostetler completed her MS in behavior analysis at Southern Illinois University in 2016. Castro-Hostetler’s experience includes more than 8 years working with children and adults across various settings including homes, treatment centers, and schools. Her current research interests include parent and staff training, Acceptance and Commitment Training, and cultural responsiveness for culturally diverse and linguistically diverse individuals.

Misophonia is an understudied but relatively common learned respondent behavior condition, the impact of which ranges from annoying to debilitating. Misophonia is known as a condition where commonly occurring innocuous stimuli (e.g. chewing sound, specific voice) elicit anger and accompanying physiological responses which function as motivating operations for overt aggression, escape, and avoidance. Although there are many common misophonic stimuli, each person has a unique set of trigger stimuli. Misophonia has similarities with general sensory sensitivity which is common with autism, but is distinctly different. Misophonia was first identified and named by audiologists and has been considered a hearing disorder. Recently misophonia has come to be viewed as an anger disorder and the focus of psychologists and neuroscientists, however our research indicates the core of misophonia is a Pavlovian conditioned muscle reflex, so it may be more appropriate to view misophonia as a conditioned behavioral disorder. Once a misophonic respondent behavior develops, it generally strengthens with repeated exposure to the trigger stimulus and persists indefinitely unless there is an intervention to reduce the respondent behavior. One intervention that has been effective for misophonia is counterconditioning of trigger stimuli by paring a continuous positive stimulus with an intermittent trigger.

basic

Misophonia is a disorder in which specific innocuous stimuli trigger negative emotional and physiological responses. Reactions can range from annoyance to fight-or-flight. Commonly occurring triggers are oral and nasal sounds, but can be any stimulus. This study reports a successful intervention of a male high school student diagnosed with the primary educational classification of intellectual disability, a secondary classification of autism spectrum disorder, and speech and language impairment. Prior to intervention, the student was frequently triggered by vocal stimuli of one student, and he was continually removed from class due to aggressive and perseverative episodes towards that student. Pre-intervention rate of perseverative behavior was 12.3 times per hour. The intervention consisted of 10-30 minute counterconditioning sessions in a public education setting for three recorded trigger stimuli. Counterconditioning was accomplished by pairing continuous preferred stimuli (e.g., video or music) while the trigger played intermittently using the Misophonia Trigger Tamer app on an iPad. Staff observed overt behavior which indicated physiological responses after the trigger played and increased or decreased volume to maintain a minimal response. The intervention successfully reduced the misophonic respondent behavior, and the aggressive behavior extinguished. Preliminary post intervention rate of perseverative behavior is 0 times per hour.

Behavior analysis is a science of the behavior of individual organisms interacting with their environment, and yet the intention of the science has always been to create knowledge of great generality, applicable to larger groups of humans (Skinner, 1953). Relatively little research in behavior analysis has been dedicated to group behavior. Prosocial is a recently developed intervention approach combining evolutionary science with applied behavior analysis (ABA) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), for producing positive behavior change in groups, ranging from small groups (e.g., classrooms), to very large groups (e.g., counties or states). Although the principles and procedures that form the components of the Prosocial model are strongly supported by basic and applied research, relatively little research has evaluated the Prosocial approach as a whole. This symposium brings together two presentations and a discussion on the topic of Prosocial. The first presentation, by Dr. Scott Herbst, will describe the Prosocial model, review existing research, and discuss directions for future research and practice. The second presentation, by Tiffany Hamilton, describes a multiple baseline evaluation of the Prosocial model for increasing equity in vocal participation in university classroom instruction. The symposium concludes with a discussion by Dr. Yukie Kurumiya.

The target audience should have a beginner's knowledge of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

This study aimed to identify the necessary and sufficient conditions for improving equity of student engagement in an online graduate school level course. Equity was defined as contingencies that favor balanced duration of vocal responding and participation from all group members during non-proctored, small-group InterTeaching (IT) sessions. Little previous research has evaluated procedures for increasing equity in university instruction. Prosocial is an evolutionary, behavior analytic group-level intervention that, in part, is designed to increase equity in the performance of small groups. However, no previous research has evaluated the effects of Prosocial on university instruction. Therefore, we investigated the use of repeated exposures to brief ACT Prosocial exercises in conjunction with interdependent group contingencies for group performance. We evaluated the effects of Prosocial in increasing equitable participation in discussion, thereby contributing to a more equitable university instruction environment. Results suggested that the prosocial model was effective and that additional treatment components from the OBM literature may also contribute. Results are discussed in terms of implications for university instruction, as well as group-level behavioral interventions aimed at increased equity and social justice.

The typical workplace in modern societies is constantly changing. Automatization and the use of information technology continues to influence the work conditions of workers in an many ways and puts them at unforeseen risks. For example, autonomous robots are more and more commonplace in industrial plants. How do humans and robots interact in a safe way that doesn’t interfere with productivity? But the new technology is not only a source of risk, it’s also an opportunity to improve workplace safety, e. g. with virtual reality included in safety trainings. Challenges resulting from the use of technology are prevalent in the medical sector too. Often forgotten, people helping others, like rescue assistants, have injury rates above average. In this symposium, we will learn about ways of using behavior analytic methods to improve the health and safety of people in this different work environments and occupations.

Accident statistics from the German Federal and Railroad Accident Insurance (UVB) revealed that volunteer and full-time rescue workers are exposed to an increased risk of workplace accidents. This is reflected in the accident figures registered by the German Red Cross (DRK), which have been rising continuously since 2011. In part, the increased risk and volume of accidents results from the nature of the job performed by rescue workers in extreme situations. Another cause, however, is the perception of potential risks and the associated safety behavior of employees. Behavior Based Safety (BBS) is considered to be the most well researched and effective method for changing behavior in the field of occupational safety. We report on our research on BBS extended to the field of occupational safety behavior among rescue workers of the DRK. Results indicate that behavioral observations and feedback resulted in significant improvements of %safe in two rescue wards of the DRK. Resources and obstacles for the implementation of BBS practices to the work of rescue assistants are discussed.

At present, cooperative robots are emerging as a labor force to replace workers at manufacturing sites. Compared to humans, cooperative robots do not need to consider fatigue and can be expected to work long hours. However, in a work form in which a person and a robot are paired, there are problems such as the stress of worker felt to robots and the serious risk of occupational accidents. Therefore, in this study, we compared work efficiency by working with a combination of human-human and human-cooperative robots at a certain manufacturing site. The subjects were 8 workers in each group working at the work site. In the actual work, we carry 3 kg of parts, so we are currently working for 5 minutes every 30 minutes. In this experiment, the one-minute work was repeated five times, and the stress felt by the worker and the vitals for each work were measured over time to investigate the effect on the collaborative work with the robot. As a result, it was clarified that the work in the person-to-person combination could perform more work than that with the robot, but the collaborative work with the human was higher in terms of stress.

Nowadays, cooperative robots are emerging as labor force to replace workers at manufacturing sites. In fact, a new safety management support system is required at a manufacturing site where robots and workers work in cooperation with each other. However, working with robots carries new risks for workers. Education and training for safe work are essential. Virtual Reality (VR) is expected as a mean to acquire work processes efficiently and effectively in a limited time. However, it is not sufficiently examined if VR training is effective for real work. In addition, it has also not been verified what kind of safety / danger information affect safety behavior of worker. Therefore, in this study, we compared the work efficiency by performing actual work and VR work for workers in factories making automobile parts. In addition, we verified the difference in the method of transmitting safety / danger information in collaboration with the robot. As a result, it was found that there is no difference in work efficiency between actual work and VR, and VR is useful for grasping the process of actual work. It was also clarified that the transmission of safety / danger information contributes to the safety behavior of workers.

Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities are at increased risk for abuse, violence, and human trafficking. According to the Trafficking Victim Protection Act (TVPA), trafficking is the use of force, fraud, or coercion for commercial sex, or if the individual is under 18 years. Labor trafficking includes involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery. Individuals with disabilities may be targeted as they may be more isolated, be more easily manipulated and groomed or not be able to communicate what is occurring. Sometimes there are signs of abuse such as an increase in certain behaviors, difficulty at school, home or therapy and new behaviors not present prior. Considering that some children with disabilities are nonverbal they may not be able to communicate any abuse that may be occurring. It is vital to teach healthy and unhealthy relationships, appropriate and inappropriate touch, how to communicate an occurrence and who they should confide in. More research should be conducted with individuals with disabilities for identification, screening, and prevention. All clinics should include mandatory training for human trafficking and abuse prevention and identification. Collaboration with therapists and families is vital to increase training and reporting to reduce the rates of human trafficking in this population.

BCBAs, RBTs, anyone developing treatment plans and/or working with youth or those who may be at risk for abuse

Intermediate

Teaching complex intraverbal responses to children with ASD can require careful programming with the incorporation of convergent and divergent controls. In their systematic review, Stauch and Colleagues (2017) identified five studies that addressed responding under divergent control and 21 that taught responding under convergent control. Ingvarsson and colleagues (2016) taught discriminated responses to pairs of questions such as “what do you cut?” and “what do you cut with?” with one exemplar for each question. In this symposium, two studies with 6 participants employ a multiple baseline design across question pairs. These extend the Ingvarsson and colleagues (2016) study, by teaching divergent responses and discriminated responses to the paired questions using two different approaches. The first intervention used simultaneous teaching of discrimination and the second study taught divergent responses to one question followed by specific stimulus relations training. In both the studies researchers used tact sheets (Thakore and Petursdottir, 2021) followed by transfer trials to train divergent intraverbal responses. The studies will address customizing the design of teaching protocols based on student progress with different interventions.

Should be aware of verbal behavior , recent advances in conditional dis, complex intravernal

Sundberg, M.L., and Sundberg, C. T (2011) state that even children with a sizeable repertoire of mands, tacts, and listener responses may fail to acquire a functional intraverbal repertoire. Ingvarsson and colleagues (2016) used a blocked trials procedure to teach discriminated responses to pairs of questions to four children with ASD. The stimuli sets were question pairs of the form “what do you ____?” Vs. What do you ____ with?”. The current study used the random rotation step and tact to intraverbal transfer trials to simultaneously train discriminated and divergent responses. The researchers taught divergent responses to each of the questions (e.g., “wash” – “hands, hair, glass, clothes”; “wash with” – “soap, shampoo, colin and detergent”). Three students aged 4- 10 years, with a good repertoire of mands, tacts, and listener-responding skills but incorrect responses to questions requiring multiple control, participated in this study. We used a multiple baseline design across question pairs for 3 participants. Two participants acquired four divergent responses together, while one participant had to be trained one exemplar at a time. Intervention is underway with additional question pairs for each participant. Researchers will also discuss the generalization effects on responses to untrained pairs of questions.

Language training to children with ASD requires overcoming stimulus over selectivity and deficits in audio visual conditional discriminations. The current study extended the Ingvarsson and colleagues (2016) study by training three school-going children with ASD, aged 5 to 10 years, to emit discriminated and divergent responses to paired questions. The study used a multiple probe design across four question pairs. Divergent responses to the first question in a pair (e.g., “name things you wash”) were taught first using tact to intraverbal transfer trials. Specific stimulus relations (E.g., wash hair with shampoo, clothes with detergent) were taught in the next stage. Probes were conducted to test if divergent responses emerged to the second question of the question pair (e.g., “name things you wash with”) and if discriminated responses to both the questions emerged without direct discrimination training. The implications of instructional arrangements to teach discriminated and divergent responses and generalization effects will be discussed.

Adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often engage in challenging behaviors that require intensive intervention. Due to the lack of services for adults with ASD, their caregivers are often responsible for providing behavioral support. However, caregivers, including grandparents, often lack adequate training and have limited access to ongoing support from professionals that prevents them from providing high-quality behavioral intervention. Telehealth is a mechanism that can potentially increase access to effective intervention for adults with ASD and training for their caregivers. However, most telehealth research has been conducted with young children and their parents. There is limited research to support the use of telehealth as a mechanism for improving service delivery for adults and their caregivers. This study explored the effects of grandparent-implemented interventions on the challenging behavior of an adult male with ASD. Research staff used individualized telehealth training and coaching to teach a grandparent to implement two function-based behavioral interventions. Data were collected on the grandparent’s implementation fidelity of both interventions and on the challenging behavior of the adult with ASD. Results showed that both interventions resulted in low to moderate levels of challenging behavior and that telehealth training and coaching resulted in high levels of implementation fidelity.

Research supports parent-implemented, behavior-analytic sleep interventions to address sleep problems in children with autism spectrum disorder (Jin et al., 2013; Linnehan et al., 2021). Further, some research exists to support distance models of parent education and sleep intervention (Corkum et al, 2016). However, few studies directly assess parents’ ability to accurately implement sleep interventions (i.e., treatment fidelity). This limits our understanding of whether parents are implementing sleep interventions as designed and draws into question whether child behavior changes can be attributed to the interventions. As parents are typically the primary mediators of behavioural sleep interventions––and intervention success depends on the accurate implementation of the procedures and the consistency with which those procedures are implemented in the natural environment––this is a significant gap in the literature. The purpose of this concurrent multiple baseline design across participants study was to evaluate whether parents could accurately implement their child’s behavior-analytic sleep intervention. Four parent-child dyads were recruited. Behavioral skills training and nightly coaching support were provided to parents using a telehealth approach. Nightly coaching support was systematically faded. Results demonstrate that treatment fidelity increased for all participants. Interobserver agreement was above 80%. Clinical implications and future research recommendations will be discussed.

This symposium includes four studies in which internal emotional states of children with autism (ASD) were indirectly measured by monitoring observable behaviors likely correlated with specific emotional states. Study one demonstrated a process to operationally define idiosyncratic indices of happiness (IoH) and empirically assessed the accuracy of operational definitions within single case experimental designs for 4 children with ASD. The second study collected social validity data from parents and practitioners to assess the extent to which they consider systematic monitoring a child’s purported emotional state to be acceptable, useful, or practical. Study three, evaluated effects of a stimulus-stimulus pairing intervention on social approach, social engagement, and IoH for 6 toddlers with characteristics of ASD. Finally, study four measured parent treatment fidelity and IoH within parent-child dyads during a naturalistic caregiver-mediated play-based intervention. Parents’ implement fidelity improved, parent and child IoH increased, and a possible positive correlation in IoH was noted. Together, these studies suggest (a) IoH can be operationally defined and tracked in the context of single case experimental designs, (b) parents and practitioners value IoH data, and (c) IoH should be considered more often in practice and future research.

Behavior analysts and other practitioners with sufficient experience utilizing single case designs; understanding of the difficulty related to assessing internal states

This study demonstrates a to operationally define idiosyncratic expressions of emotion (e.g., happiness) in children with ASD and then to empirically evaluate the accuracy of those operational definitions within single subject experimental designs. First, an iterative process involving parental interview, direct observation, and review of video recordings was used to operationally define observable behaviors that were purported to be indices of happiness (IoH) in four children with ASD by their mothers. The accuracy of the individualized operational definitions were then evaluated in an alternating treatment design wherein IoH data were compared during Higher Preference (HP) conditions and Lower Preference (LP) conditions. Three of the four participants consistently displayed more IoH in HP than in LP conditions, supporting previous research indicating IoH can be operationally defined and tracked in the context of single case experimental designs. Results are considered in terms of potential uses for IoH from a clinical perspective and in terms of directions for future research.

Previous research indicates that unobservable emotional states of children with ASD can be indirectly measured by defining and monitoring observable behaviors likely to be correlated with specific emotional states (e.g., measuring smiles and giggles to indirectly consider “happiness”). However, the extent to which parents and practitioners serving children with ASD consider systematic monitoring a child’s purported emotional state during behavioral services to be acceptable, useful, or practical needs to be considered. This study reports social validity data collected from parents of four children whose behavioral indices of happiness were defined and measured during the context of behavioral services as well as from parents and practitioners (e.g., special education teachers) who were informed regarding the process and purpose. A battery of social validity assessments focused on acceptability of procedures, validity of operational definition, usefulness of data, and open-ended questions designed to elicit reservations regarding systematic monitoring of emotional states in children with ASD were administered. Parents found the procedures to be acceptable and indicated that tracking IoH was a good use of clinical resources. Practitioners report… [data analysis in progress]. Results are discussed in terms of recommendations for practice and directions for future research.

Delays in social communication, lack of social engagement, and repetitive/restrictive behaviors are core characteristics of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as a developmental disability. Evidence-based interventions incorporating applied behavior analysis have been shown highly effective in treating observable symptoms of ASD. However, limited research has been conducted to evaluate the effect of those interventions on the participants indices of happiness or perceived enjoyment. This study evaluated the effects of a stimulus-stimulus pairing intervention on social approach behavior, social disengagement, and duration of social engagement, as well as indices of happiness for 6 young toddlers displaying characteristics of ASD. The intervention was play-based and followed participants’ lead with preferred items/activities incorporating shared engagement. The indices of happiness were individually defined based on caregiver report and researcher observation. Five out of 6 participants showed an increase in social approach and social engagement, with steadily decreasing levels of social disengagement. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of stimulus pairing as an intervention for young toddlers. However, data on the indices of happiness is still being collected and analyzed.

Caregiver-mediated, play-based intervention programs have demonstrated positive effects for young children diagnosed with and at-risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The Sunny Starts DANCE program (Decide, Arrange, Now, Count, Enjoy) is a naturalistic-behavioral based caregiver coaching model that incorporates the principles of operant conditioning to support closeness, mutual enjoyment, attending, and social responding. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of coaching on caregiver implementation of the DANCE model and subsequent impacts of DANCE on caregivers and their child indices of happiness. Indices of happiness (IOH) typically include overt behaviors such as smiling and laughing and can be helpful information when working with others who do not verbally describe their private emotional experiences. Four caregiver-child dyads were recruited to participate. A multiple-baseline across participants design was used to demonstrate the effects of coaching on caregiver fidelity and caregiver/child IOH. Although the study was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, caregivers did increase their fidelity of implementation of the DANCE. In addition, three out of the four caregiver-child dyads had an increase in their IOH. We will also discuss correlation between caregiver and child IOH as a measure of harmonious engagement.

The use of psychotropic drugs for individuals with developmental disabilities is common practice. Jobski, Hofer, Hoffman, and Bachmann (2016) documented an overall median use of psychotropic drugs in 45.7% of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Wink et al., (2018) documented that psychotropic medication usage can be over 90% for youth with ASD admitted to inpatient units. A related concern is the number of psychotropic medications utilized at one time, referred to as polypharmacy (see Masnoon et al., 2017). The interdisciplinary review team (IRT) model was created to establish a continuum of medication management for individuals with complex needs. Core features of the model are multi-disciplinary team members, data-driven decision-making, and high-level administrative support. The objectives of each IRT meeting are: 1) state the current clinical status of the individual; 2) state current clinical needs; 3) foster team discussion; 4) advocate for medication change that maximizes benefit for the individual; 5) minimize multiple treatment changes at once; and 6) minimize risk associated with chosen treatments. Data will be presented across multiple individuals demonstrating the effectiveness of this approach in making clinically informed decisions regarding medication. Care providers, and family members rated the utility of this model favorably and implementation fidelity will be demonstrated.

Catatonia is a psychiatric condition characterized by the presence of immobility, mutism, body posturing, stereotypy, and unresponsiveness to external stimulation, among other symptoms (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Several population-based studies have reported catatonia in 12-20% of children, adolescents, and young adults with autism spectrum disorder (Luiselli, Bird, & Wachtel, 2021). A key diagnostic finding in many of these cases was the presence of motor stereotypy and self-injury in persons who went many years without such problems and co-occurred with loss of self-care, daily living, communication, social and other adaptive skills. This multi-phase case study evaluated treatment effects from behavioral intervention and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in a man with ASD and diagnosis of catatonia who displayed life-threatening self-injury towards care providers. Recommendation for ECT followed a protracted period of pronounced skill and behavior deterioration the man demonstrated in a residential care setting and subsequent to self-inflicted tissue damage that required hospitalization. Long-term outcome data will report the immediate and long-term effects from self-injury, aggression, the fading of protective equipment and activity engagement as well as parametric analysis of treatment responsiveness to a varied schedule of ECT sessions.

Evidence-based practices (EBPs) for individuals with autism were largely rooted in the principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA). Implementation of EBPs has consistently led to significant improvements for individuals with autism. However, studies on teacher-implemented EBPs are limited, and most teachers still conduct classroom practices with minimal empirical support. Dissemination and adoption of EBPs in school settings encountered various barriers including lack of socially valid interventions and lack of knowledge and training in ABA. There is a pressing need to develop EBPs that fit with the school context and identify specific support areas among teachers, as well as develop effective professional development to improve their use of EBPs. The first presentation explores the efficacy of a professional development series in a sample of 200 special educators. The second presentation examines whether a class-wide function-related intervention leads to an increase in on-task behavior among three students with autism. The third presentation focuses on understanding familiarity with function-based interventions and its relationship with confidence and self-report use of interventions among 80 special educators. The fourth presentation investigates the efficacy of Project ABA TEACHER, which aims to help special education teachers become BCBAs and incorporate ABA into their teaching practices and classroom management.

Class-wide behavior management strategies can be utilized to decrease problem behavior and increase on-task behavior maximizing student engagement, achievement, and social competence (Sugai, 2011). One limitation of these strategies, however, is that most do not include more intensive, tertiary, supports to facilitated inclusion of students with more intensive needs, including those with autism spectrum disorders. However, class-wide function-related intervention teams (CW-FIT), a class-wide intervention, includes classroom behavior instruction, positive, reinforcement, and an interdependent group contingency as well as embedded individualized support (Wills et al., 2014). Three ABAB (Kazdin, 2011) single-subject design studies were implemented to evaluate the efficacy of CW-FIT for increasing the on-task behavior of three middle school students with autism spectrum disorders in an inclusive classroom. Results yielded immediate increases in on-task behavior for all three participants. Further, social validity assessments indicated positive results from peer models, participants, and teachers. Implications for future research and practice will be discussed.

The importance of using function-based interventions (FBIs) to address problem behavior in students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been highlighted in the literature. We conducted a survey of 80 special education teachers working with students with ASD in two southeastern states in the United States. Our purpose in this study was to analyze the relationship between teachers’ level of familiarity and confidence with FBIs and their frequency of use in schools. First, we used descriptive statistics to calculate teachers’ familiarity, confidence, and use of 35 FBIs. Second, we assigned rankings to each FBI from the highest percentage of respondents indicating agreement with being familiar and confident in using FBIs to the lowest percentage. Third, we used Spearman rank-order correlations to determine the association among familiarity, confidence, and use of FBIs. Results indicated that prompting, environmental modifications, modifications to instructional delivery, and continuous reinforcement were ranked highest, and mand training and discrete-trial functional analysis were ranked lowest. All rank order correlations were positive and significant, suggesting that teachers are more likely to use FBIs they are familiar with (? = .891, p < .001***) and are confident in implementing (? = .933, p < .001***). Implications for researchers and practitioners are discussed.

Stereotypy consists of repetitive, persistent, and invariant responses that are not contextually appropriate (e.g., Hagopian & Toole, 2009; Rapp & Vollmer, 2005) and can include motor or vocal topographies (i.e., motor [MS] and vocal stereotypy [VS]). Although repetitive behaviors do not often result in injury, both MS and VS have been found to emerge into more severe forms of stereotypy that persist into adulthood and can impact an individual’s adaptive, social, and academic functioning (Crutchfield et al., 2015; Lanovaz, et al., 2013; Akers et al., 2020). Moreover, given the topographies of certain stereotypic behavior and the rate in which instances occur, reliable measurement based on observations can be difficult to attain. Therefore, further investigation to measurement, assessment, and intervention for stereotypy is warranted. This symposium will present recent research on stereotypy including innovative uses of artificial intelligence to measure stereotypy as well as novel interpretations of functional analysis outcomes to inform treatment approaches. Previous research as well as innovative evaluations of antecedent-based interventions for stereotypy will be discussed. Taken together, the results of these studies present important considerations and advances for our approach to the assessment and treatment of stereotypy.

RBTs, BCBAs, BCBA-Ds

Motor stereotypy refers to persistent and repetitive fine or gross motor movements (e.g., finger tapping, hand flapping). In most cases, stereotypy does not result in injury to the individual or those around them (Akers et al., 2020). When stereotypy hinders acquisition of skills and social interactions, individualized treatment should be considered (Cook & Rapp, 2018). Previous research has evaluated numerous interventions designed to decrease stereotypy. The current literature review focuses on antecedent-based strategies because they are considered less intrusive. Twenty-nine studies met our inclusion criteria, and all evaluated the use of an antecedent-based strategy (e.g., non-contingent reinforcement, discrimination training) on non-injurious motor stereotypy (e.g., rocking, hand flapping). A total of 58 data sets were analyzed. Of those, 72% were male and 28% were female. Among the 29 studies, 61% of the studies evaluated the effects of non-contingent reinforcement (NCR) on motor stereotypy. To determine if these interventions were effective at reducing motor stereotypy, we calculated mean baseline reduction (MBR; Campbell, 2003). A summary of outcomes of these studies and implications for clinical practice and future research will be discussed.

Basic research has shown that session-end criteria can influence break points obtained for pigeons responding on progressive-ratio schedules. Although applied researchers have used progressive ratio schedules to assess reinforcing efficacy of stimuli in clinical populations, there remains a dearth of evidence on optimal parameters (i.e., step-size, session-end criteria) of progressive ratio schedules in this context. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the extent to which session-end criteria impact breakpoints and problem behavior of 5 children with IDD responding on progressive ratio schedules. We retroactively examined data obtained in Leon et al. (2020) and applied the following session-end criteria to second-by-second data streams: 1-min, 2-min, and 3-min of no target response. Breakpoints were nearly identical in the 2- and 3-min criteria sessions for all 5 participants; whereas, breakpoints were lower for 3 of 5 participants in the 1-min criteria condition. Additionally, we observed a parametric effect on the occurrence of problem behavior as the session-end criteria increased, (i.e., more problem behavior in 3-min relative to 2-min and more problem behavior in 2-min relative to 1-min).

Adults with developmental disabilities face many barriers when seeking job opportunities, resulting in a significantly lower rate of employment compared to adults without disabilities. Even when employed, individuals in this population tend to work fewer hours and earn less money. One contributing factor to this phenomenon is the lack of preparation individuals with disabilities experience during their school years, which leads to many young adults finding themselves ill-equipped to enter the workforce. This symposium presents the results of four studies, conducted across four different research labs, evaluating variables related to improving vocational skills and employment outcomes in adolescents and adults with developmental disabilities. In the first presentation, Budge et al. present their work on extending LaRue et al.’s (2019) study evaluating the utility of a skill-based assessment to identify individual vocational aptitude, and then comparing performance on aptitude matched and unmatched jobs. Budge et al. expanded the assessment to include environmental factors (e.g., indoor v. outdoor, loud v. quiet. etc.). In the second presentation, Dora et al. describe their study on modifying Lerman et al.’s (2017) assessment of vocational social skills by using videoconferencing software. In the third presentation, Beahm et al. present their work on using an app-based token economy to increase engagement with daily living and vocational tasks in adults with disabilities. Finally, in the fourth presentation, James-Kelly et al. present data from their study on teaching adolescents and adults with developmental disabilities how to participate in an interview. The symposium will conclude with remarks from a discussant.

BCBAs: practitioners and applied researchers who work with adolescents or adults with autism or other developmental disabilities.

Employment rates for adults with autism are significantly lower than those reported for any other population of adults with disabilities (Bush & Tassé, 2017). LaRue and colleagues (2019) developed a skill-based vocational assessment for six individuals diagnosed with ASD. The assessment evaluated preference for specific task characteristics (i.e., interaction, task complexity, movement). The authors used the assessment results to design matched and unmatched work tasks. They found that matched tasks were consistently more preferred and resulted in less disruptive behavior and more on task behavior. While the findings of the LaRue et al. study useful for the purpose of modifying jobs, the initial version of the assessment does not account for other environmental factors that may contribute to job success. In the current investigation, we are expanding the original assessment model proposed by LaRue and colleagues to include environmental factors, including noise level (noisy v. quiet), setting (indoor v. outdoor), and presence of others (crowded v. non-crowded). As in the original study, matched and unmatched jobs will be designed using the environmental assessment results. Preliminary data suggest that the use of this brief, skill-based vocational assessment may be a viable tool for improving employment outcomes for adolescents and adults with ASD.

The token economy intervention is an evidence-based practice that improves outcomes across populations, settings, and behaviors. Nonetheless, their complex nature frequently leads to ineffective implementation. Additionally, little is known about the extent to which token economies are effective for increasing engagement in adults with disabilities. Therefore, we conducted a multiple probe across participants study to evaluate the effectiveness of an app-based token economy to increase engagement with daily living and vocational tasks in adults with disabilities. All participants increased their engagement with tasks following the introduction of the intervention. However, social validity results indicate that staff members found some components of the interventions challenging to implement.

Adults with developmental disabilities are underemployed compared to their typically developing counterparts. Teaching adolescents and young adults with disabilities interview skills is an important first step toward securing employment. There are data to suggest that behavioral skills training (BST) is effective in this endeavor, but more are needed. We taught adolescents and adults with developmental disabilities to respond to a set of commonly asked interview questions using BST. Correct responding included an appropriate, on-topic answer and appropriate body language. We used a multiple probe design across question categories to evaluate the effects of BST on responding to taught questions. We also measured the extent to which the effects generalized to untaught but similar questions, and to different interview formats (phone and Zoom interviews). Preliminary findings indicate BST is effective in improving interview skills across response components and facilitates some degree of generalization.

The roots of relational frame theory (RFT) can be traced back to an early conference paper on rule-governed behaviour in 1984. The seminal book-length treatment of RFT is now itself 20 years old. In that time the account has introduced many new terms, concepts and methods that would be unfamiliar to traditional behavior analysis. The current symposium presents four papers that involve critically reappraising this (RFT) work in an effort to determine its value, while also identifying ways in which to move forward. We argue that progress will likely involve being genuinely open to identifying potential weaknesses in analytic strategies, limitations in key concepts, and in a willingness to engage genuinely with alternative approaches to the study of human language and cognition within behavior analysis. Specifically, the four papers will consider (1) recent developments in the analysis of data from an RFT methodology, known as the implicit relational assessment procedure (IRAP); (2) the limited utility of the concepts of pliance, tracking and augmenting within RFT; (3) the use of a new framework in applied behavior analyses of language and cognition; and (4) the potential benefits of drawing on both RFT and Verbal Behavior Development Theory (VBDT) in the experimental analysis of human language and cognition.

A basic background in behaviour analysis is assumed.

Pliance, tracking and augmenting were defined as functionally distinct categories of rule-governed behavior in 1982. Since this time, however, the terms have rarely been used as the basis for conducting systematic experimental-analytic research, despite their theoretical centrality to the study of rule-governed behavior. 40 years later, it seems useful to reflect upon their place within the literature on the experimental analysis of human behavior, and relational frame theory in particular. In the current talk we evaluate their place within the literature and argue that they should be considered middle-level terms, which lack the relative precision of technical terms within the literature on relational frame theory (RFT). We explore the potential utility of conceptualizing rules as involving increasingly complex derived relational networks and focusing on various dimensions that impact such networks. Finally, we briefly consider a new program of research that has begun to take this approach in the context of up-dating RFT.

Demonstrating awareness of oneself and the states of others is argued to involve a highly complex behavior referred to as perspective taking. Before abstracting or inferring another person's perspective, one depends on a sufficient previously trained relational repertoire. The objective of the current study was to draw on the fundamental units of AARR, specifically with respect to deictic repertoires, using the MDML framework and explore a set of tasks to evaluate and train perspective-taking (PT). A set of non-arbitrary and arbitrary tasks were used to investigate relational repertoires at four levels of relational development (1-mutual entailment, 2-relational framing, 3-relational networking, 4-relating relations) for various generalised patterns of responding (coordination, difference, opposition, comparison, and hierarchy). Data from two children of similar developmental age (one with typical development and one with autism) were collected. The typical development child presented the expected level in abstract relations and showed success in the PT test. The child with autism initially failed the PT test but after an MDML-based intervention showed development in his relational repertoire and finally succeeded in the PT test. This study adds potentially valuable information about the minimal units required for deictic relational responding.

Conceptual developments in RFT, which have provided a general framework (Hyper Dimensional Multi-Level framework) and a dynamical unit of analysis (Relating, Orienting, and Evoking, ROE) have served to highlight clear points of contact and overlap between the analysis of naming and different levels and dimensions of derived relating, in general. Previous studies on naming have presented the object and its name simultaneously during both training and testing, and thus the training component may establish a transformation of function (ToF) directly between the object and the name. The aim of the current study was to test the emergence of speaker naming and entailed ToF with a non-simultaneous presentation technique and evaluate the effectiveness of Multiple Exemplar Training (MET) if deficits are observed. Five typically-developing toddlers participated in the study, and initially, none of the participants exhibited correct naming responses. Three participants received MET, which led to improvements in speaker naming for all. Of these, one needed additional training with simultaneous stimulus presentation trials. The remaining two participants were tested repeatedly, without MET, and did not show any consistent improvements in naming. The applications of the HDML framework to assess the strength of the levels/dimensions of naming are discussed.

An evidence-based practice (EBP) is a strategy, intervention, or practice that has been shown through rigorous research to be effective (Iris Center, 2010). Children with autism often benefit from the implementation of EBP. Peer-mediated interventions (PMI), pyramidal training and inclusive practices have been identified to be effective in improving students’ outcomes. A teacher's self-efficacy is likely to play an important role in whether they demonstrated persistence in using EBP to meet students’ goals. The following studies exemplify why improving the implementation of EBPs are important for children with autism in a school setting. This symposium begins with a study demonstrating the use of program evaluations to identify barriers to implementation of inclusive practices. Next, we present a systematic review of pyramidal training literature to identify strengths and gaps in the literature. Then we present a study on self-efficacy which is associated with meeting expectations. Finally, we end with a literature review of PMI to promote further research.

Participate should have a basic understanding of behavior analytic interventions and an understanding of the special education system.

Self-efficacy refers to an individual’s perceived ability to accomplish specific expectations. Research indicates that individuals with higher self-efficacy are more likely to demonstrate persistent behaviors associated with meeting expectations. We administered the Autism Self-Efficacy Scale for Teachers (ASSET; Ruble et al., 2013) via a Qualtrics survey to 300 educators who teach students with autism in Texas. Educators were recruited via email and were asked to respond to 30 items describing common responsibilities of teachers of students with autism. The educators responded to each item on a scale of 0 – 100, with the following anchors: 0 = cannot do at all, 50 = moderately can do, 100 = highly certain can do. The mean self-efficacy across all items was 70.0, however individual responding varied across items, ranging 83 – 100 point spread between highest and lowest scores. Special educators need additional support to ensure they are confident in their abilities to implement evidence-based practices with students with autism. The purpose of this study was to determine Texas educator’s self-efficacy relating to teaching students with autism.

Peer-mediated intervention (PMI) is an evidence-based practice that utilizes one or more peers to provide ongoing and individualized support to their neurodivergent classmates through the implementation of instructional programs, behavioral strategies, and the facilitation of social interactions. There is a growing body of evidence that demonstrates efficacy and social validity within inclusive middle and high school classrooms utilizing PMIs. However, limited attention has focused on collecting data on the peer partners’ implementation fidelity. This systematic and quality review identified single-case studies addressing PMIs implemented at the secondary level (i.e., grades 6-12) to support students diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), ASD with co-occurring conditions, and intellectual disabilities (ID). Of the 25 PMI studies we identified, 19 studies met What Works Clearinghouse quality standards for single-case research. Among the 19 studies included in the current review, four studies (21%) assessed the peer partner’s implementation fidelity during the intervention. This review provides recommendations for research and practice aimed at identifying strengths and gaps in the literature base related to implementation fidelity of PMIs in secondary schools.

The application of evidenced-based practices in classroom settings are imperative for the advancement of teacher performances and student outcomes. Training teachers to implement classroom management strategies with fidelity can positively impact students’ academic and behavioral performance in the classroom. Studies in this symposium will cover a range of teacher directed trainings, classroom management strategies, and effective interventions for reducing student challenging behaviors. The first presenter will discuss an evaluation of effective teacher training approaches. The second presenter will review the impact of performance feedback and self-monitoring on teachers’ use of behavior specific praise. The third presentation will focus on the use of baseline classroom data to enhance teachers’ implementation of classroom management strategies. The fourth presenter will provide an overview of interventions effective for decreasing challenging behaviors in the classroom. This symposium will highlight considerations for collaborating with teachers, discuss implications for training and implementing classroom management strategies, and outline future research directions.

BCaBAs, BCBAs, Behavior Consultants; Classroom Consultants

Best education practices require the well-established procedural integrity of the intervention. Additionally, natural interventionists such as teachers and paraprofessionals have been demonstrated to effectively teach children with autism spectrum disorders in school settings. The overall and moderating effects of these training approaches have remained unknown. Therefore, the purpose of this meta-analysis is to systematically review single case design studies testing the efficacy of training to improve teacher-implemented interventions for students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The overall mean effect size of the training on implementation fidelity was Tau-U = .64 (95% CI [.50, .70]), and moderating variables such as training environment, participant's educational background, training approaches were associated with improving the implementation fidelity. The outcomes from the single-case design literature suggest that consistent monitoring of the implementation positively affects teachers' implementation fidelity.

Teachers receive a number of professional development trainings and consultations to develop or enhance their repertoire in various evidenced based practices (EBP) and classroom management strategies. Nevertheless, teachers’ adherence to strategies learned during trainings often decline when external supports are removed (Codding et al., 2015; Oliver et al., 2015) which may lead to challenges in the consistent and accurate implementation of EBP in classroom settings (Shernoff et al., 2020). Performance feedback and self-monitoring have been used to address these challenges and promote teachers’ use and fidelity of EBP in the classroom (Scheeler et al., 2004; Oliver et al., 2015). The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of performance feedback and self-monitoring on teachers’ delivery of behavior specific praise (BSP) in their classrooms using a multiple baseline design across participants. Results suggest performance feedback was successful in increasing the rate of BSP while self-monitoring maintained BSP at a predetermined goal, in the absence of observation or feedback for two teachers. These results align with prior literature, suggesting that performance feedback is effective in changing teacher performance and self-monitoring is potentially a viable strategy to promote maintenance in EBP in the absence of external supports and feedback.

Challenging behavior tends to increase in levels during adolescence for individuals with developmental disabilities (DD). If not addressed, this can lead to negative post-school outcomes for adolescents with DD. The purposes of this meta-analysis were to examine the effects of behavioral intervention in reducing challenging behaviors of adolescents with DD and to identify variables that could potentially moderate these effects. This meta-analysis included 30 single-case design studies that met standards for methodological rigor and experimental control. Overall, behavioral interventions were found to yield moderate effects for adolescents with DD (overall Tau-U = 0.68, SD = 0.04, [0.62, 0.73]) across settings and types of challenging behaviors. With regard to participant and setting characteristics, verbal ability and classroom setting were found to moderate the effects of the intervention outcomes with statistical significance. No other variables produced similar findings. Furthermore, statistically significant differences were found between interventions that included or did not include planned reinforcement as an intervention component. Several implications for research and practice are discussed.

Behavioral principles and procedures have demonstrated their effectiveness when applied in the context of intensive interventions aimed at increasing skill acquisition and reducing challenging behaviors of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other neurodiverse populations. However, important limitations may prevent appropriate training of individuals implementing these procedures, such as the lack of regular face-to-face contact with qualified professionals. The current pandemic has only exacerbated this problem and emphasized the need to develop innovative yet practical technologies that facilitate access to evidence-based information and skills training. This symposium seeks to present the respective evaluations and outcomes of four studies examining the use of a) a self-directed online training program, b) telehealth, c) a mobile application, and d) virtual reality training (VRT). Across these studies, participants included experienced volunteers, parents, professionals, university students, and Board Certified Behavior Analysts. Overall results demonstrate that these methods are effective for training individuals possessing different levels of expertise on a wide variety of skill sets. Social validity measures also demonstrate the usefulness and acceptability of the technology employed. The clinical implications are significant in that these proposed methods may address training barriers related to access and cost, thus benefiting service providers and their clients.

The participants should be familiar with behavior analytic interventions and have a general understanding of their application via current and emerging technologies.

Volunteers supporting neurodiverse populations require adequate training on instructional strategies to ensure the safety of themselves and those they are supporting. While behavioral skills training (BST) is an empirically validated training framework, it has some constraints such as requiring an experienced trainer. Implementing a BST framework into a mobile application to train volunteers interacting with neurodiverse populations may help to increase volunteers’ implementation accuracy of pre-determined instructional strategies. This study evaluated the efficacy of a mobile application based on BST and voice over video modelling (VMVO) on volunteers’ implementation accuracy of three instructional strategies. Semi-structured interviews with experienced volunteers in an adaptive movement program informed which instructional skills were included in the app (visual schedules, modeling, and high-probability instructional sequence). A multiple probe design across behaviours demonstrated preliminary efficacy of the app for training two novel volunteers. Participants also reported the app to be highly acceptable.

This symposium will comprise empirical and review studies focusing on the acquisition of verbal behavior across various domains including manding and tacting. We will begin with a literature review of critical components when conducting mand training. Next, we will hear about an empirical evaluation of two methods of teaching mand and tact responses, namely total communication and vocal alone training. Then, we will see data comparing the acquisition of different mand modalities (e.g., sign and picture exchange). Finally, we will close with a literature review on preferences between high- and low-tech mand modalities. This symposium will conclude with a discussion of the above work.

As this is at the basic instruction level, anyone is appropriate.

Total Communication (TC) consists of teaching both the manual sign and a vocalization for a targeted word originally described by Barrera and Sulzer-Azaroff (1983) and Sisson and Barret (1984). Very few studies have replicated these studies, with the exception of Carbone, Lewis, Sweeney-Kerwin, Dixon, Louden, and Quinn (2006). All three studies found that TC resulted in faster acquisition of the vocal verbal responses. In this study, we compared teaching vocal mand and tact responses to individuals with developmental delays by simultaneously prompting both a manual sign and a vocal response (i.e., TC condition) or by prompting the vocal responses only (i.e., vocal only condition). In both treatments, we utilized a vocal-verbal echoic prompt of the targeted word using a progressive prompt delay, and positive reinforcement for correct responses. Treatments were compared in an alternating treatments design. Trials to criterion were analyzed to determine the efficiency of each teaching procedure. Results were idiosyncratic, but minimal differences in acquisition were noted. Interestingly, individuals independently learned two responses (vocal and sign) in the TC condition, in the same amount of time it took for individuals to learn just the vocal response word in the vocal only condition.

Previous research indicates that a brief prerequisite skills assessment can help to inform which mand modality will be most efficient to teach (Valentino et al, 2019). The participants in the previous study did not have a history of using any particular mand modality before they participated. This study examined the utility of this prerequisite skills assessment and the rate of acquisition of each mand modality for participants who engage in problem behavior and may have had a short history using a particular modality as a part of their existing treatment for problem behavior. Preliminary results replicate that of previous research, indicating that picture exchange is the most effective and efficient modality for acquiring the target mand. For participants that exhibited problem behavior during the study, preliminary results show that the mand modality sessions that results in the highest rates of problem behavior include the modality that was less effective and efficient for acquiring the target mands.

An important step in developing an effective functional communication training (FCT) program is determining an appropriate mand modality to replace problem behavior. A number of user and modality factors are often considered, such as the response effort required for a particular modality, the history and proficiency of the user with a particular modality, and the user’s preference for each modality. Research on user preference suggests that mand modalities deemed high-preferred may lead to greater persistence of communication when a treatment challenge is encountered (e.g., extinction of mand response; Ringdahl et al., 2018); however, a review of the extant literature shows that most FCT studies do not report conducting mand preference assessments and there is some variability in procedures among those that do. This presentation will provide an overview of the existing research literature on mand modality preference assessments using high- and low-tech augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) options and provide a summary of published and unpublished data from a standardized mand preference assessment for individuals with disabilities. We will discuss the results in relation to previous research findings and in light of the limitations and gaps in the research to date.

As Board-Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) begin to apply the Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts in 2022, they will note an emphasis on following applicable laws across settings. When applied behavior analysis (ABA) services are delivered in an elementary or secondary school setting and/or as part of an Individualized Education Program (IEP), practitioners must adhere to professional ethical practice guidelines as well as comply with federal mandates established by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Board-Certified Behavior Analysts may not be aware of IDEA principles because they are not specifically noted in the BACB Task List (5th ed.) and, thus, may not have been included in professional training or coursework. Standards for best practice in ABA service delivery may appear to be in conflict with federal standards for education of individuals with disabilities (e.g., emphasis on least restrictive environment). In this talk, the author (a BCBA-Doctoral and licensed special education administrator in Massachusetts) will discuss historical and current federal mandates that affect ABA service delivery in elementary and secondary education settings in the United States, ethical considerations for service delivery in these settings, and recommendations for providing effective, ethical, comprehensive, and compliant ABA services in schools.

The target audience for this talk is practicing BCBAs working in elementary or secondary education settings in the United States. Any level of experience is welcome; however, BCBAs that are relatively new to working in public school environments may find this talk especially beneficial. Additionally, BCBAs working in private schools who implement IEPs will also find this talk useful.

attendees who own dogs, like dogs, want to own a dog, train dogs, think they know how to train a dog; attendees who realize that the focus in training a dog must first be on training the owner to emit desired behaviors, from the initial stages of thinking about getting a dog, thru selection, and then training, with other humans, with interactions with other dogs

This presentation will detail my personal experience of how the research to practice gap is affecting schools, teachers, and students. I will explain my journey from higher education to the front lines of special education as an elementary school teacher and back to higher education. As a behavior analyst and former professor, I became a teacher. However, I encountered barriers to providing research-based practices in special education classrooms. These barriers include confusion by school and district administrators about what constitutes evidence and how this resulted in selection of curricula that were ineffective. A lack of understanding of basic principles of behavior also led to Positive Behavior Support programs that required young children to wait too long to earn a reward for their behavior. Amidst these struggles, the teachers and administrators were motivated to improve the academic and behavioral outcomes of children. However, the gap between research and practice is so wide that small steps are needed to slowly change the knowledge and skills of school administrators and teachers in order to produce meaningful effects for children. Recommendations for ways to begin this journey will be provided.

The target audience are individuals working in higher education, teacher training, and in supervision of BCBAs or BCaBAs in school settings. Prerequisite skills include an understanding of public school systems including curricula development and selection, evidence-based practices, and legal/ethical issues in K-12 education.

Caregiver-mediated early interventions have demonstrated positive child and family outcomes for young children with, or at high likelihood of having, autism (Zwaigenbaum et al., 2015; Burrell & Borrego, 2012). Additionally, there is consensus that effective early intervention includes a caregiver component, including input in the development of treatment goals and priorities, identifying support for the family, and learning specific strategies to support their child’s development. However, many intervention providers working with children with autism and their families have limited training in how to partner with parents or how to coach them in the use of evidence-based intervention strategies. Recent research has identified key elements for caregiver coaching and engagement (e.g., Pellecchia et al., 2020). This presentation will examine the literature on effective coaching strategies and provide methods to increase caregiver partnership in the intervention process. The use of telehealth to deliver coaching will be examined.

The field of behavior analysis has grown exponentially in the last decade. With growth, comes growing pains. There is a systematic inconsistency in our field’s applied therapeutic practice. While there are published ethical codes of conduct from the Behavior Analysis Certification Board (BACB) and practice care guidelines outline by the Council of Autism Service Providers (CASP), this is a limited set of parameters, which leaves a practicing behavior analyst to rely on their coursework and individual supervised experience for decision making. Given the vast number of different graduate programs and options for supervision, certified behavior analysts have varying degrees of experience and areas of competence. The response to this disconnect has been to lean on those more experienced, which has resulted in a strain of resources. This is not a viable or practical long-term solution to this pervasive problem. Clinical decision support systems are an interactive algorithmic decision making technology that offer clinicians the ability to identify variables that affect various clinical decisions, the resources to guide the decision making process, and action plans for best outcomes - regardless of the clinician’s experience or background.

Participants should possess a basic understanding of decision making processes, as well as an understanding of where and how to access current research articles and systems. In addition, participants should be able to explain basic processes (ie, intake, assessment) of the client life cycle to understand where clinical decision modeling fits within that practice.

The current study aimed to extend the existing research (e.g., Wong et al, 2021) by applying the two conditions to tact instruction for preschoolers. The study compared the efficiency of set analysis (SA) and operant analysis (OA) during tact instruction for four preschool boys. The participants were diagnosed with preschoolers with a disability and functioned at varied verbal behavior levels. We applied the criterion level (100% one session) and the decision analysis (e.g., two sessions of zero correct responses leads to a stop decision and an added tactic) to the set level (SA) and the operant level (OA) during the two conditions. We measured the participants’ number of mastered targets and the number of learn units to criterion under the two conditions. We would also assess the participants’ maintenance of the tacts four weeks after they show mastery of all the tacts. An adapted alternating treatment design was used to compare two interventions. Our results so far showed that most participants demonstrated a faster learning rate in the OA condition. However, the discrepancy between the two conditions was not dramatic. The study is still ongoing.

A global workplace survey conducted by Gallup, Inc. in 2020 indicated that 20% of employees were engaged at work, a decrease of 2% from the prior year. Interestingly, up until 2020, survey data showed an increasing trend for workplace engagement. Additionally, during the period that has been termed by some as the “Great Resignation”, a 2021 Gallup poll indicated that 48% of working Americans are searching for a new job. While this trend is observed across industries, in the human service field, the impact can be directly observed by decreases in enrollments and services available. Specific to behavior analysts, Plantiveau and colleagues in their 2018 survey, found that more than 60% of individuals surveyed reported experiencing burnout and low satisfaction at work. Given the need for behavior analytic services and the impact that these services can have on clients, these data are particularly concerning. Panelists will discuss some of the cited reasons for these patterns, specifically within the field of behavior analysis, and analyze contingencies that may be involved. Additionally, they will suggest actions that individuals may take in order to arrange their environment, both workplace and personal, such that sufficient reinforcers are available to maintain responding.

Participants should be able to identify and analyze complex behavioral contingencies. Participants should be able to identify ways in which reinforcers can be conditioned and assessed.

In recent years, much more emphasis has been placed on cultural competence, humility, and responsiveness, as they relate to ABA service provision. These concepts have received attention in published literature, in discussions about issues facing the field, and in our new Ethics Code. The field is making progress in defining these skills, and much discussion exists around the teaching and training of this skill set for practitioners. In addition to these needs, there is an obligation to integrate the coverage of these issues into supervision. In this panel discussion, panelists will review the context and need for this expansion of supervision, the development of a tool to assess the extent to which supervision is culturally responsive, the associated issues in practice and mentorship that should be considered in this context, and future directions for mentoring.

Board certified behavior analysts

It is essential for practitioners of behavior analysis to regularly examine their responses to ethical dilemmas, especially in light of the new ethics code to be released in January of 2022 by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB). At times, behavior analysts can find themselves in precarious situations that challenge the core values and principles of applied behavior analysis, and the ethical decision may not be clearly evident or previously addressed in the ethics code. In this interactive panel discussion, participants will be presented with short, video recoded scenarios that represent such situations, and given the opportunity to discuss the most appropriate ethical response to each scenario. Panelists will field questions, provide guidance and equip participants with pertinent BACB standards and research to assist in making the most appropriate ethical decisions. The panelists from Brett DiNovi and Associates NJ and California have years of experience navigating ethical dilemmas. They will offer their respective expertise to answer audience members’ questions about the BACB ethical code and common ethical scenarios and dilemmas.

BCBAs or BCaBAs with 1-3 years experience

Discrete trial teaching (DTT) is one of the most widely implemented interventions for children with autism and at the same time one of the most maligned. It can be an incredibly powerful tool and is an acknowledged key component in intensive early intervention for children with autism. But it is also the intervention that everyone loves to hate: “It is too rigid and formulaic…Behavior change does not generalize to real-world contexts…It is overly contrived and unnatural…It does not have curb appeal.” But we have to consider whether all these purported shortcomings are inherent in the DDT model or are they by-products of rigidly formulated or incompletely implemented translations of the model. This talk will propose a broader conceptualization of DTT that allows for flexible application along a number of relevant continua according to the readiness of the learner. It will be argued that while the structure that is commonly viewed as a defining characteristic of DTT and arguably a major contributor to its effectiveness can and should be varied according to the needs of the student. In other words, we should aim to provide the just right amount of structure. This flexible but systematic approach has been referred to as progressive (e.g. Leaf et al., 2016). Within this progressive model all elements of DTT are fair game for rethinking what we do and why we do it. Willingness to contrive learning opportunities and space them closely together could actually be an advantage, not a shortcoming of DTT. The research behind this model will be described and the areas where more research is needed will be highlighted.

Instructional program developers and interventionists

The evolutionary theory of behavior dynamics (ETBD) is a complexity theory, which means that it is stated in the form of simple low-level rules, the repeated operation of which generates high level outcomes that can be compared to data. The low-level rules of the theory implement Darwinian processes of selection, reproduction, and mutation. This tutorial is an introduction to the ETBD, and will illustrate how the theory is used to animate artificial organisms that behave freely, and continuously, in any desired experimental environment. Extensive research has shown that the behavior of artificial organisms animated by the theory successfully reproduces the behavior of live organisms, in qualitative and quantitative detail, in a wide variety of experimental environments, including concurrent ratio schedules with equal and unequal ratios in the components, and concurrent interval schedules with and without punishment superimposed on one or both alternatives. An overview and summary of the research testing the ETBD will be provided. The material interpretation of the theory as an instance of supervenient realism will also be discussed. Finally, possible future directions will be considered with an eye toward identifying the most valuable path or paths for future development.

Behavior analysts interested in the basic science; individuals interested in computational theories of behavior or machine learning; individuals interested in modeling clinically significant human behavior

Authors often struggle with understanding and replying to comments from reviewers and editors. This is especially the case for less experienced authors and students. This PDS is hosted by the ABAI Publications Council and features ABAI journal editors providing guidance and tips for responding to editorial comments during the manuscript resubmission process. Panelists will respond to questions such as: My paper was not accepted but was not rejected. What do I do now? How do I handle a ‘reject but resubmit’ decision? How should reviewer and editorial comments be interpreted? Must I respond to every editorial comment and recommendation? What do I do if reviewers’ comments conflict with one another? How do I handle reviewer requests that I cannot meet (e.g., asking for more data, different quantitative analyses, more detail than I am permitted to disclose)? Is it acceptable to disagree with a reviewer’s or editor’s recommendations? What do ABAI journal editors want to see in my responses to reviewer and editorial comments? As with previous ABAI Publications Council PDS sessions, we will leave ample time for audience questions.

Resurgence is the recurrence of a previously reduced target response (e.g., problem behavior) following a worsening in reinforcement conditions for a recently increased alternative response (e.g., a communication request). Recent investigations of resurgence have demonstrated the utility of a bidirectional translational approach wherein basic studies help inform applied treatment refinements and important phenomena observed in the applied setting are brought into the laboratory for rigorous examination. This cycle then continues, enriching both conceptual understanding of resurgence phenomena and improving clinical care. This symposium showcases that unique blend of investigations between basic and applied researchers. Two presentations highlight challenges encountered during laboratory evaluations of resurgence with typically developing adult participants (e.g., persistent responding during extinction) as well as potential methodological refinements to minimize these issues (e.g., manipulating response effort). The two final presentations investigate resurgence of severe destructive behavior within clinical settings and examine the use of mitigation strategies derived from basic literature (e.g., treatment modifications informed by behavioral momentum theory). Dr. ChrisPodlensik, an expert in basic and applied studies of treatment relapse, will discuss the implications of these studies as they relate to understanding and mitigating resurgence.

Resurgence is observed when a previously extinguished behavior reemerges while a more recently reinforced behavior is extinguished. Resurgence is further defined as responding that is greater than an inactive-control response that never produced reinforcement. Recent studies of resurgence in human-laboratory investigations have produced discrepant patterns of responding compared to nonhuman animal-laboratory studies when comparing control response performance. Namely, human-laboratory investigations have produced no differences between target and control responding and persistence across the resurgence-test phase. In the present study, we conducted two human-laboratory experiments to determine if these effects were a product of the history of reinforcement associated with the target response, as well as the types of technology used in human-laboratory studies. For all participants, we found no differences in levels of resurgence and occurrence for the target and control response, respectively. Moreover, we observed persistence of all response types across the resurgence-test phase. This finding was apparent even when the length of baseline (i.e., reinforcement for the target) was increased, when the length of extinction was increased, and when low-technology stimuli were used. We highlight the implications of this outcome in the context of human-laboratory studies and discuss the possible role of verbal mediation in these investigations.

To mitigate resurgence, translational research has largely focused on the role of reinforcement. In treatment programs, components, such as extinction, are much less frequently studied. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of exposures to extinction during functional communication training (FCT) on resurgence of problem behavior when intervention was disrupted. In this study, FCT was implemented across two conditions: (a) brief and (b) extended exposures to extinction. In each condition, a mand opportunity was restricted for brief or extended periods of time in the functional establishing operation. Restricted access to the mand opportunity in the extended condition was three times the length of time used in the brief condition. When problem behavior reduced by 80% of baseline levels in each FCT condition, FCT was disrupted with extinction. For tests of disruption, the hypothesis (based on Schieltz et al., 2017) was that resurgence would occur at higher levels in the FCT condition that resulted in less exposures to extinction (i.e., brief condition) than the condition with more exposures to extinction (i.e., extended condition). The first two completed cases showing different results from an ongoing project will be presented with discussion of methodologic issues related to these differences.

Recent research has shown that functional communication training (FCT) treatments are susceptible to treatment relapse in the form of resurgence of destructive behavior when individuals contact periods in which reinforcers are unavailable. We completed a series of four studies that evaluated how specific behavioral momentum theory (BMT)-informed adjustments to FCT would help reduce the resurgence of destructive behavior during extended periods of extinction for the functional communication response (FCR). The adjustments included (a) delivering a low rate of reinforcement for destructive behavior during baseline (Study 1); (b) delivering a low rate of reinforcement for the FCR during FCT (Study 2); (c) conducting a large number of FCT sessions before exposing the FCR to periods of extinction (Study 3); and, (d) the combination of these three adjustments (Study 4). Study 4 was the only study in which we observed consistently lower levels of resurgence in the context that was designed to mitigate resurgence. Thus, combining the refinements reduced resurgence of destructive behavior to a greater extent than each of the individual refinements. Overall, the results suggest that additional research is needed to replicate and extend these findings before we can recommend incorporating these adjustments into clinical standards of care.

Human-laboratory research on resurgence from our group and others’ has generated data that do not closely resemble those generated from basic-laboratory or clinical evaluations of this form of relapse. In particular, participants’ target behavior tends to persist during the extinction + alternative-reinforcement phase, and participants tend to indiscriminately and persistently allocate their behavior between response options during relapse testing, whether or not those options have been associated with reinforcement. In the present experiment, we asked whether differences in response effort between research settings might partially explain these findings. Participants completed a high-effort and a low-effort resurgence evaluation across two laboratory visits. Effort was manipulated by increasing the physical distance between operanda (BIGmack buttons). In both evaluations, pressing target and alternative buttons produced point reinforcers during the baseline and extinction + alternative-reinforcement phases, respectively. Finally, reinforcement was suspended to test for resurgence. Outcomes from the low-effort condition replicated previous findings from human-laboratory evaluations of resurgence described above. In the high-effort condition, however, target-button pressing was suppressed during the extinction + alternative-reinforcement phase, and responding was differentiated during resurgence testing. Implications of these data for human-laboratory evaluations of resurgence will be discussed.

The target audience for this session includes practicing behavior analysts who oversee behavior change programs that address challenging behavior. Audience members should be competent in selecting, designing, and implementing behavior change interventions. Previous experience collaborating with professionals outside of behavior analysis is recommended, but not required.

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder can have a particularly challenging time completing necessary preventative measures for the health and safety of themselves and those around them. This has become especially evident during the past year as society responds to the COVID-19 pandemic. Limiting the spread of viruses, such a COVID-19, is extremely important. This symposium includes two presentations on increasing compliance with COVID-19-related preventative practices such as mask wearing and nasopharyngeal testing. In the first study, a graduated exposure procedure was used to teach mask wearing for a minimum of one hour in an early intensive behavioral intervention clinic to three children diagnosed with autism. The second study, evaluated the effects of differential reinforcement without extinction and stimulus fading on disruptive behavior during a nasopharyngeal swab procedure for five individuals diagnosed with autism. Together, these papers contribute to the research on methods used to increase compliance with preventative health measures in individuals with autism by providing efficient methods to increase compliance in the absence of more intrusive and restrictive procedures. Implications of the findings of each study will be discussed.

Target audience is graduate students, practitioners - BCaBA, BCBA, and BCBA-D Necessary prerequisite skills and competencies the audience should have include: Functional Analysis, Preference Assessments, Differential Reinforcement, Stimulus Fading, Graduated Exposure, Generalization

During the COVID-19 outbreak, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommended that everyone 2 years and older wear a face mask while in a community setting. However, children with autism may be reluctant to wear a mask, particularly for extended durations. In the current study, we implemented a graduated exposure procedure to teach mask wearing for a minimum of one hour in an early intensive behavioral (EIBI) intervention clinic to 3 children diagnosed with autism. We subsequently probed mask wearing, and if necessary implemented the graduated exposure procedure, in each participant’s home and in a mock physician’s office. Finally, we collected probe data on mask wearing in another community setting and one month post-treatment maintenance data in the EIBI clinic. During baseline, participants wore masks for 0 s to 5 min. After treatment, all participants wore the mask for at least one hour in each setting, with maintenance probes indicating 4-5 hour mask tolerance.

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can exhibit low levels of compliance with, and engage in disruptive behavior during medical procedures. Research has shown that differential reinforcement without extinction and stimulus fading have been successful in increasing compliance with these procedures. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effects of differential reinforcement without extinction and differential reinforcement without extinction plus stimulus fading on disruptive behavior during a nasopharyngeal swab procedure, often used to test for COVID-19 and the flu, for five participants with autism. A functional analysis showed that disruptive behavior was maintained by escape from the nasal swab procedure. Differential reinforcement without extinction alone was successful for one of the five participants to increase compliance with and decrease disruptive behavior during a nasopharyngeal swab procedure. The addition of stimulus fading was effective in increasing compliance and decreasing disruptive behavior for the remaining four participants. Maintenance of compliance with the nasopharyngeal swab procedure was observed for all five of the participants.

Applied behavior analysis (ABA) as a profession and treatment for autism spectrum disorder has grown exponentially in the past decade, with more certified behavior analysts and registered behavior technicians than ever before. Behavior analysts strive to provide high-quality services in autism care settings, but the industry is not yet aligned on standards for quality care. In other industries, history has shown that increased demand for services and products can adversely impact quality, but also stimulate innovation in standards development and process improvement. Researchers have called for more public discourse about empirical approaches to assessing and promoting ABA service delivery quality (ASDQ) but work in this area is only emerging. In this event, we bring together a diverse panel of researchers and representatives from major professional organizations and ABA service providers to increase public discourse on trends in how the industry and our science address quality. The discussion will cover multiple issues on this topic which could include the ASDQ framework, and the relationship between quality and value-based healthcare, standards, accreditation, certification, private equity, outcomes, consumer experience, or industry threats. Attendees will learn to consider quality from multiple perspectives and gain insight into what providers can do now to promote quality ABA service delivery.

Leaders and executives in the ABA service delivery industry serving individuals with autism will likely benefit most from this panel, however the discourse is likely to appeal to a wide range of professionals and academics within the field.

Evaluating behavior-environment relationships using biological events may aid in the identification of conditions under which higher rates of challenging behaviors are emitted. As well as be used for decision making for ongoing treatment of challenging behavior. One study evaluated the use of heart rate as a measure to indicate arousal during dental and haircut appointments to better assess if the participant was both compliant and comfortable throughout the procedure. The second study evaluated defecation patterns and their relation to rates of challenging behavior with both a molecular and molar analysis. Both studies discuss the need for interdisciplinary collaboration to better inform treatment.

Prerequisite skills include differentiation of molecular and molar analysis, experience with functional analysis, familiarity with graduated exposure procedures

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way insurance-funded intervention has been implemented for many learners with autism including modifications in treatment modality, intensity of treatment, and overall access to intervention. The pandemic provided rare treatment conditions for many learners and therefore necessitates ongoing investigation of the outcomes associated with these conditions. Examples of such conditions include learners receiving direct behavior technician intervention via telehealth and school aged children receiving comprehensive treatment programs given increased availability. The current paper provides a refined analysis of individual learner outcome data for a set of learners for whom barriers to accessing treatment were overcome. Specifically, outcome data for a sample of different learners receiving ABA insurance-funded treatment during the pandemic will be presented and discussed in relation to learner specific variables. An analysis of skill acquisition data in relation to variables such as age, modality of intervention, proportion of recommended treatment hours received, standardized assessment results, and treatment goals met will be presented across multiple participants. Results are discussed in terms of factors correlating with improved outcomes, removing common barriers to treatment, and providing support for insurance funded ABA treatment under these conditions. The need for additional outcome analyses and future research are discussed.

Effective and efficient behavior analytic practices are an ongoing focus of research within our field. This is especially relevant given the limited time and resources available to meet the many academic and life skill targets our clients require. With increases in the available technology that can be incorporated into behavior analytic interventions, further research is needed at the basic and applied levels. The current symposium will focus on the efficiency of training targeted skills. The first presentation addresses academic skills, evaluated at the basic level, analyzing how stimuli are sequenced and presented on an online platform. The second presentation, evaluated at the applied level, analyzes the use of virtual reality on acquiring necessary day-to-day skills including grocery shopping and pedestrian skills. The current presentations offer different analyses of the variables relevant to efficiently training essential skills. In addition, both presentations provide guidance for using technology to improve skill acquisition and application.

This symposium is geared toward practitioners and researchers

Research at the experimental level is needed in order to extend a behavior analytic understanding of the variables participating in skill acquisition as it relates to fluency outcomes. The current study manipulated how stimuli are presented using an alternating treatments design. One presentation type, the Additive Presentation, presented an array of stimuli in which the array was increased in size until all stimuli were presented. This presentation was compared with the Complete Presentation, in which all stimuli were presented. Three groups of stimuli were presented to compare the two presentation types: 5 stimuli, 7 stimuli, and 9 stimuli. Results indicate that the Additive Presentation of stimuli is correlated with more time to meet criteria (defined by fluency aims) than is a Complete Presentation in conditions that can be described as more difficult. Difficult conditions are defined as either 1) having less exposure to a similar procedure and 2) larger number of stimuli presented in an array.

With the increased accessibility and affordability of virtual reality, the therapeutic application of this technology has increased. Within the realm of autism treatment there are several ways this technology can improve teaching. Virtual reality can allow for more teaching to occur in environments as similar as possible to the natural environments. Improving generalization and minimizing risk. Virtual reality headsets can provide eye-tracking data that can inform prompting strategies and provide better assessments of attending in real time. While research in this area is increasing there remains a lack of data examining the most efficient teaching strategies and the best combination of technological features. A series of studies were conducted in Saudi Arabia and the US utilizing headsets of varying capabilities. Finding items in the grocery store and pedestrian skills were taught across environments. Recommendations on best practices and the minimum technical requirements for efficient teaching will be discussed.

The last thirty years have seen enormous growth in the application of psychological science to better the lives of LGBTQ+ people. Behavior analysts have been largely absent from this movement (Morris, Goetz, & Gabriele-Black, 2021). There has been a recent discourse around harms that behavior analysts have enacted upon LGBTQ+ people in the past, accompanied by a discussion of steps we can take to “do better” in the future. This panel focuses on future actions that behavior analysts can take to support LGBTQ+ people’s wellbeing. Panelists have each done significant professional work in support of LGBTQ+ people; two are members of LGBTQ+ communities, and one has done this work in an ally role. We will discuss both what behavior analysts can do in the domains of research, practice, and organizational behavior and how they can do it. We will also discuss particular considerations behavior analysts at various career stages (e.g., graduate student, early career faculty) and spheres of professional practice. The panel will conclude with ample time for audience questions and discussion.

N/A, level is beginner

Behavioral treatments such as differential reinforcement are an effective means of reducing problem behavior. These treatments are frequently implemented by highly trained staff in well-controlled settings. After a clinically relevant reduction in problem behavior is achieved, these treatments are then transferred from clinics to the community (e.g., homes and schools), and from trained therapists to parents, caregivers, and other intervention agents. However, these treatments will be challenged during community implementation, potentially—and likely—leading to relapse (e.g., resurgence, renewal) and eventual treatment failure. Fortunately, researchers have developed some strategies to supplement behavioral treatments and improve their durability (i.e., able to withstand everyday challenges). In this symposium, the presenters will discuss common treatment challenges and their corresponding forms of relapse; as well as strategies practitioners can implement to improve the durability of their treatments. They will also describe relevant next steps for researchers in the area relapse and its mitigation. Following the presentations, audience members will be able to identify scenarios likely to result in relapse and ways in which they can mitigate relapse.

The intended audience is behavior analysts who have or currently work with individuals that engage in problem behavior, as well as researchers who work in the area of relapse. Audience members should be mildly familiar with relapse. However, presenters will provide some background and contextualization on various forms of relapse.

Machine learning holds great promise for improving behavior analytic practice and research (Turgeon & Lanovaz, 2020). Historically, behavior analysts have collected and analyzed data as a means of making decisions to improve socially significant client outcomes. When analyzing large data sets reflecting organizations-wide outcomes or the complex outputs that can be captured by sensors, there is a possibility for enhancing the decision-making of behavior analysts. Response effort can limit the extent to which humans can complete analyses or make predictions in time to be beneficial. By nature, machine learning can allow for rapid or even real-time analyses that would be impossible for a human. The first presentation will describe how behavior analysts at an educational center are using sensors to collect physiological and behavioral data and applying machine learning to analyze data and inform decision-making. The second presentation will share data from a multimodal model of sensor data collection and machine learning that allows for real-time prediction of behavioral escalation within a modified Practical Functional Assessment. Finally, presenters will describe a machine learning model for analyzing service delivery and satisfaction data across many organizations over the course of multiple years that allows for improvement in organizational decision-making models.

The target audience for this session includes practicing behavior analysts who oversee behavior change programs that address severe problem behavior, or who oversee ABA agencies and are responsible for making organization-level decisions. This session is also intended to be of interest to those interested in the practical or ethical context surrounding the use of machine learning and or sensors.

Behavior analysts understand behavior through observation of learners in the environment. Technological advances offer a view of what is happening inside of the learner as well. The presenter will describe a program at The Center for Discovery (TCFD) where students in a specially equipped classroom wear sensors that track physiological and movement data. Video data from this naturalistic setting are aligned with sensor data. The presenter will explain how behavior analysts from TCFD integrate data from the sensors with traditional ABA methodology to design better treatments for learners with autism spectrum disorder and maladaptive behaviors. Physiological and behavioral data representing significant clinical findings will be shared. In addition to using technology to inform clinical decisions, the presenter will describe collaborations between TCFD and computer scientists. These scientists are using machine learning and biomedical signal analysis to analyze TCFD’s rich dataset with the desired outcome of automatic detection and prediction of behaviors. The ultimate goal of this relationship is to develop technology that a.) sends alerts to caregivers that a behavior is imminent or that it is time to re-engage following a behavior and b.) detects behaviors automatically as a potential replacement for live data collection.

The delivery of ABA services involves a complex interaction of behavioral systems. Patients need to be interested in and seek out ABA services; and, once in ABA, to continue improving their quality of life. Employees need to be hired in sufficient numbers, properly trained, adequately resourced, and appropriately matched with patients they are competent to serve. And payors need to see progress being made within reasonable costs and time frames. In this presentation, we discuss how the Behavioral Health Center of Excellence is leveraging machine learning to describe and understand these complex and interacting behavioral systems. Specifically, we leveraged data collected from 500+ organizations over six years to analyze the interaction between ABA organizations’ systems and processes; staff satisfaction and turnover; service delivery (e.g., utilization rates, hours of ABA contacted); and patient satisfaction with ABA services. We also discuss how these data can predict patient reported progress, improvement in quality of life, and changes on norm-referenced and criterion-referenced assessments. This presentation provides a first look at the variables that might be important to describe and improve the complex interaction of behavioral systems that comprise ABA service delivery.

Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) are underrepresented in graduate school programs and make up only 12% of certified behavior analysts (Behavior Analysis Certification Board; BACB 2020). BIPOC students are often met with challenges such as microaggressions, gaslighting, victim blaming, and other nuanced forms of discrimination. Additionally, the lack of representation may create feelings of isolation among peers and seclusion from community resources. Such challenges have potential to create an unbalanced learning environment in which students are still expected to make reputable contributions to the field. Given this, BIPOC students must have access to additional resources to ensure they are supported throughout their tenure and have the tools they need to confront and disrupt discriminatory behaviors. This panel serves to 1) highlight the importance of community through representation 2) discuss the need for mentorship and allyship, 3) promote self-care strategies that have proven effective at mitigating the effects of discrimination, and 4) offer a safe space and reprieve during an otherwise strenuous journey. The panelists will also share personal experiences and resources that proved successful as they navigated their own journeys through graduate school.

Target Audience: Graduate students (BCBAs), Graduate School faculty (associate and full professors, BCBAs and/or BCBA-Ds), individuals providing supervision services to prospective BCBAs

1. Bullying in schools is a severe problem with implications for safety, mental health, and education. Schools around the world are implementing anti-bullying programs to address bullying. There are many different types of interventions available and in use, and it isn't easy to know which programs are most effective. Some programs are more efficacious than others, but what constitutes success is that the intervention must address the needs of the whole school, including students, teachers, and parents. Additionally, such programs must be implemented continuously and with fidelity. This paper will review the literature on anti-bullying programs to offer insight into what programs and program components are most effective in reducing bullying and victimization among students. A PRISMA model literature review will be presented on the existing literature. Initial searches yielded 351 articles; with additional requirements, the final analysis included 39 papers. Data will be shown on the extent to which these studies included competency assessment, generalization assessment, and social validity measures.

Despite being mired in buzzword galore, Agile Leadership is an approach to leadership that promotes incremental, deliberate efforts focused on supporting team members to deliver customer value. Agile leaders exhibit values such as feedback, learning, collaboration, and humility. During this discussion, we’ll explore exactly what the leadership approach entails as well as its real value when applied individually and systematically. Regardless of whether you’re working in an Organizational Behavior Management type of role or as a clinician in the Health and Human Services sector, you’ll learn three techniques for adapting an agile approach, integrating the approach into your organization and establishing continuous improvement mechanisms to ensure integrity and improvement for your organization. We’ll also share an example of how our proprietary software can shed light on the most efficient strategy for an adopting and implementing Agile leadership principles to improve overall organizational and leadership performance.

A critical step in the preparation toward certification as a Behavior Analyst is supervision (Turner et al., 2016). The purpose of supervision is to equip applied behavior analysis (ABA) students with behavior analytic, professional, and ethical skills necessary for effective client treatment in practice (BACB, 2021). The rules for supervision are found in the BACB Professional and Ethical Compliance Code for Behavior Analysts, also known as “the Code” (Sellers et al., 2016b). A successful supervision experience involves clearly defined expectations at the onset of the relationship (Sellers et al., 2016a), and accurate training and feedback by the supervisor (Sellers et al., 2019). Factors that are considered include the supervisees’ beliefs and values originating from previous supervision experiences (Turner et al., 2016). Supervisees from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds may also require unique interactions with the supervisors while still satisfying the BACB’s objectives. One aspect of supervision that should be discussed and explored further are the modifications made to the supervision experience for supervisees from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds. These candidates may require unique interactions with supervisors while still satisfying the BACB’s objectives. This panel discussion will explore the importance of cultural diversity and responsiveness in the supervision experience, challenges that may be experienced by relevant supervisees, and suggested solutions to address them. References Behavior Analyst Certification Board (2016). 2022 Eligibility Requirements. https://www.bacb.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/BCBA-2022EligibilityRequirements_210513.pdf Sellers, T. P., Valentino, A. L., & LeBlanc, L. A. (2016a). Recommended practices for individual supervision of aspiring behavior analysts. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 9(4), 274-286. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-016-0110-7 Sellers, T. P., Alai-Rosales, S., & MacDonald, R. P. F. (2016b). Taking full responsibility: The ethics of supervision in behavior analytic practice. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 9(4), 299-308. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-016-0144-x Sellers, T. P., Valentino, A. L., Landon, T. J., & Aiello, S. (2019). Board certified behavior analysts’ supervisory practices of trainees: Survey results and recommendations. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 12(3), 536-546. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-019-00367-0 Turner, L. B., Fischer, A. J., & Luiselli, J. K. (2016). Towards a competency-based, ethical, and socially valid approach to the supervision of applied behavior analytic trainees. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 9(4), 287-298. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-016-0121-4

Board certified behavior analysts

The term “treatment refractory” is generally used across disciplines to describe conditions that do not respond to treatment or do not respond to a prescribed hierarchy of established treatments. For example, in psychiatry conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia are often labeled treatment refractory. In behavior analysis, the identification of behavior function(s) leads to a specific set of treatment interventions that are likely to be effective in reducing the frequency of the assessed problem behavior. Yet, for some individuals, problem behaviors persist despite precise implementation of well-established treatment packages. Here, we explore the concept of treatment refractory problem behaviors. First, characteristics, criteria, and implications of treatment refractory conditions outside of behavior analysis are reviewed. Second, factors contributing to the development of treatment refractory behaviors are discussed. Finally, specific individual cases of treatment refractory problem behaviors are reviewed and discussed. The conceptual of treatment refractory problem behaviors is important for treatment selection, consumer education, and research.

The participants should have knowledge or the range of interventions and experience with treatment refractory cases.

The term “treatment refractory” is generally used across disciplines to describe conditions that do not respond to treatment or do not respond to a prescribed hierarchy of established treatments. For example, in psychiatry conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia are often labeled treatment refractory. In other medical specialties, treatment refractory conditions are routinely described and defined (e.g. neurology defines treatment refractory and even super-refractory status epilepticus). Here we review the terminology and criteria that have been utilized by other disciplines. In some cases, refractory simply implies that no treatment has caused a therapeutic effect. However, in other cases, treatment refractory implies a certain set of treatment procedures have been implemented and failed. In all cases, treatment refractory does not preclude the possibility that some intervention will be efficacious.

Despite the decades of evidence of the effectiveness of ABA-based procedures for the autism population, critics of ABA continue to express their discontent with our field. From former consumers becoming self-advocates to behavior analysts denouncing the practice of ABA, it is clear that there is some work to do if we want to continue to honor the socially significant dimension of our field and embody the foundational principles of our Ethics Code. This presentation will identify specific interpersonal skills aimed at building a compassionate, empathetic, and culturally competent therapeutic repertoire that can help practitioners build capacity in establishing trust and rapport and promote a collaborative and compassionate therapist-client relationship.

Attendees at the MA or Ph.D. level with interest in behavioral economics of substance use

Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate student.

In 1959 Noam Chomsky published a famously scathing review of Skinner’s 1957 book, Verbal Behavior. For the next 30 or so years, invoking the role of the child’s language environment in explaining acquisition was viewed positively only in limited clinical and restricted educational contexts, while the majority of legitimate child language researchers focused on children’s acquisition of rules and abstract patterns remote from their actual verbal behavior. However, the role of the child’s language environment was never fully ignored as a research topic, and in the last 30 years has regained legitimacy as an explanation for individual and group differences in rate and course of acquisition. Although some might take this as an affirmation of the claims in Verbal Behavior, child language researchers would vehemently reject that interpretation, noting, for example, the central role that must be attributed to infants’ innate social-pragmatic categories and their general cognitive capacities, which far transcend the learning mechanisms Skinner posited. This talk will summarize the findings supporting a role for variation in the child’s language environment in explaining aspects of language development, and argue that the polarizing dispute between Skinner and Chomsky retarded progress toward understanding how children’s innate socio-pragmatic skills and linguistic input interact to support language development.

Purchase one of the many available titles at the bookstore and stop by to have it signed by the author!

Meet presenters to discuss their research, ask questions, or just say "hi."

Authors:

• Alexandra Protopopova (Table 1)
• Aubyn Stahmer (Table 2)
• Yukiko Washio (Table 3)
• Mary Jane Weiss (Table 4)

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Transferability of resistance to change was assessed. On Experiment 1, five pigeons were exposed to a control and experimental conditions. Control condition consisted of pigeons trained on a multiple schedule, with a rich component (VI 30s) and a lean component (VI 120s), signaled by different key lights. Pigeons were then exposed to the presentation of a pair of neutral stimuli, with no programmed consequences. Extinction and prefeeding probe sessions were done afterwards with the presentation of the neutral and discriminative stimuli. Experimental condition consisted on the same manipulations, however, pigeons were exposed to a second order conditioning procedure, using the neutral stimuli as second order stimuli and discriminative stimuli of the multiple schedule as first order stimuli. Probes were done afterwards. Results are interpreted according to Behavioral Momentum Theory, assessing transfer of function. Experiment 2, assessed transfer of persistence with five pigeons without a control condition. Pigeons were exposed directly to experimental conditions, as mentioned above, in order to avoid effects of history. Extinction probes were done in order to assess persistence to both neutral and discriminative stimuli.

When confronted with a choice between a smaller-sooner reinforcer (SSR) and a larger-later reinforcer (LLR), selecting the SSR over the LLR is considered impulsive. These two options differ in both magnitude and delay. The present study sought to develop an experimental arrangement to determine how each of these reinforcer dimensions contribute to impulsive choice. Rats responded under a concurrent-chains procedure. The magnitude and delay for one option was constant across the experiment, whereas the magnitude and delay for the other option changed across session blocks. Baseline data indicated that choice was controlled by the combined effects of reinforcement magnitude and delay. Using the generalized matching equation, sensitivity to magnitude was, on average, slightly higher than sensitivity to delay (.83 vs. .77, respectively) but this varied somewhat across rats. These data suggest this may be a practical and efficient method for quantifying the impact of the individual reinforcer dimensions when choice involves combinations of reinforcement dimensions (e.g., impulsive choice) in rats. Such a method may provide a sensitive baseline to examine the effects of neurobiological manipulations (e.g., drug administration) on impulsive choice.

Based on the assumption that meaningful stimuli can be members of pre-experimentally established equivalence classes, this ongoing research aims to assess the reliability of online sorting tests for verifying pre-experimental relations. Ten participants were asked to sort 40 pictures based on what they considered as correct and then, to name the sorted sets. These pictures were taken from seven likely pre-experimental classes; Birds (A1B1C1D1E1), Vessels (A2B2C2D2), Gardening (A3B3C3D3), Dentistry (A4B4C4D4E4F4), Baking (A5B5C5D5E5F5), Car Mechanics (A6B6C6D6E6F6), and Abstract items (A7B7C7E7F7G7H7I7). Each class comprised physically similar and dissimilar pictures in order to assess non-arbitrary and arbitrary relations. Five participants sorted stimuli according to the expected classes. Three participants mixed classes and named them according to their mixed features (e.g., P101 blended Birds and Gardening classes and named them as one single class, “Nature”). Two participants sorted Abstract items into different classes. Partial results support sorting as a reliable strategy for assessing stimulus relations. Although participants have mostly sorted the pictures as expected, differences were exhibited when they clustered pre-experimentally defined classes. Naming requirements may help to identify discriminative controls for relational responses. Future stages will expand the size of each class and analyze the consistency of relations across participants.

Previous research has found that choice in and of itself can be a reinforcer; however, research has also found there are limits to this, such as when there are too many choices. The current study, replicated and extended behavior-economic research using behavior-analytic methods by (a) determining the prevalence of preference for choice in a large number of adults, (b) evaluating large numbers of options on preference for choice and satisfaction, and (c) evaluating the effects of time constraints on an individual’s preference for choice and satisfaction with those choices. Results showed that many participants preferred choice over no-choice contexts. One third of the participants reached a breaking point during the choice overload phase and time constraint phase. Additionally, results indicated that it was more difficult to choose when there were more choices and when there was less time. These findings demonstrate that offering extensive amounts of options may have negative effects but suggest further research be conducted on more substantial contexts.

Conditioned reinforcement is widely used in applied behavior analysis, but variables influencing its efficacy are not well understood. Pavlovian learning underlies conditioned reinforcement and larger C:t ratios facilitate that learning (C is the inter-reinforcer interval and t is the conditioned stimulus (CS) ---> reinforcer interval). Following Pavlovian training with nonhumans, the CS evokes sign-tracking (CS approach) and/or goal-tracking (feeder entry). Prior studies have shown that larger C:t values promote sign-tracking, and separate studies report that the CS is more reinforcing in rats’ that naturally sign-track. In this rat study, we combined these separate findings by manipulating C:t values across groups (1.75, 3.5, and 12). Sign-tracking was measured during training and CS reinforcer efficacy was measured in sessions in which an operant nosepoke produced the CS alone. With data-collection ongoing, more sign-tracking occurs in the C:t 12 than in the 1.75 group (Figure 1). The amount of sign-tracking was a significant predictor of operant responding for the CS on testing day 1 (Figure 2). Finally, C:t 12 rats responded more for the CS than C:t 3.5 rats; the difference between C:t 1.75 and 12, thus far, only approaches significance. These findings suggest C:t ratios and sign-tracking play a role in conditioned reinforcer efficacy.

For autistic adults, social skills can often be a challenge that impacts the ability to make and maintain meaningful relationships, and currently there is limited research on social skills interventions. The current study investigated the effectiveness of social skills instruction delivered via telehealth in a community-based program for autistic adults. Ten adults aged 23-36 years with a diagnosis of autism or other developmental disability and their support staff participated in this study. During the program, participants attended weekly virtual social skills instruction, supplemented by homework assignments to practice skills. Instruction was based on PEERS®, an evidence-based intervention for young adults with autism. Data were analyzed using a paired-samples t test. Results indicated that participants’ scores significantly increased (t(8) = -4.21, p = .00) on a knowledge assessment based on PEERS® content from pretest (M = 29.89, SD = 5.44) to posttest (M = 36.11, SD = 2.52) shown in Figure 1. Staff and participants both rated the intervention as having high social validity, shown in Figure 2. These results suggest that a virtual social skills intervention based on PEERS® was associated with increased knowledge assessment scores in autistic adults and could be used in a community setting.

This study examined an intervention package using a group contingency and public posting to increase the on-task behaviors of youth cheerleaders. Previous research has used group contingencies and public posting to increase on-task behaviors. Additional research has used treatment packages including one of these interventions, but not both. We used an intervention package, using both a group contingency and public posting, to increase pro-social behaviors, including on-task behaviors. Currently, there is no research using these specific components in an intervention package to increase on-task behaviors in a sports team. In this current study, a withdrawal design was used with a team of junior high cheerleaders to increase on-task behaviors. Momentary time sampling was used to record the on-task behaviors of each member of the team. Public posting and an interdependent group contingency were used to reinforce the on-task behaviors of the participants. The results of the first intervention phase showed an increase in on-task behaviors, with a decline during return to baseline, and an immediate increase with the return to intervention. The results showed the intervention package using a group contingency and public posting was successful in increasing the on-task behaviors of youth cheerleaders.

Around 60% of smokers attempt to quit smoking, but only 4% of those attempts without cessation assistance are successful, and proven behavioral and pharmacological interventions raise the percentage between 7% to 15% (World Health Organization, 2021). This study aimed to assess a pattern-setting program as a behavioral technology to reduce smoking behavior. First, we report a single case pre-experiment based upon a proposal advanced by Rachlin for establishing patterns within his soft commitment framework (2016). When the program started, the participant smoked around 11 cigarettes per day and ceased to smoke entirely at the end of the intervention after 117 days. The next step is to run an experiment with a larger sample, a control group, and a group evaluating only the effect of self-monitoring over smoking behavior. Finally, we discuss some limitations and suggest strategies to assess pattern-setting to help smokers who want to quit smoking and how new and effective behavioral technologies facilitate smoking cessation.

Selective mutism is characterized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) as the consistent failure to speak in specific social situations (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). There are several treatment approaches in the literature for the treatment of selective mutism, including pharmacological, psychodynamic, cognitive, family systems, multimodal, and behavioral (Cohan et al., 2006). The behavioral conceptualization of selective mutism is that it is a learned behavior – and one that typically serves an attention or escape from anxiety function (Cohan et al., 2006). Behavioral interventions typically combine strategies, such as contingency management (Amari et al., 1999), graduated exposure/systematic desensitization (Ale et al., 2013), intensive exposure (Bunnell & Beidel, 2013), systematic prompt fading (Beare et al., 2008), self-modeling (Blum et al., 1998; Kehle et al., 1990), role-playing (Fisak et al., 2006; Lang et al., 2011), social skills training (Rye & Ullman, 1999), prompting and practice opportunities (Howe & Barnett, 2013), and Social Effectiveness Therapy (SET; Fisak et al., 2006). The purpose of this poster is to present the results of a literature review of behavioral interventions to treat selective mutism. Results will be discussed within the context of practical implications and suggestions for future research.

Teaching with acoustical guidance (TAG) is a behavioral intervention that involves the delivery of an audible stimulus contingent on the performance of the desired response (Stokes et al., 2010), and may also be used in intervention packages, such as TAGteach (TAGteach International, 2004). TAG, TAGteach, or both, have been evaluated in a variety of domains including sports (e.g., Ennett et al., 2020; Harrison & Pyles, 2013; Quinn et al., 2015), gait rehabilitation (Baram & Miller; 2007; Cassamassima et al., 2014), and daily living skills (Wertalik et al., 2018); however, the terms TAG and TAGteach have been used somewhat inconsistently in the literature. The purpose of this poster is to discuss the findings of our scoping review on TAG and TAGteach interventions and to explicitly differentiate these two interventions. This scoping review followed the systematic methodology guidelines outlined in PRISMA-SR. In doing so, we searched MEDLINE, PsychINFO, and ERIC to locate peer-reviewed articles written in English that incorporated an audible stimulus to provide feedback during skill acquisition. Two independent reviewers screened the articles and extracted and synthesized the data. The results will be discussed within the context of practical implications and suggestions for future research.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of presession and interspersed attention in the disruptive behaviors and academic achievement of an elementary school student with disruptive behavior. Social validity measures were also conducted at the completion of the study to determine the student’s perception of the intervention as well as the teacher’s opinions pertaining to the feasibility of implementation and overall effectiveness of the intervention. Visual analysis of results indicated a decrease in disruptive behaviors during both presession and interspersed interventions, as well as an overall increase in academic achievement across treatment conditions. Social validity measures indicated the student was satisfied overall with the intervention and felt that it had a positive impact on his classroom behavior. Additionally, social validity measures completed by the classroom teacher indicated that while both interventions were reasonable to implement, appropriate for addressing the student’s disruptive behaviors, did not detract from the learning environment, and possibly improved classroom productivity, she preferred the presession attention intervention based on its simplicity and ease of implementation.

The functional analysis of verbal behavior requires an evaluation of responses across multiple sources of control. These data are typically arranged for visual analysis using time-series graphs or pie charts that treat each verbal operant independently of one another. Here, we extend the work of Porter and Niksiar (2018) by exploring the use of a multidimensional visualization strategy to compare the relative performance distributions of verbal behavior across N ≥ 3 properties on a radial, multi-axis radar chart. Leveraging the radar chart's plotting of data in the form of closed polygonal profiles affords the use of shape descriptors for quantitative comparisons. Through multiple-exemplar training, we demonstrate the multiple control over verbal behavior, and explore visual analyses of stimulus overselectivity. We also compare the relative strength of functionally distinct verbal operants to demonstrate the potential of radar charts for multidimensional models of the composite verbal repertoire.

Individuals with an intellectual or developmental disability experience poorer postsecondary outcomes compared to same-age peers. Research identified barriers to employment include soft skills. This single case study examined the application of self-evaluation to employable soft skill behaviors for three individuals with an intellectual or developmental disability. Technology was integrated into the evaluation process to increase efficiency. All participants worked in a Project SEARCH site for the majority of their school day fully immersed in an authentic work experience program. This study explored the effect of self-evaluation on a self-selected target employable soft skill behavior, how closely student self-evaluation scores matched with job coach evaluation scores, and the potential relation to self-determination. Data collection were halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic; however, results demonstrated self-evaluation may be a promising practice applied to employable soft skills. As students participated in the self-evaluation intervention, their target behaviors increased, and scores began to trend similarly to the job coach evaluation scores. Social validity evaluation showed key stakeholders felt the intervention was useful, easy to implement, and an important skill to learn to improve self-determined behaviors. Findings from this study provide practitioners with a practical, easy to incorporate strategy within an authentic work experience program.

Some human and non-human animals have been shown to prefer free-choice over forced-choice conditions, even when both conditions result in identical consequences. Some variables that may influence this preference for choice include variability of items, differing probabilities of reinforcement, and array size. Previous research has shown increasing array size to both increase and decrease individuals’ preferences of choice-making opportunities. Methodologically, these studies have varied and do not hold the probability of reinforcement or reinforcer loss steady. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the main and interactive effects of (a) array size and (b) reinforcer probability on school-aged children’s preference for choice-making conditions.

Dance is a form of physical activity that may improve motor skills and coordination while simultaneously providing opportunities for social interaction and development of socio-emotional skills. A manualized program, Dance with a B-E-A-T! (Behavior Analysis and Therapy), combines recreational dance with components of behavior analysis and therapy to help facilitate improvements in motor skills, social skills, emotional regulation, and self-coping. Building on a pilot study completed by Davis and colleagues, the present study evaluated a similar program incorporating behavioral components such as antecedent strategies, positive reinforcement, shaping, priming, task analyses, and a token economy. In collaboration with day treatment staff of a mental health centre, the blended program was integrated within the school program provided by children’s day treatment. The intensive dance program was offered for five consecutive days to five participants who were 7-9 years of age from the same cohort according to COVID-19 protocol. These children presented with challenges including Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Oppositional Defiant Disorder. The aim of this project was to evaluate a behavior therapy and dance program to teach three dance combinations and examine collateral benefits. Observational probes at pre- and post-test measured percent of dance skills completed correctly (as per the task analyses), and in-person semi-structured interviews with a counsellor and elementary school teacher evaluated satisfaction and perceived challenges of the program within day treatment. Results suggest a positive impact on the motor skills of participants and high consumer satisfaction.

This study investigated the effects of Behavior Skills Training (BST) on classroom staff transfer of stimulus control techniques. These techniques included both least to most prompting procedures and the Limit-One Sd Delivery Method, limiting discriminative stimulus delivery to only one per opportunity. This study addressed the lack of training and knowledge of these techniques for classroom staff represented in the current literature. Without proper and systematic transfer of stimulus control, students are at risk of becoming prompt dependent, yet independent responding is essential for individuals with disabilities to live as independently as possible in their adult lives. The results of this study demonstrate that BST is an effective procedure to teach transfer of stimulus control techniques; all staff data represented an increase in their skills of prompting and Sd delivery. Although BST proved to be effective for the purposes of the current study, further research is needed, including more effective strategies for generalization and ways to address emotional distress that came with learning new, difficult skills with BST in this study.

There has been an increasing interest in using relational training procedures during clinical interventions for autistic individuals. The current study investigated the effect of using multiple exemplar training (MET) in promoting the derivation of untrained stimulus-stimulus relationship for a 7-year-old autistic boy in teaching causality. The participant was first taught to answer five why- questions on providing the rationale for an action (A-B training). For example, the participant was asked, “why do you laugh,” and an acceptable answer was, “because I hear a joke.” After reaching the mastery criteria, probes were conducted in several 10-trial blocks where the participant was asked to answer five novel corresponding what- questions (B-A testing). For example, the participant was asked, “what do you do when you hear a joke?” Results showed that the participant failed to show derivation. MET was subsequently delivered with two stimulus classes serving as exemplars. Following the MET, the participant successfully derived the correct response for the three remaining class members during the B-A testing. Implications for using MET during clinical interventions were discussed.

Applied behavior analysis and autism spectrum disorder diagnosis are two emerging areas in China resulting in large responsibilities placed on new BCBAs. Like the US, China is creating a certification system, however, their system is a leveled, unique certification system with two additional technician-like certifications. Regardless of the credential, behavior analytic professionals must rely on literature when seeking effective and conceptually systematic interventions. Furthermore, practitioners in therapeutic and educational fields such as ABA often find themselves educating families on their child’s diagnosis while providing vetted resources with accurate information. In China, literature is typically accessed through a university or purchased on an individual bases. As such, Chinese practitioners of ABA need to be aware of trending and accessible literature. This poster will review trends related to behavior analytic interventions but will extend the review beyond ABA interventions by also reviewing trends related to additional non-medical interventions related to individuals with autism spectrum disorder.

Social skills groups are used to provide opportunities for learners to practice social skills with peers regularly. Groups are typically organized based on age and interests, and are offered for kids, preteens, teens and young adults. Social skills groups are usually conducted face-to-face, however, during the COVID-19 crisis, conducting social skills groups in person presented many challenges. Telehealth has evolved as a new platform for participants to gather virtually to continue developing their social skills. Without the social interactions learners typically access while in school, participating in a social skills group virtually provides a safe and supportive environment where they can continue to learn the skills needed to improve social-emotional development. Compared to in-person social skills groups, through the use of Telehealth, we’ve been able to increase both the number of different social skills groups being conducted at a given time as well as the number of participants attending each group. Additionally, we have been able to increase the variety of groups we offer and further specialize them to their ages and needs. Social skills through Telehealth is a service delivery model that has offered us the opportunity to increase our outreach and will continue to post-pandemic.

Research on the effects of parental stress on a child’s cognitive function has insubstantial results, particularly among children with potential Autism trait. The current study examined whether parental stress is associated with cognitive scores among children with potential Autism trait relative to children without Autism trait. A subsample of 97 mothers and their 5-year-old children was extracted from the Stress in Pregnancy Study. Mothers completed a Parenting Stress Index, reporting magnitude of stress in the parent, and an Autism Spectrum Quotient questionnaire, disclosing possible Autism trait in their child. Children were administered the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence to assess different domains of cognitive function. A two-by-two Factorial ANOVA was conducted to compare main effects of predictors (parental stress and child’s potential Autism trait) and its interaction on child’s cognitive performance. The results showed a significant interaction toward the Children Full Scale IQ, F(1, 93)= 11.46, p= .001, Verbal Comprehension, F(1, 93)= 6.54, p= .01, Visual Spatial, F(1, 93)= 4.64, p= .03, Fluid Reasoning, F(1, 93)= 5.81, p= .02, and Working Memory, F(1, 93)= 13.25, p< .001. Notably, there was an increase in cognitive function among children with potential Autism trait and higher stress parent.

Squirrels by nature are not domesticated. In this behavioral experiment, a wild and untamed squirrel was trained to reach out and take food from the hands of the experimenter and others within 10 feet periphery in an open environment using shaping procedures through a changing-criterion design. The initial target behavior was reaching out to take food from distance. A step-by-step modification of target behaviors was planned and introduced in order to receive food. Using shaping procedures for systematic delivery of reinforcement for the achievement of successive target behaviors was established. The subject showed 100% mastery and acquired 9 different target behaviors in 28 days. The average latency reduced from 24.1 sec for Target Behaviour-1 to 2.9 sec for Target Behavior-9. In addition to achieving the target operant class, the subject also showed additional behaviors (accepting gentle strokes, showing up on its own, lingering around, making sustained eye contact, etc.) and generalization across people as the behavior-consequence contingency was strengthened.

This poster extends the generality of finding showing that polydipsia is induced by food delivery acting as a phylogenetical important event (PIE). Spontaneously Hypertensive (SHR) and Lewis (LEW) rats pressed on two levers simultaneously available in the initial link of a concurrent-chains procedure. Two random interval schedules (conc RI 11s RI 11 s) arranged entries to two terminal links. One terminal link delayed the delivery of 4-food pellets according to 6-delay components (0.1, 5, 10, 20, 40, and 80 s) randomly presented in the session. The other terminal link delivered 1-food pellet immediately. In one condition (W) a 100-ml bottle containing tap water was continuously available in the session recording the behavior of licking the metal tube of the bottle. In the no water condition (NW) an empty bottle was placed in the chamber. The SHRs developed a stronger polydipsia than the LEWs, with the SHRs showing a higher number of licks than the LEWs to start each cycle, during the initial and terminal links of each cycle, and during the 60-s blackout following each delay component. These results support the idea that the LEW is an appropriate control for the SHR rat, showing more motor impulsivity induced by food (liking behavior) in the latter than in the former strain of rats.

Previous studies have reported that individual vs. gregarious-housing conditions affects spatial behavior in a food-searching task in rats. Also, literature has shown that effort to obtain food affects food-searching behavior. The present study evaluated the effect of early exposure to individual vs gregarious housing and two conditions of access to food (restricted vs free) on the spatial food-searching behavior in rats. Six male-Wistar rats (38 days old) were exposed, for 19 weeks, to one housing condition (Individual N=3; Gregarious N=3); and then they were exposed to a food searching task, in a 1mx1m arena with nine food containers in two conditions (restricted vs free) for 12 sessions. We compared the spatial behavior (routes, recurrence, time in zone, distance, and entropy) between housing and food access conditions. We discuss the results in terms of the modulating function of these variables over the spatial behavior in a food-searching task.

Common approaches used to describe and analyze the demand for reinforcers have undergone several permutations over approximately the past two decades (e.g., exponential, exponentiated, mixed-effects modeling, zero-bounded, etc.). The aim of each approach is to fit a curve most precisely to data used to quantitatively describe complex cost-reinforcer relationships. Further, each of the above methods has improved upon the others by accounting for more of the data or reducing the number of parameters. This poster will propose to re-purpose a commonly used approach to describe a different type of behavioral economic data - discounting. We will demonstrate the use of an alternative approach for the purposes of analyzing demand data, using a one-parameter exponential decay, a one-parameter hyperbola model. We re-analyzed published data on dosage-level effects (Ko et al., 2002; Winger et al., 2002). Results suggest that a hyperbola model provides a reasonable description of the data (Mean R2 = .90; Median = .95; SD = .14) comparable to other newly proposed one-parameter models of demand (e.g., zero-bounded). We will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the use of a hyperbola model to analyze demand (e.g., to describe a relationship with discounting).

In order to explore relational behavior in animals, rats were exposed to a discrete-trial successive-discrimination procedure using different pairs of auditory stimuli. The length of stimuli was 5s, 10s and 15s and reinforcement was contingent upon a lever-pressing response if and only if the second stimulus presented was longer (Group 1) or shorter (Group 3) than the first stimulus. For the other two groups of rats, refraining from responding in negative trials was also followed by reinforcement. Percentages of obtained reinforcers were similarly low for all groups of rats but for different reasons. Rats in groups 1 and 2 usually responded in both positive and negative trials, while rats in groups 3 and 4 tended to stop responding in both kinds of trials. Results are discussed in relation to previous experiments on transposition.