Association for Behavior Analysis International

Revive and refresh from the busy conference with this yoga session open to all. No experience necessary to participate. A registered yoga teacher (RYT 200) will take you through this 1 hour long mixed level yoga class.

This paper presentation will review progress made in one state agency across several projects of interest. A disproportionately small number of consumers engage in target behaviors that have the greatest intensity and resultant consequences such as admission to Crisis Stabilization Units (CSUs), emergency room visits, and incarceration. The Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD) is a government agency who is tasked with funding and overseeing behavioral and medical supports for these “high watch consumers”. By creating a “High Watch List” of qualifying aberrant behaviors and/or acute medical episodes, APD can provide additional resources for these individuals in the form of more frequent oversight and technical assistance on individualized recommendations. In this way, a larger allocation of time and resources can be more focused to effect long term outcomes. Additionally, proactive recommendations to prevent future episodes can result in more stabilized living settings, consistent service delivery, and potential higher indices of satisfaction of services received by consumers. The results of this project has the potential for applicable state agencies to develop similar processes to serve consumers that have a disproportionately higher level of impactful behaviors that addressed successfully, can improve the quality of service provision while lowering long term costs.

Dog ownership has been shown to provide many benefits to humans, such as increased and regular walking, improved cardiovascular health, as well as increased social interactions. However, dogs can display behaviours that are problematic for their owners and their respective social environment. Such behaviours include jumping up on people or aggressive responses toward other individuals. In an effort to alleviate their dogs’ problematic behaviour, owners often reach out to companion animal behaviourists or trainers. However, the interventions’ effectiveness and their outcomes can be variable, especially if there are a lack of resources, such as time, skills, and finances. Unresolved problem behaviour in dogs often leads to a breakdown of the owner-dog relationship and may result in relinquishment and euthanasia. Therefore, our research is aimed at investigating the characteristics of behavioural interventions that may contribute to their ease of implementation and effectiveness (e.g., clicker training and time-based delivery of reinforcers). This presentation will introduce our work on systematically testing intervention components, such as modelling or feedback. We identified variables maintaining problematic behaviour through functional behaviour assessments, and implemented interventions based on respective information. Attendees will learn about the effectiveness of different intervention components, the time-based response-independent delivery of reinforcers (i.e., noncontingent reinforcement) and clicker training.

Applied behaviour analysts, animal behaviourists, students, and dog owners

As a long-time dog owner (since 1994) and a “Dog Trainer Certified According to Animal Welfare and Protection Legislation” (awarded by the Austrian Ministry of Health and the Messerli Research Institute), Nicole founded her own dog training business in 2008, Happy-Fellow® Coaching & Seminars. Since then she has worked with a range of clients whose dogs display problematic behaviours, such as fear-related behaviour, inter- and intraspecific aggression or stereotypic behaviours. Additionally to her work as a behaviour consultant, Nicole frequently teaches retrieving classes as a fun and stimulating activity for all dogs but also for dog-owner teams participating in retriever-specific competitions. Nicole holds a BSc (Hons) degree in Applied Animal Behaviour from the University of Portsmouth (UK) and a MSc degree in Applied Behaviour Analysis from Queen’s University Belfast (UK). Currently, Nicole is working toward her Ph.D. in Biological Sciences with an emphasis in Behaviour Analysis at Queen’s University Belfast. She conducts research on canine learning, human-dog interactions and owner training from a behaviour-analytic perspective.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is one of the most researched conditions within the field of psychology and education. While ABA-based early intervention is considered the most effective evidence-based comprehensive approach to increase skills and reduce problem behaviour in young children affected by ASD, behaviour analysis has yet to provide an analysis of the unique repertoires of children with autism. Instead, the most widely accepted explanations of learning deficits associated with ASD are almost exclusively non-behavioural. In this talk I will discuss the importance of a behavioural account for understanding the unique challenges associated with ASD. At minimum, such an account must be able to address three areas of cognition, widely understood to be compromised in ASD: joint attention, theory of mind, and executive functioning. Developing a comprehensive behavioural conceptual framework that addresses these areas would give behaviour analysis a seat at a table traditionally occupied by other disciplines. Behaviour analysis may then be seen not merely as a collection of techniques to decrease problem behavior or to produce isolated skills.

behaviour analysts, speech and language therapists, education professionals

Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder and other developmental disabilities often demonstrate deficits in conversation and professional skills, and thus may have difficulty developing friendships and finding employment. The growing literature on social skills has evaluated teaching conversation and professional skills as well as using normative data to determine what skills should be taught. This symposium will begin with Sylvia Aquino presenting descriptive data on how individuals respond to preferred, neutral, and nonpreferred topics of conversations. The authors found that the frequency of comments and length of utterances changed depending on the type of conversation topic. The second presenter, Whitney Pubylski-Yanofchick will discuss teaching adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder to initiate and respond to professional emails. As a result of a sequential training progression from group instruction to individualized training with feedback and error correction, all participants learned to compose professional emails. Last, Brandt Kail will discuss teaching adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder to use virtual platforms and interact with others in a virtual setting. Using behavioral skills training, feedback, and reinforcement, all participants acquired the necessary requisite skills to be successful in virtual meetings.

BACB and SLP

The COVID-19 pandemic has created an environment where social and professional interactions are more likely to occur in a virtual setting than ever before. In this study, 4 adults with ASD were taught skills to improve participation in virtual meetings. Participants learned how to use their microphones and cameras more appropriately and to make encouraging statements to one another while discussing current events and vocational-based lessons via Zoom™. The experimenter used a multiple baseline design across behaviors to evaluate the effects of behavioral skills training, feedback, and reinforcement in the form of praise, virtual tokens, and gift cards to increase the targeted behaviors during 2-hour virtual sessions. Skills increased and maintained at levels substantially above baseline even after the experimenter faded the contingencies for appropriate responding and delivered reinforcement solely for attendance. Tests for generalization across instructors and activities yielded promising results. These findings suggest that adults with ASD can benefit from group-based telehealth ABA services to improve skills needed to interact successfully with others in a virtual format.

Adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience challenges securing and maintaining employment. One requisite skill to employment is professional conduct. Although there are a cluster of behaviors related to professional conduct, one skill in which unprofessional behavior can become apparent is writing and responding to professional emails. The purpose of this study was to teach adults with ASD to initiate and respond to professional emails. Our participants were five adult males diagnosed with ASD. All participants attended a university-based employment support program. We rated their emails on the level of professionalism. We used behavioral skills training to teach the participants via remote instruction to initiate and respond to professional emails based on vignettes. BST training components were systematically introduced from most efficient (i.e., group instruction) to most intensive (i.e., individual training with feedback and error correction). Following the BST group training, one of the five participants met criteria on responding to professional emails. Individualized training with feedback was conducted for all five participants for one or both type of email. At least two of the participants required a more intrusive, individual training with error correction, under which one participant met mastery criterion for both types of emails. The results of this study showed that it is possible to teach adults with ASD to initiate and respond to emails in a professional manner. This is one, of many, skills that individuals of ASD will need to master in order to obtain and maintain employment.

Humans are fortunate, in that their behavior can greatly impact their health. Many behaviors can promote health, wellness, and longevity (e.g., physical activity, healthy food choice, and treatment compliance.) However, there are also behaviors that negatively impact health and wellness (e.g., alcohol consumption, sedentary behavior, unhealthy food choices, risky sexual behavior). Unfortunately, the “unhealthy” behaviors are often associated with immediate and highly probable reinforcers, while the “healthy” behaviors have delayed and uncertain reinforcers. Two areas within behavior analysis can inform this competing reinforcer problem: contingency management and behavioral economics. Behavioral economic approaches allow researcher to characterize the value of reinforcers for health-related behaviors. Contingency management research primarily focuses on the use of differential reinforcement of health-promoting behaviors. This presentation will give brief backgrounds on these two areas in the context of health promotion. Data will be presented highlighting factors that impact the efficacy and feasibility of these interventions (e.g., reinforcer type, immediacy of consequences, cost of intervention, goal-setting criteria, and length of intervention.)

Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students. 

Dr. Wendy Donlin Washington is an associate professor of Psychology at University of North Carolina Wilmington. She received her Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from Auburn University under the direction of Dr. Christopher Newland, and then completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine working with Kenneth Silverman and Maxine Stitzer in developing behavioral treatments for drug abuse. She has conducted research in the areas of contingency management, behavioral toxicology and pharmacology, and behavioral economics. Her current research has focused on using behavioral interventions, like contingency management, to treat health related behaviors such as drug use and physical activity. She has served as Membership Board Coordinator for ABAI since 2016, is on the board of editors for Perspectives on Behavioral Science and Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

If we truly intend to improve and impact the world with behavior analysis, it is imperative for researchers and clinicians alike to embark on new areas in which the field of behavior analysis has the ability to address cultural injustices that limit marginalized populations, women, and black, indigenous people of colour (BIPOC). Our field has the ability to inform and create change that will have collateral impacts on society to combat systemic barriers that limit those without societal privilege. An overview will be conducted of current societal norms with respect to racism, healthcare, and economic inequalities and ways in which behaviour analysis can analyze contingencies to improve access and opportunities for marginalized populations. Behaviour analytic interventions centred around processes highlighting how to deconstruct racism, remediate the healthcare system using behavioral economics, and income inequality will be discussed.

Advanced. BCBAs and BCBA-Ds. Discuss how we can effectively implement behavior change at any larger scale, such as community wide… Our field has struggled to apply change initiatives beyond small groups and individuals.

Over the last several years, there has been a push for the field of applied behavior analysis ABA to become more inclusive to individuals from culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) backgrounds and to adapt evidence-behavioral interventions to meet the needs of individuals from such groups. To address these issues, the field must (a) identify racial and ethnic groups that have been historically underrepresented in behavior analytic research, and (b) identify methods for adapting evidence-based behavioral interventions to meet the needs of individuals from CLD backgrounds and their families. Therefore, the purpose of this symposium is to present a series of research studies that examine the representation of individuals from CLD backgrounds in the behavioral intervention research and methods for adapting such interventions based on the cultural values and preferences of the individual and their families. Major findings of each study will be presented and discussed. Additionally, presenters will provide attendees with strategies to enhance the cultural relevance of behaviorally-based interventions in practice.

Participants should have a basic understanding of single-case experimental research and behaviorally-based interventions

English language development is a critical component for young children’s school readiness. In this study, we examined the effect of Read it again-Pre-K! (Justice, 2013), that is an evidence-based literacy curriculum designed to prepare young children’s school readiness on Korean Dual language learners’ English literacy skill. Adopting a multiple probe design, eight Korean Dual language learners received online synchronous daily instructions over 2 months during the summer before their entering to the Kindergarten programs. Through the intervention, all eight children demonstrated increases in the use of English vocabulary, story comprehension and oral fluency.

Interventions based on the principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA) have been shown to be effective in reducing challenging behavior and improving academic, social, and functional skills for students with disabilities. While some reviews have summarized participant demographics, the reviews have been limited to specific populations or interventions. Thus, the purpose of this systematic review was to analyze all single-case intervention studies that implemented behaviorally-based interventions for individuals across all disability categories disabilities between the ages of 6-22. Over 600 peer-reviewed articles were obtained via a systematic database search and were coded for specific demographic information. Demographic information, including race, gender, language intervention was delivered in, disability diagnosis, socioeconomic status, was extracted from each study and analyzed. Data were also extracted on the dependent variable, intervention setting, and intervention agent to determine the contexts in which the interventions were implemented. Additionally, the methodological quality of each included study was evaluated against the What Works Clearinghouse design standards. Results of the systematic review revealed major gaps in the implementation of behaviorally-based interventions for several racial and ethnic groups, transgender and non-binary students, and students who receive intervention in languages other then English. Implications for future research and recommendations for adapting behaviorally-based interventions based on individual participant characteristics will be discussed.

Between 10% and 15% of the population of individuals with intellectual and developmental disability engage in severe problem behavior. At times, many of these cases appear to be treatment-resistant. Therefore, clinicians may spend a disproportionate amount of time working and re-working assessment and treatment plans. It is imperative that the behavior analytic field continue working towards generating research that may expedite client recovery for these severe cases. The current symposium features two studies targeting different research gaps in the severe problem behavior literature. The first addresses the issue around the general absence of an objective operational definition for the term severe. The second describes an assessment strategy evaluating preference assessment stability across psychotropic medication adjustments in the context of a treatment facility offering intensive behavioral programming for adults with intellectual and developmental disability who engage in high-risk problem behavior.

Behaviour analytic research evaluating psychotropic medication impact on persons with intellectual and developmental disability is relatively limited. To our knowledge, studies have yet to evaluate the impact psychotropic medications may have on preference stability across clinically indicated medications adjustments, as well as the displacement of stimulus classes. The current study will recruit approximately three adults who resided in a treatment facility for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities who engage in high-risk problem behavior. We will evaluate preference stability by conducting three types of preference assessments (edible-item, leisure-item, and combined-class) repeatedly across medication adjustments (e.g., medication increases, decreases, addition, and or removal). Once data collection is complete, we will use a Spearman rank correlation coefficient and a Kendall’s rank correlation coefficient to analyze preference stability, as well as visual analysis to evaluate displacement.

Punishment is an important behavioral-regulation mechanism relevant for learning to stop engaging in maladaptive behavior and plays an important role in both natural and programmed contingencies. Punishment procedures are effective in reducing the behavior of several species, in both basic and applied settings. However, there is a relative paucity of research on punishment. The present symposium will present recent studies on punishment. The presentations will discuss the effects of punishment on both human and non-human subjects. The first presentation will consist of a review of studies using hot air blast as a punisher with rats and will discuss its effectiveness as an aversive stimulus to be used with non-human animals. The second presentation will focus on the effects of punishment on choice when only one of two available responses is punished with escalating shock intensities and will discuss the implication of the results for quantitative models of punishment. Lastly, the third presentation will review the literature regarding the quantitative assessment of differences in loss aversion between healthy controls and individuals with psychiatric disorder and will discuss how a more accurate evaluation of loss aversion in these clinical populations can improve diagnostic clarity and assessment of treatment efficacy.

Understanding the basic principles of punishment is essential for a complete analysis of behavior. Most of the behavioral principles of punishment are based on studies with electric shock. To what extent are these principles valid to other aversive stimuli? Since 2005 the Hot Air Blast (HAB) has been used as a novel aversive stimulus in punishment experiments. The purpose of this presentation is to describe the HAB equipment and review the relevant results obtained so far. The experiments took place in an adapted conditioning chamber, with white rats as subjects, using 5s of HAB produced by a blow dryer as punishment. HAB has been effective in suppressing behavior even after 10 sessions of punishment demonstrating low habituation; its effectiveness depends on the stimulus compound (heat + air blast + sound); suppression is greater when the HAB is contingent on a response than when applied independently; it accelerates the discrimination learning when applied to the delta stimulus condition in comparison to the traditional reinforcement + extinction contingencies for the discriminative and delta stimulus respectively. Based on these experiments, we argue the HAB is an effective aversive stimulus to test the generality of the punishment principles, previously established with electric shock.

The present study investigated the effects of escalating punishment intensity and repeated exposure to punishment on choice between punished and unpunished responses in five Long Evans rats. Equal reinforcement rates were programmed for both punished and unpunished responses on a concurrent schedule during both baseline and punishment phases. During punishment, escalating shock intensities were superimposed on the schedule of reinforcement for the punished response, and the punished response produced 50-ms foot shock with p = .50. Baseline and punishment phases were replicated three more times. Greater behavior suppression and a larger shift in allocation toward the unpunished response resulted from increases in shock intensity. Additionally, repeated exposure to punishment generated greater suppression of the punished response without additional increases in the unpunished response. These results suggest that changes in behavior allocation during punishment are a function of punishment severity and that repeated exposure to punishment can enhance such effects. A better understanding of the effects of punishment severity on the relative values of the options in a concurrent schedule could have important implications for quantitative models of punishment.

Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) may have a higher risk of injury or death than typically developing peers. Teaching safety skills may prevent injuries and accidents. Development these skills relies on environmental cues and problem-solving skills, which can be especially difficult for children with ASD to acquire. Previous research has evaluated the effectiveness of variations behavioral skills training (BST) for teaching children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (DDD) how to respond in the presence of unsafe stimuli. However, research evaluating teaching procedures other than variations of BST is limited in variety. While BST has shown to be an effective method to teach safety skills, acquisition of these skills is not evaluated with individuals with an underdeveloped skill repertoire. To our knowledge, no research has been conducted to evaluate procedures other than variations of BST to teach safety skills to children with ASD. The purpose of this study was to review the literature on BST used to teach safety skills with individuals with IDD and identify pre-requisite skills required to enhance the effectiveness of BST for safety skills. Results indicated that BST was more effective for individuals with a well-developed skill repertoire when compared to under-developed skill repertoires.

Our Ethics Code guides us to promote an ethical culture in work environments (7.01) and to not engage in discriminatory practices (1.05d). As behavior analysts we have the capacity to promote better work environments for marginalized groups that face discrimination because of their sexual orientation, gender discrimination, or skin colour. Factors that are known to be impacted include: recruitment and retention, participation numbers and representation of women and black, indigenous people of colour (BIPOC) in management positions, compensation for equal work and equal pay, microaggressions, and organizational policies and hiring practices that tend to favor biases towards white cis-gendered men (Cirincione-Ulezi, 2020; Iwata & Lent, 1984; Johns, 2013; Li et al., 2019; and Odum, 2000). Behaviour analytic interventions centred around processes highlighting equality, aligning organizational values amongst employees, as well as diversity appreciation will be discussed.

Supervisors and business owners

The basic and applied sciences of behavior analysis, and its practitioners, frequently refer to behavior principles. Indeed, one of the seminal text books in the field (Millenson, 1967) was entitled, Principles of Behavior Analysis. But what are these principles? Are they all clearly and well defined? Is there a widely agreed taxonomy of these principles? Furthermore, is the concept if a behavioral principle synonymous with the concept of a behavioral process or do principles and processes differ in some important way? Finally, how do behavioral principles (and possibly processes) fit into the concept of a behavior-analytic theory, and the ongoing development of a progressive science (both basic and applied) of behavior analysis in the naturalistic, functional-analytic abstractive, and monistic tradition of Skinnerian (radical) behaviorism? The primary objective of the proposed panel is to reflect upon these questions and to discuss and consider the need, if any, for the field grapple with issues as we seek to build an increasingly mature science of behavior that can articulate readily with other life sciences.

This discussion should improve the grasp of beginning and advanced behavior analysts of important conceptual issues.

Complex mission-oriented operational environments such as space exploration seem incompatible with the rigor and control that define the behavior analytic approach. Yet, the inherent risks, strategic value, and public investment in these missions require applying the best science available to enable success. This presentation will describe the parallels between behavior analytic principles and spaceflight operations, review selected historical and recent applications of behavioral science in astronauts and other teams in isolated, confined, and extreme environments, and describe opportunities for applied behavior analysis as part of integrated multidisciplinary efforts to enable future mission success in support of those who work, live, serve, and explore on the final frontier.

Scientists, lab/department/program directors, agency program administrators

The purpose of these four studies was to evaluate the effectiveness of caregivers as change agents in the implementation of communication training interventions, preference assessments, and functional analyses. The first paper evaluated the effectiveness of a brief video model on caregiver integrity of conducting mand training with three young children with autism spectrum disorder. Results suggest that all participants acquired and maintained integrity and manding increased for two children. In the second paper, parents of children with Angleman syndrome were trained via telehealth to use prelinguistic/enhanced milieu teaching. The results indicate that most participants implemented enhanced milieu teaching with at least 85% integrity. The third paper demonstrated that two parents could be trained via telehealth to conduct trial-based functional analyses with high integrity. Finally, the fourth paper used behavioral skills training via telehealth to train parents to conduct and implement interventions based on the results of functional analyses. Findings are discussed in relation to participants’ responses related to social validity.

The target audience for this event would be BCBAs and related practitioners (e.g., special education teachers, speech-language pathologists) with interests in training caregivers to implement communication and behavior interventions via telehealth or video modeling.

We conducted brief behavioral skills training via video telehealth to train parents to conduct preference assessments, functional analysis (FA) sessions, and intervention for in-home services involving their children who engaged in severe problem behavior. Parents were able to conduct all assessment and intervention well enough to identify preferred items and function of problem behavior. Furthermore, outcomes of intervention were successful. Social validity related to parents’ experience varied and will be discussed.

“Do no harm” is a core ethical principle that dates back to Hippocrates (Bailey & Burch, 2016). Although no well-intentioned behavior analyst knowingly does harm in their clinical practice, a lack of awareness may lead to more subtle forms of harm. For example, social skills goals may teach the client to camouflage autistic traits (Gerow et al., 2019, Koegel et al., 1974), which has been associated with lack of belonging and suicidality (Cassidy et al., 2019). Failure to consider past trauma may result in the use of contraindicated procedures (Kolu, 2020) and teaching skills that are not developmentally appropriate may cause stress and be experienced as traumatic (Burts et al., 1990). While the BACB Professional and Ethical Compliance Code requires BCBAs to practice within their boundaries of competence (1.02), respect cultural differences (1.05), and individualize programs to the clients unique needs (4.03), behavior analysts don’t know what they don’t know. In this symposium autistic advocates and BCBA allies will a) define masking and discuss long-term costs, b) explore strategies to teach social skills in a more affirming manner, c) examine current BCBA training, and d) offer a more ethical approach to training from a developmental lens.

BCBAs, BCaBAs, and graduate students with a basic understanding of the behaviors associated with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder

Masking does not, as yet, truly have a clinical definition. Rather, the term might be better understood by its roots: an attempt by the Autistic people to describe and start conversations about the (overwhelmingly common) experience of trying to appear neurotypical. Teaching Autistic clients to appear neurotypical has been one of the main goals of Applied Behavior Analysis since the days of Lovaas (Lovaas, 1981), so it is imperative to understand how the Autistic community views these goals and the effort required to meet them. This talk will attempt to (a) create a working understanding of what the Autistic adults mean when discussing masking, (b) offer the opportunity to empathize with the labor that masking requires, and (c) discuss the costs of masking long term.

Applied Behavior Analysis is known for its interventions geared towards the autistic community. The Behavior Analyst Certification Board quotes intensive Applied Behavior Analysis treatment as “the most successful approach for children with autism” (BACB, 2017). It has quickly become the gold standard approach to working with autistic individuals (CDC, 2019). Despite primarily working with autistic children, there are no requirements to educate ourselves on the autistic perspective. In our current course sequence, there is a lack of education regarding the issues that impact the autism culture, trauma, and human development as a whole. Some have argued that the medical model of disability is ableist because it defines “normalcy” based on neurotypical individuals, instead of taking the viewpoint from the neurodiverse person (We Can and Must Do Better, 2013). Behavior Analysts are responsible for involving their clients in the planning and consent for behavior services (4.02), and by the end of our graduate programs we are expected to be a master of the field and autism. This presentation will: examine the shortcomings of current Applied Behavior Analysis coursework from the perspective of a recent graduate and offer strategies for newly minted Behavior Analysts to better allies to the autistic community.

Behavioral economic methods are increasingly applied in various disciplines and areas of human and non-human research. Although these approaches have good support across populations and disciplines, relatively few researchers have extended this approach and perspective to assessments and interventions for individuals with developmental disabilities (e.g., autism). Such extensions are both timely and warranted for Behavior Analysts, as behavioral economic approaches have been particularly suited to evaluating complex response-reinforcer relationships under complex, real-world conditions. The papers invited for this symposium have been selected to provide a broad, scoping review of the current state of applied behavioral economics in assessments and interventions developed for individuals with developmental disabilities. Particular emphasis is based on the behavioral economic concept of demand and novel extensions of token economy procedures. The behavioral economic concept of demand is presented here in the context of individualized reinforcer assessments and functional communication training undergoing schedule thinning. Novel extensions of the token economy are also reviewed, evaluating the effects of loss aversion on responding.

Master's level behavior analysts

Methods for evaluating individual preference and choice are regularly included in Behavior Analytic research and practice. A variety of methods have been put forward to evaluate preference though these methods rarely evaluate choices under effortful, treatment-like conditions. A fundamental disconnect between these contexts invites the possibility that stimuli identified may not be preferred in treatment-like conditions and this can jeopardize the effectiveness of otherwise appropriate treatment. Recent attempts to address this disconnect have incorporated elements of Behavioral Economics. In this study, we systematically review the scope and range of Behavioral Economic procedures that have been formally evaluated in the literature. Studies were included in the review if Behavioral Economic elements were incorporated into assessments and interventions designed for individuals with developmental disabilities. Results indicated that the level of support for assessments and interventions incorporating Behavioral Economic elements is still emerging and additional research continues to be necessary.

Matching (Herrnstein, 1961) has been demonstrated with appetitive and aversive stimuli, including when appetitive and aversive stimuli are simultaneously presented (Farley & Fantino, 1978). Interestingly, in contexts where a single response produces both reinforcement and punishment, some research has demonstrated that a punisher subtracted more value than a reinforcer added (Rasmussen & Newland, 2008). We assessed the purported asymmetry of reinforcement and punishment for three individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID). We established tokens as reinforcers and evaluated the effects of simultaneous token gain and loss schedule in a progressive manner. Losses gradually became denser to identify a schedule at which the individual would not respond. Finally, we demonstrated that the loss contingency was directly responsible for the cessation of responding, as responding maintained when an equal density of reinforcement was available for gain without the loss contingency. Mixed findings were obtained; however, these results suggest that an asymmetry between punishment and reinforcement is present for some individuals with ID. Suggestions for future research and implications for practitioners will be discussed.

Finding effective methods for teaching individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as well as teaching staff and caregiver how to implement those treatments is important. Behavior skills training (BST) has shown to be effective at teaching caregivers and staff to implement treatments. First, a review of BST teaching adults to implement treatments with individuals with ASD will be presented discussing the use of the different BST components. When teaching individuals with ASD skills, video prompts, video-enhanced schedules, and activity schedules are methods that have been shown to be effective. The results from a study comparing the effects of including highly preferred music or no music with a video-enhanced schedule will be discussed. Next, a study comparing two different teaching methods, video prompting and activity schedules, will be presented. Finally, the effects of a linked activity schedule on student vocalizations during cooperative activities will be discussed. These studies discovered a variety of different teaching methods that are effective for individuals with ASD.

Behavioral Skills Training (BST) is a performance and competency-based training intervention. Authors reviewed and synthesized thirty studies that used BST to train adult interventionists to implement behavior analytic interventions with children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Previous reviews have demonstrated that BST is an effective training intervention to teach interventionists to implement behavior analytic interventions. However, a survey of individuals entering the field of behavior analysis reported receiving training primarily through instruction, and limited exposure to rehearsal situations and practice with clients. Researchers have suggested that reliance on poorly-supported training methods may be due to the increased upfront costs and time of more intensive training packages such as BST. This review explored the common practices within the BST literature for behavior analytic training. Results indicate that trainers consistently implemented the four BST components, yet varied the method of component implementation. External validity measures such as generalization measures and outcome measures for children receiving the behavior analytic intervention were often reported. Authors also examined the length of BST training across intervention type and discussed efficiency measures studied within the corpus.

Interventions that increase exercise engagement are needed, especially for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), who are at an increased risk for living sedentary lifestyles and being overweight. Video-enhanced fitness schedules have successfully increased exercise and on-task behavior of adolescents with ASD. Research has shown that highly preferred music has also increased on-task behavior of individuals with ASD. The effects of music on a video-enhanced fitness schedule remain unknown. We evaluated the comparative effects of highly preferred music and during a control (no-music) on exercise behavior by children with ASD across video-enhanced fitness schedules using an adapted-alternating treatments design. We found that video-enhanced fitness schedules with highly preferred music were more effective and efficient in the acquisition of independent schedule-following compared to the control condition. Additionally, participants generalized the fitness schedules with highly preferred music to primary caregivers and maintained the skills at 3-weeks post mastery. Caregivers and practitioners reported the procedures and outcomes as socially valid.

Opioid overdose is a major contributor to death among U.S. citizens. This study used a computer-based education program to teach out-of-treatment adults with opioid use disorder (N=40) about opioids; preventing, detecting, and responding to an opioid overdose; and FDA-approved medications prescribed to treat opioid use disorder. The education program contained three courses. Each course presented information and required participants to answer multiple-choice questions. All answers produced immediate feedback. Participants earned incentives for providing correct answers and progressing through each course. We evaluated the program using a multiple-probe design in which a test was delivered before and after participants completed each course. Each test contained 50 questions and was divided into three subtests that corresponded to questions from each of the education courses. Accuracy on each subtest increased reliably after participants completed the course that corresponded to that subtest. Accuracy on subtests was unchanged prior to completion of the relevant course and increases in accuracy were retained across tests that followed the relevant course. These increases occurred at similar rates across participants independent of education, employment, and poverty status. We hope that this study will contribute to the body of research aimed to prevent opioid overdose.

Sibling relationships are a unique and special bond throughout the life span. Having a sibling with autism may present some extra difficulties and barriers to form a close and meaningful relationship. While siblings play an important role in the child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) life, there is no consistent method for involving siblings in treatment for individuals with ASD (Shivers & Plavnick, 2014). This research project evaluated a novel treatment package including training siblings on play strategies in combination with a sibling support group to increase positive sibling play and perceived relationship quality. Using a concurrent multiple baseline design across groups, sibling dyads will participate in the eight week online STEPS program. Specifically, the intervention package includes an online implementation of behavior skills training (BST) on simple play strategies and participation in a sibling support group. Nine sibling dyads received BST via telehealth with coaching and feedback and half of the neurotypical siblings participated in an online sibling support group. It is expected that there will be a functional relation between the intervention package and increases in neurotypical sibling fidelity of implementation, increase in the percentage of reciprocal play, and increases in the level of neurotypical sibling initiations.

Angelman syndrome is a rare genetic syndrome that includes significant communication delays, often times presenting as a complete absence of vocal speech. Prelinguistic milieu teaching embedded into home routines has been shown to improve communication outcomes for children with autism spectrum disorder. However, there is limited research in prelinguistic milieu teaching for young children with Angelman syndrome. The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a telehealth parent training program specifically for families of children with Angelman syndrome. Parents were taught three groups of strategies including following the child’s lead, environmental arrangement, and mirroring and mapping language. We will present the effects of the training program on child vocalizations, joint attention, and use of augmentative and alternative communication within a series of multiple baseline across participant designs. Results show increases in child prelinguistic communication, use of augmentative and alternative communication systems, and slight improvements in responding to joint attention. Implications for future research and practice will be discussed.

Behavioral research has evaluated interventions to improve performance in a variety of sports and recreational contexts.This symposium includes four diverse empirical papers that explore the application of behaviour analysis in dance. The first will compare the effects of verbal and video feedback on the performance of beginner/intermediate level dancers. The second will investigate the impact of music choice on participants’ exercise duration in Zumba dance classes. The third will present a pilot evaluation of a recreational dance program with embedded behavior analytic components to support children with neurodevelopmental disabilities. The fourth will build on this previous presentation by discussing the facilitators and barriers of this behavior analytic informed recreational dance program for children with neurodevelopmental disabilities. Taken together, these papers will provide practical information regarding the implementation of behavior analysis in dance.

The purpose of this study was to pilot Dance with a B-E-A-T (Dance with Behavior Analysis and Therapy), a recreational dance program with embedded behavior analytic components to support children with neurodevelopmental disabilities (e.g., autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, learning disabilities). Behavioral components included evidence-based instructional modifications and motivational strategies. Four children (3 females, 1 male) between 7 and 12 years old with neurodevelopmental disabilities participated in 1-hour sessions, across 8 weeks. The percentage of correctly performed steps on a task analysis assessed children’s gross motor performance across 10 dance and balance skills. Three children participated in the post assessment and showed 33.7% improvement in their overall gross motor performance. Self-efficacy and consumer satisfaction questionnaires were also completed. Self-efficacy scores were variable, but caregivers and children reported they were very satisfied with the dance program. Results are promising and support further development of behavioral components to support recreational programming for children with neurodevelopmental disabilities.

Recreational dance programs with behavioural modifications can provide children with neurodevelopmental disabilities an opportunity to enjoy dance, which may in turn improve their motor performance, social skills, and perceived self-efficacy. Recreational programs often include multiple stakeholders, such as facilitators, participants, and caregivers. This case study builds on a pilot evaluation of Dance with a B-E-A-T (Behaviour Analysis and Therapy), a recreational dance program with behavioural modifications for children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Through semi-structured interviews with three graduate students, who served as facilitators of this dance program, we aim to understand what components of the program facilitators found contributed to the program’s success, components that they perceived to be challenging, and any successes or challenges they experienced implementing the program. Interview questions posed to facilitators were informed by an inductive thematic analysis of previously completed interviews with caregivers of former program participants. Preliminary data from facilitator interviews suggest that facilitators perceived that behavior analytic and other therapeutic components were helpful for individualizing the program for children with neurodevelopmental disabilities. Facilitators also provided recommendations (e.g., thinning the schedule of reinforcement, including reliability training for data collection) to improve future implementation of this dance program.

This symposium will present a suite of talks intended to serve as a forum for introspective data analysis, reflection, and future directions for two distinct service provision models. Both models offer behavior analytic services to individuals who have a history of engaging in challenging behavior and who lack important adaptive skills necessary for success in school and society. The first model discussed in this symposium, an outpatient severe behavior clinic (SBC), developed a brief, family-centered service provision model to meet the unique needs of the surrounding communities. The SBC aimed to (a) identify the function of each client’s challenging behavior, (b) create an effective, function-based treatment plan, (c) train caregivers to successfully implement the plan at home. The second model discussed in this symposium, the Vanderbilt Behavior Analysis Clinic, operates under a threefold mission: (a) service delivery, (b) practitioner training, and (c) research. Across talks, presenters evaluate the extent to which the two programs meet their reported goals and discuss to need for routine program evaluation. Ongoing evaluation of program level practices ensures that practitioners monitoring services and making modifications as needed to promote meaningful outcomes for children, families, and future practitioners.

Audience members should have experience with functional analysis methodology and designing function based treatments. The talks in this symposium require audience members to be familiar with evaluating behavior-analytic systems at a program-wide level.

Interventions for the treatment of challenging behavior are often delivered intensively, over relatively short periods of time. In a focused service delivery model employed by a local, graduate-level training program, discharge occurs shortly after the reduction of problem behavior and the increase of appropriate alternative responding. While plentiful data exist documenting the immediate effects of intervention implementation on reduced rates of challenging behavior and increased rates of appropriate responding, less data document long-term effects of service delivery. In this study, 25 caregivers of children who participated in this model were contacted one-to-five years following discharge. Caregivers discussed their original expectations of services, experience participating in these services, and the current state of their child’s problem behavior. Social validity measures, as well as qualitative reports of caregiver perceptions of problem behavior and appropriate responding, are analyzed. The results compare perceived and empirical effects and suggest the persistence of service impact across several years.

The current symposium addresses procedural variables that may produce generative responding. The first study assessed the effects of varying non-critical features of stimuli during auditory-visual matching with adult participants to reduce variability and increase the likelihood of correct responding to untrained exemplars. The second study utilized instructive feedback, lag schedules, and naturalistic behavioral interventions to promote emergent language in children. The third study assessed the different outcomes associated with multiple exemplar instruction, namely, the interdependence between speaker and listener repertoires, and stimulus generalization across exemplars. Finally, the fourth study utilized a joint control intervention to establish bidirectional naming in children with autism. Taken together, these studies have important implications for those teaching language to individuals with disabilities.

practitioners, verbal behavior researchers

This systematic review of the literature examined the academic and social effectiveness of using physical activity in school or classroom settings. The purpose of the systematic review is to enhance academic performance and social functioning for children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) by indicating the evidence-based practices that focused on the use of physical activity for children with ADHD in preschool and elementary school. The search was conducted electronically. This search resulted in 7 studies for the review, that were published between 2010 and 2019. The studies were analyzed by looking at the participants’ characteristics, setting, how physical activity was implemented including duration and sessions needed, and academic and social impact of physical activity on participants included in such studies. Participants in these studies were between the age of 4 to 12. Focusing only on study results related to participating children with ADHD, results indicated that the academic impact of school-based physical activity among children with ADHD was positive. On the other hand, only two studies indicated the positive effects of physical activity on social skills of children with ADHD. Several limitations and implications of this study are discussed.

This paper reports on a case study in a 10 year line of research on intentional, systemic change in public metropolitan research universities (Robertson, 2014a, 2014b, 2016a, 2016b, 2017, 2019, 2020; Robertson & Boronat, 2015; Robertson & Pelaez, 2011, 2012a, 2012b, 2013a, 2013b, 2014, 2015a, 2015b, 2016, 2017a, 2017b, 2018, 2019, 2020). Using a dynamical systems approach (Bateson, 1979; Bertalanffy, 1967; Boulding, 1956; Laszlo, 1972a, 1972b; Novak & Pelaez, 2004; Robertson, 1988, 2017; Wiener, 1967), this paper discusses negative unintended consequences rippling through hierarchies of interlocking behavioral contingencies and metacontingencies from a policy change (i.e., rule change; Pelaez , 2013; Pelaez & Moreno, 1999; Robertson, 2018, 2020; Robertson & Pelaez, 2016, 2018) that was aimed at improving performance on graduation success metrics (retention and on-time graduation) related to state, national, and international ranking systems. The paper focuses on four specific unintended negative consequences that pertain in particular to research universities: (a) breadth and quantity of scholarship, (b) research doctoral education, (c) faculty governance, and (d) reputations and rankings.

Little research has highlighted how evidence-based practices (e.g., functional communication training) might be adapted to meet the needs of children with disabilities from bilingual families. In our study, we served two children with disabilities and challenging behavior whose parents primarily spoke Spanish at home, and whose teachers primarily spoke English at school. Following traditional functional communication training (i.e., one language only), we systematically replicated the findings of Neely et al. (2019) by demonstrating that functional communication responses in the untrained language (i.e., English) did not emerge when trained functional communication responses (i.e., Spanish) contacted extinction in alternative-language contexts. Simultaneously, challenging behavior consistently resurged. After children received explicit training with both languages and were taught to change the language of request when initial attempts were unsuccessful (i.e., “repair the message” training), these same children successfully obtained near optimal rates of reinforcement in both language contexts and challenging behavior did not resurge.

Acceptance and commitment training (ACT) represents an extension of existing behavior analytic approaches to encompass a functional analysis of private events and experiential avoidance processes. Because this intervention model emphasizes function over form, applications of ACT may exist across multiple populations, extending the scope and depth of behavior analytic work. The first presenter will explore the relationship between existing language and cognitive training and the application of ACT-based programming through the "accept. identify. move" curriculum. The second presenter will then explore an ACT-consistent approach called values-based self-management applied with college students to improve psychological flexibility as well as academic engagement and performance. The final presenter will explore the ACT model with parents of children with disabilities to promote psychological flexibility and the pursuit of chosen values. The convergence of these three presentations show how ACT can be adapted across the lifespan to address barriers to psychological flexibility that may impact overall life quality for clients that we serve.

BCBAs

The use of language-based interventions such as acceptance and commitment therapy/training (ACT) to develop effective and flexible behavioral repertoires has been demonstrated across a variety of participant characteristics, topographies of behavior, and environmental contexts. Accept, identify, move (AIM) is one such intervention that uses the principals of ACT to increase psychological and behavioral flexibility in typically developing children and children with exceptionalities such as autism and/or developmental delays. Children presenting with exceptionalities have a wide range of verbal repertoires and a paucity of research exists to inform practitioners for whom the above interventions would be applicable or most effective. A mixed design, including pre-post measurements on verbal abilities and psychological flexibility and a multiple baseline across participants, was used to evaluate effectiveness of the AIM-based intervention regarding problem behavior reduction, participant defined committed action, and changes in psychological flexibility.

Self-management interventions, including techniques such as self-monitoring, self-recording, and environmental management, have demonstrated effectiveness with students in elementary and university settings (e.g. Dean, 1981 & Mooney et al., 2005), as well as a number of other areas such as physical activity (e.g. Saelens et al., 2000), weight management (e.g. Baker & Kirschenbaum, 1993), and substance abuse (e.g. Walters, 2000). Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) techniques and values-based interventions have been utilized with university students in a number of different arrangements, demonstrating the benefit of such interventions with this population (e.g. Paliliunas, Belisle, & Dixon, 2018; Chase et al., 2013; Sandoz, Kellum, & Wilson, 2017). Investigations evaluating the effectiveness of a values-based self-management intervention approach combining acceptance and values-focused therapeutic exercises with a self-management intervention for targeted behavior change, psychological flexibility, values-behavior coherence, and emotional regulation as measured by self-monitored behavior and ecological momentary assessment will be reviewed. The results provide initial evidence regarding the utility of combining these intervention techniques for improving the well-being of college students along a number of socially important outcomes.

The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) results in not only a demand for effective treatment and intervention services for those diagnosed with ASD, but social, psychological, and financial stressors on the parents and caregivers of these individuals (Kogan et al., 2008). Limited investigations have evaluated interventions designed to both increase behavior management skills among parents and target their psychological well-being (Blackledge & Hayes, 2006). Two remote-implemented interventions utilizing an acceptance and commitment training (ACT) approach that target the psychological and behavioral well-being of parents and children will be reviewed. First, an evaluation of a treatment package for parents including remote ACT sessions and online behavior management training modules utilizing daily self-monitoring to measure effectiveness will be reviewed. Second, an evaluation of a remote ACT intervention for children implemented with parent involvement will be reviewed, examining the effects of the intervention on both parent and child well-being using between and within session measures. Results indicate the potential utility of remote ACT interventions to improve the behavioral and psychological well-being of both parents and children. Implications for the development and implementation of such interventions will be discussed.

The field of behaviour analysis has seen recent exponential growth however we are surrounded by punishment, inequality, injustice, and anti-science rhetoric. For our science to realize its far-reaching impact, we must conceptualize a society, like Walden 2, as our terminal goal and shape societal responses to that achievement. This panel discussion will discuss current systemic problems within culture and how we, as behaviour analysts, can establish systems that are rooted in data and behavioural science. Topics that will be discussed include utopian behaviour society, perspective taking, and compassion.

Advance ~ BCBAs and BCBA-Ds. Complex concepts that go beyond introductory literature or the course sequence.

The current COVID-19 pandemic has claimed the lives of over 1.5 million people across the world and have changed the lifestyle of humanity, possibly, for years to come. In this context, specific behaviors that had received minimal or no attention in the past have been moved up the social validity scale overnight. In this symposium we will evaluate various interventions addressing some key COVID-related behaviors. Online teaching and internet use has exploded during the pandemic. The first study looks at the potential role of social media in facilitating academic performance during online university-level courses. There are essentially no experimental analyses in the literature evaluating whether social media engagement (in the context of closed Facebook learning groups) could be an important channel for multi-component behavioral interventions. The second study presents a telehealth mask-wearing training program for children with autism presenting mask-induced problem behavior. The study evaluates a caregiver-delivered intervention among an international sample of participants from Belgium, India, Mexico, and Costa Rica. In the final study we turn to face touching. Face touching is thought to account for tens or hundreds of thousands of Sars-CoV-2 infections across the world due to physical contact with contaminated surfaces. It has been suggested that face touching, a high frequency behavior, may limit the protective role of hand washing, which occurs inevitably at lower rates. In this third presentation we evaluate the suppressive effect of contingent vibrotactile stimulation on face touching in a group of typical adults as they go about their daily lives. In addition to the treatment evaluation side of the study, it also provided an opportunity to conduct a thorough quantitative and descriptive analysis of face touching in ecologically relevant settings. Overall, these studies give a perspective of the diversity of behavioral applications that can be brought to bear in order to mitigate the effects of the current pandemic.

Students, practitioners and applied researchers.

SARS-CoV-2 is the virus causing COVID-19 and is spread through close person-to-person contact. The use of face masks has been described as an important strategy in the combat to contain and slow down its transmission while a vaccine is not made widely available. We evaluated the effects of telehealth training for caregivers to teach mask wearing to children with ASD. Six participants with a history of challenging behavior associated with mask wearing were recruited from different parts of the world, and trained using a combination of graduated exposure, shaping and contingent reinforcement. By the end of the intervention all participants wore a face mask for a target period of 10 min without exhibiting challenging behavior, and generalized the skill to a novel mask and a community setting. The findings support previous tolerance training treatment evaluations in children with developmental disability exhibiting resistance to healthcare routines. Clinical recommendations and areas for future research are discussed.

Facial contact behavior is a high frequency, high duration behavior that contributes to the transmission of communicable diseases by interaction with contaminated surfaces. Studies indicate that the Sars-CoV-2 virus remains viable for hours on surfaces such as paper, plastic, or metals. Hand-face contact has a long history among mammals and primates and is likely maintained by sensory consequences. It is estimated that thousands of infections may be mediated by hand contact with contaminated surfaces with pathogens being subsequently transferred to mucous membranes by hand contact with the mouth, nose, or eyes. We used contingent vibrotactile stimulation as an intervention to reduce hand-face contacts in ecological settings. Ten consecutively recruited adults wore one or two bracelets that delivered vibrotactile stimuli following face touching. Stimuli were delivered through Bluetooth-connected devices that were calibrated for each participant. We also evaluated the social validity of the intervention and how various environmental events were related to the level of face touching. In addition, the study provides an opportunity to discuss the quantitative characteristics of face touching. The results indicated that the face touching can be reduced considerably with this simple intervention.

We present 2 papers that studied the relation of verbal development cusps on reading and math outcomes. The first paper tested the effects of Bidirectional Naming (BiN) on reading comprehension outcomes for first grade general education students in two experiments. The second paper studied the relation between Transformation of Stimulus Function (TSF) across saying and writing and the acquisition of math facts and math problem solving in middle school students across three experiments. In both papers, the presence of verbal behavior development cusps resulted in the advancement of academic repertoires for participants. These papers will be discussed in relation to the significance of BiN and TSF on academic outcomes for participants

Verbal Behavior Development BiDirectional Naming

Mobile phone use is ubiquitous in our society. While some people use it in a reasonable manner, others use it excessively and/or in a problematic manner (e.g., while driving). In this presentation, I will discuss what behavior analysis can do with the societal issue of problematic mobile phone use. From a behavioral economic perspective, problematic mobile phone use is fundamentally a choice controlled by competing reinforcement and/or punishment contingencies that involve a trade-off between multiple consequences (e.g., a smaller-sooner reinforcer vs. a larger-later reinforcer). Based on this conceptualization, I will illustrate how some behavioral economics principles, such as delay/probability discounting and demand analysis, can be utilized to understand, predict, and potentially control some forms of problematic mobile phone use, such as texting while driving, media multitasking, and excessive social media use. I will also argue that this conceptualization of problematic mobile phone use as choice can direct our attention to identifying the environmental/contextual variables that affect the choice, and that this conceptual/philosophical framework, along with strong data, is what behavior analysis can offer to other disciplines in an effort to combat the societal issue of problematic mobile phone use.

basic and applied behavior analysts; graduate students

Yusuke Hayashi is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the Pennsylvania State University, Hazleton. His current research interests lie in understanding basic behavioral processes, such as sensitivity to delayed/probabilistic reinforcers and valuation of reinforcers, as well as translating basic principles to solve societal problems, such as problematic mobile phone use. He completed a pre-doctoral fellowship at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health as well as a post-doctoral training at the University of Kansas. He earned his Ph.D. in psychology from West Virginia University, his M.S. in behavior analysis from the University of North Texas, and his B.A. in history from Keio University in Tokyo, Japan (his unofficial minor was behavior analysis, though). He also enjoyed his carrier as an IT engineer before he crossed the ocean and headed toward Texas. Dr. Hayashi is currently an associate editor of European Journal of Behavior Analysis and an editorial board member of Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior. He is active in publishing his work outside of behavior analysis, hoping to maximize the impact that behavior analysis can make on our society.

With federal laws and state policies in place to maximize access to the general education curriculum for students with disabilities, students with autism or intellectual and developmental disabilities have gained increasing access to an inclusive education. However, there remain barriers to their learning in school, such as a lack of support for in-service special educators who work with these students, limited preparation of pre-service teachers in teaching these students, and inadequate understanding of how we can address the unique academic needs of students with autism and developmental disabilities. In this symposium, we present three papers that attempted to address these gaps. The first paper investigated the effects of an individualized coaching approach on supporting a special educator to implement systematic instruction with students with moderate to severe disabilities. The second paper examined how different variables (e.g., behavior analytic intervention components) may influence the effects of technology-aided reading interventions for students with autism. The third paper explored limitations of teacher preparation programs in training pre-service teachers to teach communication skills to students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Implications for research will be discussed and recommendations for practice will be offered based on the study findings.

Knowledge of Foundations in Applied Behavior Analysis and school-based support

Despite the wide usage of technology in educational settings, the overall evidence base of technology-aided reading interventions for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has not been fully investigated. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to quantify the magnitude of effects of technology-aided reading interventions for students with ASD and determine if participant and intervention characteristics moderate intervention effects. Reviewed articles were systematically identified and evaluated for methodological rigor according design standards suggested by What Works Clearinghouse. Research studies that met the design standards were analyzed for effects using Tau-U. Results of this study found a moderate overall effect of .89 (95% CI [.83, .96]) for technology-aided reading interventions and variables associated with the use of time delay moderated reading outcomes.  

One of the most essential functions of schooling is to prepare students to communicate effectively across a diverse and expansive range of opportunities. Unfortunately, many students with disabilities, especially those with intellectual and developmental disabilities often face difficulties acquiring communication repertoires sufficient for gaining maximum benefit from their school experience and ultimately, achieving high quality of life outcomes (Carter et al., 2012). This problem reflects a confluence of barriers, including access to effective intervention practices. In this investigation, we surveyed 51 faculty who were involved in teacher preparation programs in the area of intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) across a range of institutions of higher education. We asked participants to respond to questions related to the type, quality, and quantity of program content focused on communication instruction and supports for students with IDD. Overall, findings indicated that many programs included behavioral procedures within their curriculum but presented variability in the quality and quantity of teacher preparation in their application to communication instruction. Additionally, participants described barriers related to teacher preparation in this area. These findings will be discussed in relation to understanding teachers’ current repertoires and supporting their implementation of behavioral intervention strategies for improving student’s communication outcomes.

Noncompliance with basic health care can have profound effects on long term health and well-being for everyone, but especially for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Perhaps the factor most responsible for noncompliance is the fear associated with medical and dental procedures. This presentation will review both the respondent and operant conditioning features responsible for the disruptive behaviors that result and then briefly review the empirical literature to identify the most well supported approaches for preventing and managing distress and noncompliance during medical and dental appointments in the IDD population. Promising alternative and supplemental treatments will be discussed, and then step-by-step practice recommendations will be provided for preventing, managing and resolving noncompliance.

Applied behavior analysts, behavior therapists, behavioral technicians and caregivers who are responsible for direct care or overseeing programs designed to help those with IDD access health care.

Keith D Allen, Ph.D., BCBA-D, is the Director of Psychology and Professor in Pediatrics and Psychology at the Munroe-Meyer Institute and the University of Nebraska Medical Center.  He completed his training in ABA at Western Michigan University and in clinical psychology at West Virginia University.  His clinical and research interests include parent training, pain and stress-related disorders in children, and management of noncompliance with medical/dental routines. He has published over 100 scientific papers and chapters on interventions to address behavioral health problems in children and adolescents and he has published a book on the science and practice of parent training.  He is a Fellow of ABAI, has been awarded research grants from NIH and the US Department of Education and has been recognized as both a Distinguished Researcher and as an Outstanding Teacher of the Year at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. 

The reemergence of extinguished behavior is broadly referred to as relapse. Relapse can be especially concerning in the treatment of problem behavior, as relapse can lead to eventual treatment failure. Two forms of relapse particularly relevant in the treatment of problem behavior are renewal and resurgence. Renewal is the reemergence of an extinguished response following a context change. Resurgence is the reemergence of an extinguished response following a worsening of reinforcement conditions for an alternative response. Mitigating relapse requires both advancing our understanding of the phenomena (often achieved through basic research) and further identification of treatment variables and their potential interactions (often achieved through applied research). The symposium is comprised of two basic and two applied investigations focused on the advanced understanding of relapse and relevant treatment variables and interactions. Findings from these investigations, areas for future research, and clinical implications will be discussed.

Target audience includes practitioners and applied researchers with a BCBA or BCBA-D, as well as basic researchers with at least a graduate degree. It is also appropriate for psychologists who conduct behavioral assessments and treatments.

The reemergence of problem behavior after extinction during context changes is referred to as renewal. Estimates for the prevalence of renewal for problem behavior maintained by social reinforcement indicate that renewal occurs in approximately 42% of observed context changes (i.e., location or person; Muething et al., 2019). However, when examining the reemergence of automatically reinforced problem behavior during the same context changes, extinction may not be an active component of treatment, and therefore any increase in problem behavior cannot be classified as renewal. Rather, contextual control may better explain this phenomenon. In the absence of extinction, context changes could result in increases in the automatically reinforced problem behavior based on different learning histories in different contexts. For example, returning to a home context where the problem behavior was previously observed may result in an increase. This study examined 38 context changes in a consecutive controlled case-series design (Hagopian, Rooker, Jessel, & DeLeon, 2013) for children with automatically reinforced problem behavior in an intensive outpatient program. Reemergence of problem behavior during those context changes was found in 12 of the examined changes (31%).

An increase in the frequency of previously extinguished behavior following a change to the context in which extinction took place is termed “renewal.” In ABA renewal, for example, a response that is reinforced in one context (Context A) during baseline and extinguished in a second context (Context B) during treatment may renew if stimuli associated with Context A are represented. The present experiment assessed whether fading from Context B to Context A during treatment reduces renewal of rats’ lever pressing when Context A is represented. Specific visual, olfactory, and tactile stimuli were associated with Contexts A and B. For one group, the stimuli that signaled Context A were faded systematically into the rats’ chambers across treatment sessions while Context-B stimuli were faded out simultaneously. A second group experienced the same fading procedure but in the opposite order: Context-A stimuli were faded out of the chambers across sessions of treatment while Context-B stimuli were faded in. A third group experienced a standard ABA renewal preparation as described above as a control procedure. Data collection is ongoing. Findings from this research may have implications for treatment strategies aimed at reducing renewal of problematic human behavior during context changes following treatment.

World history shows that autocratic governance models are usually detrimental to the interests of the governed, while representative models are prone to corruption and subversion. The digital revolution and the internet have now opened a window for applying behavioral science to the design of governance models that avoid these defects. Models for the governance of nations share a striking number of detailed design features with the biology of vertebrates. Among these are continuous distribution of vital resources, waste management, adaptation, monitoring external threats, preventing internal corruption, and providing redundancy for important functionalities. The governance model averts corruption by avoiding the creation of positions of power. Instead, ordinary citizens, employees of governmental departments and agencies, and corporations, having the closest contact with the relevant information, continuously identify governance issues requiring resolution. The functional core of the resulting governance system is a vast network of independent specialized councils that resolve issues continuously. These councils are staffed by rotating panels of certified councilors trained in the council’s area of specialization. Adversarial interests are represented by advocates, as in court proceedings. Issues traditionally resolved by power centers are instead resolved by such councils. The model lends itself to limited developmental testing of its components.

Observational learning is important in a child’s development because it allows behavior to be changed by the natural environment without experiencing consequences directly. This symposium will present a review of observational learning research with children with autism as well as cover two recent studies conducted with children with and without developmental disabilities. Both studies focused on the complex repertoire of responding to social contingencies applied to the behavior of others. In the first study, observed contingencies were applied to incorrect responses first and were shifted to correct responses and in the second study initially non-preferred stimuli were established as conditioned reinforcers via observational learning.

Intermediate

Observational learning is important in a child’s development because it allows behavior to be changed by the natural environment without experiencing consequences directly. Given the deficits in this repertoire often observed in children with autism spectrum disorder, effective procedures for teaching observational learning are needed as part of comprehensive behavioral intervention programs. The purpose of the current review was to provide a systematic, quantitative analysis of studies that evaluated procedures for teaching observational learning to children with autism spectrum disorder. We identified 12 studies meeting our inclusion criteria and coded them across 17 parameters. An analysis of this body of research is provided, along with recommendations for clinicians and directions for future research.

We tested the effects of an observational procedure on the establishment of conditioned reinforcement for observing books using multiple probe design across dyads with 4 preschoolers. All of the participants could textually respond to kindergarten or first-grade level high-frequency words, but observing books did not function as a preferred activity for them. The independent variable was the establishment of conditioned reinforcement for books using an observational procedure. During the intervention, the participants were paired into dyads. They observed a peer confederate reading books while the confederate received consistent social approvals from the experimenter; the participants did not receive social attention and were denied access to books during the intervention. The dependent variables were the rate of acquisition of textual responses, and the duration participants spent observing printed words. Results in the first experiment showed 3 participants had an accelerated rate of acquisition of textual responses after books functioned as conditioned reinforcers. Two participants spent a longer time observing printed words during the post-intervention sessions.

Behavior analysts often fail to realize that there may be hidden factors underlying behavior problems. By not identifying those hidden factors, behavior analysts may be overlooking important establishing operations that may make reinforcers more salient and result in increases in problem behaviors. In school-aged children, behaviors may include tantrums, off-task, noncompliance, and verbal and physical aggression. In college students, behavior problems include skipping classes, not completing assignments, not participating, not paying attention, and not studying. While behavior analysts may admit that people experience stress, trauma (sudden loss, abuse, racial trauma), anxiety and depression, behavior analysts may not believe that they have the skills to identify these hidden factors because they are not directly observable in the present environment. However, often there are important antecedents to problem behaviors that may have occurred in a different environment or time period and may be part of their learning history. This symposium will provide strategies for identifying each of these factors and provide examples of how to incorporate these factors to develop more effective behavior programs.

Behavior analysts, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, counselors, teachers who are able to define and give examples of basic behavioral principles: positive and negative reinforcement, punishment, motivating operations, discriminative stimuli

Early abuse and neglect can teach children to engage in functional survival behaviors. Living in a chaotic environment, with intermittent reinforcement for aberrant behavior, unpredictable aversive stimuli, deprivation of attention, care and comfort, and discriminative stimuli for punishment of expression of emotions, can create the setting conditions for unattached, callous and unemotional behaviors. The emotional and physical hurt and pain from maltreatment are so severe that they become an establishing operation for escaping negative emotions, making its reinforcement value more salient and stronger. By blocking or numbing the pain, sadness and/or anxiety so they cannot feel these emotions, children can be negatively reinforced and thus more likely to continue blocking those emotions. When they start to feel anxiety, pain or hurt, or even sad, guilty or ashamed, they escape those feeling by blocking them or becoming numb. Often what survives are anger and rage expressed in the form of aggressive behavior. This presentation will address ways for behavior analysts to discover these blocked emotions in children exhibiting behavior problems and assist children in acknowledging, experiencing, and coping with these negative emotions.

Underlying trauma can be an invisible elephant in a classroom. By the age of 12, many adolescents have lived through brain-altering traumatic events, which impact their perception of people, places, and situations. Science tells us that our brain changes with each experience we face. From birth to adolescence children are absorbing everything in their environment. Children forced to deal with daily traumatic events such as abuse, neglect, and abandonment can present with problematic behaviors in the school setting. Behaviors related to underlying trauma can present as withdrawal, verbal aggression, physical aggression, anxiety, and disruptive outbursts. As behavior analysts, we need to discern whether these behaviors are related to underlying trauma, lack of parental guidance, or a disability. Making this determination will be necessary to develop a trusting and effective working relationship with the student. Identifying if behaviors are rooted in sadness, fear, or shame related to underlying traumatic events, allows adults to address the problem with a broader perspective and in a manner that will prevent escalation. Addressing students who are combative or reclusive requires tactical approaches created with all variables in mind, even when they are not observable and occurred in the past.

In a survey by the Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors (2012), anxiety is the most reported concern among college students followed by depression and relationship problems. In a more recent study (2020), college students are reporting even more stress and anxiety due to COVID-19. This presentation is relevant as more and more college students experience poor mental health due to the pandemic and the measures to protect against the virus (i.e., shelter-in-place restrictions, online learning vs. in-person learning). Trauma may occur as loved ones are being impacted by COVID-19. College educators and counselors may be the first line responders to notice problem behaviors and recommend strategies for prevention and intervention. As such, this presentation will inform audience members of ways to identify problem behaviors, develop operational definitions, gather indirect and direct information, and collect data in higher education settings. This presentation has the potential impact of assisting college educators and counselors in having difficult conversations with students/clients and utilizing applied behavior analysis to identify and alleviate trauma-based behaviors.

Time and practice are necessary for an orthopaedic resident to master the technical skills required to perform musculoskeletal surgery. Learning those skills is challenged by time constraints from work hour regulations, time pressures on both surgeon-teachers and resident-learners, and the limited tool-skills brought to the program by junior residents. The classical (apprentice) learning models used now, especially those that teach technical skills, are procedure oriented, involve emulation and self-shaping (learning) of complex activities and extend over the duration of the residency. These models can be tedious, discouraging and result in slow progress. In contrast, learning methods that employ positive operant learning can be reliable, quick, and motivating.

Operant learning is based on the fact that a behavior is more likely to occur if it is reinforced. Reinforcers used to mark the achievement of a task include acoustic stimuli or judgment-free communication and have been successfully used in a variety of human endeavors. Reinforcement, deliberate practice, and repetition let the learner rapidly progress from cognitive awareness of a skill to fluency of performance. For the learner, repetition is tolerated because the process is motivating (not unlike video games). Key to the success of this method is that complex skills (in this case the tool-skills) are analyzed and broken up into simpler skills, or “tasks,” and when learned to fluency, can be linked back together to form the complex skill. The skill can then be performed in any environment with an expectation of success.

However, to accomplish this, learning platforms need to be available that: 1) emulate the tool-skill to be learned, 2) tolerate high repetition learning and failure and 3) are available at a cost that is not prohibitive. Increasingly, surgical skills education is moving to the laboratory where residents can practice on models, cadavers and/or simulators to better prepare them for their OR experience. Unfortunately, the models used are often complex, procedurally based, and expensive, making it difficult to achieve individual learning goals and allow for the degree of repetition and deliberate practice necessary to achieve fluency.

For a skill to be fluent it must be able to be executed at the speed required by the environment it is to be used in. To build a fluent, complex skill, fluent, component (foundation) skills must be built first. This means, teach the tool-skills before you teach the procedures. It was our goal to design an innovative and inexpensive modular teaching program that allowed for meaningful repetition to achieve fluency with critical orthopaedic tools. This meant we needed to design and validate creative and challenging learning platforms that allowed for: 1) detailed task analysis, 2) use of positive operant learning methodologies, 3) meaningful repetition because they were cost sensitive, and 4) could be tolerated by both the learner and teacher, ultimately resulting in fluent tool-skills acquired by the learner.

This presentation describes why we designed it, the design details, and how we assessed our results so that these methods could be used in a variety of teaching environments.

Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students.

Behavioral principles explain all operant behavior, and sports and exercise has been studied within our science. Individual exercise routines, collegiate and professional sports performance, and enhancement of coaching effectiveness has been empirically studied within our science. The proposed symposium will further that research by providing theoretical as well as research-based presentations on this topic. The matching law, as applied to sports and exercise, will be described. A study investigating the effect of an intervention to increase recess play in the public schools will be described as well. Lastly, a component analysis of the TAGTeach form of instruction - as applied to teaching volleyball skills - will be presented.

The importance of sports in America is reiterated annually on the first Sunday of February when more viewers tune in for the Super Bowl than those who vote in our presidential election (Schlanger, 2015). Sports play an integral role in our society and for the past two decades behavior analysts have utilized the matching law to analyze this cultural phenomenon. The matching law has traditionally been applied as a quantitative analysis tool in the experimental analysis of behavior; however, applications of the generalized matching equation (GME) have been translated to athletic performance. GME has been utilized to predict various operant choices in sports (e.g., shot type or play type) at both the individual and team level. In addition to further demonstrating the relevance of applied behavioral science outside of the classroom or laboratory, this review provides a summary of the application and utility of the matching law in sports, discusses limitations of the current literature, and provides recommendations for future research.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a behaviorally defined disorder. We are learning that ASD is associated with many medical co-occurring conditions such as sleep problems, gastrointestinal disorders, seizures, allergies, and anxiety, just to name a few. In addition, we are learning that there are underlying biological abnormalities with how the cells and body work. These medical and biological abnormalities may not only be related to ASD symptoms but, most importantly, may be impeding successful habilitation if they are not addressed. Thus, a multidisciplinary medical approach is necessary to evaluate and treat ASD in order to provide optimal outcomes.

Educational and behavior therapists.

Dr. Richard Frye is a Child Neurologist with expertise in neurodevelopmental and neurometabolic disorders. He received an MD and Ph.D. in Physiology and Biophysics from Georgetown University and completed his Child Neurology Residency and Fellowship in Behavioral Neurology and Learning Disabilities at Harvard University/Children’s Hospital Boston. He has authored over 200 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters, and serves on several editorial boards. He has conducted several clinical trials demonstrating the efficacy of safe and novel treatments that target underlying physiological abnormalities in children with ASD. He is the Chief of Neurodevelopmental Disorders at the Barrow Neurological Institute at Phoenix Children’s Hospital.

This symposium involves three presentations. All three presentations involve different aspects of the operant conditioning of lake sturgeons (Acipenser fulvescens) – a species whose operant behavior has not been studied. It is important to study the operant conditioning of this species for several reasons. Most importantly, this species evolved around 200 – 250 million years ago and has changed morphologically so little in the time it has existed that it has been it has been called a “living fossil”. Thus, studying the operant conditioning of this species could contribute to our knowledge of the evolution of operant conditioning. Also important is the fact that this species is considered threatened so that studying its operant conditioning could help develop procedures that promote its survival. The first presentation in this symposium demonstrates that food can be used as reinforcement to operantly condition lake sturgeons to swim to a particular location in an aquarium. The second presentation demonstrates that darkness can be used as a reinforcer to condition lake sturgeons to swim to a particular location in an aquarium, and also to maintain the learned behavior on fixed-ratio schedules. The third presentation examines the effects of varying amount of light reduction as reinforcement for this species.

In an experimental tank (ET), two experimentally naïve lake sturgeons (Acipenser fulvescens) were operantly conditioned to enter one of four target areas where they received an auditory response-feedback stimulus (RFS) in the form of a click sound and – according to the prevailing FR schedule – 10 seconds of darkness. A multiple-baseline-across-subject’s design was used. Visual observation and a video-tracking system (VTS) monitored the number of responses emitted on each of the four target areas. The target areas were in the corners of the ET and had to be entered by the subject to constitute a response. The experiment involved the following phases: (1) no-feedback baseline (NFB); (2) discriminative stimulus baseline (DSB); (3) response-feedback baseline (RFSB); and (4) fixed-ratio (FR n). The data indicated a preference for the target area that produced darkness, which implies that darkness is a reinforcer for this species. This preference was indicated by a greater number of target area responses for the target area whose entry into produced darkness, and greater activity in and around that area relative to baseline phases. Furthermore, when the n of the FR n was increased the rate of responding also increased.

Effective training is crucial to ensure that professionals know how to execute their jobs and, consequently, to increase the quality of services within a professional organization. Training topics within an autism service provider organization are typically related to clinical, compliance, operations and professionalism and are necessary to be completed across job functions (e.g., clinical staff, human resources staff, etc.) during initial onboarding and ongoing training. Depending on the size, clinical model, and available resources within an organization, training needs may differ. That said, independently of these variables, every organization has a need to build and maintain training systems to: (a) ensure that training content is identified, (b) determine the training audience across function areas, (c) produce high quality training content, (d) implement training using best practices, (e) re-train staff when needed, and (f) verify training completion. The panelists will discuss topics related to establishing and maintaining training initiatives within small, medium, and large organizations, including themes related to training infrastructure needed and integration of companies within a larger organization.

At the conclusion of the presentation participants will be able to: (1) identify training needs within an organization, (2) identify training infrastructure used to establish and maintain training systems, and (3) identify best practices for training delivery.

The application of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy/Training (ACT) within conventional applied behavior analysis (ABA) is a topic that is receiving increased interest, attention and research. As ABA proliferates and the practice is applied to more diverse populations outside of young children and intellectual/developmental disabilities there is a commensurate need for a behavior analytic approach to address complex human behavior and the private contingencies of which they are a function. ACT appears to be the most popular among Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA) likely because it is derived from behavioral principles, comports with seven dimensions of ABA and can be aligned with several sections of the Behavior Analyst Certification Board’s 5th edition task list. Despite these technical compatibilities, there remains well-founded hesitation among BCBAs regarding individual scope of practice and more importantly, scope of competence. This symposium includes two presentations that will review the state of ACT within applied behavior analysis, propose a framework for clinical training and competence, and will conclude with discussion.

Board Certified Behavior Analysts with a basic familiarity with Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT)

In elaborating a natural science capable of exploring social behavior and large-scale cultural structures and processes, Skinner (1953) defined culture “as the contingencies of social reinforcement maintained by a group.” Over several decades, Skinner and others expanded on this work. Glenn (1986, 2004) offered, and in collaboration with others subsequently refined the heuristic of the metacontingency for understanding the dynamics of collective behavior. This construct proved particularly helpful in organizational and similar settings in which desired outcomes were relatively specific, and steps required to achieve those outcomes relatively constrained. Contemporary culturo-behavior scientists, however, are gaining the capacity and carry the obligation to contribute to addressing critical social and environmental challenges. Explorations of possible integrations of emergent or revised scientific models have become essential. Included in this symposium are sometimes contrasting examples of such frameworks (e.g., ecosystemic, evolutionary, systems analytic, or return to behavior-centered interventions); discussion of commonalities and distinctions among them; and potential contributions of these perspectives to a transdisciplinary culturo-behavior science powerful enough to contribute to “conditions under which human beings will show the productivity, the creativity, and the strength inherent in their genetic endowment and which are essential to the survival of the species” (Skinner, 1975).

Master's level students, BCBAs, other behavioral professionals with graduate degrees.

Culturo-Behavior Science (CBS), a recently formalized specialization in behavior analysis, brings together principles and techniques from Behavior Analysis, Behavioral Systems Analysis, Cultural Selection/Analysis, and Cultural Systems Analysis in order to understand how cultural phenomena develop and change over time. Culturo-behavior scientists are united by the philosophy of radical behaviorism and by their commitment to the application of the natural science of behavior to advance our understanding of behavior in its social and cultural environments. However, often debated among culturo-behavior scientists is both the extent to which a systems analytic framework should be adopted in CBS, and the role that basic laboratory preparations play in enhancing our understanding of cultural phenomena. With much still to discover about how behavior science can contribute to solving some of the world’s most pressing problems, the goal of this presentation will be to describe strategies for incorporating the diversity of thought embodied in CBS into teaching, research, and practice in CBS.

Sexual behavior is a complex and wide-reaching topic. And though sexual stimulation is considered to be a primary reinforcer for most, there is frequently shame and stigma associated with sexual behavior, leaving it under-discussed within our field. This symposium examines an array of ethical considerations pertaining to sexual behavior, from direct client interventions and supports around assent and noncompliance, to scholarship and theory on sex and risk, to legal considerations in sex education and censorship, to dissemination of behavior analytic analysis as it benefits pleasure-based sex education at large. Presenters will discuss resulting data and their implications as applicable, and will discuss recommendations for future research, instruction, and applied projects.

Practicing BCBAs and BCaBAs

Because of the complexity of potential sexual repertoires and beliefs about sex at both the ontogenic and cultural level, it can be difficult to tact what “counts” as sexual behavior. Additionally, multiple factors impact the labeling of sexual behavior as “high risk.” Relational Frame Theory (RFT) provides an account of language as operant behavior (Hayes, Barnes-Holmes, & Roche, 2001). This presentation will examine different possible response classes and consequences which may be labeled as “sex” and which may be described as “risky” and will examine both derived beliefs and transfer of stimulus function when considering potentially risky sexual behavior. Relying on scientific knowledge both within and outside the field (BACB, 2019, 1.01), sex and risk will be examined as a biopsychosocial phenomenon, and the acquisition of these labels will comparably be examined through a contextual examination of selectionism at the phylogenic, ontogenetic, and cultural levels (Skinner, 1953). Harm reduction modalities will be considered as the impact of this language is examined.

Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) is a crowdsourcing marketplace providing researchers with the opportunity to collect behavioral data from remote participants at a low cost. Recent research demonstrated reliable extinction effects, as well as renewal and resurgence of button pressing with MTurk participants. To further examine the generality of these findings, we replicated and extended these methods across six experiments arranging reinforcement and extinction of a target button press. In contrast to previous findings, we did not observe as reliable of decreases in button pressing during extinction (1) after training with VR or VI schedules of reinforcement, (2) in the presence or absence of context changes, or (3) with an added response cost for button pressing. However, we found that that a 1-point response cost for all button presses facilitated extinction to a greater extent than the absence of response cost. Nevertheless, we observed ABA renewal of button pressing when changing background contexts across phases and resurgence when extinguishing presses on an alternative button. Our findings suggest that MTurk could be a viable platform from which to ask and address questions about extinction and relapse processes, but further procedural refinements will be necessary to improve the replicability of control by experimental contingencies.

The philosophy and associated methodologies of applied behavior analysis (ABA) have been applied across several contexts and populations including, but not limited to, addiction (e.g., Silverman et al., 2008), autism (e.g., Leaf et al., 2017), education (e.g., Keller, 1968), gerontology (e.g., Dwyer-Moore & Dixon, 2007), healthcare (e.g., Friman et al., 1986), human safety (e.g., Geller, 2005), intellectual disabilities (e.g., Passage et al., 2012), juvenile delinquency (e.g., Serna et al., 1986), space (e.g., Brady, 2007), sports (e.g., Luiselli & Reed, 2011), and sustainability (e.g., Bekker et al., 2010). In each of the contexts and populations with which ABA philosophy and methodologies have been applied, improvements have been observed. This is perhaps best exemplified with respect to ABA-based interventions designed for autistics/individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This is not to say that the application of methodologies based upon ABA has been without its faults. However, despite its faults, there have been countless success. The faults and the success should be discussed within the profession. The purpose of this panel is to highlight the many successes of ABA as it relates to interventions designed for autistics/individuals diagnosed with ASD while still acknowledging its faults and the need for improvement.

This collection of applied and descriptive research studies push our science in China and Italy. The first paper titled All For One And One For All used behavioral observation techniques to determine socially valid performance criterion for attending behaviors in typically developing students during group instruction. The second paper used functional behavior assessment and a conditioning procedure to replace stereotype with toy with a student having autism in an international primary school. The third paper outlines current dimensions of applied behavior analysis research in China. The fourth paper tested the effects of a different intensity CABAS®-based intervention packages using an alternating (ABACA) treatment design for 9 children diagnosed with Autism, aged 2 to 6 years old in Italy.

Designed for Supervisors, Directors, and Administrators

The present study used functional behavior assessment and a treatment package including conditioning of toy play with a student with autism in an international primary school. The functional behavior assessment confirmed that the behaviors were being maintained through automatic reinforcement. The procedure was a partial replication from research conducted with adults and preschool students. Our student was 11 years old and had a long history of stereotypy behaviors and a limited community of reinforcers. This study tested for the external validity of the treatment package.

Applied behavior analysis (ABA) was introduced into Mainland China at the beginning of the 21st century as a direct result of the rise of autism spectrum disorder. The following decades can roughly be divided into two phases in terms of the development of ABA in China. Phase one was the time period with a focus on dissemination of ABA practice in China and it lasted from 2000 to 2009. In phase two, which lasted from 2010 to the current date, initial research on ABA emerged in China while dissemination of ABA practice continued and accelerated. The objective of this presentation is to critically evaluate ABA studies conducted by Chinese researchers. For this purpose, the author conducted a systematic search for literature on ABA published by Chinese scholars. In this presentation, the author will use seven ABA dimensions (Baer, Wolf, & Risley, 1968) to measure the quality of the ABA literature and present results from quantitative analysis and qualitative evaluation of empirical studies published by Chinese ABA researchers. The author will also attempt to explain the unique feature of ABA research published by Chinese scholars by analyzing relevant cultural contingencies. Based on these descriptions and analyses, the author will make recommendations for the future development of ABA research in China.

We tested the effects of a different intensity CABAS®-based intervention packages using an alternating (ABACA) treatment design for 9 children diagnosed with Autism, aged 2 to 6 years old. The study was conducted in a learning and research centre in Italy prior and during the COVID-19 Pandemic, and is still ongoing. The obligation to stop the CABAS® intervention created an opportunity to change the treatment frequency while keeping the treatment integrity for all participants, and provide the experimenters with an opportunity to collect data and compare them on the optimal treatment intensity. Condition A constituted high educational intensity where each participant received 1:1 intervention for 12 hours a week, while Condition B constituted 1:1 intervention for 3 hours a week (during the first lockdown), and during Condition C, intervention was delivered for 6 hours a week (during the second lockdown).The dependent variables in the study were the changes in participant’s ADOS-2 and CARS-2 scores prior and after each treatment change, and participants number of Learn Units to Criterion rate. The early results showed a significant difference between before and after the low-frequency package was implemented, for the total scores and each sub-test of both instruments. So far, results suggest that normative tests, together with individual graphs’analysis, can help differentiate between treatment effectiveness and efficiency for each child. Further research is needed in order to make more generalized conclusions into the optimal intensity of intervention, especially in countries, such as Italy, where children with Autism can’t attend special schools or have insurance-covered intensive treatments.

Visit dozens of exhibitors in the virtual exhibit hall!

The year 2020 thrust applied behavior analysis into an uncharted intersection of clinical practice, public health, and sociopolitical evolution. On March 11, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Two days later, COVID-19 was declared a U.S. national emergency. Already vulnerable individuals served by the behavior analytic community found their worlds turned upside down and inside out, routines violently disrupted, and many were suddenly cut off from essential behavioral health treatment. Practitioners were furloughed, laid off, or altogether let go. Many others chose unemployment, terrified of contracting COVID-19. On May 25, a nation already gripped by health and economic fear and uncertainty exploded in protest, sparked by the death of George Floyd. Unified like never before, our nation demanded reformation of the inequity and fundamental flaws in the criminal justice system and in our society as a whole. Using a behavioral systems approach guided by the Stockdale Paradox (Collins, 2001), cognitive-diversity hypothesis (Miller, Burke, & Glick, 1998), and simple notion of kindness, a small, privately owned agency utilized professional networks, local and state resources, and sheer determination to persevere, pivot, and redefine its commitment to its clients, staff, and our science.

Prerequisite skills/competencies: behavior systems; business strategy; corporate culture; diversity in the workplace; ethics; leadership/management; supervision.

In the Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) industry, your brand is not only the aesthetics of your organization, but also the quality of care you provide, the meaningful connections you create with your team, and the impact you have on your local community. This panel will discuss meaningful ways to engage with the audience of your ABA company who, in this case, are not only your current and potential clients, but your current and potential team members as well. We will detail a few marketing strategies implemented in an organization setting, to generate high quality leads, produce increasing engagement rates, and discuss social concepts that influence these strategies. We will also discuss the role technology plays in reaching the target audience and how trends on social media inspire creative ways to interact with clients and team members (both during and outside of treatment sessions), how to ethically and sensitively engage with a diverse ABA community, and how marketing can benefit said community. In conclusion, no matter the size of an organization's marketing budget, there are many ways to meaningfully reach your audience and engage with clients to strengthen your brand's visibility in the ABA field.

The separation between educational research and practice has been gaining a lot of interest in the field. To bridge these two areas requires collaboration between both parties (Vanderlinde & Braak, 2010), shared experiences (Montgomery & Smith, 2015), and intensified contacts in the process of the research (Huberman, 1990). In the field of special education, the need for highly qualified educators, teacher attrition, and workplaces/institution play the key roles to improve the transfer of knowledge for the education communities (McLeskey & Billingsley, 2012). Education researchers must carefully consider the challenges that teachers may encounter in their daily work so that the research questions and interests can go beyond the basic science and theoretical debates. Social validity leads researchers to consider the needs of practitioners while the follow-up application research facilitates the delivery of evidence-based practices. In this symposium, we will explore how researchers explore the social validity in the cultural context of the practitioners and clients while teachers’ dilemmas are embedded in research.

professionals with teaching experience in social skills and experience with data collection will benefit from attending this symposium.

Social validity reflects the social significance of a behavioral investigation, which is a unique and vital component of a behavior intervention and research (Kazdin, 1977). It is essential for the survival of behavior analysis as a field and it connects closely with ethics (Baer & Schwartz, 1991). Wolf (1978) states that social validity reveals the social significance of treatment goals, acceptability of the treatment procedure, and outcomes of the treatment, which are often times, opinion based. Researchers and practitioners have provided recommendations about how to assess social validity (Carter, 2019), but how does this process look like in a specific cultural context such as autism treatment in China, where culture variables may influence consumer’s opinion regarding the social validity domains differently than other cultures? Based on the strategies suggested by Carter (2019) regarding assessing social validity, this presentation bring forward the challenges of assessing social validity domain with specific examples as well as recommendations for assessing the social validity of intervention in a given cultural context.

Visual perspective taking is the ability to discriminate whether one can see an object. A prerequisite of visual perspective taking is to identify the object another person is seeing. Conventionally, visual perspective taking task may start with use of cards (e.g., present a card of a person who gazes toward different directions), followed by generalizing to real persons in natural environments. This study included three different visual perspective taking tasks: cards, real person, real person in natural context. Six children with ASD between age of 3.5 and 9 participated in this study. The initial probe revealed most children, though not having achieved the mastery level, had relatively better performance with real human. When further conducting the training, the results showed that children quickly learned to track visual perspective from a real person, either in a lab or a natural setting. While acquisition of visual perspective taking with real person helped generalization to natural context, it did not affect the task with cards. In addition, operation of cards presented a great challenge on three of six children. This finding may stimulate practitioners and researchers to rethink the sequence and the use of cards in teaching visual perspective taking.

When making a decision about child progress, teachers who provide discrete trial teaching struggle with finding a proper balance between continuous recording (e.g., taking all trials data) and discontinuous recording (e.g., taking the first few trials data). Continuous data collection method provides comprehensive information, which leads to proper decision, yet it could be labor-intensive and potentially interrupt the natural flow of teacher-child interaction. Discontinuous data collection method allows the teachers to devote to instruction, yet it may lead to inadequate reference for student performance. Previous studies have examined the effects on child progress toward mastery and maintenance, which yields rather mixed results. This study reviewed the existing data across four children with ASD, eight different tasks, 174 sessions, and over 2000 trials. Given the mastery criterion of “80% accuracy for two consecutive days”, the results revealed a moderate match between all- and three-trial data collection method. It suggests the potential of using discontinuous data collection method.

The COVID-19 global pandemic of 2020 and the ensuing emergency guidelines had potential to limit the delivery of essential ABA-based Autism services. While literature outside of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) has demonstrated efficacy of remote, video-conference modality for medical care, (i.e. telehealth or telepractice), replicable models of ABA-based telehealth were limited in ABA literature prior to 2020. In response to the public health crisis, a protocol modification assessment (PMA) and treatment selection matrix for modifying ABA programs for direct telehealth was developed and published in an emergency issue of Behavior Analysis in Practice (Rodriguez, 2020). The first panelist will present a model for training and implementation of the PMA in a multi-site provider organization, including confidence self-assessment results from the participating behavior analysts; the second panelist will present client outcomes in the form of pre- and post-implementation assessment change scores. A third panelist will share an innovative applied research approach to modification of a well-known curriculum (PEAK), in which the materials were transformed into an interactive video game that allowed for remote, highly engaging implementation. The panelists will offer guidance for future implementation and evaluation.

Participants should be familiar with the Professional and Ethical Compliance Code for Behavior Analysts (BACB(R) 2014, including considerations for competence to practice and efficacy of services); a review of literature related to telehealth service delivery (e.g. Ferguson et al., 2019); and PEAK Curriculum (Dixon, 2008) and its applications (Belisle, 2018) will offer participants context for engagement.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, roughly 1400 clients were transitioned to telehealth ABA services across 50+ regions of a multi-site provider organization. Many clients’ services were shifted within 1-2 weeks of the emergency orders; some were transitioned within days. While the modality of treatment offered clear benefits (i.e. continuity of care; provisioning of essential services without the risk of viral transmission), telehealth ABA has not been evaluated widely. Questions of efficacy are central to ethical compliance and provision of evidence-based, medically necessary treatment; therefore, clinical outcomes are urgently needed in order to determine whether funders will continue to adopt telehealth once the pandemic ends. This presenter will show an initial view of aggregated outcomes data, using pre- and post-assessment assessment change scores. The Vineland 3 is the primary measure of clinical outcomes in this presentation; the author will make recommendations for complementary measures to be used in future analysis.

The sudden emergence and ongoing uncertainty of COVID-19 led many behavioral health organizations to reassess how they deliver applied behavior analysis (ABA) services as well as the skills that employees need to effectively execute their job functions. This reassessment for how services would be delivered resulted in ABA sessions during the COVID-19 pandemic that looked significantly different than ABA sessions delivered pre-COVID-19. In this symposium, we will share the results of three studies that measured the impact of COVID-19 on the delivery of ABA services. The first presenter will discuss the importance of compassion and empathy as a soft skill for behavior analysts, and how those skills can be taught using Behavior Skills Training. The second talk discusses parental acceptance of Telehealth to replace in-person ABA therapy. The final talk discusses the impact of COVID-19 on ABA practitioner job satisfaction and their perception of care quality. All presenters will discuss the implications of their findings and future steps.

Practicing behavior analysts or patient's/caregivers of those who receive ABA services.

Addressing issues of disparity in access to treatment for children with autism has gained increased attention. COVID-19 has been documented to disproportionally affect disenfranchised populations in both its direct health effects and have a greater impact on the upstream social determinants of health such as financial well-being, access to education, etc. The purpose of this retrospective study was to assess known factors that affect autism treatment (e.g. severity of symptomology, behavioral excesses) and care-providers acceptance or rejection of ABA telehealth services at the onset of COVID-19. Rejection of telehealth resulted in the absence of any behavior analytic services to patients. This study reports on an initial convenience sample (∼100 patients) of a larger sample size (∼1500 patients) from a service provider in Southern California. A t-test for the convenience sample found significance for one variable but not others. Additional measures are being conducted and a randomized sample of the patient population is being analyzed. If particular variables are found to be significant in the randomized sample, interventions may be tailored to decrease the disparity and ensure more children do not experience a disruption in service should telehealth be required as a treatment modality.

The sudden emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has dealt a severe blow to economies, businesses, and workers nationwide – including behavior analysis workers. During the pandemic, we administered a survey to all BACB certificants to identify the variables that best predicted perceived COVID-19-related change in service quality and the impact of COVID-19 on job status. Using regression analyses, we found that perceived negative change in ABA service quality was influenced most by low confidence using Telehealth technologies, changes in the setting of service delivery, and a higher number of cancelled sessions. Our findings also indicate that COVID had a greater impact on job status for respondents who were younger, had lower certification status (i.e., RBT, BCaBA), had lower positions in the company (e.g., frontline staff), and for those who worked in home and clinical settings. In short, this presentation highlights who was impacted most by COVID-19 and in what ways. Understanding this information opens the door to field-wide collaboration to develop and disseminate effective strategies to mitigate the negative impact of future events that have far-reaching economic impact.

The coronavirus of 2019 has wreaked havoc on the business world and overall economy, including organizations providing applied behavior analysis (ABA) services. Directors of ABA service organizations faced problem resolution at an unprecedented level and the need for leadership and effective decision making had never been more important. The pandemic and resulting shelters in place caused a flood of information and directors were forced to make decisions with multi-faceted implications for both the consumers they served and the employees who trusted them. This presentation will address the implementation of problem resolution within and across all aspects of an ABA organization. A COVID response plan was created by pivoting towards values and taking steps to maximize employee safety while continuing to provide access to medically necessary services and concomitantly ensuring measurement as scientist practitioners. This presentation will include details related to immediate and ongoing steps in relation to these outlined values. In addition, this presentation will share data collected through a variety of means including, but not limited to, employee and parent surveys, measures related to access within the different services provided and total hours of telepractice hours delivered across the organization.

The terms stimulus, response, and stimulus control are derived from the experimental literature. The term "prompt" arose within the applied field. There are many conceptual and logical errors in how trainers use these terms that often lead to ineffectual lessons. Similar problems can be found regarding error correction strategies and those that are described as "errorless." We will review many popular teaching strategies, including fading, most-to-least, least-to-most, etc., several error-correction strategies and a host of strategies described as "errorless teaching." The goal is to shake up many long-held and cherished beliefs about common teaching strategies.

Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students.

The need for expanded and applicable trauma-informed services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities is paramount. This symposium will approach this need from three vantage points while reinforcing the concept of trauma-informed behavior analysis. First, trauma as “crisis” for people with intellectual/developmental disabilities will be presented due to the apparent high risk of experiencing traumatic events throughout the lifespan. Our second presentation will focus on the reinforcement of collaboration between trauma-informed care and applied behavior analysis. It is important that behavior analysts continue to improve their treatments for people with intellectual disabilities (ID) by considering the effects of past traumatic events. This paper describes behavior changes frequently reported in people with ID following exposure to trauma and proposes ways that these changes may be understood from a behavior analytic framework. When providing services to individuals with developmental disabilities, it is becoming more common to discuss those services with an approach to understanding the role of trauma in the lives of those being served. Yet, often, the role of the parents/guardians/caregivers, as well as the role of the provider are often overlooked. This talk will discuss the role of stakeholders and providers in enhancing the way we provide trauma-informed care.

Intermediate

It is important that behavior analysts continue to improve their treatments for people with intellectual disabilities (ID) by considering the effects of past traumatic events. People with ID experience high rates of exposure to traumatic events and therefore face increased risks of developing stress-related disorders (e.g., post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD]). Exposure to trauma often leads to behavior changes such as increases in problem behavior. However, current assessment and treatment strategies for stress-related disorders rely heavily on verbal communication, limiting their utility for most people with ID. Consequently, this population may receive treatment from behavior analysts without a way to assess the impact of stress-related disorders. Learned helplessness (LH) has been studied extensively in animals and may provide insights into a behavioral understanding of stress-related disorders in humans. These insights could lead to improvements in the treatment of these disorders in people with limited communication repertoires. This paper describes behavior changes frequently reported in people with ID following exposure to trauma and proposes ways that these changes may be understood from a behavior analytic framework. We will also suggest ways that the LH literature may improve assessment and treatment of stress-related disorders in people with ID.

Scientific research publications are permanent products that communicate the values, aims, and outcomes of the scientific enterprise to stakeholders, scientists, and members of society. Applied behavior analytic research, as a field dedicated to intervening on socially significant behaviors, should be upheld to similar publication standards as other professions. The current symposium will focus on the disciplinary reporting practices as they relate to participant identity, to explore the extent to which a) ABA research participation is equitable across social groups, and b) provides a wholistic reporting of demographic variables. The first presentation will present findings from a systematic review on the quality reporting strategies of research articles published in ABAI journals (e.g., Analysis of Verbal Behavior, Behavior Analysis in Practice, Perspectives on Behavior Science, and The Psychological Record) between 2010-2019. The second presentation will present findings from a similar review on reporting of participant demographics in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. Both presentations will highlight how to improve disciplinary practices for demographic reporting policies and practices in applied behavior analytic research journals.

Intermediate

The source of motivation for the time, energy, and resources poured into basic research is the assumption that what is observed in the contrived circumstances of the laboratory will be relevant and applicable to problems of importance in the “real world.” In psychology, the problems deemed to be of sufficient importance for the allocation of resources to basic research are primarily related to human behavior. However, much basic research in psychology is conducted with nonhuman animals. Modeling human phenomena with nonhumans is fraught with threats to validity that are frequently overlooked or ignored in the work of researchers in the fields of behavioral genetics, neuroscience, and even the experimental analysis of behavior. The thesis of this presentation is that the most significant act of “translation” from basic nonhuman research to human affairs occurs at the level of theory when modeling phenomena for study. The importance of theory in this regard will be considered in the context of several current nonhuman models of human psychological phenomena.

Behavior Science’s three interrelated domains of conceptual, experimental, and applied work represents an earnest effort by adherents of this science to participate in and work toward, a comprehensive science of behavior. Though the lion’s share of conceptual and experimental work occurs in the context of universities there are efforts in the applied domain to remain oriented to, and participate in, the refinement of both experimental and conceptual work. This paper provides examples of these efforts as well as outlines a framework for interested applied behavior scientists to adopt a balance of the three pillars of behavior science. The benefits of adopting such a framework are exemplified with particular attention paid to advantages when communicating with non-technical audiences.

Instructors, trainers, tutors, and supervisors have been designing and delivering remote learning experiences for a range of learners for many years. However, some of the common methodologies and modalities, and available resources may appear to be high-quality but many of these technologies often do not incorporate best practices of instruction based on the principles of behavior analysis. In addition, some of these technologies and systems that use best practices of behavioral education and training as demonstrated by recently published publications are not often widely known or implemented across a range of instructional and training settings. This tutorial will present attendees with common practical problems and hurdles related to remote training, and will also provide attendees with easily implemented solutions based on the principles of behavior analysis and that use free or low-cost and widely available technologies and applications. The tutorial will also include detailed demonstrations of some of these solutions directly related to practical skills of interest to a range of behavior analytic practitioners and supervisors across a variety of settings.

Faculty, supervisors, and trainers

Dr. Bryan J. Blair is currently an Assistant Professor at Long Island University - Brooklyn where he is also the coordinator of the Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) graduate certificate and supervised fieldwork programs. He is a licensed behavior analyst and doctoral-level Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA-D) and has worked with children and adults with developmental disabilities and clinical disorders for over 15 years in a variety of settings. He received an M.S. in ABA from Northeastern University in 2007 and a Ph.D. in ABA from Endicott College in 2017. Dr. Blair also provides digital technology consultation related to the practice of ABA. He has presented on topics in ABA and autism spectrum disorder at state, regional, and national conferences and has published research in peer-reviewed journals. His research and professional areas of interest include complex human behavior, improving learning outcomes, verbal behavior, staff training, parent consultation, instructional design, digital learning, and BCBA/Clinical supervision.

The world as we know it is changing and, in many ways, there are tremendous signs of growth for humanity. One such sign is the removal of boundaries for service delivery. Behavior analysts are contributing to this process in a remarkable way, for example, by taking advantage of developments in technology that allow us to communicate and collaborate in ways that were previously unthinkable. However, stepping into this new world requires us to notice differences in each other, and to work diligently to build bridges. To expect that the application of behavioral science is devoid of context and cultural norms would not provide desirable outcomes. Hence, several parameters must be considered when planning and implementing global access to behavior analysis. The aim of this symposium is to present two unique and successful collaborations that fostered equality, equity, and inclusion of recipients. Both papers will shed light on different aspects of service delivery and dissemination of applied behavior analysis in the international context.

Providers, program developers, researchers,

The awareness, acceptability, and availability of Speech and Hearing programs in India far exceeds the prevalence and awareness of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) programs. There are over 800,000 registered speech therapists (Indian Speech and Hearing Association, 2019), whereas BCBAs, BCaBAs, RBTs together add up to merely 86 (Behavior Analysis Certification Board, 2020). For a country with over 2 billion people, the number of behavior therapists is pittance. While this gap in the number of providers is discouraging, we believe practitioners of applied behavior analysis should find mutual synergy to collaborate and train speech therapists in the science of our field. This collaboration is intuitive given the remarkable overlap in both fields. The purpose of this grant funded project was to disseminate our science by training the students and supervisors of the Department of Speech and Hearing, which was housed within a medical college in South India. We implemented a two-day intense Functional Behavioral Assessment training workshop focusing on most commonly seen challenging behaviors in their speech sessions. This paper aims to cover the model we used for customizing the workshop for speech therapists in India so that it is more relevant and inclusive of their experiences and context. Recommendations for future collaboration of both fields and/or dissemination of behavior analysis technology in India will also be provided.

The current paper will describe the establishment of the first graduate level Verified Course Sequence in ABA in the United Arab Emirates in August 2019, and the concomitant challenges and opportunities that arose for the UAE national students and expatriate faculty. With the aim of building local capacity in the provision of ABA services and expanding the reach of behavior analysis beyond the field of ASD intervention in the country, the faculty and students have worked together in a range of interesting and rewarding ways. The paper will discuss cultural competence as an ongoing collaborative effort. The faculty has learned to work in a Middle Eastern culture, understanding the impact of local traditions and customs on teaching and learning. Meanwhile, the students have learned to navigate the world of behavior analysis by analyzing and questioning how the methods and guidelines “fit” with the populations they serve now and into the future, for example in the selection of socially significant target behaviors, in discussing the prevalence of culturally-specific pseudoscientific interventions and in their critical evaluation of ethical codes. The positive student-faculty collaboration fostered in the UAE provides lessons for behavior analysts who work in culturally diverse settings. In particular, this paper will describe our achievements in the dissemination of the science of behavior analysis through community outreach and high-quality student-led projects, supported by faculty.

This conversation will be a follow-up to the talk entitled “Using Contingency Management and Behavioral Economics to Study Health-Related Behavior.” Topics for discussion include health promotion, conducting research in or developing treatments for substance use disorder, sedentary behavior, eating, or other health-related behavior.

Join Dr. Roma following his morning presentation, "Onward and Upward: Behavioral Science Principles and Practice in Human Space Exploration." Discussion topics to include:

• How behavior analysis can contribute to the science of social behavior
• The role of psychology and behavioral science in multidisciplinary research
• Career development, opportunities, and non-traditional paths for behavioral scientists

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a behaviorally defined disorder. We are learning that ASD is associated with many medical co-occurring conditions such as sleep problems, gastrointestinal disorders, seizures, allergies and anxiety, just to name a few. In addition, we are learning that there are underlying biological abnormalities with how the cells and body work. These medical and biological abnormalities may not only be related to ASD symptoms but, most importantly, may be impeding successful habilitation if they are not addressed. Thus, a multidisciplinary medical approach is necessary to evaluate and treat ASD in order to provide optimal outcomes. Stop by this discussion event to talk about these issues more with Dr. Richard Frye.

Topics of discussion will include:

• ethnic disparities among children with autism spectrum and neurodevelopmental disorders
• evidence-based parent-mediated interventions for children with developmental delays in underserved populations
• how to reduce the gap in access to services that identify and treat neurodevelopmental disorders to improve the quality of life of underserved populations
  • main barriers to access care for people with autism
  • how culture impacts the access to care in people with autism
  • how being of ethnic minority groups might be a risk factor for later age of diagnosis and less access to care in autistic people

ABAI's online career fairs give employers and job seekers a chance to interact, ask questions, and get to know one another in a way that scrolling through job sites just can’t provide.

Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of the major centrally active phytocannabinoid components of cannabis, and has been approved by the FDA only for the treatment of two rare seizure disorders. However, CBD has been touted as a potential treatment for anxiety in place of more traditional pharmacological treatments like benzodiazepines. Although there is some evidence of anxiolytic effects of CBD, its suitability as a substitute for benzodiazepines is unknown. This experiment was designed to assess to what extent CBD shares interoceptive discriminative-stimulus properties with the anxiolytic chlordiazepoxide (CDP), a benzodiazepine. In the present experiment, a range of doses (0-333.3 mg/kg) of CBD were administered in rats trained to discriminate 5.6 mg/kg CDP from saline. Due to the long time-course effects of CBD, generalization tests were conducted at 90 and 120 min post-CBD administration. Results indicate that CBD likely does not substitute for CDP, as mean percent CDP-appropriate responding remained under 20% at most doses. Future areas of investigation, including lowering the CDP training dose, could provide additional clarity regarding the present results.

Air pollution (AP) is a growing threat to human health including its effect on neurological development and function. AP is a complex mixture of gases and particulate matter, including trace elements, which may differentially contribute to its neurodevelopmental toxicity. In our lab, brains of neonate mice exposed to concentrated ambient ultrafine particulate matter showed brain accumulation of iron (Fe) and sulfur (S). To determine the neurodevelopmental impact of Fe and S specifically, male and female neonate mice were exposed to air or an aerosol mixture of ultrafine Fe and sulfur dioxide (n=12). Inhalation exposures occurred from postnatal day (PND) 4-7 and 10-13 for 4 hr/day. Following training on a fixed-interval schedule in adulthood, mice were trained on successive differential-reinforcement-of-low-rates schedules (10 - 36 s) followed by a discrimination reversal task. Peak deviation analysis of DRL responding showed relatively inaccurate timing in all groups across DRLs and no differences in within-bout response IRTs or overall reinforcers earned. Similarly, across three discrimination reversals, overall errors decreased, but there were no group differences in error patterns or response latencies. Thus, Fe and S in combination at the current dose may not recapitulate the behavioral impairments associated with developmental AP exposure.

Relative to nondrug reinforcers, illicit drugs may be more uncertain in terms of their availability, quality, and in the time and effort required to obtain them. In drug vs. nondrug choice, we have shown that a variable-ratio (VR) schedule of cocaine delivery increased cocaine’s potency as a reinforcer compared with an equal on average fixed-ratio (FR) schedule of cocaine delivery. However, it is unknown whether an history of chronic exposure to uncertain drug cost results in subsequent changes in the reinforcing properties of cocaine. Adult rhesus monkeys chose between cocaine (0-0.1 mg/kg/injection) and food (2 pellets/delivery) under concurrent FR FR schedules to establish baseline drug vs. nondrug choice functions. Subjects were then exposed to 60 days of cocaine availability (0.1 mg/kg/injection) under an FR 200 (fixed history) or VR 200 (uncertain history) schedule of reinforcement, followed by redetermination of cocaine vs. food choice functions. Then, subjects first exposed to the FR schedule experienced the VR schedule, and vice versa, followed by a final determination of cocaine vs. food choice. Thus far, cocaine choice is reduced or unchanged following a fixed history with cocaine and is increased following an uncertain history with cocaine. If replicated with additional subjects, these results suggest that exposure to uncertain drug costs could enhance the reinforcing properties of the drug compared with exposure to fixed drug costs.

Experimental analyses of coordinated responding (i.e., cooperation) have been derived largely from a procedure described by Skinner (1962) involving pairs of subjects (dyads). In this procedure, an active schedule of reinforcement is coupled with a mutual-response requirement (Tan & Hackenberg, 2016) reinforcing one response from each subject emitted within a short interval. Although it has been suggested that mutual-reinforcement contingencies enhance rates of temporally coordinated responding (de Carvalho et al., 2018; Tan & Hackenberg, 2016), simultaneous changes in reinforcement schedules and the presence or absence of mutual-reinforcement contingencies across phases raise questions concerning this conclusion. The present experiments assessed the control of coordinated responding by mutual-reinforcement contingencies while holding the active schedules (Exp1: variable-interval 20s; Exp2: fixed-ratio 1) constant. In Experiment 1, higher percentages of coordinated response were observed under mutual than under independent-reinforcement conditions, indicating the effectiveness of the mutual reinforcement contingency. Conversely, in Experiment 2, no substantial differences were observed across phases due to the large variability observed during the independent-reinforcement phases. The present results thus confirm that mutual-reinforcement contingencies do induce higher rates of temporally coordinated responding than independent-reinforcement contingencies and invite further investigation regarding how the active schedule influences patterns and rates of coordinated responding.

Previous studies have reported that the behavioral dynamics of a rat exposed to group foraging situations is different to the one observed when rats are individually tested. In general, in group situations, subjects decrease their feeding time and increase the traveled distance. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of presenting two female Wistar rats to a dyadic and individual food-searching task under conditions of free and restricted access to the food containers. Subjects were exposed to the task in a 99 x 99 cm experimental chamber with nine food containers. Locomotion patterns, traveled distance and recurrence in different areas of the experimental chamber were registered. No differences were found between dyadic an individual session in terms of traveled distance although it was observed a slight decrease in the free access condition. Also, more variation in routes were found in the dyadic that in the individual test with an increase in recurrence in this last condition for one of the subjects. The results of the study are discussed in terms of the modulating function of conspecifics in individual behavioral patterns.

Several lines of research have shown that interoceptive cues such as those associated with deprivation/satiation states may come to function as discriminative stimuli when they reliably predict environmental events. This has been described as state-dependent learning. The purpose of this study was to determine if conditioned suppression can be discriminated on the basis of different motivational conditions. Eight mice responded for a sweetened condensed milk/water solution on a VI 30-s schedule, with half of the sessions following a 24-h period of food deprivation and half following a 24-h period of free access to food (0-h deprivation). During training sessions, a 1-min tone presentation was followed by shock under one MO condition for each group: 24-h deprivation for group 1 and 0-h deprivation for group 2. Conditioned suppression was observed for both groups, but reduced differentiation in suppression between the shock/no shock condition was observed for the group for which the 24-h deprivation MO condition predicted shock. These data suggest that conditioned suppression can come under the discriminative control of interoceptive food deprivation/satiation states, but also that the discriminative properties of the interoceptive states associated with these MOs interact with their motivational functions.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by hyperactivity, impulsive behavior and sustained attention deficit. Recent etiological theories implicate changes on reinforcement sensitivity as a core process in ADHD. Spontaneously Hyperactive Rat (SHR) is a lineage widely used as an animal model of ADHD. Research with SHR had find changes on reinforcement processes as changes on acquisition rate, on conditioned reinforcement function and resistance to extinction. Previous research, conducted in our laboratory, indicated differences on conditioned reinforcement, only after several sessions under extinction contingency. One of the problems on the interpretation of this result is that evaluation of conditioned reinforcement effectiveness was done under an acquisition procedure, that could be, also, impaired. To evaluate this ambiguity, an experiment comparing acquisition of an operant behavior by SHR, Wistar Kyoto and Wistar rats was proposed. In the experiment subjects (N=7, for each group) were submitted to an acquisition procedure for 30 sessions, in which lever presses were followed by a food pellet. Preliminary repeated measures ANOVA, considering only SHR and Wistar lineages, indicated an interaction between group and session factors [F(29,330)=1.598; p<0.05]. These results are interpreted as impaired acquisition by SHR when compared to Wistar, WKY must still be evaluated.

Including one meaningful stimulus in a class of abstract stimuli in matching-to-sample (MTS) procedures increases the probability of equivalence class responding. Some research has shown a positive effect, even including multiple meaningful stimuli in a class. Eye-tracking technology can investigate fixation duration and frequency to stimuli in the MTS procedure. In the present experiment employing simultaneous MTS procedures, participants are presented with the sample stimuli when responding to comparison stimuli and can gaze back at the sample stimulus multiple times before responding. This poster seeks to investigate how the inclusion of one, many, or none meaningful stimuli with abstract stimuli would affect participants’ eye-movements regarding whether they fixate from comparison to sample stimuli. Three groups were taught 12 conditional discriminations, learning three 5-member classes, in a one-to-many training structure. Twenty-three adults participated in the experiment. Results show that the groups trained on meaningful stimuli in each class had a considerably lower percentage of trials where gaze went back to sample compared with the two other groups, which had similar results. This difference was not apparent in training. There were no differences between BSL and SYM trials for the group with few meaningful stimuli, but a slight increase in EQ trials.

Prior studies have demonstrated associations between maladaptive behavior (e.g., excessive drinking and gambling) and delay discounting. However, many studies related to delay discounting rely on indirect measures of behavior. In the present study, a direct measure of screen time usage was compared to results of a delay discounting. Preliminary results suggest Individuals who spend excessive amounts of time mobile devices may be more likely to discount future rewards than their peers.

Learning entails an adaptation to prevailing response requirements. Brief stimuli are often arranged to accompany criterion responses and may facilitate the emergence of novel behavior to meet new contingencies. When rats and humans respond under conditions of varying force requirements, response topographies contain a mixture of responses that meet the new criterion as well as a number of “subcriterion” responses that fail to meet the criterion. The present study asked if additional exteroceptive feedback would (1) hasten the emergence of criterion behavior and (2) reduce the amount of subcriterion responding. A two-component schedule was arranged. In one component, rats learned a two-response sequence under conditions of increasing force requirements. Each response that met the requirement was accompanied by a brief feedback tone. The second component arranged the same force criteria, but no feedback accompanied responding. Increasing the force requirement produced a rapid adjustment of force and induced a population of subcriterion responses, but in no case did the arranged feedback facilitate performance or reduce subcriterion behavior. In this case, arranging feedback did not assist learning. It may be possible that the brief tone was not a conditioned reinforcer or that the animal’s own proprioceptive feedback was a much more potent signal that overshadowed the exteroceptive stimuli.

Of all students with disabilities, individuals with autism and intellectual disabilities (ID) have the fewest post-school educational prospects. High school students with autism and ID often have the difficult experience of watching their general education peers and siblings go on to further their education while they are left behind. Typical opportunities for these individuals, particularly those past the age of 18, have been restricted to isolated public-school classrooms (until they reach 22) or community-based day habilitation centers. Lately in the area of special education there is an appeal for the advancement and growth of higher education opportunities for students with autism and ID. In response, school systems and institutions of higher education have started partnering to offer transition services through dual enrollment to individuals ages 18 through 21 with autism and ID. This poster offers a synopsis of effective models of higher education dual enrollment for students with autism and intellectual disabilities applied at one public university. These include a college inclusion model using mentoring during the day and in the residence halls in the evenings where students with autism and ID are fully assimilated into all aspects of the college experience. Relevant supporting research will be discussed and an exploration of the implications and approaches for creation and implementation of partnership programs will be put forward.

Consistent challenging behaviors of young children are known to have significant impact on the child’s optimal development, such as social-emotional development or communication skills (Dunlap et al., 2006). Parents of children who exhibit challenging behaviors report that these behaviors have negative effects on family’s stress, social isolation, and well-being (Meadan et al., 2010). Furthermore, many parents who live in low-resource settings outside the United States report exacerbated hardships due to limited access to resources, such as Korea. To strengthen capacity of parents in Korea, who have limited access to resources, we developed and examined the effectiveness of a series of online parent training modules on behavioral principles using a randomized controlled trial with waitlist control group (N = 88). We found significant interaction effects of Group X Time for (a) parental knowledge of behavioral principles, (b) positive parenting practices, and (c) parental stress, with no preexisting differences between the two groups. Qualitative social validity data indicated that parents were highly satisfied with the goals, procedures, and outcomes, and that the modules affected their parenting styles, increased knowledge leading to better child outcomes, and recommendations for future research.

Children with intellectual and developmental disabilities frequently engage in escape-maintained problem behavior, which can limit their access to academic instruction and lead to placement in more restrictive educational settings. While there are function-based interventions to treat escape-maintained problem behavior, these interventions have primarily been evaluated in clinic settings using procedures, such as extinction, that are not feasible for teachers to implement in classrooms. The goal of this study was to evaluate a multi-component intervention without extinction to treat escape-maintained problem behavior for two children with developmental delays (one child also had autism). Functional analyses indicated each participant’s problem behavior was maintained by multiple sources of reinforcement, including escape. Functional communication training + concurrent schedules reduced problem behavior for one of two participants and increased functional communicative responses for both participants. Chained schedules were implemented with one participant; results showed work completion and some types of functional communicative responses came under stimulus control, but rates of problem behavior showed an increasing trend. Results suggest continued evaluation of chained and concurrent schedules following functional communication training is warranted. Implications for future research are discussed.

Self-monitoring, by encompassing the methodical observation of one’s own behavior, is a process which can be used by teachers to improve their performance in the classroom. In this systematic review, we identified 22 articles of published research that included teachers as participants implementing self-monitoring procedures in a school setting from 1990 through 2020. These studies were analyzed with a focus on participants, dependent and independent variables, type of self-monitoring used, and outcomes. In addition, the studies were analyzed using the Council for Exceptional Children’s Quality Indicators for study quality. Results yielded 21 of 22 studies having indicated positive results, though some included self-monitoring as part of an intervention package. However, only eight of the 22 studies met all of the quality indicators.

The demand for effective and efficient instruction in education is clear; research at the experimental level is needed in order to extend a behavior analytic understanding of the process of learning. The purpose of the current study was to extend the understanding of learning by manipulating the presentation of stimuli presented in an array. Two presentation types were examined: An Additive Presentation (starting with one stimulus and progressively adding stimuli) and a Complete Presentation (presenting all stimuli). The targeted response was assessed using measures of fluency including performance standards, application, and endurance. Data show that an Additive Presentation of stimuli is correlated with more time to meet criteria (defined by fluency aims) than is a Complete Presentation of stimuli when the stimulus set is comprised of five stimuli. When the stimulus set size is comprised of seven stimuli, data show that the order of presentation is the more relevant factor.

Discrete-trial instruction (DTI) involves training response(s) under the discriminative control of multiple stimuli. A desired outcome of DTI is often that responses generalize to novel examples and not to novel nonexamples (i.e., concept formation). Multiple factors influence acquisition and generalization, though factors that influence acquisition may not have the same effect on generalization and vice-versa. Previous experiments demonstrated that the number of distinct stimuli included in training (i.e., set size) is one factor that affects acquisition during DTI, but did not evaluate whether the response taught generalized to novel stimuli. The present experiment measure acquisition and generalization with college students across two conditions: 1) gradually increasing the number of stimuli and 2) including all stimuli from the start of training. The findings suggest that the number of distinct stimuli required for acquisition and generalization varied across participants. Generally, response accuracy during training was not an indicator of response accuracy in the generalization probes nor did response accuracy during generalization probes indicate training mastery. However, response accuracy was more highly correlated with generalization when all stimuli were included from the start of training. The relation between generalization and accuracy-based mastery and considerations regarding mastery criteria for DTI when generalization is a desired outcome are discussed.

Escalating reinforcement schedules with reset contingencies maintain drug abstinence. Escalating reinforcement schedules can also sustain quiz submission in college students. This study investigated if the reset contingency is necessary for the submission of optional weekly quizzes. Undergraduate students were divided into three groups—fixed reinforcement schedule (Fixed Group), escalating reinforcement schedule without a reset contingency (No-Reset Group), and escalating reinforcement schedule with a reset contingency (Reset Group). The baseline measured how many participants submitted quizzes 1 and 2. Next, participants could earn 50 bonus points for submitting quizzes 3 through 12. Participants in the Fixed Group earned 5 bonus points for each quiz submission. Participants in the No-Reset and Reset Groups earned 3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 5, 6, 6, 7, and 7 bonus points for submitting respectively quizzes 3 through 12. If participants in the Reset Group missed one quiz, the bonus points reset at 3. Results showed fewer participants in the Fixed Group who submitted quizzes 3-12 while participants in the No-Reset Group submitted more quizzes throughout the study. Participants in the No-Reset Group also sustained more consecutive quiz submissions. These results suggest that the reset contingency is not necessary to maintain quiz submission in college students.

Mand training is an evidence-based strategy that involves altering the motivating operations (MOs) in a student’s environment and is commonly used to increase requests made among students with and without developmental disabilities (Jennett et al., 2008). There is evidence that behavior analysts serving as consultants can use Behavioral Skills Training (BST) to effectively train teachers and other classroom professionals to implement interventions with high fidelity, including mand training (Hsieh et al., 2011; Homlitas et al., 2014; Nigro-Bruzzi & Sturmey, 2010; Suberman & Cividini-Motta, 2020). The current project adds to previous literature on the utility of BST to train teachers and classroom staff to implement mand training in an early childhood special education (ECSE) setting. Using instructions, modeling, feedback, and in-vivo practice, staff were trained to contrive and capitalize on naturally occurring opportunities to teach requesting to ECSE students with varying verbal repertoires. Once classroom staff met mastery criterion for each skill with a confederate, they were observed with students in the classroom, and generalization of skills were measured. Results of the project will be shared and discussed in relation to past findings in the literature and future applications for the field.

This study expanded on the current research on using self-monitoring checklists to teach staff how to implement discrete trial training (DTT) effectively. DTT is a structured methodology for teaching new skills. Previous research has demonstrated that self-monitoring can be effective for teaching DTT methods to staff. If staff are inefficiently trained, delivery of the DTT procedures can negatively effect the child’s academic progress (Belfiore et al., 2008). To teach children independence in skills, it is important that the staff working with these students are well trained. Educators may not implement such evidence-based interventions for children with ASD with appropriate procedural integrity over a length of time (Collier-Meek, Sanetti, & Fallon, 2017). Research consistently shows us that many educators struggle to implement interventions as and as a result, these low levels of implementation generally result in poorer student outcomes (Collier-Meek et al., 2017). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of self-monitoring on treatment integrity with staff implementing a discrete trial training program, as well as child skill acquisition, and maintenance of procedures. It was hypothesized that self-monitoring will help staff to develop skills required for implementing effective DTT methods, and also allow for staff to maintain the DTT skills. Results showed that all staff improved their performance once intervention had begun, and were able to maintain their high performance scores.

In behavior analysis, public goods games have been used to experimentally analyze cooperative behavior. Despite a growing number of studies using this and similar preparations, research is yet to evaluate how participants contribute other resources besides money. Furthermore, while research in values-based interventions have shown a contingent increase in prosocial behavior among participants, no study has yet examined this effect in an experimental preparation. The aim of the present study was twofold: (1) Assess how participants would allocate time—specifically towards pollution reducing activities—compared to money and (2) evaluate the effects of a values-based intervention on cooperation. During the public goods rounds, participants were instructed to allocate their given money or minutes to a collective fund in the standard task or for pollution reducing activities in the modified task. Values-based interventions asked the participant to evaluate and develop goals aligned with certain values concerning general social or environmental factors. Thus far, results have demonstrated more inconsistency in contributions prior to intervention and stability in responding post-intervention across both values-based tasks and the control task. This calls into question whether a values-based intervention can effectively alter cooperative behavior in an experimental task. More investigations, however, are warranted to isolate the necessary and sufficient variables for cooperation.

Applied behavior analysis (ABA) practitioners report high levels of burnout, exhibited as exhaustion and disengagement. Turnover, a stressful and costly experience for individual practitioners and the human service organizations that employ them, is a potential consequence of burnout. Work-life balance and work engagement are associated with lower burnout and lower intention to quit. Research concerning behavioral predictors of work-life balance, work engagement, and burnout—all of which are associated with turnover intentions—among ABA service providers is scant. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to explore whether and how the use of self-care strategies and job crafting practices influence perceived levels of work-life balance, work engagement, and burnout among ABA practitioners who work in human service settings. In a sample of 826 ABA practitioners, 72% reported medium to high levels of burnout. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that the use of both self-care strategies and job crafting practices strongly predicted work-life balance, work engagement, and burnout above and beyond sociodemographic variables (gender and years of experience). Findings can inform the development of effective organizational/systems- and individual-level self-care and job crafting interventions that support sustainable individual, organizational, and client-related outcomes. We contend that self-care and job crafting interventions support a culture of wellbeing in graduate programs, training/supervision curricula, and mentor/mentee relationships.

Currently, there is minimal research to engage members of the community to be involved in data collection. Traditional research standards encourage investigation of questions in which all variables can be controlled or influenced by investigators. By not conforming to these research values, broader contextual variables and new research questions can be studied at a community level (Fawcett, 1991). This study is a community-level initiative to engage members of three local neighborhoods to be involved in data collection on neighborhood box turtle sightings to aid local wildlife biologists in gaining information on species prevalence and conservation. We plan to examine the effectiveness of brochures, magnets, and social media platforms by systematically staggering these interventions across neighborhoods utilizing a multi-baseline design. Baseline data show an increase in data collection in one neighborhood without the introduction of a formal intervention and steady levels of data collection in the other neighborhoods. The first phase, a brochure delivered to all addresses in the first neighborhood, will be initiated this spring (March/April). Sustained data collection by community members will aid in a larger demographic data collection initiative on the local box turtle population.

The military lifestyle is a difficult, unique, and selfless lifestyle, yet poses many difficulties. One of these difficulties is the many ethical dilemmas to Applied Behavior Analysis practitioners. Within the military life, military and their families are to move every few years. Military lifestyle sends practitioners to remote areas with very few people on and surrounding the military base area. In some case the Applied Behavior Analysis practitioner is the only practitioner within miles, while in other cases they may be overseas with limited supports. Military may send practitioners to areas that have limited resources and cannot support adequate supervision. Remote supervision has been a huge help for many practitioners that are impacted by the military lifestyle and those that live in rural locations. Often times, the military will also send practitioners to areas that are very sparsely populated, with no other practitioner to provide Applied Behavior Analysis services from. There are many ethical dilemmas that can cause concern to Applied Behavior Analysis practitioners such as multiple relationships, exploitative relationships, working with limited resources, limited intervention staff, navigating cultural differences, and becoming burnt out. Further research is needed on the ethical dilemmas and limited supports of Military impacted Applied Behavior Analysis practitioners.

Government mandated access to ABA healthcare has resulted in the proliferation of ABA service providers. While these service providers readily use the principles of behavior analysis to engineer clinical outcomes, less emphasis is given when designing contingencies for their employees. This presentation discusses the use of an organization-wide performance management system engineered to increase the productivity of Behavioral Analysts at an ABA healthcare. Critical components of the Behavior Analysts’ job were identified and broken down into measurable units. The organization’s historical performance served as a baseline measure. Graphic feedback and recognition for top performers were provided on a weekly basis, resulting in a 170% increase over baseline.

Behavioral skills training (BST) is an effective method for training a number of socially significant behaviors within the field of behavior analysis. BST is often used to train staff working with individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities, but has been used to train a wide variety of behaviors (skills related to sexual health, parenting, sports and musical performances, problem solving, and career advancement). We conducted a systematic review of BST literature outside of service delivery settings using the methods suggested by Moher et al. (2010) for systematic reviews and meta-analyses. We collected data on the characteristics of the participants as well as the types of skills targeted for training, the training components used, and the methods by which the training components were implemented, including relevant technology. We made quantitative and qualitative summaries of the articles reviewed, and provided commentary on the role and efficacy of BST when training skills with increased complexity.

Attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder which has been reported to affect 6-9% of children (Wilens et al., 2011) and is one of the most common cognitive and behavioural disorders seen in school aged children (Larson, Russ, Kahn, & Halfon, 2011). Many interventions have been identified to attempt to decrease challenges within children diagnosed with ADHD. Sensory based interventions (SBI) such as brushing, and linear swinging, are presumed to promote self-regulation (Case-Smith, Weaver, & Fristad, 2015). SBI is commonly implemented, however research is limited. The aim of this study was to determine if SBI and/or a combination of SBI and differential reinforcement of alternative behaviours (DRA) and reinforcement of on-task behaviours would decrease challenging behaviours. A quasi-experimental ABAC research design was used to investigate if SBI or a combination of SBI and DRA plus reinforcement of on task behaviours were effective at reducing behaviours in four children diagnosed with ADHD. Results indicated a decrease in escape related behaviours in three of the participants during the SBI phase and a further decrease in behaviours during the combined approaches of all four participants. This study adds to literature supporting the field of applied behaviour analysis and inter-professional collaboration, and provides conservative support the use of SBI in isolation.

Avoidant and Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is described as a diagnostic category for individuals with feeding difficulties that cannot sustain adequate nutritional status and does not manifest from a distorted body image (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5th Edition, 2013). Individuals with this presentation may require intensive medical and behavioral therapy to increase oral consumption and address comorbidities that have developed from events preceding this diagnosis (e.g., illness, choking). There is a burgeoning amount of empirical data that focuses on this population and describes treatment approaches and their respective outcomes. We completed a chart review of all inpatient admissions from an interdisciplinary pediatric feedings disorders program from 2015-2019 and identified 16 patients that met inclusion criteria. The results of the review showed that 88% of patients experienced an acute event that preceded feeding difficulties, all patients met at least 80% of their admission treatment goals, and 92% of patients that completed their admission consumed 100% of their nutritional needs orally.

The Function of Behavior MEDICAL Screening Tool (FOB-MED) was developed to streamline an indirect functional behavior assessment administered by non-behavior analysts in a medical setting. A direct functional analysis can take approximately 2 hours for behavior analysts to conduct (Roane, Ringdahl, & Falcomata, 2015). In contrast, the FOB-MED consists of eight basic questions that produce hypotheses regarding function of problem behavior (i.e., escape, automatic, tangible, attention) in approximately 15 minutes. For 100 children enrolled in the current study, a FOB-MED was administered to a parent by a psychiatric social worker at the same time a functional analysis of problem behavior was conducted with the parent’s child by a behavior analyst such that the predictive validity of the FOB-MED to the functional analysis could be evaluated. The results for these 100 children were compared and analyzed using Signal Detection Theory (SDT) (Peterson, Birdsall & Fox, 1954). Preliminary results showed that the escape function was most accurately identified by the FOB-MED and the automatic function was most often identified as a “false alarm.” A discussion of validity for indirect methods to identify hypothesized function of challenging behavior with medical professionals is included in the poster presentation.

In recent years, applied behavior analysis (ABA) has grown to encompass more than the treatment of individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Substance addiction has been the focus for researchers and practitioners in ABA given the opioid crisis in the last several years (Karim & Chaudhri, 2012). The field has made strides in research and practice to address behaviors exhibited by individuals struggling with addiction though lacks consensus of universal operational definitions of these behaviors. There has also been disagreement on inclusion criteria for addictions within the DSM-V which contributes to funding issues for treatment (Kardefelt-Winther, Heeren, Schimmenti, van Rooij, Maurage, Carras & Billieux, 2017). This poster seeks to operationally define the target behaviors of addiction, inclusion criteria of DSM-V, and how present ABA can extend research on effective treatment methodologies outside of contingency management.

COVID-19 worsened mental healthcare in Mexico; approximately, 2 out of 10 people received healthcare. In response to this health emergency, the authors investigated whether acute stress could be reduced by training people in functional behavioral assessment (FBA). A sample of 120 wirh acute stress were trained in FBA with a telecourse. In this course, participants learned skills to help them cope with possible contingencies that increase stress. A repeated-measures ANOVA was conducted; it was found that people who were trained in FBA showed lower levels of stress than controls. This finding suggests that a timely detection of contingencies provides tools that improve mental health.

Adults from diverse communities who were placed in residential behavioral modification programs during their adolescence (n=248) were interviewed about their experiences and the impact of those inventions on their functioning. Information was also obtained on the use of restraint, stress positioning (such as requiring the student to stand “at attention” facing a wall), seclusion, and painful stimuli (such as forced exercising, electric shock, and corporal punishment). The use of stress positioning was a widely reported technique experienced by respondents regardless of type of placement, funder of their services, or ownership of the facility with 89.8% of respondents (n=219) reporting use of this technique on themselves or others. The type of stress positioning, the length and conditions of seclusion, and the use of pain varied by facility type, program ownership, reason for placement in the facility, and treatment funder. Respondents who had been placed in for-profit facilities and were funded through a private pay arrangement were most likely to report use of stress positioning, use of painful stimuli to effect change, physical injury due to the treatment, and long-term medical problems or complications related to the intervention. In addition to survey findings, ethical consideration and policy implications are also discussed.

Probability discounting conceptualizes how outcomes lose value as they become less likely to occur. This study used probability discounting as a translational paradigm to understand how people make decisions about seeking out health resources. We used probability discounting to measure decision making in college students related to monetary outcomes, texting while driving, obtaining a flu shot, and visiting a primary care physician when feeling ill. For each respective discounting scenario, we manipulated the likelihood of receiving a sum of money, the likelihood of a car crash, the likelihood of a flu shot being effective, and hypothetical health symptoms (e.g., sore throat, cough). varied systematically in each scenario in order to find what level of danger or effectiveness would make participants be more willing to make positive health decisions. Discounting health symptoms was correlated with discounting of obtaining a flu shot. We will discuss the fits of various discounting models to the datas.

Traumatic brain injury, resulting from concussion, is a growing concern in youth, collegiate, and professional sports. The CDC estimates that between 1.6 and 3.8 million recognized concussions are reported in the United States each year (Kroshus et al., 2015). Unfortunately, concussion-related incidents are significantly underreported by athletes. This is concerning since most concussion symptoms are experienced only as private events of the athlete (Corman et al., 2019). Untimely identification of concussion symptoms increases the potential for serious long term brain injury. A literature review of concussion reporting reveals a large body of research on the issue of underreporting; however, theories are largely rooted within social psychology and education (knowledge, attitude, beliefs, expectations, etc.). Although behavior analytic work has been published on concussion prevention (Quintero et al., 2020; Tai & Miltenberger, 2017), no behavior analytic research has been found with concussion reporting as a target. In the current work, the authors present a brief literature review of concussion reporting. The social-educational theories are then translated into underlying behavior analytic principles (i.e., reinforcement of reporting, punishment of nonreporting, motivation for/against reporting, etc.). The authors conclude with practical strategies for how concussion reporting in athletes can be increased through behavior analytic intervention.

The music schools in Mexico are characterized by training high-level musicians. However, nowadays a high rate of injuries is registered during the training and professional exercise of music. Specialized literature attributes this phenomenon to a lack of preventive behaviors within the school context of the musician. The objective of the present investigation was to modify harmful study practices in guitarists. Six undergraduate guitarists from two educational institutions participated. Participants were selected from a population of 18 students by assessing their study habits. An AB design was used. In the baseline, the behaviors considered as risk factors were recorded during their practice sessions, in the intervention stage preventive behaviors (warm-up, breaks, stretches, explicit goal tracking, etc.) were instigate through social contingencies. The results show a reduction in the symptoms reported by the participants, as well as an increase in preventive behaviors.

Renewal assessments typically arrange reinforcement for target behavior in one context (Context A), extinction in a second context (Context B), and a renewal test by returning to Context A with extinction still enforced. During outpatient behavioral treatment, however, Context A (e.g., home) associated with reinforcement for challenging behavior and Context B (e.g., clinic) associated with extinction alternate. We developed a “nonsequential” renewal assessment wherein Contexts A and B, associated with reinforcement and extinction for target behavior respectively, alternate during treatment to more closely approximate outpatient treatments. Here, we extended this procedure to an individual who engaged in posturing maintained by escape from demands. Contexts A and B were signaled by different treatment rooms and therapists. During baseline in Context A, posturing produced escape. Next, we arranged sessions of functional communication training (FCT) in Context B that alternated with sessions of reinforcement for posturing in Context A. We assessed renewal of posturing by re-presenting Context A with FCT in place. We subsequently exposed the participant to a standard renewal assessment. As in our previous research with college students and rats, our nonsequential approach resulted in more renewal than the standard laboratory approach. Implications of these findings for practice will be discussed.

Discrete Trial Teaching (DTT) is an evidence-based intervention for various students with disabilities. Traditional DTT is implemented in a one-to-one instructional format. However, one-to-one pull-out instruction is not fully feasible in Taiwan. Nearly all special education instruction is implemented in group, especially for self-contained special education classes in Taiwan. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore whether DTT embedded in group instruction is as effective as one-to-one DTT (1:1 DTT). Two students with severe disabilities (autism and intellectual disabilities) were participated in the study. An alternating treatment design was implemented to compare the two instructional formats. Adam was working on categorization in 1:1 DTT, and matching in embedded group DTT. James was working on two objectives. One was categorization and matching; another one was looking at pictures in 1:1 DTT, and looking at teacher in embedded group DTT. Results indicated that 1:1 DTT was more effective than embedded group DTT for both students. Adam met instructional objectives in both conditions, but mastered faster and more effectively in 1:1 DTT. James mastered both objectives in 1:1 DTT, but failed in embedded group DTT. However, the teacher reported that James eye contact was improved from 1 second to 2.5 seconds duration, although in a slow rate. Social validity data showed the classroom teachers preferred embedded group DTT than 1:1 DTT.

Impairments in social cognition is a key symptom of ASD and Down’s Syndrome. Individuals with these developmental disabilities have a dif?culty understanding the beliefs and desires of other people. In recent years, literature has begun to examine the link between impairments in social cognition and abilities that demand spatial and social skills, such as visual perspective taking (VPT). Flavell (1977) de?ned two levels of perspective-taking: VPT level 1 is the ability to understand that other people have a different line of sight to oneself, whereas VPT level 2 is the understanding that two people viewing the same item from various points in space see different views. Additionally, some theorists believe that Theory of Mind and VPT share standard cognitive processes (Hamilton et al., 2009). Both skills involve the simultaneous representation of two differing points of view (Aichhorn et al., 2006). We aim to compare the social-cognitive processes in individuals with ASD and Down’s Syndrome based on a thorough literature review of research conducted in the last decade. As VPT is a sociocognitive ability that impacts social interaction, the study will lay a theoretical framework for clinical interventions to meet underlying perspective-taking deficits causing social skill impairments.

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 diagnosed with a developmental disorder 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 slightly lower in 33- 50% of sessions in the 1-min criteria phase. Additionally, for 2 of 3 participants that emitted problem behavior during the study, more problem behavior was observed in the longer session end criteria sessions (i.e., more problem behavior in 3-min relative to 2-min and more problem behavior in 2-min relative to 1-min).

People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) often have difficulty in tolerating new or infrequently contacted stimuli (e.g., Fisher et al., 2019; Woodcock & Humphreys, 2009). Limited tolerance for health-related behavior, such as nail cutting, haircuts, and dental cleanings can cause distress for these individuals and their families (e.g., Cavalri et al., 2013). During the Covid 19 pandemic, face masks are a new stimulus that may cause distress for many people, especially those who may not understand the need for a mask. The inability to tolerate face masks could limit safe access to public locations for people with IDD and ASD. Therefore, we evaluated preference for different types of face masks with three adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and limited verbal communication skills. Using a multielement design, we assessed the duration each participant wore five different face masks. Our data indicate that, for two of three participants, a single stimulus assessment using a multi-element design is an effective way to assess preference for different types of face masks. This assessment was also helpful in determining appropriate, individualized treatment steps for increasing cooperation with wearing a face mask.

Money management skill is essential to student with developmental disabilities that assist them to successfully transition to local community environment. This paper analyzes 20 published articles that report the results from research conducted on money management skill training for students with developmental disabilities that were published between 1997 and 2020. No studies that met inclusion criteria investigated or attempt to improve budgeting or financial planning skills. From this research synthesis, guidelines are offered for research and practice. Future research should consider the importance of meta skill in money management.

Functional analyses are conducted to understand problem behavior and inform function-based treatments. The performance-based, interview-informed synthesized contingency analysis (IISCA) is a brief model that has recently been developed with the intent of improving practicality and acceptance of functional analysis procedures among clinicians. However, the efficacy of the performance-based IISCA for identifying environmental contributors to problem behavior has yet to be fully evaluated. We compared the relative efficacy of the performance-based IISCA with the full IISCA in a single-subject design with two participants who exhibited problem behavior. We began by conducting open-ended interviews with the caregivers to identify the unique contingency to be incorporated in the functional analysis process. The performance-based IISCA involved a single session in which the putative reinforcers were presented following problem behavior and removed following 30-s of calm behavior. A socially mediated function was implicated after five instances of problem behavior was observed each time a reinforcer was removed. The two participants then experienced the full IISCA that included a single test condition compared to a matched control with five, 3-min sessions conducted total. The results of both analyses corresponded and informed a subsequent function-based treatment that eliminated problem behavior and strengthened communicative responses.

Stimulus preference assessments (SPA) are routinely used by behavior analysts to identify stimuli that are likely to function as reinforcers (Graff & Karsten, 2012). Although SPAs are routine, decision-making criteria on which SPA procedure is most effective within a specific context is limited. Lill and colleagues (in press) proposed an a priori decision-making tree, Stimulus Preference Assessment Decision-Making System (SPADS), to aid practitioners in selecting an appropriate SPA based on a summary of published, peer-reviewed research up to 2018. Decisions are derived from peer-reviewed research that includes stimulus dimensions, client characteristics, and outcome. We surveyed 24 BCBAs about their use of SPAs, how they select items to include, and which SPA they would select for specific scenarios based on the SPADS. Results showed that practitioners use SPA on a routine basis with clients. BCBAs most frequently reported using observations and structured interviews to determine which stimuli to include. Overall, respondents reported most confidence with use of Paired Choice and Multiple Stimulus without Replacement. Selection of the most appropriate and efficient SPA for each scenario did not consistently align with recommendations based on the SPADS. The data indicate that it is important to identify ways to encourage practitioners to make evidence-based decisions. Reference Graff, R. B., & Karsten, A. M. (2012). Assessing preferences of individuals with developmental disabilities: a survey of current practices. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 5, 37–48. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03391822 Lill, J. D., Shriver, M. D., & Allen, K. D (in press). SPADS: Stimulus Preference Assessment Decision-Making System: A practical decision-making model for practitioners. Behavior Analysis in Practice.

Since the beginning of the Corona Virus pandemic, access to behavioral healthcare services has become significantly different following the closure of most clinical facilities. Telehealth technologies have become an increasingly common strategy in accessing behavioral interventions services among families of children with disabilities. This study presents a review of interventions research on telehealth training in applied behavioral interventions. Twenty-eight studies meeting inclusion criteria were reviewed to assess the types of techniques taught, including behavioral assessments and interventions, procedures for administering the trainings, effects of the intervention on behavioral outcomes, and their social validity. Preliminary findings showed that many interventions were trained, including ABC data recording, functional analyses, functional communication training, activity schedules, picture exchange communication, and many others. Improvements in behaviors were observed for both caregivers and clients. Social validity assessments showed that telehealth training were cost efficient, convenient, and easy to access. Implications of the review for policy and future research are provided.

One-on-one training based on ABA has been shown to be effective in cognitive rehabilitation in children with intellectual disabilities (ID). However, its high costs, extensive training hours as well as shortage of professionals limit the expansion of the one-on-one training method. Recently, various computerized training programs such as Cogmed, Cognifit, and Rehacom have been developed, yet their usage are limited for children with ID in terms of task difficulty and scope of training. In this study, an app-based cognitive rehabilitation training program combined with token economy, YESS, was developed and its effectiveness was evaluated. In study 1, 48 children with ID were assigned to either YESS or control group. YESS group completed 6 games per day while the control group did not receive any training for 5 months. Participants’ executive functions (EF) and their parents’ parental stress were assessed before and after the training. Results showed that YESS is effective for enhancing EF (cognitive flexibility and planning) of children with ID and decreasing parental stress. The issues found in the process of study 1, such as difficulty problems and monotonous design, were modified, and the effectiveness of the updated program is being reevaluated in study 2.

Many listener training programs target the development of appropriate nonverbal responses to the verbal behavior emitted by the speaker. This type of training is commonly used in the early intensive behavior intervention programs (EIBIs) provided for individuals with developmental disabilities, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Instructional procedures play a critical role in the acquisition of listener responses. Practitioners frequently face difficulties in teaching arbitrary auditory-visual conditional discriminations with individuals with limited experience with such tasks. Therefore, this study was to investigate the effects of the stimulus pairing observation (SPOP) procedure in conjunction with match-to-sample (MTS) training to establish untrained listener responses in three children with ASD and limited vocal repertoire. The participants were 4 and 5 years old, and the study used a multiple probe across participants design. Each participant was received MTS and SPOP training until the acquisition criterion was reached. Then, post-test probes were conducted across five stimuli set for each participant after exposure to MTS and SPOP. The results indicate that the intervention is effective in the emergence of untrained listener responses. Also, the participants were able to maintain their untrained listener responses.

Parents influence all aspects of their children’s development. Parent training may help in mental health service provision and increase the chances of treatment generalization to new people and settings. Parent training usually teaches positive parent practices, such as attending, describing, and praising behaviors considered adequate. Behavior skills training (BST) is one format that can be effective for parent training. This study aimed at analyzing which procedures have been used to train parents and their effectiveness. Additionally, it looked at the frequency with which BST and its components have been used in parent training. A systematic review was conducted in 3 phases. At the end of these phases, 28 articles remained. Regarding procedure effects, in 24 out of the selected 28 articles we found an effect of the independent variable on parent behavior. On procedures used for parent training: only 4 studies used the term “behavior skills training” to describe procedures. Instructions, modeling, role play, and feedback were the main procedures implemented in the 28 selected studies. Frequent systematic and narrative reviews are recommended to systematize the literature to those professionals and researchers that might need synthetic, updated, and organized information to make decisions.

When problem behavior is maintained by multiple reinforcers or a combination of reinforcers, functional communication training (FCT; Carr & Durrand, 1991) may begin with an omnibus mand (Hanley et al., 2014; Ghaemmaghami et al., 2018). However, specific and complex communicative responses may a desirable outcome of treatment (Tiger et al., 2008). The present study replicated the methods described by Ward et al. (2020) to differentiate an omnibus mand (“my way please”) into specific mands (“Break, please”, “I want iPad”). First, an interview informed synthesized contingency analysis (IISCA; Hanley et al., 2014) was conducted and suggested that the problem behavior of a young child to be sensitive to escape from demands to access tangibles, edibles, and attention. An omnibus mand was taught to replace problem behavior and then the omnibus mand was differentiated into specific mands using the systematic shaping process described by Ghaemmaghami et al., (2018) to increase the complexity of functional communication. Problem behavior remained low while specific FCRs were acquired. Terminal probes suggested that the systematic shaping process was necessary to teach complex communicative responses while maintaining low rates of problem behavior. A social validity questionnaire indicated that classroom teachers were satisfied with the outcomes.

Reviews of the literature indicate that interventions based in applied behavior analysis (ABA) are highly effective approaches to treat the symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), although under-utilization of services remains a significant problem. Potential barriers to utilizing services for families include an insufficient number of trained providers, distance to access services, and the time commitment required for comprehensive services. There is thus a need to provide evidence-based services without these barriers. Parent training, such as the Research Unit on Behavioral Interventions (RUBI) Autism Network’s parent training program, has proven efficacious in empowering caregivers and improving the behavior of children with ASD (Scahill et al., 2016), but is typically provided in clinical settings. A telehealth version of RUBI could potentially eliminate impediments to utilization of ABA services. Therefore, the purpose of the current study is to evaluate the feasibility of adapting RUBI parent training to be delivered to caregivers via telehealth, directly in their homes. We will report the current results of this intervention using the RE-AIM framework (i.e., reach, efficacy, adoption, implementation, and maintenance) and discuss implications for both future research and clinical practice.

Tokens are among the most common consequences delivered by behavior analysts who work with individuals with developmental disabilities (Graff & Karsten, 2012). However, recommendations for establishing tokens as conditioned reinforcers vary and many questions remain about best practices. In this study, children with intellectual and developmental disabilities completed preference and reinforcer assessments, from which we identified two to three backup reinforcers. We then evaluated four procedures for establishing tokens as conditioned reinforcers, usually followed by extinction tests to determine if the token had assumed any independent value. We began with stimulus-stimulus (SS) pairing of tokens with the backup reinforcers. If SS pairing did not establish tokens as conditioned reinforcers, we evaluated response-stimulus (RS) pairing and/or noncontingent token-exchange training, in which participants exchanged noncontingently delivered tokens for backup reinforcers. If neither of these procedures established tokens as conditioned reinforcers, we assessed response-contingent token-exchange training. Results suggest that (1) exchange plays a critical role in supporting reinforcer effectiveness, and (2) the conditions under which we evaluate the effects of token training might influence our results and conclusions.

Within recent years, advances in screening and diagnosis allows children with autism and developmental disabilities to receive intervention earlier. Earlier diagnoses of autism and developmental disabilities highlights the need for strong, evidence-based early interventions. Additionally, research demonstrates that earlier intervention is associated with better social skills, language acquisition, communication, and reductions in challenging behavior. Earlier intervention can potentially circumvent some of the risk factors associated with autism and potentially increase the amount of time spent with typical peers in general education. One important preventative life skill derived from the research and school readiness literature was related to following directions. The three-step prompting procedure appears necessary for participants who initially do not respond to other intervention techniques aimed at demonstrating increased levels of compliance. The three-step prompting procedure provided teachers and parents with a tool to promote compliance with children and for increasing overall independence in following directions. The relative ease in training and implementation with a three-step prompting procedure makes it ideal for use in a wide variety of settings as a tool for teaching instruction following; unfortunately, to date, most of the literature available on the uses of this procedure to address noncompliance in highly structured settings. The current study aims to expand the literature base on the use of the three-step prompting procedure as a teaching tool in a group setting. This study provides an extension of the previous research into the three-step prompting procedure as it relates to young children with autism and developmental disabilities in a group setting. The purpose of this study is to compare the effects of teaching instruction following using a three-step prompting procedure versus no explicit instruction and the concurrent effects on on-task and problem behavior of young children with autism and/or developmental disabilities in a group setting.

After acquiring basic verbal behavior, the children extend its functional use of verbal behavior to more naturalistic, contextual situations. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of online teaching method on establishing functional verbal behavior in school lives. An elementary school student with autism spectrum disorder participated in the study. The target verbal behaviors were consisted of four sets(20 stimuli): talking naturally (5 stimuli), reacting on unexpected situations(5 stimuli), talking in the contexts(5 stimuli), teaching to peers(5 stimuli). We implemented the multiple baseline design across tasks. The experimenter conducted the probe trials once a week. An experimental stimulus consisted of sentences expressing context and peer’s talk in computer display. The student was required to made four different verbal behaviors fitting in the school situations. The parent was required to teach verbal behavior by iPad including stimuli of teaching program. At baseline, the appropriate verbal responses were low place. After home-based teaching, the appropriate verbal responses drastically increased. The result suggested that telehealth program was effective for increasing functional verbal behavior.

Eye contact is an important ability observed early in human development. We investigated eye-face gaze to gain greater understanding regarding the specific variables controlling the natural acquisition of this behavioral class. We used extinction of high probability responses, keeping motivating operations in place to evoke mands with eye-face gaze as a function of differential reinforcement. We wanted to answer the question: Can children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) learn social pragmatic skills (e.g., eye-face gaze) while manding? We use a non-concurrent multiple probe baseline design across participants, and we analyzed the data visually. We demonstrated that these procedures increased eye-face gaze while manding for three children with ASD. The procedures controlled the behavioral class of two and had some control over the behavioral class of the other. It is an important finding because these participants had manding in their repertoire and through extinction and differential reinforcement of a more complex behavior, an improvement in their performance was possible. It could pave the way for more efficient tactics to assist this population access social interactions.

Individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may fail to acquire interactive play and leisure skills due to deficits associated with the diagnosis. Through interactive play, individuals gain more opportunities to develop proficiency in areas such as problem solving, communication, and emotional development. In an effort to inform practice and research, this systematic literature review analyzes behavioral interventions used to teach interactive play and social leisure skills to individuals diagnosed with ASD. The predetermined inclusion criteria resulted in 23 studies to be analyzed. The findings of this review indicate that there are interventions that successfully increased interactive play and leisure skills with children, but there is a gap in the research regarding teaching these skills to adolescents and adults. Additional needs for future research are discussed.

Studies in literature (Evans et al., 2005; MacNeil et al., 2009) shows that patients diagnosed with neurodiversity disease rich higher levels of anxiety and phobias. These awkwardness come true even in medical visits, with direct consequences on the patient's health, on family members and on the costs of the National Health Service (Cisini et al., 2019; Raffin, 2018) The purpouse is to create and evaluate a training procedure available for the operators in Modena Health Services. The aim is to ensure an easier execution of instrumental clinical examinations, for users with Autism Spectrum Disorder in developmental age. The start point was create raw materials: task analysis and support in Augmentantive and Alternative Communication (photos, videos and PCS). Secondly, we gather from the literature techniques with proven efficacy for the reduction of phobias during clinical exams. Gradual exposure and differential reinforcement, from the Applied Behavior Analysis, were detect as the most efficient (McMurtry et al., 2016; Shabani and Fisher, 2006). Thanks to studies researchers can create procedures for anxiety and fear reduction relating to the execution of clinical examinations. The procedures involved were: Electrocardiogram, Echocardiogram and blood pressure measurement. The goal is to create a model of “good practice”, ethical sustainable and plain, that can be share with service operators. Furthermore, the project providing for the use of effective techniques to users with no link to a diagnosis with neurodiversity.

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